Day 21: Kazan

I've made it to Europe.  Apparently, this means more people.  Also apparently, the thing to do in Russia if you want to get out of your apartment for a few days, or need a quiet place to study or something is to just live in a hostel.  I keep meeting all of these Russian locals in these hostels who just hang out here all day long.  So weird.  But lucky for me because today I met my Russian soulmate.

We met in the hostel and he, since he had the day off work, said he'd show me around the town.  We went everywhere and ate traditional foods and saw good architecture.  We went to the recreation of an old Tatar village.  My favorite part though, was our very special excursion to IKEA.  I don't know if he thinks I've never seen anything like it before?  I honestly have no idea what the logic was behind it but I pretended I was into it because it took us so long to get there and I didn't want to disappoint him. He told me to tell all of my friends about the IKEA in Kazan.  I said I would.  Hey, there is an IKEA in Kazan.  It's just an IKEA.

Wait.  He is my soulmate though.  He loves Madonna, are more so, he loves her new album.  AND, he loves my favorite song on the album.  AND AND AND he loves Cher.  We broke out into "All or Nothing" song and dance in the street!  It was great.  Oh no, as I type this I am starting to think maybe he's gay...goddammit.  This happens to me everytime.  Dammit dammit dammit.  Of course he's gay.  That explains the IKEA thing. How was that not the biggest red flag ever.  I'm so dumb.

Alright it's okay because....I met my real soulmate later.

Tonight I went out with people from the hostel.  Among them was a Tatar man who looked like what I imagine a buff, tall, handsome King Tut would look like.  He looked Egyptian.  He had golden eyes.  And he's a vegetarian.  And he doesn't love Putin.  Among us also was a cute girl with long black hair.  And this amazing couple I met.  The girl is from Uraguay and the guy is from Argentina.  They were both photographers traveling India alone, and they coincidentally met, fell in love, and moved to the Dominican Republic.  It's amazing.  They are an inspiration.

We had a lot of fun.  I drank too much beer.  I was drunk and the Egyptian and the black haired girl took me somewhere to get food.  It was some wrap and it might be the alcohol talking but it was the most delicious thing I have ever eaten in my life.  I'll never forget eating that delicious delicious wrap.  Also, the Egyptian man was NOT gay.  And I love him.