Let's Get it Started (Again)

Dear Devoted Readers;

I am sure that some time ago, many of you woke up, hustled to check my blog (as you do every day, no doubt) and were struck with a heart attack when you saw that the invisible Google gods had removed it. Well, you can officially check yourself out of the hospital, because BEARS, BEETS, AND BABUSHKAS IS BACK, Y'ALL! And it has been almost two whole weeks since the start of my work to seduce Putin and become the queen of Russia. Much has happened, so I suppose I will fill you in on the highlights. Get ready to have your socks rocked clean off of your feet.

On the first day here, I fell asleep at the still-daylight-hour of 7:30 PM. I just thought that was important because that has not happened to me since I was about six years old. The next forty-eight hours were filled with get-to-know-you activities, orientations, and figuring out the Russian electrical system (I spent about half an hour tugging and banging on a little light cube on the wall before I figured out that you have to use your key card turn turn the lights on) so I will spare you the details.

Anyway, on Friday I was fortunate enough to enter the home of Maria Nikolaevna, my host mother and new best friend. She is about 60, has short white hair, and is very similar to Consuela of Family Guy. Our conversations normally go something like this:

Except it's concerning whether or not I bring the umbrella. Every morning at breakfast, she looks out the window and says, "Сегодня, идёт дождь," (Sevodnja, idyot dozhd) or "Сегодня, не идёт дождь," (Sevodnja, nye idyot dozhd) which means "Today, it will rain," or, "Today, it will not rain." This determines whether or not I bring the umbrella. Usually, our attempts at conversation resemble a tennis match in which she serves the ball, I swing, and I miss completely and must frantically run and retrieve the ball while she judges me.

I also wish to address the Russian custom of eating everything on their plate. Let me give you a bit o' history and tell you why this is. During World War II, the German army attempted to take the city of Saint Petersburg (at that time, Leningrad) in order to gain access to its tank/weapons factories. Like the comrades that they were, the Russians banded together and stopped the the Germans from infiltrating the city. While they were successful (Leningrad became the first Western city which Hitler was unable to infiltrate,) millions of people died of starvation due to the blockade; since food and supplies couldn't get through, borscht could not be made, and much of the city perished. Now, it is a custom to eat everything one is given. While I respect this tradition, it is very difficult to eat a plate of vegetables, a salad (or rather, tomato slices,) bread, and two hot dogs. However, it makes it very delightful to eat pancakes, which I have been stuffing myself with for about a week straight.

Just in case you want to make your own blini adventure, I have included a recipe very similar to my own babushka's:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/blini-russian-pancakes/

Well, that is all for today, folks. I leave you with a clip of this Russian version of Winnie the Pooh. (Вини-Пух, or Vini-Puhkh.)

It doesn't have subtitles, but I don't think you need them.