Well, that's it... I'm back in OC. The only casualty here is a blue portable toilet.... =) Everything is fine, all in all. I actually liked the evacuation. Thanks to everyone who accompanied us, registered us, drove us, fed us, cleaned up, helped... Seriously, thank you! Who knows, maybe Irene could have caused much greater losses... But everything is fine, thank God. In the end, almost all of us were in Baltimore, Misha and Vadim stayed home (what, haven't you heard about the Moldovans? =))) First, we had to go to the center. There they sat us down, registered us, and made copies of our documents. They put us on buses and we drove in a convoy of about 8 large buses with a police escort (this trip reminded me of my trips to camp - everything is the same =)) We reached Salisbury, a transfer from a baseball stadium. I saw a baseball field for the first time =)) They gave us water and snacks (chips, cookies, and similar junk). And then the road to Baltimore. It was funny to drive at the end. The boys were very impatient. I laughed at their jokes, and my Slovak and Bulgarian friends were also very interested, so I translated for them that the boys just really wanted to pee and were joking about it =) We arrived, it was already around 4 am when we were inside. The building is like a huge castle. And inside it's a huge gym. I took videos and photos there, everything will be laterrrr =)) We were lying there dead on the floor at first, because it was night, because we were tired. I finally found my Nirguyanka in the crowd, we chatted =)) Then I don't really remember the sequence of events. Something was being handed out - either food or beds. Or maybe both food and beds =)) The beds were in boxes, army-style, they turned out quite decent, only it's unrealistic for girls to assemble them completely, so I was angry at the male population of the shelter, who just watched the girls' persistent movements. We arrived without boys =(( Then it was night and we slept. Only it was morning and 7 o'clock. I planned to sleep until at least 13:00, but for some reason I woke up at 11, and I felt quite good after 4 hours of sleep =)) I went to get something to eat. They gave us boxes of food. I ate breakfast. I went to find the other half of our girls. Everyone was asleep except Eli. She was reading, and I quickly convinced her to go for a walk around Baltimore. Why waste time?! And the weather is wonderful =)) We took lunch (wow-wow-wow! they thought about vegetarians here too! glory to the veggie-boxes =)), ate it outside on the grass in the sun, and went to the city! =)) We had some district of churches - there was even a funeral in one =((. And it also seemed to us like a too black district (in terms of many African Americans). As it turned out, all of Baltimore is black 0_0 Like, 80% of the population. It was a bit jarring sometimes, especially when we accidentally drove outside of downtown. We bought a day pass in the subway, took the lady's advice, and went to the Shot Tower/Market Place station. And she also said that if anything, we should tell everyone that we have no money, just like lighters and such. Well, you get it. It's very cool and beautiful everywhere there. It reminded me of London in that you can just walk, and it's interesting everywhere. Cool architecture. If only there was more time! By evening it started to rain. We returned to the shelter, there were even more people there, more acquaintances added. And there was such a funny game there - where you saw whom from these people and who works where =) Not many people know me because I work in laundry and in a store that students don't go to. But I identified many =)) funny. Finally, we started playing! yippee! =) cards, mafia, sticker on the forehead, pantomimes =))) We played in our company, added guys from other companies. Then we finished playing, I went and found some company, rudely intruded (-can I join you? -yes), they forced me to show the word "adventure" =))) hahaha. Then they saw the mafia cards in my hands and it started =)) we played, then more guys joined. And then they turned off the lights, and we moved under the lanterns in the center of the hall. That evening they were celebrating a couple of birthdays, and also Moldova's Independence Day. There was already some circle of singing people. And we were a circle of players =)) All just Russians, Ukrainians. We interested a few more people (well, it was hard not to notice us in the center of the hall being so cheerful =)), then for the first time I played sniper - also a very cool game! =)) In the end, a bunch of new acquaintances and sleep at 4 am =) Cool, what =)) periodically we went outside, the wind with rain was not bad =)) We watched TV with the weather constantly, whoever wanted to, two huge TVs were brought yesterday, but they showed some stupid movies. Someone was hanging on a computer, on a phone, on an ebook, someone in line for a shower or toilet. This, by the way, is a separate story =)) In general, I really liked it! Today in the morning we were woken up by a message (microphone for the whole hall) that everything is fine in OC and we will leave back today. And that Secrets (the coolest club), as well as the boardwalk, are alive. We packed up, left, looked around, and everything is fine in OC.... On Elm Street, Vadim and Misha met us... Well, it's good that everything is fine =)