First of all, accept my apologies for not having written for a while. I have a few chaotic weeks behind me: my mind was troubled with many things, so I was happy that I have, at least, managed to complete my obligations (i.e. my homework). Though I had lots of studying planned for May, I did not succeed.
So, as for May: it arrived! We had some really lovely days
and then the (from time to time) gloomy, cloudy, extremely windy weather
arrived here as well, as it did to the rest of Europe. I cannot help but love
windy weather, so I really enjoyed my walks to the university and back to the
dormitory, with mind-blowingly good music “filtering
out” from my headphones… i.e. it was loud as hell. Music is love and of
vital importance, especially here. Music is like sauna for me. I always get
into a sort of meditative state.
…
We had a few days off at the university due to the local All Souls’ Day (29th April)
and Labour Day (День работы - 1st May). I already had
my tickets to Brest, but finally I could not go, because I had to give my
passport to the administrator girl at the university, so that she could run the
necessary rounds for the prolongation of my visa/registration. In theory I
could have prolonged my visa all by myself. However, my efforts were not
crowned with success. To cut a long story short, I was practically horrified,
that I would have to leave the country (however, it’s a bit more complicated
than that), but in the end it turned out, that they gave me the wrong papers at
the university, so that was the reason why the policemen raised their voice a “tiny” little bit when they were
speaking with me (stress on tiny!).
Anyways, now I have one more visa with me, but I still need
two, so wish me luck. All in all, despite all the nearly nervous breakdowns,
I’m glad: I got to know the system. I’m fearless now!
Note: When the problem with the papers turned out,
the lovely Anna at the university gave me back the money I paid for the visa. I
did not expect it at all. Again she proved how kind-hearted she is. (I insert
here a fun fact: Since it has turned out that Anna had been working as a
translator/interpreter in India some 30 years ago, I love her even more.)
So, I spent the holidays with chilling (and fear – the visa
issue was still in progress) at the dormitory. On 2th May I got acquainted with
a Persian man, who helped me to get a notarized translation of my passport in
the course of 2 hours. Impressive! When we said goodbye, I got a kiss on the
top of my head.
…
On 6th May I saw 2 snowflakes, which is my
official record on the continent (frankly, Svalbard in August was a completely
different case, so it does not count… or does it?!).
…
On 9th
May, Victory Day (День Победы) the
World Championship officially has started in Minsk. There are more interesting
things in connection with this day that I have to share.
First, as for the holiday, it commemorates the end of World
War II. I think it was a nice thing/smart move that the start of the
championship coincided with the holiday. This way the arriving tourists got a
truly authentic first experience and it also shows in my opinion how important
it is fort the country that they could arrange the event. I’ll write about the
championship in details later, in another post. However, it is interesting to
mention it here, that unique laws came into force starting from 8th
May: the selling of imported beers are banned in Minsk oblast and, in addition, cafés and restaurants are to present at
least 10 Belarusian dishes on their menus.
What took place in the afternoon of 7th May, could not have been a better coincidence. A part of the Alivaria
beer factory (just around the corner) burst into flames. This whole event was a
source of joking around for days.
As for me, I spent the Victory Day speaking almost entirely
in Hungarian. I have mentioned it at some point, that there is a Hungarian
teacher at the university. At last we met and I spent the day with her and her
family (her mum and 2 kids). It was a lovely day. We watched the salute
together. I was just as disappointed as the kids for not having seen tanks, but
as it turned out, they are saved for the parade on Independence Day. Shit
happens. I have to return to Belarus anyways one day. After walking around,
eating ice cream and watching the locals in Gorky Park, we walked back to their
flat, because they invited me over for lunch. It was quite pleasant to spend
the day speaking solely on my mother tongue and trying to remember the names of
all the Barbies and Lego robots. :)
On the night of the 9th May we left for Mogilev
with Seval (my Turkish roommate), but that’s another story.
This week I discovered a lovely antique bookshop near Nemiga (for locals: in the Old Town, in the
vicinity of the boat-restaurant). Though I could have bought half the shop (I
wish I could have done so), I bought only 2 books with softcover. My collection
of cookbooks has a new member: I found a lovely cookbook from the 80s (2nd
edition) about the Belarusian Cuisine.
I left the bookshop with the smell of old books in my nose and with a huge
smile on my face. For those, who live here, I really advice the shop, since the
majority of the books are ridiculously cheap! There are new books as well. Get
lost there, as I did.
This week was special also due to other events:
The perks of living
in the dormitory: I listened to German private classes in the study room
with Russian explanation. I did not think that I would start learning German
one day like this.
Last, but not least: Yet again, the CS meeting was a source
of energy and laughter for me. I got to know a few more interesting and pleasant
people. On this event the first wave of farewell hit me: I had to say goodbye to
Yaro, a lovely local friend, since he travels to Europe this weekend. I’ll miss
these weekly gatherings. As I always say: this unusual town attracts unusual
people. :) And I’m delighted that it’s like that.
So, that’s my summary of the last ~3 weeks.
More is coming (i.e. posts)!
Tomorrow I go to the police, and in the evening I travel to
Grodno. The last city I am going to visit during my stay in Belarus. The fact,
that my plan to go to Brest came to a naught made me reconsider my plans, so
that’s why I chose Grodno. Plus, a great many people claim, that it’s the most beautiful
city in Belarus. Let’s see! :)
Пока
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