Good People in the World Update:

            When we finally got back to the hotel Friday night, we were starving.  With ten teams wrestling four rounds, we had no breaks at all, through the day.  So, we get to the hotel, only to find that the main restaurant was being used for a wedding reception.  We had to crawl under a balcony and go through the back door to a tiny room with a few chairs and tables and a buffet set in the middle.

            There was plenty of food, but no place to sit.  Everyone came up with their own solutions.  Mine was to sit outside on an empty patio, I found a chair and there were plenty of open tables, probably because it was snowing !

            It really wasn't all that bad, but it was cold.  One of the young women who worked in the restaurant came by, carrying platters of food to replenish the empties.  We nodded hello.  Not three minutes later, the same girl shows up again and she had brought a blanket.  I told her I was OK, but she insisted on wrapping the blanket over my shoulders, then off she went.  The deal gave me goose bumps (not that I didn't have ‘em already, but you get my jest).  And... of course, I made it a point to leave a small gift for her the next day.  I managed to get one of the English-speaking announcers to explain to the girl, and her boss, what an impression her act of kindness made on an old guy from far away.

Monday, March 21

            I'm posting this early because I travel Monday morning.  With no internet at the hotel and, certainly, none at the Makhachkala Airport, I'm either early or invisible.  What's on my mind is that my students are back in class this morning.  I hope you had an exciting and enjoyable Spring Break.

            You guys will get a chance to identify the countries and capitals of the former USSR today.  I hope, as you check out my little blog, you'll notice that, of the eleven teams competing in the World Cup (Hungary and Kazakhstan are a combined team), ten were either directly, or indirectly, under Soviet influence, during the second half of the 20^th Century..

            The big goal is that you can work into your thought pattern the importance of sport in the modern world.  It's no accident that sport has been, in many ways, the launching pad for these new and vibrant economies.

            You'll also be asked to practice converting pounds to kilograms.  The weight classes in international wrestling include: 55kg; 60kg; 66kg; 74kg; 84kg; 96kg; 120kg.  Because of the team nature of the event and its timing (two weeks before the European Championship), each athlete was allowed an additional two kilogram tolerance.

            While we're converting things, ponder this:  The average price for gasoline, both in Moscow and Makhachkala, is 26 Rubles per liter.  Try a site called xe.com to do the currency conversion.  You should be able to convert liters to gallons, using your agenda.

Russia did win the Cup, defeating Iran 5-2.  When I was writing during the dual, Iran made a valiant effort to tie it up.  Russia finished tough.  They looked good winning it.

A quick special hello to my younger brother, Ron:  Got your note.  Glad you're enjoying it.

More from Moscow...

CIAO