If you order anything to drink, you have to pay for it and for every refill. Being in Russia quickly teaches you how not to drink as much liquid with your meal as you might be used to!
My favorite meals were at a Georgian restaurant near our University. Not the U.S. state, of course, but the Eastern European country! In my opinion, Georgian food is to Russia what Mexican food is to Texas. It is absolutely incredible! My favorite Georgian food is called shashlik (kabobs) which are basically chunks of grilled meat and vegetables, often served with generous amounts of potatoes. I ate as much Georgian food as my body could possibly handle while in Russia because it is very uncommon and hard to find in the U.S. Another thing that I absolutely love is called Tarkhuna. It's a Georgian soda made from some kind of herbs and it tastes like a more flavorful Ginger Ale.
I'm a big fan of country music, so I attempted to share my love of country music with other exchange students while we cooked in our kitchen.
My favorite activity was always cooking dinner at the end of the day with two of my friends. We all lived in the dorm together and every night, regardless of what had happened that day, we always came together to talk, cook and eat together. We became really close friends and ate a lot of bad cooking on the dirty floor of our community kitchen. But that's okay since those are my favorite memories!
