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...