Bowling and other student activities

Last Wednesday most of the students and staff were excited to pile into the van and head into Zaporosia to go bowling.  The exception was Valentina who was taking the bus to Dnepro to get a manicure.  She told Garry she had an appointment and came home later in the afternoon with pink nails.

Nikolai was in the van ready to go, but Garry went into their apartment to get Alona and baby Danil. Three students went in the back of the Crawford's car, and a couple rode in Max's station wagon, with his wife Yulia, baby Mafew and brother Artom and our translator Nelly.

The van with Garry driving had to stop at the guy's house so Tolik could change out of his rubber boots and put on shoes for the trip to the city. 

It took longer than you'd expect so we didn't catch up to the Crawford's car until we were on main street in Zaporosia. We passed them so they could follow us to the mall with the bowling.  It's called Kapitalist bowling.

Baby Danil in a basket 

We rented 5 lanes for an hour, and shoes and socks (you can keep the socks) and everyone had a good time I think.

Vika introduces Daniel to
Max's Mafew(Mathew)

Nikolai Alona and Danil in front
 of Valentine's backdrop

The next day was Thursday so we were having cooking class at nine. First they have English class with Nellie at the classroom,  but often we do cooking at our house. I was ready to start when they arrived at the house,  in fact I'd already mixed up one batch of yeast dough. We were making piroshki as requested by Julia a few weeks before when we made vereniki.  

Piroshki are kind of fried or baked filled donuts, I guess is the best description.  We were making yeast based fried ones, but while our dough was rising we watched a YouTube video in Russian where they  made them with kefir and baking soda to make them rise. Ours would have two types of filling, so the students peeled potatoes and an onion so we could make the kind everyone had agreed on, mashed potato with a little fried onion and dill mixed in. We also made apple ones, with chopped apple and sugar inside. 

 If you are wondering about potatoes in donuts, potato or cherry or other fruit, or cabbage, or meat are popular fillings for piroshki. At the end some very large piroshki were made, but the instructions were that they would make one of each kind that they would fry and eat themselves.  Some students decided to make some for Garry to try. There was a lot of oil on the stovetop and we had to open the windows to air the house out because it smelled like frying piroshki before our staff meeting in the afternoon, but everyone went home happy and as usual Leila cleaned up quickly.  Sometimes she washes stuff up before everyone is done. This time it was the rolling pin. 

Sasha talking with Inna, 
who also came from Kirvoy

Dima left on Friday to go to the clinic in Kirvoy Rog and came back on Tuesday afternoon with a surprise-  Sasha Chahigh, who left last year about this time(he likes to hang out at bus stops in a city in the summer because"people give him stuff" ). 

Garry told him he could have a one week trial and he can't be late for work or class. We suspect some group gave him bus fare to pass him along. Garry had showered and gone to bed early (really early, like seven pm) after dropping Sasha off at the guys house with Vova. 

He had to get dressed and make more tea because Julia and Dima wanted to have a serious talk, Nelly said. Luckily she was still here doing some copying for English class, after interpreting for Sasha and Garry earlier. They talked how life is going since their wedding almost a year ago and what they want to do, and Julia wants to have a party for her friends on her birthday next week. I think I am in on the planning for that.