More Suffering

me and my host mom. she wanted to take this picture yesterday. she really likes me. I told her goodbye this morning. I also shaved the woolliness off my face.

I woke up this morning to find both my host mother and host sister were leaving to Israel. My babushka cooked breakfast and I'm so sick of eggs and I hate tea. I never drank tea in the states and I don't like it here either. I don't know how to tell her I don't want any.

Without any of the other family members around the animals are going nuts. Tanya left on Saturday for Spain.

So here's the breakdown. Tanya and Sonya are both Israeli. They were born there and have dual citizenship. Their dad now lives in Spain and they go visit him on on occasion. My host mom wanted a picture with me yesterday. I had no idea she was leaving today as well. I'm happy my babushka is still here but she pretty much has a life of her own. Like I think she lives with her other daughters and housekeeps and cooks for them. I think I should be okay here though.

I have a test today that I'm not going to do too hot on and I just finished up a midterm for my history class yesterday.

Ahhhh! That stupid cat just ran in here! It was all over the table this morning and trying to open a container of pills. I wanted to get the pills open. So it would die. I know that sounds cruel but living with animals in a space this small is revolting. You can't imagine the smell. It's not even like a slightly pleasant barnyard stench. But the culmination of cigarette smoke and their fur is all over the place... Home can't come soon enough.

I met four Black girls on the metro yesterday. They were all Nigerian. Between each of them they spoke Bad English, okay Russian, Yoruba, and broken English. I helped them with their bags cause they had been shopping. None of them were particularly attractive. They actually all looked kind of older like late twenties or thirties. One said she was a student here and that she studied in Moscow and that they were just here for a little while. They seem to know where a barbershop is which I am desperately in need of. I got their contact info and will call them soon.

I'm also plagued by the fact that I have yet to finish everyone's post cards. I'll definitely beat them back to the states but just know people that I haven't forgotten you.

reading things like this doesn't make me feel any better

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/07/15/russia.estmirova.killing/index.html

It's getting really hot here and there's no AC in this house. I got to get ready for class.

Stay Tuned.