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