A Positive Jam

As my events have been spare (a birthday party here, a bunch of practices there...), here's a promised list of positive things here in Russia that I haven't discussed otherwise.

The "Everybody Gets One" Greeting- A handshake that is. It's common practice to shake hands with or, in the case of girls and men from Georgia (the one that's on Macca's mind, not Ray Charles's mind), kiss/shake/hug every person in the room upon entering and exiting.
In reality, I only encounter this custom in the wrestling room and locker room. And at first it was really intimidating, because I had to pick it up on my own, and then I was worried I would be offending people I didn't shake with, but I didn't know everybody, and it isn't quite automatic to recognize the wrestlers (close, but not quite, as boxers can have funny shoes and ears too), and besides I'm obviously a foreigner, so leave me alone, and ugh.
But, after conquering my silliness, I have gotten quite used to the shake and get a kick out of going around and saying hello or goodbye to everybody in the area. And then when they come over to do the same when they leave, well it's a mutual give and take, right? Which is more pleasant when...

The unexpected Bonus of Citizenship- Obviously it's advantageous to have the good ol' stars and stripes representing in your pocket. But while most of us (jokingly) speculated (except for me, as I desperately hoped it would prove true) that the power would be akin to an aphrodisiac, with the promise of western wealth and nationality enough to overcome my personality voids (kidding!) with Russian women, nobody predicted, anyway, that all the wrestlers would be like my best buddy. In fact, we were worried they might not be the biggest fan.
But I can sincerely say that everybody at the club has been kind to me, willing to show me moves and wrestle with me and ask about the States. I don't have too much trouble finding a partner each day, and I've even gotten to the point in my wrestling form where I'm pretty sure they're not picking me just so they can have an easy workout! Throw in the fact, as previously mentioned, that they're from all over the country, and it makes for an interesting bunch.
Of course, on the other side, some of them are expecting me to return soon (my calendar is free after May 13th or so...) and so making requests for wrestling shoes and bags and the like in the states. And many are asking for my email address and other contact info. Let's just say if you see an influx of men coming to the U.S. in their early to mid 20's with funny-looking ears, speaking either Russian or a language with a lot of "Kh" sounds, well, I won't know anything about it. I swear.

Сметана (Sour Cream) - I mentioned this offhand previously, but let me now throw my official endorsement behind the substance. Again, those who know me might wonder how I've made it this far without peanut butter (excepting the delicious peanut butter Big Kit Kats in Warsaw...hoo boy...mmm) or a nervous breakdown. I'm not going to call the sour cream here a one for one substitute, but it definitely helps. In general, I'm enjoying most aspects of Russian cuisine, even кефир ("Kefir", buttermilk), which is sour but tastes good with sugar and purports to be healthy. The sour cream is just a key part of the puzzle, a condiment to top all condiments, if you will.

Ok, I'm running out of time at this internet cafe, so that's it. I may be wrestling in a tournament on Nov. 1st, which is some sort of pagan holiday as is, so that may be a future topic. We'll see.

Dan