Watermelon

There are a lot of reasons I'm glad I chose to live with a host family while I'm here in St. Petersburg. It allows me to see more of the Russian culture; I get to have Russian food for every meal; it gives me a sense of being home. One very important reason, however, is this: I get to have watermelon ALL THE TIME.

In Utah, of course, we have watermelon. But it's usually fairly expensive. At my home, we only got to have watermelon a few times a year, and it was always a very exciting surprise. We'd each get a chunk of watermelon to chow down, and then it'd be gone, just a memory of deliciousness lingering on our tongues.

But here, I have watermelon for breakfast, and then again after dinner. (Watermelon is the most popular desert at my new house.) Oleg pulls out a new арбуз each day, slicing it up with his нож, and then gives me two or three huge slices all to myself. "спасибо!" I cheer. "пожалуйста," he replies pleasantly. [I hope your Google Translate is working!]

I eat probably half a watermelon every day! My host parents are of the Mrs. Weasley variety - meaning, they are delighted by giving me more food than I could ever possibly eat - so they are strangely pleased with my obvious love for the fruit. They make sure to have some on the table for me every morning, and they never let me leave without asking if I want more.

And, in case there was any doubt, the watermelon is superb. All of the fruits and vegetables here taste more fresh and more "scrumptious" (as Sonia would say) than any fruit I've ever had before.

Which reminds me: did I ever tell you that I had some dragonfruit a few weeks back?