My Poor Lungs

After just over 3 weeks in Russia, I have decided that it will be a miracle if my lungs survive the summer unscathed. Three separate forces have colluded against my poor lungs, determined to destroy them: my relentless cold, the spring пух (pookh), and second-hand smoke.

First, the cold I got last week is teetering on the edge of going away, but isn't giving up quite yet. I still have some phlegm buildup in my lungs and some faints signs of a continuing headcold.

Second, the пух. This is a phenomenon that few people truly understand until they've lived through it themselves, but each spring, a certain tree (I don't even know which tree, to be honest) releases its seed in the form of a floating piece of fluff. The fluff literally fills the sky so that it's nearly impossible to get from your apartment to the metro stop without getting a few pieces in your hair, on your clothes, and unfortunately, sucked in through your nose or mouth while trying to breath. I have found myself holding my breath for short periods of time while I feel my face being assaulted by a thick cloud of пух. While the picture I have described here may be slightly exaggerated, it hasn't seem that way to me. This spring has been a lot worse than the springs I remember on my mission in terms of пух in the air. Thankfully, it's started to die down.

Third, and worst of all is the unavoidable second-hand smoke I am forced to inhale everywhere I go. Stepping outside the apartment into the stairwell, I smell it. Walking to the metro I can't avoid it. Coming out of the metro I have to take it in. And entering or leaving the building at work forces it upon me as well. Basically, if you're ever outside and there are people around, there will be second-hand smoke. Now, before you accuse me of having lived in Utah for too long, I want to say that I have experienced my share of second-hand smoke in Philly, but this far outweighs anything I experienced there. Everyone here smokes. I'm not sure what the actual percentage is, but I just read an article that put the number at just over 50%. I wonder, though, if that includes dogs and cats and cows. It seems to me that it must be closer to 80%.

Anyway, I ask you to keep my lungs in your prayers this summer. And if you're planning a trip to Moscow, it might just be best to bring a gas mask just in case.