First off, I had a conversation in Russian. Okay, okay. I wasn't the one speaking in Russian. I actually had no idea what she was saying. A woman just started speaking to me as we were out and about... I just nodded and smiled and kept trying to say "English. Eeeeeng-lish. EN-GA-LISH." She just kept on talking, that woman. Chatty lady.
30 minutes later....
Secondly, as I was waiting outside for Eric and Will to pick up Addie and myself for dinner, another lady with a baby spoke to me in Russian. I'm thinking I look super approachable today or something. "Oh sorry, I speak English." To my great delight, she started speaking English!
In a mild accent she says, "I'm looking for a house, what number is this building."
"Oh I'm not sure, I just moved here from the States on Friday," I say, thinking this was definitely a good excuse .
"Oh. You don't know your address?" She patronizingly states. Okay so it probably wasn't that patronizing but I'm super sensitive, vulnerable, and insecure about my survival abilities right now.
"No. No, I don't."
Fail. Fail. Fail all over the place.
So how was this last interaction successful you ask?
Because I got to speak English with a local.
And because at the end of our conversation, she finds the building number and tells me where I live. I KNOW WHERE I LIVE Y'ALL!! Okay, maybe I don't know the street name, but I know the building number! Halfway there. Baby steps.
And lastly, I ate local food. We went out to dinner with Abby, the Gilberts, and Will to a local restaurant not too far from our flat. The menu was in a different language, so we had the Gilberts order for us and trust that they were ordering to our liking. And they did.
If you know the relationship my taste buds have with food then, well, you know that I'm a bit skeptical, dramatic, and a bit of a snob. I don't mean to be, it's just that I struggle a little in the area of food tolerance. This is all another way of me simply saying I'm picky. I have been this way my entire life, although I have greatly improved and have broadened my food selections since childhood. We ate an amazing dish called....um well, I can say it but not spell it. But it's pronounced Lockmon. So I think.
This dish is homemade, thick noodles with chicken or beef and veggies. A combination of everything I love! It's very similar to chicken and veggie Lo Mein. I will definitely be eating this again!
This pretty much sums up our day yesterday: We went to school, and I went home early. Eric stayed longer and played basketball with a bunch of guys. Meanwhile, I was making friends with the locals and being super successful at it. Then, he and Will came to pick us up for dinner, and we ate!
Overall, yesterday was a good day.
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