Carrie On My Wayward Son

Hi I haven’t posted in a while

It’s so easy to forget about this blog.

Anyway, things are going great. Finally met Natasha (the awesome teacher)’s husband today. Not what I expected, but I like him. My family’s going out of town for the weekend, so I’ll have the apartment to myself for the time that I’m actually home.

On Saturday we’re going to the Pushkin Museum, and on Sunday Natasha’s taking us souvenir shopping! AKA time for me to buy one of the selling points of this trip, an expensive and beautiful fur hat. Classic.

Also, I have compiled a short list of Ways To Look Like A True Russian Woman (In The Summer):

- Only wear heels

- Wear lots of white/light colors

- Make sure bra is showing in some way - a strap, through a transparent shirt, with a textured pattern, anything

- Coarsely-textured hair

- And - this is most important - never smile.

Optional is the Union Jack-printed bag and a cigarette.

Overnight trip today!

In a few minutes I’ll be heading out for the overnight trip to Vladimir/Suzdal and not bringing my computer with me. I’ll be back Saturday afternoon, so I’ll be here with actual pictures then.

See y’all soon.

Routine already

Honestly, the one hour commute there and back drains me. Remind me to never live more than 30 minutes to my chosen job ever in my life.

But everything else is getting better! I can understand a word in ten instead of a word in a hundred that people say, so that’s good. SO much tea in my life, but that’s good for you I guess.

This weekend is the overnight trip to Suzdal and Vladimir. Expect pretty pictures, along with last weekend’s pictures.

My main Russian teacher, who was my teacher back in the States, should officially be labeled the Most Interesting Woman In The World. Every little thing we learn about her life just makes me wish I had more hers in my life.

Oh did I forget this yesterday?

Sorry folks.

Yesterday we visited Catherine the Great’s failed dacha. She was such a badass woman that she had this place rebuilt because she didn’t like it after ten years of construction, and it was gorgeous to begin with. I forgot my camera like the classic person I am, although I may randomly go back and hang out by the lakes because it was pretty.

Today we toured the Kremlin. Lots of old churches and Chinese tourists. I did bring the camera for the first time, but I don’t really feel like putting the pictures up yet. We walked through Red Square on the way home, and it was completely bigger than I expected. Sadly, Lenin’s Tomb was closed.

More and more, the primary characteristic discovered already by members of my study abroad group becomes more apparent. Russians don’t give a fuck about anything.

First Friday

I may be getting into the routine.

One of the most off-setting things about this so far is how little class there is. Like, we have a three-hour class in the mornings, which is long, but once it’s done… we’re done with school at noon. What do we do for the rest of the day? Even taking our time and eating and walking slow, we still feel done with the day by five. Hours go by slow when you don’t have friends with cars to call up and take you places.

I might go to a bar tonight with them, though. Kinda up in the air about it, since I don’t really want to drink and I’m a socially stunted recluse who just wants to hide and people watch, but I should go.

But my feet still hurt.

Okay now my feet really hurt

I made a bad decision and wore pretty shoes this morning. I now have giant blisters all over my feet and it hurts to walk because I was forced to go barefoot most of the day and asphalt-burned my feet. Oh well. I finally got close to the Red Square, although we didn’t actually go to it - we visited the Church of Christ the Savior and wandered around, and it is GORGEOUS, but they don’t allow pictures inside. I did end up sitting on the bridge over the river (it had wide edges meant for sitting on) and sketching it before I went home. I’ll take a webcam picture in a second. 

Tomorrow my host family and I go rafting. Have I mentioned this yet? We’re going rafting this weekend. Color me excited.

Time for more homework. Yay.

Another day

and I might be getting used to this.

Finally got my suitcase back yesterday, so things are automatically better. I think my feet will hurt every night, though. It’s an hour and a half from my apartment to the university, with two trains and twenty minutes of walking. Those last five minutes coming back are just the pits.

We had KFC for lunch today, just because it was fried chicken and they served beer (I didn’t have any, but the others in my group did). It wasn’t too bad, although it was nothing compared to the South, of course.

Well, homework time.