Wow it has been so long! My apologies. Russia has presented challenges that I had never expected to experience as a seasoned traveler. Lots of Culture Shock to cope with for sure! This weekend my friends and I are going to Murmansk in the Northern part of Russia to hopefully see the Northern Lights. Here's hoping! So a few major cultural experiences have happened and that is what I will be covering in this post:

1. The Banya

This is a bizarre but very fun Russian Tradition. So the Banya we went to was our Tour guide's personal family banya at his Datcha (A home outside the city that sits on some land). We were welcomed to his home and greeted his wife with the flowers and chocolates we brought. It is very disrespectful to show up empty handed to a house. We arrived and our tour guide took us to see the lake near his home and the craters in the landscape from the World Wars. It was the first time I had really faced the war in that way. There were trenches and bomb craters and memorials to the battalion who fought at the front line. It was crazy. Then we returned to the house and those who could had some Borscht. Traditionally, Borscht is made with beef broth and includes meat chunks. I politely declined. Then we went into the Banya. So this space is broken into three rooms. The social location where you sit and eat in between trips into the hotter rooms. Then there was the shower room where you could rinse yourself off and shower at the very end of the day. Finally there was the actual sauna like room. It could get to above 100 degrees Celsius in there! While in the Hottest room you have to wear a special type of hat called a "Banya Shopka" and it helps keep your head from overheating while you are in the banya. It was super cool! There were four rounds that myself and my friends participated in. The first two rounds were called a Finnish Sauna. Essentially we put essential oil on the hot coals and just sat in the dry heat. That is when it was about 100 degrees and you just sat in there for 5-8 minutes and start to sweat. Then you leave and rinse yourself off and go eat more food. After those two rounds, you start with the branches and the water. You take these branches of dried leaves that have been soaking in water as well as pour water onto the hot coals to create a steam. Then you take the branches and beat (for lack of a better term) each other or yourself with the branches. It sounds crazy, it looks crazy but it actually feels really nice. After that, you run out into the snow. It is so nice and refreshing! We did that a few more times and every time you are in the hot room for maybe 5-8 minutes maximum and then you spend like 30 minutes eating and drinking. We ended the evening with Russian Karaoke and Tea. It was an incredible cultural experience and though exhausting, I can certainly see the appeal.

Don't be fooled... we had just been
whipping snow each other

All of us and our Russian companions
Post banya with the branches and hats!

In honor of my brother, I decided to wear a Pilot Shopka! 

2. The Jungle Restaurant
This is a wonderful little restaurant that me and some of the girls went to on Valentines Day. It was really cute and we took a lot of pictures! A perfect place for the needed pick me up!

3. Art exhibit
We went to an art exhibit in a different district of SPB and it was a dream exhibition. It showed what people dreamed of and it was really fun and colorful! Lots of Instagram-able moments! Also we went to a Poke bowl shop and it was SOOOOO GOOD! Made my vegan heart very happy!

4. Day of the Defender
Day of the Defender is the day that Russia celebrates the men in their population and the servicemen who have fought for the country. We spent the day at the Peter and Paul Fortress. We wandered the grounds, saw the political prison and the cathedral that houses the deceased Tsars, Emperors and families. I saw the graves of Peter the first, Nicholas the Second and almost all of the Tsars/Tsarinas in between. It was cool to see the memorization that survived the Soviet Era.

The main gate with an incredibly complex anecdote up top that deals with biblical imagery and the War with Finland

Me and behind me is the Palace embankment. To my far right is the Hermitage and the winter palace.

The grave of Nicholas II and his family and the servants who suffered the same horrendous fate and ended the Romanov line and the Tsar reign in Russia.

5. Maslenitsa
This is a week long festival in Russia for the week leading up to Lent for the Russian Orthodox church. It started the Monday before Ash Wednesday for me and my western Christians. It is a combo of the old pagan celebration and sort of a fat Tuesday like behavior. So it is a celebration of the beginning of lent but also the end of winter. Everyone eats a lot of Blini (Russian Pancakes) and some places even burn a doll made of hay though it is not common in the city due to a fire hazard. We celebrated as an international department here on campus with traditional folk dancers and singers. I danced and ate blini and just enjoyed a very very cold day that was supposed to celebrate the end of the winter season. It was very fun!


Thank you for bearing with me as I keep forgetting to post! To those of you participating in Lent, Enjoy and God bless and keep you. Hopefully I will post soon!

February 12, 2020

WOW!! I have been so busy I have not even had time to blog! This will be a long one so brace yourself!

So on Saturday, February 8th-
I went to the Fabrege Egg Museum here in St. Pete. This is the city of museums so I hope to go to at least one per weekend! This one was not high up on my list but other people wanted to go and so I tagged along. It was actually really pretty. Most Museums here are located in Former Boyar households/Palaces and so they are all super pretty. I really liked the artwork but the Eggs to me were just a waste of wealth but I will never have more money than I know what to do with. We then went to the Galleria Mall which is the biggest mall in SPB. It was kinda a lot and Russian Men walk up to you and start hitting on you as you are walking around. That was annoying. All American brands are expensive and I haven't found many Russian clothing brands. Then our group went to this awesome restaurant call "Mickey and Monkey". It is super fun and unique and their milkshakes are huge and their entire menu is so delicious! That night was the international social in MOD club. I went with a few of my friends and we met other Americans studying at other universities in the area and some other people. It was really fun even though the DJ SUCKED!! Also side note, Russian Cidar is pretty good! It is brewed here in SPB.

Sunday, February 9th-
The UNECON (my university) international students could go to Pushkin which is a suburb of St. Petersburg that houses Catherine the Great's Cathedral and her palace and was the birthplace of Alexander Pushkin. We went into the Cathedral and it was my first time in an Orthodox church. I cannot express the Beauty in words. I was floored. I wish I understood more of the religion but I have been asking questions to my friend A who is Orthodox Christian. They have been really helpful. After witnessing a baptism in the church, we headed to the Palace. The Palace was so cool! INCREDIBLY GAUDY but super unique. There was so much Gold it was ridiculous! The amount of wealth on the walls alone was astounding. It was super cool. We also got to see Alexander II chambers and his study and it was just super cool to know the Romanovs stood where I stood. I am a nerd I know! We took a taxi back from Pushkin and for a 40 minute ride it cost about 600 Rubles (about $10). Our Driver has his Doctorate in Business Administration but he recently got laid off and is now suing his company. He was also very vocal about his view of American Politics. I am still getting used to the directness of the Russian people. They do not sugarcoat and they certainly don't beat around the bush. It can be a bit alarming sometimes but it is cool to have the freedom to speak plainly without judgement. We ended the night with a quiet night in.

Monday February 10th-
This was our "first" day of classes. I only had my Russian Small group which is me and one other student with our Professor from our survival Russian class. We are focusing right now on a particular grammatical case. It is a good review/reteach because there is very little that I remember. After class, It was a hectic day! We went to IKEA to get some random things for our dorm rooms. I needed a bathmat, a better pillow etc. IKEA is the same here as it is in the States except the cafe is actually a sit down restaurant. We didn't stop but it looked very fancy. Then we raced back to school so that I could meet up with my friend Nastya to go shopping at some Vegan shops. We went to this place called B12 and I got some really yummy snacks and things to try. I am also familiarizing myself with the brands that are vegan. It was super exciting! Then Nastya took us to a vegan streetfood stand called "Hood" and it is in a literal alley in this back corner of city center. It was SOOOO good though! I got a chickpea burger with cheese and mustard and I got some french fries and it was delicious! I got back and it was all chores all night! I got my laundry done which was scary but it seemed to turn out okay. The washers here are SUPER small so I am going to have to do my laundry more often but at least we dont have to pay for it. The dryer made some of my clothes smell weird so I will be airdrying from here on out. I also swept and cleaned my room. I am desperate to keep my room clean which is exhausting but it is so nice to come home to a clean room everyday.

Tuesday Februray 11th-
Today was my first day of Russian Class in the formal setting. We celebrated by going to a wonderful cafe called "2A Concept" and it had really yummy vegan smoothie bowls and I was touched that my friends take my veganism into account when they look at restaurants. Then I went to class for 4 hours and 20 minutes! It was brutal but was a really good class. Classes here are on a block schedule sort of system and so we have a class for many hours per week but a limited days. I was placed in a Russian class that will meet for 16 hours a week. After my class, I went to a language exchange social. The cafe we went to is a board game cafe and is at the top of an apartment building. It was cool. We met a lot of Russian students working on their English and we were given prompts to talk to each other. It was cool and everyone I met was very sweet and kind. I made some cool friends and I hope to meet up with them again and be able to speak to them in Russian. #goodtohaveagoal

I will update soon and hopefully more consistently! This afternoon I am heading to the Hermitage for the first time and I am so Excited!!!! More to come and thank you if you read all of this madness! Feel free to comment with any questions you may have!

February 6, 2020

Hello again! It has been an absolutely crazy first full week in Russia! I have had between 3-6 hours of Survival Russian everyday this week which has really helped me step back into this language. I do not know a lot of food words and motion verbs (I need to go etc.) remain a challenge but I know it just takes practice and there will be loads of that while I am here. So this week I have been learning the little things. First of all, I have been to the grocery more times than I can count and am still finding things I am missing. I am hoping to go out and find some vegan markets over the weekend so I can hopefully find more things that are friendly to my diet. Class has eaten up most of my time and energy this week. I have gotten a metro card and this morning my friends and I went out to breakfast. I was able to order my breakfast without certain elements and made it vegan and gluten free! So I am very happy to see my communication improve. I am also very grateful that most Russians are very patient with me as I sound like a small toddler. We received our Metro card and we rode on the metro just one station. It seems pretty straight forward but it is going to take some getting used to in terms of vocabulary. Not nearly as many lines as the London underground. Metro stations are also really pretty here. Mainly covered in marble with quotes or statues on the walls... seemingly out of place in a subway system. Today the Vice-Rector talked to all of the international students and we learned about all the things we can and cannot do. He seems really nice and I believe he may be teaching one of my classes this semester. We also took our written placement test today... I have decided to look at it in the rose/thorn analysis system. The thorn was: My grammar is something awful and I do not remember my cases or how they apply. This was about 80% of the test. The rose of it all however, was though it won't help my grade, I could translate most of the sentences in the exam and could understand the context. I also after 3 hours of Russian class today had to speak for my OPI. This was an unofficial oral exam with someone back stateside... I scored lower than I had hoped. I am bummed that I failed to show the skills I know I have. Tomorrow is our last day of survival Russian and then we celebrate by going to a restaurant for lunch and speaking in Russian the entire time. I am going to finish reviewing my materials so that I prove to myself that I am better than the OPI placement. Talk to you all soon!

February 1 2020

Hello all! So I arrived safe and sound here in Russia  with my luggage so total win! I did not sleep at all on any of the flights but I watched a lot of Sabrina and tried to focus on this exciting new adventure. Myself and several other students landed around the same time and so we all got escorted to campus together. I have my own room and ensuite here and I am really loving having my own space! After we got here, we were taken around to a few spots close to my campus and we found a place for dinner. Ordering in Russian has not been going very well. I have learned that I am not remembering a lot of food words so that complicates things. I am trying my best to laugh off the mistakes. On my first full day here, we went and got groceries and then went to a Georgian restaurant for lunch. We then had guides help us with sim cards and took us to a cafe where they serve a special type of doughnut called Пушка (Pyshka). We walked around the city a bit more. I met a fellow vegan who said she will take me to some grocery stores when I have some more free time. This morning we had orientation and then went to lunch, did some shopping and did some wandering down the main street of St. Petersburg. It has been a lot to take in and I am not using my Russian as much as I should be. I am still very deer-in-headlights about the whole thing. Here is hoping in the next week or so I will adjust more and start to really delve into this bustling city.

January 29th 2020

Well I am here sitting in the terminal waiting to board flight #1 to Stockholm. It has been a long and exhausting build up to this moment. From saying goodbye, to packing only 50lbs worth of stuff for 4 months to all of the emotions that come with moving yourself across the ocean in the pursuit of knowledge. I am scared, of that there is no doubt and there is no point hiding. Everyone keeps telling me, you will be okay, everything will work out. Though I appreciate the reassurances, they don't do much to calm my fears. I know I am as ready as I will ever be for this journey and for all this opportunity holds. I know my classes, trips and experiences will teach me more than I may ever find the words for. My Theatre Director in high school always said "Fear is excitement." The more you are afraid of something the more you are actually excited to jump in and experience it. This has stuck with me throughout so much of my life in the times where I am afraid. This is what I have been building up to and it still does not feel quite real even now as I see the plane waiting to take me. I will be travelling until 3pm on Thursday January 30th Russia Time. Please send good vibes and give me the strength to persevere.

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my blog!
We are T-minus 2 days out from flying over the ocean to get to St. Petersburg where I will live and study for the next four months! I am very excited for this new adventure and I am happy to share this journey with all of you! More updates to come! LET'S GO!