Time to update again
This weekend was long…
Thursday night I went to a Russian-English conversation group. This was the first place that I have been truly annoyed with any one that I have met in Russia. My group’s discussion topic was supposed to be the “advantages of a university education” it turned into a discussion of “why this American girl is stupid and is going to abandon her family and hate her life because she is studying Russian.” All because of one guy. Once he left however the conversation became much more pleasant. One of the girls in the group is from Hungary, and is also an exchange student in Russia right now. She joined our small band of Americans on Saturday for our fun museum outing.
We went to the Ethnological Museum and the Kunstkamera inside. Most of the museum was interesting, the Kunstkamera was disturbing. The Kunstkamera was the first museum founded in Petersburg, and was the brain child of Peter I. It is a collection of everything ranging from insects, to a very large collection of deformed fetuses in jars.
Afterwards all of us wandered along the Neva and eventually made our way to St. Issac’s Cathedral. I SO wish I’d brought my camera. By the time we made it there it was late afternoon with a crystal clear sky, we bought the tickets that gave us access to the Kolonade. The kolonade is the highest observation point of the city. You walk around the top of St. Issac’s towering dome and view the city stretching out in all directions.
It was absolutely breathing taking, a bit nerve wracking because of the height, but beautiful. One of the other students made the comment that “if ever you feel like hating Petersburg, come up here on a sunny day and fall in love with the city all over again.”
After the trek up to the Kolonade and back down again, we started wandering the city and came across an Azherbijani restaurant. I will remember the name because I highly recommend it. Great food and the price really was not bad at all. Perhaps a little on the expensive side by Russian standards, but by U.S. it was quite cheap, especially considering the quality of the food. (Yummy!)
Saturday night I slept quite soundly. Sunday was long, and rather exhausting mostly because I did little besides homework, and one rather fruitless quest for an internet café that was a) open, b) sold wi-fi, and c) had no problems currently preventing the acquisition of said wi-fi. Internet is definitely an unpredictable and fickle creature here in Russia.
Also of note, I will be going to Ukraine for travel week. There is a group of students who were already planning on going, and had (conveniently for me) one of their number decide not to go so there is space for me. Plus it’s a group of people who I get along well with.
I’ll post/write more on my travel plans once I know more.
Thursday night I went to a Russian-English conversation group. This was the first place that I have been truly annoyed with any one that I have met in Russia. My group’s discussion topic was supposed to be the “advantages of a university education” it turned into a discussion of “why this American girl is stupid and is going to abandon her family and hate her life because she is studying Russian.” All because of one guy. Once he left however the conversation became much more pleasant. One of the girls in the group is from Hungary, and is also an exchange student in Russia right now. She joined our small band of Americans on Saturday for our fun museum outing.
We went to the Ethnological Museum and the Kunstkamera inside. Most of the museum was interesting, the Kunstkamera was disturbing. The Kunstkamera was the first museum founded in Petersburg, and was the brain child of Peter I. It is a collection of everything ranging from insects, to a very large collection of deformed fetuses in jars.
Afterwards all of us wandered along the Neva and eventually made our way to St. Issac’s Cathedral. I SO wish I’d brought my camera. By the time we made it there it was late afternoon with a crystal clear sky, we bought the tickets that gave us access to the Kolonade. The kolonade is the highest observation point of the city. You walk around the top of St. Issac’s towering dome and view the city stretching out in all directions.
It was absolutely breathing taking, a bit nerve wracking because of the height, but beautiful. One of the other students made the comment that “if ever you feel like hating Petersburg, come up here on a sunny day and fall in love with the city all over again.”
After the trek up to the Kolonade and back down again, we started wandering the city and came across an Azherbijani restaurant. I will remember the name because I highly recommend it. Great food and the price really was not bad at all. Perhaps a little on the expensive side by Russian standards, but by U.S. it was quite cheap, especially considering the quality of the food. (Yummy!)
Saturday night I slept quite soundly. Sunday was long, and rather exhausting mostly because I did little besides homework, and one rather fruitless quest for an internet café that was a) open, b) sold wi-fi, and c) had no problems currently preventing the acquisition of said wi-fi. Internet is definitely an unpredictable and fickle creature here in Russia.
Also of note, I will be going to Ukraine for travel week. There is a group of students who were already planning on going, and had (conveniently for me) one of their number decide not to go so there is space for me. Plus it’s a group of people who I get along well with.
I’ll post/write more on my travel plans once I know more.
posted by gewreinn at 1:36 PM (St Petersburg time)
2 Comments:
This post has been removed by the author.
Hey Gwen! I just wanted to say thanks so much for writing about your life there. I really find it interesting about your discussion group and how people view the US. Isn't it weird to think that you are making such an impression on people about how they view the US? Seeing the US on TV and speaking to someone is such a huge difference. It sounds like you're enjoying yourself and starting to feel at home there. I'm so glad. Keep on posting! ~Karli
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