Every Friday, instead of school, the whole group goes on an "excursion" to a point of interest in the city or in another city. Today we visited "Stariy Vladimir" (Old Vladimir), which is basically just a small museum detailing the history of Vladimir. It also has a great view of the city, and I'll have to go back to get some pictures. Afterwards we went to a big market near my apartment called Fakel, where they sell lots of clothes and souvenirs. We went to a mall for lunch, and later tonight we're going to a karaoke bar to celebrate the birthday of one of the girls here, who turned 25 yesterday.

I'll write a little bit about the other students here. The three girls in my class are Madelyn, Kelsey and Sarah. Madelyn and Kelsey were my roommates at orientation. Madelyn is from Delaware and half her family lives around DC. She lives in Las Vegas right now with her husband, who is in the Air Force. She's 21. Kelsey is from New Jersey. She goes to school in Philadelphia. I think she's 21. Sarah is from West Virginia and goes to school in Pennsylvania. She's 20. Everyone gets along well, though there are people I see more and know better than others. Today I hung out primarily with Madelyn, Faye and Chelsea. We ran into Kyle (one of the boys from West Point) and Chris, who studied here last semester and used to be a Marine. 

I guess at this point I can share a few stories. For one thing, those who know me well will be amused to learn I almost lost the two rings I was wearing before I had even left the Moscow airport. This was actually a thrilling experience though. I had taken them off to wash my hands but hadn't even noticed until I was outside the airport waiting for a bus. When I remembered, though, one of the teachers from the program escorted me back to the airport and I rushed to the bathroom. The rings were gone, but a cleaning woman was sweeping up outside the bathroom. So, in my first attempt at Russian this whole trip, I asked her if she had seen the rings. She said no, but motioned toward the other cleaning lady, who did in fact have the rings. The feeling was exhilarating. Not just that I found the rings, but that I used my Russian. Though nowhere near good (I even forgot the word for ring), I was able to communicate my need and succeeded as a result. 

A few nights ago I was taking the bus home. I wasn't sure if I had passed my stop, but began to worry and soon realized that the ride was taking much longer than it should have. On every bus there's a woman who you pay for the ride. Unlike American buses, she's not the driver, but she walks around the bus collecting money once you get on. So I mustered my courage and asked her if we had already passed the stop, and she said we had. I then asked how I could get there and she said she'd tell me. The bus runs in a circle so the next time we passed the stop, she told me and I got off. As inferior as I feel my language ability to be at this point, I realized that in a real emergency, I have more than enough to get through. Body language goes a long way, and the longer I'm here the less intimidated I am to interact with the Russians. I'm feeling more confident by the day.

My phone number here, by the way, is +7 905-143-5076. I think that's what you dial if you're using a cell phone. If it's landline, I think you would replace the +7 with an 8. But honestly I don't know. If you want to call, give it a try and we can see if it works.

Also, if you want to communicate with my privately, email is better than Facebook. Facebook takes a really long time to load here. Use ls1037a@american.edu because I check this address every time, the others not so much. 

Alla's younger son Kostya is coming home from school sometime this weekend. He'll be staying with us for 2 weeks. Next weekend we're having an excursion to Moscow. People have told me that  Vladimir is a good example of the "real" Russia but I've learned much more about Moscow and St. Petersburg in my studies so I almost feel as if that's the "real" Russia, or at least the one I'm more familiar with. Either way, I'm excited. Glenn Miller just came on the radio. One of my favorite Bob Dylan songs was playing earlier. It's only been a week but I still feel a little weird about the fact that I don't miss home. No one else does either, but we all feel a little guilty about it. Still, there's something comforting about this American-style cafe. 

Anyway, that's it for now. Tired as usual. Have a good day.