Loose ends.

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For once a peaceful morning. I went back to bed after breakfast to sleep off a lot of mashed potato and small sausages and got up at 1.

Prospekt Lenina seems to be the most festive part of town. New Year is the big celebration (and Russian Christmas is not until the 7th January) so there are lights above most buildings that say "2006". There was new snow this morning so the square looks wintery. There are huge pine trees along ulitsa Nekrasova all the time but some have decorations on now, and the one outside the House of Culture is so big that it takes men on a fork-lift truck to put them on!

With only five days until I leave I'm even busier than usual. I have to write an essay on "my impressions of Yaroslavl" for tuesday, which is one of the factors when deciding my final mark. It should be about 500 words which won't be nearly enough. If I translated this diary I would still be a long way from describing my Russian experience so far.

I have to finish packing and tidy the room, then put the last week's photos onto my computer. I will read the remainder of Yulia's story tonight as well as the article for Larissa. I want to make the most of my last week at Yartek so I don't want to have to do my homework in the lunch breaks!

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Photos

An impression of Yaroslavl.
Or a favourite memory. Our weekly pool tournament underneath the hotel.