Did you know that almost every country I have been to in the last 5 or 6 years, Homer Simpson and his family have learned to speak the local language? If Homer can learn Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Chinese, surely the rest of us can!
It gets worse. Then, I see people like Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) on “Friends”. She is quite well versed in Russian, as are her friends. And they are equally funny as they are in English. OK, their voices are dubbed, but it looks real after a month here!
The other problem with television in a foreign country is the almost total disregard for American news, unless it is bad. They are quite Euro-centric here. I had to get my sports information from “Sportswife Donna”, or a really bad and slow download from MSN or SFGate. And here in Peterburg, they have Euronews, instead of CNN.
Every time I go overseas, it does reinforce one central theme. That we live in the greatest place in the world, the United States. Embrace it, do not take it for granted. It should not take a trip overseas to appreciate what we have at home!!!
There is nothing more that I can tell you about Russia. I am totally tapped out, unless I start using google or yahoo. My three guide books for this trip have been exhausted as well. My tour guides have answered every question I have asked.
The street vendors are tired of seeing me. Oh, by the way, they sell corn on the cob in these little stands. I am going to try one tonight. It reminds me of a great little stand in Seattle, that does not seem to be there any longer.
My great knowledge of Russian has yielded a big 50 Ruble discount on two T-shirts. I have come a long way since landing in Vladivostok almost three weeks ago. Heck, I am practically fluent in sign language, grunting, and lots of “nyet”. And I also manage to buy an ice cream each night, and a cold bottle of “still” water. I consider those two acts to be my landmark events here in Russia.
I am checked in for my two flights, and I head out to the Peter airport at 11am. I am so looking forward to home, the good old USA, Pacific Daylight time (it never gets dark here), and my champagne, my bicycle, my dog, and my friends. But most of all, I have missed Sheri, as she is truly the source of great delight in my life.
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