.....We are family.....

For hebs...she'll get the reference!

Meet Larissa and Larissa...they're not related. Larissa on the left is the principal of Gynamsium No 140 in Omsk, Larissa on the right is a member of staff at the Omsk State College of Technologies.

Breakfast again at 7.30 this morning, warm pancakes and croissants with chocolate sauce...we've got it sussed at last....all scoffed in minutes. Now if only we can work out what to do with the 6 HUGE, and I mean absolutely MASSIVE. catering size boxes of cornflakes and 12 gallons of milk we've got........

I've got a feeling lot of kids might be making chocolate corn flake cakes over the weeks leading up to Christmas!

Three nice lessons today and a chance to shoot some of the project work being done in the art room.

This evening we ferried all the Russian students and some staff into town to see the Christmas lights and do some shopping. I think Primark has been cleaned out, judging by the number of bags they had when we returned to pick them up.

The rest of the Russians and the staff of our school that have put in the extra time this week went for a meal in a nice pub. Very nice it was too, I can recommend the cheese and onion pie, and hebs wolfed down a steak and kidney pie.

Sergei had a few Guiness and then told us all how wonderful we all were. Lisa was presented with a bouquet and Sergei made a short (4 minute) speech and invited us all to the after show party tomorrow evening, with the announcement " I have vodka!"

Th Daughter, bless her cotton socks, has offered to get up early to drive me to work tomorrow and the Boss has offered to come pick me up at the end of the night.....so I say to Sergei..." Bring on the vodka"...drunk in the Russian way...straight down in one with the toast,"Nasdrovya" or "Dodna!" (To the bottom of the glass!).


Oh....the reference to the song lyric? As we were preparing to leave the pub to go and pick up the students Sergei gave Laura, Lisa , hebs and me a hug and expressed his unending love for us....and then, looking at hebs and I he said "You are family?" " No," I said "Friends"..." "Good friends"......hebs corrected me "Very good friends". I'm not sure what Sergei thought the relationship was...Uncle and niece? Father and daughter? Husband and wife?......surely not Grandad and Grand-daughter!!!!!!

Das vidanya moy padruga.