My final post

This will be my last contribution to BLOG-одать 2011. I have returned home to deal with affairs that are closer than anything to my heart and soul. I left Russia with a head full of new ideas, perspectives, and goals. This trip was hard for me everyday but I will miss every bit of it. It has opened a whole world for me. I have new friends to stay in touch with who will help me practice my Russian. I have new ideas about how to spend my energies while they last. I have new appreciation for where I come from and what it means to me. There is much I still don't know or understand about not only myself but humanity in general. I think I expected to gain some kind of unalterable wisdom and elevation from this adventure into the unknown. Yet, I have more often been only disappointed by my own weaknesses, the absence of clarity in my head. I know now how much I have yet to do and learn; how much effort and pain it takes to understand one's self beyond a superficial level. I not only want to but need to keep exploring the planet, humanity. I need to do this whether or not my head is ever clear. The smoke may never disappear, but someday it will settle into a calm mist over green grass and I will have happy memories.

The best of luck to Nuala as she tackles this most elusive of places. Her adventures in the land of the Rus' will bare beautiful fruit. I eagerly await hearing about them. Much love to all. Thanks for the support. I thought of every one of you.

And now some pics before I sign off:

The Russkies finally let me cook a bit. Eggs and onions over the outdoor pechka.

Cooling off in the prood (pond) after my first hop in the banya. As you can tell from my expression I am feeling rather unique. A bit like a new born and only slightly less confused.

After four banya rotations we sat down to a fine Russian dinner. Mushroom soup, black bread, vodka toasts. Oora! It was all a bit too much for the American at first but after pacing myself a bit I jumped back in there going shot for shot with the Russkies.

This picture is proof of that.

Vova, Kolya (the owner), and I sporting our banya sweats and dress. In between our intense blasts in the bath we came out and drank tea, ate sooshky (little biscuity things), and candy. I managed to communicate well enough to learn that Kolya has done some sick bike tours in Russia and Asia. He made his own panniers and did some work on his bike at high altitudes. A hard dude. Sorry for the lack of chronological order.