Sunday

Today was the international student service at church. I was going to meet F at uni and get lift with D and V. F slept too long and could not come in the morning and D had just left the house to walk to church, 9.30am! So I left 9.40 and was wondering what time I will meet her on the way (the Estonian speed!). I did not, but met D and V, so we were at church before D!

It was many internationals there and sermon was good and music!!!!!!! Especially the music, all favourite songs plus a trumpet. It is always good when there is a trumpet. I was interviewed by J, quite scary but I did not feel too bad while in front of many people, I somehow managed to forget it was many people and a scary microphone.

Then we went to J's house, picking up F on the way and had a good meal (that mostly J and A cooked, I just helped a bit yesterday) and good conversation.

Because my bike was there form yesterdya and D was not coming to church in the evening, J was going to give her lift. I thought I will cycle to uni and then get back to J's house with her. I cycled and saw them at uni, but then they had decided to go to ours for coffee. So my bike is locked in Bioscience, I need to walk tomorrow morning!

I mentioned to somebody that I want to cut my hair shoulder length when I go to Estonia (I actually had the ends cut yesterday) and she said I should not. After I said it is painful brushing it, she said women should suffer for beauty. Not sure, it is not beautiful to wear a bush of dry sun-damaged hay. And somebody else said if he was  prime minister he would make  law not allowing women to cut their hair short.

Somebody I met today has been to Estonia, Tallinn and said in his opinion Estonians are very cheerful. In response to that, another friend said that he must from a very grumpy part of England.

Because F is from Brazil, a today's listening is this:

sun!

Woke up, left the house and first D asked: "No bike, so you need to run?" and then my neighbour: "Where is your bike?"
I left it at uni yesterday because I was not sure if there is somewhere to lock it on Tiverton Road where we had fish and chips with student plus. Toooo much chips. Do gave me and Di lift back home, so Di did not have to wal with me as we first planned.

This morning I went to hairdresser! Just to chop the ends and I did not let them to do anything with my fringe, last time it seemed they took a ruler and cut it. My (Estonian) friends whom I trust can cut better! Anybody could! 

Then had coffee and porridge in the sun, late breakfast! And a book. D and E joined me with books and water and tea. D managed to pour the tea over twice!

Then an experiment with cycling: put phone with GPS in the basket and in the driving mode and asked to direct me to J's near Cannon Hill Park. An Estonian voice telling me "in 500 metres, turn left".

Rang doorbell of number 47, somebody said J does not live there for a long time. Then tried 37. The English houses all look the same. Then texted C and A, asking what is the house number of J. No reply....I was already cycling around for boredom. It was 48!!!!!!

 They had already started cooking and as normal, different nationalities, different opinions and who has loudest voice or can convince others in something, wins:)
(in our house I am second loudest, nobody can win the Hungarian apart from her sister who does not live here).

We also watched a film, August Rush. I only saw it from second half, want to see again. Then because I am stupid and did not deliberately take my bike light (in hope to be back before dark), J gave me lift to Selly Oak Sainsburys (with my bike in her house, waiting for tomorrow). A bit of food shopping (in addition to usual things, ingredients for two cakes:)) and walk to Harborne.

My housemates were cooking Chinese spring onion bread and I saw something that looks like pizza in the living room. More closer look and it was like a beetroot pizza. More closer look and it was a raspberry cake. Still good. And ofr breakfast there is brioche:)

a day

This morning, very early (because E got home 2am from lab and had to go back at 7), while having coffee and porridge, several Estonians were complaining about the fog! The sun quota for UK is over until the Olympics!

After unsuccessful attempts to wake up D, I went to the office and was there at 8! H was there too (well, in the lab).

This afternoon was football between lecturers and undergrads, I went to watch. First I thought it was at 5, so invited J too because we were going to meet at 6, but then the match was 4.15. It was freezing. And sadly the students won 4-0. Unfortunately I had to leave at 5.30  to go and discuss something - I will be interviewed on Sunday at church and were discussing topics.... just in case he asks something really strange!

After thet we went to see a house we might want to live next year, but it has 5 bedrooms and they are letting 4, so there is a random person living in there already plus there is no living room and we would not be able to invite anybody for dinner because there is nowhere to sit! It is like student halls, everybody staying in their room, not a house for a group of friends.

Now it is 9.30, talking to an Estonian in Belgium and writing the blog and then going to sleep after a bit of reading!

Wow I am definitely going to his concert when he has one! He sent me some recordings and it is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would go to the concert even if he was not my friend!

In this video he is playing with his sister, a few years ago.

muscle pain is better than injury pain!

E just told me that she might not cycle for the next few days and we might not go running on Tuesday. I think I might still manage to cycle, I could with worse pain, still better than walking. So why pain? I enjoy it!

On Saturday evening I could feel some pleasant pain, totally masking the ice skating one. New pain was from a zouk workshop, from one specific move that requires bending down backwards into a bridge or table with bent knees. Was fine during the workshop but of course we had to show it to D at home several times and this morning to some other people. Oh going to park after the morning service to play football and frisbee, maybe not so good idea (but I only set a two week limit for my knee and it was just over now!!!!! was already considering ice skating because it is still time to wear black tights and long sleeve if needed to cover bruises:))

Overall, I really enjoyed the workshop. KM the Estonian from Tartu might have enjoyed it I think! I invited my housemate E who was giving me very strange looks at the beginning but she enjoyed it at the end and I still hope so, she has pain so bad she could not come to salsa night yesterday evening.


So this morning D thought she would be really nice to me and said (after recommending by going by bus and me refusing): "I will be good to you, I will walk slowly!" I was hoping she would say she would walk fast! Every Sunday we leave the house a bit too late, on time enough for me to walk the 5 km, but not for her, so we need to run. Today for some reason we left 9.40 and were there 10.20!

After the morning service went to Selly Park for some games and food and sun (the days of not wearing a skirt on a Sunday have begun, just in case!)  and the R's house for a super yummy "like a carrot cake without carrots" cake and then evening service and student plus and pizza and chat. And home and E had made a chocolate cake!!!

Again the song... it is so good!

Why I am Christian? How did I became Christian? Next week there is international student guest service in the morning in our church and I will give my testimony. Just on case anybody is wondering and would like to come to this service but does not know where it is, ask me! :)

Mandarin

Looking at the open access summer language courses, N asked D, the Mandarin speaker: "It is difficult to learn Mandarin?"
D: "No, not really"
N: "But for English people?"
D: "Oh yes it is very difficult!"

We are learning languages! I was surprised today when E said she is looking forward to hot chocolate and D agreed. And they can really pronounce so that I can understand! Can't do this with Chinese:(

I can only say one thing in Hungarian:( should learn more, but I spend most of my time teaching them Estonian because it is funny.

So Estonian pea soup, discussing lent, I said I had pea soup yesterday. N was puzzled, what has this to do with lent.  Oh yes, in Estonia it contains ham.

Making biscuits, E asked what is in them (something green) and N said peas. I said yes, peas and ham and she believed, saying that you never know with Estonian cooking. Pistachios, no peas this time!

a dream

A bit random, but last night I had a dream. I saw that I had 11 posters that I had to colour with pencils. At some point, the pencils changed to watercolours and I was paiting the sky and some trees through the fog (so this means I was in England?). It felt like I was back in the art school (it is quite funny, the coursework of drawing insect legs under a microscope making the beasts really scary.)

Who knows what I have been doing for the past N days, knows that I am making pictures, luckily no with pencils but in R.

Vastlapäev

This morning I went outside and D followed me, went outside in her night clothes and started cycling with my bike. I forgot something and went back in the then closed the middle door, the one that closes and needs a key for opening. I was ready to leave and then D asked whether I locked the door. Of course! Good I was not too quick leaving. I later heard thet C also locked herself out today, again and then came to our house to visit N.

Today is vastlapäev. Me and the Hungarian had agreed to make pea soup and I had agreed to make bread and we assumed the English will make pancakes. Got home and the English asked: "So are we having soup and pancakes?" And bread!


Yeast was fast and soon I had lost of dough, so I could make buns for vastlakukkel and also a kringel with cinnamon.

D was surprised that so many peas go into the pea soup:) Yes it is a pea soup!

When the buns came out of oven, some were eaten, because nobody knew what is vastlakukkel and I did not tell them, it was enough anyway. All the time when I was making bread and soup, E taught D  how to make pancakes (so the English did not make any pancakes!). And as she does not know how to make a plait, a tutorial was given with dough.

D said she would eat the bread with kimchi, a fermented Korean cabbage. And she put the cinnamon kringel into the pea soup like a roll! At this point, me and E, the Hungarian started laughing. D also called kringel "the worm bread".