Kelly's Quotidian

The last e-mail I sent from Russia follows. It was a couple of days after New Years. There are pictures after…
Moscow Day 6:
Dobre Dian,
New Years eve was quite an event. I got EPIC drunk. Our hosts made us an incredible 4 course meal. We smoked some kind of funcky tabacco from an Egyptian pipe. I “made excursions” outside, several times. They were scared that I was going to get frost bite, but I managed to keep my fingers and toes. I also was getting sweet with Alex’s brother. Sveta asked that I not “corrupt” him:-) Toooo funny. We stayed up all night, again. I spent the whole of New Years day trying to sip a Sprite and sleeping as much as possible.
Today we went inside St. Basils (it was closed before), to the Kremlin, and just walked around Moscow proper. St. Basil’s cathedral was awesome. The paintings all over the walls are so beautiful. You can literally feel the ages.
The architecutre of the city is incredible. Today was our first ass-bitingly cold day- around 15 below this morning. We are going to do some shopping on Arbot (a street). Tomorrow we leave for the countryside. We’ll be heading to our camp- about 2 hours south called Zvenigorod. It’s an ancient Russian town. I’m looking forward to working with the kids.
Poka Poka
Kelly

Noel-Jason-and Katia at our Russian Feast

Sveta watches while Alex preps the bootleg Italian Asti to bring in 2006

Putin offers “Warm” wishes for a “Happy” New Year

Hooka in the House Baby-we smoked APPLE tabacco-that’s ALL

Lov’n on the Hooka

I love this picture of Alex- it’s so Wintery

Excursion number ?!@#, Kelly giv’n luv

I was bestowed a most wonderful gift of music recently-there was a song that brought to mind and heart some old images and a wealth of feeling. I’m gonna share the poetry, yes poetry, that one of the songs inspired:
I am standing on a cliff-top. The bluest of blue waters greet me. The wind, ever in mischief, tries with all its might to take the clothes from my skin. Despite the breeze’s best efforts, I am not bare before the sea. But I am deeply naked in this moment. Happiness is a swell within me me as much as the motion in the expanse before me. I am with the world, completely, for a time.

Day 2 in Moscow was a full one! I have pictures below of the miliary store where Sveta arranged for Jason to get a private showing of old USSR /CCCP stuff. The guys selling were hilarious. They had a lot of WWII stuff, Russian and German. They also had some US military items. The funniest part of the trip was Jason trying on the tank helmut.

We went to a wonderful Ukranian Restaurant after the Military romp. It was the best food I had my entire stay in Russia (keep in mind it was day 2:-). Pictures of our evening ensue.

The second is of Jason passed out before we could even order-he passed out in several ODD places on our trip. If I didn’t know how much beer we’d consumed I’d have insisted on a neurological exam.

I mentioned in my e-mails that Alex gave me his Military jacket and hat-I was deeply flattered and appreciative of the gift. Jason of course made a coment right after the picture below was taken that I looked like a stripper-which of course offended Alex.

Then the games began-several Holstens later…Jason and I were most generously offered the traditional Ukranian garb of the peasants-mistake numero uno. We, of course, bastardized the offer as any good rowdy Americans are won’t to do.