Wonderland!

Yesterday morning I woke up and what should I find...

WINTER had come overnight!

It was too cool. Kind of cold, actually. But I feel like in less than a week it went from being warm summery weather to a half an inch of snow that stuck! Public transportation went nuts because all the buses clambered to get their winter tires changed. People skidded about. Somehow they managed to plow the roads, because there's still dirty snow left in the ditches today. 

Most importantly, it felt like winter. It smelled like winter. My breath left little puffs in the air like every breath should at the end of October. Everything felt fresher; the air felt airier and the people felt merrier. It felt like I imagined Russia would feel. It was wonderful.

Also, yesterday Renee, the coordinator of our study abroad program, visited Vladivostok. She took all us Americans out to dinner. We went to a Korean restaurant we've been talking about going to for a long time - it's actually owned by the North Korean government. I don't know much about Korean food, but I thought it was great and it was a very fun night. Of course, that might just be my leftover giddiness from the morning's snow talking...