Back online!!

So, after a long break, I-m finally back online, and once more able to update my blog!

Just to fill in on the last couple of weeks, I'll put in a few paragraphs as to what has been going on and then start updating once more... The most important things which have occurred in the last two weeks:

19.01.2012 - Dries decided to join in the national Russian tradition, 'kresheniye' - christening, where people go and jump in the water in whatever lake/river they are close to - in this case, Angara. Obviously, its all set up specially. I had been feeling like joining in, but the two days before, and indeed for a couple of days afterwards, I wasn't feeling well, and decided it would be a foolish thing for me to do - if we go to Listvianka at some point though and go to a Banya, I may take that opportunity to go into Baikal in the winter..!

20.01.2012 - After Dries having survived the ordeal of 'kresheniye', on one of the coldest days we've been through so far, possibly the first one which dropped beneath -30ºC, he, Danya and Maria carried out an experiment with boiling water, which I heard about for quite a while, despite not being present - therefore, I'm putting in a link to that, so that people can see for themselves (in several languages) just how cold it has been here!

21.01.2012 - The other five aborted a trip to Angarsk due to the intense cold and not really knowing where they would be going - I had already agreed to watch a film with Ingrid and Nick, who, as Ingrid's place was rather busy, came over to the residence. The film, 'Vistrel', the shot, is supposedly based on a book by Pushkin - we understood all of none of it at the time, although since then it has become clearer. Its a story about Silvio, a Russian who holds a grudge against some other Russian and decides to revenge himself by shooting him. Needless to say, it all comes to nothing and Silvio dies in a Greek war...

23.01.2012 - Danya and Maria went slightly crazy and invited almost every foreigner in Irkutsk to the puppet theatre to watch a performance called 'The Archer'. Way more confusing than the aforementioned film, I doubt even native Russians understood it. We were sorely tempted to leave, but decided that as we'd paid we may as well sit through the whole thing, which we did, finding it just as confusing at the end as at the beginning... Still, it was nice for us all to go out together, as a foreign group.

The stage of 'The Archer' - picture stolen from Gloria's blog

27.01.2012 - So, I stayed in all day on the 27th due to the rather extreme temperature of -43ºC outside. It was really rather cold, and although still about 6ºC off beating the actual record in Irkutsk, also, as I was told, -40ºC = -40ºF, which is pretty rare I guess, and rather cool. Still, since then the temperatures have risen, and we're predicted to have -14ºC again on Monday..!

28.01.2012 - People who keep in touch regularly will know that my computer has been broken for a while - initially, a virus deleted a load of my photos, and then, after recovering them, I found that my Internet didn't work. Either way, the guy came round to fix it on the 28th, but was unable to, so I spent all night backing up all my data and gave him my computer the next day so that he could wipe its memory and re-install Windows, this time with more success!

29.01.2012 - At 6a.m. Amanda left for Belgium - we saw her a few hours before she left, as she came down to our corridor a while after midnight and we had a chat with her  - I'm assuming that she got back to Belgium safe and sound, as we've heard nothing to the contrary - with her, we sent, of course, a letter to Elise which arrived after she had departed. On that note, however, there is still at least one letter in the post to me, from Rwanda, which has not yet made an appearance, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for it to arrive at some point before I leave!



Dries, Amanda and Danya a few hours before Amanda's departure



Self with balalaika

30.01.2012 - Possibly the most interesting day of the last two weeks - in the lesson, we were going through the Instrumental case, and we started talking about what instruments people play. Somehow we got onto the subject of the balalaika, and I mentioned how ever since being in Russia, and even before, I've wanted to play the balalaika, and couldn't find a cheap one anywhere. Then, out of nowhere, our teacher told me that she had a balalaika downstairs and that I could have that if I wanted! Completely in shock, but I accepted, and now have the balalaika hanging in my room waiting to be played! Very exciting indeed! However, I'm not quite sure if the she actually gave it to me as a gift or if I'm meant to give it back when I finish studying here - I guess I'll find out towards the end, if she asks for it back or not. Until then, I'll carry on hoping that its for me!

Lara with tropical butterflies

01.02.2012 - Today is the halfway point on my visa - I've been in Russia 5 months and have 5 months left until my visa expires. Definitely a marker! Angarsk called me yesterday to tell me that I wouldn't be needed today, as the extreme temperatures mean that the students don't go to school. taking advantage of this, Lara and I went to an exhibition on tropical butterflies on Karl Marx street, which was really interesting. The man there was from western Russia, and told us all about the butterflies. At the end of this, he gave us a couple of the dead butterflies, wrapped up carefully, as keepsakes. Very nice of him, I'm sure, but there aren't many things you can do with a dead butterfly, and they are rather difficult to travel with! Klim (computer guy) came around again today and gave me the computer, which was very pleasing indeed as I once more have access to my blog and Internet in general. All has been fixed and will hopefully remain that way from now on!