Sunday morning jog along Krpskoy Alley (крпской ул).  I found a Cyrillic keyboard on my computer so I can now figure out more of the things I am seeing and try to be a little more respectful of the Russian language.   I hear lots of incredible English in my class where all of the faculty are fluent in Russian, English and 1 or 2 more languages, but not so much on the streets and in the markets.

I have learned:  hello, excuse me, good morning, good afternoon,  "Excuse me, I am sorry, I do not speak Russian"  -- a big seller for me  --  please, thank you, water, soup, meat, and a handful more of words.   Each day a little more.

Have hot sauce (соус чили)...Will Travel      

I decided to build my own brunch today from the market.  I landed some cheese (сыр), yogurt (, hot sauce (соус чили), bread (хлеб) , grapes (виноград) , salami (little confused in the meat selection so I chose what looked like salami), black tea, little pickles (соленья ) and eggs (яйца).

Getting my travel legs back I boiled the eggs in an electric water pot which is intended to make water for tea.   I learned that both salt (соль)  and sugar (сахар) look pretty similar in letters and packaging so I used my keen culinary sense and shook both containers deciding that the finer granular sound should be salt.  Hah, it worked.

Maybe a language gaff on my part.  When I was at the checkout counter I put all of my stuff down, smiled and told the clerk, as badly as I could, that I did not speak Russian.  She smiled, checked out my killer brunch items.  I paid then noticed all of my stuff was just sitting there.  Somehow, I guess, I said something or gestured or inferred that I did not want a bag.  When I pointed at the bags she became a little frustrated with me, and it was funny but awkward because apparently I had passed the grace period beyond which I could get a bag.  After a few seconds the person behind me figured out the silly situation and gave the clerk a coin (I think like 5 cents) which then allowed me to have a bag.  The person who helped would not let me give her money back.  Big or small, it is the funny little cultural difference, language, that I think is the most interesting.