Life

Steven seems to enjoy a slower pace of life, even if in a seemingly very uncomfortable position

OK, we haven't had a really eventful time since last I wrote, so I don't have a lot to post about. B is still getting her "Russian food" post together, which should be a little bit of a change of pace. However, as far as we're concerned, this past week was a little slow. Just going to language study classes, and studying at home. We did have a couple of people over for dinner since last we posted, as we had several out-of-town visitors for meetings. It was good to meet some of those folks and get to know some of the ones we already knew better.

Anyway, we have gotten our camera out a few times since last we posted, but there's a shortish selection of pictures this week:

Steven really enjoys reading books, so we're hoping he grows up to be a bookworm like his daddy!

In other exciting news, we had tacos (and sweet iced tea) this week! You might not find that exciting if you live in a land with a Taco Bell on every other corner, but here Mexican food is pretty much non-existent. We were lucky to have some friends who's kids' school was selling taco shells to expatriates like us who were hungry for a nice taco. We bought some and have thoroughly enjoyed them thus far!

Our friend Vanya has returned from his summer in the US. We had him over to share some of the tacos and to fill us in on his trip. B didn't feel so great, so she missed some of it, but he had lots of pictures from his time in beautiful Colorado. We're looking forward to having him over more often now that he's back.

On to the What Is It?™ picture. Last week, we showed you a picture of a van with a red cross on it and asked what it was for. No one guessed correctly, but Hannah gets half a point for having the most creative guess (and for referencing the underrated though patently ridiculously unrealistic movie "The Saint"). The correct answer is that that particular van is used as a "drunk express" to go around town and pick up the people who are drunk and passed out on the street. They then toss them inside and take them to a treatment center. Interestingly, the patient is then required to pay for his stay at the center by either getting his family to come and pay his bill or by working at the center for a few days doing odd jobs. It seems like it would be a good deterrent, but when I asked my language helper why it doesn't seem to reduce the amount of drunkenness he confessed that he doesn't quite know. Oh, well.

Today's contest revolves around another scene from a Russian village. This is a typical house in the village: solid, wooden, with a small flower garden and a fenced-in yard. However, I wasn't sure what the smaller house on the right was for. It is a separate structure apart from the main house itself, but seems to be nicer than a gardening shed would need to be. What do you think it is? As always, the first person to guess the correct answer in the comments section receives a point. Enjoy!