Men's Day, 2011

A year ago, I discovered that I really like Day of the Defenders of the Fatherland. I still like it.

The excitement started this morning. I got up before dawn to go lift weights as I usually do. I sneaked out of the bathroom to get dressed in the dark so I wouldn't wake Alla. As I felt around in the closet for my super-warm pants, I heard noises that sounded a lot like somebody in the apartment. Fairly sure the noise was coming from the apartment overhead, I went to check. Zounds! It's here! It was Alla, already up. My hair was standing up too. It turns out that Alla had gotten up to put a gift for me on my desk, a jar of delicious buckwheat honey. After my workout, I put some of the honey along with sour cream onto the blini Alla made for me. (The word "blini" is often translated "pancakes," but they are very little like American pancakes and I think I'm better off sticking with the Russian word. If you want to know what they are like, you'll have to ask a Russian to make some for you. They are really good.)


After class, I found myself facing the smiling face of a young woman named Dasha. I didn't know her, and she didn't know me, but she had with her something I knew quite well: a few leftover pieces of one of my favorite cakes. I guess she understood my gaze, and she offered me a slice in the spirit of the day. She had apparently shared most of the cake with her class, and I was the privileged recipient of part of what was left.

Straight away from Dasha's kindness, I went off to our favorite cafe to have lunch with Alla and Irina. Irina gave me a huge linen towel that smells absolutely fantastic and looks great too. Alla had another gift for me as well, a traditional hat for the banya.

I thought that was plenty, but the charms of the day continued into the evening. As I came home from church, Alla called me and told me to come over to Anna Adamovna and Evgenny Ivanovich's house instead of coming home. They had prepared a holiday spread of cold cuts, pickled mushroom and salad. Alla brought a little cake, and we enjoyed a fine evening together with stories, laughter and appreciation. The whole day highlighted what I like best about living here, the spirit of friendship and readiness to celebrate life and the lives of our fellows.