So I lied...
In my last post I said it would be a while before I had internet access again, but already I've found a cafe where one can purchase a wi-fi access card for relatively cheap.
Yesterday we finished orientation and I was picked up from the hotel by my hozyika (hostess/host-mom), Tat'yana, and her friend Marina who is host mom to another girl in the CIEE program. Both Tat'yana and Marina live in the same apartment building.
Our apartment building is located on Bolshoi prospect in the most desirable neighborhood in St. Petersburg. From the out-side of many of these buildings you can't quite figure out why-but inside the apartment is a different matter.
I feel as though I am living in a cataloge. My host parents, Tat'ya and her husband Seryosha have an extremely nice 3 room apartment. And yes when I say 3 rooms, I mean 3 rooms. When you enter the door there is an entry way and directly ahead is an office, this is where I am staying. The couch folds around into a very comfy trundle bed.
Down a short hallway is the toilet room, and the bathroom, next to that the kitchen/eating area, and around the corner the living room, which is also where my hosts sleep.
The apartment is done up in a modern European style on the inside, and is both beautiful and comfortable.
Tat'yana brought me home, got me settled in and fed a hearty lunch of home-made chicken noodle soup, bread, and a salad plate of noodles, carrots, and a culetta (mini-cutlet). Then she had to leave for work so I was home alone for a short while before being picked up for a walk with Allegra (other student) and her host-mom Marina.
Marina walked us through our neighborhood, explained transportation, showed us the cafe I am currently sitting in, and most importantly, I think on her list at any-rate, was taking us to the Peter Paul fortress. The birth-place and central heart of St. Petersburg. I'd been there before when I came to Russia with Lalah, but it was different seeing it in winter, snow covered, grounds under renovation, near dusk, and with a guide who bossed us through the entire complex while explaining the importance of various buildings. This woman KNOWS St. Petersburg, and wants to ensure we know it too.
I wish I'd brought my camera with me yesterday as she led us out onto a frozen beach at the fortress where we had a spectacular view of the Palace Embankment light up against a dark-sky and frozen Neva. However I had no idea where we were going and thus didn't bring my camera with me. :-( I will have to go back and get a picture.
This sight however did leave me to realize that I am within walking distance of the Winter Palace, home to the Hermitage. Once I have my student ID I will have free access to the Hermitage. I think I know where I will be spending otherwise boring or free weekends. :-D
After we came back to our building Marina dropped me off at my door and I met my host-father, Seryosha. By this point I was very tired and my conversation with him was a bit disjointed, but I think I will get along with him well. He went out to the store and Tat'yana came home.
Yesterday was St. Tat'yana's day, the Patron Saint of students, and the Name day for my hostess so we had a party last night, complete with my hosts' son Dima who is also a student. He speaks a little bit of English and I am most thankful to him for giving me occasional context words in English during the conversation over dinner as my brain power was fading. I was definitely feeling out of it trying to consume a HUGE traditional Russian dinner, and carry on a conversation with 3 enthusiastic people in a language that I don't speak particularly well. I think I would have been hard pressed to carry on a decent conversation in English but I made it through, though I almost thought I was going to be sick trying to eat the last of the cake we had for dessert.
All of the food is delicious, and I appreciate my hostess' hospitality greatly, but I'm going to slowly work with her to cut back on my intake of food. In Russia, especially in St. Petersburg it is considered rude to leave food on your plate, thus if it is offered, you eat it - all of it.
Today I was out and about, ice-skating and walking the city for a good 6 hours and the amount of food I ate for dinner I felt adequately replenished the amount of calories I had burned. I think I got it across a little. But I want to be careful with it because she seems very anxious that I enjoy Russian cuisine. So as the days and weeks go by and she learns that I really do have nothing against the food, I can convince her that I just can't eat quite that much of it.
One member of my family I have yet to mention is their koshka (cat) Musi, I think is her name. She is a tiny little thing of 15 years of age. She also has the biggest eyes of any cat I have ever met (Bug included) and is VERY affectionate, at least with me. She spent a good two hours having me pet her and sleeping next to me yesterday, even climbing in my lap. Today when I came home she ran to the door to great me.
She also provides a good topic of conversation with my host mom, because cats, in Russian as well as English are something I can talk about at length, and as Tat'yana is fond of her Musi, she has no problem telling me stories about her in return.
Today was long as you might have guessed from my earlier writing. This morning Marina took Allegra and I on the metro to Nevski Prospect, near Kazan Cathedral to meet with our group. From there we walked to place square where a large ice-rink has been erected and spent several hours ice-skating. Ice-skating in palace square was, in a word, AWESOME.
On the ice, out-door rink, snow falling down, and only a few hundred feet away is the Winter Palace, the Admiralty Spire and the dome of St. Issacs are easily visable, and, for the first time ever I had skates that fit me well.... go figure - I guess randomly at European sizing and find a pair to skates that don't pinch, don't let my ankle go, and don't need to readjusted every 20 minutes to keep them on and comfortable.
After skating was done we all went to a cafe for lunch. Our excursion was officially over but several of us decided to stay down-town and explore the Nevsky area. At about 3:30 the lot of us decided we should be heading home before host parents would start to worry, so Allegra and I showed the others how to buy metro tokens, and we all headed home.
I made it home shortly before Tat'yana came home from work, but thankfully, after having me practice locking and unlocking the door about 5 times this morning I was allowed to take a key with me.
I had another excellent dinner tonight, and then spent time showing Tatyana's pictures on my computer of friends, family, Spokane, and UW.
Then Allegra came over to get me to go this cafe for internet access.
Yesterday we finished orientation and I was picked up from the hotel by my hozyika (hostess/host-mom), Tat'yana, and her friend Marina who is host mom to another girl in the CIEE program. Both Tat'yana and Marina live in the same apartment building.
Our apartment building is located on Bolshoi prospect in the most desirable neighborhood in St. Petersburg. From the out-side of many of these buildings you can't quite figure out why-but inside the apartment is a different matter.
I feel as though I am living in a cataloge. My host parents, Tat'ya and her husband Seryosha have an extremely nice 3 room apartment. And yes when I say 3 rooms, I mean 3 rooms. When you enter the door there is an entry way and directly ahead is an office, this is where I am staying. The couch folds around into a very comfy trundle bed.
Down a short hallway is the toilet room, and the bathroom, next to that the kitchen/eating area, and around the corner the living room, which is also where my hosts sleep.
The apartment is done up in a modern European style on the inside, and is both beautiful and comfortable.
Tat'yana brought me home, got me settled in and fed a hearty lunch of home-made chicken noodle soup, bread, and a salad plate of noodles, carrots, and a culetta (mini-cutlet). Then she had to leave for work so I was home alone for a short while before being picked up for a walk with Allegra (other student) and her host-mom Marina.
Marina walked us through our neighborhood, explained transportation, showed us the cafe I am currently sitting in, and most importantly, I think on her list at any-rate, was taking us to the Peter Paul fortress. The birth-place and central heart of St. Petersburg. I'd been there before when I came to Russia with Lalah, but it was different seeing it in winter, snow covered, grounds under renovation, near dusk, and with a guide who bossed us through the entire complex while explaining the importance of various buildings. This woman KNOWS St. Petersburg, and wants to ensure we know it too.
I wish I'd brought my camera with me yesterday as she led us out onto a frozen beach at the fortress where we had a spectacular view of the Palace Embankment light up against a dark-sky and frozen Neva. However I had no idea where we were going and thus didn't bring my camera with me. :-( I will have to go back and get a picture.
This sight however did leave me to realize that I am within walking distance of the Winter Palace, home to the Hermitage. Once I have my student ID I will have free access to the Hermitage. I think I know where I will be spending otherwise boring or free weekends. :-D
After we came back to our building Marina dropped me off at my door and I met my host-father, Seryosha. By this point I was very tired and my conversation with him was a bit disjointed, but I think I will get along with him well. He went out to the store and Tat'yana came home.
Yesterday was St. Tat'yana's day, the Patron Saint of students, and the Name day for my hostess so we had a party last night, complete with my hosts' son Dima who is also a student. He speaks a little bit of English and I am most thankful to him for giving me occasional context words in English during the conversation over dinner as my brain power was fading. I was definitely feeling out of it trying to consume a HUGE traditional Russian dinner, and carry on a conversation with 3 enthusiastic people in a language that I don't speak particularly well. I think I would have been hard pressed to carry on a decent conversation in English but I made it through, though I almost thought I was going to be sick trying to eat the last of the cake we had for dessert.
All of the food is delicious, and I appreciate my hostess' hospitality greatly, but I'm going to slowly work with her to cut back on my intake of food. In Russia, especially in St. Petersburg it is considered rude to leave food on your plate, thus if it is offered, you eat it - all of it.
Today I was out and about, ice-skating and walking the city for a good 6 hours and the amount of food I ate for dinner I felt adequately replenished the amount of calories I had burned. I think I got it across a little. But I want to be careful with it because she seems very anxious that I enjoy Russian cuisine. So as the days and weeks go by and she learns that I really do have nothing against the food, I can convince her that I just can't eat quite that much of it.
One member of my family I have yet to mention is their koshka (cat) Musi, I think is her name. She is a tiny little thing of 15 years of age. She also has the biggest eyes of any cat I have ever met (Bug included) and is VERY affectionate, at least with me. She spent a good two hours having me pet her and sleeping next to me yesterday, even climbing in my lap. Today when I came home she ran to the door to great me.
She also provides a good topic of conversation with my host mom, because cats, in Russian as well as English are something I can talk about at length, and as Tat'yana is fond of her Musi, she has no problem telling me stories about her in return.
Today was long as you might have guessed from my earlier writing. This morning Marina took Allegra and I on the metro to Nevski Prospect, near Kazan Cathedral to meet with our group. From there we walked to place square where a large ice-rink has been erected and spent several hours ice-skating. Ice-skating in palace square was, in a word, AWESOME.
On the ice, out-door rink, snow falling down, and only a few hundred feet away is the Winter Palace, the Admiralty Spire and the dome of St. Issacs are easily visable, and, for the first time ever I had skates that fit me well.... go figure - I guess randomly at European sizing and find a pair to skates that don't pinch, don't let my ankle go, and don't need to readjusted every 20 minutes to keep them on and comfortable.
After skating was done we all went to a cafe for lunch. Our excursion was officially over but several of us decided to stay down-town and explore the Nevsky area. At about 3:30 the lot of us decided we should be heading home before host parents would start to worry, so Allegra and I showed the others how to buy metro tokens, and we all headed home.
I made it home shortly before Tat'yana came home from work, but thankfully, after having me practice locking and unlocking the door about 5 times this morning I was allowed to take a key with me.
I had another excellent dinner tonight, and then spent time showing Tatyana's pictures on my computer of friends, family, Spokane, and UW.
Then Allegra came over to get me to go this cafe for internet access.
posted by gewreinn at 8:55 PM (St Petersburg time)
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