Our civilization teacher, Nina Mikhailovna, called us her American optimists, because although our mid-term and final papers for her course about Russia were full of analyses of Russia's crises and problems, we shared an American tendency to end on an uplifting note. Nearly all of our conclusions read positively about the changes going on in Russia today and where it is certainly headed in the future. Russians, no surprise given their history, tend more towards fatalism and acceptance of what will come. Что делать? (What is to be done?) is the question of the decade for them. Still, we American students see a bright future ahead, and aren't afraid to speak out about it.
I am under no delusions here. Russia has some very serious problems to tackle (the demographic crisis and political corruption come instantly to mind.) Life is hard, and my interactions with Russians only show how much of an obstacle the mindset of the 70 years under the Soviet state is to a new democratic and capitalist state. However, I truly do believe Russia's future is bright. So many positive changes have been made since the early 1990s, and even on an international field the country is making progress. I leave with the hope to return to an even better Russia in the future.
So here's to Russia and its future!
See you soon, America :)
Love
Эмили
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
What I Will Miss About Россия (Russia)
On the first day of my Russian civilization class, we each read a list of things we loved the most and things we hated the most about America. On the last day of class, we prepared and read lists of the things we loved most and hated the most about Russia. It gave me an idea to post an embellished version of that list (just for you guys!) on my blog on my last night in Russia (can you believe it? I know I can't!).
Things I Will Miss About Russia
I love the importance of culture in this town. As my friend Marguerite said, History is a living, breathing thing here. These beautiful buildings and streets have experienced monarchy, Communism, war. This city was founded fifty years before American was. Literature is more important than politics, art is more important than pop culture. The ballet is four times cheaper than seeing Elton John. What a refined way of thinking.
I love finding warmth where you least expect it. Everything and everyone seems cold and harsh in Russia, which made adapting a total nightmare. Instead of focusing on the frowns, the apparent indifference to my presence on that part of the sidewalk, the grating tone of annoyance by the cashier, by the end of the semester I found absolute joy in unexpected warmth and disregarded everything else. No, I don't remember if the crowd shoved me into my metro car Wednesday morning (chances are good.) Yes, I do remember the woman who stepped on my toe and kept tapping my shoulder until I took out my headphones so she could apologize warmly, the man who made room and motioned me into the train car when I looked at the packed space with weak hope, or the waitress who smiled at my imperfect Russian and took the time to understand me anyway.
I don't know what it is, but something drew me to this country. It was such a wonderful blessing to find 71 other college students who felt the same. I love the American friends I made here - so many amazing young people so willing to support and connect with strangers who shared class space with them for a mere four months. It has been amazing getting through this tough experience with them at my side, and I cannot imagine exploring the country without them! (love you guys.) Our teachers were awesome. Through them I really got to see the warm, caring side Russians share with close friends and family, and they taught us so much about their subjects and about their lives here. What a semester! Hardest, most enriching, most inspiring, most instructive and, конечно, the COLDEST semester of my life. I may be leaving tomorrow, but I have a feeling that I will return someday. Russia hasn't quite finished with me yet.
Эмили
Things I Will Miss About Russia
- The Cyrillic Alphabet (love those symbols everywhere!)
- Drinking hot tea constantly
- Small Russian children in puffy, mono-colored snowsuits
- Blini. (Host mom's. Teremok's. Chainaya Lozhka's. With honey. With chicken and mushrooms. With chocolate and bananas.)
- The Winter Palace
- Stiletto-heeled boots and Russian women
- Cheap public transportation
- Feet of snow on the ground (CRYSTALLIZED snowflakes)
- The Russian Ballet
- Продукты (urm, 24hr cheap holes-in-the-wall with food and beverages, found every 20ft in all of Russia)
- Russian cuisine: warm, filling, appetizing. Potatoes, pelmeni, soup, tea, and cmetana!
- Lack of copyright laws (read: unlimited, free movies and TV shows without ads or commercials)
- The Neva, the Fontanka, the Moika, and the Griboedova Canal
- Orthodox churches
- All of St. Petersburg
I love the importance of culture in this town. As my friend Marguerite said, History is a living, breathing thing here. These beautiful buildings and streets have experienced monarchy, Communism, war. This city was founded fifty years before American was. Literature is more important than politics, art is more important than pop culture. The ballet is four times cheaper than seeing Elton John. What a refined way of thinking.
I love finding warmth where you least expect it. Everything and everyone seems cold and harsh in Russia, which made adapting a total nightmare. Instead of focusing on the frowns, the apparent indifference to my presence on that part of the sidewalk, the grating tone of annoyance by the cashier, by the end of the semester I found absolute joy in unexpected warmth and disregarded everything else. No, I don't remember if the crowd shoved me into my metro car Wednesday morning (chances are good.) Yes, I do remember the woman who stepped on my toe and kept tapping my shoulder until I took out my headphones so she could apologize warmly, the man who made room and motioned me into the train car when I looked at the packed space with weak hope, or the waitress who smiled at my imperfect Russian and took the time to understand me anyway.
I don't know what it is, but something drew me to this country. It was such a wonderful blessing to find 71 other college students who felt the same. I love the American friends I made here - so many amazing young people so willing to support and connect with strangers who shared class space with them for a mere four months. It has been amazing getting through this tough experience with them at my side, and I cannot imagine exploring the country without them! (love you guys.) Our teachers were awesome. Through them I really got to see the warm, caring side Russians share with close friends and family, and they taught us so much about their subjects and about their lives here. What a semester! Hardest, most enriching, most inspiring, most instructive and, конечно, the COLDEST semester of my life. I may be leaving tomorrow, but I have a feeling that I will return someday. Russia hasn't quite finished with me yet.
Эмили
Friday, December 10, 2010
Update on the Russian Winter
Sorry Russia, I jinxed you.
Yesterday I mentioned a warm spell and talked about the Russian Winter like it was nothing.
Today I woke up and found a very deep, very snowy winterland. The sidewalks and streets are rarely if ever shoveled, so I got to carve my own way through 1.5ft of snow... And then walked the rest of the way to school in a mild blizzard. Oh Russia. This afternoon Alison and I trekked to the Marble Palace (fail). Waited for the marshrutka in the snow for about half an hour, got frustrated with the traffic, and got out early only to be stuck cutting through the Field of Mars (pictured above) with snow pretty much at our waists. Hooray! We warmed ourselves by the Eternal Flame then went the rest of the way to the Palace to find it closed. Awesome. Anyway it turned out to be pretty funny since the snow (and everything else) was so ridiculous.
I would say at least it isn't too cold, but I don't want to go outside tomorrow only to find my eyelashes freezing together, so I won't say it!
Stay warm! love, Эмили
Yesterday I mentioned a warm spell and talked about the Russian Winter like it was nothing.
Today I woke up and found a very deep, very snowy winterland. The sidewalks and streets are rarely if ever shoveled, so I got to carve my own way through 1.5ft of snow... And then walked the rest of the way to school in a mild blizzard. Oh Russia. This afternoon Alison and I trekked to the Marble Palace (fail). Waited for the marshrutka in the snow for about half an hour, got frustrated with the traffic, and got out early only to be stuck cutting through the Field of Mars (pictured above) with snow pretty much at our waists. Hooray! We warmed ourselves by the Eternal Flame then went the rest of the way to the Palace to find it closed. Awesome. Anyway it turned out to be pretty funny since the snow (and everything else) was so ridiculous.
I would say at least it isn't too cold, but I don't want to go outside tomorrow only to find my eyelashes freezing together, so I won't say it!
Stay warm! love, Эмили
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The Russian Winter
Infamous. Picturesque. Impossible. Russia is without a doubt most known for its terrible winters (though I imagine a solid proportion of Americans would be surprised to know that much of Russia has green grass for most of the year).
I still remember a conversation class here in October about the climate.
Russian teacher: "(in Russian) What do you think of the climate in Petersburg?"
Me: "Um, климат холодный?" ("Um, it's cold?")
Teacher: "(in Russian) No, no. Not a cold climate. What else?"
Me: "(in Russian) Wet, windy... what do you mean this isn't a cold climate?!"
Apparently the Gulf of Finland 'warms' Petersburg. I understand it is not a cold climate on a relative-to-Russia basis, but I find it EXTREMELY cold on a relative-to-Florida basis, and I could use some understanding. (Just kidding, our conversation teacher is a sweetheart!)
Anyway it has officially been winter for 17 days, and I can say I have survived it quite well thus far!
1. Layers
I have been wearing leggings since mid-October. I started wearing two pairs of leggings two weeks ago when the temperature got into the negative double digits. As I put it to friends one morning waiting for the bus, a warm Emily is a nice Emily. Additionally I got a warm floppy beanie, wear Estonian mittens over leather gloves, and my scarf weighs about a pound.
2. Снег (you guys remember this word? snow!)
About three weeks ago it snowed so much I had trouble getting the door to the outside open - definitely a first for me. It snowed nonstop for a week- not exaggerating! I have walked to school three times in a blizzard, watched my boot disappear several times in snow softer than it appeared, and slipped and fell once (and almost a million times) on the icy sidewalk. The rivers are frozen and they have snow piled up on top of the ice, which is neat. Did you know when it is cold enough snowflakes actually crystallize into those unique little shapes I thought Hallmark made up? Because they do!
3. Icicles (of Death)
I can't decide whether it is better to look up (and look out) or to just stay on the edge of the sidewalk and walk fast. There are pretty much on every other building, which is scary. Some are probably two or three feet long and thick - but under the biggest, sharpest ones they usually block off the sidewalk, so don't worry! Anyway it has added a sense of adventure and thrill to my usual walks around the city.
Don't freeze over in the States (I hear it is sort of cold...) :)
More later!
Эмили
ps: We're having a 'warm' spell. Perhaps that is why I'm able to write such a positive blog on the Russian Winter!
I still remember a conversation class here in October about the climate.
Russian teacher: "(in Russian) What do you think of the climate in Petersburg?"
Me: "Um, климат холодный?" ("Um, it's cold?")
Teacher: "(in Russian) No, no. Not a cold climate. What else?"
Me: "(in Russian) Wet, windy... what do you mean this isn't a cold climate?!"
Apparently the Gulf of Finland 'warms' Petersburg. I understand it is not a cold climate on a relative-to-Russia basis, but I find it EXTREMELY cold on a relative-to-Florida basis, and I could use some understanding. (Just kidding, our conversation teacher is a sweetheart!)
Anyway it has officially been winter for 17 days, and I can say I have survived it quite well thus far!
1. Layers
I have been wearing leggings since mid-October. I started wearing two pairs of leggings two weeks ago when the temperature got into the negative double digits. As I put it to friends one morning waiting for the bus, a warm Emily is a nice Emily. Additionally I got a warm floppy beanie, wear Estonian mittens over leather gloves, and my scarf weighs about a pound.
2. Снег (you guys remember this word? snow!)
About three weeks ago it snowed so much I had trouble getting the door to the outside open - definitely a first for me. It snowed nonstop for a week- not exaggerating! I have walked to school three times in a blizzard, watched my boot disappear several times in snow softer than it appeared, and slipped and fell once (and almost a million times) on the icy sidewalk. The rivers are frozen and they have snow piled up on top of the ice, which is neat. Did you know when it is cold enough snowflakes actually crystallize into those unique little shapes I thought Hallmark made up? Because they do!
3. Icicles (of Death)
I can't decide whether it is better to look up (and look out) or to just stay on the edge of the sidewalk and walk fast. There are pretty much on every other building, which is scary. Some are probably two or three feet long and thick - but under the biggest, sharpest ones they usually block off the sidewalk, so don't worry! Anyway it has added a sense of adventure and thrill to my usual walks around the city.
Don't freeze over in the States (I hear it is sort of cold...) :)
More later!
Эмили
ps: We're having a 'warm' spell. Perhaps that is why I'm able to write such a positive blog on the Russian Winter!
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