Sunday, May 29, 2005 6:42 am

Yesterday, or rather two days ago (May 27), or rather... wait. Today is Sunday. Yes, so on Friday, Mom and I went to Minneapolis. I drove. We were both very tired. Mom kept worrying about things I might have forgotten.

The airport wasn't so very busy--we were there early, around 12:30. They wouldn't let Mom into the terminal with me, so we waited outside, bored. I could not get any rubles, and did not think about Euros, so later I had nothing (and now have nothing) to spend.

I bought a magazine in the terminal, which I read in the plane before take-off--we were running late--but they told me I would have to buy a calling card in Russia.

The plane was totally full and very crowded. I sat between a window and a rather nice man who didn't try to talk too much--he was the perfect amount of friendly. I think he may have been a Dutch-speaker en route to a trip in the Netherlands. I spent a lot of time reading, although I watched the movie National Treasure. I listened in English because I'd never seen it before, although I would have liked to listen in Dutch, as well. Erin was right; it's a good movie.

I learned some Dutch words: "hoogte" (altitude) is the only one I remember. There was a screen that charted our progress as well as giving altitude, speed, time, and temperature. It was pretty fasincating. I have now fallen in love with the word "Shannon", and have decided to name something Shannon, so I can go on saying it. The sound and the feel of it are exquisite!

The real Ireland, however, was covered with clouds. So, I could not tell if it were really as green as in legend. Canada has a lot of water in it, and hardly any people. (It was so wild and lonely, with no roads... I was dying to live there myself.) Greenland was covered with ice; Iceland was covered with clouds, and so on. The very east of England I could see bits of; it's all farmland! (I was surprised, although I do not know why.) The fields are not square, but odd_shaped and of many colors. All I could see of the Atlantic was the moon. (I did not sleep at all.) I looked for dikes in the Netherlands, but couldn't find them, although there were canalas, and many sheep, cows, and haystacks.

I was shocked and disappointed in the airport--everything was in English, with tiny Dutch subtitles optional. What's the point in having your own country if you don't even get to speak your own language?! Honestly.

I spent two hours there, but had no Euros, so I read more Douglas Adams (not ecstasy, but rather charming). By this point, my body was tired of sitting and of wearing shoes.

My second flight was less organized; people more or less clumped on, responding to directions I never heard. I was busy organizing as the plastic bag I had had was now shredded.

I hoped to have a window seat and an empty seat beside me, but got neither. However, I liked the people I sat with: a young mother with a baby and a babushka who showed me pictures of her granddaughter and gave me candy. She didn't speak any English, so we communicated as best we could.

I followed the crowd through customs (took forever) and baggage claim. Here, the English was in subtitles, which better suits my sense of justice. I was greeted by several million taxi drivers, and Lena. She took me to the car. A man named Vladimir drove. He and Lena talked in the front seat while I chattered (yes, really) with the other two students in the backseat: Bill from Long Island, who had just as much luggage as I, and Kelly from St. Louis, whose luggage was missing. Kelly seems very nice and fun (yes, I know that those are meaningless); Bill was quieter, but still pleasant. Lena told us that there will be 10-15 students this summer, all Americans.

I was the first one dropped off; I live in a tall apartment building in a quiet neighborhood near a park. The park is very beautiful; the trees here seem familiar, only very tall and thin. Interesting without being overwhelmingly exotic, like Skittles or Starbursts.

Nina Mikhaelovna, my host mother, is a tiny woman with lots of energy. I don't think she speaks any English, which is good. We talked for a whIle and showed each other pictures. After I unpacked, she made me dinner--tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, bread, apple juice, and some sort of spiced chicken that was really good. She seemed a little worried that I might not like the food, but it seemed just like American food to me.

I went to bed at about 8:00 pm, exhausted. I slept well. My room is the perfect size, with a desk, a TV, a bed, and some shelves and a wardrobe. The bathroom seems small, but I think it's about the same as the one in my apartment; it only seems smaller because it's divided in two (for the toilet and bath). The elevator is also very, very small. I've gotten the impression that Europe is small and crowded, and the people touch each other a lot. However, that could be just because both of my flights were practically overflowing.

I woke up very early, around 4:45, but "slept" for another hour. Finally I gave in, showered and dressed. Now I am tired again, though, and may lie down again for a while.

I called Mom yesterday, with no calling card. I screwed it up several times, and finally had to call Lena. I am going to owe Nina Mikhaelovna a fortune.

Today sometime (I thought 11:30, but Nina Mikhaelovna thought 12:30, or 1:30--I couldn't tell) there is a meeting with the other students--orientation. I am ready, but Nina Mikhaelovna is not up yet, so I am going back to sleep. Oh, I forgot that there is a very large and clever cat named Simmons!