Continuous Rain

Yesterday,  my friend Polina and I checked out the Park Kultury (Park of Culture) area after class. Within the larger Park Kultury, there is a smaller park called Gorky Park. Here, there are ponds, gardens, an amusement park and many expensive street venders. After buying an ice cream cone, we sat on a bench and watched kids and grown ups alike navigate a small pond in peddle boats. Suddenly, we hear booming thunder in the distance, and the sky becomes ominous. We decide to stroll through a small forested area, as lighting illuminates the threatening sky. I had brought my tiny umbrella with me, so we had some protection from potential rain. Little did I know that this dinky umbrella would stand no chance against Moscow's fierce downpour. As the rain becomes intensified, Polina and I find shelter under a big tree. Thoughts rush through my head that standing under a tree with an umbrella is not the best way to escape lighting and rain. I probably have not seen such a torrential downpour in my life. It was sunny one moment and stormy the next. Finally, when the dirt around our feet had turned into sloshy mud, we decided to book it for the nearby restaurant to stay dry. I love to run in the rain, but this was on a whole new level. Completely drenched, we sat out the rainstorm for 15 minutes or so in the cozy restaurant. I have noticed that the weather here in Moscow is very random and unpredictable. After it stopped raining, the weather become hot and the water immediately evaporated from the asphalt. Today the same thing happened when Zhenya gave me a mini tour of Moscow State University, where she studies. One minute it was sunny, the next it began to rain. Luckily, the rain was not too much of an adversary and there was no lighting. I would prefer this unpredictable wet weather over unbearable heat any day. Today, after seeing Moscow State, I met with my tutor, Natasha, and we went to a photography exhibit at the old Red October chocolate factory. The exhibit was called World Press Photo 11. After the exhibit, we wined and dined at the nearby restaurant on the Moscow River. Practicing Russian over wine is a great idea! Unfortunately, we were victims of the questionable Moscow service at restaurants, when we waited for our check for a good 15 mins. It has been a fun couple of days. My host mother loves to put ketchup on everything now! Time for homework and sleep.

DG

Great Day on the Moscow River and Red Square

So I'll let the pictures do the talking for today. These are only several of the amazing buildings and architecture to see in Moscow. I had a great day on the Moscow River and walking around Red Square and the Kremlin.

DG

More Stomach Issues

I have mixed feelings about today. For breakfast we ate blintzes with cottage cheese, and carrots on the side. Yes, I had carrots for breakfast, as strange as that sounds. My stomach started to feel pretty bad in the morning, so I was worried about what the day would bring for me (undesirable trips to the university's bathrooms?). Luckily, I did not have to do that, but I started to feel a fever in the middle of the day. This put me in a pretty questionable mood, but I survived today's classes. Lunch yesterday in the dorm's cafeteria (next to the university's main building) was very good, but today I thought less of it. Maybe this is because I ate the soup Shi for the 10th time this week, and I am getting a little tired of it. The day got better when I met my tutor in the evening, and we went to a really cool cafe. Her name is Natasha, and she is very nice and easy to talk to. Unfortunately, the girl from the other day, Zhenya, is not my tutor but we exchanged numbers later. Maybe I'll get the chance to try out the dating scene in Russia :P. Natasha and I went to that cafe near Lubyanka (the building of the FSB or the former KGB) and met her friend Sasha there. I feel like I understand a lot of what they say, but it makes it even less stressful to not understand and have them explain it. This takes the pressure off of actually saying anything of significance :). After the cafe we walked down a really old, but trendy street Petrovka, to where Sasha had parked her car. Dad, she drives a Volvo S60 and she said her dad drives a Volvo too haha. We drove to old Arbat and then walked around, looking at all the historic houses and awesome architecture. When I had to take the metro home, already 10:30 at this point, my stomach started acting up and my whole body ached. It was not pleasant. Additionally, on the metro I thought I was going to pass out from a lack of water. Finally, I arrived home and now I am writing this blog, hoping the advil I just took will help. Jennie, make sure mom does not read that last part!

DG

Monday June 13

For some strange and amazing reason, I can access Google websites through an unknown wireless source at my host family's apartment. This means that I should be able to check my emails and write blogs on a frequent basis. Last night, I moved in to my host woman's apartment. She lives on the South Western corner of town, so my commute to class every morning will take about an hour. This may seem long, but the station is at the end of the Red Line, so I will most likely be able to get a seat every day upon boarding. I have already started my Russian food experience, as last night my host mother, Natalya, cooked a traditional Russian soup, Shi, and liver with vegetables. It seemed as though she really liked my gifts (Ghiradelli chocolate, a mug and a sugar spoon from DC). After dinner, upon returning to my room, I decided to try to open my window. It was kinda stuck but I was determined to get it open. Once it was opened, I could not close it, as it would fit back in the right slot. Thinking that I had broken the window, I, of course, freaked out and nervously tried to fix it. After a few minutes of panic, I went to Natalya and told her I had a small problem with the window. I was worried that she would be mad, but she understood and blamed it more on the window than on me. The next morning for breakfast Natalya served Kasha, or a dish similar to oatmeal, cold liver (actually very tasty-kinda like meatloaf), cucumbers, and toast with cheese and tomato on top. I am very glad to live with Natalya because I know that I will be well fed. Today at school we took a placement test and each of us talked to the teachers to test our conversational ability. I am not sure which group I will be put it because I feel that I am at a higher level than most of the non-native speakers but not nearly as high as the native speakers. My favorite restaurant or cafe in Moscow is by far the popular cafe Coffee House, or Кофе Хаус. Although Natalya showed my the way to the metro from her apartment this morning, I managed to get lost on my way home because the metro stop has several exits. I wandered around the neighborhood for probably 45 mins in search of the Gazprom building because I remembered seeing that on our walk this morning. I finally spotted it, and I realized that I had taken the wrong exit out of the metro station. After finding the apartment building, I became even more confused because I could not find her apartment on the fifth floor. I had not realized that there are three entrances to the building, so I initially entered the wrong wing of the building. At last, I manged to find my way to the apartment, took a much needed shower, and fell asleep for a three hour nap. Now since my window cannot be closed completely, I worry that Pukh, Пух,  (a pollen that fills the Moscow air at this time of year) will overtake my room. It is quite a sight to be surrounded by this pollen, which looks like a summer snow.  


DG

First Days In Moscow

 So where should I start. The flight was not too bad, free on-flight movies. My friend Joe and I got emergency exit seats in Economy plus so there was some more leg room. When we landed at Domodedovo, there was a big culture shock. After passing through immigration and customs, we walked into the main room of the airport where there was a huge congregation of people waiting for those who had just landed. It was pretty chaotic. Then we got on a bus, and just as the driver was pulling out of the dirt parking lot, he ran into a car! It was my first Russian experience haha. I was surprised that they actually exchanged insurance info. It took two hours to get into the city of Moscow from the airport because traffic was so bad, but we saw a lot of dachas on the way. The outskirts of the town are pretty ghetto and dirty, so it was not a great first impression. However, further down the road I got to see the Moscow river and the massive skyscraper of Moscow state university. We finally reached the dorms and luckily I got put in a room with two guys I know pretty well from the orientation. It gets really hot at night and the time change has thrown me off, but overall the dorms have been ok. I like the shower but the toilets are designed funny and our toilet keeps running. The building is pretty safe, there is a security guard you have to show your id to everytime coming into the building and you have to leave your key with the lady at the desk. So maybe dont show mom the next part. On the first afternoon we were there, my stomach started hurting really bad and cramping up. Our RD was showing us around the neighborhood and I felt like I couldn't walk any further cause I was in so much pain. I had no water either and I was really dehydrated. I was sweating prefusely and I thought I was going to pass out, but that was not an option on the streets of Moscow. I literally thought I was going to die haha. This guy from the program, Dane, was very nice and went back to the dorms with me. I bought water on the way, and I started to feel better and calm down. I laid down for a bit and took advil ( I wasnt sure which one was the stomach medicine...what is it called dad?) After an hour or so, Dane and I went out to get some food and we met up with another guy, Cody, on the way to the restaurant Yolki-Palki, where I successfully ordered borsch in the Russian. After dinner we walked all the way down the main street Tverskaya to Red Square. It was beautiful at that time because the sun was setting. It did not get dark until 11:30 or so, and it really threw off my sense of time. On Saturday I had to go to the bank and exchange money, and I went to this stand to buy blintzes. It was not too expensive and very good. Then toured the university's main building, which is very nice and modern looking. After this, we went to order photos for our student id's, and I bought a phone. My telephone number is +7 (964) 629-53-14. To call me from the US, you have to dial 011-7-9646295314. If you call me, I don't pay for it I believe. I feel much better that I now have a phone. I also bought a metro pass for unlimited use for 30 days, so I can use that whenever. The metro was not to busy, but it was Saturday. My favorite metro station was Ploschad Revolutsii. Here, they have bronze statues of soldiers, and it looks really cool. Last night the group went out to an Italian restaurant called Il Patio, where our RD organized us to meet some Russians. There I met a girl named Zhenya, who studies at Moscow State. I am not going to lie, she is very pretty, and I think she was interested in talking to me because I could understand a lot of what she said. After dinner, the Russian girls led our group around Red Square and the river, and there's so many beautiful building and cathedrals. Zhenya and I walked together, and I had a tough time understanding her because she spoke so fast, but she was very nice and helpful. She is going to be a tutor for our program, so I hope she becomes mine :). To sum this up, I have only been here for two days, but it was felt like I have been here for a week. I now feel more comfortable, and things don't feel as foreign. Tonight I am meeting my host family, so I am looking forward to see my new neighborhood.  

DG

Day 1

After waking up at 4:30 AM in San Diego and a three part saga to DC, we finally arrived at Daniel's apartment in Bethesda at 5:30 east coast time. Although I initially dreaded the DC humid heat, the weather was perfect for a night on the town in Bethesda. The delicious blue cheese burger with mushrooms and a tremendous amount of Parmesan fries at the Burger Joint was followed by a stroll around the streets of downtown Bethesda to walk off the food. Next, we went to a pub where I discovered a peculiar drink called the black and blue: half Guinness, half Blue Moon. Although skeptical at first, the mixture was a pleasant surprise. A couple games of pool and karaoke later, we were walking back to the colossal escalator leading back down into the Bethesda metro station. I'm excited for orientation tomorrow, esp, after finding out who my host family is. I learned that will be staying with a woman in her 60's who lives in a comfortable apartment, so hopefully that means something good. More to come later.    

DG