The new plan: rather than wait for my new institute to process my documents in two weeks-time, Fulbright has decided that I should apply for a tourist visa and hopefully arrive in-country by the end of next week/weekend. The tourist visa will only last for 30 days, so I will be returning to the US in mid-October with my formal institute invitation in hand and re-apply for a long-term business/work visa. So, if all goes according to plan, I'll be taking off for Russia sometime late next week, returning in mid-October for about a week, and then flying back out to Moscow until next July.
In other news, I have gotten some word on my new institute. It is known as the Russian State Agrarian University named after K.A. Timiryazev (Российский Государственный Аграрный Университет имени К.А. Тимирязева, or, because the Russians love acronyms, РГАУ-МСХА). I still don't know about my course responsibilities or my exact living conditions, but here is the website in case you are at all interested: http://www.timacad.ru/en/ (English version) or http://www.timacad.ru/ (Russian version).
Also, want to know the real kicker of this whole delay and change-o'-plans thing??? Recently, six volcanoes...count 'em SIX...erupted simultaneously on the Kamchatka peninsula. What?!?!? I could have been there!!!!! Check out some video http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=40438593001
Fingers crossed that this visa comes soon!
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