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.