Please do not leave the Canadian unattended

Since my arrival I have been babysat, an arrangement for which I am very grateful. Being unable to speak or read has rendered me essentially useless. This is usually exacerbated by the fact that I do not look foreign. If I don't speak, people assume that I am Russian, start speaking to me in Russian and then discover that I can very poorly say about a dozen words - only one of which is a swear word. For example, yesterday I was working at a promotion table for Skills Matter and a man asked in Russian if he could borrow a pen. I understood what he meant because he pointed at the pen and I just nodded. When he returned the pen I said spa-si-ba (thank you). He replied in Russian a long sentence from which I understood only niyet pro-russ-ki (not Russian). I shook my head, said Canada, he smiled, said something else in Russian then left.

I also am not particularly good at navigating the city or buses because I cannot read. I know a few landmarks and I know that if I take bus #104 I have to say na-as-ta-nov-kiyeh (next stop) pa-ja-ros-ta (please) about a block after I pass the train station. To make matters more difficult, chain restaurants which I usually use as landmarks, such as Starbucks, are non-existant. All the cafes and restaurants are small and do not make good references.

Luckily I have many people who babysit me. They read me the menu at restaurants (see below a picture of us at a restaurant that also serves hashish). They see me on and off the bus, often going out of their way riding it with me to my stop. They help me familiarize myself with the city and they make sure I get to work on time. And since I've caught a cold, they've been giving me grandmotherly remedies such as lemon slices and honey (you eat the entire lemon, including peel), spiced hot wine, Crimean cherry jam, and lots of tea.



They also take me on a variety of excursions. From Eugene showing me around the city, to Olia taking me to Yalta, to my assigned 'buddy' Iliya showing May and I around a university campus. (see below)




But most of all I cannot overlook my host, Eugene (see below Eugene and Yulia). He is so kind to me. He's a very good cook and has made me very welcome in his home. (see below the exterior of his apartment building) One evening I came home and he was out, and I noticed some dishes in the sink, so I did the dishes. When he came back, he told me I was not supposed to do the dishes. The next morning he made me breakfast and I got up to put my dishes in the sink and he said 'stop!'. I sat back down, he got up put my dishes in the sink and then told me I could go. And he doesn't just treat me like this, he does this for all his friends who frequently drop by to visit.