So both last week and this week the library has been closed, and I think it will be every Monday, so we found this Internet club but its more expensive, so that stinks and I haven't figured out how to send pictures yet. Sorry, I'll work on it some more if I have more time.
So the most exciting news is probably that I did buy a coat this week so that's awesome. I really wanted to send some pictures of it but I don't know if I'll be able to. Aleksei took us down to his guy, and negotiated for me. The coat is awesome. It is a Siberian military coat. It's all black, it's got an inch thick of gray fur lining the entire inside. I'm not sure what the outside is made of, it's not leather but it's more rough than most synthetic materials. Elder Drasso said that it is probably the warmest looking coat that he has ever seen. The only problem that we can see with it is that it is so big and heavy it will be a pain to store and carry around for transfers and stuff. I got a really good price for it. Only 4000 rubles which is really cheap for anything with that much fur. So I'm really excited about it. If I can find boots my size then I'll be all set. I think I'm going to buy a cheap hat this winter and all next year be on the look out for a really nice mink or fox hat that I will be able to take home.
That's too bad that Cyd and Reese moved, but it sounds like it will be better for them.
So at English club we are actually not supposed to "teach." It's supposed to be a conversational practice group. There are 3 groups based on skill level. It's hard to converse much with 1st group but second and third are very good and you really don't prepare anything. You just go and talk with them about some subject and tell them some words they can use. We are always looking for creative things to do to practice that don't require teaching. Last week I had second group and we played 20 questions in English and that went over well.
I haven't played basketball for a while. At sports night we go down to a field and usually play soccer or frisbee or football. Usually 2 of the 3 each time. All Russians like to play soccer and the other two sports usually fascinate them because usually they have never thrown a football or a frisbee. So obviously they are terrible but it's fun. We are having a picnic for p-day today. Last week we went to Carl's JR. It was awesome! But it is really expensive here. There is really only that and 2 KFCs. That's pretty much all the fast food in Novo. The Carl's is at their mall. One KFC is right by our apartment, but it's expensive and we have to be really tight with money. So maybe we'll go sometime soon.
So the changes everyone has been talking about are that previously every city was a zone, and there really weren't district leaders, only a couple in the big cities. Now it is condensed into 4 zones. The city of Novo is split and put with 2 smaller cities on each side. So it's going to be different. Also, they are reopening a city. Elder Eborn and Elder Carr, Erik Leavell's friend from Malibu, are going down there.
Oh and before I go, I didn't get transferred. I'm staying here with Elder Drasso for at least one more transfer. This picture is of everyone who served in Novosibirsk this last transfer. It's a lot of people because it includes the APs, office elders, outgoing office couple and incoming office couple.
-Elder Topham
