One Month in Petersburg- My Love and Hate Relationship

Hey!

Well, I have been in St. Petersburg for one month now. And honestly, it is a very surreal feeling. It feels like just last week I was packing my suitcase, then sitting in the Detroit airport thinking "What on earth am I doing?!" Time is moving so fast but it also feels like I've been here forever. My American friends and I have adopted some Russian tendencies, ones that can only be adopted by living in the city for an extended period of time. For example, we all stand very close to each other when we are talking. Russians have no concept of personal space, you should just see the metro stations. And now, we have no concept of personal space. Just as an example.

So, since I have been here for a month, I feel like sharing my impressions of this very strange and yet amazing country. (I must credit David for this idea...so thanks David!)

Love: The little things. To list a few...

1.Every day, my host mother covers my breakfast and dinner with another plate, making each meal a little surprise!
2. Street musicians. Outside of Cherneshevskaya metro station (the station closest to school), there are always two men, one playing the saxophone and one playing the guitar. My favorite part about this duo: both men are blind.
3. Russian weddings. It is tradition for the bride and groom to take pictures by famous monuments around the city on the day of their wedding. So, you can walk through the park and see brides posing by statues (even just by a tree sometimes). The brides usually get really creative with poses. And mind you, this happens at like 11:00am on a Tuesday. Any time, Any where.
4. Mullets everywhere! It's just funny...:)

(That's, unfortunately, all I can think of right now....More to come soon...)

Hate: Russian "rudeness." I put rudeness in quotes because they aren't really rude. They just stare. It was stressed at orientation that America is a nation of smiles. Everyone smiles at someone else walking down the street, smile to say hi, or just smile for fun. That does not happen in Russia. Period. Russians look straight ahead or down or up, or in my case, right at me. With friends, Russians smile and laugh but this sentiment is not the same with strangers. Also, customer service does not exist. Cashiers have refused to sell me a coke, for example, if I hand them a 500 ruble note instead of a smaller bill. Russia is a country that exists on $5 bills. The cashier at the cafe at school even yells something at you for you to get the hint that you can't buy anything because you only have a 500 ruble note. This is very frustrating when the ATM gives you bills that are bigger than 500 rubles. Don't even try to give a cashier a 5000 ruble note. Very, very frustrating.

Love: Russian food. My host mother makes the best food! She does not, however, make traditioal Russian food. I have heard other Americans say that they had fish soup or kasha (like oatmeal, but not really) with butter every day. This is not the case in my house. I usually get some sort of meat, either chicken or pork, and either rice or pasta and some vegetables. Sounds like a typical American meal, doesn't it? Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE bliny! Blinys are Russian pancakes but are more like crepes than pancakes. There is a chain restaurant called Teremok and they are famous for their blinys. You can have blinys with bananas and chocolate, with chicken, with caviar, with ham and cheese, with cherries...Anything you can think of can be in a bliny. My host mother makes meat blinys for breakfast. I cannot describe how delicious they are!
And yes, I have had borstch but only once. It is surprisingly tasty!

Hate: Russian difficulties. Let me explain. Most Americans, or rather English speakers, do not come to Russia. The tourists that do come here stay in the little bubble of "English-land" at the Hotel Europa or the Hotel Astoria and visit only the major touristy places. Once you step out of the box of comfort, you will come to know that Russia is not an easy place. The biggest mistake I ever made was not taking a Russian language course before I came here. The language barrier was and continues to be my main frustration. I had heard people say that very few people speak English in St. Petersburg and this is 100% true. However, by leaving the comfort bubble, the real beauty of the Russian people is exposed. Jarlath says this all the time: "If you wanted to be comfortable, you would have stayed home." I only wish that it were easier for non-Russian speakers to get around.

Not a love or a hate, just a confusion: Women here wear heels every day and they wear them all day. I've seen women walking with 5 inch heels down Nevsky and in the metro and I do not understand how they do it. Russian women are always dressed like they are going to some fabulous club downtown. Always. I don't get it. I do want to get an awesome pair of shoes someday though! :)

Well, I could talk for hours but I think that's enough for today. Just realized that this post mirrors my friend's (the David I speak of all the time) post from two years ago so I guess I agree with what he says. I must also say that as I learn more Russian, my English gets worse. I can't wait to go back next year and see my decline in English grammar as these posts continue. You should hear me talk...it's even worse!

Until next time,
HD

The Week of "Firsts"

Hey!

It's been another busy week in St. Petersburg. I titled this post as The Week of "Firsts" because it has been a week of mentionable firsts. I understand that every week is a week of firsts in a new city...but regardless, more noticeable things have happened over the past few days. Ok, I'm confusing myself. On to my point....

Monday was a very sad day for our program. We were told that one girl, Nicole, had to go back to the States due to family reasons. I had become good friends with Nicole and was even able to celebrate her 21st birthday with her a few weeks ago. So, as a goodbye gift, we took her to the Russian version of an American restaurant (first time eating at an "American" restaurant). It was so over-the-top American that we honestly felt more comfortable eating at a Russian restaurant. But, nevertheless, I was able to enjoy Nicole's company before she went home.

On Wednesday, I went to an English Conversation club with a friend. The club consists of Russians who want to improve their English so they all meet every week and talk about some topic. Some spoke English very well while others are just in the process learning, but most could understand even if they could not speak English very well. I challenge you all to try to explain a word in English using other English words. Not so easy. How do you explain a "Help Wanted Ad" to someone who only knows minimal English? Try it someday. I was able to meet quite a few Russians (obviously) and many of them offered to help me with my Russian if I help them with their English. I call that a great deal!

Thursday was the first time I have ever gone home sick from school...in Russia. I think the combination of 6 hours of sleep and the lack of fiber in my diet has made my body very mad at me. I went home and ate a bottle of tums then took a three hour nap. I guess that was the trick because I am feeling much better now.

The big day of "firsts" was Friday. We all bought tickets earlier in the week for St. Petersburg's hockey team, CKA. First time I have ever paid under $5 for a professional hockey team. And we had decent seats too. Russian hockey is like American hockey, but add to that continuous team chanting, militia men surrounding the other team's fans, and cheerleaders. Ridiculous. Also, there is no checking in Russian hockey. I missed that. CKA has the best record of any team in Russia but their record did not continue last night with a hard loss to the other team (the name as left me). The game was very fun regardless of the score.

Also, as we were heading to the game, I was "almost" pickpocketed. Pickpocketers are known to target tourists (speaking English is a dead give-away) and are just like any other big city. I was standing on the metro, speaking English, carrying my bag on one side. I heard some shouting coming from behind me and when I turned around, I felt a man's hand going into my pocket. Quite incredible since my pocket was zipped. Apparently a nice man sitting on the bench of the metro saw the pickpocketer go into my pocket and then said some not so nice words to him. The funny thing is, the man would have only taken my $3 cell phone. At the next metro stop, the TWO pickpocketers (they usually work in pairs, one distracts you while the other takes your stuff exited the train, but hit the man on the bench before completely exiting. Obviously I thanked the man a few too many times. But, he winked at me (mind you, he was about 30) so I now have a new Russian metro friend. Thus, my "almost" pickpocketing story.

Today a bunch of us went to Peterhof. Unfortunately, we were there for about 10 minutes and then it closed. I will be going back next weekend so I will talk more about it then.

Ps. At the hockey game, everyone was wearing a ridiculous paper helmet. I got one obviously.

Please feel free to write me emails (HAD10@albion.edu) or comment. It's nice to know that I'm not writing to myself :)

Until later,

HD

What a Week!!! :)

Hey!

First of all, I want to apologize for not writing this week. I can say with all honestly that I have just had no time to sit and relax. I am always moving and exploring St. Petersburg! Ok, on to the good stuff...

Last week can be described in one word....Incredible. It has been such a whorlwind. I spent Monday evening shooting off fireworks down the Neva River, which is just a ridiculous thing to do. I even got to cut my friend Elliott's hair..and it looks surprisingly good. I may have found my new calling! (Kidding obviously). On Tuesday, I went with Elliott to a German girl's birthday party. There were 3 Germans, 2 Austrians, 3 Koreans, a girl from Finland, and a girl from Oman, and us, the two Americans. We were our own little UN party! (I was the only one there who didn't speak 2 or more languages...I'm working on that though)...

We had an excursion to the Peter and Paul Fortress on Friday. What an awesome place! The Fortress was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and became the nucleus of the capital of the Russian Empire. The Fortress served as a political prison (Trotsky was imprisoned here!) from 1718 until 1921 as well as a military fortress, but was never used as such. The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul and the Grand Ducal Burial Chapel. If only I brought my camera! The Cathedral serves as the burial ground for Russia's early Emperors and many members of the Imperial Romanov Family including the last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family and servants who were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918. Nicholas II may be my favorite person of Russia's history so obviously I was in awe of his final burial place. I can't describe how amazing it was to be there. I will definitely go back soon and take more pictures than anyone should. :)

Our ground spent this weekend in one of Russia's most historical cities, Novgorod. The city was established in 862 and served as a major trading route throughout from the Baltics to Byzantium in the 10th century. The churches in this city are spectular! The religious icons have been restored since their creation in the 12th century but many are still intact. There was so much information given to me over the past two days that it is almost impossible to remember it all. I encourge you all to research Novgorod and its amazing history! A highlight of the trip was running around a specific church (the name as left me) 3 times in order to bring good luck in one's marriage. Although I looked like a fool, I ran around the church! Mind you, I was laughing the entire time. The city has so much to offer and I only wish I could explain it more.

This week in Russia has been amazing. I am in a constant state of not understanding and can barely communicate with the Russians but I am having a fabulous time. While in Novgorod I was thinking about how much I miss being in Petersburg. It has become my "home." I am in a constant state of laughter. I just have so much more to do here! I can't wait to see what this next week brings!

Until next time (which will not be a week away like last time),

HD

Pavlovsk

Hey!

Today we had an excursion to Pavlovsk, the residence of Paul I and his wife, Maria Feodorovna. Paul I was the son of Catherine the Great and although they had a tension-filled relationship, Catherine gave her son almost 1500 acres of land near the Slavyanskaya River for his personal palace. The Palace is surrounded by one of the largest landscaped gardens in the world and luckily for us, it was a beautiful day! We were given the entire day to explore Pavlovsk Park and tour the Palace. The Palace was somewhat destroyed during World War II but extensive restoration has been done to recreate the original design. I would have loved to take pictures inside the palace but was not able to. I think the best part of St. Petersburg is that these palaces from the 18th and 19th centuries are still a part of St. Petersburg culture. The metropolis is growing around but the palaces and museum are a constant reminder of the past. St. Petersburg has over 100 museum and countless palaces...making it impossible to visit them all in only 4 months!

I have been in Russia for almost two weeks now and already, I'm getting used to the routine of daily life. School has been great! My Russian is even getting a little better (Not much better, but I improve every day). It's been a little colder this week, almost teasing us for what is to come this winter. My host family is still great and they continue to help me with my Russian.

This was my first weekend to really enjoy and explore the nightlife of St. Petersburg. My friend Nicole turned 21 on Friday and therefore, it was only necessary to celebrate in the most American way possible. We all ate fries and cheeseburgers at Carl's Jr and all talked about how much we love America. The Russians sitting around us probably thought we were a bunch of crazy patriots! We met two other boys who are studying in St. Petersburg, one from Oregon and the other from Australia :). Those of us who live on "the island" (Vasilevsky Island) met my housemates at a restaurant and we spent the rest of the night enjoying each other's company, which is always fun. Saturday was completely different. I met Matt (Australia boy) at McDonalds and we met a group of people downtown because we wanted to go this club in the north of the city. This, however, did not happen. Instead, we all get lost! We eventually found the club 2 hours later but decided that 200 rubles ($6) cover charge was not worth it. Plus, the metro closes at midnight and after my first gypsy cab experience, I was not going to take one again. So, my Saturday was spent walking aimlessly around St. Petersburg at night. But, the company was still amazing.

Today is my first day of relaxation! I still have no plans and it feels wonderful. Next weekend is our trip to Novgorod, so I'm looking forward to that. Hope all is well in the states :)

Until next time,

HD

Smolny and the Hermitage

Hey!

Well luckily, my frustrations have passed for the most part. The language barrier is still a huge issue but I am learning and understanding more and more each day. I can now navigate through the St. Petersburg metro station with ease and although I believed that getting around would be difficult, it is actually very easy. Every day I travel down (to quote David Nelson) the "STEEP STEEP vomit-inducing escalators in the metro" and have only 2 stops and one change to Smolny Cathedral, where all of my classes are held. Today I was even lucky enough to catch the free bus to Smolny from the metro station because I didn't get lost!

Smolny Cathedral looks and feels like the Russian Hogwarts..although I understand that it is not a castle. The classrooms are really small and we all sit very close to each other but the environment is mysterious and enchanting. I have 4 classes: Russian history, Russian civilization, Ethnic studies, and then Russian language (3 hours a day!) They are great so far...and extremely easy compared to my classes at Albion. They do not give us much homework, allowing us to explore the city in the afternoon. I wish Albion could adopt this too :)

Today we got to go to what is probably my favorite thing in St. Petersburg...the Hermitage! I'm not sure how many pieces of art this museum has but if you spent 1 minute at each painting, it would take you 7 years to see everything. The collection of buildings include the Winter and Summer Palaces of the Tsars, the Hermitage theatre, and the Winter Palace of Peter I. Remember the movie Anastasia? Although that movie is beyond historically inaccurate, I felt like I was living in the movie! It was so fantastic! The beauty of the building was even distracting me from the art collections! We have to visit three more times but I'm sure I will be there more than that. I can't really put into words how absolutely amazing it is. I will try to take pictures next time.

I came home after an amazing afternoon in the Hermitage to the greatest surprise ever...two American boys who are also living in my homestay until December! And of course, they are both very cute. God must be looking out for me ;)

Until next time,
HD