Pride and Prejudice

Due to lack of I-pod and presence of hour-and-15 minute commute each way to school, I decided to buy Pride and Prejudice in Russian and read it on the subway. I am surprised at how well I understand it!

I wanted to read a real Russian novel, but I am not extremely familiar with any one Russian text, and I AM extremely familiar with Jane Austen.

Fall in Petersburg

Fall has come to Petersburg.

The leaves are falling, and it is very foggy in the morning - so foggy that I can't see the ground from my window.

Tomorrow if the weather is nice I am going to go on a photo expedition and attempt to capture the essence of Petersburg in the fall.

Ivan the Terrible's revenge (?)

I don't know if it was because I've been brushing my teeth with tap water or just what, but like the elevator in my building, my digestive system just decided to stop working on Monday. It was not so much fun. I am feeling completely better now, and the elevator in my building works now too! It isn't walking down 12 flights of steps that is the problem, it is just walking UP them. Needless to say, I don't need a gym membership.

(Funny) Russian joke

So, a Russian and an American are walking down the street, discussing politics and life. The American accidentally steps right into a huge hole that is on the side of the street. When he gets out, he is yelling "What does this country doing? Why isn't there any signs of precauthion or orange cones or red tape, because that is really dangerous! In America this would never happen."

The Russian replied, "When you came to Russia, weren't there all of those precautions and red tape and signs, you know at customs?"

Updates and plans and free wifi

All of my classes are going really well. Today I was zoning out though, and when you zone out and they are speaking another language you REALLY zone out.

Yesterday was the Russian MTV music awards. I could hear the 12,000 people shouting and cheering from my room, THAT'S HOW CLOSE I WAS!!!!! I could also see all of the "celebrities" walking out of their limos, but they are all russian so I don't know who they are so I didn't bother.

I found a really cool place with free wifi that is NOT catered to Americans. It is so cheap and so good! On Wednesday when I went I got a hame and cheese crepe, a fruit salad with fresh fruit, a piece of cake, and hot tea for less than $5 US dollars.

Tomorrow I go to Peterhof, should be exciting! That is where the czars had their summer palaces.

Pretty photo of me

Me at Peterhof

Khachipuri, (aka, the reason why I get up in the morning)

A dish from Georgia (the country not the state), made by street vendors, costs about 50 cents!

Contents:
- Croissant-like large pastry filled with delicious cheese
- Many calories

Piping hot deliciousness that warms your soul! I went to Peterhof on Friday, and at the train station they were selling it, and it was so delicious that a group of 10 of us on Monday went on a quest, a MISSION to find khachipuri.

Super Nacho!

I’m sure just as bad in English, if not worse, than it was in Russian. Almost better just to do homework and save your rubles! My Russian groupies and I tried to see “Super Nacho” (aka Nacho Libre) in Russian but it wasn’t playing at a convenient time…

Things Russians always carry with them in Petersburg

1. Umbrella (because it starts raining out of the blue in Russia)
2. Sunglasses (because after it finishes raining it might get really really sunny)
3. Plastic bag (for sitting on a bench if the bench is dirty, or for carrying things in)
4. Bottle opener (they like their alcoholic “napitki” here!)
5. Flashlight (in case some idiot takes the lightbulb from the foyer of your building)

(Slightly) racist joke 'o the day

So, a Georgian (like the country) walks into a movie theater and sits down on a chair. “Ouch!” he screams, as he has sat on a tack and it is piercing his flesh, and pulls out his dagger and starts stabbing those around him.

A Jew walks into the same movie theater and sits down on a chair too! He quickly jumps up startled when he realizes that he sat on the tack, examines the seat carefully, picks up the tack, cleans it off, and puts it in his pocket.

Then, a Russian walks into the movie theater and sits down on the chair. “Ouch! God that hurts” the Russian exclaims as the tack is causing him much pain and misery. “Another thing I have to deal with today, I guess,” the Russian thinks as remains seated.


This joke was told to us to help explain Russian culture, and if you think about the Soviets and life and Russia, it is pretty “accurate” as far as the Russian is concerned at least.

I was on Russian TV

In Novgorod, I was listening to/watching a bell festival; once a year they bring professional musicians in from all over Russia to play the big huge bells in Novgorod’s St. Sophia’s belfry. It was really a big deal, and there was a TV crew there and they interviewed me!

Questions I was asked:

- Are you enjoying this concert?
- What do you like about it?
- Where are you from (by this point they realized I clearly wasn’t Russian…)?
- Do you plan on coming back next year?
- What is your name?

That was pretty much it! I didn’t watch TV that night to see myself, because that would have been terrifying.

Novgorod (informational update

Novgorod is a BEAUTIFUL ancient city, it was the capital of Russia before Moscow was, so all of the buildings date from the 11th century. And the architecture is really distinct, and it just has a slower pace of life than St. Petersburg. We stayed at a really nice hotel with marble staircases and excellent food and service, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time. I think I am going to go back, it is only a 3 hour train ride from Petersburg, and a round-trip ticket costs less than $5.

Toilet

I roomed with Lena, this super cool 23-year-old from St. Petersburg (she now lives in America and attends Penn State and decided to go abroad for a semester to Petersburg to hang out with her friends), and our toilet was in the middle of the bathroom! Since doing homework today is not happening, I also made a handy dandy diagram. :)

Me and Missy Elliot

So, Missy Elliot is hosting the MTV Russia Music awards, and she is coming right to my house, practically. Here’s a handy diagram:

I am not liking this situation; I feel that Missy Elliot is infringing on my personal space, and I don’t want sketchy Missy Elliot stalkers coming into my field. It is sketchy enough without her!!!

Oy oy oy oy oy oy!

Uses of the Russian word “oy”

Oy oy oy oy oy! (sad as fast as possible, in a high range). Translation: This is my metro stop! Move out of my way or I won’t be able to get out.

Oy. (Said at a regular speed in a lower register). Translation: Wow.

Oy. (Said at a faster speed in a swooping up). Oops. I just dropped all of the contents of my purse onto the floor.

Oy? Translation: What? I didn’t quite catch that but if you said what I think you said it would be odd…(always accompanied with a confused look)

Oy. (Sad slowly, preferably with your head nodding in the “no” horizontal fashion). That’s terrible.

Getting down to the (Under)wire

I finally managed to do laundry on Friday, right before my trip to Novgorod (more details to come...+photos) and I did it

ALL

BY

HAND.

It was really an experience. Didn't know what I was doing, did a lot of random squishing of the clothes and stirring of the clothes. They seem clean now!

Ryazhinka

So this morning instead of my usual yogurt for breakfast, I had "ryazhinka," which is pretty much buttermilk, but less fatty and thicker. It was definitely an unusual experience.

I also went to this "black market" yesterday and bought clothes cheaply. It was probably all stolen.

Extracurricular activities

Hello!

I am writing a short entry because the school's lab closes in 4 minutes.

I'm still having a good time, although today I was really tired. I had Russian choir this afternoon, and I am going in 15 minutes to volunteer at a kindergarten!

I am trying to play violin with the university orchestra, but I need to somehow rent a violin first.

It is cold in Russia! I need to buy a coat today. I'm on Nevsky right now in a different internet cafe (I like this one better) and pondering where to buy it. Because in Petersburg everything either seems really sketchy, or everything is really expensive.

I learned the importance of phonetics last night; I told my host mother that I was going to the circus (sirk) instead of the church (tsirk). I only realized that she didn't understand me when she started asking about the lions and tigers!

Differences between Russia and America

- They always have a toilet in its own little room and the sink and tub in another

- Rarely rarely rarely does a family consist of a husband a wife and their kids

- All of the women carry a smill purse and then other items in a nice plastic bag, like one you would receive at a clothing store.

- Everybody carries an umbrella with them always

- There is no "Mr." or "Mrs." - - to address somebody formally you call them by their first name and patronymic (a pseudo-last name)

- Instead of having big stores with everything they have little stores for each general product

- There is no sense of personal space

- The only visual image I could come up with to explain just how tightly people cram into the metro is a vacuum sealed bag of coffee beans.

- Sidewalks are just sometimes nonexistent.

- And MOST IMPORTANTLY - - - cars never stop for pedestrians!

Life in the City

Hello all!

I am sorry I haven't updated my blog in a while, I still don't know where the closest internet cafe is, so now I'm on Nevsky prospekt (St. Petersburg's main street) and using a really big hip one.

I really like the family I'm living with; I am living with a mother (Galina Fedorovna) and her daughter Polina. Polina is 20 years old and she is studying Philology at St. Petersburg state university. She speaks English perfectly! Galina Fedorovna is a very very good cook. She makes really good borsch and pirogi. And most importantly, they are very patient with me!

The only bad thing is that I live really far away from the university, so it takes me an hour and 15 minutes door to door, and I can't really study on the metro because I have to make 2 transfers and the metro is just so crowded!

I really like my classes at the university; the university building is so beautiful and all of my teachers are excellent. I'm taking Russian literature, Russian civilization, Russian grammar, phonetics, and conversation. I am in a more advanced group so I have tons of homework already though!

Right now it is raining a lot in St. Petersburg. So today I went shopping and then found this internet cafe! Tomorrow if it is still raining I will go to the Ermitazh.