Absolutely! I won't make excuses. It is what it is! And it's true, you have to be at least a little bit of an adventurer to take off from Russia and jump into Africa! And not just for a month in the winter to warm up, but to live and work! Katya and I came to this conclusion yesterday. Today was my day off. For once! The day flew by—I didn't even have time to blink. Sunday went almost the same way for me: I barely managed to lift my body at 3 PM, ate, and called Katya and Irina. Katya was out with her boyfriend, Ira was also having fun somewhere, so I ended up riding my bike along the coast. On the left were the Twelve Apostles mountains, on the right was the ocean. I pedaled for an hour and a half, with my camera hanging over my shoulder (not without results). I rode about fifteen kilometers. Watched the sunset. Moved on. I only turned back when it got completely dark. The day off wasn't wasted! Just like today: I got up to my alarm at 11:30, ate some boiled sausages with local bread and steaming coffee; then went to the city.

CAPE TOWN FRIENDS

I met up with Chris, an English friend I lived with for the first week. Chris told me that he, Lynn, and Indro (two other guys we lived with) had driven to the Cape of Good Hope a couple of weeks ago. He also told me a bit about his work. He teaches 'International Law' at the University of Cape Town (if I understood him correctly) and works as an assistant to a professor. He also rents a room from this professor. But this Sunday, Christopher is moving out. I told him about my work and my local friends: Ira, Katya, Stas, and Kirill.

By the way, it sounds so cool that I just met up with an Englishman and talked to him one-on-one. I don't want to mislead anyone, and certainly not paint myself in a positive light without reason. In reality, if anyone is the hero here, it's definitely not me, but Chris. And I am very grateful for his patience and kindness! You should see how we communicate; how clumsily I hold a conversation in English. And I've barely made any progress! I don't study the language much: I'm always busy, and I don't have much enthusiasm for it. Although I would be happy to speak better.

Chris is very attentive; he senses and tries to understand. And when he talks, he also tries not to leave anything out, to explain everything. And where I don't understand, he gives examples, draws, shows, and uses any means that come to his mind. I'm lucky to have him. We agreed to meet more often, to have lunch together at least once every week or two (by the way, it takes him fifty minutes to get to the center by minibus, and twenty for me by bike).

After parting with Chris, I headed to the IEC.Exchange for the internet, where I met Katya at 4 PM. We asked those guys to take us to the 'Cape of Good Hope.' Especially since they are obligated to take us there... Neither Katya nor Ira had been on this tour for various reasons. So, we might even all go together! Hooray! We don't know when yet. But we should find out soon.

Then Katya and I said goodbye, she's working today, and I went home. At five, I invited Stas and Kirill over. I cooked a 'mega-soup' (I don't know the real name of this soup) using my mom's recipe. The guys appreciated it and praised it. I shared my opinion about the local bread.

— 'And I miss and dream of our own loaf and warm, crispy brick-shaped bread. I love that more!' Kirill replied.

Then we went to hang out with their local friends. There's not much to tell about that. I returned home recently. Now, a shower, some food, a bit of reading, and off to bed.

23:50, October 29, 2008