"I shouldn't use that word on the street, should I?"

Some more highlights and entertaining anecdotes from last week (I forgot my notebook on Friday where I keep notes on all of the really good stuff that happens to me, so I missed a few things). 

• Monday was a holiday in St. Petersburg, but we still had classes as normal.  However, the cafeteria was closed because the cooks had the day off, so we went to a nearby restaurant (Чайная ложка or "The Teaspoon") for lunch.  This restaurant is basically identical to Teremok, specializing in блины of all different flavors.  I ordered a chicken, cheese and bacon bleen which was quite delicious and cost only $3.  I love the cheap food here.
• Latalia finally recieved her own set of keys last week, so we have begun to travel between our apartment and the Institute separately.  This is good - it means I can stay after and blog if I want without feeling guilty that I'm making Latalia stay when she has nothing to do. 
• I really started buying things beside lunch for myself last week, and perhaps it's about time.  On Monday I went to the аптека (pharmacy) next door to our apartment and bought powdered laundry detergent so that I could wash my clothes.  Russians almost always wear clothes more than once before washing them, and it is completely normal to wear the same outfit for several days in a row here.  Thus, my laundry schedule is primarily governed by my supply of underwear and socks.  Honestly, had I known that the culture concerning clothing was so much more lax here than in America, I might have brought only half of the clothes that I did - I still have outfits that I haven't worn, and I've been here more than 2 weeks.  I'm personally enjoying not having to feel like I need to wash my clothes as often (and they really don't get dirty very quickly, since all I'm doing is walking around town and sitting in a classroom - no overly strenuous activity) and I fully intend to continue the practice upon my return.  I don't care if people think I'm poor or whatever.  If it isn't dirty, why wash it? :]  I also bought some mouthwash on Tuesday because I still use the tap water to brush my teeth, although I won't drink it.  It occurred to me after a while that any germs that were in the water would be just as easily caught by my rinsing my mouth with the water as by my drinking it (although I've heard that there are heavy metals here in the water, which in order to imbibe I would actually have to drink significant quantities of the water, so I'm okay on that front).  However, at least by my calculations, if I always rinse my mouth with an alcohol-based mouthwash after brushing my teeth, it should nullify the effect of my possibly using dirty water (and it's a lot more convenient and efficient than using filtered water to brush my teeth).  I hope I'm right.  Also on Tuesday, I went to our local grocery store (Пятёрочка) and invested in some snack foods, in case the supper situation doesn't improve.  I found out by doing this that snacking is a distinctly American idea.  I couldn't find any chips or crackers (although I've since been told that I must have been looking in the wrong place) but I bought some bread rings (very similar to unsalted pretzels) and some sweetbread- or cookie-like things that you might eat with tea (of course, anything eaten with tea is quite plentiful in Russia).  Having something to snack on helps me concentrate in the afternoon as well as not be so hungry by suppertime, so I don't bolt my food.  And it's quite economical - I spent around $3 for snacks that will probably last me 2 weeks.  Have I mentioned that I love the cheap food in Russia? :]]
• Tuesday was also the first day that I spent some time out of the apartment after school.  I had gotten a bit ahead on studying because of the weekend, so I got the chance to wander a bit and explore our neighborhood.  So I walked around the park that is located at the end of our street (which also happens to contain the zoo, although I didn't go to the zoo this time).  There were PONY RIDES!  They were actual ponies, otherwise I might have tried to get one.  But it might look a bit funny if my feet touched the ground on either side... :]]  The park is very pretty and filled with walking paths, playgrounds and statues.  It bears more exploring later. 
• I also started doing more pleasure reading last week.  I had brought a few books from home, thinking that I really couldn't study ALL of the time and I would probably get quite tired of Russian at times.  I finished both Mere Christianity and More Than A Carpenter last week (both excellent books, which I highly recommend and am slightly ashamed to admit that I had not previously read them).  I also started The Bridge on the Drina, the book written by the only Serb to ever win a Nobel Prize.  As I told you, Mrs. Stojanovic gave it to me as a parting gift from Serbia and told me to let her know if I read it anytime in the next 10 years.  Well, I'm reading it now and it's actually an excellent piece of literature.  It's historical fiction and contains quite enough action to keep the reader engaged (granted, the history of the Balkan States is anything but boring).  I'm enjoying having time for pleasure reading again, a pastime that is quite foreign to students at Princeton.
• On Wednesday, as Latalia and I were returning home (from our троллeйбус adventure), she was recounting to me how a police car had slowed down and was looking like it would stop in front of her the morning before as she was trying to cross the street in front of our apartment.  She told me that she feared that since she was standing on the curb and not in the street, the policemen might have thought she looked like a prostitute (which I think is highly unlikely.  Latalia is a very meek, modest, petite girl and looks the farthest thing from a prostitute).  Then she caught herself and exclaimed, mortified, "Oh, I shouldn't use that word on the street, should I?  It's the same in Russian!"  There weren't many people around, and we were speaking quietly (as we always do when we are speaking in English in public) so I didn't think it was a big deal.  However, soon after that we overtook a well-dressed, middle-aged man who was walking in the same direction as us; as we drew abreast of him, he turned to us and said in clear, distinct English and with a smile on his face, "How do you do?"  Latalia jumped three feet in the air and scurried forward to the door of our apartment (which we had almost reached).  Laughing silently, I hurried after her and once we were safely on the other side of the imposing wooden door, explained to her between giggles that the most likely explanation for the man's strange behavior was that he was a Russian who had heard us speaking English and wanted to try out his knowledge of the language, much as I might say "Bonjour" to a person I heard speaking French.  But the unexpectedness of the encounter and the conversation leading up to it had caused Latalia to assume the worst, and her naturally timid nature had gotten the best of her.  Her actions, therefore, had not been entirely without cause, and I hope that the public recounting of this anecdote will not too badly embarrass her.  Perhaps I could stand to develop a bit more of her caution ;]
• Though I don't recall why this came up in class, we were discussing on Thursday the different sounds that animals make in Russian.  Some of them are quite comical.  For instance, a Russian dog says "gaf gaf gaf" and a Russian frog says "kva kva kva."  Although, I suppose some of our onomotopoeia is just as arbitrary - why should a frog say "ribbit" instead of "kva" ?  It still made us laugh, though.
• On Friday evening Latalia and I enjoyed a particularly long conversation with Tatyana; however, because of our limited Russian vocabulary, several (comical and hopefully not serious) misunderstandings occurred.  By the end of the conversation, I'm pretty sure that T.T. thought that one of the members of our group is pregnant (we had showed her a picture of the group taken on a windy day and this particular girl's dress was ballooned in an unflattering manner in the picture), that one of my friends is suicidal (I was trying to describe that he was in a bad mood and was just feeling very tired of everything), and that Latalia and I have a huge crush on our professor, Stas (he is a wonderful teacher and a very kind man, so everyone in the group adores him - just not in THAT way :P).  Oh, the things that come with learning a language.  I still often get frustrated when I can't communicate the way that I want to, although T.T. tells me I'm progressing (just not as quickly as I would like).
• The other exciting thing that happened on Friday (and possibly the highlight of my week) was the World Cup Germany vs. Serbia game.  Yes, Jennifer, I'm going to brag on here too.  So, the backstory is that I personally care very little for soccer, or sports in general.  But several months ago my half-German friend Jennifer found out that Serbia and Germany were in the same group, which means that they would play each other in the first round of the world cup.  She also found out the date of the game and as it drew nearer, began leaving taunting messages on my Facebook wall.  I'm not entirely sure (that's a lie, I know) how she associated me with Serbia, but she turned the game into a competition between us.  I acquieced - I love a good bit of competition between friends (especially Jennifer - she's particularly fun to compete with).  So it was a bit of sweet victory when Serbia defeated Germany 1-0 and I was able to watch the entire game (although, since it was commentated in Russian, I understood very little of it).  The only sad part was that I didn't have computer access all weekend, so my gloating had to wait until today.  And how sweet it was... :D XD :]]

So, that's a little more positive version of last week.  Hope you enjoyed it.  Coming soon: this weekend, including a trip to Peterhoff, Czar Peter 1's extravagant complex of gardens, palaces, and 400 fountains!!