13.11.2008
So today was far more productive in its original principle than it turned out to be. Yeah, I skipped classes. Don't regret that. Slept a bit more. Went to the library a bit later than I had intended. Did a tad bit of work. Spent an absurd amount of time on the computer doing ... I'm not sure what? Oh well.
Oh, and, uh, on the news this morning I saw a story on the news that was showing newspapers from the New York Times with headlines saying "IRAQ WAR ENDS, Troop Withdrawal to Begin Immediately" and "Former President George W. Bush Indicted for High Treason." I wasn’t really paying attention to what was being said, though, so I looked all over a few major news sites for these stories and found absolutely nothing ... ? I'm starting to think that I dreamed this up. Which kind of scares me because I was entirely convinced of it all day until I just started writing it, here, which is absurd since Bush is STILL the president and the chance of troop withdrawal this soon is zero to none, not to mention I don't think anyone is indicted for "high treason" in this day and age. That kind of scares me -- Am I really that detached from reality?
There are many times when I feel this country is beyond description. I do very little justice in my cultural comparisons, really. And I usually feel this while walking across that damned bridge to Bobrinskij. I hate that damned bridge. It's too long, and it's cold and windy. I can't wait until the rain starts freezing on it, and then I SLIP and FALL into the Neva and DIE. Looking forward, I am.
I really want to go to Dolche & Gabbana and just try on all their clothes. And march around. And be obnoxious. But I can't convince anyone to go with me. Because I'm sure as hell not going to do that by myself.
I remember a lot of people asking if I were going to be fluent in Russian by the end of my study abroad. I also remember several people in the program, during orientation, stating one of their goals as "being fluent" by the end of the semester. In both instances I was somewhat mortified, and was wondering if I was being hard on myself/if my expectations were off, or if everyone's idea of either fluency or language acquisition was just completely fucked. I've come to realise that it's definitely the latter. I mean, when I first came I was having a lot of frustrations with the language merely because I thought I knew more than I did, but after a few weeks I was over that. I've heard many people in the program complain, though, that they're never going to learn the language, etc... I don't know, I just thought that was somewhat interesting. I'm also interested in seeing how much Sarah and Anndal have improved in Italian and French, since those languages are much much closer to English than Russian is, and a great deal easier to acquire. Of course, THEY'RE PROBABLY SPEAKING THEIR LANGUAGES MORE THAN I AM, TOO. SO, THERE IS THAT.
My main 'regret,' really, is that I didn't make one decent friend while here. I mean, outside of the program. I've met several fantastic Americans here, with whom I plan on continuing correspondance after I've already left. BUT, that's not why I came here. I mean, I'm already disappointed with the LACK of speaking that I'm doing, here [Though, I did have a great conversation with Liza, today, so that was good]. It's just so damned difficult to make friends. I knew it would be, but the Russian closedness has proven even more difficult to deal with than I originally thought. I think I've already gone into this, though, so I won't bother again.
One thing I'm not looking forward to upon returning to Goucher is the fact that I WON'T HAVE A SINGLE. I'll probably be thrown into a room with four other people that was meant for TWO. But in all seriousness, I really don't think I can live with anyone next semester, unless they happen to be Brendan, Jen, or Sarah, none of which are going to happen, clearly. I'm terrified of what may happen.
Know what I want? A milkshake. Or a strawberry smoothie. Mmm, that sounds good...
I'm going to get a mullet.
P.S.: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7728407.stm I died.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
In Which Things Are Weird
12.11.2008
Today was just a weird day. When I woke up, there was no sign of Tatyana, which was bizarre since I didn't wake up particularly late. Then, while eating and getting ready to leave, I kept smelling wifts of something rotting. It smelled like a dead animal. Which freaked me out, because I thought Mysh might've choked herself to death on something or somesuch and was hiding dead in a corner. Then, when I was leaving, a woman's dog tried to attack me on the steps of the apartment, but, she held it back, plus it had a muzzle on. But still, it was unnerving. Then when I came home tonight the woman was leaving with her damned dog. I stayed clear.
After that... I noticed that ... it was very quiet, for some reason. I could hear my own footsteps when I crossed the street. It was just a very eerie silence, and it unsettled me a little bit. So throughout the day I had an impending sense of DOOM, so to speak.
That... was pretty much it. I thought I had more to say, but apparently not.
I learned about the breakup of Yugoslavia and the "War of All against All" today. That was exciting, since I didn't know much about the topic beforehand.
Uhm, I thought I had more to say... But I can't remember anything.
Apparently I spoke too soon when I said I fought back illness -- I'm still fighting. And it seems I've unfortunately developed a cough, plus a sinus headache earlier today. No good. No good at all. I don't want to waste the little remaining time I have on being ILL. I still have so much more to do!
I'm making a conscious decision to skip classes, tomorrow. I hate both of the classes, and I just don't feel like I can put up with them, tomorrow. Nor do I want to do the homework, tonight. I kept switching back and forth in my decision, because I feel really uncomfortable skipping class, but I decided I'll just go to the Smolny library tomorrow and do work all day. Indeed, that would actually be more productive than going to class, sadly.
I was going to try to apply to be a CA at Goucher, but then I realised that I can't 'attend the winter retreat' from January 23rd to 24th. Of course, they might not even have let me apply since I'm abroad and they seem to want a lot of person-to-person contact with the applicants beforehand. Which is unfortunate. The idea of lording over other students and having the ability to get angry with jackasses who are too loud was appealing for about two seconds. Alas.
As for language things, I feel like I could speak Russian better two weeks ago than I can right now... I don't know, maybe I've just been completely out of it all week. I'm not sure what's happening, but it's mildly distressing. On top of that, I really feel like I'm missing a LOT of basic vocabulary and basic constructions, or, I KIND of know them, but can't use them, or don't understand them enough and try to use them anyway but completely fail.
I've also been feeling a little homesick, recently. Not really in that I DON'T want to be here, so much as I DO want to be HOME. As in, I'm ready to leave now. I'm not really in a bad mood -- I'm excited to go out and do things. I'm just MORE excited that I get to go home soon enough. ... Soon eenough being like.. a little less than two months. BUT apparently RSL ends in like five weeks. Which means only five more of each class. Thank god. I realised that I get like half a month of free time to wander around St. Petersburg and such, which is fantastic. I plan on visiting Finland and the Baltic states during that period. Which is exciting, because that will be my first foray into the EUROPEAN UNION! Apparently, Helsinki is really interesting because it has very similar architecture to St. Petersburg, since, you know, Finland was a part of the Russian Empire during that time, but everything else is just entirely different. What kind of makes me uncomfortable, though, is that I will have to speak English with everyone, which makes me feel like a stupid American for the most part. I mean, I COULD speak Russian with them, but apparently they don't like it very much. For understandable reasons. We'll see. It'll be an interesting experience.
Today was just a weird day. When I woke up, there was no sign of Tatyana, which was bizarre since I didn't wake up particularly late. Then, while eating and getting ready to leave, I kept smelling wifts of something rotting. It smelled like a dead animal. Which freaked me out, because I thought Mysh might've choked herself to death on something or somesuch and was hiding dead in a corner. Then, when I was leaving, a woman's dog tried to attack me on the steps of the apartment, but, she held it back, plus it had a muzzle on. But still, it was unnerving. Then when I came home tonight the woman was leaving with her damned dog. I stayed clear.
After that... I noticed that ... it was very quiet, for some reason. I could hear my own footsteps when I crossed the street. It was just a very eerie silence, and it unsettled me a little bit. So throughout the day I had an impending sense of DOOM, so to speak.
That... was pretty much it. I thought I had more to say, but apparently not.
I learned about the breakup of Yugoslavia and the "War of All against All" today. That was exciting, since I didn't know much about the topic beforehand.
Uhm, I thought I had more to say... But I can't remember anything.
Apparently I spoke too soon when I said I fought back illness -- I'm still fighting. And it seems I've unfortunately developed a cough, plus a sinus headache earlier today. No good. No good at all. I don't want to waste the little remaining time I have on being ILL. I still have so much more to do!
I'm making a conscious decision to skip classes, tomorrow. I hate both of the classes, and I just don't feel like I can put up with them, tomorrow. Nor do I want to do the homework, tonight. I kept switching back and forth in my decision, because I feel really uncomfortable skipping class, but I decided I'll just go to the Smolny library tomorrow and do work all day. Indeed, that would actually be more productive than going to class, sadly.
I was going to try to apply to be a CA at Goucher, but then I realised that I can't 'attend the winter retreat' from January 23rd to 24th. Of course, they might not even have let me apply since I'm abroad and they seem to want a lot of person-to-person contact with the applicants beforehand. Which is unfortunate. The idea of lording over other students and having the ability to get angry with jackasses who are too loud was appealing for about two seconds. Alas.
As for language things, I feel like I could speak Russian better two weeks ago than I can right now... I don't know, maybe I've just been completely out of it all week. I'm not sure what's happening, but it's mildly distressing. On top of that, I really feel like I'm missing a LOT of basic vocabulary and basic constructions, or, I KIND of know them, but can't use them, or don't understand them enough and try to use them anyway but completely fail.
I've also been feeling a little homesick, recently. Not really in that I DON'T want to be here, so much as I DO want to be HOME. As in, I'm ready to leave now. I'm not really in a bad mood -- I'm excited to go out and do things. I'm just MORE excited that I get to go home soon enough. ... Soon eenough being like.. a little less than two months. BUT apparently RSL ends in like five weeks. Which means only five more of each class. Thank god. I realised that I get like half a month of free time to wander around St. Petersburg and such, which is fantastic. I plan on visiting Finland and the Baltic states during that period. Which is exciting, because that will be my first foray into the EUROPEAN UNION! Apparently, Helsinki is really interesting because it has very similar architecture to St. Petersburg, since, you know, Finland was a part of the Russian Empire during that time, but everything else is just entirely different. What kind of makes me uncomfortable, though, is that I will have to speak English with everyone, which makes me feel like a stupid American for the most part. I mean, I COULD speak Russian with them, but apparently they don't like it very much. For understandable reasons. We'll see. It'll be an interesting experience.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
In Which a Paper is Written
11.11.2008
I think I somehow dodged the illness that was developing by overdosing on vitamin C. Or something. My developing phlegm and sore throat from yesterday has completely disappeared. But, instead, I feel completely exhausted and fuzzy-headed for no reason.It's been like that all day.
Both classes were pretty awful as I kept zoning out and making a fool of myself when called on to answer something. In Razgovornaia, we had to translate things from Russian to English, which iss the first time we've had an exercise like this, and when I did my part, the professor said, "Eric... I think this is the first time I've heard you speak English. And, you speak in a higher tone in Russian... I think that might be a problem from having all female teachers. You might want to try to talk deeper in Russian." Which is strange, because I thought I spoke deeper in Russian. Or something. I don't know. APPARENTLY NOT.
Other than that I have no updates for today. Except, the kassa at the metro today got really pissed off when I handed her 502 rubles for 6 tokens (6 tokens cost 102 rubles, so I was TRYING to be nice and save her the extra change-counting with that extra two rubles). Apparently she didn't like having to count out four 100-ruble notes? I don't know. Absurdity.
Not looking forward to dinner tonight.
Have to write my paper tonight. Actually I should've already started that but I'm procrastinating.Where the hell did my time management go? There was once a time when I would have a paper like this finished days in advance so I could just go over it. Granted, it was assigned last wednesday, so I've had little time, but still. I don't know.
Also, I've noticed that the men here, like the women, wear really cool boots. Some of them, anyway. So now I want to find a fashionable pair of man-boots. Maybe it's a winter thing? I need to successfully go shopping sometime soon. AND SPEND MONEY. BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY WHAT I NEED TO DO. PUMP MONEY INTO THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY. GOOD IDEA, ERIC.
Alright, I need to go do work.
Post-Paper Writing:
Alright, so, that was just plain awful. I somehow actually managed to pump out five pages (1.5 spacing... wait, holy shit, I just wrote a six page paper in one day?). I hope they weren't supposed to be GOOD. When we were originally warned of his mid-term, I didn't think much of it... Five page paper in a week? No problem. But I didn't take into account research... and formulation... And the fact that I have other crap I need to do, too. So basically that was three days of SEARCHING for research, three days of ANALYSING AND NOTATING said research, and a day of actually writing the paper. Good christ. I'm glad I didn't have MUCH ELSE that I needed to do, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to finish it.
BED TIME,.
I think I somehow dodged the illness that was developing by overdosing on vitamin C. Or something. My developing phlegm and sore throat from yesterday has completely disappeared. But, instead, I feel completely exhausted and fuzzy-headed for no reason.It's been like that all day.
Both classes were pretty awful as I kept zoning out and making a fool of myself when called on to answer something. In Razgovornaia, we had to translate things from Russian to English, which iss the first time we've had an exercise like this, and when I did my part, the professor said, "Eric... I think this is the first time I've heard you speak English. And, you speak in a higher tone in Russian... I think that might be a problem from having all female teachers. You might want to try to talk deeper in Russian." Which is strange, because I thought I spoke deeper in Russian. Or something. I don't know. APPARENTLY NOT.
Other than that I have no updates for today. Except, the kassa at the metro today got really pissed off when I handed her 502 rubles for 6 tokens (6 tokens cost 102 rubles, so I was TRYING to be nice and save her the extra change-counting with that extra two rubles). Apparently she didn't like having to count out four 100-ruble notes? I don't know. Absurdity.
Not looking forward to dinner tonight.
Have to write my paper tonight. Actually I should've already started that but I'm procrastinating.Where the hell did my time management go? There was once a time when I would have a paper like this finished days in advance so I could just go over it. Granted, it was assigned last wednesday, so I've had little time, but still. I don't know.
Also, I've noticed that the men here, like the women, wear really cool boots. Some of them, anyway. So now I want to find a fashionable pair of man-boots. Maybe it's a winter thing? I need to successfully go shopping sometime soon. AND SPEND MONEY. BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY WHAT I NEED TO DO. PUMP MONEY INTO THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY. GOOD IDEA, ERIC.
Alright, I need to go do work.
Post-Paper Writing:
Alright, so, that was just plain awful. I somehow actually managed to pump out five pages (1.5 spacing... wait, holy shit, I just wrote a six page paper in one day?). I hope they weren't supposed to be GOOD. When we were originally warned of his mid-term, I didn't think much of it... Five page paper in a week? No problem. But I didn't take into account research... and formulation... And the fact that I have other crap I need to do, too. So basically that was three days of SEARCHING for research, three days of ANALYSING AND NOTATING said research, and a day of actually writing the paper. Good christ. I'm glad I didn't have MUCH ELSE that I needed to do, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to finish it.
BED TIME,.
In Which I am Useless
10.11.2008
So, today was basically just all around no good, and terribly unproductive. First off, both my classes didn't go well, which is disappointing because usually I enjoy myself in both of them. They still haven't turned on the heat in Bobrinskij, and it's colder in that fucking building than it is outside. So, I was sitting in the library trying to work, and gave up because I just couldn't concentrate, and after that I had to go to my class, in the COLDEST ROOM IN THE BUILDING, and I didn't understand anything there, nor could I respond to anything. Then he gave me my paper topic, which is just too dumb to even write out here. I'm going to try and get that changed, actually.
And in the middle of all this I realised that my OTHER paper is due on Wednesday. I've finished all the research and I have a vague idea of what I want to write... Granted, it's very short -- 5-7 pages. But that's 1.5 spaced, and not double spaced, so I'm not really sure how huge of a change that will be. Of course, I'm sitting here writing for personal reasons instead of doing my homework, in the first place (and on top of the paper I have to get coursework done for tomorrow). I mean, it's really not that MUCH, but I'm feeling awful rright now so I may as well blame it on something.
I think I need to go on a detox from Tatyana's food. I mean, usually it's not that bad, and sometimes it's great... But recently, it's been almost intolerable. Strangely, though, none of it has CHANGED -- it's the same stuff she's always given me, so maybe it's my own personal problem. Well, EXCEPT for this TERRIBLE soup she gave me yesterday, which was less "soup" and more "a couple sliced potatoes thrown in to cooking grease." I could barely choke it down, and then follow it with dry penne, an unidentifiable slab of breaded meat, and cheesey chicken. Which I actually didn't finish. For desert I had a slice of them that, I think, had begun fermenting.
Also, I think I'm getting sick. Which is really the last thing I need right now. I'm sure I'll be subject to countless home remedies if I do become ill...
I've noticed that the cultural notion that women always go first is quite strong here. On the elevator, this morning, I was standing closest to the door, as I had been the last to get on the elevator, so when we reached the ground floor, I figured I would... you know... walk out of the elevator first. since I was by the door. Well, as I was moving to do so, this woman shoved me out of the way to get out of the elevator first. Not in any particular HASTE, you see... Just to get out before me. This has happened several times.
Alright, I have to take another moment to complain about Bobrinskij. Not only does it not have heat, but EVERY TIME I am in that building, the electricity goes out at least once. AND I'M THERE THREE TIMES A WEEK. Today, the electricity went out FOUR TIMES. And for some reason, every time the electricity goes out, the surge protectors on all the computers start periodically screeching. It's actually kind of terrifying, since I have class there so late -- So, the electricity goes out, I'm standing in a dark hallway, all I can see is a lit-up green sign that says "ВЫХОД" (exit) somewhere in the distance, and all I can hear is this random SCREECHING coming from all the rooms.
And that's really all I have for today.
So, today was basically just all around no good, and terribly unproductive. First off, both my classes didn't go well, which is disappointing because usually I enjoy myself in both of them. They still haven't turned on the heat in Bobrinskij, and it's colder in that fucking building than it is outside. So, I was sitting in the library trying to work, and gave up because I just couldn't concentrate, and after that I had to go to my class, in the COLDEST ROOM IN THE BUILDING, and I didn't understand anything there, nor could I respond to anything. Then he gave me my paper topic, which is just too dumb to even write out here. I'm going to try and get that changed, actually.
And in the middle of all this I realised that my OTHER paper is due on Wednesday. I've finished all the research and I have a vague idea of what I want to write... Granted, it's very short -- 5-7 pages. But that's 1.5 spaced, and not double spaced, so I'm not really sure how huge of a change that will be. Of course, I'm sitting here writing for personal reasons instead of doing my homework, in the first place (and on top of the paper I have to get coursework done for tomorrow). I mean, it's really not that MUCH, but I'm feeling awful rright now so I may as well blame it on something.
I think I need to go on a detox from Tatyana's food. I mean, usually it's not that bad, and sometimes it's great... But recently, it's been almost intolerable. Strangely, though, none of it has CHANGED -- it's the same stuff she's always given me, so maybe it's my own personal problem. Well, EXCEPT for this TERRIBLE soup she gave me yesterday, which was less "soup" and more "a couple sliced potatoes thrown in to cooking grease." I could barely choke it down, and then follow it with dry penne, an unidentifiable slab of breaded meat, and cheesey chicken. Which I actually didn't finish. For desert I had a slice of them that, I think, had begun fermenting.
Also, I think I'm getting sick. Which is really the last thing I need right now. I'm sure I'll be subject to countless home remedies if I do become ill...
I've noticed that the cultural notion that women always go first is quite strong here. On the elevator, this morning, I was standing closest to the door, as I had been the last to get on the elevator, so when we reached the ground floor, I figured I would... you know... walk out of the elevator first. since I was by the door. Well, as I was moving to do so, this woman shoved me out of the way to get out of the elevator first. Not in any particular HASTE, you see... Just to get out before me. This has happened several times.
Alright, I have to take another moment to complain about Bobrinskij. Not only does it not have heat, but EVERY TIME I am in that building, the electricity goes out at least once. AND I'M THERE THREE TIMES A WEEK. Today, the electricity went out FOUR TIMES. And for some reason, every time the electricity goes out, the surge protectors on all the computers start periodically screeching. It's actually kind of terrifying, since I have class there so late -- So, the electricity goes out, I'm standing in a dark hallway, all I can see is a lit-up green sign that says "ВЫХОД" (exit) somewhere in the distance, and all I can hear is this random SCREECHING coming from all the rooms.
And that's really all I have for today.
Monday, November 10, 2008
In Which the Metro is the Place to Be
08.11.2008
So, I was sitting in the kitchen yesterday, contentedly eating my breakfast blins, with the TV in the background. I was sort of half-watching the TV, which was playing this awful show in which a poor woman marched up and down a runway in front of a live audience and a panel of judges who proceeded to tear her apart. Suddenly, I hear a rather strange construction... "очень неплохо" (ochen' neplokho - very not bad). At first, I didn't really think anything strange had happened. Then ... I started thinking about the phrase in English. Very not bad? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I guess a better translation would be "not bad at all!" or something.
Odd metro moments this weekend: When I was going to Central Station on Saturday: As I was waiting for the metro, this woman about my age comes up, and she's dressed mildly "gothy," I suppose, and seems terribly bad-tempered. Well, we get on the same car, and sit across from eachother, and she kept staring at me. Of course, I NOTICED she was staring at me, so I looked at her, and she immediately averted her eyes and started giggling to herself. I was like "wtf?" and this happened at least five times. She was pretending to read a book, but she kept looking up at me. When the train got to Gostinyj Dvor, I was terrified that she was going to follow me off the car and ask for my number, or something, so I kind of RAN off the train onto the platform. She didn't follow.
On the way back from Central Station, Sunday morning: We came to a stop, and when the doors open, three drunk Russian guys came in. In UNISON, they sat down on a seat, and they all leaned over in the same direction on each others' shoulders and went to sleep. It was amusing. I wish I had my camera with me.
On the way back from Pikovaya Dama, Sunday night: Maneka and I got on a metro, and at the end of the car (another) drunk Russian guy was rolling around military-style, carrying a nerf gun... When the doors opened he was like peeking out and twirling his gun around, and then the doors closed and he was like “DOORS CLOSED! WE'RE SAFE!” and resumed rolling around the wagon. His friend just sat on a seat playing a guitar and singing.
I've realised that I'm turning in to one of those people I hate so damned much -- CLUB BUNNIES!! Well, maybe not. I'm just going to clubs almost every week... Of course, I'm not really drinking (because it's too expensive) and I don't really have many FRIENDS in said club (more on that in a second). Basically, I just go to dance ... To absolutely horrible music. Which I have come to tolerate, probably through overexposure. I do have to say that I absolutely LOVE the feeling of coming home at 6am, absolutely exhausted from a night of dancing, and going to bed. No joke.
The night was a hell of a lot better than last time, even though I didn't meet anyone. From what I can gather, Fridays are themed "Very Few People" and "Straight Guys Come to Prey on Women and Mock the Gays," while Saturdays have ... more people. I've identified several types of people who go to Central Station:
-Women who want to escape crass men in other clubs
-The straight guys who hear of this refuge and come to prey on said women
-The boyfriends of some of these women
-Massive amounts of stunningly attractive guys with boyfriends who are equally stunningly attractive
-Me
-Random guys who seem to go by themselves week after week, alone (actually, I fit in this category)
-The creepy older men who prey on the random guys, and all of the random guys, excepting myself, seem to enjoy it.
When I first got there I saw this guy who looked EXACTLY like my Human Rights teacher, even in how he was dressed. I started to hide, then I realised it WASN'T him. That was mildly amusing. Then I saw this other guy who had been there last time I went, only, this time, he was dressed a bit better (last time he was wearing a ... tuxedo? I actually thought he was a waiter for the restaurant downstairs, but actually I think he just decided to wear a tuxedo to a club). Well, at least, I THOUGHT he was dressed better, because I thought he had his jeans tucked into neat boots ... but then I looked closer and saw that he was wearing dress shoes with his jeans rolled up, and black argyle socks. (Oh, and he has a massive mullet) OH RUSSIA. Actually, most of the guys with whom I wanted to dance (but didn't, because I'm TERRIFIED OF TALKING TO PEOPLE) had mullets. I'm going to kind of miss the mullets, after I leave. Really, I've gotten to the point where I like them. ... That's kind of sick.
In any case, while on the second dancefloor, I saw someone wearing an ... orange and white trucker's hat? I actually haven't seen one of those since I got in the country -- Baseball caps aren't very popular, here. I looked closer and realised that it was SASHA! He didn't see me, so I spent the better part of two hours thereafter avoiding him. He eventually recognised me while I was dancing, but I made a point to not look in his direction. I retreated downstairs to hide amongst the throng of the people, but after getting tired of that I went back upstairs, thinking it was safe. BUT I WAS WRONG. He intercepted me at the top of the stairs and was like "DO YOU REMEMBER ME?! I CALLED YOU BUT IT DIDN'T WORK." I was like "Yeeeah I recognise you ... maybe the number wasn't right..?" I didn't actually give him a wrong number, but whatever. I pulled out my phone because he wanted my number again, and he just GRABBED it from me and called himself. I guess so I couldn't fool him AGAIN! Then he told me he'd call me and left...? It was kind of strange. Maybe he just wants sex. NOTHX. Maybe if he spoke clearly, were a tad more attractive, didn't dress like an idiot and HAD A MULLET I'd THINK about it. But probably not. He doesn't exactly seem interested in talking, so, whatever.
One thing I noticed was several people wearing sunglasses. In a poorly lit club. I don't think they were wearing them because they were drug users, though. I think they just thought they were cool, or something. One of them was dancing right in the middle of the dance floor, doing all these moves that I'm sure he thought was PRETTY FANCY. I nicknamed him "The King of the Club." He ran into a trashcan later in the night. After that it seemed he started to walk through the club WITHOUT his glasses on (he should have kept them on, though -- he seemed more attractive than with them off). The second was some guy who was alone almost the entire night, and also didn't wear sunglasses unless he was ... alone, dancing in a corner. What a strange fucking country.
The last takes the cake, though. Towards the end of the night there was this massively attractive guy wearing white pants and a button-up shirrt, and, of course, sunglasses. Well, he comes up and starts dancing with a group of four girls, and unbuttons his shirt, then starts lewdly grinding with them. That was mildly disappointing. But ... after that ... He walks off, the girls disperse... he starts dancing again, and this ... MASSIVELY MASSIVELY creeper guy comes up behind him and they start dancing. And making out. That was just horribly horribly revolting. But I guess since the guy was wearing sunglasses he couldn't see anything anyway. And on top of that he was probably drunk.
Oh, and, next week, they're having a ... Black Party? I guess that's supposed to be like the White Party in the U.S., or something. Club theme nights always tend to be ambiguous, though. I'm just going to assume it means there's going to be a lot of black.
Alright, I just spent FAR, FAR too much time talking about Central Station.
Sunday night I went to see Pikovaya Dama/Queen of Spades (opera) at the Mikhailovskij. It was actually fairly awful. All the male roles were just terrible, especially the main one. The lead singer was off key most of the time and his voice was just terribly unpleasant to listen to. The women were pretty awesome, though.
Friday and most of Saturday I worked on my Russia/U.S.A. Mid-term, which I'm doing on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. But I'm not going to talk about that because this entry is getting absurdly long.
So, I was sitting in the kitchen yesterday, contentedly eating my breakfast blins, with the TV in the background. I was sort of half-watching the TV, which was playing this awful show in which a poor woman marched up and down a runway in front of a live audience and a panel of judges who proceeded to tear her apart. Suddenly, I hear a rather strange construction... "очень неплохо" (ochen' neplokho - very not bad). At first, I didn't really think anything strange had happened. Then ... I started thinking about the phrase in English. Very not bad? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I guess a better translation would be "not bad at all!" or something.
Odd metro moments this weekend: When I was going to Central Station on Saturday: As I was waiting for the metro, this woman about my age comes up, and she's dressed mildly "gothy," I suppose, and seems terribly bad-tempered. Well, we get on the same car, and sit across from eachother, and she kept staring at me. Of course, I NOTICED she was staring at me, so I looked at her, and she immediately averted her eyes and started giggling to herself. I was like "wtf?" and this happened at least five times. She was pretending to read a book, but she kept looking up at me. When the train got to Gostinyj Dvor, I was terrified that she was going to follow me off the car and ask for my number, or something, so I kind of RAN off the train onto the platform. She didn't follow.
On the way back from Central Station, Sunday morning: We came to a stop, and when the doors open, three drunk Russian guys came in. In UNISON, they sat down on a seat, and they all leaned over in the same direction on each others' shoulders and went to sleep. It was amusing. I wish I had my camera with me.
On the way back from Pikovaya Dama, Sunday night: Maneka and I got on a metro, and at the end of the car (another) drunk Russian guy was rolling around military-style, carrying a nerf gun... When the doors opened he was like peeking out and twirling his gun around, and then the doors closed and he was like “DOORS CLOSED! WE'RE SAFE!” and resumed rolling around the wagon. His friend just sat on a seat playing a guitar and singing.
I've realised that I'm turning in to one of those people I hate so damned much -- CLUB BUNNIES!! Well, maybe not. I'm just going to clubs almost every week... Of course, I'm not really drinking (because it's too expensive) and I don't really have many FRIENDS in said club (more on that in a second). Basically, I just go to dance ... To absolutely horrible music. Which I have come to tolerate, probably through overexposure. I do have to say that I absolutely LOVE the feeling of coming home at 6am, absolutely exhausted from a night of dancing, and going to bed. No joke.
The night was a hell of a lot better than last time, even though I didn't meet anyone. From what I can gather, Fridays are themed "Very Few People" and "Straight Guys Come to Prey on Women and Mock the Gays," while Saturdays have ... more people. I've identified several types of people who go to Central Station:
-Women who want to escape crass men in other clubs
-The straight guys who hear of this refuge and come to prey on said women
-The boyfriends of some of these women
-Massive amounts of stunningly attractive guys with boyfriends who are equally stunningly attractive
-Me
-Random guys who seem to go by themselves week after week, alone (actually, I fit in this category)
-The creepy older men who prey on the random guys, and all of the random guys, excepting myself, seem to enjoy it.
When I first got there I saw this guy who looked EXACTLY like my Human Rights teacher, even in how he was dressed. I started to hide, then I realised it WASN'T him. That was mildly amusing. Then I saw this other guy who had been there last time I went, only, this time, he was dressed a bit better (last time he was wearing a ... tuxedo? I actually thought he was a waiter for the restaurant downstairs, but actually I think he just decided to wear a tuxedo to a club). Well, at least, I THOUGHT he was dressed better, because I thought he had his jeans tucked into neat boots ... but then I looked closer and saw that he was wearing dress shoes with his jeans rolled up, and black argyle socks. (Oh, and he has a massive mullet) OH RUSSIA. Actually, most of the guys with whom I wanted to dance (but didn't, because I'm TERRIFIED OF TALKING TO PEOPLE) had mullets. I'm going to kind of miss the mullets, after I leave. Really, I've gotten to the point where I like them. ... That's kind of sick.
In any case, while on the second dancefloor, I saw someone wearing an ... orange and white trucker's hat? I actually haven't seen one of those since I got in the country -- Baseball caps aren't very popular, here. I looked closer and realised that it was SASHA! He didn't see me, so I spent the better part of two hours thereafter avoiding him. He eventually recognised me while I was dancing, but I made a point to not look in his direction. I retreated downstairs to hide amongst the throng of the people, but after getting tired of that I went back upstairs, thinking it was safe. BUT I WAS WRONG. He intercepted me at the top of the stairs and was like "DO YOU REMEMBER ME?! I CALLED YOU BUT IT DIDN'T WORK." I was like "Yeeeah I recognise you ... maybe the number wasn't right..?" I didn't actually give him a wrong number, but whatever. I pulled out my phone because he wanted my number again, and he just GRABBED it from me and called himself. I guess so I couldn't fool him AGAIN! Then he told me he'd call me and left...? It was kind of strange. Maybe he just wants sex. NOTHX. Maybe if he spoke clearly, were a tad more attractive, didn't dress like an idiot and HAD A MULLET I'd THINK about it. But probably not. He doesn't exactly seem interested in talking, so, whatever.
One thing I noticed was several people wearing sunglasses. In a poorly lit club. I don't think they were wearing them because they were drug users, though. I think they just thought they were cool, or something. One of them was dancing right in the middle of the dance floor, doing all these moves that I'm sure he thought was PRETTY FANCY. I nicknamed him "The King of the Club." He ran into a trashcan later in the night. After that it seemed he started to walk through the club WITHOUT his glasses on (he should have kept them on, though -- he seemed more attractive than with them off). The second was some guy who was alone almost the entire night, and also didn't wear sunglasses unless he was ... alone, dancing in a corner. What a strange fucking country.
The last takes the cake, though. Towards the end of the night there was this massively attractive guy wearing white pants and a button-up shirrt, and, of course, sunglasses. Well, he comes up and starts dancing with a group of four girls, and unbuttons his shirt, then starts lewdly grinding with them. That was mildly disappointing. But ... after that ... He walks off, the girls disperse... he starts dancing again, and this ... MASSIVELY MASSIVELY creeper guy comes up behind him and they start dancing. And making out. That was just horribly horribly revolting. But I guess since the guy was wearing sunglasses he couldn't see anything anyway. And on top of that he was probably drunk.
Oh, and, next week, they're having a ... Black Party? I guess that's supposed to be like the White Party in the U.S., or something. Club theme nights always tend to be ambiguous, though. I'm just going to assume it means there's going to be a lot of black.
Alright, I just spent FAR, FAR too much time talking about Central Station.
Sunday night I went to see Pikovaya Dama/Queen of Spades (opera) at the Mikhailovskij. It was actually fairly awful. All the male roles were just terrible, especially the main one. The lead singer was off key most of the time and his voice was just terribly unpleasant to listen to. The women were pretty awesome, though.
Friday and most of Saturday I worked on my Russia/U.S.A. Mid-term, which I'm doing on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. But I'm not going to talk about that because this entry is getting absurdly long.
Friday, November 7, 2008
In Which Politics are Discussed
06.11.2008
I feel kind of sick and sad. For many reasons, I'm sure, I don't know. This morning I was in a fine mood -- Only two days of classes, this week, not too much work ... I don't know. Several things changed that mood. School things, the fact that I had two classes I just absolutely hate, and really NOT wanting to learn the language. Then, learning that Proposition 8 passed in California... That just kind of made me sick. Yeah, it passed in a lot of other states, too, and was passed in Kentucky like four years ago, but CALIFORNIA? What the fuck? Who the hell in California DOESN'T have a gay friend? Well, actually, that might be the problem.. I'm just kind of sick right now.
What makes me most angry is not the fact that the proposition itself passed. As far as that goes, that's democracy – Yeah, the system is fucked up, but it's better than most. The minority gets screwed over every now and then. However, the massive amount of PROPAGANDA that was spread against gay marriage just was absolutely terrifying. And of course that was entirely centred around money. Generally, such propositions only receive such media attention when people PAY for that media attention, and those interest groups generally have a lot at stake in said propositions. ... But, who had anything at stake in Proposition 8? Well, those of the same sex who wish to marry or are already married. And that's just about it. So you'd think that most of the money would be flowing in the direction AGAINST proposition 8, yeah? So who the HELL spent SO MUCH MONEY on getting proposition 8 passed? I HONESTLY CANNOT think of a SINGLE interest group who has ANYTHING AT STAKE if gay marriage exists. The church, I guess? But they don't ACTUALLY have anything at stake, and American churches aren't on the scale of companies and other NGOs, in terms of finances. So my only conclusion is that a bunch of crazy ass moralistic rich people emptied their bank accounts to spread lies and propaganda. And THAT is NOT democracy.
In any case, does anyone know if it's possible to change the consitution AGAIN? I don't think that this amendment can be abolished that easily, especially since this has all gone full circle through the state government. I think the only thing that can change it at this point is a federal legalisation of same-sex marriage. Which isn't going to happen any time soon, I don't think.
Well, Tatyana is at least happy over Obama's victory. She was terrified of McCain -- kept going on about how old he was, and how old politicians just need to give up. Probably a phobia developed from living under Brezhnev, Andropov, and that third Soviet leader who only lasted a couple months before he died. I always forget his name. Speaking of Russian leaders, Medvedev' made a speech here a couple days ago... And after reading it, I am quite terrified. I mean, rhetorically, it is completely and totally democratic. But the implications are quite the opposite. He talked about changing the Russian constitution so that the presidential term in the Russian Federation is extended to six years. He said this is in reaction to the financial crisis, in order to create more stability in the country -- And then said that France did the same after World War II, and it worked. The thing is, he is working entirely under the rule of law, which is completely democratic... but... I don't know. One interesting thing is, though, that he is asserting himself as president. I've thought for a while, but now I'm fairly convinced, that Medvedev' is not just a Putin puppet. He is a powerful political figure, and a COMPLEMENT to Putin. The double headed eagle of Russia, I think, is a bit more than symbolic at this point.
Political scientists and human rights activists in Russia are afraid of what the near future holds. The 90's, while full of economic turmoil, was one of the most politically free periods in Russian history -- right next to the 20's, which were also filled with economic turmoil right after the Bolshevik takeover. Then, right after the Bolshevik takeover, the government (AKA Stalin, and even Lenin before him) clamped down on everything once they regained stability. Well, Putin (what the hell is with all the "ins"? Hell, Lenin and Stalin weren't even their real names, but Putin IS his real name.. hmm) has regained stability in Russia, and freedoms have been lost. Which is terribly backwards, in both cases, really, since the usual development of things is a dictatorship during periods of total unstability and a relaxation of restrictions during periods of calm. But Russia's strange. Of course, I wouldn't call the current administration a dictatorship by any means -- just a mild authoritarian regime. In any case, any time the U.S. criticises Russia of human rights abuses, the human rights situation here actually becomes more DIFFICULT. (Kate, just out of curiosity, is this the same case with China?) In any case, I have no idea what will happen in the next few years. And neither does anyone else. I've had this discussion with Professor Vertkin, Andrei Vladimirovich, and Darya Bolotovna, or at least heard them speak of it, and NO ONE has any predictions for the future, which is especially strange since they're all political scientists, and usually political scientists have a prediction for everything, no matter how unfounded it might BE. The only things I've garnered are that Communism is gone forever, nationalism is on the rise for no particular reason, and the government is up to something.
On a more local level, I have to say that I feel more secure, here, when there are old women around. And less secure when there are police around. Here's why: Police extort people, and can basically do whatever they want. I've been lucky enough to not have been harassed, yet (Probably because I apparently look Russian). But I still get unnerved whenever I pass a policeman. But when I'm around old women? I feel PERFECTLY safe. Mostly because I feel like no one's going to whack someone when an old woman's around. Even the hooligans seem to respect the crazy old ladies.
I feel kind of sick and sad. For many reasons, I'm sure, I don't know. This morning I was in a fine mood -- Only two days of classes, this week, not too much work ... I don't know. Several things changed that mood. School things, the fact that I had two classes I just absolutely hate, and really NOT wanting to learn the language. Then, learning that Proposition 8 passed in California... That just kind of made me sick. Yeah, it passed in a lot of other states, too, and was passed in Kentucky like four years ago, but CALIFORNIA? What the fuck? Who the hell in California DOESN'T have a gay friend? Well, actually, that might be the problem.. I'm just kind of sick right now.
What makes me most angry is not the fact that the proposition itself passed. As far as that goes, that's democracy – Yeah, the system is fucked up, but it's better than most. The minority gets screwed over every now and then. However, the massive amount of PROPAGANDA that was spread against gay marriage just was absolutely terrifying. And of course that was entirely centred around money. Generally, such propositions only receive such media attention when people PAY for that media attention, and those interest groups generally have a lot at stake in said propositions. ... But, who had anything at stake in Proposition 8? Well, those of the same sex who wish to marry or are already married. And that's just about it. So you'd think that most of the money would be flowing in the direction AGAINST proposition 8, yeah? So who the HELL spent SO MUCH MONEY on getting proposition 8 passed? I HONESTLY CANNOT think of a SINGLE interest group who has ANYTHING AT STAKE if gay marriage exists. The church, I guess? But they don't ACTUALLY have anything at stake, and American churches aren't on the scale of companies and other NGOs, in terms of finances. So my only conclusion is that a bunch of crazy ass moralistic rich people emptied their bank accounts to spread lies and propaganda. And THAT is NOT democracy.
In any case, does anyone know if it's possible to change the consitution AGAIN? I don't think that this amendment can be abolished that easily, especially since this has all gone full circle through the state government. I think the only thing that can change it at this point is a federal legalisation of same-sex marriage. Which isn't going to happen any time soon, I don't think.
Well, Tatyana is at least happy over Obama's victory. She was terrified of McCain -- kept going on about how old he was, and how old politicians just need to give up. Probably a phobia developed from living under Brezhnev, Andropov, and that third Soviet leader who only lasted a couple months before he died. I always forget his name. Speaking of Russian leaders, Medvedev' made a speech here a couple days ago... And after reading it, I am quite terrified. I mean, rhetorically, it is completely and totally democratic. But the implications are quite the opposite. He talked about changing the Russian constitution so that the presidential term in the Russian Federation is extended to six years. He said this is in reaction to the financial crisis, in order to create more stability in the country -- And then said that France did the same after World War II, and it worked. The thing is, he is working entirely under the rule of law, which is completely democratic... but... I don't know. One interesting thing is, though, that he is asserting himself as president. I've thought for a while, but now I'm fairly convinced, that Medvedev' is not just a Putin puppet. He is a powerful political figure, and a COMPLEMENT to Putin. The double headed eagle of Russia, I think, is a bit more than symbolic at this point.
Political scientists and human rights activists in Russia are afraid of what the near future holds. The 90's, while full of economic turmoil, was one of the most politically free periods in Russian history -- right next to the 20's, which were also filled with economic turmoil right after the Bolshevik takeover. Then, right after the Bolshevik takeover, the government (AKA Stalin, and even Lenin before him) clamped down on everything once they regained stability. Well, Putin (what the hell is with all the "ins"? Hell, Lenin and Stalin weren't even their real names, but Putin IS his real name.. hmm) has regained stability in Russia, and freedoms have been lost. Which is terribly backwards, in both cases, really, since the usual development of things is a dictatorship during periods of total unstability and a relaxation of restrictions during periods of calm. But Russia's strange. Of course, I wouldn't call the current administration a dictatorship by any means -- just a mild authoritarian regime. In any case, any time the U.S. criticises Russia of human rights abuses, the human rights situation here actually becomes more DIFFICULT. (Kate, just out of curiosity, is this the same case with China?) In any case, I have no idea what will happen in the next few years. And neither does anyone else. I've had this discussion with Professor Vertkin, Andrei Vladimirovich, and Darya Bolotovna, or at least heard them speak of it, and NO ONE has any predictions for the future, which is especially strange since they're all political scientists, and usually political scientists have a prediction for everything, no matter how unfounded it might BE. The only things I've garnered are that Communism is gone forever, nationalism is on the rise for no particular reason, and the government is up to something.
On a more local level, I have to say that I feel more secure, here, when there are old women around. And less secure when there are police around. Here's why: Police extort people, and can basically do whatever they want. I've been lucky enough to not have been harassed, yet (Probably because I apparently look Russian). But I still get unnerved whenever I pass a policeman. But when I'm around old women? I feel PERFECTLY safe. Mostly because I feel like no one's going to whack someone when an old woman's around. Even the hooligans seem to respect the crazy old ladies.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
In Which Moscow is Visited
05.11.2008
Alright, this is going to be one long ass entry, so I'll try to make it as exciting as I can.
Saturday I basically just stayed in, except I went out and bought chocolate for Tatyana since her birthday was on the 4th. Came back and got ready for Moscow...
First ride on a train. Spent the night in a compartment with Bryan, Ilana, and Elizabeth. That was terribly exciting. It was actually a really nice business car. Just a tad cramped, as expected. Unfortunately, I got NO sleep, so when we got to Moscow I was exhausted. At like 6 am ... music started to play over the intercom. Some Soviet ballad. Ilana woke up and said "... Is this a joke?" It was quite fantastic.
Basically we spent the entire day wandering around Moscow on walking tours with the BEST tour guide of all time. He was probably in his 50's and had the best Russian smoker's voice of all time. And he was pretty lewd. We were at a church, and he was talking about the architecture... He was going on about how most say that Russian church architecture was heavily influenced by Mosques, THEN he started talking about how the roots of Russian architecture was in PAGAN PHALLIC CULTURE. And started talking about how the spires and domes of the church resembled a PHALLUS. I DIED LAUGHING. NO ONE ELSE UNDERSTOOD WHY?! I was IN LOVE with this man at this point. He mentioned pagan phallic culture at several other points in the tour, too.
Unfortunately, halfway through the day I got a sinus headache WHICH IS STILL PLAUGING ME AND MAKING ME MISERABLE. I overdosed on Tylenol. Literally.
Also, TWO different restaurants said they didn't have enough tea cups for our group (?!) so apparently they don't drink tea in Moscow, since these fucking restaurants were HUGE. What the hell? In any case, I saw St. Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's Tomb. That was exciting. Though, Lenin's tomb was more like a haunted house than I thought it would be. What I find mildly amusing is that the GUM, which is Russia's largest and most prestigious shopping mall is RIGHT ACROSS Red Square from Lenin's Tomb. LUCKILY, NO ONE CAN SAY HE'D BE ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE. BECAUSE HE'S IN A PERMANENT WAKE. HAHAHAHA! Bastard communists.
My overall impressions of Moscow by the end of the day:
-I was shocked into more appreciation for Petersburg: Moscow is dirtier, more crowded, more SUFFOCATING, and just overall more nerve-wracking than Petersburg
-People are more rude, less attractive, and less well dressed
-Even the stray dogs are rude. I have never been barked at by a stray dog in Petersburg -- Indeed, they are all QUITE SWEET. But while walking down the street in Moscow, a stray dog came out of NO WHERE and started violently barking at me and followed me for like 30 feet. I thought it was going to attack me, but luckily it didn't.
-The metro works on a rather rude principle. See, Petersburg works on a turnstile system -- You insert a token/swipe your card, and you are allowed to pass through the turnstile. Moscow... works on a system of PAIN. You try to walk through, and your legs are CRUSHED by two panels that come out of NO WHERE if you don't swipe your card. I avoided this fate, luckily.
-Something I found interesting, and Emma and I both agree: Many people say St. Petersburg is a very 'European' and "Western' city, while Moscow is more 'Russian.' I am not going to claim to be acquainted with the Soul of Russia!, but I felt Moscow to be more of a modern Western city. By far. If anything, the way Moscow is ORGANISED is European: It's centred around a square. St. Petersburg is centred around a single street. Most European cities are centred around a square. And that very detail determines the organisation of the city, I feel. There were also a hell of a lot more tourists in Moscow, and more foreigners in general (Then again, I was just there on tours and such, so that might be why I thought that)
Basically, by the end of the day, if I could have hopped on a train and go back to Petersburg I would've been happy to do so. But, I'm glad I didn't.
Oh, and, we stayed in a hostel instead of a hotel. I was with Ilana, Emma, E.B. and Vika (the Russian tutor). Blah blah
Next day we took a ttour of the Kremlin. Which was ... much shorter and more boring than I thought it would be? Then we were supposed to take another walking tour along the Arbat and other streets, but we couldn't find our tour guide so we just kind of wandered around. On the Metro, Bryan found a sticker that was making fun of the "День Народного Единства," which was the Russian holiday on the 4th (Day of the People's Oneness... or something... like that). It says, “Мы идем на русский марш, наци - это т-а-а-ак сексуально!" (We’re going to the Russian march, because nation [nationalism] is SOOOOO sexy!) and has a bunch of rainbow colored men wearing bondage harnesses. Basically, the gays of Moscow made a bunch of anti-Nationalist posters and put them all over the metro. I’ll talk more about this later in the entry.
That night we went to a Russian circus, which was right in the heart of the city. I realised I haven’t been to a circus in a hell of a long time. At first I was really apprehensive (USUALLY BECAUSE OF THE MASSIVE ANIMAL ABUSE?!) but this was actually prretty damned awesome. The only part that bothered me was one act where they had bears doing tricks, and ... yeah. But, the first part was a bunch of really hot guys doing neat horse tricks. Then they had a bunch of neat acrobatic things. Then a woman with cats (domestic cats) and that was just boring and dumb. I’m not going to bother describing the rest, but, at the end, their last act was a bunch of men wearing white fur and doing gymnastics with a bunch of white furry SPITZES. IT WAS SO AWESOME, AND ADORABLE. (P.S.: Clowns speaking in Russian are FUCKING TERRIFYING).
After that a few of us went to a nearby cafe, “Shokoladnitsa,” where I had hot chocolate and a slice of honey cake. Which was expensive, but well worth it. Normally I don’t drink hot chocolate ... indeed, I didn’t here, either, but someone told me to order it ... and uh ... Russian hot chocolate ... isn’t like ... Cocoa. It’s MELTED CHOCOLATE In a CUP. it was DELICIOUS. mmm.
Next day was free day, for the most part. I still had a massive headache, and Emma felt like crap, so we wanted to do someething low-key. SOooo ... we took a tour of the metro! And went to 28 different stations. Which were, for the most part, BEAUTIFUL. My favorite stations were Belorusskaya, Kievskaya, and Ploshchad’ Revolutsia. The first two wwere just plain beautiful. Ploshchad’ Revolutsia was neeat because each side of the platform wwas lined with arches and gigantic bronze statues, all depicting some aspect of the “Revolution.” On one side it was military, with many different proletariat-looking revolutionaries carrying primitive grenades and guns and such (One even had a pet dog, and apparently it’s a tradition to pet the dog’s snout for good luck, which I did). The other side was a sort of cultural revolution, with statues reading books, playing sports and... holding children. I don’t know. Anyway, it was fantastic. Many of the metro stations were creatively themed like that -- Mendeleevskaya, for instance, had lighting in the shape of different cells, and then artistic charts of CELL DIVISION on the walls. I won’t go into detail on the rest, because there were just too many stations to do that.
Then that night we went to the Tretyakovskaya Gallery, which was a FANTASTIC art gallery of all Russian art. (Ben, Jenn, I bought you both something, here). Then we went home that night and I died in classes, today.
Alright, so, November 4th: The holiday. There were several different marches in both Moscow and Petersburg, apparently. In Moscow there was a “Nashi” march on Red Square, which is Putin’s youth movement. There were also several neo-fascist marches, and BRYAN SAYS there was a gay right’s march at the same time but I don’t believe him. I’m going to have to find a news article or something. But then again, that sticker Bryan found means there is some sort of effort in that area, in Moscow, anyway.
I have a lot more I want to say, but I can’t remember most of it and I’m getting tired of talking about Moscow already.
I have to write a 5-7 page paper by next Wednesday on the prompt, “What, in your opinion, was the most defining moment of the Cold War?” I’m not 100% sure of what I should write about. I think I’m either going to talk about Malinkov asking the West to invite the USSR into NATO, or .. uhm ... the tragedy in either Hungary or Czechoslovakia (I can never remember which one happened first -- I know it happened in both countries, but yeah). I’m not sure if I can rattle on for seven pages about Malinkov, though. I hate talking about NATO, so maybe that’s out. I don’t know. But I’m going to get started on it, tomorrow.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get many photos of Moscow (mostly because it was HIDEOUS) because I didn’t really FEEL like taking photos most of the time, due to my headache.
Oh, right, so Proposition 8 passed in California... That is ... disappointing. to say the least. And elminates basically any relief I had with the 'democratic' victory. ah well
Alright, this is going to be one long ass entry, so I'll try to make it as exciting as I can.
Saturday I basically just stayed in, except I went out and bought chocolate for Tatyana since her birthday was on the 4th. Came back and got ready for Moscow...
First ride on a train. Spent the night in a compartment with Bryan, Ilana, and Elizabeth. That was terribly exciting. It was actually a really nice business car. Just a tad cramped, as expected. Unfortunately, I got NO sleep, so when we got to Moscow I was exhausted. At like 6 am ... music started to play over the intercom. Some Soviet ballad. Ilana woke up and said "... Is this a joke?" It was quite fantastic.
Basically we spent the entire day wandering around Moscow on walking tours with the BEST tour guide of all time. He was probably in his 50's and had the best Russian smoker's voice of all time. And he was pretty lewd. We were at a church, and he was talking about the architecture... He was going on about how most say that Russian church architecture was heavily influenced by Mosques, THEN he started talking about how the roots of Russian architecture was in PAGAN PHALLIC CULTURE. And started talking about how the spires and domes of the church resembled a PHALLUS. I DIED LAUGHING. NO ONE ELSE UNDERSTOOD WHY?! I was IN LOVE with this man at this point. He mentioned pagan phallic culture at several other points in the tour, too.
Unfortunately, halfway through the day I got a sinus headache WHICH IS STILL PLAUGING ME AND MAKING ME MISERABLE. I overdosed on Tylenol. Literally.
Also, TWO different restaurants said they didn't have enough tea cups for our group (?!) so apparently they don't drink tea in Moscow, since these fucking restaurants were HUGE. What the hell? In any case, I saw St. Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's Tomb. That was exciting. Though, Lenin's tomb was more like a haunted house than I thought it would be. What I find mildly amusing is that the GUM, which is Russia's largest and most prestigious shopping mall is RIGHT ACROSS Red Square from Lenin's Tomb. LUCKILY, NO ONE CAN SAY HE'D BE ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE. BECAUSE HE'S IN A PERMANENT WAKE. HAHAHAHA! Bastard communists.
My overall impressions of Moscow by the end of the day:
-I was shocked into more appreciation for Petersburg: Moscow is dirtier, more crowded, more SUFFOCATING, and just overall more nerve-wracking than Petersburg
-People are more rude, less attractive, and less well dressed
-Even the stray dogs are rude. I have never been barked at by a stray dog in Petersburg -- Indeed, they are all QUITE SWEET. But while walking down the street in Moscow, a stray dog came out of NO WHERE and started violently barking at me and followed me for like 30 feet. I thought it was going to attack me, but luckily it didn't.
-The metro works on a rather rude principle. See, Petersburg works on a turnstile system -- You insert a token/swipe your card, and you are allowed to pass through the turnstile. Moscow... works on a system of PAIN. You try to walk through, and your legs are CRUSHED by two panels that come out of NO WHERE if you don't swipe your card. I avoided this fate, luckily.
-Something I found interesting, and Emma and I both agree: Many people say St. Petersburg is a very 'European' and "Western' city, while Moscow is more 'Russian.' I am not going to claim to be acquainted with the Soul of Russia!, but I felt Moscow to be more of a modern Western city. By far. If anything, the way Moscow is ORGANISED is European: It's centred around a square. St. Petersburg is centred around a single street. Most European cities are centred around a square. And that very detail determines the organisation of the city, I feel. There were also a hell of a lot more tourists in Moscow, and more foreigners in general (Then again, I was just there on tours and such, so that might be why I thought that)
Basically, by the end of the day, if I could have hopped on a train and go back to Petersburg I would've been happy to do so. But, I'm glad I didn't.
Oh, and, we stayed in a hostel instead of a hotel. I was with Ilana, Emma, E.B. and Vika (the Russian tutor). Blah blah
Next day we took a ttour of the Kremlin. Which was ... much shorter and more boring than I thought it would be? Then we were supposed to take another walking tour along the Arbat and other streets, but we couldn't find our tour guide so we just kind of wandered around. On the Metro, Bryan found a sticker that was making fun of the "День Народного Единства," which was the Russian holiday on the 4th (Day of the People's Oneness... or something... like that). It says, “Мы идем на русский марш, наци - это т-а-а-ак сексуально!" (We’re going to the Russian march, because nation [nationalism] is SOOOOO sexy!) and has a bunch of rainbow colored men wearing bondage harnesses. Basically, the gays of Moscow made a bunch of anti-Nationalist posters and put them all over the metro. I’ll talk more about this later in the entry.
That night we went to a Russian circus, which was right in the heart of the city. I realised I haven’t been to a circus in a hell of a long time. At first I was really apprehensive (USUALLY BECAUSE OF THE MASSIVE ANIMAL ABUSE?!) but this was actually prretty damned awesome. The only part that bothered me was one act where they had bears doing tricks, and ... yeah. But, the first part was a bunch of really hot guys doing neat horse tricks. Then they had a bunch of neat acrobatic things. Then a woman with cats (domestic cats) and that was just boring and dumb. I’m not going to bother describing the rest, but, at the end, their last act was a bunch of men wearing white fur and doing gymnastics with a bunch of white furry SPITZES. IT WAS SO AWESOME, AND ADORABLE. (P.S.: Clowns speaking in Russian are FUCKING TERRIFYING).
After that a few of us went to a nearby cafe, “Shokoladnitsa,” where I had hot chocolate and a slice of honey cake. Which was expensive, but well worth it. Normally I don’t drink hot chocolate ... indeed, I didn’t here, either, but someone told me to order it ... and uh ... Russian hot chocolate ... isn’t like ... Cocoa. It’s MELTED CHOCOLATE In a CUP. it was DELICIOUS. mmm.
Next day was free day, for the most part. I still had a massive headache, and Emma felt like crap, so we wanted to do someething low-key. SOooo ... we took a tour of the metro! And went to 28 different stations. Which were, for the most part, BEAUTIFUL. My favorite stations were Belorusskaya, Kievskaya, and Ploshchad’ Revolutsia. The first two wwere just plain beautiful. Ploshchad’ Revolutsia was neeat because each side of the platform wwas lined with arches and gigantic bronze statues, all depicting some aspect of the “Revolution.” On one side it was military, with many different proletariat-looking revolutionaries carrying primitive grenades and guns and such (One even had a pet dog, and apparently it’s a tradition to pet the dog’s snout for good luck, which I did). The other side was a sort of cultural revolution, with statues reading books, playing sports and... holding children. I don’t know. Anyway, it was fantastic. Many of the metro stations were creatively themed like that -- Mendeleevskaya, for instance, had lighting in the shape of different cells, and then artistic charts of CELL DIVISION on the walls. I won’t go into detail on the rest, because there were just too many stations to do that.
Then that night we went to the Tretyakovskaya Gallery, which was a FANTASTIC art gallery of all Russian art. (Ben, Jenn, I bought you both something, here). Then we went home that night and I died in classes, today.
Alright, so, November 4th: The holiday. There were several different marches in both Moscow and Petersburg, apparently. In Moscow there was a “Nashi” march on Red Square, which is Putin’s youth movement. There were also several neo-fascist marches, and BRYAN SAYS there was a gay right’s march at the same time but I don’t believe him. I’m going to have to find a news article or something. But then again, that sticker Bryan found means there is some sort of effort in that area, in Moscow, anyway.
I have a lot more I want to say, but I can’t remember most of it and I’m getting tired of talking about Moscow already.
I have to write a 5-7 page paper by next Wednesday on the prompt, “What, in your opinion, was the most defining moment of the Cold War?” I’m not 100% sure of what I should write about. I think I’m either going to talk about Malinkov asking the West to invite the USSR into NATO, or .. uhm ... the tragedy in either Hungary or Czechoslovakia (I can never remember which one happened first -- I know it happened in both countries, but yeah). I’m not sure if I can rattle on for seven pages about Malinkov, though. I hate talking about NATO, so maybe that’s out. I don’t know. But I’m going to get started on it, tomorrow.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get many photos of Moscow (mostly because it was HIDEOUS) because I didn’t really FEEL like taking photos most of the time, due to my headache.
Oh, right, so Proposition 8 passed in California... That is ... disappointing. to say the least. And elminates basically any relief I had with the 'democratic' victory. ah well
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