The Saga of Studien

Christmas At Home In Russia

Christmas was a coming and we had big plans. We would all be at the dacha with Vicky, Igor, and Tolic. Irina could hardly wait. Visions of snow quietly falling, walking in the country, sledging with Tolic, opening presents under the big “yolka” (the Russian fir tree always decorated for Christmas), eating all of the holiday favorites, including 2 ducks we were planning to cook. Yes big plans were afoot

I was a little under the weather right after arriving, but by the end of our first week recovering quickly. Then disaster strikes.

Irina, who never ever gets sick, started feeling dragy, sneezing and finally coughing. “No problem dear, I was feeling just the same and got over it in a few days”. I am always the one to get sick in Russia, but was sure Irina would be back to her normal busy self in a few days. It had, after all, been a rough trip getting here.

After 3 days Irina is still spending most of her day in bed resting. Her only mandatory chores of the day are changing Mamula’s toilet in the morning when she wakes up and then doing the same at the end of the day. I was pretty much responsible for getting the food, cooking and taking care of everything else. Needless to say with my rusty Russian, I wasn’t doing a lot if it involved talking to Russians.

My English-speaking contact at the grocery store was no longer there so I was on my own there. The girls at the “apteka” (drug store) were getting to know me pretty well as every day I would go in search of a new wonder drug to cure Irina’s cold/flue/pneumonia/ bronchitis or pampers for Mamula. Between Irina’s writing the orders, the girls limited English, and using my finger to point I was able to keep the sick bay stocked with drugs. I noticed that they still had the advertisement for live leeches in the window, but figured blood letting was not going to help Irina’s cold and I like Humphrey Bogart in the African Queen have no liking for those slimy blood suckers.

Then Vicky calls and Irina reveals that she is feeling kinda crummy, but is sure that by next week she will be back at 100%. Vicky listens skepticaly. Last year Vicky got sick and ended up in the hospital missing the biggest holiday party of the year – New Years. She didn’t want a replay. And she of course was concerned that Tolic might catch something. “We’ll see how you are doing Monday” Vicky says.

Towards the end of the week Irina starts showing some improvement, but still is coughing. During the weekend Vicky calls “Mama, Tolic is getting sick, we probably won’t go to the Dacha.”

Irina is terribly disappointed. “Ok, but what to do?”

Next day Vicky calls. “Mama how are you?”

“Much better Vicky, I think I am fine - cough, cough, cough”.

“Mama, Tolic is much better so we will go to the dacha. But you are still coughing you should probably stay home. We’ll see.”

“Vicky I am sure I will be fine by next week.” Irina was getting much better and just had a little dry cough which was probably due more to the cold, dry air than any virus, cold or other contagious condition.

So things were in limbo as Monday rolled around the daily report read; Tolic recovering, Irina recovering, Potrick recovered, Vicky and Igor no problems yet. Ahh, but the day was young, early Monday morning.

Mid morning the phone rings, Irina answers. It’s from Vicky. “Mama, Igor is sick. He went to the hospital to be checked. We won’t go to the dacha.”

I am starting to think this is some kind of dacha yo-yo. We go – we don’t go – we go – we don’t go. Where will it stop? Monday afternoon Igor’s diagnosis is he will live of course, just a mild sinus issue. And guess what the phone rings. “Mama, Igor is a little better we will go to the dacha.”

Irina coughs then replies “I think we will just have our Christmas here.” And that is how we ended up at home on Christmas Eve eating studien with Tanya, Irina’s old friend.

So Tuesday the Russian Studien saga began. We were going to have duck and a Russian special called Studien at the dacha. Since no body was going to the dacha we needed to make it at home. And the movie tells the rest of the story.