Daily Archives: April 8, 2007

Easter

Today is Easter and this year it falls on the same day in Belarus as it does in Canada. It is a real day of celebration and spending time with family and friends. It was quite cold out today but it was a sunny and bright and there was a lot of people out in the streets walking to visit family and friends.

I was taught an Easter tradition. Everyone carries an Easter Egg in their pocket and when you meet someone you take out your egg and one of you holds your egg and the other taps them together on the point. If your egg cracks open you lose and have to give your egg to the winner. My egg was unbeatable but rather than have to bring a pile of hard boiled eggs home I gave it to Sasha’s nephew when no one was looking.

During our travels today we stopped at my host families new flat. They have purchased a flat in a new building and are just starting to finish it. When you buy here the flat is completely empty. The walls are rough parged plaster and there are no doors, flooring or light fixtures. The bathroom has a toilet, tub and sink (the plumbing is exposed) and the kitchen has a water heater and sink. Sasha figures it will take 7 – 10 months to complete, working in his spare time. The good news is they will now have indoor plumbing with hot & cold running water, however it is considerably smaller than the house they are renting. It has only a foyer, family room, kitchen and 1 bedroom. Their daughter will get the bedroom and they will sleep in the family room. Here is one corner of the kitchen.

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Our first stop this morning was Sveta’s parents where her grandmother also lives. We were fed a large Easter dinner (at 10:00 AM) and in this photo her Grandmother is making a toast.

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Around 2:00 PM we had round 2 at home. Lots more good food (and toasts) with Sasha’s sister and her family as well as Sasha’s best friend and family who were visiting from Mogilev.

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Round 3 was at Sasha’s parents house around 6:00 PM where his sister and family also joined us. Again a huge spread was laid out on the table and I heard the words “Eric kooshat” (eat!) over and over.

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Today was Sveta’s birthday and she was toasted many times and we had cake at home. She had to work in the evening and didn’t get to go to Sasha’s parents. On the way home Sasha stopped at a park and picked some small wild flowers to surprise her with.

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Is he a smart man … or still in love? I have seen them together and can confidently answer … both!

Eric