In Which Amurrica Isn't a Plural Society

01.12.2008

Today is the beginning of a new month. The last month of the year. I have a full month and ten days more before I return home.

I think it just actually hit me that I will be spending Christmas here. More that I will be spending New Years' (the Russian time for Christmas) with another family. THAT is bizarre. I have no idea what's going to happen, in terms of me celebrating with them or anything. I'll definitely get Tatyana something, but I have no idea how the rest of it will work.

Last night's plan of going to bed early and getting up to be productive didn't work as well as planned. I went to bed at about 10:40, completely exhausted, but didn't fall asleep until about 2 in the morning. Which was TERRIBLY frustrating. Then, when I woke up this morning, it turned out I didn't have Grammar class ANYWAY, so I slept in an hour then got up and did a bit of work. So it wasn't a TOTAL waste, I suppose.

Human Rights today was a riot. I go in, and ... I'm the only student. Oh, and Andrei Vladimirovich gave me an A for the first half of the semester, which was a pleasant surprise. I guess he DOESN'T hate me. But in any case, we started class, and I was able to talk a lot more freely when no one was there. Then the other guy in the class showed up (I am fairly sure his name is Anzor... or something ... like that). But Andrei Vladimirovich forced me to talk for most of the time, which was pretty awful. Though, it's funny, since I just realised that the Russian students don't really understand any of the concepts in class ... but ... I do? Maybe it's because it has to do with HUMAN RIGHTS, WHICH THEY DON'T HAVE?! I kid, of course.

While Andrei Vladimirovich was preparing something on the computer, Anzor asked me if I thought America was a plural society. To which I replied yes. And then he said he didn't think it was. To which I responded "uhm, alright..." To be perfectly honest, I can't see ANY country in our day NOT having a plural society... But, who knows.

Then, while travelling down the escalator in the metro I saw several stickers for a protest that's going on this month. They were pretty vague; there were only two variations of protest slogans that I saw: “State, answer for the crisis!” and “Change the authority, not the constitution!” Clearly, I am going to stay away from said marches. But I'm interested in seeing the media reaction.

That's it for today. NEED TO DO THAT PRESENTATION, DONTCHA KNOW.