Peterhof, Puskin, Pelmeni

Hi everyone!!! I am still having an amazing time here. I'm a little sick today, I have a sore throat and a runny nose, i.e. the common cold. I'm feeling good though!!! I LOVE my classes, my favorite being my conversation class. I am surprising myself with how much my speaking skills are improving. :) I am speaking much more quickly too. Two weeks ago I went to Peterhof! It was amazing. Peter the Great built it and it was influenced by the Palace at Versailles in France. It has this unbelieveable cascade of fountains, statues and BEAUTY. We walked around the park and we ate lunch on the grass, overlooking the Gulf of Finland! It was incredible. There are also a bunch of fountains that you can run through and get wet, I was soaked by the end of the day. It was really fun though.
This past week, I went to Puskin which is just outside of St. Pete. I got a tour of Catherine's Palace. It was beautiful. My favorite part was the amber room where literally everything in the room including the walls, picture frames etc. is COVERED in gorgeous amber. For those that don't know, amber is a brownish-reddish-yellowish-orangy kind of stone. We had so much fun that day and my friends and I have alot of great pictures from walking around the grounds of the palace and lunch over looking the water. I feel so lucky to be able to see so many amazing places like this and it is unlike anything I ever imagined. I'm sorry I can't put up pictures right now, but I'm in an internet cafe and have no idea where to stick the USB drive. I'm also having alot of trouble putting pictures up on facebook, but I will keep trying! Maybe one day it will work. The weather is dreary here today, it's been getting colder and it has been more rainy.
Ok, now I need to talk about the food. I have had quite a culinary experience here. Firstly, I must mention pelmeni, which everyone I know loves. They are basically potstickers but are more circular; they are dumplings with meat inside. There are many different types of pelmeni but my favorite are the Siberian pelmeni. Of course, they have to be covered in sour cream. :) I have made it a rule for myself, to try everything that is offered at dinner at least once, because I never know if I will like it or not. It was pretty funny the other night, my Babushka made this appetizer that was a fish (herring, I think) that she said I wouldn't like. She told me to try it though. She slathered butter onto a piece of black bread (my favorite kind of bread so far) and then put the piece of fish on top with some onions. To make a long story short, I loved it and she was shocked, but of course happy to hear that. I am also eating alot more than I normally eat but I walk EVERYWHERE so I'm not worried lol. Well, I going to go and have some blini (thin pancakes, alot like french crepes) for lunch with my friend on this rainy afternoon in St. Pete. Love you all.

The Hermitage and what I've learned thus far

Hey guys! So I went to the Hermitage for the first time yesterday... talk about grandeur! It was incredibly beautiful. I plan on going back about 10 times lol, there is so much to see! I also get in for free with my Russian student ID which is amazing. I'm really loving this city. I'm used to the metro now and I seldom get lost( and I've only been here for a week!), and...I can read a map! yay! I am also really enjoying living with my host family. Did I mention that they have a dog!? Her name is Choaby. She's a boxer! For those of you that don't know, I have a boxer in the USA too (her name is Sasha), so this just makes the family situation even better than it already was! She has a lot of energy and when my alarm clock goes off in the morning, she comes into my room to make sure that I get up. So essentially, I have two alarm clocks. lol. Here is a picture of Choaby:

I really like school alot. I just finished a paper last night about the first excursion we went on. (The tour of the city by canal). I also have a peer tutor now! Everyone in the program is assigned a peer tutor which is basically a young Russian student, who is either in the university or has already graduated. We meet about once a week for a few hours and talk to each other. (No English allowed!) She also helps me if I have questions on homework. She's pretty cool, her name is Anya. She is a speech therapist for children. Here is a picture of the sunset on the Neva River that I took while on the tour of the city by boat:

Mom and Dad will be happy to hear this; I am also learning how to live more frugally and simply. I take MUCH shorter showers, I'm not buying anything I don't really need and I'm using my head more lol. That sounds weird but I guess what I mean is I am thinking more before I act. I'm having a little bit of trouble with lowering my voice in public though. Oh yeah, and the smiling thing is getting better for me. Russia is not some cold, dark place where no one smiles. It is just a place where you have to be more consious of what you are doing, who is around you, what you say and how loud you are. These are all things that I have usually taken for granted living in the US. Oh, I must say though, my habit of not crossing the street unless the walking sign says to has really helped me here in St. Pete. Russians drive ALOT faster and are much less likely to stop for pedestrians who have decided they will cross the street when they aren't supposed to.

I've been exploring the city and today I had an espresso with a couple of friends and after we went through a couple malls. SO many shoe stores. :) Here is a picture of me laughing at something on the the grand staircase of the Winter Palace/Hermitage:

What's great about this city is that I can do something different everyday if I wanted to. Weekends are great for exploring museums, ballets, operas, theaters, the different sections of the city, etc. It really is one of the most beautiful European cities!
The wind is starting to pick up today. I know that this is a preview for colder wind that will come later. The weather has been fair; nice for walking in but lately has been rainy and is usually in the 60's. I miss home and the US for certain things (mostly my family) but I'm starting to adapt and it gets easier to live in Russia everyday. Side note: I love the food. <3

A Whirlwind of Russia and Amazing Times, however...No Internet

Yes, as you might have guessed, I have no internet at home. I'm sitting in an internet cafe on Nevskiy Prospect. I miss you all! My host family is amazing. They have pretty much adopted me into their family. I'm living with a 78 woman, named Tanya, whom I call "Babushka" and her 40 year old daughter who is known as Ira. They are both amazing! Babushka makes the most amazing Russian meals, which always begin with borsht, include meat, tons of vegetables (which I am SO happy about) and usually ends with fruit. Both she and Ira speak only Russian with me and I speak no English in the house! So intense lol. By the way, my Russian is much better already. My English, however is getting worse...lol. I am now attending classes at my university. They are all conducted in Russian. It's tough but the teachers all all very patient and nice, and I am improving so much. I'm taking a speaking practice class, grammar, politics/culture and language/culture class. I took a tour of the city by canal yesterday, it was GORGEOUS. St. Petersburg is amazing. The autumn is beautiful here, It has been sunny everyday/ maybe only a little cloudy on some days and it has not rained that much! Of course, later I will be telling you how dark and bitterly cold it is but for now, it is really nice. I've decided that I'm going to stay for the year by the way, I just need to do a mini-reapplication process for the next semester. I miss my family and my friends, but I do not feel homesick yet! Amazing. lol I'm surprised too. They say it's when you get sick that you really become homesick. Hopefully, that won't happen. Sorry for such a short blogpost but I have only a limited time before I need to be home for another one of Babushka's yummy dinners. Love from Russia ;)

Beginning of the Journey

Incredible. I have been in St. Petersburg a total of two days and I feel like I’ve been here for at least a week! Tonight is my last night in the dormitory, tomorrow I am meeting my host family. I am going to be staying with a 60 year old woman and her 40 year old daughter. (who seem lovely, by the description I was given in my home stay letter).
Well, let me update you guys on the last few days…(please ignore my poor grammar should you come across it… I have REALLY bad jetlag).
I had my orientation for the program on Tuesday in Washington DC and for two and half days the program staff prepared us for the depths of some place called Russia. I have to say, I had a very vague and unclear picture of what St. Petersburg would be like. I got on the plane on Thursday and flew to Frankfurt and from Frankfurt we flew to St. Petersburg. The flight went alright, I was sad because I had a really comfortable neck pillow that I was really looking forward to using in the over head “cubbie” as I like to call it, and I only realized this when I was about to go to sleep on the 7.5 hour flight. I decided against getting the pillow as I didn’t want to drop anything on the sleeping people below. This resulted in a stiff neck and a sore back. Planes are the WORST places to sleep.
When we got to the Frankfurt airport, I was intrigued by the ultra-modern and industrial look of the airport. It was very clean and I was going to stop for a Belgian waffle on the way to my gate, but since we had to go through 2 security checks and walk across the entire (very large) airport, I forwent the waffle. I will just have to travel around Germany one day…
Alright, so after landing in St. Petersburg (a very tiny airport), my group (a total of about 28 of us) went through customs. It’s one of those experiences where you are so nervous, but nothing ever happens. Once I was successfully allowed into the country, we loaded up a bus with our bags (around 50 bags each weighing around 50 lbs or so.) the bus was full to the brim, literally. It was raining. We drove through the city, which through me through bit of a loop. First of all, I instantly impressed with sheer size of the city. We passed parks, libraries, churches. It was beautiful. Then, to my dismay, I fell asleep.
We arrived at the dorm and we had to unload all of our luggage again and drag (a little more than 100 lbs) of stuff to the lobby of the dorm. There were stairs. Gah. I got in this teensy weensy little elevator to go upstairs to my room. Once on the 4th floor, I went down 6 hallways, all with doors in between. My roommate and I used lots of teamwork to drag all of our stuff to our room.
Once we got there, we got to wash up and then….. took a walking tour of the city!! :D There are not enough words to describe my first impression of the canals, the Church on Spilled Blood, the Hermitage/Winter Palace, the people, and the grand Palace Square. Ah, It was PERFECT. The sun was shining and it was about 65 degrees. We stopped for dinner at an adorable little пирог (pie) place where I ate пирог с капустой и красный чай. (cabbage pie and red [berry] tea). It was simple and cozy and was just the right meal to begin my stay in Russia.
That night, I was awoken at 1 in the morning by fireworks right outside my window. Way to start with a bang. Lol. Today, we met our resident director in one of the dorm lounges for our group meeting; he gave us our week schedule and a helpful city-information book. I also bought a Russian cellphone to today which I’m really happy about. After that we used the metro for the first time and visited out school, where I will be taking classes. After that we had lunch. I tred Kvass for the first time. Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. We went to the largest bookstore in St. Petersburg called Дом Книги. (Books House) I bought Anna Karenina in Russian. This is probably getting in a little over my head but my goal is to read the book in English first, then attempt to read it in Russian. (Obviously with the help of my noble companion, my dictionary.) Well, I’m totally exhausted and need to get some sleep, but I hope all is well with all the people I know and love in various parts of the world. Спокойной ночи! (Good night!)

3 days before I leave for St. Petersburg...

Well...the first of many blogs! (I hope). I leave in three days. Oh. My. I am beyond nervous. I'm also extremely excited. I have everything I need now; my bags are packed, I have my dictionary(very much needed), the description of my host family is very promising and I will be in DC for my departure orientation on Tuesday. whew. I will be flying out with all the other students in my program. I'm really happy about that. We will be able to get to know each other two days before we leave. Can't wait to meet everyone!
It seems like it has been truly a long journey to get to this point. I've been wanting to spend a significant amount of time in Russia since I started studying the language in 7th grade. I went during my junior year to Moscow for 4 days (I also spent a little bit more than 3 weeks in Ukraine during this Eurasian trip). That was an incredible experience and I've missed Russia ever since.
I guess my nervousness stems from the fact that I will be away from my family and friends for so long. Perhaps it is the fact that I will be attending a Russian university. This is slightly daunting. Not going to lie. All of my classes with be IN Russian. This, I know, is the best way for me to really acquire as much of the language as possible, as well as improving my listening comprehension. I feel prepared, I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be! I have this really strong feeling that I am going to have an amazing experience there :) I'm not sure how much internet access I will have. So there may be few blogs, but I hope I can let you all know what I'm up to and how the time in Russia is going! :) Miss you all already.
'Til the next post...До свидания!