Today was a day I crossed things off my list. It feels so good, every time my pen makes a clean line through the completed tasks, one more little burden lifted off my shoulders. Not that every task is a burden, but it is nice to see things finished and put out of mind.
I finally registered for the GRE, which I will be taking in March, when I head into Moscow to meet Anthea. Now I have a little over a month to prepare, so I'll try to add daily GRE prepwork after my Russian homework (yet another thing to put on a list!). I should be nervous about this test, but I'm more excited for Anthea's visit than worried about my apparent competency to receive a gradutate education.
Things are going well here; the party was deemed a success, and we all enjoyed ourselves (Americans and Russians, and even a Frenchman thrown into the mix). Tanya and I spent all day preparing the food, which turned out really well. She concentrated on a crab salad, which was delicious, and I made various pizzas (my specialty). It may seem like a no-brainer to make pizzas in America, or probably even any Western country, but over here they haven't quite grasped the concept of a good pizza. I gasped in horror when Tanya told me that they usually use a mayonnaise-ketchup mixture for the sauce- and I marched to the sauce aisle and grabbed a jar of tomato sauce. I had insisted that we go to the large supermarket, which is 30 minutes away by bus, because of their incomparable selection and fresh produce. I think the inconvenience of lugging the groceries back is worth it many times over for the quality of the products, although some may people disagree.
Besides the food, the company was good and I was happy to see a gathering of many of the Russian students that were in the International Office last semester, as we no longer have group gatherings due to the close of RSP. They came bearing gifts, and they sat me down on a chair and stood around me in a circle, and one at a time offered a toast in my honor. It was much more impressive- and heartfelt- than making me sit through a cheerful, yet out-of-tune "Happy Birthday to you...." and I was honestly moved.
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