I have less than three weeks left here and I am jamming everything possible into these few days…there are still several museums I want to go to, places I want to see, and so many things I need to buy…so I have been trying to occupy every ounce of my free time…and have been successfully doing so…
My new official station seems to now be the Информациа and Вход at the Эрмитаж, but its okay because I really like this job – it is incredible the kinds of people you meet there…Я там вндела много туристов, студенков, иностраников, и Россейских and have gotten reactions ranging from absolutely delighted that I am studying Russian and working at the Эрмитаж to absolutely disgusted that the museum would even think of stationing a foreigner inside…so needless to say never a dull moment there…and it is the coolest feeling to walk right past the hoards of people waiting in line (the average wait these days is about an hour unless you go at like 2:30 on a Wednesday afternoon then its about 5 minutes…) with my laminated Волонтёр badge (I have an official one now too with my name and picture on it and everything) its pretty cool…
Четверг тоже был мой последний день англиского класса, unbeknownst to me, because the class decided to surprise me and bring all kinds of snacks to class for the grand finale end-of-the-year-party kind of thing – it was so nice и нужний потому что я не обедала тот день J…in any case, we ended up having a really great class that incidentally led me to realize how little I actually do know about English grammar (for instance what is the official rule for using ‘some’ vs. ‘any’ – they asked me and I completely had no idea because ‘when it sounds right’ is not an adequate answer to English language students…) but, I am completely going to miss them and the teacher Ирина…and I think the feeling was mutual because not only did Ирина give me a hug before I left and wish me the best of luck with everything both here and back in the US, but everyone in the class told me if I needed anything to call them, with Виктор the doctor (the neurobiologist to be exact) specifically assuring me if I need anything medical-wise to immediately let him know, to which I responded that I seriously hope not…a Russian prison might be the only thing scarier than a Russian emergency room…
Friday after class I went back to the Исааковскйи Соборь after running some errands in the unbearable heat and sitting in a park for about an hour to cool off – I went inside and while the building itself is remarkable (замечательний), but what is even more notable and the one thing about these cathedrals that never cease to amaze me is that while women are expected to cover their heads and there are certain parts you are not allowed to take pictures of (which I completely understand and respect with wholeheartedness), every single church in this city has at least three souvenir shops inside…”money-lenders in the house of the Lord” anyone?
Saturday we went to Пушкин and Царское Село – and while the day ended quite well it certainly didn’t start off that way…we were meeting two metro stops from my house so naturally I decided to walk because it only takes 30 minutes and I woke up to a nice sunny day…yet 15 minutes before I left the house, the skies opened up with downpour, thunder, AND lightning (дождь лил как по ведра и гроза шумела и молння свергала)…so I had a very wet trek to Московская (two hours later the only signs of there having been a storm was the enormous puddles left behind)…and then because this program is run by Russians, we didn’t end up all meeting until forty-five minutes later than planned and didn’t leave for another thirty minutes after that…punctuality and efficiency are definitely strong inbred American qualities that I seriously miss (the word ‘efficiency’ doesn’t even translate in Russian, which says a lot about the people on so many levels)…but we made it safe to Пушкин (via марщутка) - the area in itself is beautiful, as are all the surrounding palaces in Petersburg – the garden is flawless – peaceful, well-manicured, and perfectly planned with a lake in the center…the palace is impressive – a clone of the Hermitage only blue instead of green, with elaborate rooms, the most famous being the Amber Room Яитарьная Комната (although I thought the dance hall was far more impressive), it was a short and sweet tour and we actually got some free time so I was quite happy…
My only critique (and this goes for all the ex-imperial estates, palaces and parks) is that like all of Petersburg they are just so contrived – it is the idyllic example of man conquering nature and then recreating his own in its place, and while it makes for wonderful aesthetics, I am desperately missing some overgrown ground cover, a fallen tree or nurse log, and just a chance to get off the beaten path and trail blaze…but that might just be me…
Sunday morning woke up nice and early and headed off on a completely unplanned day that ended up quite splendidly…I definitely had an attack of what Alex calls OCS (only child syndrome) because even though some of my friends called me, I made it very clear I wanted to be ALONE that day, and it ended up being the best thing… besides, sometimes exploring the city without having to chitchat to a friend and give away the fact that you are an American can have invaluable results…I began my day interning again at the Эрмитаж and because it was not a very busy day, I ended up sauntering through the halls and finally made it down to the bottom floor where they have all the ancient/archeological/ethnic/cultural exhibits which in my opinion are by far the most interesting…there’s some rock down there called the Onega Stone that was taken from a dig somewhere in Siberia I think that has 60 drawings on it dated from the 2-3 century BC…completely fascinating…
But because Sunday was also, Военно-Морского Флота Росснн (I love that about Russians – they celebrate so many random holidays and fully and actively participate in all of them…I don’t know if that’s a kickback from Soviet times, part of the Russian mentality, or just the practicality of having to cram all the fun and excitement you can into the three short months of the year when the weather permits it…) anyways, I didn’t want to stay indoors too long so I casually made my way out to the street and strolled along the riverbank like practically half of Petersburg and ogled all the battleships, submarines, cruise ships, cargo boats, etc. on display in the water…I had a blast – flags, sailors, ships of all kinds, the salty sea fragrance wafting and mixing with the smells of people, steaming street corn, the sweltering sidewalk, cheap cigarette smoke, and an occasional tailgate barbeque…if I closed my eyes it almost smelt like home a few times J I did duck into the Меншиков Дворець for a while because its free for me and was air-conditioned, but I thoroughly loved all the celebration - I blended in with the crowd easily, saw some local culture, got to almost walk on a few of the boats (until I realized the lines were enormous), and took a picture with a sailor…that’s right, I blatantly asked him for a picture, he said sure, then put his arm around my shoulder and ta-da! I now have a picture with a Russian guy in uniform, which has definitely been my goal for a while…now I just have to work on a милициа…
Life in the apartment is better…I believe we have finally come to a happy medium – she doesn’t ask where I go during the day and I don’t expect more out of her than a meal and clean laundry…I really don’t mind the living conditions here, and goodness knows they are not perfect, but they really don’t bother me at all – living in the баня that is my apartment, eating out of pots and pan lids (although I do occasionally get upgraded to the fancy plate with the roses on it), taking a hand-held shower, wearing hand-dried, crusty t-shirts, and sleeping on a couch have just become part of the daily routine…but man I’m not gonna lie, the comforts of home sound pretty amazing right about now…I think what I miss most is the freedom of living in a place I can fully call my own – I want a grilled cheese sandwich desperately but cant adopt the kitchen as my own, I don’t want to wear slippers when its blazing outside, but don’t want to offend her, and would love to just spend the afternoon at home with some friends over but we are not allowed to… it doesn’t help when my бабушка in her ornery ways insists I don’t eat her food (as I am shoveling potatoes in my mouth), calls me бедная and худая every day that I come home past 7:30, and proceeds to tell me how to eat a chicken drumstick at dinner (amongst other things), but I have come to appreciate the little things in this house – the TV in my room, my balcony, the constant supply of fresh fruits and veggies she buys me, the fact that she lets me eat in my room and gives me free reign over the stove for chi (which yes Russians still consistently drink even though it is 35 degrees outside, it is their cure for EVERYTHING including heat stroke apparently)… she is just old and set in her ways and doesn’t quite understand that a 21 year old girl is an adult who can and does think on her own…so I wait patiently and smile…its all part of the experience…
In terms of classes, they are winding down but I have officially come to find that I absolutely love Фонетика…I may be the only student in Смолний who does, but that’s totally fine, not only do I actually excel in that class (better than native-speaker Dan which totally boosts my ego J) but the teacher and I have also hit it off fabulously… Ольга Сергеевна may be one of the sternest, sharpest, most intimidating people I have ever met, but I absolutely love her …she recommended a book for me after we were talking after class and is going to give me a copy of the accompanying CD for free…I am such a nerd…I am getting excited over Russian sounds and intonation – I don’t know if it gets much worse than that…
Oh I also crossed paths with my friends again on the metro on Friday and Даша waved at me as they went up the escalator… J
Москва is up and coming quickly – I leave on an overnight train on Thursday and am REALLY looking forward to it (although there is a potential it could be the worst experience of my life because the projected forecast for Friday there is a whopping 39 degrees….ouch) but I am dying for a change of pace…
Otherwise the nights are actually getting dark for a good five hours or so but the mosquitoes are still out in force and I seem to wake up with a new set of battle scars every morning… just some thoughts on Russia = I think I know why Russian girls dress like they do – my English teacher insists that the girls here are just trying to follow fashion magazines (they try but always end of looking either frumpy or slutty or both) but my theory is that the girls here only have three months to even have the possibility to dress trashy so they pack it all in at once…in LA at least the girls can spread that out over a good 10 months so its not so overwhelming, so I have cut the girls here some slack (not much but some…) I also now have come to appreciate the Russian lackadaisical attitude – it drives me nuts at times, but at least I can j-walk any time I want, walk through a store without having a salesperson on my tail (although trying to find one when you want to actually buy something is a completely separate story and often ends up with waiting around for five minutes while they finish their smoke outside), and sit around in a park on the grass or with your feet in a fountain which is a totally normal pastime here…I think the sign on the restaurant I was at the other night sums it up perfectly “Open: 10 am till whenever…” …I am still astounded at the amount of English prevalent here and at how the English that most Russians do know (or at least that you hear on the streets) sounds like it comes straight from a rap song… the mere fact that the search engine at the Русская Национальная Библиотека is default set to English speaks volumes…Oh and speaking of which, I finally got up the nerve to ask a librarian and as a result – Wednesday at 1:00 pm I will have 13 books waiting for me at the Русская Национальная Библиотека …wish me luck!