So two months later.......

Unfortunately I have been awful at keeping up with my blog posts, therefore I have decided to do an all inclusive post of some of my best (or worst) moments of the past two months. 

Halloween in Russia:

A few Russian students at school wanted to put on a “real” Halloween party and even came to us Americans for advice on special customs or traditions we might be able to share. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that most college students do not still celebrate Halloween by carving pumpkins. My friend Stephanie and I decided to go as “1920’s flappers,” mainly because we wouldn’t need to buy anything. However, we would have benefitted from two pieces of advice: 1. Russians only dress up as scary things for Halloween and 2. They don’t know what flappers are (I should have realized that the Roaring Twenties in Russia means the end of the Russian Civil War and the beginning of the Soviet Regime.)  It didn’t occur to any of us Americans that Halloween in Russia means only dress up as something dead, spooky, or bloody. Costumes in the US are often judged by their comical reference to pop culture or clever puns and jokes…..I guess I’ll just have to be a “double rainbow” next year.

English Tutoring:

Three to four times a week I tutor a 30-year-old Russian woman, Yulia. Yulia is a lawyer who is studying English in hopes of moving to Finland to continue her education. Her English is very good, meaning we get to just talk for an hour and I correct her on grammar, pronunciation, and word choice. What started off as an extra job has developed into a new friendship and one of my favorite parts of my week. We have discussed everything from our favorite movies and music to marriage to the Islamic center being built near Ground Zero. We have a very interesting relationship. I am obviously one of, if not, the only American she has had close contact with, making me somewhat of a novelty. She has had me over for dinner and always brings me chocolates, souvenirs, and fruit (because I once told her I don’t get any at my homestay). She also has a cat named Ke$ha……the dollar sign usage is still up for discussion. She is the only person that has ever said via text message (or ever for that matter) that I’m her “favorite American girl.”

The Truck

It is hard to go down a street in Petersburg and not find a “producty,” a 24 hour convenient store. The smaller ones carry the staples: bread products, alcohol, ice cream, and some other items. Some of the bigger ones have fruits and vegetable stands as well as various meats. One day I was walking down my school’s street approaching the producty, one of the larger ones I mentioned. From afar I could see a truck parked outside store and two men unloading something into the store. As I got closer and closer I tried to distinguish what exactly was in the back of the truck. It was a tan color so initially I guessed sand, but knew that couldn’t be it. Finally I saw what looked to be a dead animal’s body. The closest animal it resembled was a deer, cut in half, just lying in the truck. As if they had been waiting for me to get a front row seat, one man suddenly held onto the “deer” while the other man took a dirt shovel and began chopping the deer right in the back of the truck. Bon appétit!

Meg in Moscow

I went to Moscow! A few weekends ago our program organized a trip for all 29 American students to go to Moscow for three nights. The trip to Moscow is a seven-hour overnight train ride. We slept (or tried to sleep) in the sweltering heat with four people in each minuscule compartment. Upon our arrival, Moscow welcomed us with cold and rainy arms. Our first day was a bit dismal and exhausting, but our next two were incredible. I’ll go through the highlights….On Friday we went to the Kremlin where we saw who we assumed to be Medvedev drive past in a convoy of large vehicles going 55mph through the fortress. Then we walked to Red Square where the sun came out and we were able to take some “hot pics” a.k.a touristy pictures that are Facebook worthy. That evening we went to the circus where we saw bears riding bicycles, horses doing twirls, and tigers jumping…..none of which resemble animal cruelty in the slightest. On Saturday we went to the Tretyakov Gallery which houses some of the most famous Russian paintings and icons, including Rubylov’s Trinity. That evening my friends and I went to G.U.M. (pronounced goom), a large, upscale mall that makes up one of the sides of Red Square. Here we looked at clothes we couldn’t afford and drooled in the “Supermarket No. 1.” This supermarket reminded me so much of Whole Foods that I actually got so homesick and hungry that my eyes teared up. Stephanie told me to get a grip.

Russian Winter

We are starting to experience the beginning of a Russian winter.  I tell my host mother that I think it’s cold when it’s -10 degrees Fahrenheit and she goes, “No, it’s not cold yet, just wait.” We had a four-day period that it snowed constantly. I know most people like to exaggerate about snow, but for these four days no matter what time I went outside it was snowing. And when you have to walk anywhere from an hour to two hours each day, the snow starts to become a pain. The snow removal is minimal here and I swear the Russian women wear heels just to use them as ice picks. I have decided to stick with the trusty ole Bean Boots even if they do attract many stares. You wouldn’t guess it, but the most dangerous (and most beautiful) thing about Russian winter is the icicles. These falling icicles cause about 20 deaths each year along with hundreds of injuries. Already 6 people have died and 150 people are hospitalized. People will use anything from chairs to broken washing machines to create barriers with caution tape underneath the most dangerous icicles. Many people resort to walking in the road to avoid walking under the icicles at all costs. I will be sure to post pictures soon to really give you an idea of how dangerous they are.