In Which Titles Have Run Out

29.09.2008

So, tonight was the first night I was unable to eat ALL my dinner. I don't think Tatyana was pleased. But I ate as much as I could... I don't know. I'm not going to force myself to eat mounds of cabbage if I don't want to, damn it!

At this point I am definitely making myself go out and do things, constantly. Except, I DO have a lot of work.. So, I need to keep that in mind, too. I don't think it's going to be too difficult to get an A in my RSL class(es?). I've decided I'm taking Central Asian State Formation for audit. Which means I still need to do readings, but I don't need to worry about papers. Human Rights is getting easier and easier to understand -- Today, it was just me and the professor; the Russian student didn't come. Which was tremendously awkward, because the professor was sick and the power was out in the building, so towards the end of the class it was getting really dark and creepy. I don't know, I just feel kind of weird in that class because I feel like he doesn't want to teach the stupid American who doesn't know Russian very well. But, I could be completely wrong. After class today he ask me why I chose to study in Russia -- There wasn't much of a hint of sarcasm or malice in his voice, but then again, Russian intonation is strange so I doubt I'd be able to pick it up anyway.

In any case, my final class, Russia and the U.S.A.... it's the high point of my week, but I have a feeling it's going to be tremendously difficult. This week I have a big chunk of reading -- an 8 page speech by Putin (?!) and a bit in the textbook -- all in Russian. Plus I have two papers and one or two presentations. And this professor seems very strict and not terribly flexible -- He wants the papers in English, no exceptions, so he's kind of scared a few Russians off. Most other professors who teach the English classes allow the Russians to write their papers in Russian and do everything else in English. So, who knows. We'll see.

I already have a lot planned out this week:

Tuesday: After class, going with Yura and a friend of his to Botanicheskij Sad. Which is a gigantic garden, by the looks of the atlas I carry with me... We'll see what happens, there. He told me not to say where we met, or mention anything homosexual, as his friend doesn't know. So that should be interesting.

Wednesday - Marc Almond Concert!! Whoo! (also possibly going to the U.S. consulate to report the mugging)

Friday: Hermitage, then Tri El' with Maneka. (The First! Ever! Goth Rock festival in Russia is also this night, but I couldn't find anyone to go with me... So I guess I won't be doing that).

Saturday: Going to Pavlovsk with E.B. as the leaves are turning and apparently it's absolutely beautiful down there at this time of the year. Of course, I have a hard time believing it's more beautiful than my last visit, but our main purpose for going down there is for artsy photos, so we'll see what happens. Then, at nighttime, I think I'm going to Central Station again.

Sunday: ... Do I have anything planned for Sunday? I can't even remember. I think there might be a cultural excursion, but I can't remember. If nothing, I think I'll go to Udel'naya market.

Oi, I just want to write more, but I need to go do work. At least I'm finished with all my RSL homework for tomorrow, so I just need to do Russia and the U.S. readings. Argh, I keep forgetting to buy an electronic dictionary.They make things so damn easy, comparatively... My book dictionary is literally falling apart --- over half the Russian section is just sitting in there, and if I try to flip through it all the pages fly out.

In Which A Weekend is Spent

Long entry covering three days. This is actually the abridged version. Brace yourselves.

_______________________________

So, here I sit, on a nice comfortable bed, sipping hot tea, eating German chocolate, and listening to music. No class tomorrow... A nice day planned ahead... Aaah, this is the life.

Except, I'm about to BUST. From the massive amount of FOOD. That has been FED TO ME. I think she's under the impression that I am too thin, so she keeps feeding me a TON. Borshch with some starchy side dish every nice so far... Tonight was stuffed cabbage. Which was alright, until I was NO LONGER HUNGRY, but somehow I managed to stuff it all down. So now I feel kind of sick. But it's good, because I think I may have lost a dangerous amount of weight since I've been here -- Tons of walking, tons of stress, not enough food. And certainly not SUFFICIENT NUTRIENTS. Which of course is a terrible cycle, because I'm sure that made me feel even worse and so forth.

So, this morning for breakfast, she had a bunch of bliny out for me, then random toppings around.. Honey, sour cream (no thanks), and ... vegetable marrow puree? It sounded absolutely horrific, but the honey was frozen, and there was no way I was going to ruin the bliny with sour cream, and I didn't want to insult her by not using at least one of the toppings, so I tried the vegetable marrow puree... and I'm convinced it was a bad English translation on the label. I didn't see the Russian, but it definitely tasted fruity -- it was really dark red, and tasted like thick thick fruit juice with various soaking whole fruits. Like, berries and such. So, I don't know. But that was delicious. Along with CUPS AND CUPS OF TEA. SO MUCH TEA. I WANT MORE TEA. I need to find a specialty tea shop somewhere in the city. And try more teas. Black teas, red teas. I am not a fan of green tea, though.

So, I feel like this is a new beginning. I am so much happier, I feel like my language is improving, and the past is the past. I think I've gone through the full cycle of culture shock or whatever. Not that I believe in such a set cycle, but yeah. I'm still a bit jumpy and paranoid, though...

IN ANY CASE. Tomorrow should be a busy day, if I do what I say I'm going to do. I plan on going to the Hermitage, by myself, and just wandering around... I plan on going a lot, and apparently it's just absolutely gigantic, and free (for students), so I want to go there at least once every two weeks or something.

Friday:

Anyway, so, I took my first trip to the Hermitage museum, and I ... definitely should go more often. Everything is free for me since I am a student, so I should probably take advantage of that while I can, since I don't think I'll be able to after this trip, assuming I come back to St. Petersburg for any amount of time (which, despite my current and recent feelings, is probable).

So, I don't think I've EVER been to a half decent museum... I first went into the “Ancient Near East” part of the museum, which was, admittedly, the most boring. And thankfully very small. HOWEVER, I do have to say that old bits of clay and stone tablets are INFINITELY more interesting when viewing them in real life, as opposed to in a textbook. There were some large wall slabs from Assyria that depicted some sort of battle and some priests holding sprouts that I actually really enjoyed. What was really nice about this section was that NO ONE was there. Seriously. The only other person who was there was an old woman who was there to make sure I didn't destroy anything.

After that I zoomed through the Ancient Egypt (OMG THEY HAVE A REAL MUMMY) section, and, again, small broken figurines are infinitely more interesting in real life. Again small exhibit, but a lot more people.

Then, I went through to Ancient Greek and Rome Antiquities sections, which were basically ALL statues and busts until the end, where they had pottery. The first room ... I don't know why, but I was just absolutely blown away. I think the first statue I saw was the Muse of Tragedy. The first room I spent at least 20 minutes in... I also took some photos, which I will upload

I wandered upstairs and meandered through the French Art and Russian Culture sections, which are actually the largest next to “Byzantium and the East.” I got lost a few times. But in all honesty, most of the time I was more interested in the ROOM of the exhibit rather than the exhibit itself – Again, I took some photos. Beautiful ceilings, if nothing else.

So, I got tired and left... and waited at the bus stop... for a fucking hour. It was ridiculous. Just when I was about to give up and walk to the metro the number 7 state run bus came. What's sick is the k7 busses, which are privately owned and slightly more expensive, were coming by every ten minutes. But I was DETERMINED to get on that number 7 state run bus. And save ... six rubles? Six fucking rubles. I am not hurting so bad financially that I can't spend six extra rubles. Seriously. What is that, 25 cents, MAYBE? In any case, the principle is that the damned number 7 is supposed to come by every 10-20 minutes. End of story.

After that I met up with Pavel for film watching. And uh. One would think being in a Russian city with a Russian would make one ... blend in more, and feel more secure? NOT SO. Not in this case, anyhow. When I'm out alone, everyone seems to assume I'm Russian, and they ignore me for the most part. Pavel? For some reason, everyone seems to point and whisper and laugh. Probably because he's loud. And awkward. And he prances. Instead of walking like a normal individual. Indeed, even when his FRIENDS see him, they just kind of bust out in laughter. Which is really sad.

IN ANY CASE, we went to this cafe, which was tiny tiny, to watch the film... Which turned out to be Total Eclipse. Which I don't like very much because the actor who plays Verlaine is just absolutely homely and Leonardo Dicaprio is a piece of shit (though, admittedly, he does well in this film). It just drags on for far too long. ANYWAY, it was neat, because it was an artsy gay-friendly cafe, and it was filled with queer Russians. If anything, it was worth it just for that experience. The non-club queer experience, that is. Though I felt kind of like I was intruding, and no one was talking with me. Probably because Pavel was just speaking to me (loudly) in English, and I wasn't saying much because I had nothing to say and didn't know WHAT to say. And I don't understand him when he speaks Russian because he won;t slow down and he uses an absurd vocabulary with words that translate to “cur,” “mongrel,” and “sodding.” What the fuck? Anyway, it was kind of sad, because appparently this little artsy cafe is closing next month, and this was their last film showing.

Actually, the film was kind of funny, because .. well, I was expecting like, Russian subtitles on the English movie. NOT SO. It was on someone's laptop, and it was the original movie, with the original sound track, dubbed over in Russian. But not dubbed in the normal way we Americans think of dubbing. You could hear the English in the back. And the voice actors weren't really even acting, so much as saying the lines loudly seconds after the English. In the parts where it was quick and witty dialogue, it was hard to keep up because the voice actors sped up, but still couldn't keep up with the English, because Russian words are absurdly long, and things that are very simple for us to say in one or two words become full sentences in Russian. So that was getting tiring after an hour or so.

Saturday/Sunday:

So, yesterday was fairly low key. Took a walk and went to a cafe, then came back. A bunch of the Americans were going to a bar, and I didn't want to stay in all night, so I went with them .

Today I went to Marinsky to see “The Magic Flute,” which was great. Very well done. Though costuming was a bit shabby, strange enough. And the opera was in Russian, which was even more strange, because I knew a couple of the songs but could barely recognise them. I need to go out and do more cultural things, truly...

Actually, on that note, I realised the other day that I've already spent a month here. Which means I only have a little more than three months left. Holy fucking shit. Time is flying by. The sick thing, when I realised this, I actually got ... excited. Which freaks me out, a lot. Because now I feel like I'm wasting my time by hating my time, which is a problem I've had all my life. And I need to stop that.. I've been TRYING to stop that. But last semester was absolutely awful, the first semester was absolutely awful... I don't know. I'm wasting my own life. So basically I have a renewed vigour to fill my time with useful things. Except for tonight. Because I have a headache. And I have no money.

This week, I am going to see Marc Almond, and I am going to hang out with Yura (and possibly Andrei? But doubtful, since he apparently lives in Pushkin). Friday night, I'm going to Tri L' with Maneka, and then Saturday I am sure to do something.

In Which Moving is Completed

... Alright, first, this was brought to my attention by Ms. Jennifer Schiller:

http://perezhilton.com/2008-09-22-fill-in-the-blank-210

I am at a loss for words.

In any case, it seems that I entirely forgot to update, tomorrow. I think I was just out of it and not wanting to do anything, but I had a lot to do regardless. Like packing. And homework. Thankfully, one of my classes was canceled today, so I didn't have AS MUCH homework.

My Human Rights class went very well, yesterday. I understand more and more with each class, and the homework for this next week should be pretty easy -- the workload is fairly light, so, there we go. And the professor is awesome, but ... he seems to be able to perfectly understand, read, and write English, but not speak it. I don't know what to do with that. In any case, he's helping me after the class every time with what I don't know, and I'm asking questions IN class now because I'm becoming comfortable, and the other student is helping me by explaining things. So. There's that.

I've been in a very ... strange mood these past couple of days. For one, definitely jumpy -- I was walking back from the ATM yesterday at 11am, middle of the day, when I heard someone running behind me, and my heart stopped and I spun around and almost punched some poor jogger in the face. And it took me a good five minutes to recover after that, catch my breath, and so forth... Then while I was waiting at the bus stop, this young man (МОЛОДОЙ ЧЕЛОВЕК!) walked quickly in my direction and I froze and tensed up. In general, Russian men my age are making me tremendously uneasy.

Despite that, however, I have been in a decent mood. I don't know. Perhaps this has forced me into some sort of perspective... Because I'm feeling a little bit more 'at home,' here. I don't know. It's strange. I move into my host family in like half an hour, so I hope that goes well.

A cultural note: Russian people seem to have a general fear and revulsion of "the floor." They will not sit on the floor. They will not place their stuff on the floor. They will not stand on the floor without some kind of footwear on (socks don't count). As a result, in classrooms, the number of available seats is generally cut in half because everyone takes up two seats: One for themselves, one for their bags. Same with the cafe. And anywhere else where one will sit. I've started to adhere to this cultural standard, since, really, it does make sense... the floor is quite dirty. Here, that is especially true. My grey shoulder bag is now... grey ... with black streaks, because I've placed it on floors where I should not have done so.

Several Hours Later:

Alright, so, I moved into my host family. And I have to say that this was probably the best decision I've made since I have come to Russia. The apartment is very clean, homey, and comfortable... And I am IMMEASURABLY happier. My host mother, Tatiana, is very talkative, very nice, and all around awesome, so far. I can understand when she speaks, and I'm already pretty comfortable with asking questions when I DON'T understand, etc. My room is fairly sizeable -- My bed doesn't have annoying SPRINGS sticking into my back, like the dormitory did. I have plenty of room to put my stuff, plenty of room to work, plenty of room to breathe, and a BALCONY! Gasp. There are two balconies, actually -- Both covered, so I can sit outside while it's raining. I'm on the 8th floor, so the view is pretty good.

She's soaking my favorite shirt, too -- The one I wore when I got mugged. I hope it's salvageable.

I had my first dinner, and it was delicious. Some sort of very, VERY VERY, red soup... I don't think it was borshch, but it definitely had a ton of beets in it. Ate every last bit. Then, some penne pasta with some sort of meat and ... orange vegetable sauce. Not sure what the vegetable was -- At first I thought they were yellow peppers, but they might've been carrots. No idea, but it was good, so I ate all of it without complaint. Thankfully, she asked me what I DIDN'T like to eat, when we sat down and had a short conversation, so I avoided an awkward future situation. She thought I was vegetarian at first, which she seemed fine with, but then I told her I LOVED meat and she seemed a bit relieved. I did add the addendum that I get sick when I eat fish, though. And she was fine with that. So. I'm excited to see what breakfast has in store for me.

I need to buy a pair of tapochki (house slippers). She's letting me borrow her guest slippers, but since I'm going to be here for MONTHS it's probably better that I buy my own. For those who don't know, in Russian households, everyone removes their shoes at the entrance and then has to wear slippers when walking through the house. Socks are not sufficient. Remember, the floor is dirty.

I don't have the internet here, but that's a small price to pay. I'll just have to go to internet cafes occasionally, plus I have access to the Smolny internet Monday-Friday. Speaking of which, updates will be less frequent, and it might be harder for me to keep up with peoples' entries, but you'll all survive.

I want to write more, but I feel like this entry is getting a bit lengthy. So, for now, I'm going to DEPART.

In Which Lessons are Learned

Last night, went to Central Station. Biggest club I have EVER seen -- Three floors, two dance floors, three bars, four little sit-down couch cafe areas, and a restaurant. It was insane. Fairly nice place, too, and very clean.

Next to no one was there when I got there. It was a maze at first -- I had no idea what was where and so forth. I checked in my coat, which was free, and wandered around... Wandered into the restaurant area, and a waiter gave me an expectant look. I just glanced at my watch like I was waiting for someone then wandered off. Finally found a (very dark..) set of stairs which led the second floor -- A dance floor and two bars in three rooms of varying levels connected by small sets of stairs. Dance floor had blacklights, of course, plus a wall of screens with strange colors and dancing figures on them. I went into this small bar area and sat down at a couch, and they had this really nasty porn playing on the screen. I just sat down, looked through the drink menu and started texting people.

These two guys came and asked if they could sit down. Then they introduced themselves, and I too, and I told them I was a student, etc etc. Their names were Yura and Andrei, and NEITHER OF THEM KNEW ENGLISH!! AIEE. Anyway, Andrei was pretty shy, but Yura talked with me, and he was very friendly and I could understand pretty much everything that he said. We all exchanged numbers, and when I said I was leaving before the metro closes, he said I should stay and wait the night out. Since ... well, no one was there. So .... I hadn't had the chance to do much. So basically I spent most of the night with them, and it was an interesting night indeed.

Andrei wanted to dance, but Yura apparently doesn't dance, so Andrei and I went off to dance. That's a sentence from hell. In any case, after that we all converged again and shared a bottle of champagne over conversation. (And this is where I learn that I am a TRUE lightweight -- I'm not sure why, but the shot of absinthe I took a couple days ago did next to nothing other than give me a nasty aftertaste; the first shot of abinsthe I did was neat, but didn't do THAT much. Two glasses of champagne? I was on the HEAVY side of tipsy). Eventually Andrei and I dance again, then when we return to the table, Yura is gone, so we're talking, and he says he likes the guy at the table behind me... I glanced behind me, and the guy kind of looked like a creeper, so whatever. When I turned back around, the guy stood up, came over, and started making out with Andrei. I was like, "wtf?" When they finished, Andrei asked me if Yura had come by, because Yura was Andrei's boyfriend ....

At this point I was like "fantastic." But I wasn't going to get in the middle of it -- I don't yet know the cultural standards on this topic. Eventually this creeper guy and his friend came over, creeper guy being named Kostya, and his dumb friend being named Dima. Dima talked with me while Kostya and Andrei were making out, and he tried to talk politics. I didn't entirely understand what he was saying ... well, I understood WHAT he was saying, but not quite the purpose. He started talking about Bush, and he was like "We have a president, too!" and I was like "...yes....?" And then he said something about choices. I don't know. Then he said he didn't like Condoleeza Rice. Which made me giggle.

So, Yura came back as Andrei and Kostya were making out, and he didn't seem entirely comfortable, but he didn't make any big deal out of it. I got up and left to go to the bathroom, and when I came back they were all gone, so I wandered around a bit, and saw Kostya and Andrei making out on the dance floor, then ran into Yura walking around aimlessly looking kind of sad, carrying Andrei's bag... Again, didn't want to get in the middle of it, so I sat with Yura for a while and we just people watched.

And then I met a Sasha, but I think I'm going to save that story for another time. It's not that interesting. Just another instance of a guy pushing themselves on me, and not wanting to go away.

So, at about 5:30am I left for the metro, everything fine. Got to Primorskaya, started my walk home. Figured since it was ... well ... "night time" and I was alone I'd take a different direction back to the dorms -- A lot of people were walking on that side of the street and it was well lit, so I started my walk back. About halfway down the street I see two guys come onto the sidewalk, both dressed neatly, wearing all black, one of them had combat boots, the other had a nice leather jacket (not a motorcycle jacket, just a normal leather jacket). They were both clearly Russian, about my age. I was thinking "Oh, great, so these are the skinheads the handbook warned me about." So I figured I'd just outwalk them before they got any ideas, since I can walk fairly quickly and the dorms weren't much farther.

When I turned left on Korbalestroiteley street, I thought they had turned off, so I was just continuing on my way, when I suddenly hear heavy footsteps right behind me, and one of the guys tackles me to the ground. He grabbed my throat and dragged me off of the sidewalk into the bushes, and they both started yelling at me in Russian. At this point, I thought they were going to just pull out a knife and slit my throat, and then as the guy who was NOT holding me raised his foot to stomp on my abdomen, I recognised the words "GDE DEN'GI," which is "WHERE IS THE MONEY." Despite the situation, I was relieved that this was not a hate crime, but a simple mugging! So, I started digging through my bag, and they got impatient and tore through it, but couldn't find my wallet because I hid it THAT well.. so I pulled it out and they grabbed it and took all the money. But left everything else alone. Which was convenient. Then they started yelling something else, and I didn't understand what they were saying, so I said I didn't understand, and they just stopped... and in perfect English, "You're not Russian?" to which I glaringly replied, "No." And the one who asked the question says, "Shit." The other one says "Mobile telephone!" so I'm like, "Oh, you want my piece of shit cell phone? You can have my piece of shit cell phone. Do you want some cigarettes, too?" and while I'm looking for my phone, "No, we don't smoke." I throw my phone at them, and they look at it for a second, then they're like "Uh, nevermind" and drop it on me. Then they start to walk off, saying "You shouldn't walk alone at night. Welcome to Russia!"

Basically, it was my fault. I should have taken the way I normally do. That would've avoided the situation. I should not have gone alone. I should have trusted myself when I thought these guys were trouble. I'm just lucky it wasn't worse.

All in all, I'm just glad I escaped it with only a few scratches, and a loss of 500 rubles. Well, they also seem to have ruined my favorite outfit, so I'll see if I can salvage that.

At least I don't feel as bad for spending 100 rubles on a tiny bottle of water earlier in the evening. It would've gotten jacked anyway.

Today, thankfully, was NOT a waste.

I plan on going to Central Station soon, within an hour, but for now I wanted to rest and wind down a little bit.

Took a shower, did a little packing today. Then at about 2 I went to meet Ilana and Maneka at the metro station, as we were going to check out a mall that supposedly has half decent prices. I waited in the metro station for about an hour or so, which was fine, because I got to do a lot of people watching. At one point, there was some sort of fight on the metro train -- I couldn't entirely tell what was going on because it was half obscured. Well, I saw this guy violently KICK something inside the metro car, which was strange, then I saw someone FLY out of the door, and a couple more guys flee the car. I never saw who they were fighting -- The train doors closed and all the guys who were thrown out of the car were making rude gestures and whatnot. No one else was really paying them any attention.

So, we get to the mall, called "Nord," and shop around. I had no intention of buying anything, as I didn't think I'd find anything, BUT, I bought a pair of shoes which are AWESOME and a small... bag thing. As a replacement for my small backpack when that dies. Which might be soon. I'll take photos in the near future.

OH, and my Human Rights professor, Starodubtsev, sent me an e-mail. I just kind of read through it fast, but from what I understood he's willing to work with me so I can take the class for credit, and not have to worry about my workload. But I'm not going to get too excited until I get time to go through and translate it. Which will be tomorrow.

I spent way too much money, today.

I know I keep forgetting to put things in my entries... Like, interesting stories that happen... I don't know. We'll see.

Peter and Paul Fortress tomorrow. Yay cultural excursions.

Edit: OH! I remember my interesting story! When I got back to Primorskaya Metro like an hour ago, I was going up the escalator... and ... I kept hearing music. Just barely. I realised it was Fade to Grey, by Visage, and I was like "wtf?" It was too loud to be coming from someone's headphones, and it sounded like it was coming from the metro intercom system, but I've never heard music being played there, before. And I couldn't find its source. Which was disappointing.

The day was, overall, a waste. Which is no good. I basically sat inside on the internet all day and did nothing. And my terrible American roommate slept until 7.30pm. Don't know what that's about. And now he just came in and lied down on his bed. But I'm ignoring him and leaving the light on and typing really loudly Whatever. ТАК ИЛИ ИНАЧЕ.

As for things that I did OUTSIDE today, I went to get some money and then saw Lauren on my way back to the dorms, and she took me to the universam to buy groceries. Even though I'm moving out soon, I still need to eat, so I went with her, and lo and behold, I found these FANTASTIC little delicious treats that I had been eating at Maneka's house. They're like, small fudge squares that taste mildly caramel and mildly nutty. I have no idea what they're called. They're great for holding in your mouth while you sip hot tea. Mmm.

Then I made myself some steamed broccoli and sausage. Mmmm.

Went with the program children to a Lebanese restaurant, which was EXCELLENT, then we went to a bar afterwards, where I drank absinthe. They had this strange ritual with it where they set it on fire then I had to breathe the fumes, but I did it incorrectly and the woman got angry with me. Later it was pointed out to me that snorting alcohol can cause serious brain damage, so I am quite glad that I did not understand. Anyway, I shotted it. And that was the end of that. Now I just get foul tasting alcohol fumes coming up my throat. Just washed it down with tea and tasty treats, and now I think I'm going to bed.

Tomorrow, however, is shopping time, and then TSENTRAL'NAYA STANTSIYA. We'll see how that goes.

Слова Дня - наступление (nastupleniye) - coming, onset.

In Which Lunch is Eaten, Russian-Style

I feel a hell of a lot better, today. My roommate NOT snoring last night might've helped that. Still a little out of sorts -- The pressure in my head is off. But other than that I'm feeling fine.

Classes went halfway fine today. I suppose. I realised that I am taking way too much on, though -- 18 credit hours. I need to either drop my Central Asia course, or take my Human Rights class for audit. I'd rather drop my Central Asia course, because I would still need to do PART of the work for Human Rights, and I'd rather put my all into it. I sent an e-mail to my professor last night... Apparently it was entirely illegible because the email converted the cyrillic to a bunch of ?'s. But, my professor sent a reply in ENGLISH, meaning he speaks ENGLISH, which is GOOD. In many ways. One, I can ask him questions in English. Two, he's been speaking entirely in Russian, probably because he understands I need to learn the RUSSIAN LANGUAGE. This is good.

I had lunch with Pavel and a couple of his friends, today. I'm glad that even Russians think he's fucking crazy. And eating with Russians was neat. So, apparently, Russians like to say "Приятного аппетита" (priyatnogo appetita; bon appetite, basically) whenever someone around them is having a full meal. So as people kept stopping by the table, even if they were just talking to someone else, they said this to me, and I got thoroughly confused. Pavel later explained this custom to me. Bizarre. I've also noticed that Russian guys always shake hands when greeting eachother, even in passing. ALWAYS THE SHAKING OF THE HANDS.

I went to the Philological Faculty bookstore today to buy a textbook -- Системая история международных отношений (Systematic history of international relations) and it was exciting because it only cost 370 rubles, which would be about 14.50 dollars, for a book that would cost AT LEAST 50 dollars in the U.S. if not more.

I also keep eating a lot of German chocolate. And I need to stop. Because it's semi-expensive and making me sick. But it's so good... so... good.

I don't have classes tomorrow, so I get to screw around and just rest and recover, tonight. And do work. Of course.

I'm really excited for moving in to my homestay. Forming stronger ties with Russian acquaintences (Pavel, Asya, other random people I've met) and the possibility of absorbing some Russian culture is making me much happier.

Слово Дня - так или иначе (tak ili inachye) - Whatever.

Yeah, so it's a phrase, but it's a phrase I need to memorise because I use it so damned often. I also learned "nevermind," today, which is "не важно" (ne vazhno; literally - not important).

In Which Russian Nationalism is Adopted

Oi, still ill, but getting better. I've sequestered myself to sitting inside and resting until I get better, since it's so cold outside. I wasn't going to complain about the weather, but even the Russians are all complaining about how cold it's getting, since apparently the weather we have right now isn't supposed to come until the end of October... It's gross and windy and I hate it. I would probably be fine if I weren't sick, but the sickness just magnifies everything.

In other news, I am for sure moving into a homestay, now. Spoke with Bryan and Elena, today, and they found a host family for me -- A working class single mother and her 25 year old son. Which seems like pretty much an ideal situation for me. Well... Minus the son. Apparently the last time she hosted a student was four years ago, and the son didn't really talk to the student, so, whatever. I move in on Tuesday, so I'm fairly excited. Won't be getting on the internet half as much, though, so entries might be 2-3 times a week instead of every day. We'll see. If anything it might force me to go out more... Of course, I go out fairly often, just, I've been sick for a few days so I haven't done much of anything.

I have a lot of homework to do, but zero desire to do any of it... So we'll see what happens. I think after I get off of here I'm going to nap then do work. Or something.

So, I'm taking a class on relations between Russia and the U.S.A, and it's really interesting because we're doing a quick survey of post-WWII and the Cold War before we delve into the contemporary scene, and I'm enjoying the Russian perspective of the history. And I agree with pretty much everything the professor says. Which isn't necessarily good or anything, but, of course, he's not a Russian nationalist or anything -- he's just a realist. And he makes fun of Socialist ideology a lot. Which is fantastic.

And, since coming to Russia, I may have adopted a somewhat Russian nationalist perspective on the Georgian conflict. Basically, I think the West just needs to stay out of this. From the start I knew that the Western media was entirely out of line, but after making a few more discoveries, at this point everyone is making a fool out of themselves. The current Georgian government is absurd, to say the least, and more prone to massive human rights violations than Russia is, at this point. In the 90's, the Georgian president threatened South Ossetians with extermination if they didn't cease separatist ... thought. Or whatever you would call it. Basically, dictatorship at that point. The fact of the matter is, Russia does have a right to interfere with Georgian politics. Full stop. Georgia's out of line. The Georgian PEOPLE are siding with Russia. This conflict has a much more complicated history than most people in the West even understand. And I formed a much better argument earlier in the day than what I just wrote... Augh, I'm tired.

Oh, and, a cultural note. I have noticed that many buildings here have many escalators, elevators, and doors.... But Russians seem to like turning off most of these escalators and elevators and locking most of the doors... I suppose this is so that people don't wear out ALL of them with constant use, but even when they break down, they don't turn on the escalators and elevators that are never in use. They just wait to fix them. Maybe it's a control thing. Either way, it's kind of annoying, especially in the entrance to the dorm building, because you have to go hrough this maze of unlocked and locked doors to get in to the damn building. Maybe they're controlling our movements. I don't know.

Note to self: Never get on the bus at rush hour again. Though, I'll be taking the metro every day once I move into the host family. Whoo!

I hope I'm bettter by this weekend. I don't want to waste a weekend being sick.

Слово Дня: воображение (voobrazheniye) - imagination.

In Which Tickets are Successfully Purchased

So, uh, I walked in today and I was like, "Wow, the room is really warm... I guess they decided to turn on the heat." I was going around my business, and I go into the kitchenette and both stoves were on... I was like, "What the fuck?" and clearly, turned them on. Then, I went to make tea, and there was a nasty bug creature stuck in the measurement part of the water boiler thing. Fantastic.

Both classes went terribly because I was coughing and dying during both of them, then one of my professors reported me to the program manager for 'not being prepared.' What the hell? I probably shouldn't have gone to class anyway.

But, in any case, I asked for the homestay... Apparently I'll probably be put with a "communicative old woman." Whatever. Bryan (program manager) keeps 'warning' me, like this is a terribly dire situation. Though, while talking about it, I realized the immense absurdity in trying to move... All the bureaucracy of moving out of the dorms, then lugging all my shit halfway across the city. We'll see what happens. I'm half hoping they don't find someone who will take me in, but, that's the lazy side of me -- I know it would be better for me to go into a homestay, anyway. I just hope my movements aren't too terribly restricted. It's not like I stay out that late anyhow, but we'll see.

In victorious news, today, I bought my ticket for the Marc Almond concert. That was actually the most pleasant 'shopping' experience I had. I went to the kassa, and asked if they had tickets, and the woman said yes... And while the thing was registering, she asked if I knew Russian well, and I told her I knew a little, and she was really pleasant and nice. So. There's that. I'm going to see Marc Almond! Whooo!!

I failed at buying apple cider vinegar, though. I couldn't find it anywhere in the damned supermarket, and I went through every shelf on every aisle, asked some lady and it wasn't where she said it was. Damn. Oh well. My throat feels better but I've been getting a nasty cough and more nasal leakage, and there's still pressure in my ears. I won't worry about it too much unless it lasts over a week -- it's only been a couple days so far.

Edit: ... my piggish American room mate decided to use my personal bathing washcloth to clean the kitchen.

I am displeased.

In Which I am Dirigible

So, I think I might have a sinus infection. No good, no good at all. Last night, the massive pressure in my HEAD didn't allow me to sleep, but fortunately I have Excedrin sinus medicine, so that relieved me enough that I could survive the night and go through today. My sore throat is all but gone, but my nose is all snotty and congested, and I keep getting the beginnings of a sinus headache. I really hope it doesn't worsen...

I am supposed to decide tomorrow whether or not I go to a homestay. I'm thinking I might. I'm going to sleep on it. We'll see what happens. Maybe I'll have to go to the doctor and have my head drained instead. Fuck. If I do end up going into a homestay, chances are I won't have the internet, so I will be on here a lot less. Which is probably a good thing.

My Human Rights course today wasn't awful. The American girl dropped it, and a Russian showed up, today. So, right now, it's me, this Russian girl (Alla, or Anya? I don't remember), and the professor. I understood a lot more today -- But, I need to send the professor an e-mail with questions and whatnot.

Nothing else remarkable happened today -- I keep meaning to buy tickets to Marc Almond but I never find the time to look for a damned Teatralnaya Kassa (Russia, or, St. Petersburg, at least, has this awesome system where there are these kassas throughout the city that sell tickets to most all events -- Concerts, ballets, opera, and so forth). I need to go to the supermarket tomorrow, so I'll probably look for one then.

Word of the Day:

управляемый (upravlyaemyj) - Dirigible. I actually had to look the ENGLISH word up in a normal dictionary after finding the translation.

Edit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7616385.stm Very interesting article. I need to start reading the Russian news daily, to see what they have here on it all.. Though, being in several international relations classes, it's always interesting to hear what quips the professors make about the government.

In Which Bad Decisions are Made

So basically I feel absolutely awful. Last night while heading out I had a mild sore throat, and I knew it was going to get worse, and it did... Last night was just a large terrible decision.

So I was going to Central Station, the gay club in Petersburg, just to check it out and dance. I was only going for a couple of hours, since they're free before 11 and I wanted to get back before the metro closed. Well, Maneka texted me right as I got to the Vasilestrovskij metro station, so I jumped off and invited her along with me. We ended up taking a 20-30 minute walk down Nevskij Prospekt because we took a wrong turn out of the metro station, but neither of us minded since it's neat to walk there at night anyhow, and we both enjoy people watching. Well, we finally get to Central Station, and the doorman greets me and ushers me in, but tells Maneka she has to go in a different entrance AND pay 1000 rubles because she's a girl. We were both like "Wtf? nothx" and left. They DO say they have a "special price" for girls on Saturdays, but figured she'd be fine if she went with me, plus she's sexually ambiguous, so. Apparently not. We're both still kind of wondering what the hell this whole "special entrance" bullshit is, but anyhow.

We ended up going back to Vasilestrovskij and meeting up with a few others in a bar. Which was boring and awful. Then we went to MacDonalds express and stood outside for 30 minutes talking to tremendously drunk Russian guys with strange blue hats with daisies on them (One of them sounded dead up like he was doing a Borat impression). That was boring and awful. Then we realise the dorms have closed and we all have to sleep in Maneka's house. Which was awful. All four of us scrunched up on Maneka's bed, and I just got sicker and sicker as the night progressed, and now I just feel disgusting, with a headache and a terribly sore throat. Despite that, I went with them to an open air market, at noon, which was INSANE. I wanted to buy EVERYTHING. I saw perfect gifts for my mother and my father, plus a few pairs of shoes that I wanted to buy, a really old KINO poster, and some other stuff, but I bought NOTHING because I was MISERABLE and SICK and don't know how to haggle. So I think I'm going to go back next week by myself, if I'm feeling better. Oh, while walking around, I saw one of the vendors pull out a stick of butter, unwrap it, and then just start chomping down. It was awful.

Plus, I still have a ton of work I need to do. Yeck. I just want to lie in bed and eat oatmeal for the rest of the day.

Edit: I'm going to start doing Words of the Day. More for myself than anything. Here's the first:

ученый (uchenyj) - erudite. I wonder if it sounds as pretentious in Russian as it does in English.