Journal for aschilba

Today's date is March 28th and still Tartu is gripped in winter's icy fangs. The day before yesterday I was astonished to see snow flakes almost as big as golf balls falling (and sticking) over Tartu. Then yesterday the sun took the stage, unaccompanied by any menacing clouds. I met Sergio and Kazik (my roommate and flatmate) at the town square. We celebrated the sun with a rich meal and a beer.

After that I went around to some travel agencies to try and book a trip to somewhere sunny and warm over Easter weekend. I am considering either southern Spain, Athens, or Italy. Though Rome would not be stunningly summer like, I can't stop thinking about how amazing it would be to see the Vatican on Easter Sunday.

A fellow Willamette student is staying with me and Sergio for this weekend. Brett is studying in Riga and was taking some lectures up in Tartu this weekend. I told him that we can fix a bed for him here free of charge.

Today was cleaning day in our flat. We've organized it as follows: each weekend the two roommates have to clean the entire flat. Sergio and I cleaned last weekend, and this weekend it is Slava and George's turn. It is a good system I think. While I don't think Martha Stewart would like to touch our dorm with a 29ft pole, the level of cleanliness is livable.

I get along with everybody in our flat and we're quite good friends. On nights when nobody is busy and the general mood is good then we cook dinner together. When it comes to pasta and any Italian food, Sergio is the uncrowned king and foreman. Kazik and I do the bruschetta and vegetables while Sergio is the pasta master. Last night at around 2230 we sat down to a massive pasta. Earlier in the week I had bought a big "grave" candle so we had that literally fired up as well. This is a candle that you would see in a cemetery but I assure you that I did not steal it.

Upcoming travel plans:
I am pondering doing a two week Scandinavian trip towards the end of April. Denmark, Sweden, Norway , maybe even Ireland too. Though the weather will most likely be miserable, I feel the need to stretch my legs a bit. Tartu is a little bit like Salem, OR in that sense. It is fantastic for students, but after months of the same routine you crave something different. The relative ease of travel is what I miss about living in Ukraine. There you could catch a night train to a number of different cities and make it back home on the night train again.

Posted by Aleksander R Schilbach at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I went skiing last week at Otepää. It felt so good to just shuss down the hill and I realized that skiing is one thing I have missed from Oregon. Not that there is not any skiing here at all, I've just been too lazy to go out and ski different places.

We had a birthday party for my roommate Sergio last night. It was quite a shin-dig. I think as the evening progressed, party goers took out pots and pans and started playing some muzak. It was quite fun, though Kazik and I had to clean up today (today was our cleaning day anyway).

I noticed that there was fuzz growing from the grease filter in the hood above the stove. I got out my pocket knife and went at it. Finally I got it down and out and tried to no avail to get that darn "gunk" out. After ten minutes Kazik and I decided that it wasn't quite necessary for the structural integrity of the building, and put it under the sink. Whenever I go and try to do a routine task, I always go overboard and go crazy on that particular task.

Recently I've been listening to a Wilco album called Mermaid Avenue. Fantastic stuff that has turned back on my appreciation for Wilco. I even went so far as to see if they were coming to Europe or Seattle any time soon.

Oh another thing I can talk about. I actually enjoy cooking for myself. I make a delicious pasta and usually use some simple ingredients, but with great results. I know that I am no French chef, but I enjoy using vegetables, olive oil, meat, pasta, wine, and sauce. I also enjoy hosting people over. I can remember when I was in Ukraine that hosting people is a big deal. Growing up in a big family with an even bigger extended family, if we were hosting family over the house would be spotless, the wine out and ready, the meat cooking, and the chips and dip sitting at attention. Without sounding like a complete prig, I'd say that hosting people is quite fun and I can't wait to do more of it.

I also am applying to be an international student advisor at WU next year. I can't really think of anything better than that and am looking forward to havin' fun.

Because I cannot put the link in all fancy like, I will hope that the good chaps at the LLC will do this for me. Here is the video of California Stars by Wilco.

Posted by Aleksander R Schilbach at 07:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)