Christina

Yesterday, while Skyping with Peter, I got a call from Christina, a teacher recruited by Anita, who arrived in UB recently and is starting work at the Goethe Institute. We had talked while she was still in Ann Arbor and made promises to get together as soon as she was available. She is still in those early days of confusion, adjustment and doubt, and needed to be able to talk English to someone and to get out of her apartment for a while, and I was happy to oblige. She didn't know where her apartment was, in the layout of the city, so she had to call another teacher and try to figure out where we could conveniently arrange to meet. That done, I offered to take her to the Black Market and show her what I know about UB.

I had my taxi meet her at the Chinggis Hotel and then we proceeded to the Black Market where delights and surprises awaited us. For me, the biggest surprise was that I found myself bargaining with one of the merchants without having the slightest intent to do so. What happened was that he had written the price of the item I was looking at on a piece of cardboard and I couldn't tell if the first digit was a "1" or a "7" so I was pointing at the number and sticking fingers in the air, asking "is this a one or a seven?" Well, it so happened that the price was 18,000 togrog, so he thought I was bargaining the price down to 17,000. He apparently agreed and wrote 17,000 on the cardboard and was giving me 3,000 togrog change back from my 20,000 togrog bill when I realized what had happened. I laughed to myself, but refused the third 1,000 togrog bill from him. He must have been bewildered at the transaction, but I wasn't going to try to make 66 cents from someone who works as hard as he does and stands on ice-packed ground outside in the cold all day long.

We went into the food market building, the only part of the Black Market that is under a roof and marveled at the array of food (dried kiwi, anyone?) and also how it was displayed. Salads, dried fruit, meat and candies are all displayed out in the open: unsealed, unprotected, and uncovered. I was dying to try the dried kiwi, but my FDA-precautioned self told me not to. I did buy some of the dried yogurt that comes in attractive decorated disks, but those are for my doggies. I thought they might enjoy the dairy product and the hard disks ought to be good for their teeth. They have enjoyed all the cheese I have given them so far. And speaking of the dogs, I have found a tiny bit of hope for them. I have happened to arrive at school a couple of times just as the garbage truck has arrived there and found the garbage collectors going through the bags and picking out bones and other goodies for the dogs to enjoy. Lucky for them the garbage truck comes by every day. Now compare this to the people I have seen who deliberately pick up a rock when approaching the corner of the parking lot where the dogs congregate.

After our shopping and sightseeing was done, the taxi dropped Christina back off at the Chinggis Hotel and I went home. We made tentative plans to meet at the German bakery soon and I could show her my neighborhood. It was a good day.