My Russian Adventure is Over! до свидания!

Following a 13 hour overnight stay in the London airport and four movies on the plane, I am happy to announce that I am back in the good ol’ US of A, and boy am I excited! Exhausted, but excited.

Go on without me!!

During my overly long, wifi-deprived stay in London’s oh-so-beautiful (but not really) airport, I was able to pass the time talking with my neighbors. I chatted for a long period of time with one really nice lady traveling from England to Australia to visit her daughter. She reminded me of a cute little grandmother and she kept telling me to go eat something before I shriveled up. I let her know that I would not starve (I had food in my bag), and talked about the various places we have traveled. However, I apparently came off as a budget strapped student in need of assistance (maybe it was the holes in my shoes?) because right before she left she threw 10 pounds into my hands and refused to take it back. I felt so touched by her generosity and it has definitely been a lesson for me. She said that someone did it for her children when they were young, so she wanted to pay it forward. All I know is, if I ever see traveling students when I get older, I hope to do the same.

Tatiana, our Grammar Instructor

Sleeping in the airport was also adventure, albeit a very nerve-wracking one. I had planned on just staying in the terminal until the next morning, but as it got later, all the passengers left and workers started swarming in to close down everything. I started feeling uneasy, so I moved closer to the only other lady in the building, and I was glad I had done so because next thing you know, we were told to leave the terminal. We had a stressful trek back to Terminal 1, where we were met with all the overnighters.

Now I realize the airport is no hotel, but I felt as though we were second class citizens with the brisk manner in which everyone was treated. I did have it easier (EU and US passport holders had the option to land themselves, so when I didn’t, one of the officers filled up my water bottle before locking us up), but no one even offered to help any of the other passengers. Moreover, we were later woken up and herded into an even smaller room to sleep in, and we were awakened in the morning by loud claps and shouts of “Everybody up!” Nevertheless, the tickets were with frequent flier miles, so I can’t really complain…though I was really glad the Nairobi woman was there; she didn’t understand a lot of English, but it was still comforting not being the only girl. (We also slept next to some Russian men. It felt like my little secret that I could understand them).

This morning, I ate breakfast with the Nairobi woman and left her the rest of the money I had been given (she was staying until the afternoon). I then flew to the states and am almost finished with my day in Chicago.

I'll be back, Novgorod!

It’s so weird being in this state of limbo. I’ve really mastered the Russian metro look, so it takes me by surprise when people smile at me. I swear I haven’t forgotten how to smile, I just forget to… I also keep turning my head when I hear American accents, so I look somewhat spastic. And on top of it all, I am torn between thinking about Petersburg (where I hope Lisa and Sarah had a party on my empty bed), and home (tacos)!

Awkward Family Photo!

I’m certainly missing everything already, but it’s good that I am finally seeing my fam again. I guess this is my last blog of my journey, though I may update if I have any extras to share with y’all. I’d like to thank my many, many followers for their faithfulness, and I hope y’all are having a great summer!Thanks again! Now, to find a job…

Update: Home at Last!
(I have the best sisters in the world!)

Hermitage and Swan Lake! Last day!

Yesterday was my last full day in Russia and I attempted to make the most of it by drowning myself in art. I pretty much spent the entire day in the Hermitage, both before and after class (for free!), and was finally able to see the famous third floor, housing pieces by some of the most well known artists in the world. I saw rooms of Picasso, Matisse, Monet, and more! Unfortunately, my favorite work by Matisse (The Goldfish -I had a print of it in my room growing up) is in Moscow’s Pushkin Museum of Art…maybe I’ll just have to drop by Moscow next year??

Last Metro Ride of the Year!

I actually think I might have gone into culture overload though… I was so overwhelmed by so many famous paintings on a single floor that I couldn’t even take any pictures or notes. I went through the floor several times and I was a little weak in the knees out of sheer awe! However, I can now say that, with four visits, I am 90% sure that I saw all the rooms open to the public in the Hermitage…I say 90% because it’s pretty big and I might have gotten lost a couple times…

We (Emma, Jenn, Lisa, and I) ended our day seeing Swan Lake at the Conservatory. For only 400 rubles, it was a beautiful performance, and I’m amazed that the dancers were able to imitate swans so well! And it got me thinking…how does one write a ballet? Do they say, “do a Fouetté en tournant, but try to make it really swan-like. And when you’re finished, wiggle your foot like a bird”? They must have a lot of really specific technical terms…

Swan Lake at the Conservatory

Wow. I can’t believe I’m leaving in a couple hours! It seems like just the other day I was arriving in a dazed state of confusion! I still don’t understand most of what’s said, and the Komandant is still chasing after me for more paperwork (I need a stamp to leave…), but at least I’ve gotten comfortable knowing that I have no idea what’s going on.

Back to SA town and my gang of summer pals! Can’t wait to eat some breakfast tacos!!! I’ll write in either the London or Chicago airport, where I will be withering away for combined total of almost 24 hours. Gah…

Boats in Park Pobedy

Today I had planned on visiting the third floor of the Hermitage. Unfortunately, the ticket lady was trying to make us pay 100 rubles to enter, even though students, regardless of citizenship, get in free. We showed her our Russian student ID’s, but she kept insisting that we pay 100 rubles. I’m sure with a little persistence, Sarah and I could have gotten through, but there was a line behind us and she was speaking through a microphone. However, tomorrow I will be visiting and I will not be paying the 100 rubles, thank you very much! I’ve gotten in free two times already, so I’ll just make sure to arm myself with my past tickets and a backup Rhodes ID. Matisse, here I come!

Working out those arms!

As I had planned on spending several hours in the Hermitage, I had a couple hours to waste. So, even though I had only two days left in Russia, I found myself sitting in the park by the Russian Museum with Sarah. It was nice though, because I got some pies from our pie lady (26 rubles for a delish mushroom and potato pirojki!) and fed the birds with my crumbs. I also attempted to draw a tree, so inspired was I by the close proximity to priceless Russian art…unfortunately, it greatly resembled a nearby twig…

Dom 10 Gang!

Sarah, Emma, Lisa, and I then bought tickets to see Swan Lake at the Conservatory (much cheaper than the Mariinsky). We’ll be seeing it tomorrow for my last night…

And finally, to end our day on a high note, Sarah, Lisa, Jenn (from Canaday), and I bought some goodies and rented a boat in Park Pobedy (near our dorm). It was so beautiful and I can’t believe we hadn’t done it before! It took us a bit to figure out the whole oar situation, but eventually we were gliding smoothly and living the life!

Park Pobedy

Tomorrow’s my last day of classes, and while I’m so excited to see everyone at home, I’m also so sad to be leaving! But let’s not think about that yet. Swan Lake tomorrow. Get excited!

P&P Fortress and A Dubbed Movie...oh my.

Yesterday (Sunday) we went to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Look it up on Wikipedia because it has more history than I can summarize. It was pretty interesting, and we got to check out the prison where a lot of famous political prisoners had been held in the past.

Peter and Paul Fortress

And today, I experienced my first ever Russian movie theater! Our professor from Rhodes had told us that some theaters in Russia are merely couches and a screen. Needless to say, I was very excited to check it out.

Our tickets were to see Something Borrowed, one of only two movies being offered for the next couple of weeks. When we arrived to a surprisingly empty theater, we were escorted by the ticket lady/owner herself to our film. Along the way, she stopped us from buying popcorn, saying it was not tasty…(good business?), so instead we got vending machine ice cream! The theater was a decently large size, though there were no couches in sight. Additionally, other than a couple in the back, it also appeared that there were no people in sight….

Peter and Paul Fortress: Rules

The movie itself was pretty entertaining. Moreover, Russian’s use their voices differently, so the dubbed version was certainly amusing. It all sounded like some cheesy drama, but it could have been worse…I’ve heard tales of dubbed movies with one person in the back translating all the lines….gahhh. Sounds awful!

Prisoners used a tapping code to communicate

When the movie was over, the lady asked us how it was and showed us out of the building. Great service for her only customers! It’s too bad that we’re leaving this week…

Novgorod: My favorite village in Russia

Today we visited Novgorod, a small town about three hours from St. Petersburg! I can’t even express how perfect it was. All I can say is, if you get the chance, YOU MUST GO!! Moreover, it gave our stay in Russia the perfect balance between the busy city and nostalgic country life.

Veliky Novgorod

Our wonderful guides were two 17ish year olds (Professor Kostina’s niece and her niece’s friend), and they totally outdid themselves making sure we saw everything we needed to see. We explored the Kremlin, investigated the souvenir market (about half the price of Peterburg’s), and had “traditional Russian food,” or blinis, pies, and salads.

St. Sofia's Cathedral
(One of Russia's earliest cathedrals still in use)

It was such a beautiful town that, for the first 30 minutes, I had my camera in hand snapping pictures of everything from the painted trees to the historic churches. I looked like such a tourist already, but what I really needed was a video camera... *sigh*.

Bell!

If I were to live in Russia, I think Novgorod would be the place to live. Granted I visited on what could possibly be the best day in the year, but thus far, it has been my favorite place.

Mom, I might be staying a little longer than planned...

Dostoevsky's life: A Russian Romance

Today, Sergei took us on a Dostoevsky tour. We saw a lot of places mentioned in his books, as well as some important places in Dostoevsky’s life. And here’s a little Dostoevsky tidbit from his personal life:

In this House, in 1867, lived Fyodor Mihaelovich Dostoevsky

Dostoevsky was the second of seven children, so when he grew older, he renounced his claim to the estate and had to make his own living. According to our guide, Dostoevsky’s faith was very important to him, so after Dostoevsky’s brother died, he chose to take on all the debt and take care of his brother’s family. However, he was also struggling with a gambling addiction, so this, coupled with all the new dependants, put Dostoevsky in a tough financial position. As a result, he made a deal with a publisher. The deal was that Dostoevsky had to publish a book in about a month, but if he couldn’t, the publisher would have free and unlimited access to all of Dostoevsky’s future works. In other words, if he didn’t finish in time, he was ruined. He was running out of time (his epilepsy interrupted his work) so someone suggested that he hire someone to write for him. He ended up hiring Anna Grigorevna Snitkina and they finished in time. However, when it came time to turn the manuscript in, the publisher was nowhere to be found. Fortunately, Anna took the manuscript to the police and got a stamp to prove it was finished in time (Russians love those stamps). When the publisher showed up a week later claiming he never received the manuscript, Dostoevsky was able to prove that he had tried finding the publisher, and thus, he was saved from financial ruin. And the best part is, Dostoevsky ended up marrying Anna. What a Russian romance! Saved by a stamp…

Kuntskamera horrors...

Last night I actually fell asleep writing my blog, so my apologies for not posting (yet again). We visited Kunstkamera (questionable spelling…), which was Peter the Great’s collection of oddities. There were some pretty interesting displays on indigenous peoples around the world, but the most well known exhibit is the collection of bottled organs and abnormal birth defects. There were babies with two heads, excessive hair growth, no brains, parasitic limbs, etc…much more than I cared to see. In fact, if you want to quash your desire to reproduce, this is the museum to visit… Pictures were prohibited, but I’m not even sure you would want to see them…

The only blog friendly picture I found
(Courtesy of Google)

I also revisited Calvary Chapel…FYI, they don’t speak any English on Wednesdays. But the person I sat next to made me feel very welcome and most of the songs we sang had familiar tunes.

Today was not as fun, as I lost my little notebook in which I’ve been keeping all the random names, facts, and words that I’ve learned during my stay. As I have a horrible memory, the loss was very tragic. So, to make up for the loss, I bought a collection of Tolstoi’s works at a bookstand (only 120 rubles!). Moreover, Sarah and I were given chocolate for our translation work. Chocolate always makes me feel better.

And our class is a completely different group than when we arrived. Only Zaou Min, a guy from Greece, and a girl from Korea remain of our original friends, and we’ve added people from America, France, Serbia, China, and Britain (I’m sure more will be arriving shortly). Poor Zaou Min! She’s staying here an entire year and I get the feeling she’s going to be making a lot of temporary friends!

An Interesting Read on Russian Courts

Only 1 week left and I’m frantically trying to fit everything in (Tomorrow we’re having a Dostoevsky tour, and on Saturday we’re going to Novgorod)! Too few rubles and too little time!

Mariinsky and Cooking Lessons

Well, I had hoped to post some pictures, but I'll have to post them tomorrow morning because I forgot my camera. However, to tide y'all over, I'll post a lovely picture of our pickle lady, Dina, at the market.

Pickles!!

Anyways, I totally had an amazing time over the past two days! Yesterday, we saw Anna Karenina at the Mariinsky Theater (based off Tolstoy's book). The theater was beautiful and the ballet was amazing! For a brief moment, I even found myself wondering why I never attempted ballet...then I remembered why I'm a runner... me + daintiness = eyesore. However, if you're ever in Russia (for all the masses contemplating it...), there's an even cheaper ballet with just as great quality at the conservatory across the street. Mainly foreigners go to the Mariinsky, so I guess you pay for the name.

Also, we have three new students in our class! They are from China, Serbia, and England! After lessons, some of us met up and dined on pishki, and then Sergei (our program director) taught us how to cook Syrniki. They're cottage cheese delights which can be eaten with jam and sour cream!

Ingredient list for Syrniki:

СЫРНИКИ

Норма продуктов:

Творог – 3 пачки (600 г); мука пшеничная – 3-4 ст. ложки в тесто и ½ стакана для обваливания; крахмал картофельный – 2 ст. ложки; 2 яйца; щепотка соли; масло подсолнечное; сметана или густая ряженка, сливочное масло, варенье.

We also spoke with Sergei about some more cultural differences between the states and the U.S. He especially spoke about the grab-what-you-can attitude that many Russians have, which helps explain why there is so much corruption here. When their country is so unstable, it's only natural to help oneself instead of hopelessly fighting for some greater good that may never be realized.

P.S. Happy Birthday to the best dad on earth!

Stuffin' and Bondin'  with me da'

Russian Orthodox Service

Sorry for not posting yesterday; I was enjoying the city’s ongoing concerts and entertainment along Nevsky Prospect. I also saw a play in the Alexandrinsky Theater, revisited the Hermitage (Still haven’t finished the second floor!), and made chocolate and banana blinis with Lisa, Sarah, and Arisa.

At the Market

Today, Sarah and I visited Pushkinaya 10, which is a cool art complex with an eclectic collection of galleries. The building was kind of hidden, and we didn’t know what we were looking for, so when we found it, we pretty much wandered around opening random doors. While some of the floors were a little odd, overall, it was definitely worth visiting. Even the hallways and the ceilings were artsy and it looked like someone (Maggie??) had bedazzled the inside of the elevator with mirrors.

This way to Pushkinaya 10!

After Pushkinaya 10, we grabbed dinner and headed to Trinity Cathedral to experience our first ever Russian Orthodox service… We explored the nearby cemetery where Dostoevsky happens to be buried, and after donning our head scarves, we timidly entered the Cathedral. It was a great experience, but I’m glad we went to the evening service because it was two hours shorter than the morning one. I can’t imagine staying much longer because you stand the entire time and it’s done in old Slavic Russian.

The Russian Orthodox Cross differs from the Western Cross:
Top Bar: Plaque over Christ's Head
Bottom Bar: Footrest and Balance of Righteousness (heaven and hell)

Head Scarves!

Tomorrow we’re going to a ballet (Anna Karenina), so that should be exciting! Also, we just had a group of Americans move onto our floor…Maybe our old neighbors got kicked out.

Things I’ve learned in the past two days:
1.) Russian’s clap in sync…really creepy
2.) The Eastern Orthodox Church crosses themselves from right to left (unlike Roman Catholics)
3.) NEVER eat at Yolkie Palkie…mediocre food, horrible service

City Day and More of the Russian Museum

Today is City Day, St. Petersburg’s 308th birthday! People throughout the city dress up for festivities, which include concerts and fireworks (although you can’t really see the fireworks with the white nights).

To top it all off, today is also the birthday of the Philology department at our university, which means we got out of class early to watch some sort of celebration. I’m not sure what was going on, but it looked like people were laying flowers at the graves or memorials of important people who contributed to our department. In my opinion, if someone at home tried putting on some of the events I’ve gone to recently, no one would show up because the gatherings are so cheesy (I’m thinking of that random concert at Smolny the other day…). Truthfully though, I think Russians just look for any excuse for a holiday, which is fine by me :)

What?? Philology Day?

We also met up with Sergei again to do a tour of the Russian Museum. I’ve already been there once, but I was thrilled to go again and hear the history behind some of the paintings. I wish I could share with you everything that I learned! I think my favorite artists were Repin and Kuindzhi, but the stories behind others were so intriguing!

Nikolai Mirlikiskij Saves from Death Innocent Prisoners
(Ilya Repin)

Rainbow: Arkhip Kuindzhi
(He's known for his illumination techniques)

One of the artists, Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, worked on the same painting for 20 years, hoping that when it was finally complete, it would inspire people to see the light and become Christians. But what was so incredible about the piece was that his sketches are more important than the painting itself, for they illustrate all the different messages he was trying to convey about his faith.

Sketch of of A.A. Ivanov's The Appearance of Christ Before the People
(The finished painting is currently in Moscow)

Other paintings in the museum were beautiful but did not seem like something to be hung in a home. Known as Peredvizhniki, such paintings traveled from town to town, and their disturbing nature was meant to provide a critique of society.

The Convicted: Makovsky
Example of Peredvizhniki

Ah! I could go on and on, but I don’t want to bore my small following of readers…(hi Mom!)

Tomorrow we were supposed to go to a dacha (a country house), but due to uncertain weather, we are going to a play instead. It's entirely in Russian, so I hope I can understand it!

Lost in Translation

I feel like I haven’t been giving this blog enough attention as of late, but unfortunately, I’m going to have to hold off on the details of my life until next time. You see, Sarah and I were called out of class today to read over a professor’s article to make sure one could comprehend it in English…I have no idea how to explain to you the absurdity of it all… 15 pages of absolute jibberish! I’m sure it was a great article in Russian, but there is no way a human could have translated it.

Where Blok, the poet, was Born
(On our University)

Our instructor saved us halfway through the first page, but the Professor came back after our lessons (Keep in mind, she only spoke Russian). She must have understood our blank stares to be pensive expressions of deep concentration, because she just kept talking. Honestly, the entire situation is almost comical...I just learned how to say mustard today and she somehow expects me to know scientific terms concerning labyrinths and sundials?

On the Gulf of Finland
(Where I'd love to toss that article...)

She eventually asked if we were tired, and, with relief, we admitted to her that it was too difficult to translate. She agreed…it would need more time. So now Sarah and I are stuck with an article that needs to be interpreted before our morning classes tomorrow (She needs to send it to the publisher??!). We haven’t done any other homework and we are waiting for her to send us the Russian version, which she should get to us by midnight. However, Sarah and I are pretty burnt out, so Shirah (one of the girls in our program) has drafted an e-mail explaining that we are not suitable translators, as *a human,* fluent in both English and Russian, needs to decipher it.

So that’s what I’m currently dealing with! Ahhh, Russia… Oh, and I got told off twice today by guys my age! I thought only the babushkas (grandmothers) liked to tell people not to sit on cold stone and stuff, but apparently I was wrong…

Quote of the Day:

“In the form of the same frank call develops the whole mass culture of modernity, ‘adequately’ represented by the media, at the same level fall exhibition halls, open-tries the door dubious art.” –Professor I-don’t-speak-English

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The guys we met the other day left this evening, so we had a farewell lunch with them before our lessons. Other than that, we didn’t do much today, as it was not exactly ideal weather for exploring (rain…blegh). Our classmates must have been thinking the same thing, because, including Sarah and I, only four students showed up!

Goodbye! (Lisa was in class)

When we got back, we saw that the guys had found us a soup spoon and a bucket, and had filled it with things they were leaving behind (sunflower seed oil, dish soap, detergent, and macaroni). Now we can be little domestics and cook dinner on the cheap! So naturally, for dinner, we used our new pot and spoon to cook macaroni! The sauce we had tasted like ketchup, but with the rubles we saved, maybe next time we can add some onions or something :)

Our Farewell Bucket

Now it’s time to agonize over my homework. Should be fun!

Smolny Cathedral

Umm… I don’t even know what we just went to see, so sorry if I don’t give y’all a detailed description. At Kazansky Cathedral the other day, we saw a poster about this concert which played music by M. Lomonosov. Sergei, our program director, said the acoustics in the cathedral were worth hearing, so we decided to go. The concert was in Smolny Cathedral, which is beautiful, but the ‘concert’ was very bizarre. It had Russian Orthodox monks and people dressed up in old fashioned attire. Some guy was narrating the whole thing, and at one point, some of the actors were even wearing ship costumes… Very strange and I had absolutely no idea what was going on…Needless to say, our experience pretty much alternated between stifled laughter and nodding heads (a bit longer and we could have gotten in a decent nap).

Smolny Cathedral

Whaaa?? Dancing Boat People?

Now, I’m pretty much wiped out. I’m going to have amazing endurance going into my summer training, because all we do here is walk! My shoes actually have holes in them, and I now understand why people need foot massages…We met up with our Professor from Rhodes to eat blini, and later had dinner with Lisa, but other than that, we walked from 12:10 to 7:00 (and that was only between the university and the cathedral)!

Kroshka Kartoshka: The Russian McD's
(Yes, that's a potato!)

Tomorrow our Russian ‘friends’ are leaving, but on the bright side, they brought us a pot, so no more teapot dumplings! (As a side note, when I say "ya ne nonyimayu," or "I don't understand," I don't think people  realize I literally do not speak their language. I'm pretty sure they just think I'm a bit dull in the brain...)

Friends for a day!

Today, Sarah and I went to see Peter the Great’s Bronze Horseman. It points to the west, indicating the direction Peter wanted Russia to move toward (The Soviets actually put up a statue of Lenin on the other side of the river pointing towards the heart of Russia). We then met up with our teaching assistant again and showed her our pishki café. But the best part is yet to come…

Bronze Horseman

For dinner, we decided to cook dumplings and green beans in the upstairs kitchen. However, we also had a secret agenda…You see, we need Russian friends to practice our speaking with. We know plenty of students from all over the world, but when in Russia, why not learn from the locals?! Because the upper floors have all the Russian students, we figured we could just cook in their (much bigger) kitchens, and maybe cook up a few conversations as well. Annnnd, it worked!!!

Park near St. Isaac's (where we spent the afternoon)

Our cooking seemed to amuse one of the guys making tea, so it proved to be the perfect conversation starter (Granted, we were cooking our dumplings in tea pots, but why should we buy dishes when we’re only here for a month??). After realizing we were Americans, the guy dropped his kettle off in his room and then came back to hear about America. He must have told people because several guys were peering around the door at us and soon enough, in came his friend, who just happened to be ‘passing by’. I know I can’t speak much in Russian, but between Sarah, Lisa, and I, it was surprising how much progress we made!

Dumpling Dinner :)

They even offered to get us real pots from the commandant in dorm number 7! Yay! We eventually went on a walk with them around our park, and even though it was raining (rainboots!), I was so happy to practice my Russian. It was also cool because we talked about our different cultures. They wanted to know all about the cowboys in Texas, thought Sarah was an Indian, and kept dropping American phrases, like Idaho Potatoes... yeah, random. They also told us that Russians never smile at people they do not know. (Apparently, I said something to the guy yesterday, and he thought I was Russian until I smiled).

Unfortunately, tomorrow is their last day here…They were only in Petersburg for two months to study at a firefighters university. We asked if they knew any girls here who might want to speak Russian with us, but they didn’t know anyone, so after tomorrow, we will be friendless again… *sigh* But we have a large to-do list, so we’ll be kept busy regardless.

Phrases of the Day:

Russian Guy: “You’re a happy man!” (Referring to me…)

Same guy: “Ah! You go to college! Like American Pirog!” (pirog is pie in Russian)

Calvary Chapel

Today was such a great day, and it made me all the more excited to be in St. Petersburg! We visited a non-denominational church service and it was so much fun! The service in a Lutheran building and had both Russian and English interpreters, so I got to learn a few new words and meet some fellow Christians :) It was also really neat because there was a group of Americans that were working at a children’s transit home with orphans, so we got to say hi to them and hear a little about their work. I just love meeting Christians from other parts of the world because even though I may not know anything about them, we have the same amazing God! So cool! And they were all so welcoming! We had tea and biscuits after the service and one of the members even gave us chocolate (i.e. the key to my heart)!


**I'll have to get y'all the link when I find it

We also met up with our teaching assistant from Rhodes and had a dinnerish snack (yum for dumplings). It was really great because she took us through the grocery store and showed us all the Russian foods we need to try before leaving…I have a feeling that I’m going to get even larger than previously predicted.

Our Dorms: 45 years old!

Well, it’s almost midnight here, and I’m sitting outside the laundry room trying to borrow the wifi after hours, so this blog is going to be cut short (it’s kind of chilly outside). However, tomorrow we’re planning on buying dumplings and buckwheat and cooking in the upstairs kitchen (so much nicer than our own!). It should be good because I’m running low on rubles and am trying to stretch them out as long as possible. If y’all don’t hear from me, I might have burnt down the dorms…

Sarah, showing off our luxurious upper level kitchen!

The Hermitage

I’d heard talk of the world ending on May 21, and though America still has a few hours to go, our day in St. Petersburg is winding down and it was amazing (yet again)! We had planned a visit to the Hermitage, so after a plate of pishki, we were ready to take on one of the most famous art collections in the world.

A large portion of the Hermitage is in the Czar's Winter Palace

I’ll start off by admitting that I only got through the first floor and half of the second. Even then, I hardly got a good look at everything. There was simply too much! However, I take heart in the fact that we will be visiting it several more times. Sergei even offered to take us on a personal tour through it. How crazy cool is that?! Admission normally costs 300 rubles for foreigners, but with our magical student IDs, we can visit to our hearts’ content without paying a kopek :) Ahh, the perks of being a student…

Founded by Catherine the Great,
the Hermitage houses nearly 3 million works of art!

More and more am I realizing that we arrived in St. Petersburg at the perfect time. If we had arrived even a week earlier, it would have been snowing, and, with the beginning of white nights, in a couple weeks summer tourists should be flooding in. Thus, we have the perfect window to explore all the wonders of the Hermitage without the crowds and hot weather.

My favorite work of the day

We were planning on staying in the city tonight because the museums are open all night for Night in the Museum. However, the metro closes at 12 and our dorms lock down shortly after. It’s a shame, but we’ll have to miss that experience (Imagine, a night in the Hermitage!!!). Before heading home, we ate some more pishki in our secret pishki café (I know…add those to my list of addictions) and finished our day wandering through a souvenir market. I didn’t have enough money to buy anything, but that didn’t deter the sellers from trying to bargain with me. I guess they thought I was just being a tough haggler when I told them I had no money.

"I really don't have any money..."
"Okay, for you, 800 rubles."

Tomorrow we’re going with Shirah (another student in our program) to a non-denominational church. I know I ought to visit a Russian Orthodox service at some point, but I'm still excited about tomorrow.

Walking Tour

So much to tell y’all, so little time (The laundry room is closing in 15 minutes)!!

We went on our walking tour with Sergei, and I am so glad we didn’t skip out! We met at Dome Knigi, and from there we visited Kazansky Cathedral, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, and the church of the Spilled blood. Let me tell you, if you ever go to a foreign city, be sure to have a native show you the historical places. On our walk, we discussed some of the issues Russia faces, including corruption, instability, and economic extremes. We also learned about ways in which the government works within the country. Russia is a ‘managed’ democracy, which means that the government controls the society and the political choices while appearing to be a democracy. The government influences the population through various outlets, including controlling the media and establishing non-threatening political parties in the name of ‘competition.’

From St. Isaac's, we could see the whole city!!!

On our tour, Sergei pointed one such example of the government's control. The building he pointed out was the fire licensing building. In 2007, the European University at St. Petersburg received a large grant from the European Commission to monitor the elections in Russia. The program was shut down after threats by some government official, but apparently, closing the program was not enough. Making it clear that no would get away with attempting to examine the government’s authority, the university was closed down on account of a series of fire violations. Lesson learned. After six weeks, the university was declared compliant with the fire regulations (without changing a thing), reopened, and has since been on good terms with the government. It also has never, to my knowledge, taken such a grant again.

Fire Licensing

It was also a really cool tour because, after visiting St. Isaac’s Cathedral, we got to discuss the relationship between religion and politics. St. Isaac’s is the third largest cathedral in Europe and it is incredible – not only because of its construction (look it up when you’re bored), but also because of its history. During Soviet times, it was actually turned into a museum promoting atheism. In fact, the dove on top of the dome was replaced with Foucault’s pendulum, which demonstrated the rotation of the earth and was used to illustrate how science, and not religion, could explain the world around us. Sergei discussed with us how the government now supports religion as a means of further controlling the people, because mainstream Russian Orthodox services influence people to support the current government. He also spoke about growing up in Soviet times and said that it wasn't until his 30s that Perestroika allowed him to see new perspectives and critics of the world around him, and while some things are more open, Russia still has a very long way to go.

The Dove in St. Isaac's Cathedral

Ack! The laundry room lady’s yelling at me. Judging by her shrill voice, I think it's time to go…

Garry Potter

Today, I finished reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (Thanks for lending it to me, Jo!). It was a quick but good read, so if y’all are looking to ponder life, this might be the book for you. Having read a dying man’s reflections on life, I’ve decided to move on to something a bit more lighthearted…thus, I have purchased my first book in Russian: Garry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone! Now I realize (as my Russian instructor pointed out) that J.K. Rowling is not from Russia, but it’ll probably take a while before I can tackle Dostoevsky. And for those of you wondering, that was not a type-o…it’s actually called Garry Potter….Garry…hahaha

Г as in Garry (Note the fancy lightning bolt)

I am a full 6 sentences into it, and I have yet to whip it out in the metro because I know that, for the entire 30 minute ride, I’ll be staring at the same page...and while it really doesn’t matter what these super cool metro-riding Russians think of my reading level, I’m still a bit embarrassed.

 The Boy Who Lived
My eyes glaze over it too; it's not just you...

Tomorrow Sergei, our program coordinator (Volodya’s boss), will be taking Sarah and I, along with a few other students, on a walking tour. We’re meeting by Dome Knigi, and while we’ve already explored that area fairly well, maybe he’ll show us something new (and maybe we’ll ‘come across’ more pishki…).


QUOTE OF THE DAY:
In class today, we described our ideal man or woman. And the winner goes to…Zaou Min:

“Этот человек…есть высокий нос” or “This man…to have a high nose.”

A high nose…That’s how I’ll know :)