The last(?) doctor's appointment!

Hurrah! I had my final doctor's appointment today, and everything appears to be clear. I've been given the go-ahead for 100% weight-bearing, which means I can ditch the crutches as soon as I'm comfortable walking without them (although I'll need them for walking longer distances until I get my stamina back). My mom has so far, in the hour since my appointment, enjoyed making fun of my inability to lift my good foot off the ground without crutch support. Psychological barrier version 2.0, I guess.

So, what next? Well, I'm heading back next week. I'll arrive in Moscow (via Detriot -> Atlanta) on Tuesday morning, hang out at the Fulbright office for a bit, and hop on the Tuesday overnight train to Pskov to visit a certain A.T., my roommate from our Moscow orientation session back in August. A.G., another Fulbrighter, is joining us, and the three of us will head to St. Petersburg to spend a few days there before our mid-term enrichment seminar in Moscow. At this enrichment seminar, we get to attend a reception at the ambassador's house for Thomas Friedman. Yes, that Thomas Friedman. I'm already worrying about what to wear. We'll also, uh, enrich each other, I guess, with hilarious stories of our first-semester triumphs and failures (triumph: teaching my students the lyrics to Kanye West's "Gold Digger;" failure: crossing the street, obviously.).

After the seminar, I'll fly (Aeroflot this time) back to Vlad, arriving on February 1. Thus will end my 72-day adventure away from Vladivostok. I hear tell that there will be some sort of party upon my return (and if there isn't, I'll throw one myself), so if you're going to be in town, mark your calendar. Don't worry, Laura, I'll be bringing the peppermint Schnapps. :)