Wednesday's Post

Yesterday we had our first appointment with the Ministry of Education. It was simply to have our documents reviewed and to officially register for a referral. Everything went smoothly, and our coordinator translated to us that we might even receive our referral Wednesday (today) if a certain remaining signature was acquired Wednesday. Kevin and I marched all over Ekaterinburg this morning looking at the statues and searching for museums. We found a museum for Photography, which was quite interesting. There are a lot of historical photographs of Ekaterinburg before the Revolution, and there are photographs of the city today, but I haven’t seen any from the Soviet era.

We had a delicious Russian/Ukrainian lunch with Yana yesterday. We had our first bowls of Borsch, complete with sour cream, pepper vodka and dark brown bread finger sandwiches with a slice of congealed pork fat on top. We also had some pelymeni stuffed with beef and served with sour cream. And to complete the meal we had blini topped with berry jam. I have noticed that the whipped cream they serve with dessert is not real whipped cream, but some version of Cool Whip.

The city is alive and bustling. There are many cars here, and the rules of the road seem to be few. You stop at the stop lights and you generally drive on the right side of the road. Beyond that there are no lanes, no crosswalks and few signs. There is a lot of traffic, however people do not drive aggressively and there is very little horn noise. The traffic just hums along. In the afternoon the traffic gets heavier as people get off from work. Our driver, Yana, would make a left turn across stopped-dead traffic by simply starting to creep forward bit by bit. You would think that the traffic would be deadlocked by this kind of driving, but somehow the cars keep inching together moving a little here, a little there, until a signal changes or a car gets through and the whole mess loosens up and starts moving again. And through all this there are only occasional taps on the horn. Parking is amazing too. People double-park regularly, or they park on the sidewalks. Policemen stand on the street corners and if they see a car break a rule, they wave them over to the side and issue a ticket or exact a fine. Yana said the road fines are very small, maybe a few dollars, so drivers rarely follow the rules.

The sidewalks are always moving with people. Most women wear boots. The younger women wear boots with stiletto heels. The muck on the sidewalks and crossing the streets gets all over your shoes and your pants, so many women have their pants tucked in their boots (the latest trend) or rolled up like capris. The young women dress very glamorous. They are all very attractive. Many of the older women have beautiful woolen coats with real fur collars, and fur hats. The coats are beautiful dark blues, browns and maroons. Manicures are very popular here. Most women walk the sidewalks with an icy stare, but only when walking alone. Friends walking together will laugh and talk.

The city here is gray, but seems very hospitable. I’m sure that it helps our impressions when we have a comfortable room as a refuge, Yana as our English-speaking guide, and good food for breakfast each morning. I feel very fortunate to be here.

(We didn't receive the referral Wednesday, but it's now Thursday morning and we will be headed over to the MInistry of Education to pick it up at 9am this morning.)