The worst word in the Russian language...

Ufa,

After settling into my temporary base of operations (My friends apartment), I decided to make good on my promise to visit friends in Sterlitamak (The town I stayed in last year). My friend and I had the number of a private shuttle service which runs between Sterlitamak and Ufa, so we made plans to meet up with the driver and get on our way. The ride was probably the most bumpy I've ever had in my life. The driver was doing somewhere between 90 and 100 mph and every little crack in the road sent every passenger into the air. Because I always want to distinguish myself, I chose the squeakiest chair. Even through the constant noise of my chair and of a baby crying in the front, the passenger beside me decided he was tired enough to take a nap on my shoulder.

Shortly after arriving in Sterlitamak I met up with my host mother from the previous year. She had prepared a meal of Borshch, pierogi, and all kinds of fruit. As we ate she told me that she had set up a meeting for tea with a family I had met last year. During the meal she asked me if I would like more food, the Russian word for more in this situation is "Dobavki." Last year I learned that if you don't say "No," and stand firm when you are asked this, you will end up with a whole plate full of a secong helping. I said "No thank you," and we continued on to tea.

When we arrived I was greeted incredibly warmly and told that they were preparing dinner for me. Dobavki.

It's not that hard to get used to Russian culture, but there are a few things that stand out as being very different. After we said our hello's, the father and the son in law said that it was time for the banya. I said that I could not because I had to meet some friends later on that day. Peer pressure to enter the banya is a strange thing to experience. So I said ok.

The closest comparable thing that Americans have to a Russian Banya is a sauna. Calling it a sauna, however, is like calling an oven a warm place. The banya is hotter than anything I've ever experienced in my life. When you cross through the door into the main room all of your pores decide that it's a great time to open and pour out all of the water in your body. Of course, to do this, you have to get completely naked. All of that together is not that different from what we do in America. Then you smack eachother with burning hot birch branches. That's where our culture separates. Needless to say, it takes a little getting used to.

After the banya I felt great. Then came the food. Everything was there, again. Dobavki, dobavki, dobavki!!! Duck, potatoes, salad, and fruit. All of it was headed onto my plate before I could muster up the energy to say no. I ate as much as I could before the vodka toasts started. Although I only downed one shot of vodka, it was pretty hard to do. Dinner ended with plenty of hugs and well wishes goodbye.

Maybe dobavki is not such a bad word after all.