A tiny glass horse

As some of you may know, I have had a few instances of bad luck in this country. One of my misfortunes was losing my free ticket to the ballet. I was upset, but I tried not to make a huge deal out of it because it was entirely my own fault.

My host parents felt really bad for me. So when they got free tickets to the ballet the following week and were unable to get me one too, my host father, Tolya (short for Anatoliy), gave up his ticket for me. He told me: "I have been and will have many opportunities to go to the Mikhailovsky Theater, but you are only here for four months."

So I went with my host mother, Nina, and sat with the other host mothers to watch the ballet "The Flames of Paris." It was lovely, and I'm glad I got to go with her because she has a lot of knowledge about St. Petersburg, and she's just a very pleasant person to talk to.

Inside the theater

On Tuesday morning Nina told me that Tolya's birthday is coming up and the whole family is coming over. I misunderstood, and thought she meant next week. Wednesday evening I realized my mistake and insisted that she help me figure out a gift to get him. She suggested a tiny glass horse, similar to these other tiny glass figurines that they have collected. She said that he loves ponies, and that it would be extra special because this year will be the year of the horse in the Chinese Zodiac (something I've found Russians seem to be very infatuated with). I knew what I needed and I had one day to get it.

The next day after classes, I convinced my friend Justin to help me find the glass figurine, and it turned into a quest to find three things: 1) the post office, 2) A specific bakery on Nevskiy Prospekt that makes delicious bread, and of course 3) the birthday present. We found all three and surprisingly, the post office was the hardest and the glass horse was the easiest to find! It was a really nice afternoon, and it was a rare day where the sun was shining and for whatever reason most people I encountered seemed really happy.

Fast forward to Friday evening: I finally got to meet their son, Lev, his wife Zhenya, and their 3-month old, Igor. Our apartment doesn't have a big kitchen table or a dining room, so we had dinner around a table in my host parents' bedroom/living room. Igor feasted before us, so he lay down on the bed next to us and dozed off while we ate and toasted Tolya, his parents, Nina, and their children (which included me!). He loved the tiny glass horse, and my host mom said that it would always remind them of me. There were some pictures taken that night but none of them are on my camera. If I can acquire them I will be sure to put them up!

Found exactly what I needed!

I didn't get a picture of the full spread, but the Napoleon that Zhenya brought and the apple turnovers that Nina made were just  like the Napoleon and turnovers that my own mom makes. Seeing familiar food was strangely comforting.

This may not have been the most exciting thing to post about, but living with a host family is a big part of my experience here. I feel very fortunate to have been placed with such a kind and loving family, and to have my own supportive parents at home.