The Force is with us

So ready for “Star Wars” to come out. We get movies in English, but they apparently don’t stay long and it’s sort of a guess what will be available. “Midway” was here for a bit, but it ever came in English. “Ford v. Ferrari” did, for a week or so, and that last “Terminator” was here in English for at least three weeks. I came close to caving and watching that one.

“Ford v. Ferrari” was totally worth the hassle of tracking it down and seeing it. We have a couple of theaters that will show movies in English (with Russian subtitles) and I have a hard time figuring out which is the theater near me and which is the one across the little city in the building with the Marriott.

But “Star Wars” is coming, in English, on Thursday. I’m just not sure where and when I will see it. I’ve told people that’s what I’d like to do on Christmas; for some reason people seem to think I’m joking but it’s absolutely an option. Since Belarusians celebrate Orthodox Christmas the following week, there shouldn’t be a crowd.

This weekend I babysat Shelby again and also had a second pup, Warrior. Warrior’s family went on leave and Shelby’s mom will be keeping him for most of the time, but she got called out of town for a night so I got them both. It was a good weekend to re-watch the original “Star Wars” trilogy. I’ve just finished those and have “The Force Awakens,” but I don’t own “The Last Jedi,” so, whenever I see the movie, I hope I remember where we all left off. Dang, it better be good.

After giving the pups back, I went out to yet another Georgian restaurant last night. In maybe six weeks here that’s three different Georgian restaurants and three times I’ve had My Thai. Sensing some patterns forming early on, all involving dumplings. Like others, this place was within walking distance, and on the way back, I was walking part of the way with a Fellow Foodie and she wanted to duck into another place for dessert. I’d seen a placed called, as God is my witness, “Honky Tonk,” and on the way in, I heard Montgomery Gentry blaring “My Town” and figured it was Belarus’s version of a country bar. We went in, and it looked that way, although at that point, the music was more jazz. And under “Honky Tonk,” the sign read, “Piano Bar.” Because those two things go together in Belarus.

We went in and I had tea and piece of cheesecake and Fellow Foodie had some kind of drink and a brownie. The live music started at 9 a.m., and the trio set up – a guitarist, a drummer (electronic kit) and a cello, which was also electric. This didn’t exactly scream Waylon so we figured we’d have to stay and see some of it jut to figure out what it was. I mean, the theme of the bar really was country-ish, with little cowboy hats and baby beer barrels. I never saw a piano in the piano honky tonk and when the music started, it was absolutely … jazz. Not bad, but definitely not country. However, how American is that? A country and western piano bar with live jazz?

 

While we were in there, it started snowing again – really, really fat flakes. I never took weather so I’ve no idea how fat flakes form, but these were March-ish flakes, not November. But today, Sunday, it was fairly warm – 36 degrees – and the existing snow melted. Since we probably won’t see the sun until May, though, it’s not drying up; it’s just pooling everywhere. That doesn’t bode well for staying away from slip and fall accidents.

My LL Bean order isn’t in yet, so the nonskid things I got for my shoes are still en route and I just hope I don’t wipe out before they arrive. I am becoming babushka-like in my walk to work. I walk slow and grip every handrail possible.

But I finally feel better. In addition to all the Thai food, we also have a Thai massage place on my way home from work. I popped in there and made an appointment for a massage and feel much better now. It was my first massage there, but probably not my last. I filled out the first-visit questionnaire and was highly amused by the questions:

• ·        Where does it hurt?
• ·        Do you have any allergies?
• ·        How do you take your tea?

 Love it.

So far, the tour is just great. This week, I did my second outreach. Previously, I’d gone to a school and discussed Thanksgiving, and this week I did a “My Hometown” presentation. I love PowerPoint and had a great time talking up Tallahassee, even wearing my FSU baseball jersey. 

WHOMP. There she goes.

Thanksgiving in Minsk was quite memorable for me. Not so much for the turkey, though there was that, but more so for my very first utter wipeout on black ice.

It’s going to be a long, long winter. Thanksgiving day itself was great, for the most part. I walked to a particular market to buy eggs and a few other things, enjoying what started out as fairly decent, if chilly, weather. In all, I walked about 8 kilometers, then made mashed potatoes for a meal with some colleagues.

One had offered a ride, so I went down to wait for them to arrive, carrying the mashed potatoes in a pot in a sack. After maybe 10 minutes of wandering around in a little circle (mostly to stay warm, as it started getting sleety), my ride drove up. I took maybe four steps to the car and, I guess, reached for the handle and then WHOMP. I fell backwards before anything like, “Holy crap, I’m falling” could run through my head. My first thought was extreme pain and “I didn’t lose consciousness” and I realized I wasn’t dead or dying. I also figured out that my head hadn’t burst open with brain pieces everywhere because I was thinking. Honestly, I don’t know how that was possible. I landed with a hard smack.

You know the feeling after someone pulls your hair really hard? I had that for 15 minutes solid. Then we arrived at the Thanksgiving dinner destination and I had Advil as my hor d’voures and the sensation dulled once the turkey hit home.

The next day, I learned how fast word spreads in a small post when everyone already knew what happened. I conceded to go to the hospital to get checked out, and that was an event unto itself. It was reminiscent of my visit to the Midelt hospital during Peace Corps, where I saw many people who were trying to help me, but I had no concept of what was going on. In Peace Corps, though, I had the phone to the PC doctor, who was translating. In this case, I had a doctor from the embassy with me to help translate, and I am thankful for that. Although I still don’t completely know what happened, I got a CT scan and four X-rays that were all negative. At the end of the 2-hour visit, I paid just under $200 and got immediate results. America’s health care system stinks.

Over a week on, my hips still hurt and I still have a bump on my head, so I’m not completely convinced there are no long-term effects. They gave me no painkillers so I’ve just taken Advil-ish PM to sleep. At first, I was really stiff and store but I’m down to it just being the hips and the top of my head. Next week I’m debating a Thai massage. There’s a place fairly near the office.

Other things Thai include a restaurant called My Thai, which is about a half a kilometer from me. My apartment is really smack in the middle of everything. Tonight, I went to a Georgian restaurant. It’s not the first Georgian food I’ve had here, so I had figured I was going to the other one. When I asked where this one was, my eating companion said it was right next door to the Australian pub. Both those restaurants are on the way to My Thai.

I’m working on my Cyrillic, and I realized that the storefront across the road is an Uzbek restaurant, which is next door to a coffee shop that I just figured out spells “Iskander,” which means it’s a Turkish coffee place. There’s a Chinese place above the Thai massage and somewhere I ran into an Irish pub, too. And that’s stuff that’s all fairly nearby. And it doesn’t count the McDonald’s, KFCs, Burger Kings or the TGI Friday, though I guess those don’t really constitute international cuisine.

While walking Shelby, whom I’m babysitting again this week, I’ve stopped at signs to sound out some of the words and realized that Karl Marx road is right behind me. I also passed some “consular service” place, so it must have been part of an embassy but I didn’t recognize the flag. It’s right around the corner from me, though. I’m totally in the middle of everything.

In spring and summer, this place will be gorgeous and lovely to walk around. I hope I make it.