(Continued)

I still don't understand why people are so nice to me. Most people seem completely unaware of what a horrible person I am. Grisha took me to the pharmacy and was able to get me some Amoxicillin. I was a little worried by the way he asked me three times if I knew how to take them if Russian antibiotics are suppositories or something. But, it was very kind of him to do. So, hopefully, within a few days, I'll feel less like death.

Yes, I woke up Sunday morning feeling like death. Much to his credit, Олег spent much of the day taking care of me... feeding me soup, making me tea, and allowing me to nap. I went back over to his house in the evening, where I learned a couple of insightful, if crazy things.

First, a story. As I have learned, all Russians I have met have been to Crimea a time or two. And they all want to show me pictures of Crimea, which is fine by me, as I love looking at pictures. Олег had a picture of a cigarette warning label in Ukrainian, which apparently read, "Warning: cigarette smoking causes erectile dysfunction." The man who was handed the pack handed it back to the teller, and said, "No, no... give me the one about cancer."

Also, I've learned that Russians will do everything in their power to get out of cleaning blankets. When I moved in, I couldn't figure out why one of my sheets was sewn closed on three sides. Apparently, these are blanket covers. You put your comforter in it, so that the comforter stays clean. This process takes like 20 minutes, and is painful to watch. I was told jokingly that it was the primary reason to catch a wife... so somebody else would do this. I responded with, "don't marry an American. She'll think you're crazy and just wash the damn blanket." In addition to all of this, there is a sort of duster, a blanket you put on top of the comforter when you are not sleeping to keep the blanket clean. Oh, those crazy Russians!

The good news is, I made it through 2 out of 3 classes today, didn't die, feel a little better, and I have meds! And I leave tomorrow for St. Pete! Yay!