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The other day I cut my finger..real deep. We were snowed in and my friend Igor had to go to dance class and so I was staying at their home with his little brother Dima. Dima was watching Chicken Little (In Russian of course) and I was in the kitchen getting lunch ready. I went to cut a piece of salami and WAM! half of my finger was bleeding everywhere, even through the finger nail. Okay, so it wasn't that bad. I started running the cold water (as you are supposed to do when you cut yourself) and called to Dima. He waddled into the room. I casually asked him if he wanted to eat. He said he did and then sat at the table. Blood still gushing everywhere I asked him to help. He helped nonchalantly and without objection but I realized he didn't even flinch at the blood. I don't know, maybe an hour later, it hit him when he grabbed my hand and looked at my finger. He asked me what happened and if I needed a bandaid. I began to laugh and immediatly he phoned his mother. It was a classic moment. Here was this six year old doctoring my finger. And all in Russian. He scolded me for not telling him sooner.

I had a once in a lifetime experience this last week. We were snowed in (iced in more like it) and couldn't go anywhere except for adventure in an occasional snowball fight (until our fingers froze over) and then came in for hot tea and condensed milk. I spent the whole time with a family who taught me new things, brought back old memories, and reminded me how to play a good game of inside football and how to make up tunes on the piano. How to go bowling in Russian and go ice skating in Russian. Somehow, I kind of forgot (it's been about six months) how to stay up until two in the morning talking and comparing jokes from our different cultures.

What happens when you meet a friend that you never get tired of? Are those rare occurances or for some people is that common? Let's just be honest that at some point or another, after spending seven days strait together you will get a little tired of them...but what does it mean if you never do? If it wasn't for the naturalness and neccesity of sleep you could just keep talking? Does that make a person uncommonly cool? Oh, and we all know how hard cool people are to find.