My Love for Tallinn, Estonia

Hello!

Well, if the title weren't too obvious, I spent this past weekend in Tallinn, Estonia, 8 hours away from St. Petersburg. Most people don't know a whole lot about Estonia let alone where it is located on a map. It's almost comparable to Suriname. Who knows anything about these tiny, tiny countries?! Well, you should know about them because they are absolutely beautiful!

Estonia is located on the Baltic Sea (hence why it is called one of the Baltic States with Latvia and Lithuania) and although the country had been occupied by Germans, Swedes, and Russians (part of the USSR) for its entire history, it is now an independent nation. Tallinn, the capital, is the biggest city in the country and the most preserved and protected medievel city in all of Europe. Old Town Tallinn is just gorgeous. It reminded me a little of the town square in Poland but because Tallinn was smaller (and I came from Russia), it was almost like a fairy-tale! And...wait for it...people there are so friendly and most importantly, most speak English!

We arrived in Tallinn around 3pm on Friday and were served the most delicious lunch. It was the first time in the past 2 months where I have actually been full! Then, we set out on a walking tour of the city, specifically the Old Town. Even the gloomy weather couldn't spoil the beauty of the city. (It is times like these when I wish I was a better writer...but I will try). The city is both medieval and modern but the medieval persona certainly overpowers the modern. The streets are narrow and filled with souvenir shops of traditional Estonian handicrafts, mainly wool mittens and marzipan figurines. We spent a few hours walking around and then returned to the hotel; Emily, my wonderful roomie, wasn't feeling very well so we just stayed in the hotel after eating dinner. We had to get some sleep before our busy day!

On Saturday, we spent the morning on a bus tour of the city. With every moment, I fell more and more in love with Tallinn and the Estonian people. Our tour guide was the cutest little lady and it was obvious that she was very proud of her country despite its rather sad history. In Ethnic Studies a few weeks ago, we learned about the Estonian Singing Revolution of 1991, where the Estonian people gathered and as you can guess, sang for their revolution from the Soviet Union. I just love when you learn about something and then you get to see where it happened! We had a quick stop at the Song Festival Grounds and then headed towards my favorite part of the tour, the coast of the Baltic Sea! I can say that I've never been standing on a beach in my winter coat but I did it on Saturday. It was too beautiful for words.

After our tour, we had the afternoon to explore. A few friends and I wanted to get something to eat. We found a small restaurant right on the town square called Olde Hansa. What a fabulous place! We all enjoyed a honey beer and soup (Andy got to eat bear meat sausages!) and tried to breathe in the atmosphere of medieval Tallinn. Afterwards, we walked around Old Town and just had to go into every souvenir shop because they were simply the most adorable things you have ever seen. It was honestly so nice to see people smiling and speaking English...the perfect vacation from Petersburg. In the evening, a small group of us walked around the old town again, looking at the city at night before settling in a cafe for some treats (Lemon beer for me!)

In the morning, we quickly packed our things and unfortunately, we had to leave Tallinn. We drove to the border city of Russia and Estonia, Narva, and did a tour of the Narva castle after eating a filling lunch. After our short tour of the castle, we were told to go back on the bus because we needed to get through Russian customs and get to Petersburg before the metro closes (at midnight). Little did we know that we would sit on the bus for 5 hours at the Estonian border. By the time we went through customs, the thought of catching the metro was completely ridiculous. I was more worried about the darn bridges going up and being trapped from my island. Luckily, we made it home! We even got to watch movies in English on the bus! A great end to sitting on a bus for so long!

I was almost sad to leave Estonia because I knew that leaving would mean going back to a world of the Russian language. This past week has been a small hurdle in regard to my language comprehension and a small break from it was just what I needed. My frustration started on Wednesday when the water in my house just decided to not work. After bathing in the river in Suriname, I just need to shower. When I see one and I can't use it, it is just frustrating. My friend Allison was nice enough to let me use hers and I can't thank her enough. I don't really know why such a little thing bothered me so much. Then, all of the instructions for the weekend were in Russian and I couldn't understand most of it. But, nevertheless, now I have water in my house and I can speak English with my friends. Everything is good again. I am very excited to go to Moscow in two weeks...and then Scotland for travel week!

Until later,

HD

Snow in St. Petersburg

Hello!
Well, it has been another quiet week in St. Petersburg. And, on Friday, we saw the first snow fall of the year. Mind you, it snowed for about 5 minutes but nevertheless, it snowed. My history teacher said that there has only been 4 or 5 years since he was born where he hasn't seen snow before October 14. This year, the supposed coldest winter in Russia in 1000 years, snow fall by October 14 was only one day off.

Since I've been in St. Petersburg for almost 8 weeks now, I guess this is a good time to tell you all about my wonderful host family. I live on Line 3 of Vasileoevsky Island, just on the outer edge of the city center (2 blocks away from the metro station!). My host mother, Elena Ivanovna, is (I've gathered) a social worker/teacher at the nearby school. She is so patient with me and my lack of Russian skills. We can now converse in Russian but she can write and understand English. If I don't understand what she says, I luckily have 2 nice American boys who can translate for me, something that no one else has in the CIEE program. I have 2 host sisters, although I've only met one. The other, Ilona, is teaching English in China so I doubt that I will meet her. The younger sister, Irina, attends St. Petersburg State University as well and since she is an English major, her English is perfect. We can now converse in both Russian and in English. (Side note: When you come to a country and you don't know the language, being able to converse and understand what someone is saying is honestly the greatest feeling). So, I even surprise myself sometimes because I can converse with someone. I don't know much about Elena Ivanovna or Irina, which is unfortunate. I know even less about my host father, Yuri. I don't see him very often and I do not know what he does for a living. Irina mentioned something about him being a professor but Matt (my housemate) said that he was a merchant marine. The only thing we say to each other is "Good Morning" and "Good Evening." He once told me that it is going to be very cold from now on in the city. Yep, that's the extent of my relationship with him. I know that I am very lucky in my host family. My friend Emily tells me that her host mother scolds her and tells her when to go to sleep (and we thought that her mother put a car battery on the washing machine to shock her...not true, obviously). I have never had any problems in my house and they are very sweet to me. I do wish sometimes that we could have deeper conversations but we just do what we can.

So, apart from a very quiet week (and a not so quiet weekend), I went to the ballet on Thursday to see "Romeo and Juliet." Yes, yes, of course I had to go to the Russian ballet. The show was just amazing. The three of us who went had our own little "opera box" and although we couldn't see the death scene, I can't complain too much since I paid very little for the tickets. The music was the greastest thing...there was even one point during the show when I said to myself that I should probably watch the dancing rather than the orchestra. Everything was just so beautiful. I also bought tickets to see an opera later in November so I am definitely looking forward to that.

We are in Tallinn, Estonia next weekend and I am super excited for that! Check back next weekend for more pictures! :)

Until next time,
HD

An Afternoon with the Tsars...and dinner with Cubans.

Hello!

Well, it has been a pretty quiet week here in St. Petersburg...well, for me anyway. I am getting used to walking to the metro to the Cherneshevskaya metro station every morning and walking the 30 minutes to Smolny Cathedral for classes. My classes are not difficult at all...much different from classes back in the States. My favorite classes are my history class and my ethnic studies class, taught by everyone's favorite teacher, Leonid. He told us that he was once in the Soviet army occupying Poland. His English is perfect so we always ask him questions about growing up in Leningrad (he's only about 40 years old) and he always says "Well, it was our life." It's interesting to hear the conflicting views of our teachers and host families. My civilization teacher hated the Soviet Union while others just dealt with it because that was the only life they knew. Just fascinating stuff!

On Monday, the St. Petersburg hockey team, CKA, played the Carolina Hurricanes here in Petersburg. The tickets were 2000 roubles (about $60) and thus, a group of us just went to a restaurant to watch the game on TV. The Russians killed the Americans. No surprise there.

Every weekend, most of the student age people (between 20 and 30) head to Dumskaya street, which is just a line of bars and clubs. I have been here a few times but sometimes, it's just nice to do something different. I had asked a Russian friend here where she would go and she pointed us in the direction of Rubensteina street, near the main Nevsky Prospect. We had a restaurant in mind, "O! Cuba," because Katya highly recommended the food. We quickly realized that this may be the greatest restaurant in Petersburg. The wait staff asked us if it was our first time to the restaurant and since it was, they brought us all free drinks. Then, we inhaled two plates of chicken quesadillas and fajitas (without the tortillas) in a place where the walls were covered with pictures of Fidel Castro and Che (not Cuban...) and Cuban cigar smoke lingered. Words cannot describe how great it was to taste that kind of food (When my friends and I talk about what we miss from home, 95% of it is food). It was just fabulous!

The next day, we had a group excursion to Tsarskoe Selo, meaning Tsar's village. What a beautiful place! The palace was built for Catherine I, Peter the Great's wife but his daugther, Elizabeth is largely responsible for the building project. The palace has served as the residence of the Imperial family (like the Winter Palace) and served as a site for hosting visiting nobility. The palace holds the infamous Amber Room (where I covertly took a picture) and is surrounded by a glorious park. The day was the most beautiful fall day, where all of the leaves were yellow and orange. I haven't decided yet if I like fall in the States or in Russia more. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Otherwise, it has been a pretty quiet weekend. I am going out with some friends later (my friend Andy was mugged yesterday so we are just spending the day with him) and then I will probably just stay in tonight. I am looking forward to go to Tallinn, Estonia in a few weeks, then Moscow, then Russian travel week to Edinburgh, Scotland where my mom and sister are meeting me. So much to look forward to! :)

Until later,

HD

The Hardest Part about Being Away...is Actually Being Away.

Hello,

This week has been a very rough week for me. On Monday morning, I received news that my Delta Gamma sister and friend, Emily Lloyd, passed away the night before. I'm still in shock about the whole situation and I have been living in an almost daze for the entire week. Unfortunately, Emily was not the first sister that we have lost in the past year and the reality of losing both Kim and Emily has been hard for everyone to bear. It seems as if something terrible always happens when I am out of the country: First, with Hari Mankani dying when I was in Japan, and now Emily. The hardest part of being here is that I am not there to be with my sisters. I want so badly to be there for all of you and that I love you all so much. I am thinking of you always. <3 and itb.

Aside from my daze, I have been doing things this week to get my mind off of the situation. On Monday night, after my friends here had heard, a small group took me for cheesecake and hot chocolate at a local cafe. Have I mentioned that I am here with the greatest group of people? If I haven't mentioned it before, I'm all for mentioning it again. My friend Andy's twin brother, Eric, was here this week so we decided to be tourists for the week after that. On Wednesday, we all went to a Georgian restaurant (the food is beyond delicious) and then we took a boat tour down the Neva River and along the canals of the city. Although it is getting a lot colder here, we were all snuggled in blankets as we learned more about this great city. Mind you, the tour was in Russian so I didn't understand much anyway :). Thursday night was spent at another CKA hockey game and luckily for us, they won this time. On Friday, we all decided to get dressed up and do the same thing we do every weekend, but this time, we would just look our best! It was certainly worth it...except I was freezing all night! And, every night, the two bridges going to Vasileovsky Island go up in order to let ships pass along the river. This is incredibly inconveient for those of us who live on this island. So, you either go home very early (like around midnight), you catch the short window of time between 2:45am and 3am, or you just stay put. We arrived at the bridge last night right as it was going up, meaning we watched our only way home pass before our eyes....great way to end the evening!

So, everything is becoming pretty normal here in Petersburg. It keeps getting colder and colder every day. Today I went to the Hermitage (no big deal) and walked around for a few hours. I absolutely love the days when I can just grab my camera and my Ipod and walk. There's always something different to see.

Well, until next time,

HD

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