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.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Some photos from the большая поездка
I've just returned from my week-long river cruise along the Volga. We were a large group, consisting of all three city programs (Peter, Vladimir, and Moscow). All in all, the trip was a great time, and I would highly recommend anyone who visits Russia to go on one, because you will get to see a lot more of Russia than otherwise possible. We saw Nizhni Novgorod, Samara, Saratov, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, and Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad).
Because I've slept the last two nights on trains, meaning 5 hours of oft-interrupted sleep on each, I'm very tired, so I'm just going to share some photos which I have stolen from David to tide you all over until I tell you about the trip.
We stopped in Moscow on our way home
Because I've slept the last two nights on trains, meaning 5 hours of oft-interrupted sleep on each, I'm very tired, so I'm just going to share some photos which I have stolen from David to tide you all over until I tell you about the trip.
Eternal flame for WWII in Volgograd. Every city has one.
One of the best things to do was just watching the scenery from the boat's deck
Mosque in Kazan's Kremlin
The great Bolshevik revolutionaries: Sean, Paul, Sergei Alexandrovich, and Chris. S.A. is our politics professor.
The Politburo meting table in Stalin's secret underground bunker
Preserved from WWII - bombed out building from the Battle of Stalingrad
The largest statue I have ever seen in my life
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Boat trip, Pushkin
I was going to compose an entry later tonight after finishing my homework, but we've just experienced a power outage, so I've decided to bang out a quick post now before my computer loses its juice. Two reasons for this: one, I haven't written very often lately and I'm sorry about that, two, I'm about to embark on a week-long cruise down the Volga River and will not be able to update again before my return.
I'm really looking forward to this cruise. The whole program is participating, so we will meet up again with the groups from Moscow and Vladimir for the first time since orientation in DC. We're going to stop in several cities between Nizhny Novogorod and Volgograd along the river. Everyday we'll get off the boat and check out the cities. After Volgorod, we hop a train to Moscow, where we will hang out briefly and then another train back to St. Petersburg. So expect plenty of stories when I get back.
Today we had an excursion to Pushkin, a St. Petersburg suburb most notable for Catherine's Palace, which is magnificent. It is far more impressive than the palace at Gatchina which I've already written about, though it too was all but destroyed by the Nazis. However, just as with Gatchina, the museum curators were able to evacuate most of the art before the Nazis could loot it all. They unfortunately were not able to remove the amber room, an room entirely covered in amber paneling, so the Nazis got to that. Unfortunately, the original amber room has been destroyed. A relatively new theory holds that Soviet troops accidentally destroyed the room when while burning down a castle which they occupied in Kaliningrad, where the Germans had been hiding it, during the waning years of the war. Luckily, the Russians rebuilt the amber room, albeit it at a cost of $12 million!
The grounds surrounding the palace are also quite impressive. We walked around for the better part of an hour and barely scratched the surface. Anyone visiting St. Petersburg should do themselves a favor and make the short trip outside of the city to see Pushkin. Now, it's nigh time I return to my homework by candlelight.
I'm really looking forward to this cruise. The whole program is participating, so we will meet up again with the groups from Moscow and Vladimir for the first time since orientation in DC. We're going to stop in several cities between Nizhny Novogorod and Volgograd along the river. Everyday we'll get off the boat and check out the cities. After Volgorod, we hop a train to Moscow, where we will hang out briefly and then another train back to St. Petersburg. So expect plenty of stories when I get back.
Today we had an excursion to Pushkin, a St. Petersburg suburb most notable for Catherine's Palace, which is magnificent. It is far more impressive than the palace at Gatchina which I've already written about, though it too was all but destroyed by the Nazis. However, just as with Gatchina, the museum curators were able to evacuate most of the art before the Nazis could loot it all. They unfortunately were not able to remove the amber room, an room entirely covered in amber paneling, so the Nazis got to that. Unfortunately, the original amber room has been destroyed. A relatively new theory holds that Soviet troops accidentally destroyed the room when while burning down a castle which they occupied in Kaliningrad, where the Germans had been hiding it, during the waning years of the war. Luckily, the Russians rebuilt the amber room, albeit it at a cost of $12 million!
The grounds surrounding the palace are also quite impressive. We walked around for the better part of an hour and barely scratched the surface. Anyone visiting St. Petersburg should do themselves a favor and make the short trip outside of the city to see Pushkin. Now, it's nigh time I return to my homework by candlelight.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Some thoughts
In lieu of the longer post I was planning on writing (and keep putting off due to poor time management) about food in Russia, I'm just going to share some random thoughts I have. The food post will come soon.
At first, it does not seem as though learning a language in said language should be terribly difficult, especially after a two year foundation, but it presents entirely new challenges. It is often a struggle to fully understand why my grammatical constructions are incorrect when my teacher does not speak English. It's even harder to define certain words. In class, we almost always try to define unknown vocabulary in Russian, which often leads us to more previously unknown words. Well all else fails, we consult our pocket dictionaries. Living here and being forced to speak almost entirely in Russian throughout the day, I think I've used my Russian-English dictionary more in three weeks than I would have an entire year, but that's a good thing. I carry a pocket dictionary everywhere I go, and often just look through it as I think up words I don't yet know but would like to.
I definitely feel as though my Russian is getting better. Today I went for coffee with my tutor and his girlfriend and spoke entirely Russian for a good hour or so with them, and the conversation flowed surprisingly well. Far more fluid, at least, than when I first met my tutor at the beginning of the semester.
It is still very difficult to hold conversations on the phone, when I can't hear as well or clearly. It is also very difficult at ticket or bank windows, because unlike in America, there is never a speaking hole in the glass which separates you from the cashier or saleswoman. Her voice is always muffled behind the Plexiglas and I often have to guess what she's saying. And yes, it's always a woman.
In conclusion, here's a photo of my apartment building:
At first, it does not seem as though learning a language in said language should be terribly difficult, especially after a two year foundation, but it presents entirely new challenges. It is often a struggle to fully understand why my grammatical constructions are incorrect when my teacher does not speak English. It's even harder to define certain words. In class, we almost always try to define unknown vocabulary in Russian, which often leads us to more previously unknown words. Well all else fails, we consult our pocket dictionaries. Living here and being forced to speak almost entirely in Russian throughout the day, I think I've used my Russian-English dictionary more in three weeks than I would have an entire year, but that's a good thing. I carry a pocket dictionary everywhere I go, and often just look through it as I think up words I don't yet know but would like to.
I definitely feel as though my Russian is getting better. Today I went for coffee with my tutor and his girlfriend and spoke entirely Russian for a good hour or so with them, and the conversation flowed surprisingly well. Far more fluid, at least, than when I first met my tutor at the beginning of the semester.
It is still very difficult to hold conversations on the phone, when I can't hear as well or clearly. It is also very difficult at ticket or bank windows, because unlike in America, there is never a speaking hole in the glass which separates you from the cashier or saleswoman. Her voice is always muffled behind the Plexiglas and I often have to guess what she's saying. And yes, it's always a woman.
In conclusion, here's a photo of my apartment building:
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Excursions
One thing I failed to mention in my post about school here is that we only have classes four days a week. Every Wednesday, we go on an excursion as a group. Some of the future highlights will include a CKA hockey game, the ballet, the Dostoevskii museum, and the Baltika brewery, to name a few. Tomorrow, we're heading to the Krepoct Oreshek, a very old fortress which dates back to the fourteenth century and has passed between Russian and Swedish hands through various wars over the centuries. Because it was never taken by the Nazis in World War II, it was able to provide a lifeline to Leningrad, thus saving the city during its blockade.
Last week we went to Gatchina, a palace outside of St. Petersburg in which Catherine the Great once resided. It was all-but-destroyed by the Nazis in World War II, and the Soviets did little to repair it, but in recent years it has been the subject of a great deal of restoration and is a major tourist destination. The palace itself is somewhat reminiscent of Versailles in its construction, decor, and enormous hunting grounds. However, Versailles is a bit more impressive in my opinion, though perhaps only due to the discrepancy in renovation.
Last week we went to Gatchina, a palace outside of St. Petersburg in which Catherine the Great once resided. It was all-but-destroyed by the Nazis in World War II, and the Soviets did little to repair it, but in recent years it has been the subject of a great deal of restoration and is a major tourist destination. The palace itself is somewhat reminiscent of Versailles in its construction, decor, and enormous hunting grounds. However, Versailles is a bit more impressive in my opinion, though perhaps only due to the discrepancy in renovation.
A model of the palace
Outside the palace
Typical Russian bed (mine is a lot like this, too)
The underground tunnels are infamous for their echoes, which answer your questions
The backyard
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
School
Alright, so now that I'm on the internet on a regular basis, I'm going to be updating as such. I decided I'm going to do this more thematically than chronologically, since I'm pretty much settling into a pattern anyway. So I'm going to write a little about my schooling here in St. Petersburg.
I'm taking classes at the Russian as a foreign language department (not it's real name) at Gerzen University. The classes are designed specifically for Americans, and only other program participants attend them. Most of my classes are with the same core group of three people. We comprise level 4 (out of six levels) and we take Phonetics, Grammar, and Conversation together. I also have what we call a спецкурс (spets-coors). Mine is a syntax and phraseology class which teaches me to speak more like an actual Russian, covering colloquialisms and such. This class has about 8 people in it. Lastly, I have a duel politics class which is split into one weekly period covering current politics of Russia, and one period covering historical politics of Russia. This class is taught entirely Russian by politics professors. They speak really quickly and are hard to understand, but they're good about going back and explaining things.
Every day I commute for about an hour to get to school, which starts at 9:40. I usually take a машрутка (ma-shroot-ka, a short bus) to the train to save time, though sometimes traffic is really heavy and I just walk, though it's quite far. Then I take the metro three stops into the city. The metro is really efficient, and I rarely have to wait more than 2 minutes for one to arrive. A great difference in Russian metro stations is how deep underground they are. The escalators you have to take down to the platform are the longest I have ever seen in my life and take a couple minutes to ride all the way. Russians are really good about lining up on the right side and letting people run past, though, probably owing to years of experience standing in line in Soviet days.
I have three classes every day, with a lunch break between the second and third classes. Some friends and I have taken to going to the same restaurant for lunch, where we've discovered a three course lunch special (salad, soup, entree+side) for 159 rubles, or slightly over $5. Today at lunch, we noticed our two politics professors were eating there as well. At lunch we speak a combination of English and broken Russian, but it is indeed nice to speak English for half an hour since it is forbidden of us on university campus. This is ACTR's policy, not the university's, but it's a good one for a few reasons. First, it will obviously improve our Russian. Second, it's more respectful to our professors, showing that we take the Russian language seriously. There are a lot of Chinese students at the school who ALL speak in very loud Chinese amongst themselves in the hallways and outside. It can be a bit annoying.
I hope to upload some photos soon, I've been having trouble transferring them from my computer to the internet, but as soon I can I'll share them with you guys!
I'm taking classes at the Russian as a foreign language department (not it's real name) at Gerzen University. The classes are designed specifically for Americans, and only other program participants attend them. Most of my classes are with the same core group of three people. We comprise level 4 (out of six levels) and we take Phonetics, Grammar, and Conversation together. I also have what we call a спецкурс (spets-coors). Mine is a syntax and phraseology class which teaches me to speak more like an actual Russian, covering colloquialisms and such. This class has about 8 people in it. Lastly, I have a duel politics class which is split into one weekly period covering current politics of Russia, and one period covering historical politics of Russia. This class is taught entirely Russian by politics professors. They speak really quickly and are hard to understand, but they're good about going back and explaining things.
Every day I commute for about an hour to get to school, which starts at 9:40. I usually take a машрутка (ma-shroot-ka, a short bus) to the train to save time, though sometimes traffic is really heavy and I just walk, though it's quite far. Then I take the metro three stops into the city. The metro is really efficient, and I rarely have to wait more than 2 minutes for one to arrive. A great difference in Russian metro stations is how deep underground they are. The escalators you have to take down to the platform are the longest I have ever seen in my life and take a couple minutes to ride all the way. Russians are really good about lining up on the right side and letting people run past, though, probably owing to years of experience standing in line in Soviet days.
I have three classes every day, with a lunch break between the second and third classes. Some friends and I have taken to going to the same restaurant for lunch, where we've discovered a three course lunch special (salad, soup, entree+side) for 159 rubles, or slightly over $5. Today at lunch, we noticed our two politics professors were eating there as well. At lunch we speak a combination of English and broken Russian, but it is indeed nice to speak English for half an hour since it is forbidden of us on university campus. This is ACTR's policy, not the university's, but it's a good one for a few reasons. First, it will obviously improve our Russian. Second, it's more respectful to our professors, showing that we take the Russian language seriously. There are a lot of Chinese students at the school who ALL speak in very loud Chinese amongst themselves in the hallways and outside. It can be a bit annoying.
I hope to upload some photos soon, I've been having trouble transferring them from my computer to the internet, but as soon I can I'll share them with you guys!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
(Insert "In Soviet Russia" reversal joke here)
So, at last, after a long summer in Chicago and a two-day orientation in Washington DC, I've arrived here in St. Petersburg. More accurately, I arrived yesterday. I've been so busy that this is my first opportunity to update on here, and the only reason for that is that I decided to stay in rather than go out to the bars with a bunch of my fellow ACTR participants. So instead, I'm here, drinking a Baltika (Russia's best beer according to the man who works at the nearest продукты (pronounced: pro-dook-tee) and silently typing away at my computer alongside my Hungarian roommate, David. I'll post a picture of David when I get around to uploading files from my camera.
As the orientation is scarcely worth mentioning, I'll move right along to my now two days spent here in St. Petersburg. On day 1 we arrived absolutely exhausted. Most of us had not managed any sleep on either of our plane rides, lasting about seven and a half hours between DC and Frankfurt, and then about three and a half hours between Frankfurt and Peter. No baggage was lost whatsoever, which it seems may be a first for the program.
We immediately went from the airport to the dorm where we spend the first two nights. It was raining when we arrived, as it so often is this time of year here. We went out to dinner at a pretty typical Russian casual restaurant with counter service. The place had a poorly translated English menu. Our favorite translation was "Language the beef broiled". As it turns out, the word "tongue" and "language" are the same in Russian, so this was really broiled tongue, which is quite popular in Russia. I got something that translated to "Chicken on-the-home", as well as a piroghki filled with meat.
After dinner, exhaustion set in and many of us headed to the dorm to rest up, but most us eventually found a second wind and decided to hang out in the common space. We bought a bottle of vodka (русскии стандарт) and a bottle of truly awful champagne. Later, we also bought some sausage, bread, and a jar of both pickled tomatoes and cucumbers (delicious).
Today we got to sleep in (good after staying up nearly 35 hours straight) and went out to explore the city a bit. Our most productive activity was purchasing cell phones, which took a VERY long time. We've since been hanging out around the dorm, meeting some other international students.
Tomorrow, our host families (in my case, one woman) will come to pick us up and take us home with them for the first time. It's both exciting and intimidating. I know for a fact that my homestay is one of the farthest away from the university, which I'm too pleased about, but I'm sure my hostess will be very inviting. That's all for now, thanks for reading.
As the orientation is scarcely worth mentioning, I'll move right along to my now two days spent here in St. Petersburg. On day 1 we arrived absolutely exhausted. Most of us had not managed any sleep on either of our plane rides, lasting about seven and a half hours between DC and Frankfurt, and then about three and a half hours between Frankfurt and Peter. No baggage was lost whatsoever, which it seems may be a first for the program.
We immediately went from the airport to the dorm where we spend the first two nights. It was raining when we arrived, as it so often is this time of year here. We went out to dinner at a pretty typical Russian casual restaurant with counter service. The place had a poorly translated English menu. Our favorite translation was "Language the beef broiled". As it turns out, the word "tongue" and "language" are the same in Russian, so this was really broiled tongue, which is quite popular in Russia. I got something that translated to "Chicken on-the-home", as well as a piroghki filled with meat.
After dinner, exhaustion set in and many of us headed to the dorm to rest up, but most us eventually found a second wind and decided to hang out in the common space. We bought a bottle of vodka (русскии стандарт) and a bottle of truly awful champagne. Later, we also bought some sausage, bread, and a jar of both pickled tomatoes and cucumbers (delicious).
Today we got to sleep in (good after staying up nearly 35 hours straight) and went out to explore the city a bit. Our most productive activity was purchasing cell phones, which took a VERY long time. We've since been hanging out around the dorm, meeting some other international students.
Tomorrow, our host families (in my case, one woman) will come to pick us up and take us home with them for the first time. It's both exciting and intimidating. I know for a fact that my homestay is one of the farthest away from the university, which I'm too pleased about, but I'm sure my hostess will be very inviting. That's all for now, thanks for reading.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Brushing off the rust
Anyone who ever studies a language in school knows how much rust they accrue over summer break. Unfortunately, I have not done as much as I should have this summer to keep up with my now four semesters of Russian, despite getting off to a promising start in May. I should have read more and perhaps even kept a journal. However, I just took my online placement exam for my classes in St. Petersburg, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I'm not as rusty as I anticipated. Nevertheless, the exam was quite difficult and I ran out of time just barely short of the allotment on both sections. Some of the questions I'm sure were meant to be nearly impossible, such as this example from the listening comprehension section, which I don't feel terrible about guessing on:
| ||||
protection of genetic coding | CLEAR ANSWER | |||
elimination of natural enemies | ||||
search for mineral nourishment | ||||
positioning for photosynthesis | ||||
Taking the test was actually fun and reminded me of why I like studying Russian in the first place. It may also have motivated me to finish the last bit of translation work I'm doing. For those of you who don't know, I'm working as an intern for a state senate campaign, and as it turns out there are a lot of Russians living in the district who speak little-to-no English, so I'm translating the issues from the website.
That's all for now. Here's to hoping everyone else on the program has forgotten as much Russian as I have come next week!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Hello
I've decided to start my blog a little bit early. I ship off to DC in two weeks for my ACTR orientation, where I'll meet my fellow participants and learn more about the program itself. I don't know much about what my stay in St. Petersburg is going to be like, but today I at least learned that I'll be staying with Valeria Andreevna Iskanderova, a woman who lived through the siege of Leningrad! I've investigated the area around her apartment to little avail. I've found little so far besides the Volodarsky Bridge, named for a 20th century Russian revolutionary. I'm pretty sure this is the bridge I will cross over the Neva River to get to the nearest metro station, Lomonosovskaya. As it turns out, CMC student and former Russian classmate of mine Peter Jebsen stayed with the same host! Small world. I'll leave it here, since I still have little to say, but hopefully I will have some more information in the coming days!
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