AH.

So I left Irkutsk on Sunday night. That day I ran around a TON, meeting with Tanya, Anya, Elissa, and Ilana, having my last cup of amazing tea in Cafe KoKs, went to a bookstore and bought Fathers and Sons in Russian, along with some Sudoku and a Russian Glamour magazine, then sat around the apartment, packed, took a shower, etc. That evening seemed to drag on but I didn't want it to end. I was so sad. My host family and I exchanged gifts (I gave them tapochki (translates to slippers, but the word slippers totally doesn't convey the cultural importance of them) and a bottle of cognac, they gave me a book about Irkutsk and this stone with this painting on it which is really pretty and I love a lot.

We had pozi for dinner (my host mother did that just for me) and left for the train station around 1 AM. As we were waiting for the train at the platform, it was SO eerie. And completely appropriate for leaving my beloved siberian city. It was really cold, but there was still really thick fog...we were all just waiting on the platform as we heard this train horn and it emerged from the fog and just seemed really large and overwhelming. We got on (there was some girl sleeping in our compartment who shouldn't have been there...there were three of us and one other kid but I guess his friend thought no one would be there...anyway, not important), settled, and then Mama Olya and Papa Yuri left and I was SO sad. And I was having one of those panicked moments where I was like...I JUST CAN'T LEAVE IRKUTSK.

And I'm still not sure I can. I DO not want to leave Russia. Also Irina Militievna called me Sunday night to wish me a safe journey and to say she was very sad that I wasn't coming back for 2nd semester.

AHHHHHHH. I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE.

I might not.