Part 3. Minneapolis, etc.

We arrived in Minneapolis early in the morning, the city was empty. Of course, it was Sunday! Only rare cars blinded me as they passed, reflecting the sun's rays. After hanging around the station for an hour, I thought it would be nice to walk to the Mississippi. It's interesting, after all! Inspired by the upcoming mini-excursion around the neighborhood, I walked out the station doors. Let me remind you, the city was empty!!! But then, out of nowhere, a group of antisocial elements appeared. Trying to bum cigarettes first, and then money, they predatorily surrounded me. Honestly, it was scary. A man standing nearby walked over, took my hand, and led me back into the station. Thank you, kind soul! At the same time, he asked me quite seriously to wait for my employer inside and not to go out. OK! A couple of hours later, I got hungry anyway, and after shaking the fear out of my pants, I snuck off to a store. When I returned, my name was already being announced throughout the station, and as it turned out, they had been looking for me for half an hour))

They were picking me up, and another guy of Asian appearance. To my timid question "What is your name?" he just as timidly replied "Vasily." Phew, what a relief, I won't be the only Russian speaker)) We drove to our destination for more than three hours, stopping to grab a bite and chat.

We arrived... forest... lake... the nearest town (800 people) is 13.5 km away, a bigger town (2,000 people) with a hypermarket is 40 km away... in short, the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!! We went into the main building, all the trim was wooden, it smelled of old age, and stuffed animals of various creatures (deer, otters, ducks, fish) were hung on the walls everywhere. My first thoughts were: "What kind of godforsaken backwater did I end up in?!" and "How can I get out of here as fast as possible?!" Then they took us to get settled. The girls, of whom 5 were expected, were assigned a house with three rooms, a living room, and a kitchen. The guys, of whom 4 were expected, got a unit with one room, a living room, and a kitchen. I walked into my temporary shelter; inside, the house was quite dark and had the unusual smell of a strange place. I walked around it, looked things over... lay down on the bed and almost cried. I covered my face with my hands and mentally asked that when I opened my eyes, it would all turn out to be a dream, and I would see the walls of my own room! It didn't work... it didn't work three times! Then I laughed at my own stupidity and went to wash off the road dust. By the time I arrived, two of the guys were already there, and we met them in the evening. In the end, instead of 9 people, only 5 arrived. They became my family for that time... and of course, this house became my home over the summer!