Lena, too, ordered a coffee, but when we were seated it was clear that she was interpreting for me in English. Whether or not it was obvious that I was an American, I'm not sure, but all I know is that my coffee came out looking different than hers, and we think it had to do with the fact that I'm not from around here:
Close-up.
After breakfast, we walked to the American Home, where we had our Russian lesson. We worked on numbers and on basic words and phrases for restaurants/shops. As I've previously written, I'm pushing myself to stay focused just on what would be most helpful to me during my time here. I won't be taking a Russian class when I return to Vanderbilt in the fall, and I don't know if or when I will again encounter a situation where I'll need to speak the language. So, for now, my future with Russian is limited to the next two-and-a-half weeks, and tempting as it is to try to memorize the grammatical case system (not being sarcastic, just nerdy), I think it's more important to be able to engage with the language as much as possible in daily life while I'm here. Unfortunately, just because I can say stuff doesn't mean I can understand stuff, so even if I flawlessly ask someone how they're doing or how old they are, that doesn't solve the problem of comprehending their answer. Live and learn, as they say.
Following our lessons, we had tea time and then sat for a lecture by four or five different Russian students who study English at Vladimir State with Alexei. There seems to be a never-ending supply of them, which is great, but kind of funny, because we keep saying that we've met "the foreign language students," yet we never encounter any of the same people. The girls talked about stereotypes of Russian women, about anglicisms in Russian, and about various phrases/idioms in Russian, some of which have equivalent English sayings. They kept putting us on the spot to read things in Russian and to try to figure out words or fill in blanks with the correct Russian word, and it was really fun, albeit a bit nerve-wracking; honestly, I felt good about how much I've learned in a week, and gradually things (starting with the alphabet) have begun to make some sense.
Today was our first "free day"--er, free afternoon--so we went to lunch as a group at a place called Adam & Eve (interesting concept, nothing particularly biblical [or sinful] about the food), and then half the group went bowling. Mack and I were too tired, so we went back to our respective host families to rest up.
"Adam & Eve: You can resist everything except temptation!"
When I got home, Lena was napping, but she woke up and did some homework and stuff while I took a nap. When I woke up about an hour later, I heard indistinct chatter and figured it was Lena and her brother Iliya. Then I remembered that Gleb was supposed to come visit later, and sure enough it was the famous Gleb. So, the three of us chatted for a while, Gleb wrote a silly poem for me in Russian, translated it into English, and gave it to me, and then we went to the store to get stuff for dinner.
Naptime with Бонни (Boniface, or Bonnie ["like Bonnie and Clyde"] for short).
At 17:30, I had to meet my group at the theater by the American Home, where we would be treated to the dress rehearsal run-through of a performance opening on Saturday: an end-of-the-year recital given by the students of the Vladimir State art institute who are on track to become professional dancers. They were still working out the sound and lights, but it was really entertaining, and all styles of dance were displayed. We only stayed about an hour and a half before heading out, though, so we didn't get the chance to talk with any of the dancers or their instructor/choreographer, who we were told is quite renowned.
When I got back, Lena had made her favorite dish: a Chinese meal of chicken in soy sauce with pineapple and peppers. It was really delicious, and I could've eaten three bowls of it, but I saved room for the Russian candies she and her mom had me try. For Lena, this is a special dish to cook and eat, so it was a cool privilege to get to be here when she made it. So. Good.
The rest of the night was just Lena, Irina, and me sitting in the kitchen talking like we do, in a mix of English and Russian with the occasional German word or phrase peppered in, watching TLC Россия (TLC Russia) until we get tired and decide to go to bed. Also, a final note about today: Every 28 May is a national holiday in honor of the Russian Border Guards. If David hadn't mentioned it to us this evening, I would've had no idea. Still trying to get the story on this holiday; details to come later, hopefully.
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