борщ (borsch) is a classic Russian soup: beats, potato, tomato, etc. It has a bright red color. It's quite delicious with a spoonful of sour cream, a cup of green tea, and a rasberry pastry for dessert. In conclusion, Russian food is fantastic!
As for the language, I'm still working on it. I try to read every sign we pass, listen to every conversation, hoping that I'll recognize a word. I've found that I can greet people in several different ways, say goodbye in two ways, ask "How much?," and say a few extra words like "apple" and "funny." So I'm improving, right?
I guess I owe you some stories since last Sunday...
The first story is a comic. Enjoy!
So, that summarizes that.
Yeah, it gets around 2 degrees Fahrenheit... average. Good times, good times.
Monday, some friends took us to Red Square to see St. Basil's Cathedral and eat lunch at the fancy little Russian cafe. There was also this really cool historic toilet that cost probably $50 to use... so, no, we didn't use it, but the red carpet staircase leading to it looked very inviting.
There were some other days when our friends, who teach ESL, had us meet some of their students. We helped them practice their english. We also helped our friends hand out flyers for their classes... outside... at 8:30am. Our toes and fingers kinda froze off, but I suppose it was worth it if our friends get some more customers. haha.
Hmmm, what else can I tell you?... Hey, wanna hear a funny story?? Welp, too bad, I'm telling you anyways. So Hannah and I were waiting at the front of a grocery store while Jess and JoBell went to get some cereal and milk. A tall young Russian guy walked up to us like he was trying to ask us a question... but of course it was just a big Russian word jumble to us. So he finished his spiel, we responded with, "uh. No Russian. Engleski?" He kinda smiled and said, "Oh, sorry." He walked away for a second then came back... "Where you from?" We said, "the U.S." He smiled and nodded then walked away. 2 seconds later, he came back and with a really big smile, said, "I have friend in Canada." We smiled and nodded. Hannah said, "yeah, me too." He smiled and walked away to do his shopping. 5 minutes later he comes back with a friend and a large bottle of something. He smiled and said, "You come with us and drink beer?" Hannah hardly let him finish his sentence and said, "No." I was like, "uh, nope. No thank you." He nodded and said goodbye. Once he was gone, Hannah turned to me and said, "No, Mckenzie. No beer for you." We laughed it off.
So far, I love the time we've had in Russia. We stay together, enjoy the Russian atmosphere, and survive the cold. The families and friends we've met have encouraged us and taught us a lot. I'm looking forward to what's ahead... whoever we meet, whatever see and do. :)
I wish I could tell you more, but there's only so much I can say on a simple blog.
Thank you for thinking of me!
I love you all!
As for the language, I'm still working on it. I try to read every sign we pass, listen to every conversation, hoping that I'll recognize a word. I've found that I can greet people in several different ways, say goodbye in two ways, ask "How much?," and say a few extra words like "apple" and "funny." So I'm improving, right?
I guess I owe you some stories since last Sunday...
The first story is a comic. Enjoy!
So, that summarizes that.
Yeah, it gets around 2 degrees Fahrenheit... average. Good times, good times.
Monday, some friends took us to Red Square to see St. Basil's Cathedral and eat lunch at the fancy little Russian cafe. There was also this really cool historic toilet that cost probably $50 to use... so, no, we didn't use it, but the red carpet staircase leading to it looked very inviting.
There were some other days when our friends, who teach ESL, had us meet some of their students. We helped them practice their english. We also helped our friends hand out flyers for their classes... outside... at 8:30am. Our toes and fingers kinda froze off, but I suppose it was worth it if our friends get some more customers. haha.
Hmmm, what else can I tell you?... Hey, wanna hear a funny story?? Welp, too bad, I'm telling you anyways. So Hannah and I were waiting at the front of a grocery store while Jess and JoBell went to get some cereal and milk. A tall young Russian guy walked up to us like he was trying to ask us a question... but of course it was just a big Russian word jumble to us. So he finished his spiel, we responded with, "uh. No Russian. Engleski?" He kinda smiled and said, "Oh, sorry." He walked away for a second then came back... "Where you from?" We said, "the U.S." He smiled and nodded then walked away. 2 seconds later, he came back and with a really big smile, said, "I have friend in Canada." We smiled and nodded. Hannah said, "yeah, me too." He smiled and walked away to do his shopping. 5 minutes later he comes back with a friend and a large bottle of something. He smiled and said, "You come with us and drink beer?" Hannah hardly let him finish his sentence and said, "No." I was like, "uh, nope. No thank you." He nodded and said goodbye. Once he was gone, Hannah turned to me and said, "No, Mckenzie. No beer for you." We laughed it off.
So far, I love the time we've had in Russia. We stay together, enjoy the Russian atmosphere, and survive the cold. The families and friends we've met have encouraged us and taught us a lot. I'm looking forward to what's ahead... whoever we meet, whatever see and do. :)
I wish I could tell you more, but there's only so much I can say on a simple blog.
Thank you for thinking of me!
I love you all!
