I haven't posted in awhile, mostly because I feel like I'm running out of things to say. With just 11 days left here in St. Petersburg, I've definitely worked into a routine, and new developments are somewhat few and far between. This is, however, the point at which I'm really starting to look forward to being home. Russia is nice, but I certainly miss some of the comforts of my life in America, not to mention the food (see previous post on food).
In some senses, Russia has become a little more American recently. I was very worried that I would be unable to celebrate Thanksgiving for the first time in my life owing to being away from home, but our program came through. Our program director, Nathan, graciously accepted us into his apartment. My friend Rob did a great job cooking a turkey and stuffing. I helped out where I could, most notably with an apple pie and the cranberry sauce. That, and kicking out the jams in my iPod. All in all, it was surprisingly successful Thanksgiving feast that did justice to the holiday.
Another Americanization of my abroad experience has been the opening of the Galeria, a giant mall, on the same block as our university. We've browsed around Western stores such as H&M, Levi, Payless Shoes, and Top Shop. There is also a food court complete with McDonalds, Sbarro, Burger King, Cinnabon, KFC, Panda Hit! (think Panda Express) and a number of Russian fast food selections as well, such as Теремок and Емеля. This has greatly expanded our lunchtime choices from Shwarma stand vs typical Russian cafe. The mall also has a bowling alley and movie theatre.
Down the street, a new Stockmann (a Finnish department store) opened up the very same week. While browsing their grocery store, I bought a jar of Newman's Own salsa and some very expensive tortilla chips. That was a good find.
Of course, the end is bittersweet. It would be nice to be able to continue studying, since I still have a long way to go before being satisfied with my Russian abilities, but I'm sure this won't be last time here.
PS It should be noted that in America, the above selection of fast food would never seem appealing, but in Russia, they are a reminder of home.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
One of the impediments to making friends in Russia is probably the fact that my poor command of the language renders me a rather dull personality. I'm unable to think of quick responses and the extent to which I can discuss a given topic is usually rather limited. I often try to make jokes in class, for instance, but it's very hard to be intentionally funny in a foreign language. If I try to make a joke, I often just say something wrong, and then struggle to try and get it out correctly, by which time it's no longer funny. Not to mention, it may not have been funny in Russian in the first place.
It does seem to be getting better though. Lately I've been able to make Russians laugh a little more easily. There are also signs that my comprehension is improving. Often if someone says something funny in Russian that I didn't understand, I don't know it was funny until other people start laughing. However, today on our excursion to Dostoevsky's apartment, I found myself laughing along with others as I listened to our tour guide. Weekly excursions have been a decent way to measure my language growth. At the beginning of the semester, I could never understand a tour guide. Today I probably understood 90% of what was going on. It's not a perfect measure since all tour guides are not created equal.
All things considered, though, Russians are usually impressed that we Americans are even trying to learn Russian. Some are confused, since they don't think it's particularly useful and so difficult that most Russians can't speak and write it properly. They're very complimentary of our abilities, even when we know we're struggling. One problem, though, is that Russians don't want to respond to me in Russian. Once they figure out that I'm not Russian, they address me in English, and that's that. There's one bar we often go to, and the bartender seems to remember me because he never speaks to me in Russian. I don't if they think they're helping, they want to practice their English, or they really can't understand my Russian. I think it's sometimes a bit of all three.
It does seem to be getting better though. Lately I've been able to make Russians laugh a little more easily. There are also signs that my comprehension is improving. Often if someone says something funny in Russian that I didn't understand, I don't know it was funny until other people start laughing. However, today on our excursion to Dostoevsky's apartment, I found myself laughing along with others as I listened to our tour guide. Weekly excursions have been a decent way to measure my language growth. At the beginning of the semester, I could never understand a tour guide. Today I probably understood 90% of what was going on. It's not a perfect measure since all tour guides are not created equal.
All things considered, though, Russians are usually impressed that we Americans are even trying to learn Russian. Some are confused, since they don't think it's particularly useful and so difficult that most Russians can't speak and write it properly. They're very complimentary of our abilities, even when we know we're struggling. One problem, though, is that Russians don't want to respond to me in Russian. Once they figure out that I'm not Russian, they address me in English, and that's that. There's one bar we often go to, and the bartender seems to remember me because he never speaks to me in Russian. I don't if they think they're helping, they want to practice their English, or they really can't understand my Russian. I think it's sometimes a bit of all three.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
What do you call that thing you live in?
An interesting thing can happen when you're living immersed in a foreign language: you start to muddle your languages. There have been multiple occasions where I simply cannot remember a word in English, but can only remember it's Russian equivalent. The two most prominent examples, which for whatever reason keep reoccurring, are почта (post-office) and гармошка (accordion). It also happened once with бегемот (hippopotamus).
On the other hand, there are certain Russian words which I simply cannot remember in conversation, no matter how much I hear them or try to memorize them. The worst offender is утка (duck). I also have problems with тогда (then/in that case), which is unfortunately a very useful and oft-spoken word.
Don't even get me started on how many Russian words have slipped into my French vocabulary...
Nothing compares, though, to Rob forgetting the English word for room: "What do you call that thing you live in, not an apartment, but there are four walls...?"
EDIT: The above anecdote refers to Rob from this program, not the Rob who goes to Pitzer.
On the other hand, there are certain Russian words which I simply cannot remember in conversation, no matter how much I hear them or try to memorize them. The worst offender is утка (duck). I also have problems with тогда (then/in that case), which is unfortunately a very useful and oft-spoken word.
Don't even get me started on how many Russian words have slipped into my French vocabulary...
Nothing compares, though, to Rob forgetting the English word for room: "What do you call that thing you live in, not an apartment, but there are four walls...?"
EDIT: The above anecdote refers to Rob from this program, not the Rob who goes to Pitzer.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
My kingdom for a burrito
It seems ever since I posted about the food here in Russia, I've been thinking a lot about the foods I miss and can't wait to have again once I'm back stateside. These include, but are not limited to:
Mexican
Barbecue
Deli sandwiches
Chicago pizza, hot dogs
Various Asian foods
Hamburgers (they just aren't very good here)
Chipotle (yes, a separate category from Mexican food)
et al...
Sunday, October 24, 2010
С деньгами, всё возможно
In this country, anything is possible if you pay the right sum to the right person. Today, my tutor, Andrei, and I were waiting in line to enter the Hermitage (we finally gave up) and people came along offering to help us bypass the line for money. Really, if you want something done in this country, a payment or gift will go a long way.
Take Friday night, for example. We went out to the bars to celebrate a friend's birthday. As we were leaving a bar, one of the girls in our party had lost her coat check ticket. After a long time spent trying to convince the attendant that the coat in question was in fact hers, the man finally asked for 100 rubles. She compromised at 50 and we were immediately on our way.
On another occasion, while we were still housed in the dorm/hotel, a friend had to pay a 100 ruble bribe to the front desk. A friend of his who lived on the other side of a bridge which had already gone up for the night (quite the annoyance, if you live on an island), needed a place to stay. The bribe got her in, even though she wasn't a registered guest.
I have not had to pay a bribe here, but it could happen. As a precaution, one should never walk around with more money than you are willing to lose. If a policeman stops you, the fine for whatever wrong you were committing in his eyes tends to be however much you have in your pocket, so I'm told at least. One good habit is to separate your money into different pockets, so that if you produce a wad, you do not reveal the entirety of your cash. This is also good practice for avoiding pick-pocketing.
Take Friday night, for example. We went out to the bars to celebrate a friend's birthday. As we were leaving a bar, one of the girls in our party had lost her coat check ticket. After a long time spent trying to convince the attendant that the coat in question was in fact hers, the man finally asked for 100 rubles. She compromised at 50 and we were immediately on our way.
On another occasion, while we were still housed in the dorm/hotel, a friend had to pay a 100 ruble bribe to the front desk. A friend of his who lived on the other side of a bridge which had already gone up for the night (quite the annoyance, if you live on an island), needed a place to stay. The bribe got her in, even though she wasn't a registered guest.
I have not had to pay a bribe here, but it could happen. As a precaution, one should never walk around with more money than you are willing to lose. If a policeman stops you, the fine for whatever wrong you were committing in his eyes tends to be however much you have in your pocket, so I'm told at least. One good habit is to separate your money into different pockets, so that if you produce a wad, you do not reveal the entirety of your cash. This is also good practice for avoiding pick-pocketing.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Perhaps the most important part of study abroad experience...
I'm speaking, of course, about dining. While Paris, St. Petersburg is not, I've found that Russia's poor culinary reputation is not entirely accurate. In fact, I've tried a number of foods I never would have tried elsewhere, and have even surprised myself in liking things I hitherto did not enjoy, such as beets. Beets, are of course, somewhat eponymous is soup (borsch) and salad (vinegret). Here is a rundown of my typical day of eating.
Breakfast is typically ready shortly after I wake up in the morning. There are a few variants, all of which are tasty. Ham and cheese omelets are the most familiar dish. Каша (Kasha) is probably the most common breakfast item, a sort of oatmeal/porridge which is always served with jam. The most unusual breakfast item, to me at least, has been сырники (syirniki), which are fried cottage cheese pan cakes, always served in my house with сметана (smetana, like sour cream) and strawberry jam. Sounds weird, but it's really quite good.
Lunch is typically eaten out, since I'm at school. Most of the time I simply stop by the little pita stand for a "shwarma", an unidentified meat carved from a rotating spit and wrapped up in pita, flat bread or served in a bowl with vegetables and sauce. It's delicious and cheap (around $3). They also serve up hotdogs, hamburgers, and personal pizzas, which are covered in tzaziki and spicy ketchup. If I'm looking to spring for a little extra, I head on over to the Santa Maria cafe, where some of my friends eat literally every day. There you can get a three course business lunch (salad, soup, entree + side, tea) for 160 rubles, or just over $5. Quite the bargain for such a feast.
Dinner is almost always eaten at home. My hostess does all the cooking, and while the food is consistently good, I do miss the diversity which I'm accustomed to in America. Dinner is always a three-course meal. First a salad, which is usually carrots and cabbage. Sometimes it is tomatoes, peppers, and celery. For the first time today, I experienced a digression from these two salads and ate a ham and pea salad which was quite tasty. No matter the salad though, it is inevitably accompanied with a liberal portion of сметана.
Next comes the soup, which can vary as much from a potato and carrot soup, to a potato, carrot, and cabbage soup, to a potato, carrot, and pickle soup.
The main course is meat based. Today was ground sausage with a side of potatoes. Other staples include chicken cutlets, plov (an eastern rice dish with lamb, beef, or chicken), and pelmeni (meat dumplings akin to tortellini).
The whole thing is washed down afterwards with a mug of tea. The meal is also, of course, accompanied by plenty of black bread. There is often also pickled herring (which I love) with the bread.
Breakfast is typically ready shortly after I wake up in the morning. There are a few variants, all of which are tasty. Ham and cheese omelets are the most familiar dish. Каша (Kasha) is probably the most common breakfast item, a sort of oatmeal/porridge which is always served with jam. The most unusual breakfast item, to me at least, has been сырники (syirniki), which are fried cottage cheese pan cakes, always served in my house with сметана (smetana, like sour cream) and strawberry jam. Sounds weird, but it's really quite good.
Lunch is typically eaten out, since I'm at school. Most of the time I simply stop by the little pita stand for a "shwarma", an unidentified meat carved from a rotating spit and wrapped up in pita, flat bread or served in a bowl with vegetables and sauce. It's delicious and cheap (around $3). They also serve up hotdogs, hamburgers, and personal pizzas, which are covered in tzaziki and spicy ketchup. If I'm looking to spring for a little extra, I head on over to the Santa Maria cafe, where some of my friends eat literally every day. There you can get a three course business lunch (salad, soup, entree + side, tea) for 160 rubles, or just over $5. Quite the bargain for such a feast.
Dinner is almost always eaten at home. My hostess does all the cooking, and while the food is consistently good, I do miss the diversity which I'm accustomed to in America. Dinner is always a three-course meal. First a salad, which is usually carrots and cabbage. Sometimes it is tomatoes, peppers, and celery. For the first time today, I experienced a digression from these two salads and ate a ham and pea salad which was quite tasty. No matter the salad though, it is inevitably accompanied with a liberal portion of сметана.
Next comes the soup, which can vary as much from a potato and carrot soup, to a potato, carrot, and cabbage soup, to a potato, carrot, and pickle soup.
The main course is meat based. Today was ground sausage with a side of potatoes. Other staples include chicken cutlets, plov (an eastern rice dish with lamb, beef, or chicken), and pelmeni (meat dumplings akin to tortellini).
The whole thing is washed down afterwards with a mug of tea. The meal is also, of course, accompanied by plenty of black bread. There is often also pickled herring (which I love) with the bread.
..........................................................................................
In food-unrelated news, yesterday our weekly excursion took us to see the local hockey team, CKA, take on a team from Moscow, ЦСКА. Unfortunately, the home team squandered a 2-0 first period lead and lost 3-2. It was fun, though, and some of us are planning on going to another game or two next time we get the chance, which could be as soon as tomorrow!
I enjoyed that Russian hockey fans create a soccer-like environment, with supporters groups, chanting, flags, etc... The stadium, however was probably only 70% full, which detracts from the experience at indoor arenas. The quality of the hockey, though, was surprisingly high. The ticket prices are very cheap, especially compared to the cost of Blackhawks games. The most expensive seats are under $20, while the cheap seats are just over $3 and pennies more than a beer at the stadium, which also seems fairly reasonable at $3. This is a nice change of pace.
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Long Trip (in brief)
Because it was a very long trip, I can only briefly discuss each stop on the boat, but I'll try to hit all the highlights!
Our trip began at Mosckovskii Train Station. We took an overnight sleeper train to Nizhny Novgorod, Russia's fourth largest city. After a rather uncomfortable night's sleep, we arrived in the city in the morning at immediately boarded a bus which would shuttle us about town. Our first stop was the apartment in which famed Soviet nuclear physicist turned peace activist Andrei Sakharov was detained in the later years of his life by the KGB. Next we visited a settlement which showed early peasant life in the area and took a tour of the Kremlin.
We boarded the boat in the evening. The boat itself was a lot of fun. There, we would eat three meals a day, including a breakfast buffet (or "Swedish table" as they say in Russian) and multi-course lunches and dinners. After dinner, we could socialize in a number of boat bars (with boat-pricing) or sweat in the sauna. We all shared a cabin with one other person. The cabins were small, but comfortable, and had a shower with surprisingly strong water pressure.
The next city we would visit in Kazan, a rather unique city in Tartarstan, which is a semi-autonomous republic in Russia. The Tartars have a very strong independent culture and even their own language. The main religion is Islam. Unfortunately, the boat came across some fog in the morning and had to stand still for several hours, so we were very late to Kazan, only seeing it at night and for a couple hours. Nonetheless, we saw the very impressive Kremlin and walked along a pedestrian street. We were treated to a live band on the street and an impressive fire dancing show.
We then made off for Ulyanovsk, a somewhat smaller city that really still seemed to be stuck in Soviet Union in many ways. This makes some sense, since the city's only claim to fame is being the birthplace of Lenin. In fact, the city is still named for him (his last name was Ulyanov). Interestingly, Kerensky was also born there. We visited the house in which he grew up, which was a disappointingly boring, but I still get to say I've been in Lenin's house.
The next two cities were Samara and Saratov which have been somewhat blurred in my mind, not least of all bbecause of their similar names. The highlight in one these two cities (can't remember which...) was Stalin's secret underground bunker. It was only declassified at the end of the Soviet Union. It had been built by hand in complete secrecy and even the next-door neighbors had no idea it was there.
The final city on the cruise was Volgrograd, formerly Stalingrad. Over 90% of the city was destroyed in one of the bloodiest battles of WWII. The city is full of memorials to the fallen soldiers who gave their lives in the Great Heroic Struggle against Fascism. The grandest of all the memorials is the Mother Russia scultpture, a giant woman calling the Russians to battle against the Fascists.
From Volgograd we boarded a train to Moscow. Some stayed on an extra few days, but some friends and I, weary from the travel and conscious of how expensive Moscow is, decided to keep it short and sweet. We followed up seeing Lenin's birthplace with his final resting place. I'm not sure if it's really him or not, but it is definitely creepy. If it is in fact him, I suppose they're doing a good job of keeping a dead body preserved for nearly a century, but it doesn't necessarily look like a real person... We also walked around the city and hung out a bit at the apartment of one of the Russian tutors who was on the boat.
At 1 am we boarded yet another train, and finally headed back to Peter. Anyone travelling to Russia should definitely consider one of these cruises. Russia is hard place to get around if you don't know the language. For that matter, it's hard if even if you do, with all the bureaucracy. On these tours you can really see a lot more of Russia than you otherwise ever could.
Our trip began at Mosckovskii Train Station. We took an overnight sleeper train to Nizhny Novgorod, Russia's fourth largest city. After a rather uncomfortable night's sleep, we arrived in the city in the morning at immediately boarded a bus which would shuttle us about town. Our first stop was the apartment in which famed Soviet nuclear physicist turned peace activist Andrei Sakharov was detained in the later years of his life by the KGB. Next we visited a settlement which showed early peasant life in the area and took a tour of the Kremlin.
We boarded the boat in the evening. The boat itself was a lot of fun. There, we would eat three meals a day, including a breakfast buffet (or "Swedish table" as they say in Russian) and multi-course lunches and dinners. After dinner, we could socialize in a number of boat bars (with boat-pricing) or sweat in the sauna. We all shared a cabin with one other person. The cabins were small, but comfortable, and had a shower with surprisingly strong water pressure.
The next city we would visit in Kazan, a rather unique city in Tartarstan, which is a semi-autonomous republic in Russia. The Tartars have a very strong independent culture and even their own language. The main religion is Islam. Unfortunately, the boat came across some fog in the morning and had to stand still for several hours, so we were very late to Kazan, only seeing it at night and for a couple hours. Nonetheless, we saw the very impressive Kremlin and walked along a pedestrian street. We were treated to a live band on the street and an impressive fire dancing show.
We then made off for Ulyanovsk, a somewhat smaller city that really still seemed to be stuck in Soviet Union in many ways. This makes some sense, since the city's only claim to fame is being the birthplace of Lenin. In fact, the city is still named for him (his last name was Ulyanov). Interestingly, Kerensky was also born there. We visited the house in which he grew up, which was a disappointingly boring, but I still get to say I've been in Lenin's house.
The next two cities were Samara and Saratov which have been somewhat blurred in my mind, not least of all bbecause of their similar names. The highlight in one these two cities (can't remember which...) was Stalin's secret underground bunker. It was only declassified at the end of the Soviet Union. It had been built by hand in complete secrecy and even the next-door neighbors had no idea it was there.
The final city on the cruise was Volgrograd, formerly Stalingrad. Over 90% of the city was destroyed in one of the bloodiest battles of WWII. The city is full of memorials to the fallen soldiers who gave their lives in the Great Heroic Struggle against Fascism. The grandest of all the memorials is the Mother Russia scultpture, a giant woman calling the Russians to battle against the Fascists.
From Volgograd we boarded a train to Moscow. Some stayed on an extra few days, but some friends and I, weary from the travel and conscious of how expensive Moscow is, decided to keep it short and sweet. We followed up seeing Lenin's birthplace with his final resting place. I'm not sure if it's really him or not, but it is definitely creepy. If it is in fact him, I suppose they're doing a good job of keeping a dead body preserved for nearly a century, but it doesn't necessarily look like a real person... We also walked around the city and hung out a bit at the apartment of one of the Russian tutors who was on the boat.
At 1 am we boarded yet another train, and finally headed back to Peter. Anyone travelling to Russia should definitely consider one of these cruises. Russia is hard place to get around if you don't know the language. For that matter, it's hard if even if you do, with all the bureaucracy. On these tours you can really see a lot more of Russia than you otherwise ever could.
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