Lines, lines, lines... I needed to change more dollars to rubles today. I did it while we were waiting for our court appointment. (Dad was taking a nap.) The bank was nearby – a three block walk. I tried my best to look Russian – I kept my head down while walking and kept at a brisk pace. I tried to exude assertiveness! (This was my first walk alone in Tver.) There were about eight people standing in line in front of me. It took ten minutes to get to the cashier. Then, she said I was in the wrong window. I went to the correct window and stood behind two people. Ten minutes later, I said “dollars into rubles, please” in Russian – at least, that's what I think I said! The cashier smiled and nodded. It took her about five minutes to enter my passport information, check the ten $50 bills that I gave her three times with UV light and another scanner, count the rubles three times, and hand-write a receipt. Crazy inefficiency! No wonder everything takes so long!

Also, on the way to the bank you can see the brand new Hotel Osnabruk next to an empty lot full of garbage. The house next to this lot is probably 100 years old, with wood siding in need of paint. In general, the houses are in disrepair. Typical homes have ornate window trim painted white, which is beautiful but odd next to the simple construction of the rest of the house. It looks like cake frosting on a dirty, old shoe box. Across the street from the hotel, an old house is missing 30% of the roof. But, some of the windows look new. People here live in very poor conditions. It's quite a juxtaposition to see poverty next to a four-star hotel. We also saw many people carrying buckets of water from a public water spigot across the street. We think they were walking to their homes, in the middle of Tver (a city of 200,000) that don't have running water! I believe that Grace came from a family living at an even lower economic status in Kashin.

Dad is such a trooper. He is sick as a dog today. His ear hurt before we left the USA. It was oozing and painful. We got some ear drops – in Russia they sell prescription drugs over the counter, and my sister (the doctor) told us what to ask for. I wrote it down, handed the piece of paper over, and said please in Russian. Worked like a charm. They only cost about $3 and seem to be helping. However, it may have been too late because he is now complaining of a stuffed-up head. He's really tired and takes as many naps as possible today. Maybe the medicine is dilute or different somehow. I hope the doc emails me soon with new instructions on how to care for my patient! It's frustrating because it's 1:00 pm here and 4:00 am in Wisconsin, so I can't call.