The last warm day

Halfway through the day: Heijin, Brenda, Cristine and Seo-tse
in the classroom

So, apparently the 18th was the last warm day we're expected to have this year. This is incredibly heartening news, as we are really looking forward to the cold weather. Today, at 0ºC, a woman was heard to say, when Amanda mentioned how cold it was, that it was actually quite warm!! Our class today was an interesting affair. Most of us arrived for the first lesson, but things gradually changed. At the end of the first lesson, the koreans, save for Heijin left to go to the Korean festival on the top floor. Shortly into the second lesson, Cristine sneezed, which provoked Rima to start prescribing medicines to her and eventually sending her home to recover from what she must have assumed was a very dangerous illness..! This left just Heijin, Brenda, myself and Seo-tse Chang, the chinese boy who doesn't speak any Russian and who informed us that he doesn't even like Russian. We did manage to get some more information out of him today, after much struggling, I figured out that he is from Manchuria, and Cristine managed to figure out that he is here on is own and isn't here with his parents or anyone. Maybe he was less intimidated by there being fewer of us... He did, in any case, leave at the end of the second lesson, but we were spared from being the only three in the class by the return of two of the other Koreans.

One of the less appetising lunches provided by the cafeteria, a chicken-burger (view the packet)
It is, however, less suspect than the other burgers on offer...

Our three plants: Hans, Carmen and Mikhail (I feel it is necessary
to add this photo before Carmen dies)

After lessons I once more attempted to go climbing. unfortunately, I only know that the 80 bus goes from the university to the climbing wall, and so I stood waiting there for half an hour whilst 80s. rushed by far too full to squeeze anybody else in. Eventually, I got too bored and cold of waiting (the bus stop there is in a very windy area, I think I'll try waiting elsewhere next time), and decided it wasn't worth the wait, especially as I could no longer feel my nose, ears or lips. Fortunately I sat on the radiator on the bus on the way back, which was some consolation!! Back in the dormitory, most of the other people rushed off to the bar to talk to people studying foreign languages here and came back quite pleased. I've been invited to go and talk to the first year spanish students, but I have no intention of going, as its not the sort of thing which I'm all that keen on, I'd much rather have friends whom I have something in common with! Still, it was nice of them to ask, and maybe in the future at some point if Gloria or Cristine decide to go, I may go along with them...

Also, today, despite having issues with the bank (my bank account being blocked again), I feel it necessary to mention my happiness at discovering that all my withdrawals at the bank at which I withdraw my money are free of interest!!