No School Today or Tomorrow.

It has been a rather quiet day.   I didn't really want to cook today or dirty any dishes, so I went to Omar’s restaurant “Caucasian Yard” for lunch.  The last time I was there, I went with my friend Victor and had a great time.  The food was excellent, and we had an enjoyable visit.  This visit, while the food was good, I didn’t get an opportunity to order everything I really wanted.  The waitress gave me a Russian menu (to be expected, obviously), and when I asked for an English menu, she said they don’t have one.  Actually, they do have one, but she apparently isn't aware of one.  I told her that was okay and looked at the Russian menu.  I ordered cabbage salad, which was very nice, and it was what I wanted, as I could read most of the salad selections.  She was very nice and tried to help me order a main course, and I ended up with a charbroiled Cornish game hen or squab.  I had asked for chicken, but it couldn't have been chicken.  If it was, it was the tiniest chicken I have ever seen in my life.  It was very good, indeed, but there were other things on the menu I would have preferred.  I also wanted Georgian bread and got Russian rye instead.  I prefer to make informed choices, so I just need to keep working on my Russian.  Progress is slow, though, by my standards, at least.  Anyway, ideally, I wanted to look at the Russian and English menus side-by-side, so I could continue improving my vocabulary.

After lunch, I went to the банк (bank), only to discover it was closed.  I arrived well before closing time.  Are banks here generally closed on Monday, or was it closed because tomorrow is Women’s Day?  I was disappointed, because I really need some money so I can buy my train tickets.  

Speaking of Women’s Day, apparently, it is a fairly significant holiday, because street corners throughout the city are crowded with innumerable flower (цветок) venders. I should have taken a few photos.  The profusion of flowers certainly brightens things up around here.  I will take a walk tomorrow, and hopefully take some pictures, but I have an odd feeling things may be pretty quiet. 

I am irritated (no angry) with one of the marshrutka drivers.  Yesterday, I gave him 5 UAH, which is all the small currency I had, and he got annoyed with me.  He wanted two hryvnias or exact change (The fare is 1.75, and it is not uncommon for riders give the driver 5 UAH).  I told him I didn’t have it, and he responded by just giving me 1.50 in change.  The driver had plenty of change.  You could see it on his dashboard; he just refused to take the time.  It seems he deliberately cheated me.  I should have insisted that he give me my change (разминять), but I was afraid he would just drive on past my stop.  I really can’t afford to get cheated, and in this case, I needed the change for my ride back home.  I have been told more than once by local residents that marshrutka drivers tend to be rude.  I'll just have to make sure I always have small change with me, at least until my Russian improves, and I can negotiate more effectively.