Playing Catch Up

Where to begin? It has been quite some time since I last blogged and so much has happened. I actually intended to blog a few weeks ago. However, my charger went kaput and I was rendered laptopless. Quite a bit has happened that I haven't been able to blog about. Examples: my perfect birthday, the two books I've read, a quick trip down to Moscow, spectacle with the kids, last week in St. Pete, and first week in America. So we're going to see if I can knock these suckers out one by one. It will not be possible to do all in one day. But I'll do as much as I can for now. Because I do, after all, have to figure out what the deal is with my background and fix it asap!

Let's make this post a little bit about my birthday. Lucky for me I typed up everything about the day the day it happened. Commence copy and paste now...

First I woke up in the morning and left the room. I came back to find a note on my pillow with some of my favorite Russian cookies. The cookies were from Sarah and the note was from Lauren. the note said that my birthday was about to begin etc. I got all ready and went to the kitchen table to find my usual bowl of cream of wheat and next to it a box of chocolates from Grandma and a note that said, "Nicole, Happy Birthday" in Russian. So cute!

Then I went over to meet up with Lauren and Allison so we could go to the Dostoevsky Apartment museum. I had been saying for a while that I wanted to go there and made a special request that we do it on my birthday because I honestly wasn't expecting too much. I just didn't want people to go out of their way for anything...but alas! When they met me at the metro they gave me gift number two...two metro tokens to get to and from the museum! How thoughtful! What I didn't know was that they had 21 different gifts for me throughout the day. We got to the museum and another present for me (this time from the city) - turns out that with our Russian student cards the museum was free! A good thing considering it was pretty small and only took us about half an hour to go through. But it was still really cool and I'm glad we went. It definitely gave me more motivation to read Crime and Punishment. Or at least try again to read it.

Lauren and I in the Dostoevsky Museum. I think the only picture we took that day.

After the museum, while we were exploring that part of the city, I got a couple more gifts - chupa chups, a delicious pastry, and beer bottle caps. I've been trying to collect the coolest Russian beer bottle caps I can find because they are all over the streets. Then we went over to the kindergarten for lunch and then to Areil's apartment where I found some delicious browned butter chocolate chip cookies for gift seven and then some extra dough for gift eight! Of course they had gotten my favorite coconut siroks for gift nine (which I put in the freezer and was so stoked about). Other presents, in no particular order because I honestly can't really remember, were a free back popping coupon from Lauren, a special youtube video from Allison of the famous Russian birthday song, cookies, candies, Mountain Dew, my own map of Kiev, and a little book I can write poems in. When we got to school I was honored with a choir of children singing Happy Birthday. Then I was honored with a choir of pre-teen boys singing Happy Birthday (quite a feat so double kudos to Lauren for that). Gift nineteen was a Jonas Brothers bag (a bit of an inside joke with Lauren). The final two gifts were fantastic cards from two of the best people I have ever met. It was arguably one of the best birthdays I have ever had. But it didn't end there!

Lauren, Allison, and I. No, this was not on my birthday. But it's the three of us and I quite fancy this picture. Compliments of Lauren.

I got home and Grandma sang me the Russian birthday song all on her own. She made an extra special and extra tasty dinner of chicken and such then she busted out a cake she bought for her, Sarah, and I to eat. I ended off the night with skyping with my family. An overall amazing day. But don't worry, no vodka was involved in the creating of this fantastic 21st birthday!