Belarus August, 2002  Part 2

Shopping was also an enjoyable experience. Around the few stalls selling fresh fruit and vegetables there were many kiosks which stocked what appeared to be one of everything imaginable. How many of us have been on holiday and seen cooked  or smoked meats and poultry hanging in the open air and deigned to taste because of some learned apprehension or perspective……. Me for one…… but maybe no longer. In the market place eels and fish were on display and when I was told that I must have the delicacy of the area….. smoked eel and fish with beer I complied and all I could think of was could we buy more the next day. This had to be accompanied by Baltika beer which comes in 9 strengths 1 being a very light lager to 9 a dark brown ale.

Not every one would have been able to afford the hotel but to compensate there were wooden chalets peppered throughout the forest  and for these organized entertainment seemed to be on offer with a disco each night for the younger ones. The hotel cost approximately £9 per night per person and that was business class.

Each time I visit Belarus the people who I am with seem to think my Russian is improving and I think that their English is becoming excellent. This time I discovered that we have developed the ability to search out common words in both languages and retain them mixing them with German, French, Russian and English.

For example, business class is business class, grapefruit is grapefruit, salat is salad and so on.

I mentioned painful, yes indeed but every cloud has a silver lining they say.  I developed an in-growing fingernail – something that never happens to me and like many men thought it would go away if I ignored it. That wasn’t to be the case and it got steadily worse over the next 8 days to an extent that my finger and hand were badly swollen and there was a track of infection from my finger into my wrist which was now starting to feel painful. I showed my finger to my friends who went into a nearby forest, selected some leaves and applied them to my hand and finger as a poultice. Within a very short time it began to take effect and the swelling left my wrist although it was to be 6 days before my hand and finger had returned to normal. Such are coincidences that when I arrived home  and switched on the television Ray Mears was in the forests of Belarus and actually spoke about the healing qualities of some plants. I wrote to Ray  and the important outcome will be that he has kindly offered to donate some videos and publications which can be used for the art competition  prizes in Belarus next year.
( As for the leaf : I eventually discovered, after 8 days investigating that it was plantain : Ray identified it in seconds ! Find out more about Ray, his life, publications and courses.)

……… and to finish I have now discovered which is the programme  I understood the least being in the Russian language……. “Want to be a Millionaire” and of course the programme I did understand, “Mr. Bean”

Footnote
For those who kindly offered their support to acquire dance slippers for the school of art and music you will be pleased to learn that 18 pairs of new pink slippers will be posted shortly. When all lend their support to help achievement is easy