THREE MORE WEEKS.

Friday, November 23rd
I always thought that I was one of those people that could never watch movies again and again and again, but evidently I am. Since I don’t want to buy more movies, I’ve just been watching the same ones over and over. And you know what? They’re interesting every time. Then again, it’s only the 3rd or 4th time, I don’t know how many more times I can watch them. I also feel really bad because poor Sonya is sick at home with nothing to do and I forgot to bring her Little Miss Sunshine and all of my other DVDs. L

It’s like 30 degrees here, which is ridiculous. I wore my black buckle shoes, but forgot how they tend to kick up mud on the back of my pants as I walk. I think I might leave them here when I go. It’ll also make my suitcase significantly lighter, as they weigh about 5 pounds.

I also bought a new lighter. I sort of want someone to ask me if I smoke, just so I can say no and explain that the only reason I have a cigarette lighter is to roast marshmallows. I went for the classy one this time; 48 cents instead of just 40. It has a little cover and lights itself. The only thing is I have to be careful to keep the lid thing away from the flame, because then the plastic melts and a) smells bad and b) when I closed the lid and put it down, the melted plastic hardened and then I couldn’t open it again. Well, I can now, but I had to play with it for a good 15 mins. Definitely worth the extra 8 cents.

I’m going to another children’s home tomorrow, but honestly, I’d rather just sit and work on my papers. I think today I’m going to get all of my other homework out of the way so I can study Baikal and get a good amount of paper done.

I am VERY tired right now. I don’t want to interact. I just want to sleep. I’m trying to figure out how long I’m going to be in Moscow/St. Petersburg/Yaroslavl before I head home. I don’t want to be there for so little time that I feel like I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to do, but I also don’t want to be there for so long that I feel like I’m wasting my time. I doubt I’ll feel like that, but still.

I seriously don’t know how I’m going to do these papers. This requires doing research. Research requires reading a lot, selecting what’s important, condensing information, etc. Now, in order to do that, I need to know what it says. I can’t select what’s important if I don’t know what everything means. If you knew how long it takes me to translate the handouts we have for Baikalovedene, you would understand how insanely large this problem is. AHHHHHHHHHHH

Two hours later:
Oh my God.

So that period of time before everyone came home was like, the calm before the storm. I had watched one movie (Ocean’s 11), and thought about watching another one, but didn’t want to look like a complete lazy bum when everyone came home. I should have, I definitely should have.

So I’m wondering where my host mother is, because she called at like 4:30, as usual, telling me to eat soup, and that she’d see me in the evening. She usually comes home around 5:45. 5:45 came and went. So I’m sitting, enjoying my free time, thinking that I should have watched another movie (I feel weird watching movies when everyone’s here. I feel like I’m occupying their TV…because they watch TV all the time. Like, ALL THE TIME. Anyway.), and the doorbell rings (well, more like buzzed, but that’s okay). And I look through the peephole and see two people. At first I thought it was just two random people, but then Mama Olya said “Natasha, it’s me” (like she does every time, but it was DELAYED this time, I don’t know why.) And a realization washed over me like a wave.

My host father has come home.

Now, one would think this would be not a big deal. But it IS. Because it means I am NEVER GOING TO BE ALONE AGAIN (well, for 3 weeks anyway, but that is a LONG time, my friends, a LONG time). And I remember this afternoon, when I was telling myself that I could run some errands and such, thinking “no. I should go back to the apartment and enjoy my alone time, because soon Papa Yuri is going to come home, and I’m not going to have any.” It is a VERY good thing that I did that. I got a good 5 hours of alone time today. But anyway, this means there will be no more flushing of kasha down the toilet. There will be no putting back sandwiches. There will be no talking on the phone in the morning (that actually happens rarely, because I call home rarely, but still) (also I probably could still call in the morning, but it feels different when you’re alone, even though I know he doesn’t understand a word of English). He’ll be there when I leave in the morning, probably nagging me to wear the dublyonka. He’ll be there when I come back. AHHHHHH.

Mama Olya also told me that he loves to talk. So he’ll probably tell me a lot about Siberia and history. This would be fine…if I could understand one word he said. Now, I know my Russian isn’t perfect, but I can’t understand ONE word. He speaks in this really low gravelly voice and his words are not clear at ALL. This was the conversation that took place at the dinner table:
Papa Yuri: So where do you live? (this was phrased strangely though, not the typical “where do you live?”, I don’t exactly remember how he phrased it though.)
Natasha: Um…*look of confusion*
Papa Yuri: State.
Natasha: Oh. Ohio.
Papa Yuri: Do you have grandparents?
Natasha: Yes.
Papa Yuri: Where do they live?
Natasha: New Jersey.
Papa Yuri: huh?
Nadya: NEW JERSEY.
Papa Yuri: Oh. Is it watery there?
Natasha: Um…not very….
Papa Yuri: Do they have tornadoes?
Natasha: No, it’s far away from Oregon. (Note: in Russian, the word for “tornado” sounds much like “Oregon”.)
Papa Yuri: (Again asks about tornadoes)
Natasha: (looks at Nadya, the in-house translator from incomprehensible Russian to sort-of comprehensible Russian).
Nadya: Tornado. Very strong wind.
Natasha: Oh, no, they don’t really have them there. Sometimes we have them in Ohio though.
Papa Yuri: (again asks about tornadoes and water. I don’t understand why he wanted to know about the water distribution in the state of New Jersey, from both the sky and the ground, but that’s okay).
Natasha: (Looks at Nadya)
Nadya: Tornadoes, but with water.
Natasha: OH, hurricanes. No, those are mostly in the South.
Papa Yuri: (asks something else about wetlands).
Natasha: (looks at Nadya)
Mama Olya: We can explain later.
Nadya: Well, like, ground, where it’s wet…
Mama Olya: And you can’t go there.
Natasha: OH (like, swamps). No, those are also mostly in the South. I don’t think they have them in New Jersey.

So we had a nice almost discussion about hurricanes and wetlands in the state of New Jersey. Oh wait, no we didn’t. Every time he asked a question it just sounded like mumbling and grumbling. Also, who asks such bizarre questions?

Papa Yuri: Do you like Irkutsk and Russia?
Natasha: Yes.
Papa Yuri: What state does Caroline live in? (Caroline lived here last year)
Natasha: Maryland.
Papa Yuri: And when does she finish school?
Natasha: In February.
Papa Yuri: Oh, that soon. (something incomprehensible about degrees and future plans)
Natasha: Oh…I don’t know.
Nadya: She doesn’t know Caroline very well!
Papa Yuri: (mumbles something) Caroline…Sarah…Oh, Sarah?
Mama Olya: Yes, it’s Sarah that Natasha is good friends with. But she already finished.
Papa Yuri: She probably forgot how to speak Russian.
Natasha: That’s what she told me.
Mama Olya: We spoke on the phone in Russian.
Papa Yuri: (more incomprehensible grumbling)
Natasha: (doesn’t know if this grumbling is directed at her. Sits and smiles)
Mama Olya and Nadya: (blatantly ignore everything he is saying)

Okay, aside from all of that, here are some interesting notes. When I talked to Mama Olya on the phone at 4:30, she didn’t say anything about her husband coming home. Like, did he just call her cell phone and say “Hey, I just landed in Irkutsk”? I mean, I know they were having trouble tracking him, but MAN. Also, Mama Olya’s sister called twice for her. She didn’t know what was going on either. But despite all of that…if your husband or father came home after 6 months of being away, wouldn’t you be happy to see him? Nadya and Mama Olya are REALLY not thrilled. Nadya’s really irritated and short with everyone and Mama Olya is, well, just not thrilled. It seriously feels like all the joy has been sucked out of the apartment and it is now a grey, dreary place. Right now they’re all watching TV in silence.

I mean, Eddie’s host father may be insane, but at least he sounds alright, I think…right? Papa Yuri just sort of lurks around. This is going to take some getting used to.

I’m gonna need to find somewhere where I can just hang out and do homework. I thought about it for a LONG time and absolutely couldn’t think of anywhere I could go to just sit and do work. It’s weird to do it in coffee shops and restaurants. I’d just have to be roaming the streets. I’m going to have to find the white house (library), like, SOON and figure out whether or not I can just hang out there. I think I can, because you’re not allowed to take books out, you have to sit in there and read them. But I also don’t think you can bring anything in other than a pencil and some notebook paper…I dunno, I guess we’ll see (yea, aren’t Russian libraries great? You can’t take books out, you can’t take books in. Sweet.)

Other things worth noting:
Yesterday Mama Olya told me not to wash the dishes in the morning.
She also told me I couldn’t have a trash bag in my room next to my bed, which is ridiculous, considering I only put wrappers and floss in there. Her reasoning for this was that she was doing something (I don’t think vacuuming, but some sort of cleaning) and it was just there.