Almost There

Well I have nearly made it back. All I am waiting for is my Russian visa to come through, and to pay for my flight tickets, and to rake in the last bits of cash I can before leaving back to the motherland for a month. Some of the ideas I had to make money were kinda ridiculous, but some of them were ones I was nearly considering doing due to my desperation: playing guitar in Portland, selling books, selling my guitars, selling anything. Luckily, held back on most of those.

A month seems so small in comparison to the year I spent there, but I'll have to be satisfied with the fact that I am returning back to Russia, and that I'll be returning in the summertime. Seriously, not one day has gone by where I haven't thought about Russia and the return back. It's been a year and ten days since I arrived back home in the evergreen state of Washington, but my memories have kept me placed in the small city in Siberia in the Zabaikalski Krai. Nothing has changed really, except for a bit of my Russian, and my face. I wonder what my host parents will think of me when they see my beard?... I wonder what Yulia will think of my beard? I wonder what kinds of changes all my friends will see in me since I left?

I can't wait to see Leusha and Katya get married, it has been the main reason to go to Russia this entire year I have planned to return. This will be my first Russian wedding that I will take part in, and from what I have heard about all the weddings in Russia, they are sure to be a blast. Just imagine all the opportunities for the American groomsman at a Russian wedding, especially when considering all the bridesmaids that will be there. :) Suites, dresses, honking cars and ribbons, men, women, boys and girls, and lots of champagne and vodka to go around. What a wonderful party to be at!

Still, going back to Chita will be great; but it will feel different without the other American to be by my side in my adventures. Half of the things I did there were with Michelle, and now it seems like I'll go back half full. But I guess that means it will give me the opportunity to see things out on my own again like I did before. And if you are reading this Michelle I hope that you are doing well and having a blast at whatever you are doing, and that I miss you very much.

Hopefully everything will go according to plan, and that everything will turn out alright and I'll be enjoying myself on a train to Chita in the next couple of weeks. Россия, я жду тебя.

*Note: Did I mention that I will be one of the three siblings out of five that will be in a foreign country all at the same time? (Me in Russia, Ashley and Kenny in Europe, Erica in Italy).