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Published: October 25th 2010
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Greetings from the Land of the Tsars!
When I came up with the title of "Frost and Sun" for my blog it was a beautiful, if cold, day and put me in mind of the Pushkin poem "Мороз и солнце" (moroz e sontse) or "Frost and Sun". Of course since then it has remained cold and just gotten grayer and grayer and now I don't even remember the last day that I actually saw the sun. But I'll keep the title for now because at the moment I can't think of anything better and I know that somewhere above the clouds the sun is always shining (just not in Russia).
So...I've been here for almost 2 months now and somehow I've put off creating this blog until now. I was just never able to find the right moment I guess. When I felt like writing I didn't have time and when I had time I didn't really feel like it! But now time and mood have converged and hopefully I'll be able to come up with something entertaining and interesting enough to justify my long silence.
Viewed as a whole, the length of my stay here seems quite
Me in front of Peterhof
Peterhof is where Peter the Great went to relax (well, 1 of many palaces where he went). Last year when I was here there was still snow on the ground and the Gulf of Finland was frozen. This year I got to see the magnificent fountain in action. intimidating and almost overwhelming. 8 months in Russia away from friends and family! But breaking it down into smaller periods makes me think that this time is not enough. I have the Fall Semester which began in September and ends December 12, an almost 2 month break, and then Spring Semester beginning at the end of January and lasting until May 14. As I write this, most of my classmates are travelling around Europe or other areas of Russia because we are at the tail end of a weeklong mid-semester break. I decided against an extended trip because I'm going to be here for longer than the others and I have to consider the state of my finances after 8 months of not working. I do plan on doing some travelling during my break between semesters though (more on that later - probably in a different post). Anyway, I think for this first post I'll try to give you an idea of my life here in the Peter's city.
For the first month everyone was required to live in the dorms. I did not have high hopes for living conditions there, but they turned out to be better than
Novgorod Kremlin
Novgorod is a charming little city. We were very fortunate to be there while the weather was still quite nice (I think that was mid-September). I thought (this is the upside to being a pessimist, always being pleasantly surprised). Typical dorm life so I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that one month was more than enough for me and I was relieved when it finally came time to move into my homestay. My host mother, Irina, is a professor of art history and teaches at St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (where I go). She also does english lessons and has some background in business although I'm not too sure of specifics. She is very nice, but I wish she would speak more russian with me instead of english. Although it's good that she knows english so well because it makes talking to her much easier since my russian is still quite limited. Her friend/boyfriend (I'm not sure really) Dmitrii also stays here during the week and cooks dinner (which I pay for, and a good deal it is!) His is a sad story. He was inspired to patriotism by Pushkin poetry (EVERY russian knows Pushkin very well) and joined the Russian military during the 2nd Chechen War in 2000. He's told me a few stories and, while I don't understand everything
Russian History Monument
Founded in the 10th century, Novgorod is the oldest city in Russia. I guess it makes sense to have a monument to Russian History here. This is a closer view of the top (Peter the Great in the front) and the figures are a bit bigger than lifesize. Ivan the Terrible is missing from this monument because he completely destroyed Novgorod and killed 60,000 of its residents. It was thought to be poor taste to include him. he says, I understand enough to know that he had a very trying time there. It ended with him being shot in the head and barely surviving to be brought back to Russia. He developed an alcohol problem to deal with the physical and emotional pain and is now trying to recover. He hasn't had a drink since I've been here and the money I pay for dinner will go toward his medical treatment (Russia doesn't provide free treatment for its soldiers, and generally treats them quite poorly). Dmitrii only speaks Russian (with a few english words sprinkled here and there) so it is really helpful for me to talk to him and I've found that my listening comprehension has greatly improved since I began living here.
I'm very comfortable living here and I think my living situation is a bit better than others in homestays who I've talked with. The biggest drawback is the commute. I can walk to class in 1 hr 10 min or I can take the tram and make it there in 1/2 hr. We all have public transit cards through our study abroad program so riding the tram/bus/metro doesn't cost me anything. Unfortunately
Soviet Warrior Monument
Not to be outdone by mere Russian history, the USSR set up this gigantic monument just outside the Kremlin. It's actually really cool up close too. they have just started construction on my tram line this week so now I've got to figure out an alternate route!
Monday through Thursday I basically have the same schedule. Wake up around 7:30 to eat breakfast and shower, catch the tram around 9:15-9:20 to make it to language class by 10, finish class at 1:15 then head to the gym for an hour or so, catch the tram home around 3:30 or 4, eat dinner, study, then read and go to sleep (sometimes watch TV or meet friends downtown). Friday I get to sleep in a bit because I only have my Communist history class at 2:15-3:45. Saturday and Sunday there is usually some excursion arranged by our program (optional) or else we make our own. For example, a few of us are planning to go to Vyborg on Saturday as a day trip. Depends on price of the train tickets and departure times.
Anyways, I think that's a good start. I'll go into more specifics another time, but it seemed like a good idea to give a general outline at first. If you have any questions or comments please email me, and I think you're able
St. Sofia's, Novgorod
Ok, ok, last one of Novgorod! This is St. Sofia's, the oldest church in Russia. Novgorod has quite a few churches for its size but this is the biggest and the oldest. to leave comments on this blog. Also check out my maps! Pictures to follow soon although I think many of you have already seen them on Facebook.
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FrostandSun
Adam Yosef
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