Oh the Joy

The language geek is overwhelmed... there is a Polish tv-channel, wohoo!

Stand Up, Remember

Russia is a country most people have an opinion about, and in many cases these opinions tend to be negative. No country or culture can be classified good or bad (the world is not black and white, it is shades of grey), and the same applies to Russia. I could write a long list with the good things this country has to offer, for the negative things you only need to switch on the news.

But one thing that never has been a strong in Russia is something that people in the West take for granted: freedom of speech. Without freedom of speech, no active debate can be formed among people in order to improve and develop the society they live in*. This issue, its causes and consequences, deserves a deeper analysis that I am going to give in this blog. I just want you, the readers, to be aware of the fact that a demonstration will be organised in Moscow tomorrow. The purpose of this demonstration is to commemorate the human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and the journalist Anastasia Barbulova, as well as protest against political murder. These individuals were killed for their opinions, and their courage deserves any ounce of respect. More importantly, their work should not be forgotten. Not by Russians and not by foreigners, who should take a moment to be think about their own political systems.

* or so we like to believe.

Miracles

I woke up at 6 am. Stayed in bed thinking about studies, shopping, travelling, the summer, my family, my friends, the day ahead, what to wear, tickling my boyfriend wondering if he would kill me if I woke him, going to the toilet or not, pets, the metro route, what to eat for breakfast, music. It was aready 7 am and I realised that any trace of sleepiness had gone. So here we are, at 7:12 a.m ona Saturday morning. Surt sa räven ("sour" said the fox).

Well, good thing I have a feeling this will be an amazing day.

Happy Saturday to everyone!

Siis joo...

Note to self: it might be a good idea to use that extra hour for studying instead of reading about people's worries online.

Already?

How can it possibly be Sunday night? Why, oh why, does time always go so quickly during the weekends? And why do Monday mornings feel as fun as being hit by a full-speed train, even if work is quite ok all other days of the week?

Le Week-End

After almost all of Spain has been in the risk zone of flying down to Africa, the winds are finally starting to calm down...



The porrage shop which also has a lot of other Russian delicacies (not to mention books and films) is located right next to the main railway station in Valencia.



Our street, how exotic... The most interesting fact about it is that it has two names and several nicknames, most of them containing the word s**t- the dogs here have the slightly annoying habit to do their needs wherever they find most convenient, hence the smell.

It might be time to start taking down the christmas decorations and prepare for summer..

Cravings

For some odd reason, the only dish that I have been thinking about for the last weekhas been chili con carne. They used to feed us this in school, and I never really liked it very much, but... of course, when the craving hits you, all you can do is give in (or pretened to have a will made of iron, but that's not the point here).



All you need is:
minced meet
olive oil
garlic
a bit of pepper
2 tomatoes
tinned tomato
baked beans

wild rice

lettuce

Yummy....

Pickafight!

Sometimes that's what you really need. A good old intensive discussion. The kind where you can let your opinions fly, beat your opponent by using your tongue and wittiness and get all those extra aggressions out without hurting anybody else's feelings. Instead of shouting at someone about absolutely nothing or feeling that stiffness and emptiness that comes together with unexpressed feelings.

Warm and Sweet

Aih, it's cold today, and my computer decided to close the programme in the middle of one of the lectures I had to listen/watch today. The keyboard is covered in kiwi... slimey. No big deal... it might work out.
Right, there is actually a point with this post, and the point is called rooibos vanilla tea. Rooibos, which is also known as red tea(but shouldn't be confused with pu-erh) is made from the rooibos plant that can be found in Africa and it has several health benefits (please consult wikipedia).
So, today I got myself some, spiced with vanilla. This particular tea has 7% vanilla in it (real, fake, sugar, I dont wanna know...) so it smells delicious and tastes sweet, which is a nice change to the bitterness of green tea. Definitely worth a try!

Excited

There are two things that make me really, really excited at the moment. No, make that three - the third one, however, will take place a few months from now but I just can't wait. So... what is it?

One thing I'm really excited about is the gym; the feeling during and after class is really euphoric. Last week I went twice, and this week my intention is to go many more times than that. Pilates and water aerobics are both things that I love doing, but I want to try to add some more cardio and strength training to my schedule. Boxing sounds like the ultimate fun but I'm afraid I will make a fool out of myself or end up being punched in the face by some sweaty big man.



Starting uni is also waking up the butterflies in my stomach although I have no idea why. I know from experience that comparative politics can be a drag (especially when you are comparing two countries that you really aren't familiar with) and microeconomics.... what was I thinking... I used to hate numbers, graphs, statistics and anything that is in any way related to economics. Well, it shall be fun.



Number three: England, England, England. I have missed thee. If everything goes according to plan, I will be visiting dear old Manchester in May. Fingers crossed!!


Photos: here, here and here