Maslenitsa! It's a Party!

Sunday was Maslenitsa, a Russian equivalent of Mardi Gras, complete with lots of blinni. We traveled to the nearby town of Suzdal to enjoy its well known celebration. It was a big festival in the town square where we danced, played games, and spent time with some Russian friends. I'll admit that it was cold, but also a lot of fun! Some of the most interesting games were pillow-fights and a Russian version of "Red Rover." There was also a large log standing and men took turns trying to climb it...most of them removing various articles of clothing to aid them and climbing to cheers of "Davai!" (Let's go!) There was also a lot of good food and drink and lots of people just out enjoying the festivities. In all it was a great time.



We also ended up walking around the town, hoping that movement would keep us warm. Instead, Ira, Sara's hostess, set off a chain reaction by pulling me into a snow bank. The result you can see for yourself!

As you can tell from all of this stuff in the last couple of posts, we have been very busy. In addition to all of this, we of course have to do our real jobs too! This week we have class Monday and Tuesday and some work on Wednesday. Then, Thursday and Friday we have a short vacation. Joanna, Eric, Molly, and I are going to Moscow. The main aim is to go to a concert on Friday night. It's a Russian group called "Spleen" which we like a lot. It should be a great chance to relax and enjoy a few days of something out of the routine, which has been crazy lately, as you can tell.

Also, thank you to Joanna and Nicole's student Larissa for the pics!