Advice

Back in America, when I would tell people that I was going to Russia, I got a lot of different responses. Most were a strange mix of happiness for me and questioning of my choices in life. 95% of them were accompanied with some sort of advice, the most popular including "it's really cold there," "watch out for Putin," and "don't let anyone steal your passport." All equally useless to me, although I appreciate the effort. Here are some better pieces of advice, for next time: “coffee is ridiculously expensive there,” “don’t expect restaurants to have the cider on the menu in stock,” and “if you enjoy looking at cute guys on the street, Russia is not the place for you.” Other than these minor inconveniences, my first week in St. Petersburg has been pretty great. School has been going well, and my classes are challenging me. I’ve also really loved after-school adventures with my new friends. Yesterday (Thursday), I went to dinner with Rachel, Evan, and Erika, and today we went back to the Hermitage for Rachel and Erika’s first times there. My poor map is getting worn out from all the folding and unfolding it goes through all day - I would love to memorize the layout of the city for when my map does become a bunch of scraps at the bottom of my bag.

It has been a struggling trying to get internet at my house so far. I bought a terribly expensive modem, told that it was basically the best modem in the world and was fast as hell. Too bad it hasn’t been working too hotly in my totally cement building. I’m getting enough spots of internet to post this and a Facebook status, but it sure does disappear exactly when I need it. This weekend, I will (so I am told) have wifi at the hotel that we’re staying at in NOVGOROD! Will do my best to keep all you loved ones in-the-know : )