Archives and other thoughts

I haven’t taken a ton of pictures since I started going to the archive... that definitely takes up the majority of my time. But here’s a few to highlight what I’ve been up to! 1. This is the archive building itself, which certainly looks pretty imposing. But the archivists are super tolerant and helpful, especially considering that I’m a first time archival researcher and not fluent in Russian. 2. This is Kirov Square, the main park in Irkutsk. It’s a lovely green space and there’s always something happening. It’s one of my favorite places to walk by in the city. 3. No that’s not snow! All this fluff is from a ton of cottonwood trees that grow in the area and shed their ‘cotton’ around this time. It’s pretty but definitely makes you sneeze!