Vera's Roomates

I met Vera’s roommates who also spoke English. Both of their names were Maria. Now keep in mind, that Russians have about 10 names in their vocabulary, so you will meet about 50 people with the same first name. So I called one roommate Masha, which is a nickname for Maria sort of like Patty or Trisha for Patricia. Maria, the other one, was from Azerbaijan and knew how to speak three or four other languages. I had tea with them all. Over the course of the semester, the girls took me all over the place. I got to see a dance festival with people from all over the caucus regions performing native dances; Maria performed one of her own. It was fascinating; there was even a dancer from as far away as India. I think she was an exchange student as well. We went shopping, went to the movies and just hung out and had tea. These three were definitely my closest friends during my stay, especially Vera.