Vodka and Decisions.

It's been a while since I've written here, for the fairly simple reason that there's just not been much to write about. Things settled into a remarkably dull routine of class and internet, with decent meals and maybe a museum on the weekends. Trust me, it'd be as dull for you to read as it was for me to live.

There's been a little bit of excitement lately, though, and a fairly momentous decision. First, the excitement. I don't know whether I've mentioned it or not, but the big holiday here is New Year's, not Christmas; Christmas is celebrated later, due to the fact that the Orthodox church still follows the old Julian calendar, and so far as I know, it's still primarily a religious rather than secular celebration. Wikipedia tells me this dates back to the first World War; Christmas celebrations were seen as German. So instead of Santa Claus and a Christmas Tree, we've got Grandfather Frost (and, apparently, his totally hot granddaughter) and… well, a New Year's tree. (I don't know its name.)

New Year's Eve, I wasn't doing anything. I don't feel comfortable going out to hang out in random Russian bars and cafes on my own, and besides, it's just not as much fun solo. Just before midnight, there was a knock on the door of my room; I opened it and found Sasha, who invited me over into the room next door, Natasha's. As it turns out, this is also where the flat's common area is; Natasha's bed is up in a loft. The kitchen table, which I'd noticed missing from the kitchen earlier, was in the middle of the room, set with olives, some sort of seafood salad, bread, some very odd meat dish, and of course vodka. Natasha and Zhenya were there as well, and they invited me to sit down--and from there, several shots of vodka were had, plus Medvedev's New Year's message (didn't understand a word), and champagne. It was, overall, a pleasant little surprise and made New Year's nicer than I'd hoped or expected.

Next, the decision. As I mentioned above, things here haven't exactly been interesting. Through one thing and another, my life's mostly turned into class and looking for the end of the internet, and I could do that at home. (Haven't found it yet, but I'm afraid I'm getting close.) Like a friend said, it's a bit of a waste of a foreign country. And as another friend pointed out, if I'm just doing this for myself, there's not much point in staying if I'm not getting what I want out of it. (Note the common theme. This trip's practically bashed my head in with how important it is not to go it alone.) So if nothing goes horribly wrong, I'm cutting this whole thing short early. I'm looking at a train to Finland at the end of the month, and after a few days visiting a friend there, from Helsinki home. Once I'm home, I can find something meaningful and rewarding to do with my time there, and oh yeah, I can see some of those friends, maybe even the ones that live places other than Cincinnati. I've got some ideas for both of those things. I'm nervous about the whole thing--this being Russia, nothing would surprise me, right down to them saying I can't leave because I have a multi-entry visa that doesn't expire until July. We'll see what happens when I talk to folks at the school about it next week.

Today, I get to go to the doctor. This is really scary--I really don't want to have to have anything medical of any significance done here. As to what I might need medical attention for, well, you're really better off not knowing.

Wish me luck.