PB&J: Mission Accomplished

I did it! I found peanut butter! I went to a huge Sam's Club or Costco-type stored called Metro with a couple fellow teachers, Pavel and Svetlana Sergeevna, and Niklas. Since the store I usually go to ("Svat") is a little pricey and the choice isn't that great, this was a great opportunity to buy a few more exotic items and a few items in bulk. For example, I bought a six pack of quality orange juice, a big bag of penne pasta, two packages of coffee, cucumbers, pears, two frozen pizzas, pepper, a loaf of bread, two jars of raspberry jam, and two big jars of peanut butter. Those final three items are about to make my life here a lot more American. Sure, it's good to get immersed in a foreign culture, but I'm not going to wait eight more months for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (For those who don't know, peanut butter is a rarity in Russia.)

With a freshly stocked kitchen, I was ready to begin my weekend. I spent the late morning and early afternoon hanging out with a couple of my first-year students who guided me to CityGolf. As soon as I found out about a golf facility in Tyumen, I knew I had to go. Since I'm in Siberia and golf isn't exactly popular in Russia, it's not a surprise that they don't actually have a real golf course. Nevertheless, They had 4-5 simulators, a small driving range (into a net), and a small mini-golf course. I think this place is most popular among businessmen and their families, but all are welcome. They even have tournaments! I had to miss the one they had this weekend but at some point I've got to show them what Division III Midwest Conference golf is all about! It's a little out of the way and the prices aren't exactly cheap, but I wouldn't mind getting there a few times to keep my golf muscles loose and just for something fun and familiar to do.

Also on Saturday, I was asked to take part in a weekly discussion club known as American Corner. There are a number of cities in Russia with these American Corners. They're essentially small sections of local libraries that offer books and films all in English. As the newest American in Tyumen, it was my privilege to take part in their discussion and introduce myself. About fifteen people showed up and, in general, I was very impressed with their English skills. It was also interesting to see who these people were. They had many different backgrounds and their ages varied. I gave a presentation about myself (probably the seventh one I've given thus far in Tyumen), they asked questions, and we talked about culture shock and the importance of second language acquisition.

After American Corner, I went to a movie with four other people from the club, Katya, Irina, Roman, and Lilith. We saw Frankenweenie, an animated film by Tim Burton. Since the target audience was for both kids and adults, the language wasn't very complicated. I was ecstatic to find that I understood practically everything! I understood much more than I did at Духless. Afterward, I stopped by Niklas' place. He had prepared a meal with Nikolai and Sasha. At this point it was well after dinner, but I had some of the leftover plov (a mid-Asian rice and meat dish) and talked with Niklas and is new Russian roommate, Dima. There are certain days when I feel like I can't get a single Russian word out and other days when it comes much easier. That night was probably one of most comfortable times have had speaking Russian since I arrived. It even carried over a little bit into Sunday.

On Sunday, I met with one of my students and her brother, who studies in Tyumen State U. of Oil and Gas. We basically just walked around town and got a snack at Pizza Mia. I was hoping to give them a little practice in English but they were too shy and barely tried. Well, what they lost in terms of language practice is then my gain. Either today was just a good day or my Russian is starting to smooth out a little. With a bit more than two weeks under my belt, I've become more confident and competent. I still have a long way to go, but seeing some progress is nice. For dinner tonight, I put a slightly more work into than usual. Instead of just boiling pasta and adding sauce, I actually fried some green peppers and onions to add. It was totally worth it.

(A church located across the street from my primary university building)