Amaks Tourist Hotels Ufa

... awake until we past the largest fresh water lake in the world (according to Samwise), which is located in South Russia, at 6am.

15.11 - We all got back to sleep after the lake showing & slept until about 3pm again. Once awake, we paid a visit to the temporary markets that got set up by the Mongolians at each stop (whether it was for 5 minutes or 45 minutes), who prepared in the aisles of the train beforehand. They sold meat ...

I guess it's good that I have a solid system of how to study because I think I'd be dying right about now if I wasn't. First of all I read and take notes from a textbook, then I memorize all that needs to be memorized, and lastly ask myself questions to check for understanding. Thanks LASK1001 at the U of Minnesota for that method :-) However anatomy is a very very tricky thing because the sheer volume of information makes everything just that much more difficult. I ...

So it has officially been three days of studies, and let me tell you I am stressed. I didn't actually think it would be possible for us to be THIS busy in 3 days. And to be honest we even got to skip Latin (of course it was moved to Saturday morning instead) but I still haven't felt this tired in a very long time. We have to know about 100 different parts of the skeleton, their names in Latin, where to find them, and ...

It seems so strange to write that today was my first day of school. Instantly this phrase brings up memories of the day 12 years ago when I first arrived on the steps of the building that would become a second home for three years. I've had many first days in my life already, first day of Russian school, first day of school in the US, first day of middle school, high school, and so on. But this is different. Today was my first day as a medical school student. The ...

... don't think too many people will stay up at night to watch all this excitement. Though there are three exciting things that happen today. I see 5 bikes! I get held up in an hour traffic jam on the M5. I don't know why I say the M5. I've been on it for two days now and I'm likely to stay on it for a while longer so there is little mistaking the road I'm on.

But the really exciting thing are the emergence of HILLS! Yes real hills this time ...

... to go back to the first one we looked at. A shockeroo with no shower but at least the beds were clean. Definitely NOT recommended!
A very tasty dinner out at a Ukraine Cafe - we were walking back to the hotel in broad daylight at 11.30 pm. It's quite disconcerting, time wise, as the sun doesn't set until around mid night. We always think it's earlier than it really is, so end up having some really late nights out!

... hours to the village. We must have passed through a time warp along the way, because let me tell you the village was like something out of National Geographic. Babushkas, (grandmothers) their heads wrapped in colorful scarves, sat in front of many of the houses that we passed. Grizzled old men with funky clothes and hats herded sheep and goats through the main street (which resembled a muddy, dung covered, motocross track) past the village mosque. This ...