Nov 18
Why hello there! SO as Nina pointed out today while I was eating dinner, I only have 25 days left here!! It was really sad! She was like, so do you want to go home? You only have 25 days left! And I was like NO!! And she got all happy and was like it's terrible you have such short time left! And she gave me a hug and kept saying so terrible, such short time. Then I asked her if she knew what student she will have next semester and she said not until January, and that if I want I can come back. It was so cute. I'm going to miss her a lot. But it was just a weird moment in general. My life here seems so fake! But I mean, I feel like I am completely happy and never once felt like it was strange that I was in a different country where I could barely communicate, living with a grandma that makes me food and is someone I don't even really know, yet cares about me so much. And just the fact that I have a completely new group of friends here that I never would have met/ even if I did may not have been friends with under different circumstances.
It's just so weird to me; it feels like being on one of the those Real World shows where they just throw a bunch of people together and they are forced to become friends. And it's so funny too because we all know the same people (well I mean plus the random people we have met) but we all have the exact same contacts. It's like ok, instant brand new life with a instant brand new group of friends. But it's so strange how you can become such good friends with people under any circumstances; I know for sure at least some of these people I will definitely see again. And we all went through such an intense experience together that many people will never have the chance to have. It's not just that we all have a random love of Russian in common, but also the experience of coming to Russia and trying to get around and adapt. But it feels just like a fake little part of my life, or a vacation from my life that I don't want to end yet. Don't get me wrong though; being here is not just an easy vacation, especially with class that I feel like I can't just slack off and not do hw with ;p. It's just that almost every day is some kind of crazy adventure, and even things that are normally simple such as asking for help in a store or trying to find somewhere is so much more challenging yet fulfilling when you successfully get your point across. It's fun to watch any tv show, or to read any advertisement or anything because it is so exciting to be able to understand what it says, or at least to try to figure out what it's about.
I can't believe that nothing here got old; I still find the transliterations from Russian to English hilarious, I still find the Russians trying to speak English absolutely fascinating (how they directly translate and use the Russian constructions of sentences)/freakin hilarious when they say adorable strange versions of what they are trying to say, I still read all the signs and advertisements and just anything Cyrillic I see. Ah I'm just not ready to leave yet; I still feel like I just got here, and aside from knowing my way around a lot better, still act like it! Although when I get back, I will be very glad to have free water at restaurants again, toilet paper provided in the bathrooms, and legit salad. I also miss Mac and Cheese and mexican food, but I have found things that get me by to the point where I haven't died yet haha.
Well, I guess I need to stop being so sentimental randomly (thanks Nina) and do my freakin hw. I originally got on because I was starting to plan my post-Russia plans of traveling. I am going to book a hostel in London tomorrow for I think 3 days, and then I'm going to visit Kelly's friend in Ireland for a few days before hitting up Germany! From there I don't know, but at least I have some plan started haha.
Well, Пока! до завтра!! (or whenever, yeah right tomorrow)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
HOWDY
Nov 11!!!
Why hello there! Sadly, I am leaving lovely Roccia in… one month and 2 days. DEPRESSING!!! But actually I am really excited to go back and see you all… and my baby Xeen!!!
SO I pretty much haven’t written in a month, and obviously a lot has happened. Including a trip to St. Petersburg!!! Petersburg was awesome, but it was way too short and I definitely didn’t get to see as much as I would have liked. But it still was a needed break from classes and such. And we did get to see the Hermitage!!! I have a bunch of pictures, I guess that I will be putting up when I get back since I have serious issues with internet everywhere here when it comes to uploading, but it is so awesome! My camera died like halfway through being there ( I was there for about 5 hours, although I will admit I was lost from the group/tour guide for a bit…) but I will just take other people’s pictures that they have posted.
*Ok quick interlude: I’m currently watching The Master and Margarita on tv and if you have read that book you know that Behemoth is a large black cat…and he is pretty much hilarious in this movie. Go watch it. If you understand Russian.
We also saw the Peter and Paul fortress with the church that had the graves of Peter the Great and Catherine and other tsars, and all the Romanov graves INCLUDING Anastasias… since that is just a myth that she wasn’t found. I think it’s a fake gravestone thing. But we also saw the Peter the Great statue, the Church of Christ the Savior on Spilled Blood, Winter Palace (obviously), and many other things just from the outside/walking around/ bus tour on the first day. We also ate at the Idiot (like Dostoevsky’s novel) which had pretty much the most hilarious translation of it into English I’ve that I’ve seen of any translation into English here. And I’ve seen some pretty good ones. Kelly’s friend from Ireland was on the trip with us, and her and I bought these huge poofy black hats with the ear flaps and everything and a soviet symbol pin on the front. We got some nasty/hilarious looks wearing them, besides the fact that we looked all around special needs wearing them. And couldn’t see because they were too big. Mine is a gift though, and I also got a few other things there for people. It was really rainy, and snowed for the first time while we were there. When we got back to Moscow it was snowing too, and there was snow for a few days!! Now it is randomly warm again and just rains and gets my boots really muddy. Poo!
But anyway the train to Petersburg was a bunch of small compartment rooms with 4 beds; I was with Kelly, Anya, and Adriana. So basically it was pretty sweet. No one really slept on the way there because we were too excited and it felt like a giant sleepover or something. While we were in Petersburg, we stayed in a hostel and were served the same exact breakfast every day (a hard boiled egg, some bread and a piece of cheese, tasteless cereal and really…poor quality instant coffee) BUT there was an awesome grandfather breakfast there who would happily seat us and make us eat and he totally made breakfast worth it. He was so cute and awesome, I went everyday because he knew if you didn’t go and it made him sad.
We also became regulars at this really good and cheap café that was like a foot away from the hostel, and had a table and everything. I loved where we were situated (HA!) in Petersburg because it wasn’t in the middle of nowhere like where we live in Moscow, it was actually around Nevsky prospect which is a really famous street and a lot of sights and Idk. It was just so pretty and not ghetto and pretty much awesome. I liked Petersburg, but I am glad I’m in Moscow. Petersburg had bridges and canals and lots of cobblestone and statues and was really beautiful, but it just looked sooooo European! I mean it is meant to be the ‘window to Europe’ but still. I came to Russia to be surrounded by Russian culture. Petersburg was more like a European touristy city. But I definitely still wish I could have been there at least a full week.
K I’m really sorry but it’s already late and I really need to do hw, but I will TRY to write more. We are going to a hockey game tomorrow and a museum Sunday so that should be something to write about!
Until next time!
Why hello there! Sadly, I am leaving lovely Roccia in… one month and 2 days. DEPRESSING!!! But actually I am really excited to go back and see you all… and my baby Xeen!!!
SO I pretty much haven’t written in a month, and obviously a lot has happened. Including a trip to St. Petersburg!!! Petersburg was awesome, but it was way too short and I definitely didn’t get to see as much as I would have liked. But it still was a needed break from classes and such. And we did get to see the Hermitage!!! I have a bunch of pictures, I guess that I will be putting up when I get back since I have serious issues with internet everywhere here when it comes to uploading, but it is so awesome! My camera died like halfway through being there ( I was there for about 5 hours, although I will admit I was lost from the group/tour guide for a bit…) but I will just take other people’s pictures that they have posted.
*Ok quick interlude: I’m currently watching The Master and Margarita on tv and if you have read that book you know that Behemoth is a large black cat…and he is pretty much hilarious in this movie. Go watch it. If you understand Russian.
We also saw the Peter and Paul fortress with the church that had the graves of Peter the Great and Catherine and other tsars, and all the Romanov graves INCLUDING Anastasias… since that is just a myth that she wasn’t found. I think it’s a fake gravestone thing. But we also saw the Peter the Great statue, the Church of Christ the Savior on Spilled Blood, Winter Palace (obviously), and many other things just from the outside/walking around/ bus tour on the first day. We also ate at the Idiot (like Dostoevsky’s novel) which had pretty much the most hilarious translation of it into English I’ve that I’ve seen of any translation into English here. And I’ve seen some pretty good ones. Kelly’s friend from Ireland was on the trip with us, and her and I bought these huge poofy black hats with the ear flaps and everything and a soviet symbol pin on the front. We got some nasty/hilarious looks wearing them, besides the fact that we looked all around special needs wearing them. And couldn’t see because they were too big. Mine is a gift though, and I also got a few other things there for people. It was really rainy, and snowed for the first time while we were there. When we got back to Moscow it was snowing too, and there was snow for a few days!! Now it is randomly warm again and just rains and gets my boots really muddy. Poo!
But anyway the train to Petersburg was a bunch of small compartment rooms with 4 beds; I was with Kelly, Anya, and Adriana. So basically it was pretty sweet. No one really slept on the way there because we were too excited and it felt like a giant sleepover or something. While we were in Petersburg, we stayed in a hostel and were served the same exact breakfast every day (a hard boiled egg, some bread and a piece of cheese, tasteless cereal and really…poor quality instant coffee) BUT there was an awesome grandfather breakfast there who would happily seat us and make us eat and he totally made breakfast worth it. He was so cute and awesome, I went everyday because he knew if you didn’t go and it made him sad.
We also became regulars at this really good and cheap café that was like a foot away from the hostel, and had a table and everything. I loved where we were situated (HA!) in Petersburg because it wasn’t in the middle of nowhere like where we live in Moscow, it was actually around Nevsky prospect which is a really famous street and a lot of sights and Idk. It was just so pretty and not ghetto and pretty much awesome. I liked Petersburg, but I am glad I’m in Moscow. Petersburg had bridges and canals and lots of cobblestone and statues and was really beautiful, but it just looked sooooo European! I mean it is meant to be the ‘window to Europe’ but still. I came to Russia to be surrounded by Russian culture. Petersburg was more like a European touristy city. But I definitely still wish I could have been there at least a full week.
K I’m really sorry but it’s already late and I really need to do hw, but I will TRY to write more. We are going to a hockey game tomorrow and a museum Sunday so that should be something to write about!
Until next time!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Russia…a month and some in.
Oct. 18
So my bad, it’s been awhile, but I’m back to a never-getting-on-the-internet streak. Although I think I’ve been convinced to buy a flash drive thingy that gives you internet wherever you are, so that will change things drastically. Alright so… where do I begin?
Re-reading the last entry, I guess I left off at the ballet. That was very beautiful and and very interesting, and made me feel like a little girl who wanted to be a ballerina. It was about a daughter who is in love with this poor guy and the mom wants her to marry this rich guy who pretty much acts special needs. It was funny though, and I just loved the costumes and what I really love about all these performances we go to is that there is an orchestra playing the music, not just recorded sound. It’s so beautiful.
So after the ballet we split up into groups based on what we wanted to do, and I was in the group that wanted to get some food and then go home and hang out with the students that didn’t go to the ballet (they said one was enough) and their Russian friends from a different floor of the dorm that I have yet to meet. So Kelly, Brandon, and I go to Moo Moo yet again and while we are there, a pair of Russians (who excitedly approached us after overhearing Brandon’s particularly loud voice practically shouting to us in English) said that when they drink they like to speak English, and proceeded to invite us to a 90’s dance club with them. Literally any time I hang out with Kelly something strange happens to us, and we promised each other that we would always go if we come across random adventure, so we went. And it ended up being hilarious (we were dancing to songs like YMCA and It’s Raining Men, best part being that we were with a ton of Russians who somewhat knew the songs too) and very cheap seeing as the guys ended up being gentlemen/too drunk to care and paid for everything all night. We met some of their friends also, one being a girl I really liked who spoke English VERY well. But Brandon and I had decided on the way there that we would only speak Russian the whole night so it didn’t really matter anyway haha. So afterwards we went to Subway (yup, Subway) and the dude paid for my sub even, and bought me a rose on the way home. It was pretty funny. The other guy was doing the same for Kelly, and Brandon was just. Idk hah he got free stuff too. But not a rose. . . anyway so then me and Brandon had a few issues finding the metro after that but eventually I got back and everything was fine.
So then the next week on I think Wednesday we went to the Circus, which of course was fun. I didn’t get too many pictures, but it’s not like I can ever upload any anyway. Maybe once I get internet… anyway the Circus in Russia is a bit more racy than I remember circus’s normally being, but it was very interesting and Kary, Brandon, Ele and I had our own stupid commentary to add to everything and enjoyed laughing at some of the costumes and actions of the dancers. It was very amazing though, but I just forget how they treat animals in the circus and I was getting a little upset when they were doing the tiger part. I’m by no means a PETA person, but it did piss me off a bit. Afterwards we yet AGAIN ate at Il Patio (the pizza is so cheap and good, and if you know me at all you know I’m obsessed with pizza), and then went home.
Wow unless I’m leaving stuff out I am almost caught up! I’m sure I forgot stuff. But anyway so Friday after class pretty much everyone went to Gorky Park, which is a gigantic part/amusement park that was EXTREMELY run down and seemed kind of deserted. Like 3/4ths of the rides were closed, but the park itself was very pretty and we walked along the Moscow river and took tons of pictures. Some of us did bumper cars too ( I wasn’t going to, but once I was asked ‘how many times will you get the chance to do bumper cars in Russia?’ I was convinced) and it was ridiculously fun. My car randomly went only backwards for about 5 minutes too, so of course I was practically in tears because I was laughing so hard. There actually were a few Russians on them too so that made it funnier. After that we met up with a few other students and went to a RIDICULOUSLY expensive Chinese restaurant ( we didn’t realize how expensive it was, although it was pretty obvious the moment we walked in the door). It was an interesting experience anyway, and we all left pretty hungry still from ordering practically nothing yet still spending about 20 dollars. The bathrooms were really cool though :D. So then we went to this place which translated means ‘John Bull’s Pub’ and is infamous among the first set of students that were here. What originally made it hilarious was that the ‘uh’ sound in pub doesn’t exist in Russian, so in Cyrillic it’s spelled like pab. Idk we all found it hilarious. So we stayed there awhile but Kelly kept texting me to join her and a few of the other students. So Ele, other Amanda, Brandon and I left to go join them but ended up just meeting them at the Metro and going back to the dorm since they couldn’t find the place they were looking for. That’s when it started getting ridiculous. I swear, every time me and Kelly join up.
So on the metro I was talking to Ele and Brandon when suddenly Ele interrupts saying ‘There’s gonna be a fight!!’ and dodges with Brandon to the left. I was facing them, so I didn’t see what was behind me, and next thing I know I’m being shoved against the wall of the metro (we were inside the actual metro… car thingy traveling). So I quickly wiggle out of there and go to the other side of the car, and we watch a guy with a bloody lip and ridiculously greasy hair try to kill a smaller blonde dude who was protecting his gf. I guess the other guy was not letting her get on the metro for some reason? I didn’t see but that’s what I was told. So they fought for a bit but while Russian’s seem very rude and not helpful, they are there when you really need it and there were quite a few guys pulling the greasy guy off the blonde guy. So a few stops later they had calmed down and got off, but as soon as we started to leave we watched through the window that they had started fighting in the middle of the station. But we were just glad they were off. And then found it funny. So we sit down and I notice a guy staring at me in the next car over (there are huge glass panels so you can see into the other cars) and he winks at me. So I waved because I thought it was funny, and then realized that there was only one stop left so we were definitely getting off together. We get off and he immediately comes over (very drunk) and tries to talk to me, and Kelly, and Adriana. And he will NOT stop trying to give me his coat, he kept saying I was going to get sick and that I needed an umbrella (it was pouring). Anya was talking to him in Russian, and Kelly was yelling at her to stop because it was just encouraging him to follow us. I was literally running laps around our group of people while he chased me holding his coat out. And he kept yelling at Kelly to share her umbrella with me. He followed us all the way to this store, asking us things like if we were American spies since we knew Russian too, and then he took out his phone and was blasting music that he sang along to, and I relaxed a lot because we realized he was harmless and actually pretty funny. But he still was walking and talking with Anya and Adriana, and occasionally me. In the store he bought another bottle of vodka, and me and Adriana were picking out a bottle of wine and he took it from us and wouldn’t let us pay, and he bought it for us. We tried to ditch him while he was peeing on a car but he ran and caught up to us, and I handed him his vodka and he started ranting about how I will make a good wife to someone and that I better stay under that umbrella or I won’t be able to have 2 kids. It was actually pretty funny. When we got to the security check of our school he said goodbye to us and went wandering off with his bottle. When we got back to the dorm I finally met some of the infamous Russian’s and we all just hung out and talked and I just stayed the night in the dorms. It was fun.
So then last night Adriana had a date with this guy she met in a coffee shop but she was too afraid to go by herself so a few of us went as a group and they ended up being pretty cool. I ate sushi again but I felt really sick afterwards so I may lay off the sushi from now on. Everyone else wanted to go home afterward (including me) but her guy wanted her to come with him and his friend that was at dinner with us and just show her around. Adriana didn’t want to go alone so I went too, even though I didn’t feel good and was really tired from the night before. It was pretty fun though, although I think his friend is interested in me now and that is not something I feel like dealing with, but they were really nice. I would like to be FRIENDS with them, just because it’s nice having people who know everything about the city and can communicate and help you out. At one point I seriously thought I was going to throw up (oh they have cars too, which is like unheard of) because of the combo of sushi and the guy’s driving, and the friend bought me this weird paste at the pharmacy that makes your stomach calm down from food poisoning and it really worked! So that was nice. But they are reallllllly into cars and racing and whatever so his driving was terrible. At least for when your stomach is upset. So we went around to the river and to Moscow University (which is one of the seven sister buildings so it’s freakin HUGE and has ridiculous architecture, it’s awesome) and to a coffee shop that was actually pretty nice. Best part: having a ride home and not having to take the metro and walk ten years by myself to my house in the dark (that’s a plus to knowing them as well).
So FINALLY today was the Tretyakov gallery, which isn’t even possible to describe in words. I was in there for 5 and a half hours, literally (I only left when I did because I was unbearably hungry and thought I was going to pee my pants) all the other students were going way to fast for me so I just ditched them and was by myself most of the time, Ele was with me for awhile but she had to leave early to meet someone so I spent most of my time there by myself. It was soooooo amazing though. Ele is gonna want to go back since she missed most of it, and in my opinion the best parts, so I think I’m gonna go with her. And I bought a few little posters of some of the paintings I really liked, but they were out of the ones I was seriously in awe of so I want to go back for those too. Ele has an entire book on the gallery since it’s freakin huge and has so many artists and so many different types of paintings, and when she left she let me take it. I’ve discovered I really like Symbolism and I already knew I liked Impressionism. Konstantin Korovin had some very interesting Impressionism paintings that were towards the end of the gallery. Oh and I don’t even consider myself to be religious, but there was one painting by Ivan Kramskoy (who I also liked by the way) that just makes you stop and stare. It’s called Christ in the Wilderness. It’s different than all the other pictures of Jesus in that instead of being welcomed and greeted and shown as super holy and everything, it’s just him alone on a rock looking exasperated and just the emotion on his face. I’m not very interested in portraits at all, but Kramskoy did portraits so that the faces had such real emotion, I really liked it. Also this one guy Isaac Levitan does ‘Emotional Landscape’ and it’s landscape art but that is meant to evoke strong human emotion, and I liked pretty much all his stuff. Arkhip Kuinji also had some really amazing landscape pictures, but he is more interested in playing up the light and darkness of the pictures. But the room I was like breathless in was Mikhail Vrubel. Just look him up. There were drawings and sculptures, but then there were paintings also AND these absolutely gorgeous panels that were ridiculously huge that took up entire walls and were made for specific people for their houses. If you look up La Princesse Lointaine maybe online it will tell you how big the panel is, because it literally took up an entire ginormous wall. I really liked the smaller panel paintings though, but his most famous paintings are The Demon Seated and The Swan Princess, both of which were of course amazing. Then towards the end there were a ton of Impressionism type paintings and then a giant room of drawings which I thought were much more beautiful than many of the paintings, and then a long hall of icons which was just so amazing. Sorry I’m like rambling but I did spend 5 and a half hours in there. But now I really need to do my homework so at least you are all caught up! SO Tuesday we are going to Tolstoy’s estate museum and then Saturday we go to Lenin’s Mausoleum and the Kremlin Wall Necropolis, which then we will have only seen the outside! I’m so excited! Then Tuesday after that…St. Pete!!!!
So my bad, it’s been awhile, but I’m back to a never-getting-on-the-internet streak. Although I think I’ve been convinced to buy a flash drive thingy that gives you internet wherever you are, so that will change things drastically. Alright so… where do I begin?
Re-reading the last entry, I guess I left off at the ballet. That was very beautiful and and very interesting, and made me feel like a little girl who wanted to be a ballerina. It was about a daughter who is in love with this poor guy and the mom wants her to marry this rich guy who pretty much acts special needs. It was funny though, and I just loved the costumes and what I really love about all these performances we go to is that there is an orchestra playing the music, not just recorded sound. It’s so beautiful.
So after the ballet we split up into groups based on what we wanted to do, and I was in the group that wanted to get some food and then go home and hang out with the students that didn’t go to the ballet (they said one was enough) and their Russian friends from a different floor of the dorm that I have yet to meet. So Kelly, Brandon, and I go to Moo Moo yet again and while we are there, a pair of Russians (who excitedly approached us after overhearing Brandon’s particularly loud voice practically shouting to us in English) said that when they drink they like to speak English, and proceeded to invite us to a 90’s dance club with them. Literally any time I hang out with Kelly something strange happens to us, and we promised each other that we would always go if we come across random adventure, so we went. And it ended up being hilarious (we were dancing to songs like YMCA and It’s Raining Men, best part being that we were with a ton of Russians who somewhat knew the songs too) and very cheap seeing as the guys ended up being gentlemen/too drunk to care and paid for everything all night. We met some of their friends also, one being a girl I really liked who spoke English VERY well. But Brandon and I had decided on the way there that we would only speak Russian the whole night so it didn’t really matter anyway haha. So afterwards we went to Subway (yup, Subway) and the dude paid for my sub even, and bought me a rose on the way home. It was pretty funny. The other guy was doing the same for Kelly, and Brandon was just. Idk hah he got free stuff too. But not a rose. . . anyway so then me and Brandon had a few issues finding the metro after that but eventually I got back and everything was fine.
So then the next week on I think Wednesday we went to the Circus, which of course was fun. I didn’t get too many pictures, but it’s not like I can ever upload any anyway. Maybe once I get internet… anyway the Circus in Russia is a bit more racy than I remember circus’s normally being, but it was very interesting and Kary, Brandon, Ele and I had our own stupid commentary to add to everything and enjoyed laughing at some of the costumes and actions of the dancers. It was very amazing though, but I just forget how they treat animals in the circus and I was getting a little upset when they were doing the tiger part. I’m by no means a PETA person, but it did piss me off a bit. Afterwards we yet AGAIN ate at Il Patio (the pizza is so cheap and good, and if you know me at all you know I’m obsessed with pizza), and then went home.
Wow unless I’m leaving stuff out I am almost caught up! I’m sure I forgot stuff. But anyway so Friday after class pretty much everyone went to Gorky Park, which is a gigantic part/amusement park that was EXTREMELY run down and seemed kind of deserted. Like 3/4ths of the rides were closed, but the park itself was very pretty and we walked along the Moscow river and took tons of pictures. Some of us did bumper cars too ( I wasn’t going to, but once I was asked ‘how many times will you get the chance to do bumper cars in Russia?’ I was convinced) and it was ridiculously fun. My car randomly went only backwards for about 5 minutes too, so of course I was practically in tears because I was laughing so hard. There actually were a few Russians on them too so that made it funnier. After that we met up with a few other students and went to a RIDICULOUSLY expensive Chinese restaurant ( we didn’t realize how expensive it was, although it was pretty obvious the moment we walked in the door). It was an interesting experience anyway, and we all left pretty hungry still from ordering practically nothing yet still spending about 20 dollars. The bathrooms were really cool though :D. So then we went to this place which translated means ‘John Bull’s Pub’ and is infamous among the first set of students that were here. What originally made it hilarious was that the ‘uh’ sound in pub doesn’t exist in Russian, so in Cyrillic it’s spelled like pab. Idk we all found it hilarious. So we stayed there awhile but Kelly kept texting me to join her and a few of the other students. So Ele, other Amanda, Brandon and I left to go join them but ended up just meeting them at the Metro and going back to the dorm since they couldn’t find the place they were looking for. That’s when it started getting ridiculous. I swear, every time me and Kelly join up.
So on the metro I was talking to Ele and Brandon when suddenly Ele interrupts saying ‘There’s gonna be a fight!!’ and dodges with Brandon to the left. I was facing them, so I didn’t see what was behind me, and next thing I know I’m being shoved against the wall of the metro (we were inside the actual metro… car thingy traveling). So I quickly wiggle out of there and go to the other side of the car, and we watch a guy with a bloody lip and ridiculously greasy hair try to kill a smaller blonde dude who was protecting his gf. I guess the other guy was not letting her get on the metro for some reason? I didn’t see but that’s what I was told. So they fought for a bit but while Russian’s seem very rude and not helpful, they are there when you really need it and there were quite a few guys pulling the greasy guy off the blonde guy. So a few stops later they had calmed down and got off, but as soon as we started to leave we watched through the window that they had started fighting in the middle of the station. But we were just glad they were off. And then found it funny. So we sit down and I notice a guy staring at me in the next car over (there are huge glass panels so you can see into the other cars) and he winks at me. So I waved because I thought it was funny, and then realized that there was only one stop left so we were definitely getting off together. We get off and he immediately comes over (very drunk) and tries to talk to me, and Kelly, and Adriana. And he will NOT stop trying to give me his coat, he kept saying I was going to get sick and that I needed an umbrella (it was pouring). Anya was talking to him in Russian, and Kelly was yelling at her to stop because it was just encouraging him to follow us. I was literally running laps around our group of people while he chased me holding his coat out. And he kept yelling at Kelly to share her umbrella with me. He followed us all the way to this store, asking us things like if we were American spies since we knew Russian too, and then he took out his phone and was blasting music that he sang along to, and I relaxed a lot because we realized he was harmless and actually pretty funny. But he still was walking and talking with Anya and Adriana, and occasionally me. In the store he bought another bottle of vodka, and me and Adriana were picking out a bottle of wine and he took it from us and wouldn’t let us pay, and he bought it for us. We tried to ditch him while he was peeing on a car but he ran and caught up to us, and I handed him his vodka and he started ranting about how I will make a good wife to someone and that I better stay under that umbrella or I won’t be able to have 2 kids. It was actually pretty funny. When we got to the security check of our school he said goodbye to us and went wandering off with his bottle. When we got back to the dorm I finally met some of the infamous Russian’s and we all just hung out and talked and I just stayed the night in the dorms. It was fun.
So then last night Adriana had a date with this guy she met in a coffee shop but she was too afraid to go by herself so a few of us went as a group and they ended up being pretty cool. I ate sushi again but I felt really sick afterwards so I may lay off the sushi from now on. Everyone else wanted to go home afterward (including me) but her guy wanted her to come with him and his friend that was at dinner with us and just show her around. Adriana didn’t want to go alone so I went too, even though I didn’t feel good and was really tired from the night before. It was pretty fun though, although I think his friend is interested in me now and that is not something I feel like dealing with, but they were really nice. I would like to be FRIENDS with them, just because it’s nice having people who know everything about the city and can communicate and help you out. At one point I seriously thought I was going to throw up (oh they have cars too, which is like unheard of) because of the combo of sushi and the guy’s driving, and the friend bought me this weird paste at the pharmacy that makes your stomach calm down from food poisoning and it really worked! So that was nice. But they are reallllllly into cars and racing and whatever so his driving was terrible. At least for when your stomach is upset. So we went around to the river and to Moscow University (which is one of the seven sister buildings so it’s freakin HUGE and has ridiculous architecture, it’s awesome) and to a coffee shop that was actually pretty nice. Best part: having a ride home and not having to take the metro and walk ten years by myself to my house in the dark (that’s a plus to knowing them as well).
So FINALLY today was the Tretyakov gallery, which isn’t even possible to describe in words. I was in there for 5 and a half hours, literally (I only left when I did because I was unbearably hungry and thought I was going to pee my pants) all the other students were going way to fast for me so I just ditched them and was by myself most of the time, Ele was with me for awhile but she had to leave early to meet someone so I spent most of my time there by myself. It was soooooo amazing though. Ele is gonna want to go back since she missed most of it, and in my opinion the best parts, so I think I’m gonna go with her. And I bought a few little posters of some of the paintings I really liked, but they were out of the ones I was seriously in awe of so I want to go back for those too. Ele has an entire book on the gallery since it’s freakin huge and has so many artists and so many different types of paintings, and when she left she let me take it. I’ve discovered I really like Symbolism and I already knew I liked Impressionism. Konstantin Korovin had some very interesting Impressionism paintings that were towards the end of the gallery. Oh and I don’t even consider myself to be religious, but there was one painting by Ivan Kramskoy (who I also liked by the way) that just makes you stop and stare. It’s called Christ in the Wilderness. It’s different than all the other pictures of Jesus in that instead of being welcomed and greeted and shown as super holy and everything, it’s just him alone on a rock looking exasperated and just the emotion on his face. I’m not very interested in portraits at all, but Kramskoy did portraits so that the faces had such real emotion, I really liked it. Also this one guy Isaac Levitan does ‘Emotional Landscape’ and it’s landscape art but that is meant to evoke strong human emotion, and I liked pretty much all his stuff. Arkhip Kuinji also had some really amazing landscape pictures, but he is more interested in playing up the light and darkness of the pictures. But the room I was like breathless in was Mikhail Vrubel. Just look him up. There were drawings and sculptures, but then there were paintings also AND these absolutely gorgeous panels that were ridiculously huge that took up entire walls and were made for specific people for their houses. If you look up La Princesse Lointaine maybe online it will tell you how big the panel is, because it literally took up an entire ginormous wall. I really liked the smaller panel paintings though, but his most famous paintings are The Demon Seated and The Swan Princess, both of which were of course amazing. Then towards the end there were a ton of Impressionism type paintings and then a giant room of drawings which I thought were much more beautiful than many of the paintings, and then a long hall of icons which was just so amazing. Sorry I’m like rambling but I did spend 5 and a half hours in there. But now I really need to do my homework so at least you are all caught up! SO Tuesday we are going to Tolstoy’s estate museum and then Saturday we go to Lenin’s Mausoleum and the Kremlin Wall Necropolis, which then we will have only seen the outside! I’m so excited! Then Tuesday after that…St. Pete!!!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Sorry, one more thing to add
Ok so I'm at Mcdonalds using the internet, and I was sitting outside because there were no seats inside, as usual (even though it was 930 at night) and this group of people was leaving and this guy yelled to me that their table is free now. He said this in Russian of course so I just stared at him for awhile and then finally realized what he said and was like ohh ok thanks! And I went in and sat. So since it's always so packed, people who buy food always just sit with the people who are only on a computer because there is no room. So these two guys come up to me and first tell me that my glove is on the floor, and then ask to sit with me. They start talking to me and I am doing like short answers, and the guy offers me some of his coffee, and some of his fries, and i'm just saying no thank you. Then he said something longer and I was like i don't understand you. And he was like you understand a lot! Where are you from? (always only in Russian) and I told him I'm American and he like freaked out. He was like you understand very well, how long have you studied Russian? 5 years? I was like 5!?!? No, 1!! And they were like and you are American? No way. And then they just kept asking me questions, like where I study here and who I live with and where in America I'm from and if I've seen cactus. It was hilarious. Then he said something I didn't understand and he was using my computer trying to look it up but he was freakin out that my keyboard is in English. It was hilarious. And he offered me his coffee again, which I again refused, and he said don't I like coffee? And I was like I like it, I just don't want any right now, thanks. It was really fun and funny haha. Now two girls are sitting with me, but they are just talking to each other. Oh well haha. Adventures at Mcdonalds!
Russia Day...24?
I still can’t get over that it’s October already… I can’t WAIT for St. Petersburg the weekend of Halloween! That is gonna be soooo fun!! I remember when that seemed really far away… it kinda sucks how fast my time here seems to be going!! I wish I could do the year program : /
But anyway, so as of today I own leather boots that are actually pretty cute, with fur on the inside! They have a bit of a heel, like almost 2 inches, but that is HOPEFULLY not going to make me hate life. They are soo fuzzy on the inside I seriously doubt it’s even possible to get blisters in them, and I’ve decided that being knee high boots they will support my ankle. I don’t know how much sense that actually makes, but I’ve decided it. Point is, they are pretty cute and EXTREMELY warm and snow proof! So woohoo, bring on the snow!
Alright so I’ve also officially decided I’m getting better at Russian, since I can do things like communicate with store clerks about shoes and get around on busses and such, and I am starting to find that class no longer is an extremely stressful ordeal. Granted I still don’t know a lot when I get called on, but I feel a lot less afraid to talk, and actually talk more. And am even right sometimes! :D I can pretty much always get my point across, and can generally understand most things that are said to me, so I’d say that is an improvement! Although considering the state of my Russian skills when I arrived, it would be pretty pathetic if I hadn’t improved. I still really need to put in time to go over case endings, but with all the talking we seem to do in class now as opposed to just bookwork I think it is starting to stick.
Oh and the other day Nina and I had this life discussion. It started because she made me get up from dinner and watch tv with her about this 97 year old guy who used to be an astronaut. At the end of the show she told me she worked there. I was like… in space? And she said she was no, she was an engineer for spacecrafts (we just had a story about space and spaceships and stuff, so I actually knew these words haha)! I was like wow that is a really difficult job, and that she must have studied a lot of math and science. She said she also was an accountant afterwards! So she’s pretty much a genius! And I finally got up the courage to ask her about her husband, and she wasn’t offended at all. I guess he died 30 years ago, because he was sick but would never go to the doctor (explains why she goes all the time over nothing). She told me more about her priest son and I’m pretty sure she has a grand daughter, but I didn’t think priests could have kids…but what do I know. Then she was asking me about my parents and why they lived in two different states and about my brother and stuff, it was really fun ! :D
But anyway, I was going to sum up what I’ve done these past few days, but first I feel I have to share a little about Pushkin. Not the poet, the 5 week old kitten. So apparently Kate and Alyssa? I think, found a 5 week old kitten crying outside the dorm in the rain. They tried to smuggle it in the dorm but the guard saw them, and they tried to sneak it up the fire escape but it was covered in smoking Russians. So they called Kelly who successfully snuck him in in her bag, and he has lived in her dorm room for the past couple days. Dan was pretty cool about it (the RA) even though cats are obviously not allowed in the dorm, but he told them Pushkin had to be out by 3pm today. So we all were frantically searching for a home for him, asking our teachers and I asked Nina and blah blah blah, but no one could take him. You have to keep in mind is really terrible about homeless animals, they don’t really have shelters and homeless pets are literally EVERYWHERE. They are outside the metro, in the streets, in the parks, just everywhere. So it’s not like people are often looking for pets, besides the fact most of them already had a dog or a large domestic male cat who would kill a kitten. So at 3 today we brought Pushkin outside in a large box with towels inside and put him under cover down a stair well so he is hidden from the wind. He had eaten some and seemed to be pretty lively, so we are HOPING he can somehow stay in his box and people just take turns feeding him until he can eat on his own. There is a hole in his box so he can get out though. It was so sad though, I really hope he is going to be ok. Most of the people in the dorm were like “She shouldn’t have done that, what makes him different than any other homeless animal in Moscow”. And while I agree that you can’t save all of them and that she probably shouldn’t have taken him and gotten attached because there are tons of homeless animals, there is NO way I would have been able to walk right by a crying 5 week old kitten in the rain. Logic kind of flies out the window for me in that kind of situation.
Alright so, Sunday we went to this soccer/futbol game of Central Moscow vs. Crimea or ...something like that. It only referred to them by initials so leave me alone! But that was pretty fun! The first half was boring, nothing happened and idk, but the crowd was RIDICULOUS! Granted, half the stadium was empty, but there was an entire side behind the goal that was freakin out the entire time! They had flags and were all in the Moscow colors (red and blue) and had organized chanting and stuff going on the ENTIRE time, I was very impressed! And I believe I got video too. But then the second half came, and Moscow scored 4 goals! It was sweet! Oh and before we went in, Kelly, Brandon, Ele and I bought scarves representing Moscow. I figured it would be a cool souvenir, and I really wanted to have spirit! We enjoyed trying to mimic the chants too. Leaving was scary though!! People were flipping out! Just sooo excited, and probably drunk. Walking to the metro we were walking between 2 rows of militsia of various kinds; some on horses, some looking like SWAT, some just regular, some with dogs. It was scary! There were literally hundreds, all the way up to the door! But as soon as everyone was in the metro, people were crazy and chanting to each other and yelling and singing and on the escalator everyone started throwing kopecks down the slide-y part, it was like it was raining kopecks! It was kinda funny but kinda scary, but I was joking at least we had found out what the purpose of kopecks is (they are like 1/100 of a ruble, and 30 Rubles are equal to 1 US dollar, so you literally NEVER use them. Ever). And once in the actual metro, people were jumping and singing and punching the ceiling and hitting the windows. It was kinda scary… but afterwards some of us went to this sweet Italian place with cheap pizza that we have been to once before, Il Patio, and I decided that was the last time I was eating out for an undecided amount of time. We also went to a Gulag museum on…Saturday? I think. That was very depressing, but informative. I really didn’t know much about them, and in the museum were paintings and items from people who were either in a gulag or had a family member in one that retold them the stories. There were also re-creations of certain things like their cabins in the camps or the cells they would get put in if they slacked off. We watched a movie about it too, and that almost had me in tears. We had a very nice little Russian lady showing us around though, so that was cool, but what was even cooler was that Kate’s Russian friend Arthur she made from doing this tutoring thing at the American center (which I am planning on hopefully doing also) translated everything and asked her questions for us. Afterwards we felt like we’d never be happy again, so we went to this little coffee shop that ended up being Japanese, and I got sushi! It was ok, but it was really cheap so I didn’t care!
And on I’m guessing Friday, a group of us went to the Mayakovsky museum, which I think was mostly things that were re-creations of his work, or represented his life. That museum was really trippy and more difficult to understand, because it seemed to be more abstract and…Idk confusing? But it was very cool nonetheless. I took a ton of pictures. The people working there were very nice too, and when they found out that we were American they were amazed and grateful that we were interested and would care to go somewhere like that. We also ran into a guy talking about Mayakovsky’s daughter, who apparently works in NY, and this guy was talking to us for a bit (in Russian of course) and that was really fun, and then he randomly handed ME a book and said I should give it to my school’s library. I can’t really tell what it’s about, but Nina is currently 1/3 of the way through it haha. Oh and after the museum we ate at Moo Moo which I have been wanting to eat at. It’s like a cafeteria but a popular chain. My current facebook picture is with the Moo Moo mascot. And after that actually right before that we went to this ginormous bookstore and I bought The Master and Margarita and this book of Dostoevsky stories; everyone here is really into Russian literature so Ele and I wanted to join in. I’m like a third of the way done with The Master and Margarita, it’s pretty weird but very interesting. I think my brain just misses reading.
So I think that’s everything; this Friday we are going to a classical ballet as opposed to the folk ballet we just went to, and on Saturday we are going to an Decorative and Applied Arts museum, which apparently has lots of Folk-type art, even though the title makes me think of things like lamps and picture frames. And just the store Michaels in general. Also, that manager guy of Fabrique gave us these passes to go to an after party after the game on Saturday (it’s Russia vs. Germany. I wish we could go to that one!) and I think some people were planning on going, so I might be hitting up Fabrique again. This time, he gets us in free though, and I’m not losing my coat number I’ve decided, and I’m sleeping until RIGHT before I go. So it will be ok, and CONSIDERABLY cheaper/free. Deal!
And I’ll end this with saying that Nina’s radio station is yet again blasting Rihanna from the kitchen. Oh how I love her.
But anyway, so as of today I own leather boots that are actually pretty cute, with fur on the inside! They have a bit of a heel, like almost 2 inches, but that is HOPEFULLY not going to make me hate life. They are soo fuzzy on the inside I seriously doubt it’s even possible to get blisters in them, and I’ve decided that being knee high boots they will support my ankle. I don’t know how much sense that actually makes, but I’ve decided it. Point is, they are pretty cute and EXTREMELY warm and snow proof! So woohoo, bring on the snow!
Alright so I’ve also officially decided I’m getting better at Russian, since I can do things like communicate with store clerks about shoes and get around on busses and such, and I am starting to find that class no longer is an extremely stressful ordeal. Granted I still don’t know a lot when I get called on, but I feel a lot less afraid to talk, and actually talk more. And am even right sometimes! :D I can pretty much always get my point across, and can generally understand most things that are said to me, so I’d say that is an improvement! Although considering the state of my Russian skills when I arrived, it would be pretty pathetic if I hadn’t improved. I still really need to put in time to go over case endings, but with all the talking we seem to do in class now as opposed to just bookwork I think it is starting to stick.
Oh and the other day Nina and I had this life discussion. It started because she made me get up from dinner and watch tv with her about this 97 year old guy who used to be an astronaut. At the end of the show she told me she worked there. I was like… in space? And she said she was no, she was an engineer for spacecrafts (we just had a story about space and spaceships and stuff, so I actually knew these words haha)! I was like wow that is a really difficult job, and that she must have studied a lot of math and science. She said she also was an accountant afterwards! So she’s pretty much a genius! And I finally got up the courage to ask her about her husband, and she wasn’t offended at all. I guess he died 30 years ago, because he was sick but would never go to the doctor (explains why she goes all the time over nothing). She told me more about her priest son and I’m pretty sure she has a grand daughter, but I didn’t think priests could have kids…but what do I know. Then she was asking me about my parents and why they lived in two different states and about my brother and stuff, it was really fun ! :D
But anyway, I was going to sum up what I’ve done these past few days, but first I feel I have to share a little about Pushkin. Not the poet, the 5 week old kitten. So apparently Kate and Alyssa? I think, found a 5 week old kitten crying outside the dorm in the rain. They tried to smuggle it in the dorm but the guard saw them, and they tried to sneak it up the fire escape but it was covered in smoking Russians. So they called Kelly who successfully snuck him in in her bag, and he has lived in her dorm room for the past couple days. Dan was pretty cool about it (the RA) even though cats are obviously not allowed in the dorm, but he told them Pushkin had to be out by 3pm today. So we all were frantically searching for a home for him, asking our teachers and I asked Nina and blah blah blah, but no one could take him. You have to keep in mind is really terrible about homeless animals, they don’t really have shelters and homeless pets are literally EVERYWHERE. They are outside the metro, in the streets, in the parks, just everywhere. So it’s not like people are often looking for pets, besides the fact most of them already had a dog or a large domestic male cat who would kill a kitten. So at 3 today we brought Pushkin outside in a large box with towels inside and put him under cover down a stair well so he is hidden from the wind. He had eaten some and seemed to be pretty lively, so we are HOPING he can somehow stay in his box and people just take turns feeding him until he can eat on his own. There is a hole in his box so he can get out though. It was so sad though, I really hope he is going to be ok. Most of the people in the dorm were like “She shouldn’t have done that, what makes him different than any other homeless animal in Moscow”. And while I agree that you can’t save all of them and that she probably shouldn’t have taken him and gotten attached because there are tons of homeless animals, there is NO way I would have been able to walk right by a crying 5 week old kitten in the rain. Logic kind of flies out the window for me in that kind of situation.
Alright so, Sunday we went to this soccer/futbol game of Central Moscow vs. Crimea or ...something like that. It only referred to them by initials so leave me alone! But that was pretty fun! The first half was boring, nothing happened and idk, but the crowd was RIDICULOUS! Granted, half the stadium was empty, but there was an entire side behind the goal that was freakin out the entire time! They had flags and were all in the Moscow colors (red and blue) and had organized chanting and stuff going on the ENTIRE time, I was very impressed! And I believe I got video too. But then the second half came, and Moscow scored 4 goals! It was sweet! Oh and before we went in, Kelly, Brandon, Ele and I bought scarves representing Moscow. I figured it would be a cool souvenir, and I really wanted to have spirit! We enjoyed trying to mimic the chants too. Leaving was scary though!! People were flipping out! Just sooo excited, and probably drunk. Walking to the metro we were walking between 2 rows of militsia of various kinds; some on horses, some looking like SWAT, some just regular, some with dogs. It was scary! There were literally hundreds, all the way up to the door! But as soon as everyone was in the metro, people were crazy and chanting to each other and yelling and singing and on the escalator everyone started throwing kopecks down the slide-y part, it was like it was raining kopecks! It was kinda funny but kinda scary, but I was joking at least we had found out what the purpose of kopecks is (they are like 1/100 of a ruble, and 30 Rubles are equal to 1 US dollar, so you literally NEVER use them. Ever). And once in the actual metro, people were jumping and singing and punching the ceiling and hitting the windows. It was kinda scary… but afterwards some of us went to this sweet Italian place with cheap pizza that we have been to once before, Il Patio, and I decided that was the last time I was eating out for an undecided amount of time. We also went to a Gulag museum on…Saturday? I think. That was very depressing, but informative. I really didn’t know much about them, and in the museum were paintings and items from people who were either in a gulag or had a family member in one that retold them the stories. There were also re-creations of certain things like their cabins in the camps or the cells they would get put in if they slacked off. We watched a movie about it too, and that almost had me in tears. We had a very nice little Russian lady showing us around though, so that was cool, but what was even cooler was that Kate’s Russian friend Arthur she made from doing this tutoring thing at the American center (which I am planning on hopefully doing also) translated everything and asked her questions for us. Afterwards we felt like we’d never be happy again, so we went to this little coffee shop that ended up being Japanese, and I got sushi! It was ok, but it was really cheap so I didn’t care!
And on I’m guessing Friday, a group of us went to the Mayakovsky museum, which I think was mostly things that were re-creations of his work, or represented his life. That museum was really trippy and more difficult to understand, because it seemed to be more abstract and…Idk confusing? But it was very cool nonetheless. I took a ton of pictures. The people working there were very nice too, and when they found out that we were American they were amazed and grateful that we were interested and would care to go somewhere like that. We also ran into a guy talking about Mayakovsky’s daughter, who apparently works in NY, and this guy was talking to us for a bit (in Russian of course) and that was really fun, and then he randomly handed ME a book and said I should give it to my school’s library. I can’t really tell what it’s about, but Nina is currently 1/3 of the way through it haha. Oh and after the museum we ate at Moo Moo which I have been wanting to eat at. It’s like a cafeteria but a popular chain. My current facebook picture is with the Moo Moo mascot. And after that actually right before that we went to this ginormous bookstore and I bought The Master and Margarita and this book of Dostoevsky stories; everyone here is really into Russian literature so Ele and I wanted to join in. I’m like a third of the way done with The Master and Margarita, it’s pretty weird but very interesting. I think my brain just misses reading.
So I think that’s everything; this Friday we are going to a classical ballet as opposed to the folk ballet we just went to, and on Saturday we are going to an Decorative and Applied Arts museum, which apparently has lots of Folk-type art, even though the title makes me think of things like lamps and picture frames. And just the store Michaels in general. Also, that manager guy of Fabrique gave us these passes to go to an after party after the game on Saturday (it’s Russia vs. Germany. I wish we could go to that one!) and I think some people were planning on going, so I might be hitting up Fabrique again. This time, he gets us in free though, and I’m not losing my coat number I’ve decided, and I’m sleeping until RIGHT before I go. So it will be ok, and CONSIDERABLY cheaper/free. Deal!
And I’ll end this with saying that Nina’s radio station is yet again blasting Rihanna from the kitchen. Oh how I love her.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
