One of my classes gave me some great gifts today as an almost-last-day-of-class present. After everyone finished their written exams (which they hopefully passed), the group called me over and presented me with their gifts. They gave me a beautifully decorated bottle of vodka with a scene of Vladimir's Golden Gates, a big block of salo (I amused them several times in class with references to my like for the stuff), a bomber hat made out of rabbit fur and leather, and wool gloves and socks. They joked that their job was to outfit the American for winter. I really enjoyed this group of adults, and they always had great--and tricky--questions that made class interesting and tested my ability to explain our idiosyncratic language. Here is a picture of their gifts (the salo is in the freezer, so it's not in the picture).