We’ve all heard of the story of a dog eating a student’s homework. How about a dog eating a student’s shoes? At home, I usually wear tapochki, or house-shoes, as Russians call them. They’re usually a bit too big. Plus, Gira the puppy usually pulls on my slippers, so I decided to wear my Californian flip-flops instead.

I was speaking with my host mother over dinner, while Gira was licking my toes. I was telling her about learning passive construction in Russian, and my plans of exercising through Zumba classes this summer. At the end of dinner, we both get up. My host mother was getting ready to take Gira out on a walk. Then I look at my feet. Low and behold, Gira bites off the straps of my flip-flops. What a cute but naughty dog, haha!