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.