A bit more about Yaroslavl.

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It's the beginning of autumn and it's been about 15 degrees all week. People say it will stay like this until November, which is the start of winter. Judging by how thick my duvet is, and the fact that the thermometer in my room goes down to minus 30, I'm in for a bit of a shock! I wonder if I could wear everything in my suitcase at once?

Prospekt Tolbukhina is run down and feels unwelcoming, but my room is comfortable. The three carpets are red, the ceiling is white and the lamp and lights are silver. The colour scheme and patterns feel 20th century Russian. I have a full length mirror by my bed, with a book-shelf hidden behind it, and five pot-plants. There's also a bedside lamp, and a cupboard and desk that are about 150 years old. A religious idol stands on one wall, which has two portraits of Jesus and a candle-holder. I have a wide balcony overlooking the street.

Main streets in Yaroslavl are wide, noisy, dusty and colourful, and most have trees on either side. They run parallel to each other - like a noughts-and-crosses board - and where four roads meet there is an attractive tower or church, whitewashed with a colourful dome or spire. The quieter avenues like Kirova feel european, with cobbled streets and mobile phone and music shops. Yaroslavl by Russian standards is a rich town, where the idea from the Soviet era of there being nothing in the shops is far from true. People either drive rusty old Skodas or brand new Mercedes' with very little in between.

People don't look around when they're walking, just straight ahead. It sounds like a small difference but it's hard to get used to.

My language is improving every day. The teachers are very good, and even out of class I'm learning things. Next week the plan is to make some Russian friends. I need to re-read my notes, to make sure words I can understand when they're said become words I can think to use in conversation. When I'm talking with Larissa or Viktor I feel confident because they make you feel comfortable, but with people I don't know, and especially in shops where the people are so stern, I become nervous and freeze.

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Photos

My room.
My bedroom in Tolbukhina, and the bed that I could never get out of in the morning.