Two Days to Warm Weather

I watched from my train bunk as the bright sun twinkled on the blue water of the Black Sea. A pod of dolphins soared out of the water and dove back under. What an exceptional welcome to Southern Russia! We had been on the train from Saint Petersburg for nearly 47 hours and now we were nearly arriving in the beautiful resort city of Sochi. The ornate train station greeted the tired and excited students as we gathered our bags to board the bus that would take us to our hotel. During the semester, we take one long trip to another city (or a number of cities). This semester we had the opportunity to spend 6 days in the future center of the 2014 Winter Olympics, also known as the “Miami” of Russia. After much needed showers and rest, the next day brought us a tour of the city by bus and a visit to a tea plantation where we learned about the history of the introduction of tea into Russia and the techniques for producing and brewing different kinds of tea. After our short lecture overlooking the rolling hills of tea plants, we gathered in the tea house to enjoy the singing of famous Russian songs (accompanied by the sounds of nearly ten differently-sized accordions) as well as tea brewed from a samovar and breads, honeys, and jams. The next day we hiked up one of the mountains in the Western Caucasus (в Агурское Ущелье) for nearly 6 hours. Although the hike was physically challenging we were rewarded with some of the most amazing views I have seen in Russia. The mountains of the Western Caucasus region are spectacular, not mention we were also able to see the Black Sea from where we stood. After our hike, we dined at a Georgian restaurant, which was very appropriate seeing as how close we were to Georgia. The next day, we hiked 11 kilometers up another mountain (Гора Ахун). It was great we were able to see how people lived in the different villages as well as admire the home gardens. From there, we were able to take pictures with a baby lion, a peacock, a parrot and a monkey. I also had the most amazing Jasmine tea with lemon and honey and sweetened figs. The tea was served from a samovar of course. We visited the tower from which we were able to see gorgeous views of mountains to one side and the sea to the other. We were up so high we were able to see the city of Adler and Abhazia (region which was once Georgia). The next day brought up to Krasnaya Polyana, the mountain and area which will hold the Winter Olympics in 2014. We stood on the snow capped peak after an hour long ski lift ride. The view was incredible. I felt like I was on top of the world! Afterwards, we visited a pacery (honey farm) and sampled different types of honey (i.e. Chestnut, lime, white, etc.) as well as honey vodka and honey wine. (These were both interesting and surprisingly delicious.) We had an excursion at a trout hatchery where we fed fish. Interestingly, amber colored trout are specific to this area. I had never seen them before. During then downtime we had (i.e. when we weren’t on our excursions) I really enjoyed swimming in the salt water pool at the hotel and going to the rocky beach to look for sea glass. I loved to explore the stunning resort city with my friends. Unfortunately our time in the sunny and warm Sochi had to end with another two day train ride. (A necessary Russian experience) I hope I can return to Sochi one day; it has left such a wonderful impression on experience in Russia as a whole.

Easter...Христос Воскресе!

Sunday, April 4th and in many places all over the world, Christians are celebrating Easter. Here in magnificent Russia, Easter is a very important holiday (along with New Year, Christmas and Women’s Day) to many of the religious (and nonreligious) people. Baskets of beautifully colored eggs and Easter bread are taken to the church to be blessed and пост (Lent) comes to a final close. In my class on Friday, we talked about Easter; its origins, religious services and traditional food and of course we expanded our lexicon of these customs. I have also had the opportunity to go on excursions to Владимирский Собор (The Church of Vladimir) and Александро-Невская лавра (Alexander Nevsky Monastery) to experience Orthodox services and walk around to admire the ancient golden icons hanging on the walls. The churches are also typically decked out for the Easter holiday.

My teacher had also mentioned that it is always sunny on Easter, which I thought was quite remarkable, but honestly I too cannot remember an Easter where there was no sun! The weather here has been exceptionally nice with sun nearly every day and the temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is warm compared to the cold temperatures we experienced not too long ago. The next day, I learned how to make borsht and куличи (Easter bread) with a bunch of my friends. We also boiled and dyed eggs. We played the game with each other where two people would hold one egg and strike them against each other to see whose egg triumphs and does not crack. My American friends and I introduced the tradition of the Easter egg hunt to our Russian friends and everyone had a great time. The funniest part of it was that we did our Easter egg hunt in a small apartment, not outside (do to the snow-melting/muddy conditions).

Last night, around midnight at churches all over the city, Крестный Ход (Carrying of the Cross) took place. The priest carried a cross and all parishioners followed with candles; the mass of people circumvented the church three times. I watched this on TV with my host mom and her daughter, however, after a little while I had to go to sleep, I was so tired!

Easter morning, I enjoyed a huge breakfast only enjoyed during this holiday. I greeted my host mom with the phrase “Христос воскресе!” (Christ is risen!) and she responded with “Воистину воскресе!” (Indeed he is risen!).We had пасха, a very typical Russian Easter dessert made from творог (quark), sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla and raisons. The closest thing it resembles in my opinion is very sweet, creamy cheesecake. And this was served with куличи (bread). (They are very tasty together). We had different kinds of колбаса (sausage), dark bread and red caviar. We also had hardboiled eggs, which had been dyed deep purple using a natural coloring. Talk about eating WAY too much, but it was all delicious. To say the least, my Easter in experience in Russia was something that was very interesting and differed greatly from the Catholic traditions I am used to celebrating back home in the USA.

Oatmeal Under My Feet

Well I’ve been back in Russia a little less than a week now. The flight was very long and my baggage was lost for a night from the extremely short layover we had in Frankfurt, Germany but that’s ok because I had left the majority of my clothes and the essentials at my host family’s apartment. The first night was a little rough with the jetlag. I woke up around 4 am and couldn’t fall asleep again until almost 7 am. I had barely slept on the flights because I was so uncomfortable! But who doesn’t know that it’s hard to sleep on planes? Haha. Oh well, I got here and I’m LOVING it!
There is so much snow here. Nevsky Prospect and other streets near the center of the city are covered in a yucky brown slush. I feel sorry for anyone not equipped with water proof shoes. The arms-length of road closest to the sidewalks is the place to look out for. When crossing the street, one sometimes does not notice that the mushy brown slop can be 2 or 3 inches deep. The Russians have an adorable saying for the slop that we all must trek through. They call it “каша под ногами” or translated literally, “oatmeal under one’s feet”.
Where I live (about a 45 minute commute from the center of the city) I do not experience the “oatmeal” that I must walk on near school. The heaps of heavy snow on the side of the road where I live are taller than me. The snow is crisp white on the side walk and has only recently been semi-cleared. The main focus for the street cleaners I guess is for the center of the city where there are more people. The street where the cars are is khaki colored, as there simply are not as many cars that travel down my street. The street is basically and couple inches of hard packed snow where the cars drive and everything else in the street is a good few inches deep. It reminds me of walking on a really soft sanded beach, minus things like warmth and sun. It is very hard to walk on at times and the walk to the metro in the morning takes me about 5 to 10 minutes longer. I love where I live though. It is literally like living in the country side. I don’t experience the same noise level or pollution that one hears and breathes in the central parts. My living situation is definitely worth the long commute.
One thing to watch out for in St. Pete is the falling icicles, called “сосульки” in Russian. Today, I was walking near a building next to my school and the sidewalk was blocked off so all the pedestrians had to walk along the street while a man on the roof of the blocked off building pushed snow off and removed the icicles. This was obviously to avoid falling, deadly spears. It was so funny because there were cars parked in front of the building at the edge of the sidewalk and much of the falling snow was pushed onto the cars, which caused many car alarms to go off. I had to laugh, not that I would want that to be my car…
I had my first day of classes today. I really like my schedule, I am in a class with one other person (who happens to also be a good friend of mine) so class is enjoyable. It is also very intense. Since it is the teacher and the two of us, we always have to be on our toes. I do feel like I am learning more than I ever have because the class is so small. This semester I’m taking a more advanced levels of grammar, phonetics, and conversation practice. I am also taking a word formation class and a syntactical phraseology class. I’m really excited because with these I should be able to improve my vocabulary acquisition a lot more.
We received the list of excursions that we will be going on this semester and there are no repeats, except for two! Our leaders did a really good job of putting together and really fun schedule, It just so happens its almost half of the list I had made with some friends of places we wanted to make sure we got to.
The language adjustment back to only-Russian at home took a few days. I’m getting back into the swing of things and speaking much more freely and easily. Now that I have working internet at home it’s much easier to stay in touch with people and I hope this also means that I can post on this blog much more frequently. Be sure to read! It is sure to be a very wonderful and exciting semester. Tomorrow I am going to the Russian Museum with my babushka.

One day later, after the Russian Museum…Today I had such a wonderful day. It snowed heavily in the morning but after eating warm “запиканка” which is basically like cheesecake with dried fruits such as apricots and raisins in it. It is soooo tasty. Babushka and I bundled up in our big coats and boots and set off through the thick snow to the metro. We arrived at the Square of the Arts where the Russian Museum (“Русский Музей”) is located and took some pictures of the winter wonderland. I love the way this city looks covered in snow. We entered the Russian Museum and my ticket turned out to be free with my student ID!! What a great surprise! Last semester I had to pay thirty rubles. Which is barely a dollar but the novelty of now not having to pay to get into this Museum was just fantastic! I can also get into the Hermitage “Эрмитаж” free with my student ID. We checked our coats and began on the second floor and after circling through, worked down through the first floor. She explained SO much to me. She would describe stories or legends behind the paintings, tell me about the leaders that some of the portraits were of and also elucidated her favorites. We both agreed that abstract and modern art are not our preferred pieces to view. My favorite part was when we were in the modern art show room and she told me that the goddess Venus that someone had painted (in modern art form) looked like a pig. Hahahahaha It was so funny. Then, we were walking back through there and a lady that worked there told us to hurry because they were closing off this section; Babushka whispered to me, “Oh! Well that’s a good thing, it’s not worth seeing.” Once again, another fabulous Babushka quotation. Well, to each his own, we just happen to not enjoy modern art. After we walked around for about 2 ½ hours we left to go back home where I am now, getting ready to eat “пельмени” (pelmeni-meat dumplings). Yay!

Winter Break in the US and other places!

Hello all!

Well, I'm back here at home. I've been home for 5 weeks and I'm going back to Russia in about a week! Home has been wonderful, my family and I began the break with a two week cruise to the Caribbean and let me just say...it was incredible. We left the night before the ship was supposed to leave (out of New Jersey) and it's a good thing we did because a huge snow storm hit and we ended up traveling through that slowly and carefully almost all night. But we were able to make it to the ship on time so that was what was important. The ship itself was beautiful and my sister and I made so many friends around our age group.

It was so funny too, there were so many Russians on the ship that, literally, no matter where I went, I heard Russian spoken, whether it was in the elevator, at the pool, in the hallways, etc. I even spoke Russian at dinner because our waitress, named Yulia, was born in Ukraine so we spoke only in Russian with eachother. It was so great, especially since we left for the cruise only two or three days after I had gotten back from Russia. (Just enough time to get over the jetlag!) My brain was just getting used to hearing English all the time but it was SO NICE to hear the Russian and kind of ease back into the swing of things in the US.

We went to Puerto Rico, Antigua, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Dominica, Barbados and St. Kitts. We shopped, relaxed on the beaches, ziplined through the rainforest in Barbados, took a difficult (but amazing) hike through the rainforest in Dominica to see waterfalls, saw so many awesome shows, and learned so much about the history and culture of each of the islands on our tours. It was so much fun and I was finally able to catch up on the Vitamin D that I had been lacking in the dark and cold Russia. haha. My body definitely welcomed the warm weather and it was such a nice break from the harsh temperatures I was so used to back in St. Pete.

A picture taken in Barbados:

Back in Connecticut, things have been great. It is such a blessing that I was able to spend Christmas and New Years with my family and I have been able to visit with many family members and friends here. I've (of course) also missed my two dogs and cat so much, so it has been so nice to spend time with them. This has been a terrific break and it has been good to refuel for the next semester abroad. I'm excited to go back and I'm happy to see again my babushka and her daughter Ira, the two wonderful women I live with. I've heard only good things about St. Pete in the spring time and I know that this semester will be fantastic, I can't wait for it to begin! :)

Cultured Soul

Despite the lack of blue skies and sun in St. Petersburg, I have found that the light has always been shining in this city. In the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to experience the wonders and magnificence of high-culture in art galleries and on stage. What is incredible about this city is the plethora of opportunity to attend an exhibition at a museum, listen to an opera, watch a ballet, and view eminent works of art.

A couple weeks ago our weekly excursion took us to the Michailovsky Theatre located on “Площадь Искусств” or the Square of Art. It is almost next door to the Russian Museum. That night, it had begun to snow big beautiful flakes which only added to the magic of the evening. We met in the lobby and after we received our tickets we checked our coats and hastened to find our seats. I was seated right in the middle which was great because I was able to see both sides of the stage equally well. The seating area is also not very big so, really, no matter where one sits, one is bound to have a good view. The inside of the theatre is spectacular. The gold detailing and the artistry of the walls, the seat boxes and the ceilings made me feel like I had walked into a lavish palace. The show began. The opera was called “La Triviatta”. Although the opera was performed in Italian, subtitles in Russian displayed above the stage allowed for comprehension.
The next week brought us to a ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre, arguably one of the most beautiful and best theatres in Russia and perhaps in the entire world. The most famous ballerinas have graced the stage of the Mariinsky and this evening I had the chance to see it for myself. The luxurious stage curtain opened and “Romeo and Juliet” began. It was very interesting to watch Shakespeare’s masterpiece in ballet form because obviously the play was meant to be performed as a play, not a dance. However, one would never guess that after watching this performance. Not only was every move the dancers made absolutely perfect, the story was marvelously captured without any words at all. Inside the Mariinsky Theatre:

If I were to choose one place that I love walking through the most, it would have to be the Russian Museum. It is one of the greatest showcases of Russian art in the world. Collections of Russian icons, statues, 18^th century to 20^th century art, as well as folk art, fill the large rooms of the old Michailovsky Palace. With my Student ID I can get in for about 30 roubles, which is the equivalent of about one dollar. (By the way the Hermitage is absolutely free with Student IDs! J) Some of my favorite pieces of art include the “Last Day of Pompeii”, painted by Karl Brullyov, “Barge Haulers on the Volga,” painted by Ilya Repin, the statue “Girl with a Butterfly” and “What Freedom!” painted by Ilya Repin. I got the chills when I first saw Barge-Haulers on the Volga because I first learned about this painting when I was in 8^th grade and seeing it in real-life was just incredible. I find it the most relaxing and mind-freeing experience to walk slowly through the Russian Museum. To be surrounded by the works of so many masterminds makes me feel so lucky live in this impressive city. Outside of the Russian Museum:

I am looking forward to returning next semester for all of the culture and art that this city has to offer. The sun really does shine all the time.

A Taste of History

Hello all! Things are going well here, I’m just chilling on this rainy Friday evening. It’s nice to relax every once in a while. I had a pretty busy week. We had grade consultations, and I’m doing really well in my classes. I’m finding that I understand SO much more of what the teachers are saying. It’s amazing how much my listening comprehension has improved in just about 2 months. I also really enjoy being in such small classes. My teachers are great. A couple weeks ago, my conversation practice teacher invited my class over to her apartment and she taught us how to make blini! (thin pancakes). It was a lot of fun; we ate them with sour cream (of course) and raspberry jam. We also enjoyed a hot cup of tea and some nice Russian conversation!
It’s pretty cold and wet here, it’s been in the 30’s and 40’s lately. Guess what! I finally have internet (kinda) at my house. It have been on a crazy hunt looking for an antenna in order to get better reception, however after a few days of different salespeople sending me all over the city, I have decide to forfeit. I do not have a strong enough connection for Skype, but at least I can keep in touch with people with email, facebook and AIM. (which is more than I had before).
Well, it looks like I will be going home for Christmas which is really nice because I miss my family and my friends so much. My original plan was to stay in St. Pete in between semesters but plans have changed. It will be great to get back to Connecticut and relax. (Cleaner air there too)
If I were to recommend anything to anyone who is planning on studying abroad, it is to keep a journal. You will easily forget thoughts you had about simple things and the way you felt when you went somewhere/ saw something. I’ve written almost every day that I’ve been here. I’ve filled one and a half journals and I know that years down the road I’m going to open them up and really enjoy reading them.
I’ve been on a few excursions since I last posted. I had the opportunity to visit Piskarevskoe Memorial Cemetery. The mass cemetery is a memorial to the 2 million people (soldiers and civilians) that died during the horrific Siege of Leningrad from 1941 to 1944. The Siege of Leningrad was the 900 day attempt of the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) to capture Leningrad- because of its industrial strength and the hub of the Baltic Fleet- Hitler felt that this would be a good way of getting into the Soviet Union in order to conquer it. However they were unsuccessful. People died by the thousands from little food, no electricity, the plunging temperatures and disease. Over 490,000 people are buried in this cemetery. There are 186 mass graves and they are labeled with stone slabs with stars for soldiers and a hammer & sickle for civilians. A pathway leads down the center of the cemetery from an eternal flame to a bronze statue of Mother Russia. As we walked from the flame to the statue, classical music played throughout the cemetery. The day we went it was a very gray day, and bitterly cold. It added to the solemnity of the place. Engraved in stone behind the statue is a poem written by Olga Berglotts, a survivor of the siege. I was able to really understand the depth of the sadness and loss experienced by the people of Leningrad when my host babushka told me that her grandparents died of hunger during the siege. Can you imagine that? I’ve have never felt closer to Russian history. Her grandfather rests in the cemetery. Her daughter Ira brought home a documentary on the blockade for me to watch. It was in Russian. I listened and watched as she explained things that I didn’t understand. I feel very fortunate to have been able to hear their story and I feel like I understand this dark time in Russian history much more.
The next week I went to the Russian Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. (Located next to the Russian Museum) It was interesting. We had a guided tour and afterwards we were able to walk around on our own. I was able to see traditional costumes, tools, cooking utensils, toys, furniture, crafts, etc. from different ethnic groups and people in all the diverse parts of Russia as well as the different former Soviet republics.
The excursion this week was the Baltika beer brewery, located in the very north of the city. We got on the Baltika bus off of the metro which took us to the brewery. It’s like its own little city. What is fascinating about the place is that you don’t really see that many people working there. (the reason probably being that just about everything is automated and so high-tech). It was really cool to see the expanse of machines, vats, pipes, and rooms all dedicated to the production of beer. Baltika exports to 52 different countries and is second in Europe in terms of beer sales. Baltika brand is also responsible for 80% of beer exports from Russia. At the end of the tour, the guide brought our group to this large room where we were seated at a bunch of tables filled with different kinds of beers and sandwiches. It was really fun and it was an interesting excursion. Too bad I don’t enjoy the smell or taste of beer. Haha.
Things are great here and I’m so happy. I hope all is well with you guys, wherever you are in the world. <3

All Aboard! Волга, Волга!!!

Well, first of all, so sorry I have not posted in what seems like forever!! I have had quite an eventful time since I last posted. I went on a cruise down the Volga! It was one of the most interesting and wonderful experiences of the semester so far. I began my journey on an overnight train to Moscow. We arrived in Moscow the next morning and spent about 8 hours total, taking a bus tour of the city and then exploring on our own. The last time I was in Moscow was in 2006. It seems so different! I think it’s because this time I was able to see a lot more. Walking onto Red Square is always a fantastic feeling, so much history and beauty kind of hits you in the face, it’s so overwhelming. I love Moscow, but it’s a city I probably would never want to live in. It is very large and a little intimidating. I must say, St. Pete is the place to be. I love it so much more than Moscow, purely opinion though. I don’t know what it is about St. Pete that is so wonderful but I think it has to do with its charm and character; it’s very hard to explain. Me in front of the Kremlin:Anyway, I got on another over night train in Moscow to Ulyanovsk. Ulyanovsk is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin, the communist revolutionary leader that was the driving force in the fall of the monarchy in Russia. (He lies in a Mausoleum on Red Square in Moscow now). I was able to see where he was born and walk through the house he lived in with his family. In Ulyanovsk, we boarded the cruise ship. I was rooming with my Russian friend Anya, a girl studying in St. Pete with me and a girl studying in Vladimir. We had two portholes as windows and we were just above the water. It was so beautiful at night and in the morning. At night, the moonlight shined on the water and in the morning the sunlight made it sparkle. So pretty. The boat was amazing, we had “dress-up nice” dinners and I was able to spend a lot of time with my friends.
The next city we went to was Samara. There, we got a tour of Stalin’s Bunker, which is 37 meters underground. (about 11 stories deep) Hitler’s Bunker was about 11 meters underground if that gives you an idea of how deep this actually is. We got to walk around the city as well. I woke up a little late this morning so unfortunately, I forgot my camera this day. Oops! I was not happy with myself. It’s ok, I have great friends who said they are going to share their pics with me. J We ate breakfast and lunch and dinner on the boat just about every day for the whole week. Every evening we had a lecture in Russian given by different professors that came on the trip. My group all had to give presentations in English based off essays we had written in Russian. The Volga is beautiful. The trees along the coastline were red, yellow and orange. It was so nice to see trees and not buildings. What is interesting about the land we saw from the boat is that it was different all the time. Sometimes there were trees, sometimes cute little towns, rolling hills, farmland, raw coastland that was a brown/yellow color (which was cool because it looked like it belonged in Arizona or something).
We spent the next day in Saratov. There, we visited a catholic church, the first that I had seen at all in Russia. My favorite part of the day was when we went to a monument for WWII at the top of a mountain looking over the whole city and the Volga. It was located in a military park. Again, we had a bus tour and got to walk around on our own. My friends and I also stumbled upon an amazing indoor food market that looked exactly like Eastern Market in Washington DC. Volgograd was next, and was probably the most interesting city we visited because it is the location where the Battle of Stalingrad took place. The entire city was destroyed during this battle. We were able to see a building that was the least destroyed amongst all the buildings; it looked completely destroyed. Now the city is really beautiful, it is completely built up and one could never guess that a devastating battle took place here upon first glance. On our bus tour we saw so many monuments in commemoration of the battle that was the turning point of WWII and led to the retreat of the German army. About two million Soviets were killed in this battle. I witnessed the changing of the guard at the eternal flame near the Mother Russia statue (Родина Мать). This statue is enormous and she holds a sword rising up to the sky. It sits on a hill and our tour guide told us when people arrive by train to Volgograd, you are able to see the statue from the train.
The day of after Volgograd was a day spent only on the cruise ship. We had a lecture on the wildlife and plant-life that we would be able to see in Astrakhan, our next city. That night we also had a Captain’s dinner where everyone dressed up really nice and I tried red caviar for the first (and last) time. The next day we were in an Astrakhan. This city is located on the Volga Delta, right on the Caspian Sea. I unfortunately was not able to see the Caspian Sea, which was a bummer because we were so close but nevertheless it was an amazing day. I saw the fortress there and I walked around with my friends for a little more than 4 hours. The sunset was incredible and the city was just beautiful. It was so interesting because the diversity there was unlike anything I had seen in any other part of Russia I had been in so far. The different influences in the architecture were also very cool to see. That night, we got on a 37 hour train ride back to St. Petersburg; A night, a full day then another night. It was fun though, we all bought a lot of food for the train and we had great conversations, fun times and tea. I didn’t sleep well at night, though, I was in the bed right next to the door that led to the bathroom. It slammed EVERYtime someone had to pee. So, I woke up a lot.
This trip is something I will remember for the rest of my life. It was incredible and I would do it again in a split second.