I am finally here!

Privyet! I am here in Blagodat' and I absolutely love it. I arrived Saturday in Moscow after a great flight with my new friend Ilya, and in Moscow I received a personal tour of the city from Viktor, who picked me up at the airport. I was tired and jetlagged, but Viktor was pretty intent on showing me absolutely everything, from riding the ski lift to get a good view of the Moscow river, to seeing Red Square (St. Basil's Cathedral was even more beautiful than I had hoped!), to the pond they mention in Master and Margharita, to Bolshoi Theatre and DUMA, and we finally ended by taking a boat tour. Viktor's mother made us blini (pancakes) and borsht, a genuine Russian meal. It was very nice of them to host me in their Moscow apartment for the night. It's true what they say about Russian hospitality. My American phone doesn't work here (I thought it would, not alas no) so Viktor just gave me his to borrow for 2 months! I have my own sim card. Viktor speaks English well, but they don't speak very much English at all where I am now, which is fine! I am learning at a rapid pace! (I like to think).

I took the bus yesterday to Pereslavl'-Zalesski, where Alesya and her son Vasya picked me up. They are friends of Galina and will be hosting me until August 11th when Galina returns from France. I am not sure which things to write about because so much has happened since I got here that I am finding significant. I have already filled up over 15 pages in my personal diary. But the rural country is a beautiful place right now. These people are so nice. We are able to communicate very well, as they speak more slowly than people in Moscow do, but when I don't understand something they do a very good job of explaining it for me. When I got to their home last night, we drank tea and then sat singing folk songs while Alesya and Vasya played guitar before going to bed at 9pm. Their home is lovely-- they built it themselves out of wood and some clay. There is no running water, which I have always wanted to experience. They use rain water to wash the dishes. They also have two dogs, one is a collie: Lusya and Busya. I have my own room upstairs, it's very comfortable. And the air everywhere smells so good and fresh. I love being so close to nature. Today Vasya and I collected branches outside for the cows to eat in the winter when there is no more grass, and Alesya and I went swimming in the pond on their land. I am really having a blast. I am so glad to be here. Tonight we are going to Julia's, a friend of theirs. I hope to meet all the neighbors!