Rubin Hotel Yuzhno Sakhalinsk

... For those of you in/around Houston, I would love to catch up with you over a dinner, or drink, or whatever can be scheduled! Thanksgiving was nice. I was invited over to an American's house to celebrate with his family and about 20 local friends (1 pic included). I appreciate Thanksgiving wherever I am, and it seems the holiday where Americans worldwide open their doors to complete strangers to celebrate the day. So I had turkey, I had ...

... as well as what was indicated to me a 'high-level' meeting with the Vice Mayor of the town. Now, again none of the individuals noted thus far have spoken a lick of English, so needless to say my Russian is coming back to me quite quickly. The Vice Mayor of the town kept referring to me as James Bond - I could only chuckle and continue to exhale so as I would not have to breathe in smoke affiliated with those funky Russian cigarettes he kept ...

... spent time in Kazakhstan, CHECHEL cheese. Really - the grocery store near my house may be about 1/10 of the size of a local Kroger or HEB, but it has everything I need for my cooking. Plus, in reality I wont be cooking much at home anyways. My big meal will be served on the client's dime where I am working on a daily basis. And evenings, I just eat something lighter such as soup or cheese and bread, etc. Work thus far is good. Challenging, but good. I find ...

... were various but along the same theme. I reckon we got off quite lightly all things considered. Apart from H3 events, we have also been to a place called Tikhya (meaning quiet place) where we had a bbq with friends and went for strolls along the beach. I had hoped to go in the Pacific Ocean at this point but it just wasn't warm enough. Tikhya is little more than a settlement and is located on the coast about 2 hours north of Yuzhno. To get there we ...

... For those more culturally inclined, there is a fairly good museum housed in a Japanese building from when Sakhalin Island was called Karafuto and Yuzhno was called Toyohara. The museum has quite a good record of the history of the island, however knowing how to read Russian definitely helps in understanding it! There is also a largish collection of stuffed animals if you're into that sort of stuff. There are often plays and concerts ...

... mixing my genders and I recently realised that when I have been asking for water at the shop I have been suggesting that water ("voda" in Russian)is masculine when in reality it is feminine. This all became a little clearer to me when I realised that all of the women in Russia have names ending in A. So for instance if I had been born in Russia my name would have been Ekaterina (translated from Kathryn). The diminutive form is Katya (in ...

... for what you want or point to it. Then there are the shopping houses that have many smaller stores within. These can be very maze like with only one entrance/exit. More than once I've lost my way but I eventually come upon the exit if I turn left all of the time! The markets are great and almost anything can be bought so long as it is in season (if it's vegetables or fruit). However, the things that I haven't been able to locate ...

Since my arrival in Yuzhno I have noticed a variety of sounds that quite frankly assaulted my ears at first. Now I have grown used to the never-ending procession of sounds through the day. Early in the morning it is the sound of crows with their piercing caw-caw to act as a precursor to the alarm clock. Then there are the usual sounds of people beginning to stir, a few footsteps in the overhead apartment, doors being opened and then the car alarms as people either forget to turn them off or ...

... correct phrase to tell them I don't understand! However, there was one incident the second day I was here when I was stopped by two fellows with questionable motives, with one of them waving official looking documents and a passport under my nose and the other offering me money! Apparently this is a rare occurrence and I am still clueless as to what happened. Of course there are many other words and ...

... door to the shared entry to our apartment and the one next door and the two other keys are for entry to the apartment itself. There are an incredible 10 locking points on the apartment door! Added to this there is also a shared alarm system for the two apartments and panic buttons in the apartment. At first thought I wondered about general safety, however I have been assured it is very safe to walk around Yuzhno in the day time but it is foolish to walk ...