On Russian Hospitality and Hospitality in Russia

New Year's Day has come and gone, but the celebrations continue in Russia. On New Year's, I was invited to the house of my friends Vasya, Alyona, and Denis along with about 10 other people. I was in Russia last year, so I knew roughly what to expect...tons of fireworks, tons of food, and a euphoric atmosphere that just won't quit. It ended up being a 24 hour long Russian culture lesson. That's right, an entire day was dedicated to this party. I arrived at 6 pm on New Year's Eve (about an hour late) and got home at 6 pm on New Year's day. In the middle of all this, I fell asleep on their floor for a few hours, but for the most part was drunk on sleep exhaustion by the end of it. I was totally blown away at how much salad was there (and the whole time people were complaining there wasn't enough).


Anyway, after that adventure, I had plans to hang out with my friend Igor. He took me cross country skiing in the biggest forest park (I think) in Moscow, Bitsevsky. It was so great, and at the end of it all, he let me borrow his skis for the rest of the winter! He said he brings someone skiing every year in January, and calls them his жертва (sacrifice). Well, in the spirit of a true sacrifice he then proceeded to fatten me up after skiing, then took me to his бабушка's place, where homemade blueberry jam was bestowed on me. This, mind you, is only the first piece of the puzzle.

The festivities continued when my friend Stephanie brought gifts from the land of my fathers. Included in these gifts was the second, and final piece to the puzzle (I still have to use little kid 2 piece puzzles apparently) ...

The sandwich that friendship build. And a mighty sandwich it is.

Also, there's some Nutella in there, but that's a story for later sandwiches.