24 Days
12 Books
3 Bottles of gin
2 Seasons of Downton Abbey (twice)
20 Mystery meals
3 New album releases
15 Ramen soup dinners
30 degree fluctuation in temperature
8,652,136 Cups of coffee in the hotel cafe
But we really can't complain. Yes, we were isolated, bored and walked every inch of the town at least two dozen times, but we gained some memories that we will treasure forever. Siberia was good to us. And I can say that now that I'm sitting comfortably in my favorite Starbucks.While Hubs was at work, I was on my own for meals, which I decided to have some fun with and try lunch roulette. Since Siberia isn't very expat friendly, English menus are few and far between. And by few and far between, I mean they don't exist. There was one at our hotel, but everywhere else, we were on our own. Pointing at things and hoping for the best. It's like the Hail Mary of eating out. I would love to say that I got really good at this game, but unfortunately, I only digressed. So badly, in fact that at one cafe I went to often for lunches, I almost always accidentally ordered the same thing... goulash and this barley stuff. I didn't mean too, but I would get so nervous right before ordering that I would point and realize immediately after that it was the goulash. They must have thought I was crazy for the stuff.
I did manage to find a hamburger in Siberia. What a treat. First off, they spell it "gumburger"which, of course cracked us up. It wasn't the best, certainly not Whataburger, but it might as well have been by the time I got to it. It had the texture and taste of a meatball, shredded cabbage was used in lieu of lettuce, the sauce was unidentified but one was green and one was orange. It was perfect. This cafe also had nachos on the menu. Too good to be true? Yes. The chips were some type of nacho flavored corn chips, with strings of mozzarella burried underneath sour cream, salsa and guacamole. But they had jalapeños, so it was totally worth it. I ordered it a couple times while we were there. I also ordered sushi at this place. I know. Not ok. But I was looking for an adrenaline rush and it's about the best I could do in this town. 
People are much nicer in Siberia. It's the same thing that you would find back home - small town charm vs. big city. People smiled more often and are much more helpful in stores and restaurants. I made one friend at the tiny grocery store close to the hotel and we "chatted" every time I came in. We had a system. I walked in, pretended to look like I knew what I was doing, she would push past her co-workers and help me with what I needed. And at checkout, she would talk to me in Russian. Unfortunately, all I understood was "Americanski", so I imagine she was asking what an American was doing in Siberia, then proceeding to lecture me on being careful. As small as the town was, I wouldn't be surprised if she managed to put our story together, which would explain why she seemed almost maternal in our interactions. No proof since I have no idea what she said, but I did feel taken care of. And it wouldn't surprise me if her clucking was offering some bit of advice. That tone is universal among all maternal types.
Hubs' co-workers were a huge part of keeping us sane during our extended stay, but those stories don't have to share the spotlight with anything else.
The misery is definitely outweighed by the sweetness of memories and love. In fact, I do believe that the reason we found ourselves so lucky at the end of our stay in Siberia (besides the fact that we were leaving...) was that there were parts that were so unbearably miserable and low for both of us. It's true that you can't understand pleasure without the pain.
Cheers to the pain, to getting down low and rising up to see the greatness in it.
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