DEC 28, 18 .. TODAY COMPLETES MY 2nd FULL MONTH IN RUSSIAN SIBERIA

Today, Friday the 28th of December 2018, commemorates the end of my 2nd full month here in Russian Siberia. I flew from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, North to Irkutsk, Siberia, on Monday, October the 29th.

And the world she turns. Snap you fingers and two months have passed. Christmas 2018 (our December 25th Christmas) is now in our rear view mirror.

I was tired today after the events of the previous several days. All of the do we-have-to-move or can-we-stay in our apartment drama was tiring. Then the great Christmas Day gift of being able to stay-put and NOT have to move. This stress, coupled with the intense pace of my day-to-day life (getting out, attending meetings) caught up with me. But still today was a full day. I worked on posts (dot.net and blogspot), was out for well over 2-hours on a photo shoot, and then enjoyed a nice meal in a very nice restaurant with 2 friends. I then came home and slept for an hour and a half.

The build-up to Orthodox Christmas on January 7th continues.

A few photos for you to look-over, smile at and hopefully enjoy.

I’m going to start with the below photo of a most basic little Christmas Tree.

Here in Russia there have been periods of severe anti-christian activities and sentiments against Christianity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians_in_the_Soviet_Union

I snapped the above photo of the tender little Christmas Tree IN the administrative office of the Russian Government Agency with whom I am required to formally register as a foreign visitor. This is the office in which I spent somewhere around three hours accomplishing this task. And IN this office you see the above (there were others also) Christmas Tree. So I personally am not currently seeing the radical anti-christian activity and sentiments that once were here in Russia. Quite the opposite in fact. Christmas, as you certainly are seeing in my posts, seems to be up-and-running at full speed here.

Just look at the following photos.

In the Limerick Irish Pub.

How interesting are the differences in each of the three below photos taken of the same Christmas display. Lighting certainly is an enormous factor in photography.

I took photos of the below magnificent Christmas decorations in the restaurant I ate in last night.

Will each of you pause for just a moment. Maybe review the above photos.

Thank You.

Now contemplate with me for a moment as to your own ideas of exactly what you think Russian Siberia is really like.

Sports Fans. Ladies and Gentlemen. Officers and Enlisted. I am here-to-shout that, like in the United States, certainly many of the people living here in Russian Siberia are living very good lives. In my opinion, based upon two full months of living here, it looks to me like most of them are living pretty good lives.

Over and out. I am looking forward to the adventures of the next two weeks up North in Krasnoyarsk (can you believe that I am spelling most of these names from memory?). Even Minusinsk. I can’t pronounce it very well but I sure can spell it. Irkutsk. Kyzyl. Shushenskoye.

Smiling .. Cap and Patti

• ← DEC 27, 18 .. МИНУСИНСК .. “HUH CAPTAIN?”
• DEC 29, 18 .. WE’RE ABOUT TO SAY GOODBYE TO ABAKAN, RUSSIAN SIBERIA →