Stay Up Late & Don't Plan

Five days down, 50 some to go. And let me tell you, the adventure and confusion just keeps on coming!

Now, I am not one to stay up into the wee hours of the morning. I admit, I like my sleep. Nonetheless, during my 5 days here I have gotten very little sleep, and I have found that it has been worth it, mostly. Yes, the first few days the lack of sleep was brought on by everyone's best friend jet lag, but last night no jet lag was required. Last night was my first real encounter with the White Nights (my previous encounters had been tightly closing the curtains over my windows in order to attempt to sleep). I met my host "mom," Anna, and I use quotations around the word mom because she is 28 and more like an older sister, and she showed me where I will be living for the next eight weeks. Then, she took me out to show me the area. Many shops, a park, metro stations, and a supermarket. The supermarket had its similarities to American supermarkets, however there was so much food! Actually, there was a lot of different cake and sweet options, all of which looked pretty scrumptious. We entered the store 15 minutes to closing and did not leave until 15 minutes after closing. But hey, we were not the last ones in there. My new host "mom" kept me out until midnight, now I do not see a little babushka walking me around her apartment late at night. It was amazing to be outside at midnight and feel like it was 6 or 7 in the evening. It is so weird and confusing to the senses, but a feeling that is definitely worth experiencing. I am sure that I will be staying up late and experiencing the White Nights several more times to come.

Today was our first day at our gorgeous university.  And it was our first wake up call as to why we are actually here: to study the Russian language. There is a Russian-only policy that we are slowly trying to accustom ourselves to. It is a bit strange and awkward, but I have found that working through sentences with others is a great way to learn and practice. Also, wandering around the city reading random things and applying new words to actual objects is totally helpful. Example: today I ordered blini with strawberries, now know the word for strawberry. In addition, I ordered a hedgehog. It was a little chocolate dessert, so do not worry. But I am sure I will not forget the word for hedgehog anytime soon.  All in all, I am learning how to get food, a key ingredient to survival!

ёжик - hedgehog

After our nerve racking placement test that had us questioning our abilities, some of my new found friends and I decided to traverse the city. What started off as lunch ended up an all out sight seeing adventure around part of the city. None of this was planned, all we had was a map and a lot of free time. The result? An amazing adventure that I am not soon to forget! We stumbled upon the Anchikov Palace, where inside was beautifully detailed drawings of children stories. Then came the Catherine Gardens and the statue of Catherine the Great (my favorite tsarina). Then, the Singer House. I learned that it was the headquarters for the Singer Company (the one that makes sewing machines) at the turn of the twentieth century. With a bald eagle on top, it was an awesome building to see in the middle of Russia. We finished our excursion with the Kazan Cathedral. On the outside, it looks more like a court house than a cathedral, but inside there is no mistake. The icons were gorgeous and the whole place was very solemn and spiritual. Gold was everywhere, very decorative. However, what I enjoyed most was the line of people waiting to kiss the icon of the Virgin Mary. There was a holy reverence in the cathedral that I had much respect for. When we exited the cathedral, the sun was shining and we were exhausted. We had no plan but to find food, and by the end we had found much much more!

Anchikov Palace