An eventful, yet uneventful day

The day here in Tallinn isn't yet half over, and yet, I've already been quite busy. I set an alarm again today. The invitation could be here and the embassy is only open for 3 hours from 9am-12pm - so I have to be up and about checking for it first thing. No invitation today. Check.

But my work doesn't stop there for this momentous day. I go back to my room in Gonsiori 9 to bulk up my courage to call the consulate. I need to find out if I’m required to have an HIV test prior to applying for my visa (we read online that they are required for 1 year visas). I explain that my Russian isn't very good, but he says no problem - that he'll understand me. And goes on to explain that only if my visa is a student visa do I need an HIV test certificate. Yes! I will have a cultural exchange visa so I don't need this test. Check.

Now it's off to try and cancel my plane ticket back to Tyumen from St. Pete's. You see. There's no way I'm flying back in two days, because it's not possible to get the visa and get to St. Pete's in time any more. I've already visited a few travel offices and no one was able to help me - so they suggested I go to the Estonia Airlines. They are very helpful there. No Russian, but nearly fluent English! So I explain my situation, they ask a few questions, I produce my ticket, and again - alas. There's nothing they can do. They say that only the airline that issues the ticket can cancel the ticket. Nothing I can do about the ticket. Check.

So now I'm back in my hotel room (studying Russian comparatives and superlative adjectives) and it started to rain again. It pretty much rains every afternoon here. The pigeons are flocking around the courtyard and making all kinds of noise. I think to myself, "what the heck is going on?" So I go to my window to look.

You know, I never really thought about the fact that animals and birds probably don't like to get rained on either. Maybe they catch colds too? So the pigeons are all swirling around trying to find a place to land that's dry. It may seem cruel to some, but I made sure that my windows were closed enough so that my room didn't become their roost. I like the quiet when I'm studying. The sound of rain makes me sleepy though… perhaps it's time for some tea. Yes - tea brings joy and warmth. If you don't drink tea - you should try it. Really quite lovely on a cold day.