In Which Ukraine is Discussed... But not really.

28.10.2008

Another fairly unexciting day. Phonetics (which, for some reason I keep spelling as "fonetics") was particularly painful because we had a substitute (again) today, and I don't like her. Mostly because she's tremendously awkward, and not in a good way. I feel more comfortable with the other teacher, who apparently is returning next week. After that I had my Razgovornaya exam, which was much easier than I thought it would be. After we finished she made us sit as she went through and marked our mistakes on the paper... then she turned it back to us to give us a second chance to correct it. Which was strange. But, I had few mistakes, and most of the mistakes I made I knew how to remedy. So, whoo.

After that I went to Bobrinskij palace in order to discuss my presentation topic with Professor Vertkin. After a lengthy discussion, I think I'm going to do my presentation on the position of Ukraine in the relations between Russia and the U.S. It's really bizarre because basically all of my research is going to have to be on the internet, and I haven't used GOOGLE for god's sakes to research something for an ACADEMIC PAPER since I entered college. But, we simply don't have the resources for anything else. So, there's that..

I stopped by the bookstore to try and find pens and pencil lead... I failed. For some reason writing utensils are absurdly difficult to come by in this country. I'm down to three sticks of lead in my pencil, and a blue pen. I think I'm going to start saving my pencil for exams and such.. so the rest of my notes and my homework is going to be in BLOO. exciting.

That was basically MY day... hm...

Oh, alright, so. There's this guy who's started waving to me when he sees me. But, uh, I don't really know him. I mean, I saw him at a lecture on the U.S. elections. That's been the full extent of our ... interaction. Which is to say, none. So perhaps I shall introduce myself to him next time I see him. So that I may make friends. Or something.

Well, luckily, I have very little homework tonight, so I'm going to read a bit then... I don't know. I''m so tired, but when I try to go to sleep I can't. Maybe it's just pure exhaustion. But it's not like I'm DOING much., right now. Maybe it's the tea dependence, or something. Hell if I know.

Oh, so, while I was talking with Professor Vertkin today he said that the Philological Faculty bookstore is actually one of the better bookstores in the city, and if I want to find anything halfway interesting I should go there instead of Dom Knigi. So, I'm going to do that, sometime... soon... maybe. before the weather gets so godawful that I'd rather stay inside all the time. Speaking of shopping, I think I need to go out and buy a hat and a jacket before going to Moscow. Yes, one would think I should wait and maybe try to buy said things in Moscow, but... Apparently it might SNOW while we're there. So I need to be prepared. I don't really want to take my gigantic fur coat, because I can't MOVE while wearing it, and I don't want to take my ushanka because I kind of feel like a jackass wearing it. Of course, it's not like it even gets cold enough in the U.S. (Or, at least, in Maryland/California) that I would need to wear it there. Plus, someone at Goucher might try to douse me with paint, since it's made of FOX FUR (I think). But at the same time I have had a hard time trying to find a hat that looks halfway decent, here. Everyone wears those knitted caps, which (in my opinion) look like hell on ANYONE and EVERYONE. So I'd like to avoid getting one of those. We'll see what happens.

I've run out of junk to say. So... yep