Some snipets from blogposts that I have written and cannot post because I can't post pictures...

Hello!

Okay, I seem to have found at least a reasonably accessible and functional internet connection! I can now write emails and blog entries on my computer and just transfer them to the computer in the post office with a zip drive. It is actually really cheap. It is a rouble per minute plus some extra charges for just doing things on the internet. In total my twenty minutes of internet last time cost me 60 roubles, aka less than 2 dollars.
I am still having a pretty wonderful time. I miss my friends and family but otherwise I am just enjoying myself. My host, Karina, is totally awesome. That is really the best way to describe her. We have multiple inside jokes already, which says something about how good her English is. I feel really at home in her apartment and I love her cat who is crazy and bites me all the time.
I have two Russian friends, Tanya and her sister Vika, who I mentioned before. Yesterday they took me to a swimming pool after class and we swam around and got sunburned. Afterward we walked home through Belokurikha and Tanya and I stopped and each got a beer. It was hilarious because she got a Miller and said it was the best beer ever. I got a Russian beer, because it doesn’t really make sense to drink bad American beer in Russia. Tanya and I are going to go out again on Friday night.
My students are wonderful as well. Unfortunately they will only be my students for another week and then I think I am just helping Karina with her students at home. The children at the camp where I am working now know only a tiny bit of English, if any. It makes it hard to do much but I have taught them some games and simple words. Today I showed them pictures of my friends, family and cats. They especially liked my picture of Alyosha in his Santa costume.


July 13th, 2:30 PM
Today was a really good day at camp. I actually legitimately taught some English to Andrei, who knows a little and really wants to learn. I told him at I would tutor him after camps ends this week and he was very excited. He is really smart and just such a sweet guy, I really want to help him out.
Saturday (two days ago), Karina had some lessons at home and I helped her. Then we went to Karina’s mother’s house and worked in the garden pulling weeds. After that we helped her mother with dinner and then went in the banya. It was pretty amazing. I liked this banya better than the last one. I don’t think I totally described it in my last entry, but it is like a steam sauna combined with a dry sauna. It is made out of wood but you through water at the fire and so it gets steamy. Another important aspect is that you are naked. I mean, you don’t have to be, but generally that is what you do. It is really liberating and relaxing. The way you look naked doesn’t matter in the banya and so you just get to hang out and relax in the nude. Karina hit me with oak branches (it is usually birch, but they use oak) and it really just feels like a nice massage. After banya, we ate another huge dinner and went to sleep.
On Sunday Karina and I went to Altaiskoye to visit Ted. It is about 30 minutes by taxi and only 90 or 100 roubles each way. We went swimming in the river and ate lots of different berries and had a big lunch. It was very nice to see Ted and speak English without having to worry about making myself easily understood. I got to use phrases like “code-switching” and words that are difficult to translate.
Thursday is Karina’s birthday and we are having a picnic with shashlik (shish kebabs, more or less) and way too much more food. All of the volunteers are coming to Belokurikha on Saturday for our mid-point break and I am excited about that. Ted might come early or stay late since he is so close by.

July 13th, 5:00 PM
Okay, this is later today now. I just went and used the internet by myself, which was exciting. The only computer related words are “kompyuter” and “internet” which, as you can see, are the same in English and Russian. However, the internet moves so slowly that can’t do much. I still can’t figure out to get pictures to upload, but I will try again.

July 20th

I am at the internet cafe, which is hardly a cafe but actually a single computer in the post office. This weekend all of the volunteers came to Belokurikha and we had a picnic in the rain. It was great to see everyone. On Saturday night a few of us went to a club and danced/laughed at Russian people dancing. I will try to use a different internet connection tonight at Karina's friend's house and post some pictures (HOPEFULLY). I must go now because there is a boy from camp waiting to use the internet just staring avidly at me writing in English.