Almost time to go

The apartment’s clean and the fridge and all other appliances are unplugged. Now I’m just biding my time and getting in the last blog post before I head for the airport later tonight. Friday was a fun day. One of the boys celebrated his birthday with all the pageantry that a Russian birthday party entails. Two costumed cartoon characters came in and played games with us, twisted balloon animals into shape and blew gigantic soap bubbles. At first the kids didn’t know what to make of it but they eventually got warmed up and had lots of fun. Then the mom of one little boy had invited me over for dinner. I took my bike home and changed out of my school t-shirt and she came by to pick me up. Their condo is spectacular. It’s on the 10th floor of a building overlooking the promenade on the Kazanka River on one sid3 and the Kremlin on the other. And the president of Tatarstan is building his house right next door, with his own private mosque. Very nice neighborhood! And it was, without a doubt, the best meal I’ve had in Russia. She cooked roast pork with potatoes and several salads, cheeses and some great chunks of cold ham from Austria. The conversation was pleasant and interesting and it was a nice way to end my first stay in Kazan - with food I really enjoyed! We also had a good laugh about how sick I am of porridge. Yesterday turned out to be a fun day too. It was the end-of-school festival. The weather was perfect for an outdoor event so I headed off on my bike. First, they did a jeopardy-type quiz with the kids, then there was lots of food (and it was very good!), then we got a soccer game, face painting and other events going. It was actually lots of fun. Just as everyone was clearing out, the science teach, who had also ridden her bike, asked me if I wanted to do a ride through the woods with her and two students. I wasn’t going to turn that down. We probably rode about three miles and saw lots of cyclists and hikers. The trails are all full of ruts, just the the trails around Blue Lake. But one friend said that that’s the kind of trail he enjoys the most. It’s like a real mountain-biking adventure. When we got back to school, the principal was outside measuring for the bike track, so I helped him finish that and then headed on home to finish cleaning up before I was to meet Sonia. We all wanted to meet downtown at a sports bar to watch the Real Madrid-Liverpool soccer match. Thomas and Lorene were there so I got to say good bye to both of them. They are also leaving Kazan. We had some great wings and watched a semi-exciting game. Sonia was happy that Real won 3-1. This morning I just finished up odds and ends and made sure I had everything I needed in the suitcase. Then I went to the bank before I met Anna for lunch. Now it’s just a waiting game. Can’t wait to see everybody.