Last Thursday I had dinner with my host family. They live one metro stop from the university, so it will take approximately 20 minutes to get to school. So, I lucked out by being so close. It is an old man and woman in their mid 70's. When we entered their home, we had to take our shoes off and wear slippers. It is customary in Russia to do this so you don't track dirt into the house. The lady immediately sat us down and began showing us her photo albums of when she married her husband and pictures of her family. We then began to eat dinner. We had: soup, bread, baked apples with sugar, tea, candy, some type of other candy which I can't describe, meat, and salad. There was absolutely so much food that I couldn't eat everything. It's funny, because she kept insisting that we eat more food and we just couldn't do it. If a lot of food is left on the table, it is a symbol that the household is abundant with food. Speaking to her was somewhat difficult, but we were able to get everything across. It was a very fun experience and I think I will enjoy being there. Not much has happened lately. Just studying and learning the city a lot better. Yesterday we got to go to the American Consulate where they spoke to us about safety measures….things we had already heard a million times and we learned a lot about the State Department itself. It seems like an interesting job where you get to travel around the world and learn many languages.

On Sunday, my roommate and I were invited to a friend's house (Russian girl) where I played the piano for her. It was interesting. She knows English and a few other languages. So we try to speak to her in Russian and she speaks to us in English. We all correct each other's mistakes. It is very good practice. We were about to leave, but we were invited to eat dinner with them. It's very strange, because in America most people would turn down an invitation to eat if not previously notified simply because you don't want the host to go through the trouble of making anything for you. We tried to explain this to them, but they insisted we eat with them. If you're invited to eat, it means you should stay and eat. So we had another wonderful dinner and got to sit and meet with their family who we told about America and learned a lot from them as well.

This weekend will be busy. On Saturday we are taking a trip to see the city of Novgorod (Stalingrad). This is where the Battle of Stalingrad took place and if you've ever seen the film "Enemy at the Gates," you will know what I'm talking about. It was the city where the Russian made the turning point in World War 2 and began pushing the Germans out.

Also, on Sunday we finally move in with our host family which will really be the beginning of learning intensive Russian. So, I'm excited. No longer will we be able to speak much English. We will be placed in an environment where we must speak Russian. It will be fun and we will learn a lot.