Day 33 ~ Last Day with the whole Group!

4. August

Today was a mixture of fun and goodbyes. In the morning we all went to class to play some games and have tea and brunch. It turned out to be better than expected. We got into two groups and had a competition against each other. My team was Doug, Matt, Steve, and I. We called ourselves Team Green Tea! The other team was Masha, Francesca, Adrian and Jim and they named themselves the pretty Americans.

Anyways we had these activities where we had to use Russian to answer riddles, write a story from pictures, as well as other things. Basically we were supposed to use the Russian we had learned in the class. The tie breaking competition was between the captains, Jim and Doug. They were given a bunch of words and asked to recall as many as they could from memory a few minutes later. Doug won and received a birchbark basket that was actually pretty neat looking.

After the games we sang a song that we’d been practicing and told Russian jokes. We ate tea and cabbage pie along with a cheesecake type pie that had lemon peels on top of it. Surprisingly I didn’t find it that great and couldn’t finish it.
One of the teachers, Sasha, brought her daughter along and she looked about 4. She was soo cute running around and playing with her tea when we were eating. I can’t remember her name.

After school Doug, Masha, Adrian, Steve and I went to the hotel across the street to check our emails and go to the souvenir shop. I bought some mini matroshkas that were pretty cheap and really cute!

From there we had to make one last trip to coffee land! We all had a grand time with our tea and we took a lot of pictures for memories sake. It was a great time as always, I am going to miss coffee land with the crew. We spent most of the time talking about how most of the group is leaving and how fast the time has gone by!
We stuck around coffee land until we had to meet the rest of the group at the Kremlin for dinner at a restaurant in one of the towers. We all met and went to the restaurant. After going up a bunch of steps we made it to the restaurant.

It was a really pretty place and quite neat that we were actually inside one of the Kremlin towers! I really enjoyed it. The table was set with folk style dishes. On the table were these huge swan bowls that held Mead, a drink of honey and other things. I didn’t like it at all. There was salad as well as vegetables wrapped in eggplant as appetizers I guess. All very good! My main course was Pelmeni, others had chicken with buckwheat and other fish. I tried each of the other things; the buckwheat I thought was very good. I’ve had it before and really like it. I didn’t think I would because I remember when I was little and my mom made buckwheat pancakes and I didn’t like them at all. Whatever was with the fish I didn’t like at all but Liza wanted me to finish hers because she couldn’t for some reason. I didn’t either because I just didn’t like it at all.

Liza gave a toast, as did Jim. We all drank our mead, had nice conversations and enjoyed our last times together. It was really nice to have everyone together, the teachers even joined too! When we left a bunch of us said our goodbyes because we would all be going our own ways from here.

Masha, Steve and I spent more time together after at the University uploading pictures. Steve left early, and Masha and I soon after. At this time it started to rain, and of course that meant pour for a really long time.

I should add, most of my time here thus far has been really nice weather. For the most part its only rained all day on two occasions and otherwise it will rain for a half an hour or an hour here and there occasionally. Overall it’s been very great weather, not to hot at all really. I have hardly worn any shorts.

Anyways, of course it’s raining forever and the bus takes its merry time showing up. Masha and I waited around and we were saying our goodbyes. Luckily I will see her again next semester in Russian class.

We waited at least 45 minutes if not more for the bus and when we got on it was packed. I had never been on such a full bus before. Masha said so much for personal space because there is none.

This leads me to an interesting part. So, Masha and I get on the bus and there was a young guy who was sitting and he offered me his seat. Originally I said I didn’t need it, which I didn’t, but he insisted and got up. So I sat down. For the rest of the time he was on the bus he was looking at me and smiling. I wasn’t looking at him that often because I just feel that he was looking at me. Masha was like he probably thinks I am your mother and he’s trying to make a good impression. Haha, anyways, as he was waiting in front of the doors for the next stop, he wrote something on the window for me. I looked at it perplexed, it was a mix of Russian and English letters and I couldn’t tell what it said. He looked at me and said goodbye, in Russian and English while pointing to what he wrote. He eventually got off before I did and he kept looking through the window until the bus drove off. Eventually Masha gave me a hug and got off herself. When I got home Olga and I figured out he did write goodbye to me on the window.

I found it a fitting circumstance considering most of the group is leaving. Masha said that the whole exchange was pretty cute and something that could be a good premise for a Hollywood movie, or it was at least like that James Blunt song “Beautiful” (I think that’s the name, hope you get what I am saying).
Anyways, it was kind of a interesting meeting, and the rest of the night I was thinking, I wonder who that person was. We never did ask each others names, but I am sure he realized soon enough that I was American.

I often watch people around me and try to think about what kind of people they are, like to make up little ideas. So, when that guy got off I was wondering, I wonder what kind of person he is and such. He was really nice, I wouldn’t have minded talking to him, but we never did say much to each other.

Overall it was just an interesting chain of events. When I got home that night I had tea and desserts with Olga. She bought this new Rosehip tea that is very red and very delicious with such a strong berry taste. On top of that she had made a cream cheese spread with chocolate in it to put on my dessert and that was really good too! I tried to take a picture with her and Beesha but he wouldn’t stop moving.
The day was nice, but I am really going to miss the group, especially Doug and Masha. Masha and I because really close friends on this trip. The three amigos were always Steve, Masha, and I. Russia will feel so different without Masha, I wont have anyone to call in the evening to say hey how’s it going, or someone to come stay over on the weekends, or have nice long chats with. Our time has been fun and I’ve really enjoyed it. Thankfully Masha lives close and I will still see her in class so it will be okay. I hate goodbyes and leaving people. I hate when things happen for the last time. I get to sad and nostalgic for my own good.

With the group leaving it’s a reminder that soon my trip will also be finished. Although, now that everyone’s gone most of the fun things are finished. I say that because there will be no more group excursions or planned events that I looked forward too. Now the rest of us have to work every day!

Liza is leaving too, and although we didn’t see her a whole lot during the trip it was nice to know she was around incase anything happened. I know I will be able to get along without her and the airport will be fine, but I like knowing there is someone who could help me if I got into a bind. Stas is still here though, and for the next two weeks he’s the go to guy!

Overall the trip has been lovely and I am sure the rest of my time here will be as good but in different ways. I am thankful for all the time I’ve spent here soo far, it’s really been amazing! I don’t know what else to say.

So, from here on out most of my writing will be about working in the orphanage! 13 more days in Russia!

Love,
Sasha

Photo Link: Russia ~ Day 33 ~ Final Day with Everyone, Long Goodbyes