I fainted in the banya. At last count, I have 27 mosquito bites. And today, I burned my hand.
In my haste to get coffee at the hotel buffet after taking the night train from St. Petersburg to Moscow, I sloshed the pot and got really hot coffee all over my hand. It burned. Now, this would not be a huge problem in the US. In Russia, though, a minor injury is a cause for concern. You see, the Russians have some beliefs about health that we think are, well, odd.
First, a waitress smeared butter on my hand. It melted right away because my hand was hot. I felt like a piece of toast. Then, I tried to get some ice. The waitress and a manager brought me back to the kitchen, where about 12 Russians examined my hand and spoke in Russian about what to do. The only thing they said in English was, "no ice - ice bad." Then they sprayed some foamy stuff from an aerosol can all over my hand. I don't know if it was the butter, the foam, or the gallons of cold water that I let run over my hand once I was back in my room, but I am fine now. Everyone in my group is watching me every carefully now because I am so accident-prone.
Some other odd Russian ideas about health:
- Eating pure honey will keep you from getting sick.
- Exercising in the morning is bad for you.
- Sitting on cold surfaces will damage major organs.
- Sweating in a sauna and being beaten with birch branches is good for you.
Yesterday was our last day in St. Petersburg - more palaces and parks, a cathedral, and a folk culture show, which was really fun. It was a really long day, though, and after it we hopped the night train to Moscow, so we're really tired today. We arrived at our hotel this morning, cleaned up, and then went to a meeting at the New Eurasia Foundation, a not-for-profit group that is trying to help Russia adjust to the new economy and political system. Tomorrow we are going to have a tour or several sites in the city. Tonight some friends and I are going to Red Square just to look around and see what it's like. I'm so excited!
In my haste to get coffee at the hotel buffet after taking the night train from St. Petersburg to Moscow, I sloshed the pot and got really hot coffee all over my hand. It burned. Now, this would not be a huge problem in the US. In Russia, though, a minor injury is a cause for concern. You see, the Russians have some beliefs about health that we think are, well, odd.
First, a waitress smeared butter on my hand. It melted right away because my hand was hot. I felt like a piece of toast. Then, I tried to get some ice. The waitress and a manager brought me back to the kitchen, where about 12 Russians examined my hand and spoke in Russian about what to do. The only thing they said in English was, "no ice - ice bad." Then they sprayed some foamy stuff from an aerosol can all over my hand. I don't know if it was the butter, the foam, or the gallons of cold water that I let run over my hand once I was back in my room, but I am fine now. Everyone in my group is watching me every carefully now because I am so accident-prone.Some other odd Russian ideas about health:
- Eating pure honey will keep you from getting sick.
- Exercising in the morning is bad for you.
- Sitting on cold surfaces will damage major organs.
- Sweating in a sauna and being beaten with birch branches is good for you.
Yesterday was our last day in St. Petersburg - more palaces and parks, a cathedral, and a folk culture show, which was really fun. It was a really long day, though, and after it we hopped the night train to Moscow, so we're really tired today. We arrived at our hotel this morning, cleaned up, and then went to a meeting at the New Eurasia Foundation, a not-for-profit group that is trying to help Russia adjust to the new economy and political system. Tomorrow we are going to have a tour or several sites in the city. Tonight some friends and I are going to Red Square just to look around and see what it's like. I'm so excited!
1 comment:
Dear Ms. Steg,
This morning Bill and I played with his tie on the bed as usual. This is part of my exercise routine that the Russians wouldn't like. They Bill carried me out to the driveway when he picked up the newspaper. I got so nervous I barfed in my breakfast bowl. But nobody made a fuss about me like they did with your hand. I agree with the Russian wisdom of not sitting on cold surfaces. I like to sleep on bed pillows, get them full of fine, white, hard to see hair and then laugh at the humans when they put their heads down to go to sleep and start coughing.
Well enough about me.
At Red Square will you get to see Lenin's body and St. Basil's cathedral? Leave a small bouquet by Stalin's grave, preferably poison ivy. Will you get inside the Kremlin? I prefer to enter through the Spasky Gate. But that's me.
Remember to buy a gift for me at GUM department store.
Love Comrade Itchy
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