And We Danced

When we first got to Russia, we dragged all our things through the snow to a hotel where they immediately gave us each a packet with a bunch of information and our room keys. My first 20 minutes at the hotel were spent listening to Macklemore and looking through this packet. Part of the packet was a schedule of all the excursions, trips, and activities, and very near to the end of this list was the Spring Ball. I was excited to discover that it existed, but man, it was sooo far away. Well, sooo far away was yesterday, and it was really fun! I ended class at 5 and then ran around like a maniac doing hair, make-up, and throwing on my dress while shoveling food into my mouth before the ball started at 6. The whole thing was awesome - everyone looked fancy, people were taking pictures, there were snacks, and the dance classes this past week really paid off. There was lots of waltzing, hanging out on the sides with friends, and in the end, they even played some Thrift Shop and we got our real dancing on. It was a totally awesome night. 

The opening dance - the Polonaise 

With Jess

With Raychuuuull

Today, I went to the craziest market ever - more hardcore than anything I saw in Africa. At first, the market looks too normal; there are a couple storefronts selling jackets and t-shirts. Then, the stalls begin, with piles of knock-off sunglasses, old H&M clothes, and inexpensive leather jackets. After the stalls are the tables with Soviet pins and books, old shoes, and cleaning supplies. If you think this is weird enough, wrong. Next comes the glorious field of mud, where people are just selling literally anything they can on blankets and bubble wrap and wooden planks. Used silverware? Yes. A couple nuts and bolts? Why not. Chocolate eggs with toys inside minus the chocolate? Absolutely. I loved it, and would definitely come back to try to find a fabulous new sweater to bring home. 

This week, we only have two days of school before our trip to Pskov. YES. Next post will be all about our lovely trip INTO THE WOODS. 

Bye Bye Boots

The weather is getting nicer! Let the people rejoice! I'm talking about the rivers being completely melted, the clouds being almost nonexistent, and even warmth. Parka and UGGS are packed away for good, and a couple pairs of shorts have made their appearances. That's right, folks, we've seen almost 65 degrees here in Russia. Last Wednesday, I walked to school instead of taking the bus, and I did it in a t-shirt. The babushki were talking. While there is still rain in our future, it doesn't really matter because the sun makes me feel like I'm on drugs for days.

Last week was truly as amazing as I predicted in my last post. My birthday was quite a spectacular event, followed by a very groggy Wednesday and a much-deserved banya outing on Thursday. Friday and Saturday were relaxing, and then Sunday was kinda wild. I spent the morning studying for my two upcoming tests, the afternoon at a St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra concert with Rachel and both our host moms, and the evening at the blues concert that I got Rachel for her birthday. The blues concert was definitely my favorite! The band was Russian, but their English was really good. There were lots of drinks and people dancing and having a good time. It was fun to spend the day with Rachel, but it made me miss home and how fun the Waterfront Blues Festival is.

The Spring Ball masquerade is this Friday, and I'm getting really excited! We have dance classes on Tuesday and Thursday to prepare, and Rachel and I bought our masks last week - they're so pretty! It feels a lot like prom haha

My friends and I decided that we're going to go to Tallinn, Estonia for our long weekend in May, so that's getting planned out now. More updates later!   

Fetuses and Co

This past week has been really, really long. Even though spring break was only a week, it was enough time to become totally unaccustomed to real life (is study abroad real life, though?). Not a ton has been going on at school, but luckily, it's not getting boring. I was worried about that at first, because I'm used to having 11 weeks in a term and here it's 15. I have 40 days left to go on the program, which sounds like a lot, but considering I've been here for over 70 now, I'm definitely starting to freak out. I've been having such a good time here that I can't imagine it ending, but I've also been dreaming nonstop of the amazingness that will be summer and am looking forward to so many things when I get home.

I've been hanging out with a couple new people lately, and trying to check off the places on my list that I have yet to see. Yesterday, Chris (I mentioned him in my post about Moscow) and I went to Kuntskamera, a museum of anthropology and ethnography and the first museum in all of Russia! I've been really excited to go, but there was some seriously creepy shit (deformed fetuses in jars x50). I'm pretty certain that this week is going to be amazing because I'm going climbing tomorrow, Tuesday is my birthday, Wednesdays are always awesome, and I'm probably going to go to the banya with the babes at some point!

There's a lot happening within the next month:

• Rachel and I are going to a blues concert cause I got tickets for her birthday
• CIEE is putting on a spring ball where we're renting fancy ballgowns and even having dance lessons
• We have a weekend trip to a town called Pskov and get to spend time closer to nature 
• There's a 4-day weekend in May and I need to figure out where I can go on a budget

Basically, life is really good right now. I just hope I don't let it all pass by in a big blur (unless it's just that kinda night, in which case, let the blurs commence). 

YOIPO - You're Only in Prague Once!

I had a really fantastic spring break in Prague! It was exactly what I expected: a crazy time with my friends to see as much as we can, eat ALL the food, and dance and sing together before returning to the gloominess of Russia. We got to our hostel really late in the evening on Sunday, but we really loved it right away. It was in a great location and all the staff and other guests were nice and friendly. We basically loved everything about the city, except for the public transportation (modern, but confusing and impractical!) Although the weather wasn't perfect, it wasn't bad either, and there was actual grass instead of snow, so good enough! One of our favorite parts was that the food was soooo cheap, we spent the whole week totally pigging out. All in all, we really felt like we got to know the city well and can definitely recommend some awesome restaurants and sites : )

A Change

I haven't written in a long time, and now I'm pretty overwhelmed by all that there is to write about!

Two weeks ago, my mom and sister came to visit my dad and I in Russia! Hanging out with my whole family was awesome! We went to lots of restaurants together, saw a ballet on ice, and went to palaces and museums. My host mom even invited everyone over for dinner at my house, and it felt so awesome for my American mom to meet my Russian mom. It was so sad when they left that evening, I had been having such an amazing time with them.

Before I even realized they were gone, though, I was hopping on a train to Moscow for a long weekend of excursions and late nights hanging out with friends from the program. We all spent a lot of time comparing the two cities, and seemed to all decide that Petersburg was a lot prettier and the subway was easier to understand! Moscow was very overwhelming, but I enjoyed wandering the streets with my friend Chris and eating lots of Asian food (why is it so popular?!?) with Rachel and Evan. Seeing the Red Square for the first time really made me feel like I was having the full Russia experience!

On that Sunday, Rachel, Evan, and I went to the airport to board a plane to Prague, Czech Republic for our spring break. Our hostel is really lovely, and the city is more beautiful than the pictures I've been looking at for months. We're in our third day now, and we've already seen so much! When I get back to Russia, I have lots of pictures to post!