Living Space/Metro/Walk to the University

Это моя комната (this is my room)

This is my street! Гражданская ул. It looked particularly pretty today.

So last post I mentioned I transfer at a metro station with multiple names, depending on the line. Well, turns out Пушкинская is one of the most beautiful metro stations in St. Petersburg (Russia is famous for its lavish and themed metro stations). I snuck out my camera just this once. Admire: marble statue of Pushkin, next to which I waited for my train.

The St. Petersburg metro is apparently the deepest metro system in the world, which comes as little surprise to me considering it takes me 5-8 minutes to get from the outside entrance of the station to the actual train, seriously. The escalators are really long (Rosslyn in DC is the average here) and move way faster than any I've ever been on in the US, Paris, or London. It jerked me down the first time I got on it, and it feels like a Disney ride, with musical advertisements and colorful signs on the way down.

Metro story: Today only 1 of the six doors at the entrance to the Черчышевская station (nearest the University) was working - welcome to Russia? - so some other students and I joined the mob of 50 people or so squeezing through the door. I got out my 22 rubles to pay for my metro token and continued trying to move forward and stay with the others. We squeezed and finally got shoved through the door. Once inside, I looked down and noticed that I only had the 2 rubles (coins) in my hand. Now, 20 rubles is only about $0.66, so it was not really a huge deal, but that doesn't change the fact that someone stole 20 rubles OUT OF MY HAND! Ridiculous, and more awe-inspiring and funny than upsetting. That was definitely the most careless I've been, but I know I'll be doubly watchful now that I know that Russian pickpockets are magicians.

Some pictures from the rest of my walk:

So my host babyshka seemed appalled I'm still awake and told me I should go to sleep. More to follow... visiting the Hermitage tomorrow for the first time with the group!

Пока!
Emily

Mullets, Rollerblades, and Scrunchies

St. Petersburg is a lot of things, but wireless is not one of them! So yes, after six days I can finally blog that I'm actually here, settled in my host family's apartment located in the center of the city (think twelve minute walk to Nevskiiy Prospekt!) and officially registered at St. Petersburg State University. A lot of adjusting has been going on because, despite my self-perceived and perhaps illusory open-mindedness, there is a side of Russia that is in fact cold, bleak, scary, and bureaucratic. The militsiya in the street honestly terrify me, and my grasp of Russian is steadily improving but not quite at a level that makes me feel comfortable walking around the major city alone. And yet I'm studying abroad in a really, really, really foreign country, and so feeling comfortable would be a disservice to my experience, I think. So here's to discomfort and a rough adaptation in an amazing country!

Some highlights:
I sweated it out under the glare of the passport control officer for like a minute and a half. I think it's a scare tactic, and I think it worked.

The first time I withdrew rubles from an ATM, I took out approximately $35 (100 rubles, seems like a lot, eh?). In my defense, it kept timing me out and I was under a lot of stress, haha. However another girl got euros, so I consider myself ahead of the learning curve.

Don't let anyone tell you appliances are the same everywhere. They aren't.

Russian food has a bad rep, but let me just say the potatoes, mushrooms, and coffee are the best I've had anywhere! On the other hand, I have had to remind my host babyshka that in America sour cream is NOT a breakfast food, it does NOT go on pancakes, and no, I would NOT like it in my tea.

My US HIV test did not count for a visa extension so I had to get blood taken again (ick). The doctor had a pretty serious mullet, no joke, and a "Follow No Rules" skull t-shirt... Fortunately my phrasebook has helpful phrases like "Please use a new syringe" and "I don't want a blood transfusion".
Kidding (about the syringe part).

My host babyshka does not speak any English and I don't understand her Russian very well. Makes for pretty fun mealtimes, if you can imagine. I won't underestimate charades or onomatopoeia again. 

Today it was 8 degrees Celsius. Just think about how low of a number that is for a second (granted it's a little higher in Fahrenheit, lol). I already whipped out my warmest clothes and it's August.
Moreover I asked the host daughter if it was going to go back to being warmer, and she laughed at me.

Saw a gang of Rollerbladers near the Neva river Sunday night, a bunch of guys about our age. And if I had a dollar every time I saw a mullet... (what is up with those?). I wish I were kidding. Photos to follow.

Fun fact about the Petersburg metro: Get off at a stop on the blue line and it is called one thing (ex Звенигородская); walk upstairs to transfer to the red line and you will find yourself at a stop named a very different other thing (same ex. Пушкинская).
That's part of my route. Tomorrow I do it alone for the first time, and it's guaranteed to be pretty awesome.

Yes, I can find the apartment on my own. No, I cannot walk to there from here in my high-heeled boots. I am obviously not Russian enough.

I'll try to keep updating about my adventures. I think Russia has it in for me; I guess we'll find out!

Пока!
Emily

At the JAX Airport Gate

Let me just say I LOVE Jacksonville International Airport and its free wi-fi!  I'm sitting at gate A4, waiting for flight number 1 to board (in T minus 50 minutes), and I figure now is as good a time as ever to start awkwardly talking to myself on my new Internet blog.

I guess I'm finally setting off on my big adventure! I feel pretty relaxed, probably because I managed for the first time in my life (by some miracle) to finish packing two days ago - giving Michael the cat time to nest in my open suitcase and plant his allergens in my sweaters. Of course I'm also pretty nervous. I have no idea what to expect over there, aside from having to communicate in a language I have only just started learning. And being on my own is kind of weird. I hope I don't start talking to myself out loud. Unless it's in Russian, which would be awesome.

I should be landing in St. Petersburg Pulkovo 2 airport in 16 hours (5:30am EST), after transferring planes in Washington Dulles and Frankfurt, Germany. To be honest, that feels so far away. I guess I have some time to get used to the idea.

Love and miss you guys already! If missing Fall Fest made me tear up (haha) I can only imagine how much I'm going to miss everyone while I'm over there. I'll try to keep this up, mostly for you, Mom. Here I go!

Love,
Emily