Russian cold

I woke up this morning with a sore throat. That's a sure sign that you're sick, especially here. People are very ... superstitious about health. A constant point of contention between Russians and Westerners is the effect of certain things on your health. Most people have probably heard once or twice at least that you shouldn't go out with wet hair. But Russians are sure this will make you get very sick. You shouldn't drink anything too cold, especially when it's hot outside. It shocks the system and you will get sick. (Of course, when you go to the banya, this is exactly what you're doing, but this is considered healthy!) So naturally, having ice cream yesterday when I was wearing a skirt and not pants, even though it was kind of chilly outside, is probably what gave me a cold. The thing is, after so many discussions with people about it, you kind of start to believe it. I won't sleep with the window open, for instance, and drink many more hot drinks throughout the day, no matter the weather, while I'm here. I think I have about 4 cups of tea per day! Some of these beliefs go a bit further and are less likely to win over foreigners. For instance, if a woman sits on a cold stone, she will possibly not be able to have children (I guess the ovaries get cold on the ground??)

Anyways, I am a little sick, and hope that it passes soon. This is my last week in Moscow, and we have a big farewell event on Friday. We have a roundtable discussion, where each of us will give a 5 to 10 minute presentation. I'm going to talk a bit about the importance of knowing a bit of phonology and linguistics in general when you're teaching a foreign language. Then we'll have tea, and finally a performance. My group is doing excerpts from a play by Gogol, and I have a big part. I really wanted to memorize my lines, but it's rather long and old-fashioned. I'll also be playing the guitar for a song.

Otherwise, the time has been passing nicely. This weekend I slept in a bit, which felt really nice. I went to a free concert sponsored by a big radio station at the sports center where the 1980 Olymics were held. There were thousands of people, but the music wasn't all that great. We did hear the newest Russian hip hop star, Timoti, which was pretty cool. It was a hot day, but they weren't selling beer. We thought we were in line for beer, but it turned out to be kvas, a non-alcoholic drink made by fermenting bread (and raisins, I think). The first time I tried it I couldn't stand the taste, but now I actually find it refreshing. Unfortunately for the guy behind us (who also thought he would get beer), we got the last of the kvas.

Sunday I did a little bit of sightseeing on my own. I went to the All-Russian Exhibition Center to see what was there. Right outside the metro is a monument to the cosmonauts, so I looked around and took some pictures before going in to the cosmonautics museum. Some of you may know that my grandfather founded the Young Astronauts program with Reagan in the 1980s, and suggested an exchange with the Young Cosmonauts. Because of this, we now have a former cosmonaut as a family friend! He's very kindly met me at the airport and train station in Moscow a few times, so I called him when I got here. We're hoping to meet on Saturday before I go. Anyways, with my Russian student ID I can get into these sorts of museums for free, and it's kind of cool to see the picture of someone you actually know! Plus I finally got to see cosmonaut food. No dehydrated Neopolitan ice cream for the Soviets...it was all about the borscht! I would have bought some if it didn't cost $20. No borscht is worth $20 a serving, and I say this as a fan!

The exhibition center itself was kind of strange. On the one hand, it was interesting to see the different pavilions and the beautiful fountains. But inside the pavilions, it just seemed like a flea market. I did see a live elephant out on the street. I just sort of stood near it, and from time to time it reached its trunk out in my direction. I think I got some snot on me, I was so close. The handler was using some sort of hook (I'm sure the skins is really, really tough, but it looked a little rough to use a hook...) to pull the elephant out of the way of traffic. However, a police car coming up the avenue seemed to make the elephant really want to get in the way. The whole group of people were laughing and laughing to see the police car stop and wait for the elephant. There was also a camel around, but I didn't want to get spit on.

After I'd had my fill of walking around, I stopped at McDonald's for lunch (I missed my 4th of July traditional Big Mac, so was making up for it! Plus it's a bargain compared to the grills at the exhibition center). I met up with a friend for souvenir shopping at the souvenir market. I don't mind haggling a bit, so it was nice to get a deal (or at least feel like I was). I spent way too much money, but I think I got some good stuff. I finally got a pretty piece of amber for myself to wear as a necklace...my biggest regret from Lithuania was not buying more amber.

Now things are winding down. Everyone is pretty ready to head home. It's been an intense 6 weeks. Luckily there haven't been any interpersonal issues. What a pleasant change to be around adults who actually behave like adults. There are undergrads in the dorms, and it makes one somewhat nostalgic, but I couldn't imagine being on a six-week program with 19-year-olds. But being older makes us less sad about leaving Russia. We all know we'll be back, I guess, since it's our career. And we all have a lot of work waiting for us at home. And we're all really tired, especially of the dorm.

Well, it's back to the dorm and my sagging bed for as much sleep as I can get!