The weather is back to being fabulous--the first day the sun came out Nastya and i ran straight ahead to the beach. Oh my, it's already mid July and i only did my first time a couple days ago--UNBELIEVABLE!!!Especially when i start remebering what it was like last year: all sun , tan and fun every day! i was so much looking forward to swimming that neither the snakes nor the almost complete desolation of the beach ( except for Nastya and me there were only three more people and only one of them went swimming because the water is still freezing cold---brrr...)could stop me from going for it! Splash! teeth chattering. Splash! swimming is like cycling--you never forget once you've learned it. Splash! yes, i'm happy now. And whatis even more exciting is that there is going to be a whole lot more next week. I am going down to Almaty to be a camp coucelor at an English language camp.
So good news!!! No dacha this weekend--i am going South:)))!!!

See all the berries? That’s how good the dacha ‘product’ can sometimes be.

I spent last weekends working at my other grandma’s place, getting all the strawberries together and now my mom and I are making jam for the winter time ( correction: no one wants the spoiled version of varenye, so my mom is doing all the hard work with me merely assisting, although it does make me look dirty enough for Ratt Battler to never loan me the 300 dollars:)).sooo-rry….

Yeah, I don’t have much going on these days, except for my feverish attempts to find a job which virtually take up all my free time. The weather has gone as low as 15`C so I keep myself looked en mi casa.

Oh, and the fish ( that kind of fish I was so sure last month I didn’t like), gave birth to little fishies and now the papa fish and the mama fish take them out for walks, it’s so weird and funny—you would not have believed it if you saw it!

A resume on June—
an upside down month of vise versa things when you don’t know whether it’s better to have the wind to your back or your face with the crazy pooh floating around, when you see men wearing official black suits in 40`C and can’t help wondering whether it’s because they have already had a solar attack or are hoping for one, when you get what you want and realize you were not sure you actually wanted it, a crazy month of saying good byes twice again with hopes and fears mingling…

It’s been real hot here. REAL. HOT. My thermometer doesn’t go any lower than 20`C—even at night.

They found snakes in the Ishim—no more beaches at the river!

I’m done with the university. For ever. For ever means until I get back to studying something else.

There is never going to be another scrabble night.

I’m actually learning some Spanish words, believe it or not!

Dacha starts happening way too often and it’s not something to crow about.

Nostradamus was wrong about the world cup. Man, I hope the Portuguese or the Italians do it, Brazil would be okay too, though.

I got a new pet—he came in a package delivered by a postman, he doesn’t bark and doesn’t need to be fed, thanks for Ryzhik, Ryan!

Paul and Saule have left for the states. I’ve done a good job about not crying. I am really improving on all this sentimental stuff. Not a tear since May. Things may change though.
This is my laughing partner, my dream sharer, my inspirer, my never blamer, my supporter, my never failer, my best of everything and I promise I promise I promise not to get too emotional here so I’m not going to say anything else. It’s not even August yet. Have a safe flight, I know you are somewhere above the Atlantic now, miss you so much, Sauleyka,

Diana