Irkutsk n' Stuff

Orientation went great, they just warned us mostly never ever ever ever to go out on the street at night. Ever. So, I wasn't planning on doing that anyway, so it will be fine. Unfortunately, after getting sort-of used to Moscow time (+13 hrs!), we boarded a plane to Irkutsk that left at 2:00 in the morning and arrived at 2:00pm Irkutsk time (+18 {i think} hrs!). There my new mom Natalya Viniaminovna and her son Konstantin Pavlovich were waiting. They took me immediately to their dacha outside of Irkutsk, in a pleasant little village where they grow lots of vegetables. Things are still a little odd, just because I've only known them two days, but nothing serious. They are both very Russian, I think. Not really like the Russians at Middlebury.

I know its a cliche, but I realized that I am really, really, American. Its hard not to ever make eye contact or smile at anyone, but I have to get used to it, and I will. Also, just little things, like when the dog at the dacha jumped up on me and got mud on my pants, it is a much bigger deal. People dress a lot better here. Well, better, in the sense that they dress nicer. I'm not sure if I agree with some of their outfits. But I am the foreigner here, and it is up to me to fit in to a degree that at least I don't stand out until I open my mouth. I am writing on the fatally slow University computer. We haven't had classes yet, but I just took a test for placement, and I totally f****ed up a retelling of the legend of Lake Baikal. I had to listen to it, and then retell it, and I completely missed the fact that the young lover was the Yenesei river, and the rock was Listvyanka. At the end of the year, I'll know that damn story by heart, though. It's pretty good, once you sit back and think about it.

Well, a class is coming and I have to go. Bye.