Crime and Punishment

Today we started off class with language lessons. Heather taught us vocabulary and phrases that would be important when going shopping. After that we continued our discussion of Crime and Punishment. The rest of the afternoon we were free to choose what we wanted to do, and some of us were able to try out our new phrases while shopping for souveniers. It was a good day to just relax and enjoy the city. Luckily for us, it was a little cooler today which made it much more comfortable to walk around without wishing we had packed shorts!
Around 6pm we came back together as a group and left for Mariinsky Theather where we attended a performance of Swan Lake. It was classical ballet split up into three acts. This was very different from what we previously saw in The Nutcracker. All of the dancers were extremely talented and the choreography was impressive. What most interested me were the costumes. They gave each dance its own personality and made watching it much more enjoyable. One difference that I've noticed from performances I've attended at home are the curtain calls. After a dance ended in Swan Lake, the main dancers would come to the front of the stage and take their bows, rather than waiting until the end of the whole performance.
We ended our night with a bus ride back to the hostel and were greeted by a sign detailing our schedule for the next couple days. We have a busy weekend ahead of us, but it should be fun!

We started our day with another class to discuss much of the architecture that we are observing as we tour the city of St. Petersburg. Nik, one of our tour guides, spent an entire day preparing notes on each style which we were very useful in our class. We modeled some of these buildings with clay in order to give us more appreciation of how difficult it is to design such complicated structures. This was a challenge for the majority of the class, but the activity successfully accomplished its goal.

After class we started a fairly long journey down Nevsky Prospect to visit two very impressive churches, The Church of Spilled Blood and St. Isaac's Cathedral (see above). St. Isaac's Cathedral was a very large and impressive church. The architectural design and beautiful details make this one of the most impressive buildings that I have ever seen. The original cathedral sunk many years ago, and the new version is no longer in commission and is a very popular place for tourists to visit.

The church of spilled blood is the most spectacular thing that have seen in my first two weeks in St. Petersburg. The style of the building is eclecticism because it utilizes a variety of different architectural styles. The gaudy church has many well decorated and brightly colored domes which appealed to my taste. The inside of the church is just as amazing as the outside. The dominantly blue interior, gold decorations and beautifully painted walls make this church one of the most impressive things that I have ever seen.

We ended our day with a very traditional American meal of cheeseburgers and french fries, a much needed taste of home for many of us on the trip.

Revolution Tour

Today we were scheduled to go on a Russian Revolution tour with Mike, the tour guide. I was personally excited about this because the Russian Revolution is such an important part the Russian history. Aside from this, it was a beautiful day to partake in such a lengthy walking tour throughout the city of St. Petersburg.

One of our first stops was Smolny Cathedral. I was real taken back by how beautful the cathedral actually was. It reminded me of what i imagined buildings to look like when i pictured Russian architecture in my mind before actually visiting. With the big blue domes and the gold cross tops, it was an impressive sight to see while on the tour.

We later boarded the metro. 13 days into the trip, and im still impressed with how steep the escalator system really is. It amazes me how long we are going down into the ground until we actaully reach the ground level to board the metro. It's also facinating how the hundreds of people you pass while descending into the tunnel look at you and at the the same time you look back in a sort of habit.

When we arrived at our destination Mike enlightened us how there was an act of terrorism this past April Fools Day. Someone actually planted a bomb under one of the more famous statues of Lenin and while exploding it, managed to blow off part of Lenins butt. Therefore, we were not actually able to see this statue, it was in a big wooden box and is presently under restoration.

Mike also showed us the train car that Lenin first arrived in. I thought this was neat because of Lenins remarkable impact on Russian history. This train car is what first introduced him into Russia.

Mike then showed us the actual balcony where Lenin use to give speeches. This balcony is where Lenin's voice was heard, and one of the many important places that had to do with the Russian Revolution. Our last stop was outside Peter and Paul Fortress where we sat on the cobblestone walkway while Mike concluded the tour on the Russian Revolution. It was such a nice day and the group was ready for a much needed rest. It was nice to relax on the side of the river and take in the beautiful scenery of the city of St. Petersburg.

The remainder of the day was for exploration and souvenier shopping. Many students went to the Chutch of Spilled Blood market where we actually have the opportunity to barter with the locals. This was quite an experience. Thats about it for today. Its getting warmer here in Russia, shortly we will all be wearing shorts and T-shirts in St. Petersburg.

-Dylan Kilbourne '11

Blog Posted from Meghan

Student teachers completed our first full week of student teaching this past week. We are all having an amazing time and love our co-ops. The school as been so unbelievably helpful with everything, they all want to help us in anyway they possibly can. Everyone has been so welcoming and I am so happy that they are going out of their way to make sure we have a great experience. This was a great school to student teach in. Our principal Ron is such a genuinely good guy. I just love his personality and how he works with the kids, I wish I could have had such a great principal when I was in school.
Today we went to the Mariinsky Theatre (picture above) as a group. We saw the ballet "The Nutcracker", it was definitely not the version that we are all used to, but I thought it was great. I wish there had been more dancing in the first Act, but they made up for it in the second act. The costumes were beautiful and as usual the set was amazing too. Some parts were a bit confusing and hard to follow, but I read my little print out and that helped me a along. I am excited for this week, I get to go to "Don Giovanni" an Italian opera and then "Swan Lake" another ballet as well. I was also able to see "Raymonda" on Friday. It was so beautiful and I was enthralled the whole time. I am very excited for my shows coming up.
Well not too much more to update you all on, easy laid back day for the most part. School early tomorrow morning and another busy week! I think it might go a bit faster though unfortunately because the sun is shining and Spring is definitely sneaking around the corner here in Russia.

Greetings from Heather!

Hello!

I hope many of you are enjoying our blog! I know that our students are busy, excited, and exhausted! I thought today I would just give a brief recap of what all of the students have been up to the past week and a half. The first day all the students went on tour through the city. this tour gave them the opportunity to get their bearings and be able to always locate specific ladmarks in the city, so no matter whether they know where they are or not, they can get to a place they know, and from there get home! Later that afternoon the student teachers and Marty headed off to the Anglo-American school to meet their co-op teachers and learn how to get to and from the school.

Since then, the student teachers have been working each day, and working with Marty each night. All the other students have been on two walking tours, seen four museums, been on three scavenger hunts through the city, and enjoyed some fine Russian cuisine. We even had our first camp fire on the Gulf of Finland! Enjoy the pictures. We'll all keep you up to date as we go!

Student Teaching!!!!

Student teaching is going well. I have come to the conclusion that the school (Anglo-American school logo at left) used to be an old house. There is a basement and then three other levels. The top most level is an attic, which is used for storage. In the basement one will find the library and the staff lounge along with two other classrooms. The other two classrooms are actually sandwiched between the staff lounge and the library. The two classrooms in the middle have a folding wall that separates them. Because of this, the wall is unfolded and the two rooms (now a larger one room) are used for staff meetings in the morning. On the second floor is my classroom! The first floor is all the office rooms. The funny thing about the school is that it is built like a house. There are no hallways! One has to walk through classrooms to get to other classrooms. Each floor with classes (there are three including the basement) usually have four rooms on each level. To get to the two middle rooms, one must walk through one of the outside rooms.

Surprisingly, but understandably, the teachers and students ignore those who walk into the room for the most part. The only acknowledgement that someone is walking through the room is the fact that the students will move to create a path for the individual to get through the room.

We have finished our observations and are creating fun lessons for our students. The more time we spend here, the more we learn. We can learn lots about multicultural teaching and multicultural classrooms. In my class 6 out of 15 students are ESL. It is challenging, but it is also lots of fun!

My latest lesson plan is going to be on plants. The students have already learned photosynthesis and are currently growing beans and other vegetables. They have also learned about soil and what makes fertile soil. The next piece to their science education is learning about different types of plants and adaptations of plants.

The curriculum in this school tends to bit a bit higher of a grade level than what we have in the United States. The standards are based on standards from several different countries including the United States. I believe that part of the reason the curriculum seems farther ahead is that the school principal and the school tends to emphasize depth and not breadth.

Well, that is all for now from school.

Jess Po.

Oh, the school talent show is coming up soon and the student teachers were able to go with the school to see Raymonda (I can only spell it in Russian, sorry!)

A Day at Kronstadt

We had an early start today to give us time to get to Kronstadt. Kronstadt is an island that used to be an old military base. To get to this island, we took the Metro and then hopped on a bus. It took a while to get there, but it was well worth it. We toured around the island and saw a few of the churches that remain there. After the tour, we took another bus to a different part of the island. The bus was big enough for all but one of us, so I got stuck sitting on the floor. We had to walk a bit further after we got off the bus to reach our final destination. We ended up at a nice beach area with places for campfires (smoky but that's us on the left). We all pitched in and gathered firewood while our tourguide Nick got the fire started. Once this was all set, we had time to explore. Some of the group went and explored the old forts, while a few others, myself included, walked along the beach on the rocks. The waterfront view was beautiful. I even managed to get a sunburn on my face because I couldn't leave the waterfront. We all gathered around the fire to warm up and eat lunch. We had a lot of laughs and learned a lot about the island. Most of the afternoon was spent on Kronstadt. When we were getting ready to go, we had to walk back to the road to wait for the bus. I got stuck sitting on the floor again. As nice as the city of St. Petersburg is, I'm glad we had some time to get away and see other parts of the area. I was also really surprised and impressed with the cleanliness of the Metro stations. All in all, today was a really fun day out of the city. And Happy 50th Birthday Uncle Vinny!!

-Jen

Exploring the Hermitage!

Day 10. April 23, 2009.

Today was a great day in the city of St. Petersburg! We had a short lesson where we shared the photo journals we've been assembling throughout the trip. The photo journals consist of different pictures that we have taken and a caption underneath. Some of them are coming together quite nicely! We also discussed different types of architectural styles briefly and then learned about sketching from the one point perspective. Following lunch, the group set out to explore the Hermitage. The Hermitage is an icon of the city, not only recognized by its massive size and lovely teal color, but also because it has a long history. This palace was where previous Russian tsars lived up until after the reign of Alexander II. The interior is absolutely amazing. You have to look at a room from ceiling to floor to make sure you don't miss a thing. From the high ceilings, to the intricate parquet floors, and the enormous columns made of gold, it was absolutely breathtaking! Because the Hermitage is so large, we only explored one wing and it would not be hard to get lost! My favorite room was the library, which was decorated with dark wooden desks, shelves, and even a staircase that led to a second floor of books! There was not one room we entered that I wasn't intrigued by! We'll be returning to the Hermitage several more times throughout our trip and I can't wait to explore it more! So long from Russia :)
PS - A photo of our crazy lead NOT leading us through the Hermitage!

Free Day!!!

Day number 9. April 22, 2009

Today was an awesome day! We had class this morning for our Crime and Punishment book. The book is not too bad. After class, we were geting ready to go to the Church on Spilled Blood and St. Issac's Church. We all got downstairs when someone said that the churches are closed on Wednesdays. So, a phone call was made and it was decided that we had a fee day! :) Everyone was so pumped. About half of the people went back upstairs and did whatever. A group of us went to do a little shopping. We went to the military store. It was really cool. They had clothes, boots, patches, guns, knives, watches, flasks, pretty much anything you wanted, you could buy. After that store, the group I was with, split off into two smaller groups; half went to a cafe, and half went to the little bazaar/market place behind the Spilled Blood Church. It was pretty cool. They had all kinds of nesting dolls, amber jewlery, icon paintings, regular paintings, laquer boxes, just everything. So we would stop to look at one stand and the vendor ould just suck you in. If you bought something at one vendor, that same vendor would take you to another side of their little kiosk thing and see if you liked anything on that side. It was hilarious. Anywas, dinner was delicious, it took a few hours to make, but it was well worth it. We had penne pasta with a cheese sauce and chicken. We have so much left over, we will probably be eating it for the next week. After dinner, some of us stayed downstairs and just talked about random stuff. It's only been nine days, but this trip has been amazing because you talk to people a lot more than you would at school. I am so glad that I decided to go on this trip!!

Voyage to the Blue Mosque

After the usual breakfast served by the illustrious Teemore (is that how's its spelled?) We broke into the class for the day, the lesson being about the various art and architecture of St. Petersburg. The project here was to draw a picture about one of the various buildings around the city, but after several moments of stumbling around on my own pad of paper, I decided to give up and let imagination take hold. Ryan "The Wall" K. was already on the floor, happily blasting away with his colored pencils like a babushka on fresh borsht. Though the lesson was informative, I can't say that my own skills were up to the high standards of Marty.

Following that was yet another scavenger hunt. Like last time, we were given various pics of the city and try to track them down, capture the image and return to home camp. Fortunately for "the K" and I, most of what we had taken in pictures already were covered, like the Winter Palace and the chariot arch next to the Alexander Column, But still, not wanting to disappoint, we ventured out. We were Assassins on the Hunt, ready to prove what was already known by our class. By the time we returned with our prizes and declared Awesome, we'd replied that we were just being ourselves.

After taking the pictures of the targets, our duo descended to venture out from the boundaries. The Blue Mosque was the destination, who teal and turquoise minarets could be seen for miles around. Though the temperatures were freezing, our fortitude kept us warm. This did not prevent Ryan "Candy man" K. from whining every now and then about the cutting wind, as he never thought to bring his jacket to Russia. Seriously, a jacket? To Russia? Who woulda thunk? We finally made it, despite a small detour to the Peter and Paul Fortress for a bathroom break (the boy can't hold his juice) to the mosque. It was a masterpiece in its own right, but unfortunately it was locked to us Explorers. The designs on the outside exquisite, the architecture superb, and the dome big enough to shove the heavens aside in a bid for supremacy. After a few pictures and a small look-see, we decided to take the long road home.

Along the way, we stopped at the bazaar outside o the Church on Spilled Blood. I almost expected gypsies and mystics ready to tell my fortune and sell me spices from faraway lands, but alas, it was just ordinary people with some interesting merchandise. They were aggressive in their own way, fighting for my attention in trying to hawk their wares. Ryan "Dancing Queen" K. made the right descision and decided to wait outside the bazaar, but I had to be sucked into it.

One hour later, the inrepid explorers made it back to the hostel. The task of dinner was at hand, so Tim "Can't Touch This" W., Dylan "Rock Monster" K. and Ryan "Sweet N, Low" K decided to crack out several hundred grill cheese sandwiched for our comrades-in-arms. The feast was spectacular and the company never better.


And so dear reader, I leave you with this latest chapter in the chronicles of the EC Term 3 Russia Trip.

Easter Sunday in St. Petersburg

Oh what a day to have our first day off, Easter. for this day a few of the students got to go to the Sunday service, which I heard was pretty interesting, definately out of the normal. I heard it goes on all day and people are allowed to come in and leave whenever they please, sounds pretty awesome, I wish I had gone. however I had my own interesting event happen. The students who stayed behind got a sincere taste of the hospitality of Teymor. Some of us decided to sleep in on our first day off and relax, but Teymor wouldn't let us. To him everyone had to eat breakfest and he would not pick up until we had, he was literally worried we wouldn't eat! I was woken up by a fellow student and told to go eat because Teymor was waiting for the rest of us to eat, and when a fellow student and I walked downstairs, sure enough he was waiting and hurried us into the room to eat. Afterwards all of us who stayed joked about how he is like a substitue grandpa to us, making sure we are well fed and worrying about us. Since we had a free day a few of us decided to head out into the city and check out the sights, so six of us got together and walked the city. Our destination was the chocolate museum and all of us were excited to check this place out, but were in for a huge surprise. After walking for what seemed like ages, we arrived. Walking in we thought we had found the gift store and were awkwardly looking for the museum, but this is when reality struck us, the name of the chocolate store was the Chocolate Museum, never the less we all took our time to enjoy the store and look at all the chocolates. We proceeded to leave and explore the city, two of us joked about how we would get lost, and we did for a little while. However, it was a blast exploring the city and finding all these other places down the back streets and through some alleys, but on occassion we did look like fools entering a place and leaving when we didn't know what to say or really what we were doing. We must have entered 20 different places, got a funny look or a "please sit" before we turned and left, but again we are in a foreign country, that is part of the experience. When we decided we had enough exploring, it was time to head back to the Hostel and get some dinner, we figured if we found something on the way we would eat, if not making food was a good second option. A fellow student saw a restaurant called the CCCP, and being a history buff he thought we should go there, and we all agreed. This place was nice, it had a dark room theme and was really laid back, it was kind of like an upscale club, but a restaurant. We all ordered our food, after struggling with communication, and figured we would enjoy it. We got our food and all decided the food was ok, but we definately had to eat there to get the experience, but when the bill hit us we all got wide eyed. The average cost of the meal was 500 rubles, roughly 13 dollars. We all paid and decided that since it was a one time thing it was cool, but we would not be returning. We took pictures of the place and proceeded to head back to the Hostel, where we called it a night, and boy did we sleep like babies.

Stroganov Palace

Today began with the same delicious breakfast that we eat every morning at the hostel. The breakfast is a lot different than my typical breakfast in the United States, but I enjoy the hard-boiled egg and cheese as a start to my day. Next, we all gathered in one of the rooms in the hostel and were given very vague directions about the rest of our day in an attempt to keep our destination a surprise.

After a few mile walk we encountered our first destination on Nevsky Prospect; we were going to tour the Stroganov Palace. The pink and white building's baroque architectural design and beautiful details made the palace look beautiful from the outside, but what we discovered inside was far more impressive. The palace contained elegant chandeliers, gaudy gold trim, and hand-painted ceilings. I was breath taken by the beauty and elegance of the palace.

For lunch, we went went to a traditional Russian cafe near the palace. Ordering my meals in Russia has been one of the most difficult parts of visiting a foreign country where a different language is spoken. Today was a success because the cafe had English translations of the menu items written under the Russian. Sometimes, I am forced to point at a random item and hope that I like it. For the most part, I have enjoyed all of the food in St. Petersburg, and look forward to trying new Russian foods like caviar.

We changed our second destination because we discovered that it free on Thursdays and were trying to save money in the long run. We ended up at a railway museum a few miles from the palace. The museum was interesting, but the lack of English translation made it difficult to know what I was looking at sometimes. I learned some history about the Russian railways, but this destination was less exciting than the amazing palace we visited earlier today.

We were given the remainder of today to explore the city and do any shopping or homework that we needed to do. I visited a few shops on Nevsky Prospect and returned to the hostel for the remainder of the evening. I have greatly enjoyed my experience in St. Petersburg thus far and look forward to the many weeks of adventure to come.

-Tim

Today we went on a tour of the St. Peter and Paul fortress. We started off by going into the final resting place of the Romanov family (rulers of Russia for at least 300 years) which is the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral. The cathedral itself was beautiful. The intricate painting on the walls and ceiling of this building was far beyond anything to be seen in the United States. The gold work throughout this cathedral was amazing!!! (Picture above) The Romanov tombs that drew the most attention today were those of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.
Next we entered the Commandant's house that retold the history of St.Petersburg, Russia. Several things were present in this museum like old furniture, dishes and the general history of the city. There were models of the first cars in St. Petersburg as well as the city's general layout at its beginning. It is amazing how much this city has developed since its formation.
The next museum we visited was a children's art museum that contains art from local students. There was art from student of all ages, more popularly those from 13-16 years of age. (see above) The general theme of the art was space. The were amazing paintings, sketches and 3D constructions of spaceships, astronauts and outer space. The level of talent seen in these pieces of art is beyond any that I have seen and far beyond what I can create myself. These artworks were of great interest to the Student Teachers in the group and to those that appreciate art in general. After the art museum the Student Teachers split from the larger group to go on a special invitation tour of the Yesleev apartment and as a student teacher I will give you that experience.
When arriving at this apartment we were surprised to hear that it was the apartment of a previous head businessman in Russia. This apartment was under severe reconstruction because it was taken over in the time of the Soviets and turned into housing for several families rather than that of Gregory Yesleev. The painting and woodwork alone in this apartment are masterpieces. The most memorable areas of this apartment were the marble pillars and the fireplace made of what seemed to be hand carved wood. Overall this tour was a truly amazing experience and we are extremely grateful to the Anglo American School for allowing us to attend this special invitation tour.

Tamra Cooper '10

Ryan's Blog

April 16th, 2009
On our third day in Russia, the student teachers went to their school to teach while the rest of us went on a scavenger hunt. The breakfast before it was amazing for the third straight day. The cereal in Russia is sweeter and tastier than the cereals in America and their fruit drinks are like the nectars of the gods. The Russians do not dilly-dally when it comes to their juice. The slices of cheese and hard-boiled eggs complete the scrumptious meal. And the adorable old man who helps us with our breakfast is so nice. I just want to walk up to him and say “Spasiba!” every chance I get.
Then the scavenger hunt; we split off into groups of two and I was with Chris “I want to stick out” J. and boy did he stick out. Over six feet and one hundred and ninety pounds of fresh American values right there in the streets of St. Petersburg. I followed him and his long golden curls to the ends of the Nevsky Prospect, which is the greatest shopping area for the city’s population, but I would have followed him to the ends of the Neva River and back again. To the ends of the earth.
We had to take various pictures of the city, including examples of baroque architecture (we went to the Winter Palace for that), neo-classical architecture (that was all over the place), images of Peter the Great (for this war-like czar we went to the Bronze Statue), and ATMs. We found several ATMs but every where we looked, there were cops and muscular soldiers waltzing around waiting for the funny Americans to take pictures of their stuff so that they could arrest them or give them a good talkin’ to.
But oh mama, could this really be the end (as Bob Dylan would say)? To be stuck inside of St. Petersburg with the Moscow blues again. There were a lot of soldiers and cops around but I sort of liked it – it was nice to see the various uniforms and hats the different divisions wore. I wonder if they dislike each other; mess each other up every now and then with witnesses. Anyway, the hunt was nearing an end so we went back to the hostel. After dinner, which was spaghetti and sausage and other delicious things I will not take the time to name (because all you need to know, is that I haven’t been fed better since being at home, and I am starting to wonder about that one, too.
To top off the day, Chris J., myself and a few others went to the 24 hour bookstore which was pretty much a Russified Barnes & Noble and with a disappointingly small English section. But I was happy because the music selection was amazing, and you can’t tack down a song like you can a word, man. You can’t. Music is the true international language and no amount of “Bonjour”s or Gadsden Purchases or Nicaean Emperors will change that. Tatu is from here, after all. And Tchaivosky. I understand Tchaivosky more so than James Joyce and Mr. Joyce was from the heart of green Ireland. Dubliners, anybody?

Ryan

April 17th, 2009
This day was a little less eventful than the day before was. We had a class that discussed the great many numbers the Russians have. Addean, dvah, three, chitheory, pyet, shaste, same, vohsame, etc. All those great ones. I learned a lot and I’m even starting to remember my room number: number nineteen a.k.a. divitnatset a.ka. where I read my “Crime & Punishment” in one and drink my Russian bottled water in the other. I count my ruples in these parts; I count my kopecks in that room. I understand Russian macro ‘n’ socio-economics like I understand tried & true, red & blue American aeronautics yet I know how these ruples will be put to use. I know how to put the ruples in the little tray for stores because I know that the traditional Russian custom is to put money on trays so that the hands don’t touch them because it is considered uncouth. Uncouth like the crude peoples of old.
Several of us (with trusty Chris “Alberto DeLarge Westminster” J. at my side again) went to a local St. Petersburg bakery, where the pigs in the blanket looked delicious but I had no idea how to order it in Russian so I ordered scones and pies and Coca-Cola. Chris called it a meat-sandwich or something. I called him foolish and laughed and caroused the whole time but I knew that in the dark recesses of my stomach and lazer light eyeballs, that I was merely jealous of the old boy and that I wanted those pigs. I wanted those blankets. I wanted everything and I couldn’t have it because of not wanting to appear to be a guy who gorged himself on scones and pigs in blankets.
I did a bit more reading on my Rodia’s troubles (and he brings them only on himself to tell you the truth…believe me, I’ve read Parts I-III and the man likes to hear himself talk and talk and talk and talk. Whatever happens, as Rodia says, “Come what may!” After some reading I took a little nap and waited until I had to shop for dinner. Chris “Rublestein” J., myself and two other hearty fellows went with our teaching fellow to two stores in the streets of Peter’s Dream. In Russia, the stores are really small and really crowded. Perhaps having four brutes like us standing around in the small crevices wasn’t such a good idea; maybe we should split up next time and hunt and gathers as separate units. Either way, though, we got our 30 pieces of chicken and our 30 pieces of fruit and our ten or so potatoes. It was fruit salad, baby.
Dinner was the most amazing meal we had since…well, before Term 1 of school started. The chicken was sweet and moist, the fruit was crunchy and popped, and the potatoes were drenched in oil or something to that effect. Great bangers and mash, gentlemen, I must say.
I helped clean up a bit because the group is composed of various students who are a part of a team in one way or another and I was assigned to a group that had to shop and clean today. Now, as I type this blog, I hope you wish us Good Night & Good Luck. We are wasting time in the flotsam and jetsam, but enjoying every minute of it, and the snow of St. Petersburg is coming down every so gently with its turgid puffs of ice on us as we walk up and down the streets of Peter’s Dream and oh what a dream. What a dream a dream he had and that I have now. Snow in later April? Not even New York state can offer that I have seen the snow of New York state and it does not have the magic essence of a Petersburg snowfall.

Ryan

We're here

April 13, 2009- Flight to Russia
       
Our flight from New York to Helsinki was an eight hour flight.  It was okay, the normal plane experience, the baby crying in the front, the people who have their seat back the entire time, the “crazy” people, and of course, the plane food.  The food was actually pretty good.  It was beef in barbeque sauce and mashed potatoes.  Personally, I liked the potatoes.  Anyways we arrived in Helsinki.

April 14, 2009- Our First Day
       
We arrived in Helsinki and took a puddle jumper to St. Petersburg.  The flight was only 40 minutes long.  After getting our bags and going through customs, we were finally able to start our adventure in St. Petersburg.  We arrived at the hostel and settled into our rooms.  After we unpacked, we went and exchanged our money into roubles.  The bank was difficult and would not except rubbed, ripped, or written on bills. In addition, we had to go into a secured room with a teller behind a glass window.   It was kind of frustrating as Americans knowing that the money is real and we are not trying to scam the Russians.
       
When we finally were able to exchange our money.  We went to a little store near our hostel to get some water and other supplies.  Some men from the store were trying to talk to us in Russian and some broken English.  After returning, we were asked to go shopping for the dinner.  We walked a couple of blocks to a small grocery store.  It was an experience because it was so small and you could only go through the store one way.  The isles were so tiny only one person could get by and you had to lock up your bags before you entered the store.  When we got back from the store, we prepared the food.  We purchased pelmenis and salad for dinner.  Pelminis are similar to perogies just smaller.  After dinner, we went to bed because we were all exhausted. 

April 15, 2009- First Day of Exploration
       
Today, we had breakfast downstairs in the breakfast room.  There were hard boiled eggs, bread, cheese, cereal, and Camelot.  After breakfast, we started a long walking tour of the city to get an overview of the city center.  We walked across Trinity Bridge to old St. Petersburg.   Then we briefly saw the Church on Spilled Blood.  We stopped at the Eternal Flame on the Mars Fields, which is a memorial for the people killed during the Revolution.  Then we walked partly around the Peter and Paul Fortress, which was the first complex, built in St. Petersburg by Peter the Great.  After we walked through the ship port, past the summer gardens, saw a statue of Peter on a horse, and St. Isaac’s Cathedral.  We ate lunch at the pancake house.  I tried a plane and apple pancake and it was more like a crepe in size.  We finished the tour walking down Nevskiy Prospekt where there is a shopping complex that is the oldest in the city.  It is from the time of Peter the Great.  We walked back from Nevskiy Prospect.  We got back to the hostel and had dinner.  For dinner, we had sandwiches and salad. 
       
On a more educational note, I have already learned a lot about communicating with the Russian people.  We had to find a cake shop for Diane’s birthday today and it was an experience.  We were wandering the city by ourselves trying to find a bakery.  We found one after looking for fifteen minutes.  It was hard to find a cake that didn’t have chocolate, but we eventually were able to successfully communicate.  I have definitely learned how to talk with my hands and try new things.  Thanks for listening,
Shannon
        

Blog for Days 1 to 3

April 13, 2009

Our flight from New York to Helsinki was an eight hour flight. It was okay, the normal plane experience, the baby crying in the front, the people who have their seat back the entire time, the “crazy” people, and of course, the plane food. The food was actually pretty good. It was beef in barbecue sauce and mashed potatoes. Personally, I liked the potatoes. Anyways we arrived in Helsinki.

April 14, 2009

We arrived in Helsinki and took a puddle jumper to St. Petersburg. The flight was only 40 minutes long. After getting our bags and going through customs, we were finally able to start our adventure in St. Petersburg. We arrived at the hostel and settled into our rooms. After we unpacked, we went and exchanged our money into roubles. The bank was difficult and would not except rubbed, ripped, or written on bills. In addition, we had to go into a secured room with a teller behind a glass window. It was kind of frustrating as Americans knowing that the money is real and we are not trying to scam the Russians.

When we finally were able to exchange our money. We went to a little store near our hostel to get some water and other supplies. Some men from the store were trying to talk to us in Russian and some broken English. After returning, we were asked to go shopping for the dinner. We walked a couple of blocks to a small grocery store. It was an experience because it was so small and you could only go through the store one way. The isles were so tiny only one person could get by and you had to lock up your bags before you entered the store. When we got back from the store, we prepared the food. We purchased pelmenis and salad for dinner. Pelminis are similar to perogies just smaller. After dinner, we went to bed because we were all exhausted.

April 15, 2009

Today we had breakfast downstairs in the breakfast room. There were hard boiled eggs, bread, cheese, cereal, and Camelot. After breakfast, we started a long walking tour of the city to get an overview of the city center. We walked across Trinity Bridge to old St. Petersburg. Then we briefly saw the Church on Spilled Blood. We stopped at the Eternal Flame on the Mars Fields, which is a memorial for the people killed during the Revolution. Then we walked partly around the Peter and Paul Fortress, which was the first complex, built in St. Petersburg by Peter the Great. After we walked through the ship port, past the summer gardens, saw a statue of Peter on a horse, and St. Isaac’s Cathedral. We ate lunch at the pancake house. I tried a plane and apple pancake and it was more like a crepe in size. We finished the tour walking down Nevskiy Prospekt where there is a shopping complex that is the oldest in the city. It is from the time of Peter the Great. We walked back from Nevskiy Prospect. We got back to the hostel and had dinner. For dinner, we had sandwiches and salad.

On a more educational note, I have already learned a lot about communicating with the Russian people. We had to find a cake shop for Diane’s birthday today and it was an experience. We were wandering the city by ourselves trying to find a bakery. We found one after looking for fifteen minutes. It was hard to find a cake that didn’t have chocolate, but we eventually were able to successfully communicate. I have definitely learned how to talk with my hands and try new things. Thanks for listening,

Shannon