До свидания, Питер

As I sit here in Pulkovo airport, waiting for my flight to Moscow, I can't help but think and reflect on the experience I have had. Six weeks ago, if you asked me how excited I was for my trip to Russia I would have honestly said not very much at all. Initially I was dreading these six weeks in St. Petersburg. I was anxious and nervous and downright not looking forward to it. I knew it would be so challenging to not know the language here. I was traveling for the first time to a truly foreign place. I knew my way of life would have to shift immensely and I wasn't excited for that. I wished I could just stay home in New York for the summer, living in the relaxing comforts of home -- a truly carefree summer.

Now, that my time here has come to a close, I couldn't think of any other way to spend my summer. Yes it was difficult, and challenging, and I faced unexpected obstacles often. But overcoming these challenges here in Russia, and in all of my other travels for that matter, have shaped me into the person I am today. I have been determined to make the most out of my short time in college, and though it may be tough at times it has proven to be so rewarding. I have watched myself grow immensly academically, professionally, and personally. I grew to love St. Petersburg. It's beauty, it's culture, it's people; it is truly the diamond of Russia.

Peter's window to the west brought me beautiful memories, along with life lessons I will always keep with me. I feel that I truly made the most of my time here in St. Petersburg; and I thank my professors, peers, and staff for being a part of this journey. Most of all, I thank the people of St. Petersburg for giving me a glimpse of their wonderful city. Their strength and perseverance as a people is truly remarkable. The art of survival by Petersburgers is one that should be revered by all.

Ultimately, I am so pleased with how my study abroad experience in Russia has turned out. I am so thankful that it was contrary to my initial beliefs. Peter, I hope to return to you one day.

"By the new capital, the younger,
Old Moscow's eclipsed at once --
Such is eclipsed a queen-dowager
By a new queen when her time comes.
I love you, Peter's great creation,
I love your view of stern and grace,
The Neva wave's regal procession,
The grayish granite -- her bank's dress,
The gentle transparent twilight,
The moonless gleam of your nights restless,
When I so easy read and write
Without a lamp in my room lone,
And seen is each huge buildings' stone
Of the left streets, and is so bright
The Admiralty spire's flight,
And when, not letting the night's darkness
To reach the golden heaven's height
The dawn after the sunset hastens --
And a half-hours for the night."

- A.K. Pushkin's The Bronze Horseman

Until next time Peter, До свидания.

Palace Embankment

St. Isaac's Cathedral

View from the top of St. Isaac's

On my fourth weekend living in St. Petersburg, I chose to do one of my favorite tourist activities. I love to visit places of worship, the older usually the better. Religious art pieces and icons are some of my favorite works of art. And there is no lack of churches here in St. Petersburg! Due to the closing down of public transportation on Nevsky Prospekt for the weekend (the equivalent of stopping all cross-town buses in Manhattan on a weekend, unthinkable I know) I had to walk to all of my desired locations. A fate not too bad since luckily as large as the city is, everything is still relatively close to each other. My first stop was the furthest out, St. Isaac's Cathedral. A massive and iconic church in St. Petersburg, the columns surrounding the entryway still hold marks from bomb shells during WWII. This was my personal favorite, the inside resembling a more Western European style. I was able to tour both inside the church and climb to the top of the cupola. That is one thing that is so special about all of the grand churches of Europe. Climbing to the top, although some could be several hundred steps high, is such an amazing experience. Seeing that aerial view of the city you are in is breathtaking, and most definitely worth the hike! Later in the day I also visited the inside of Kazan Cathedral and the Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood. This church bears the name of "spilt blood" since it was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. With its iconic colorful onion domes, this church is built more typically in the Russian Orthodox style.

Winter Palace, view from Palace Square

Inside The Hermitage

Later in the evening I also had the opportunity to attend an opera at the famous Mariinsky Theatre. I watched Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karmazov" and enjoyed how truly breathtaking the opera house is! The next day our group had a tour of the Hermitage. This is one of the things I was most excited for in Russia. The Winter Palace is an iconic symbol of St. Petersburg, and each day I pass by it I realize more and more how beautiful it is! I was right to look forward to the Hermitage museum, it was by far the largest museum I have ever been to in my life (and I like to think I've done my fair share of museum tours!) There was no way we could see everything in one day, let alone the few hours we had set out for the museum. Luckily we had a great tour guide who showed us around, explaining each of the most important rooms and pieces to us. I was shocked by how many iconic works of art where located here in Russia! It definitely reminded me of how truly "European" St. Petersburg is as a city -- Peter's window to the west!

Happy Birthday America!

To me, nothing says God Bless the USA like a good old fashioned Fourth of July barbecue. Some americana bunting, beautiful fireworks, celebrations with family and friends, and enough red, white, and blue cookies to feed a small army. I was disappointed to be spending my first Independence Day abroad -- the thought of a BBQ and some swimming in the pool sounds like heaven right now!! -- but luckily my abroad program is made up of almost entirely Americans who were also missing the USA on this holiday. Our directors coordinated a Fourth of July potluck picnic for us at Divo Ostrov, St. Petersburg's main amusement park with lots of picnic grounds open to the public. Although it was different than what I would normally expect, our celebration was still lots of fun. It is nice to have a reminder every now and then of the things you love about your home, it reminds me of how Proud I am to be an American!

Universality of Beer

Last Wednesday we had a sign up excursion to the Baltika Brewery. Baltika is the main Russian beer, and they also produce other beers such as Carlsberg. I thought it would be a lot of fun to check out the factory and compare it to some of the other breweries I visited last semester. Although I did get a free mug and a few sample tastings at the end, it was definitely very different from any of my other experiences. The Baltika Brewery is definitely not a common tourist location, we were the only people there other than the actual employees. The tour was extremely high security, with constant swiping of ID's and forbidden photography. We weren't allowed to walk around by ourself. Our group was always accompanied by our tour guide who was rather dull and monotone. There was very little action occurring on the conveyor belts of the factory, making many of us wonder how they are such a successful company, or maybe it was just "break time?" Otherwise, the beer tasting at the end of the tour was a great success and it was still really cool to see the stark contrast between European and Russian breweries.

On Friday my culture class visited the Dostoevsky Museum. Along the way, we walked past a few of his former places of residence. The museum itself is a replica of his final apartment in St. Petersburg. That is where he wrote The Brothers Karamazov and eventually died. It is so intriguing to actually study the works of authors like Dostoevsky and Pushkin in St. Petersburg; it truly contributes to the mythical "Petersburg Text."

The cigarette case written on by Dostoevksy's daughter on the day he died.

Visiting Valaam

My third weekend in Russia (June 29-30), was spent with an overnight trip to Valaam. The city of St. Petersburg is surrounded by water and is comprised of dozens of islands. To the east of the city is Lake Ladoga. Lake Ladoga is the largest lake in all of Europe, and served as the city's lifeline during the Siege of Leningrad in WWII (by allowing food and other necessitates to cross over the frozen lake). Throughout the lake there are many various islands. One of them was our destination -- Valaam.

For hundreds of years Valaam has been made up of various different monastic communities. Once arriving on the island it was clear why so many monastic skeetes flourished here. The island was full of tranquility and its breathtaking scenery filled with forests and lakes was truly peaceful. It was a nice alternative to the hustle and bustle of city life. Our group took an overnight boat ride across the lake to Valaam. We spent the day touring the beautiful island and then visited the major cathedral of the monastery called Saviour Transfiguration Cathedral. I even had the opportunitiy to listen to the Valaam Chant song typically by the monks on the island and the Valaam Brethren Choir. While walking around the island, and especially when inside the church's, all girls had to have their heads and shoulders covered, and their legs covered with a long skirt. Although it was hot to have a heavy scarf draped around my head, it was also a lot of fun and reminiscent of "dress-up."

Before lunchtime, a group of us even had the opportunity to swim in the lake. I use the word "swim," however the water was so cold we could barely stand it! It was nice to quickly cool off after the intense summer heat of the day -- especially in Europe's largest lake! Since the lake borders between Finland and Russia, there was no surprise of the water's ice cold temperatures! Overall our trip to Valaam was extremely relaxing; filled with windy boat rides and magnificent natural landscapes. Definitely a successful trip!

Some of our group hanging out on the deck of our ship to Valaam.

Sweltering Summers

When family and friends check in to see how my time in St. Petersburg is, they are always shocked with one tiny piece of information -- THE HEAT. I have never experienced the heat or humidity like I have in my three weeks in Russia!!! Since the sun is out for almost twenty hours a day during the St. Petersburg summer, there is absolutely no way to avoid that constant sunshine. I know it is ironic to be complaining of blistering heat waves in Russia, but it is actually turning out to be one of my biggest struggles here (talk about global warming!)

Although all this sun (with lack of water, ice or some A/C) is proving to be a nuisance, it is not stopping me from enjoying this beautiful city! My second week here in Russia I had the opportunity to check out some of the city's cultural destinations during my free time. I walked through Art Square, along the famous Neva River, and throughout Mixhailovskiy Gardens. The gardens, although large, were full of shade which seems to be a rare find in St. Petersburg!

I visited the Russian State Museum which was massive! I spent almost three hours there and only got through one of the four main halls of the museum. The museum itself reminded me very much of other European art museums I have visited. There were many portraits of old Russian leaders and tsars, along with a lot of religious art such as Christian icons.

Inside the Russian State Museum

Later in the week I visited the marble palace. The museum had a few very modern and abstract exhibits, along with a traveling exhibition by Russian artist Mixhail Chemiakin. He struggled as an artist in the Soviet Union, and eventually found success in Paris and now in New York. His art portrayed some of the darker times of the city of St. Petersburg. His tragic and somewhat gothic style was somewhat reminiscent of a Tim Burton movie, just to paint a better picture in my description (no pun intended!)

The one plus of these hot days in St. Petersburg is the ice cream! Мореженое is sold everywhere you look. I've definitely been getting my summer ice cream fix, if only they had soft serve!

Living in Leningrad

I'm still in awe that I am living in St. Petersburg, let alone that it has been two weeks here already! Last weekend was our first real weekend in the city and CIEE planned a few excursions for us to see St. Petersburg, but also gave us ample time to explore on our own. Saturday morning we all met by the Alexander column in Palace Square (directly across the Hermitage) for a scavenger hunt. Our "mission" took us all around the city center showing us important places we might need during our time here in St. Petersburg. Some stops included the international medical clinic, the train station, the post office and even the Zenit store which is the local soccer team.
That evening our group was given tickets to see the last showing of Swan Lake at the Mixhailovskiy Theatre. It was so nice to dress up and get to really immerse myself in Russian culture. Attending the ballet was on top of my "to-do" list in St. Petersburg! The theatre itself was beautiful and performance was truly amazing (although a much less tragic interpretation of Swan Lake I must say...) The theatre was located in Arts Square which is a square in the center of the city that is filled with museums, theatres, and concert halls. Truly a beautiful place!
Sunday morning we had yet another excursion. This time, we took a bus tour to the local WWII cemetery and memorial. Our tour guide Julia told us all about the long Siege of Leningrad and the horrific tragedies that happened to the people of the Soviet Union. It was so interesting to hear Russia's perspective of the war, a side that is not always told in the US! It makes sense as to why the locals are so concerned with food waste here, during the war rationing forced each individual to have less than 5oz of bread each day! And mind you it was bread filled with sawdust and other materials to provide more sustenance. Definitely puts a lot of things in perspective. Overall, my first weekend here was exciting, informative, and a lot of fun!

Getting Around Town

I tried to ease my way into using the city's many forms of public transportation and I must admit, that I think I'm doing pretty well. Initially, I was hesitant to travel around the city by myself due to my inability to read all of the Russian signs as well as my inability to always accurately ask for directions. Safety is my number one concern and I didn't want to go strolling around during these white nights without Google maps to get me home.

Luckily, I quickly got the hang of it -- especially since this city has turned out to be a lot smaller than I originally imagined. There are many different types of transportation here in St. Petersburg. Of course there's your typical walking or driving to your final destination (although the drivers here are the craziest I have ever seen!) There is also the underground metro which has undoubtedly the largest subway stations I have ever experience in my life -- and I like to think I've ridden on a pretty large number of metro systems! The stations are beautiful though, and I hear Moscow's are even nicer so I am excited to check those out next month! The city also has a tram system which I have yet to use. They are pretty outdated and the tram system is currently undergoing a renovation. The old ones are stilling running though, even though some of them look really, really broken down. There are buses which seem pretty efficient. My first day of class I thought my host mom was walking me to school, but instead she pulled me on a bus that was heading in the same direction. Additionally, there are trolley buses. These are quickly turning into my favorite way of getting around. Although they are so hot and there is absolutely zero air circulation on them; they go everywhere I need to be, are fast and extremely efficient. Trolley buses are a combination of a tram and bus -- there are wheels that drive on the street and then electric wire overhead as well. Not only is public transportation here in St. Petersburg. There are small private mini-buses that drive along a pre-determined route called marshrutkas. I've ridden on a marshrutkas for a class excursion and boy was it an experience! Ultimately, the public transportation here is surprisingly easy to figure out and SUPER cheap! One ride on the trolley bus is 25 rubles, that's less than $1USD. Take that MTA and your $2.50 subway fare plus your new $1 fee just to buy a metrocard!

На Уроке

My study abroad program this summer is hosted by St. Petersburg State University. Our study center is located at the university's Smolny campus. Smolny host three different departments, sociology, international relations and political science. CIEE's offices and classrooms are within the political science faculty. I take two classes throughout the summer. Each class meets for five 90-minute sessions every week -- talk about a lot of time in school! I am taking an Intermediate Russian Language class that is taught solely in Russian and boy has it showed me how out of touch I am with my language skills! Thankfully, I am quickly remembering a lot of the basics. I hope the moment arrives when all of my Russian language knowledge comes flooding back to me instantaneously, I won't hold my breath for it though! Huge shout out to my high school Russian teacher Mrs. Levina; yes I would cry in the hallway before your class started, and yes I would sweat bullets while you yelled Russian grammar rules at us, and yes I would try and frantically calculate who you were going to pick on next; but now I realize the reason for my suffering, so I can survive this class and life in St. Petersburg!!!! Seriously though I never realized how much she actually taught me in my various classes with her!

The second course I am taking here is called "Cultural Myths and Realities of St. Petersburg." The professor seems really great and not afraid to speak his mind on the current status of Russia and its complex political system. Our first class he even touched on some development issues, like education, sanitation, food security, and disaster relief, which was fascinating for me! I'm looking forward to his insights on other issues facing Russia, even though it is technically a literature class! Today we spent our class at the Summer Gardens. The grounds were beautiful and every few minutes we would stop and discuss the garden's symbolism, how it has affected the city over time, and one of our in class motif's which is water and flooding in St. Petersburg! Our class excursions always connect back to Russian literature or film media. Surprisingly, the majority of these cultural texts I have already been exposed to thanks to Mr. Callahan's College Russian class! Still in shock that week one of classes has come to a close -- crazy to think there are only five more weeks in Russia!

Cultural Faux Pas

There are many things I have been struggling with while here in Russia. Challenges seem to always be one of the most rewarding experiences during my travels; allowing me to truly discover who I am and results in an immense amount of personal growth. Initially, I knew the language barrier would be one of my biggest obstacles. In comparison to other places I have travelled independently too, Russia has by far the least amount of local citizens who speak the English language. However one of the sole drivers that brought me hear to St. Petersburg was the desire to attain a higher level of Russian language comprehension. This language barrier may be tough, but it is allowing me to constantly practice whether it be on the at home, on the street, in stores, or at my university -- each time taking me one step closer to my ultimate goal.

Surprisingly, my difficulty with the Russian language has not been my biggest challenge (like I had expected). Cultural differences between Russians and Americans are proving to be enormous, and every little thing I do seems to be out of place; instantly branding me as a foreigner. For instance, at home Russians take their shoes off and put their slippers on as soon as they walk through the door. It is looked down upon to walk around the house barefoot, or even just in socks. I, on the other hand, am most comfortable barefoot. I even choose to go barefoot if I have to run outside for a second or check something briefly. This, I learned through my host mom's scolding when I put one foot outside our apartment door with just a sock on, is a HUGE no-no. Russians pride themselves on their cleanliness and comfort so slippers and "at home" clothes are always a must. I am looked down upon if I enter into my apartment here and don't automatically change into a new outfit. The clothes I was wearing during the day are seen as extremely dirty, and god forbid I sit down on my chair or even worse my bed with the dress I wore to class on. I'd be contaminating the whole house!

Russians also think it is extremely bad luck to place your bag on the floor. This is a habit I have that I did not even realize I practiced until I was told it is wrong. Whether it be in class, at a restaurant, or even in my room at home, my bag must never be placed on the floor. Many fancy Russian restaurants even have little benches next to each seat so women can put their purses there instead of on the floor!!

I came to Russia knowing that their sense of style is very different and that Russian people in general tend to dress up a lot more than Americans do on a daily basis. Knowing this, I tried to come prepared when packing for my trip by bringing nicer clothes than I would typically wear. Yet STILL I do not measure up with the people I pass on the street! Whether they be running across the street, or on the metro, or eating lunch in the cafeteria, everyone I see here is decked out in excessively fancy outfits. I have yet to encounter one woman above the age of 16 who is not walking around the city in 6+inches heels. I walked around for an hour and a half today in a pair of TOMS and my feet are full of blisters; how they manage run around this big, cobble-stone street city in stilettos for hours on end will always boggle me.

Russians also greet each other very differently than Americans do. When meeting another individual, Russians simply nod at each other. For me, this has been so difficult and awkward for me to overcome. When I meet someone I want to smile and even shake their hand, but to do so would make me stand out even more than I already do. The American hand-shake is definitely not a thing here at all! During my commute to and from campus every day, I walk throughout the city and try to observe all the individuals around me. Everyone always looks so sad and angry and I can not resist smiling at someone when they look me in the eyes on the street! Americans I know who are from the south have criticized me in the past for not saying "Hello!" or "Good Morning!" to passerby on the street. I can't even imagine thinking about starting up a random conversation with a stranger on the street here just to be "nice." Russians are definitely a lot more individualistic than Americans, which personally I think is saying a lot! Hopefully I get the hang of the Russian way of life, and stop slipping up with all of these cultural mistakes!

восемь я советская улица -- The Eighth Soviet Street

Last night our orientation concluded and it was finally time to meet our host families. My new host mom picked me up at the hotel we had been staying at. Her name is Irina Mikhailovna. In Russian culture, there is a high emphasis on respecting those who are older than you. So when I greet my host mom, I must address her not only by her first name but with her patronymic as well. A patronymic is almost like a Russian middle name, except it is given to you based on your father's first name. For example, my patronymic would be Johnovna (I guess?). Not the biggest fan in the world of the whole patronymic thing (from a feminist standpoint of course) but I'm accepting it all in the name of cultural assimilation.
We arrived at our apartment building, admittedly quite dilapidated, with its pink peeling hallway and broken down elevator (loads of fun carrying my luggage up a few flights of stairs). I live on Soviet Street, which may sound pretty simple, but there are ten streets parallel to each other all named Soviet Street. Mine is the eighth in the row, hopefully it will be easy to find on my walk home from school today.
My apartment is very rustic. It definitely has not been refurnished from Soviet times. My room has lots of storage space and a big window. Luckily there are curtains, although rather thin, they still block out most of the light during the evenings. There is no air conditioning, so the small apartment can get pretty stuffy. I was tempted to open the window in my room, but I have yet to touch it for fear of the large amount of mosquitos in the city. I opted for a tiny fan that I brought from home, but within a few minutes it started smoking and over-heating! Definitely proves the importance of bringing a convertor during international travel...
Both dinner and breakfast were authentically Russian. Lots of soup and sour cream; and kasha which is Russian rice porridge. I was excited to find my room has internet, something that seems pretty rare with other homestays in the program. My host mom speaks no English at all. This has definitely been a challenge and has forced me to remember all that vocab I memorized in high school! Hopefully our language barrier turns into a positive experience for me, after all the reason I am here in Russia is to learn the language!

M-M-Metro Face

Today we continued our orientation to this new city. Culturally, Russians do not typically smile in public. Although this is something you wouldn't typically take note of when travelling, it is an important cultural difference we need to be aware of. Our on-site staff recommended we keep a "metro face" when travelling on the metro and going around the city. Personally, I was very excited by this -- especially since most people in America usually comment on my "stone-cold" expressions as rude or uninterested. Now, I can get away with not smiling all the time and it be considered normal!!

All joking aside, we spent the afternoon taking a bus tour around the city center. I was surprised at how breathtaking the city is! The nice weather attracts tourists and locals alike to come outside and enjoy the beauty of St. Petersburg. We drove by countless cathedrals, fortresses, and museums; all more exciting than the next!

I am looking forward to meeting with my host family tomorrow evening and starting classes on Tuesday morning! It's currently 11pm here and it is bright as day outside!!! This is definitely going to take some getting used to...

Back in the U.S.S.R.

Although "back" doesn't quite cut it, since I have never been here before (and no I haven't been singing The Beatles song all day, well maybe...) but I have finally arrived in the Russian Federation!

This summer, for the upcoming six weeks to be precise, I will be studying Russian language and culture in St. Petersburg. After an endlessly long and delayed flight, via Moscow of course, I have landed in my new and temporary home.

Myself and along with my group of fellow American students, will have the opportunity to study at St. Petersburg State University. Our study center is located on the Smolny Campus which, by the looks of it, is absolutely gorgeous (as seen in the photo below which I wish was taken by myself but unfortunately is a product of Google). 

Hey American U! Why can't our quad look like this?

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to study abroad again, especially in such a beautiful place like St. Petersburg. During the summers, the city of St. Petersburg comes even more alive due to its White Nights. There are festivals all throughout the city to celebrate the time where there is little or no darkness in St. Petersburg. The New York Times even reported on St. Petersburg's White Nights by saying, "After seven months of winter, come 80 nights when the sun barely sets and celebrations grip the city." 

I look forward to the white nights and all of the experiences this marvelous city has to offer!