Figured I post some photos since I am suffering from the inability to blog on time, or at all.
Me getting prematurely excited to finally be in the land of the Rus, which I love with all my heart. The country, the people (well... more on that later), the language (well...), the culture, the history, the literature - I love it all!
Getting on the whole tourist business right away. Pictured is the General Staff Building and the Hermitage (it's like the Met of St. Petersburg).
I now internationally stalk these
square sanitary trucks.
I am temporarily a student of the Saint Petersburg State University, wooo! Putin and Medvedev were their graduates. My grandchildren will never hear the end of that...
Catching The Nutcracker at the historic Mariinsky Theater (where it first premiered).
Bear.
Its money can. Note how it's Winnie-the-Pooh-themed.
The Peter and Paul Cathedral, where almost all the tsars are buried, and - since 13 years ago - the remains of Nicholas II and his family too, who were slaughtered by the Bolsheviks and dumped into a river.
This place is just amazing with its history.
And historical figures...
Trotsky's prison cell.
I'd never dream of living or going to school anywhere near places where incredible events in history have happened. Its Russia's greatest treasure - and also its tragedy.
More animals on the street soliciting money from soft-hearted bypassers. Like me.
The inside of the Hermitage. Dare you believe it...
And to think, Russian schoolchildren take excursions here. Malaysian schoolchildren go to, I don't know, theme parks or something.
Well, I try.
More lavish palaces that we visited. This is Catherine's Palace, also summer residency of the royal family. Must be good to be royalty.
More rooms in pure gold, just because they can.
How badly the palace was destroyed during WWII. Destruction and restoration of Russia's heritage (the palaces, churches, monuments) are a large part of Russian history, culture and art. You cannot tell the story of these tourist spots without touching on how they were all practically devastated during the war, and were painstakingly restored by the people after. Up until today restoration work is still going on.
And you wonder why the Russians are so tough.
Imagine if you had to see the very buildings that defined your national history and identity bombed to the ground, right before your eyes. No one deserves that in history. Not even the people who bombed these buildings down.
The view from the Colonnade of St Issac's Cathedral.
Had to climb 180 bloody steps to get there, but it was worth it.
Inside the cathedral.
This place is amazing to travel. You can be a total philistine and you'd appreciate the architecture and sights. And if you're a culture and art lover, this place is heaven. Just hearing the endless stories about the royal family right up to the Soviet Union - it's a whole different world. It makes me wonder why countries don't appreciate their history more. Russia does it very well, if only because they've been through so much, and history is like a healing scar in their memory.
The people - ah, well, I was adequately warned that they're not the friendliest, and are prone to misery. But to this I ask, who isn't? We all have a Russian inside of us, and I can relate to mine a little more than everyone else.
I have no defense for the language, however. It is a torture, as is part of Russian culture. One year of Russian is simply not enough to give anyone adequate communication skills. If I don't put my stresses in the right places, they won't understand me! Pronunciation is impossible, knowing the difference between perfective and imperfective is impossible, not sounding like a retard is impossible. It's not like I do it very well in English either, but at least it's not damaging to my interaction with the world. It is a hard, hard language, and one of the most challenging things I've ever had to do in my life. Frequently someone quips at me, "You learn Russian, how can you not do this?!" in reference to some menial activity, like cooking, or setting up a tent, or something like that. Both of which sound just as hard as Russian, in my humble opinion.
Props to my school for such a well put together program. I knew the Russian department was awesome, I didn't know they were extraordinary. The amount of effort and attention to details put into this program has come off well. I feel sufficiently looked after here, but not in a way that stifles my desire to explore on my own. Or maybe I've just been a keen traveler. Regardless, the place is amazing, and with a program that's just right - this is turning out to be the greatest month I've ever spent abroad. Everyday I am doing something fascinating here, be it visiting an 11th century church, or Russia's oldest museum, or the house of my favorite author Nabokov (now that's my idea of a church).
More to come, as well as an impending trip to Moscow this weekend. This is turning out to be a great summer.
