Going on week two of classes...and so far so good being in class 1 is a bit tough and sometimes hard to keep up with but it's good for me I feel like I am learning so much: we have грамматика, разговор, газета, русская культура, кинокурс, и фонетика. The teachers are all good the фонетика teacher is one tough cookie but my pronounciation is improving because of her...otherwise I have mastered the trick of getting to school on time and how to take notes быстро по русский..,
anyways I had quite some adventures this weekend-my umbrella broke so me and another student went looking to buy one on Friday because wouldn't you know it was pouring Friday morning...but after three hours of searching and a trip up the dome исавского собора we returned home empty handed..,it rains 75 percent of the time here and not a зойнтик in sight...so my babooshka leant me her bright pink umbrella when she found out mine broke so clearly we are communicating much better and I really feel she has warmed up to me tremendously but I also trapsed around the city like a giant pink gumball...as if that didn't attract attention....
But on Saturday we went to павлоск which is the official hunting grounds Paul the first built it was amazing very contrived but amazing it was a mixture of Harry potter narnia and lord of the rings all rolled into one it wad very impressive, there is also a palace on the premises but since it is the very reason that Russia was bankrupt after Paul was assassinated I was a bit sceptical of how impressive it was...,in anycase the gardens as I said are vast and gorgeous but it was raining and freezing there that day...it certainly added to the romantic atmosphere and I truly did feel like I was in a fairy tale but then the Mosquitos kicked in and killed that dream the effects of which I am still feeling today....also I refused to wear jeans one more day in summer so I donned a wool jacket and a pair if shorts which left significantly more surface area for those little pears to feast on me...ugh
Sunday we had a free day to отдыхать и спать и дышать и что небудь but of course for me that means more time to get out and explore the city so I literally walked around for four hours with a friend from the bronze horseman to the Finland station to lenins statue to the "beach" to my house to change into my black dress for the ballet it ended up being way to expensive so we went and saw the new Tom criuise movie instead but still fun...I met margarita who is one of the kids hers host moms friends daughter she told me spoke and read good riusdusn and is going to take me shopping today after school! I'm so excited! Shopping with a Russian so I hopefully won't get ripped off today haha... But funny anecdote I was all dressed up fir the ballet and definitely experienced the vixenness if st Petersburg firsthand...appearantky there are two girls for every boy here so competition is fierce (i don't know why the men her have much to be desired) but anyways I was staring at this girl because she looked like Hannah ghoseff oand she totally grabbed her boyfreinds waist and beltloop and gave me the vixen stare....I mean I'm flattered she thinks i'm competition but I mean come on! He had a mullet! Not at all interested...I just laughed haha
also saw some people rollerblading with fanny packs on the street...I have officially discovered the antithesis of so cal beaches (try cobblestones fortress)...and life at home is improving евгеня Ивановна served me liver last night (my training came out and I almost forced myself to try it until shevtold me if I dint like it I didn't have to eat it so I didn't thank goodness) but other than that life continues safe and sound (although crazily) in Russia....

Ok so new post:
So yesterday may have been the most frustrating day I have ever lived through....it took me 2.5 hours to get to school....oh yes as in 150 minutes...on the urgings of my babooshka I went to school on the trolleybus (I have four options: metro, trolleybus 15, bus, or walk which would take all day) - only what she didnt tell me is that these buses go in different directions depending on the side of the street, so I ended up going the wrong way for a stop - but since I had no idea where I was, I stood there and waited 15 minutes for it to refuel...when we finally left, we were met with tons and tons of traffic (i thought la was bad)...as we were almost to nevsky prospect, there was a trolleybus jam and I had to ask around about how to get to school, mind you by this time i am already late...but I get on bus 181,(again the wrong way,) so I had to get off, go to the other side of the street and take it the other way until I finally made it to Smolny Institute- then I had to walk to class....oi....i left my house at 830 and got to school at 1038 - trust me by the end of it i was ready to just pack up and say good bye to public transportation - i didnt know who to blame? my babooshka for making me go on the trolleybus, the inefficient russian trolleybus system (dont you know there is no russian word for 'efficiency'), or my own russian skills...
but i did go to the hermitage yesterday: AMAZING! too bad i was exhausted and way too tired to enjoy it all...but since i am a student it is free for me any time (becuase I now have a СПбГУ student card that gives me discounts/скидки almost everywhere) - that and if i want to take pictures i have to pay so no pics from inside yet...but believe me it was absolutely incredible - the winter palace changed into a museum - 400 rooms and if you spent 5 minutes in front of every work there it would take you 7 years to see it all...
It dawned on my that it is amazing how easitly i have begun to learn my way around St. Petersburg - how to navigate the city, how to walk around with a stoic face perpetually (smiles are a no no) how to shove my way onto the metro, how to avoid people's trails of smoke, etc. etc. I wouldnt say I feel like Ive always lived here, but is incredible how quickly I have begun to learn the ropes of the city
so just some observations and a list of survival skills I have compiled about russia:
1. go to the bathroom before you leave the house (public restrooms are not a concept they are familiar with here...Michael Jackson however is....hmmmm)
2. if you are a woman, invest in a good pair of spiked heels (if you want to fit in) and wear any combo of clothes in your closet and I mean ANY
3. if you are a man, and dark skinned, dont wear a beard, the militsia will automatically assume you are from chechnya and put you in prison just for good measure....
4. get used to seeing the militisia and police - they are everywhere...yet never seem to do anything - (and the women militsia wear high heels and short skirts...) in fact, they appearantly have a lack of militsia here but I certainly havent noticed...
5. abandon your personal bubble - that is also a nonexistant concept here....in fact invading personal space seems to be the norm...
6. walk around everywhere! (as much as possible) the city is full of surprises on the streets
So if anyone wants to come here just some words of wisdom from a vetran St. Petersburger...haha
anyways class is going good - its tough потому что мы все разговоривали ПО-РУССКИЙ! but i am learning so much already - grammar, speaking, news, phonetics, culture, and russian movies! I love it! Yesterday we had Газета сегодня Кулиура (исскуство аркитектура историа) so so interesting...
Ok and about the host family situtaion - things are certainly warming up - I told the program how unhappy I was and they spoke with her appearantly because she has turned up the freindlyness - her grandson came over and brought me a writing desk so I can study, she has been cooking me ridiculous amounts of food (and somehow I am still managing to rapidly loose weight...), bought me ice cream and tons of cookies (their like crackers and delicious), washed my clothes, and sits down and talks with me at dinner now - its really nice actually - she is still a bit ornery and stubborn and has a tendancy to be tough and harsh before she is sweet, but I have been asking her questions and actually finding out a lot about her life, the life of st. petersuburg, russia, etc....i think she is just a product of the time she was born in (shes 74)...the war or the Великая О? Война as they call it here...so things are looking up - I think there might be a bigger prurpose in all this....
In any case, all is well with me: the only thing I wish is if it was a bit warmer...but since they just dropped the bomb on us that this city only gets about 60 sunny days per year, the chances of that are slim...oh well part of the whole expereince...

Hey everyone! So I am here safe and sound (finally)...I was delayed in JFK for 20 hours, came late to the program, got dragged into some Dartmouth drama (one girl decided to switch rooms on me), was extremely tired, got placed in a really bad home stay, got stuck out on the town Saturday night until 5:00, woke up at 12:30 on Sunday and was late to the group scavenger hunt, made it to school today and took the hardest Russian grammar test of my life, and have been searching for internet ever since...
But other than that I am having the time of my life! as they say here бывает...I feel like so much has been happening and that I have been here for months already...
In terms of the host family, I have a host бабушка who not only has not been the most gracious to me and its definitely been uncomfortable from day one, which I thought was normal until I talked with other people and most everybody said right away that their mothers were really nice, which made me sad because mine is not....in fact, I have already made friends with about 4 other host mom's (just not my own :-( ) because one of them was friendly and talked to me, found out I spoke good Russian and introduced me to everyone else here and now I am the go to girl for the host moms haha...too bad mine wasnt better....I spoke with the program and they said as long as I am safe and secure that is their main concern, which is understandable, but that if I still feel uncomfortable at the end of the week they can move me, I want to move today, but it looks like I may have to go through some red tape before I do...but hey the squeaky wheel gets the oil right? Ill see how that goes...
Otherwise, Russia is great - nothing works, the fashion is nuts, all guys have mullets, all girls wear high, high high heels, the buildings are amazing, the city smells like smoke/wet/old food/strong perfume, the public transportation system is great, there are tons of бельй пух pollen floating around, and I feel like Ive been here for weeks! My school is incredible though - an old convent that Elizabeth I built turned into a university - absolutely gorgeous...
So right now it is raining and the sun is shining - wierd - it does not get dark here much at all (the sun rises at 4, sets at 12, and it never fully gets dark) so when I got stuck on the Nevsky Prospect on Saturday becuase the metros close at 12 and we didnt know it, it was totally fine, not only because I was with 8 other students, but it never got fully dark...
Tomorrow is my first day of official class and I am excited - other than that I have had a super eventful past couple of days, my Russian is improving leaps and bounds, and somehow in the midst of all this pandemonium I am thoroughly enjoying myself!

So Im setting up a blog so that I can stay in touch with everyone while Im off studying in Russia - Ill try to post pictures, write comments, and keep everyone updated on how things are going while Im abroad - keep in touch!