Spring

Although I am still wearing my heavy coat, although I suppose I don’t have to wear a heavy coat, I could just buy a lighter spring jacket, the most noticeable difference is that it is much lighter here, and the snow has melted. But the trees are still bare and the predominant color is brown and not green yet. Today while I was walking home I saw ice floating down the river. I have never seen that phenomenon before, being from Texas, and I really was struck by the way the ice floated by so fast, and how many different types of chunks there were – huge large bits the size of a room, smaller pieces floating just floating on. It was quite majestic, really. I took a video, and I wonder if you can post videos on this site.

I don’t know whether or not I’ve posted photos of some of the famous sites of Petersburg, I guess I could check the archives, but I have some new fresh ones I took when it was a bright day, so here they are for your enjoyment.

Moscow, Orchestra Concert, Moscow again

I went to Moscow with my program CIEE on an excursion and it was really great. It was really good to get away from my host family and my routine in Petersburg. Did some souvenir shopping, saw a lot of museums, did some clothes shopping, and ate good food!



Our hotel was not the nicest in Moscow, but still expensive and okay-nice -the hotel itself was just massive and had 3000 rooms, it had a huge casino, and also strip-shows at night, which my friends and I did NOT attend even though a lady came up to us and gave us flyer and told us to see the "pretty Russian dancing."


I left the group program a day earlier than everybody so I could participate in my orchestra concert. It was much more of an ordeal than I expected. They had hired a brass section to play with our chamber orchestra and we played Strauss, Offenbach, Dostal, and Kalman. They also hired opera singers, who just like solo performers in America, put on ridiculous and distracting dresses. But unlike in America, these dresses looked like they came from a 1970s discount Halloween store for the colorblind. The visions of hot pink flowers oddly placed on a wedding-dress-gone-wrong still dance in my head.

I took my camera, but didn’t manage to photograph during the performance (obviously) or even during the intermission, while the 2 primadonnas were putting on their even more ridiculous costumes. The conductor, nor more drunk than usual, approached me at the end of the show as I was leaving and told me that “these kind of performances in England, or in America, only ‘right here, in Saint Petersburg.’” I wholeheartedly agree. At one point the conductor stopped conducting and started walzing with one of the opera singers! We played to a full house of enthusiastic Russian octogenarians in the Maly Zal of the Filharmonia on Nevsky – Petersburg’s main street. That itself was a treat.



Then I went back to Moscow with Beatrice. Another British girl was going to go with us, but she didn’t have her visa extended in time so she couldn’t go. I tried to persuade Bea to venture out somewhere to the East or to the South, as I was afraid that Moscow wasn’t going to be interesting enough for another 5 days. But she had never been to Moscow, and we had already made reservations in a hostel, and I didn’t really have any sort of concrete plan, so we both agreed that it would be best and safest to just stay in Moscow.

Luckily, I did have enough to see and do in Moscow for another five days. I went to a bunch of the smaller, literary and historical museums that don’t make the top 10 lists of what to see in Moscow, but it was still exciting. The little hostel that my friends and I had discovered last November two weeks after it had opened was sort of disappointing this time around, though – it was completely full of tourists and the staff, while still very friendly and helpful, were just not as full of excitement. The owner did remember me though, said my Russian had greatly improved, and said that my return visit was a great complement to him.

I also visited Sujin, my friend from Hockaday who is studying at Moscow State University. We saw Mamma Mia together – almost completely translated into Russian, including the Abba songs. It was quite a spectacle. They had a live rock orchestra, fancy lighting, great dancing, and a talented, young, lively cast. They gave three encores at the end – something that I have never seen in America – and before they would do the final encore they demanded that all of the audience members get up and dance. I was one of the first ones on my feet I was so into it at that point.

I met some really cool people at the hostel. Beatrice and I were staying in a room with a bunch of Norwegians and Dutch people. The Norwegians, of course, spoke perfect English, and were very surprised by my knowledge (or is it a kind of an obsession) with Norway. I would say that the majority of people I met there, however, were planning on going on the Trans Siberian Railroad and just in Moscow for a few days before taking off. I had no idea that the Trans Siberian Railroad was such a big tourist destination, and have a feeling that those people there are going to be terribly disappointed – 10 days of monotonous scenery in an uncomfortable train and instead of running into interesting people from Siberia running into other British or American tourists.

Host Family Update

I really haven’t gotten along or liked my host family particularly at all. Actually, quite the opposite – they are probably the worst Russians I have ever met. I have put in an official request to move, but it is getting close to the end of the semester and I don’t know if anything is going to work out, because everybody in Russia has a cat and I am allergic, and the host family has already been paid so they would have to switch somebody IN to the homestay for me to be able to leave. It really just takes a lot out of me living in close quarters with people for whom I have no respect.

The reason why I haven’t moved yet is because I’ve been kind of hoping that the situation would improve, or that I would find it in some way work for me. Also, Beatrice, my Welsh housemate, is one of my best friends here and has made the situation much more bearable. But, she is leaving at the beginning of April, so I really hope to get out before then.

Nevertheless, I am in Russian to learn Russian, and am in a homestay to practice it. And since my family ignores me, doesn’t even acknowledge that I have returned after being gone for days, and just fight with each other, and tell me to stay in my room if they have guests, I’m not improving my Russian at all. Unless you count the beginning, when it was interesting for me to actually listen to their stupid, frivolous, bratty fights.

My new brother!!!

If you don't already know, my parents are in the process of adopting Edgars Schuberts, a 12 year old boy from Latvia http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifSimply for Latvia who found us via an e-mail sent to my aunt. I went to visit him last weekend and had a wonderful wonderful time staying with him where he lives at a sort-of foster/children's home.

Highlights:

1. Just sitting and talking to Edgars and playing computer games with him.
2. Going ice skating!
3. Helping him with his homework
4. Seeing Riga with "Big Natasha" - his foster mother. (The name Big natasha is because there is another girl who used to live there before she got adopted to america, and she was little natasha.)
5. Going to 3 Pushkin related events! Russians really just love love love Pushkin. I'll make a blog about it sometime...

Novgorod Part II!!!!!

My favorite things about Novgorod:

1. Its really really beautiful in the snow
2. It feels much safer than St. Petersburg
3. It is older, more historical Russian than the very westernized St. Petersburg
4. Everything in Novgorod is cheaper than in Petersburg!
5. It is cleaner than Petersburg

I had a really good time there in Novgorod, the only thing negative about it was that I was really missing my friends from last semester!! The people this semester are much crazier. Not that the people from last semester WEREN'T crazy...

The photos on this e-mail:

- Looking at historical Novgorod from the bridge
- A few churches in Novgorod. There is a "tradition" of running around the church on the left 3 times in order to secure a good husband. No news yet...
- An old wooden church at the museum of wooden architecture

My new host family

My new apartment is about 85 times nicer than my last apartment. And a few times nicer than my house in Texas. You might think that so much marble would be gaudy, but it really works nicely! I have hardwood floors in my room, and a personal balcony. The balcony really hasn't come in handy though seeing that it is still really cold here.

The location is so wonderful as well. I keep on getting early to places though, because I am used to it taking FOREVER to get places! I can walk to the Ermitazh, walk to the main street, have a wonderful shopping street right next to me, as well as a cafe with free wireless a few streets down. And there is a bus for the international students studying at Smolny that comes about 15 minutes from my house, or I could the 50 cent metro which is 4 minutes away.

The only thing about my new homestay is that my host family doesn't talk to me very much. They have 3 rooms that they constantly rent out to international students, and therefore don't really ever get too involved with them. They are extremely polite though. There is only other international student living here now though, a girl from Wales named Beatrice.

She is very nice, and we eat meals together and talk with each other a lot. So I'm not lonely at all, which I might have been if she wasn't there because my host family doesn't talk to me that much.

Salsa Explosion!!

I made it St. Petersburg despite the snow and ice storm in Dallas, praise be to God. Unfortunately, my luggage did not. So I went to the CIEE orientation sans luggage and borrowed clothes from other students. It is a great way to meet people by the way - "you look like you are about my size, do you mind if i I borrow some pajamas?"

I was actually paid to help out at orientation, which was a pleasant surprise. And I was the only student who got a single. I helped give the Safety talks, and I sufficiently scared the students. My friend from IU Sara Ronald (aka Sofia, Sonya, or Sally) was also there, which was really nice.

My luggage finally arrived on Saturday night. When I opened it up, I noticed a particular scent. It was the scent of salsa. My old host family really liked salsa, so I brought them another jar, which is STILL all over my socks.

Gymnastic mats

You know those mats you used in PE class during elementary and middle school or maybe even high school to do somersaults or stretches?

I am definitely sleeping on one of those.

My bed is actually a pull out couch, with regular cushions and a mattress on it, but over all of that stuff they for some inexplicable reason decided to put one of those mats on it. So high up on my agenda as going to IKEA and buying an extra soft pad to put over it.

Merry Christmas!

I am here safe in London with my family, enjoying a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

I wanted to share with you all some photos:

1.A sunset near my house that I thought was cool but kind of apocalyptic
2.My host sister Polina and her mother
3.Some of the little kids at Dom Miloserdia and I at our St. Nicholas Day Party that I arranged

Getting close to the end!

I can't believe almost the whole semester has passed.

Now I need to study for exams - I have one in every class - and start packing! I have an orchestra concert tomorrow and then all sorts of activities. I'll try to post more pictures soon!

I hope to see all of you when I go home to TX.

Working at Dom Miloserdia

I feel really grateful for the experience to help out at Dom Miloserdia, the "institutionalized foster care" for children who have been taken away from their families due to alcoholism or other bad situations. There are about 50 girls and boys that live there, ranging from age three to age eighteen.

Usually I help the kids with their homework, which I feel odd doing because it is all in Russian and the little nine year olds know Russian better than I do. Sometimes I help the older kids with their English homework.

Two weeks ago, right as soon as I arrived, one of the little girls, Marina, came right up to me and immediately announced that Yulia, this little 7 year old girl that latched on to me especially and wouldn't let me leave and always begged me to come back the next day, "went to the ORPHANAGE because her mom didn't want her any more."

Then Marina started to really latch on to me that day. Also, Marina definitely looks like she could be an Israel. She has the Israel dirty-brown hair, is small for her age, and has brown eyes. I also always thought that Marina seemed to be more mentally stable than the other children, some of whom are clearly psychologically disturbed, but Marina never seemed that way. But one day she pulled up her sleeves and I saw scars that could only be scars of abuse on her arms and I was really sad, because she seems psychologically normal, and looks like she could be my sister! I will have to take pictures of all of the kids and bring them in sometime.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of the children who come to Dom Miloserdia in the first place end up in the orphanage, but all of the children are convinced that any day now they are going to get to go back home to their moms. And their parents are allowed to visit once a week, but most of the time the parents don't show up but the children nevertheless wait and wait around for them and then make excuses for their parents.

Last summer I babysat for these three little girls in Irving, and one of their favorite games was playing doctor, and by far the favorite game for the kids at Dom Miloserdia is playing doctor. Well, actually, there are so many of them that they play "hospital." And when you are playing "hostpital," each one of the patients needs a mother to pat their heads and help them recover. And of course there are the doctors, and they usually just go around giving lots of shots and telling their patients how long they have to live. I, naturally, get asked to be the "mother" to the little kids, but every so often I am the doctor and have to perform surgeries. What is also interesting is that the play set of medical instruments is exactly the same set that I played with with the girls in Irving!

Unfortunately, only three students on our program have been interested in volunteering there, which I think is a real shame, because not is it an excellent opportunity to serve, but the children get so excited and feel important that Americans are visiting them, and I get more language practice spending 30 minutes with them than in my 90 minute lectures at St. Petersburg State University. But, the three of us are putting together a "toys for tots" program for the kids there. We are trying to involve all of the foreign students studying at St. Petersburg State University.

Weather in Petersburg

This winter in St. Petersburg has been ridiculously warm. I mean ridiculously. But I really can't complain though....I am just feeling the global warming and am worried about our planet....

It has been in the late thirties early forties for days.

On Friday I checked the weather in Irving, and it was 12 degrees warmer in St. Petersburg than it was in Irving, Texas!! It is also warmer here in Petersburg right now - Monday afternoon - than it is in Irving.

So, I have not frozen at ALL. And I really haven't seen very much snow either. The hill across from my apartment building is apparently where children go sledding in the winter, and I would really like to go sledding, but there is no snow!

I'm sure I will get my fair share of cold weather next semester though...

Dream of A ridiculous Man

Last Friday night I saw the best play that I have ever seen in my entire life.

It was a special production of Dostoevsky's short story "Dream of a Ridiculous Man," and it didn't take place in a theater.

Two of my friends and I met with the other audience members and the director of the theater at this big building (that was actually a production studio), and then the theater director - a 70 year old babushka who was actually dressed like a gangster with a huge Tommy Hilfiger jacket and black pleather pants - walked us a few blocks to the apartment where the play was staged, in an old St. Petersburg apartment that the theater uses just to show this one play. We walked up the narrow staircase to the fifth floor, where we were greeted by one of the actresses who stayed in character the whole time.

The night was also just like the night in the Dostoevsky story - cold, damp, drizzling, not many people on the streets...it was just perfect...

Stepping into the apartment was stepping into the world of Dostoevsky. There was no electricity - only candles - and all of the things in the apartment were genuine artifacts from the 19th century. The 15 audience members sat down in old rickety chairs along the three walls of the room, and then waited in silence for the play to start. It was essentially a monologue, and it was the best acting I have ever seen. When I showed my host mother the programme afterwards she knew exactly who the actor was and was shocked the I was able to get a ticket to see him because he is that fantastic and well known.

The show lasted about an hour and a half. It was a flawless performance. The main character sometimes got really close to the audience members and looked them straight in the eye. At the beginning of the play, we were expecting for him to walk into the room and start, but he emerged from a large old trunk that was sitting in the corner of the room and just started right off with Dostoevsky's words.

Of course, it was all in Russian, but I had read the English text that day and had little problems understanding it.

After the play, the same actress that sometimes emerged as the landlady of the ridiculous man, still in character - ushered us out of the apartment and then my friends and I walked back to the metro station through the streets of old St. Petersburg, raving about the experience. It was really more of an experience than a play. We were thinking about we could get more students in our program to go see one of those performances. Because we also have the phone number of the director of the theater, and if we get 15 people together we could have a special performance just for us.

But, of course, many of the students didn't go because of the price of the tickets, but actually it was only $16 and I would pay $60 at least to see it again, especially because the Russian "Patrick Stewart" was the actor. I also think students were worried that they would not understand it because it is Dostoevsky and all in Russian...