(no subject)
6 July 2007
Disaster always hits when you least expect it or want it. For those of you who don't know, i've been living with another student from the program in the same family, Alyson. After being here roughly a week though, she started getting really bad digestive problems and incredible pains and ended up going to the hospital on Saturday. Well, she's been there ever since while the doctors attempted to figure out what the problem was. Absolutely no luck, and today she called to tell me that she's being taken back to the States either tomorrow or Sunday. Naturally, she was crying, and i almost started crying as well. There are volumes of Russian words to describe this situation, but none of them should be translated. Seriously, after going to all the trouble to win this scholarship and doing your best to adapt to life here... and then to get hit with this! I can't even begin to describe how upset i would be in her place.
8 July 2007
Went to the Hermitage today! Pictures simply cannot do that place justice for anything. (Actually, they can't do much of anything justice, people, buildings, artwork, cities...etc.) It's the perfect combination of a palace and a museum, which is especially good for me. Honestly, i don't understand great art the way i should, so it was wonderful to have such stunning architecture and decorating to admire.
It cost money to take pictures inside the museum and photography is not a talent of mine, so i bought a few books on the museum for certain art-minded family members:-)
9 July 2007
Yulia told me today that Allyson's grandpa died. He'd been sick with cancer for a long time and Allyson was really fretting about being in Russia during what were most likely going to be his last few weeks. Her family asked that the people in the program not tell her, so I have to be careful not to mention it. Good grief though, i can't imagine what her family must be going through right now. The death of a father, and a daughter sick in a foreign country. That's a lot to deal with.
Also, it seems that someone tried to get into our apartment last night. Very reassuring, i know. That's the strange thing about being in Russia: on the one hand, it feels perfectly safe, but at the same time, there's an unavoidable sense of being very, very vulnerable. The country is safe, that's not what I mean. It's more a sense of uncertainty and randomness that Russians live with every day. For me, I feel an extra layer of vulnerability as an American woman, someone who is undoubtedly a bag of gold with a greencard to boot (as someone kindly explained to me). The rate of guys being a little too interested in me is now more than one a week, and it's very safe to bet that they only want two things from me. As Misha put it, "Russia, our beloved country that we can't wait to leave." Heh.
Just walking down the streets though, i feel safer here than i do in Seattle, if for no other reason than there are lots of people walking down the street. In so many ways, this city feels comfortable and unsettling at the same time, which is hard to explain. Trying to behave like a Russian on the streets, aka not smiling and not being particularly cosy with strangers, is both a welcomed relief and confining. St. Petersburg feels more like "home" than Seattle ever has, but I constantly have the feeling of being a stranger, a feeling which is harder to overcome in Russian culture than in Western Europe for very legitimate reasons.
On the more entertaining side of things, I've had to help several Italians and Turks at the grocery store because they think I'm Russian! They just come right up to me and ask for advice on the best vodka or ask me translate labels into English. One lady seemed to think I might speak Italian and we had to work out sign language for "salt" which eventually involved pointing at fish!
11 July
Allyson is going back to the States tomorrow. It's really unfortunate that she got to spend so little time here, and half of her time here was spent in the hospital. Still, hopefully the doctors back home will be able to figure out what's wrong with her and treat it. Just remembering my own run-in with stomach problems, it can be incredibly frustrating and infuriating having to wonder how your body will cope the food at every meal.
So, now you're all caught up on life in St. P.
Disaster always hits when you least expect it or want it. For those of you who don't know, i've been living with another student from the program in the same family, Alyson. After being here roughly a week though, she started getting really bad digestive problems and incredible pains and ended up going to the hospital on Saturday. Well, she's been there ever since while the doctors attempted to figure out what the problem was. Absolutely no luck, and today she called to tell me that she's being taken back to the States either tomorrow or Sunday. Naturally, she was crying, and i almost started crying as well. There are volumes of Russian words to describe this situation, but none of them should be translated. Seriously, after going to all the trouble to win this scholarship and doing your best to adapt to life here... and then to get hit with this! I can't even begin to describe how upset i would be in her place.
8 July 2007
Went to the Hermitage today! Pictures simply cannot do that place justice for anything. (Actually, they can't do much of anything justice, people, buildings, artwork, cities...etc.) It's the perfect combination of a palace and a museum, which is especially good for me. Honestly, i don't understand great art the way i should, so it was wonderful to have such stunning architecture and decorating to admire.
It cost money to take pictures inside the museum and photography is not a talent of mine, so i bought a few books on the museum for certain art-minded family members:-)
9 July 2007
Yulia told me today that Allyson's grandpa died. He'd been sick with cancer for a long time and Allyson was really fretting about being in Russia during what were most likely going to be his last few weeks. Her family asked that the people in the program not tell her, so I have to be careful not to mention it. Good grief though, i can't imagine what her family must be going through right now. The death of a father, and a daughter sick in a foreign country. That's a lot to deal with.
Also, it seems that someone tried to get into our apartment last night. Very reassuring, i know. That's the strange thing about being in Russia: on the one hand, it feels perfectly safe, but at the same time, there's an unavoidable sense of being very, very vulnerable. The country is safe, that's not what I mean. It's more a sense of uncertainty and randomness that Russians live with every day. For me, I feel an extra layer of vulnerability as an American woman, someone who is undoubtedly a bag of gold with a greencard to boot (as someone kindly explained to me). The rate of guys being a little too interested in me is now more than one a week, and it's very safe to bet that they only want two things from me. As Misha put it, "Russia, our beloved country that we can't wait to leave." Heh.
Just walking down the streets though, i feel safer here than i do in Seattle, if for no other reason than there are lots of people walking down the street. In so many ways, this city feels comfortable and unsettling at the same time, which is hard to explain. Trying to behave like a Russian on the streets, aka not smiling and not being particularly cosy with strangers, is both a welcomed relief and confining. St. Petersburg feels more like "home" than Seattle ever has, but I constantly have the feeling of being a stranger, a feeling which is harder to overcome in Russian culture than in Western Europe for very legitimate reasons.
On the more entertaining side of things, I've had to help several Italians and Turks at the grocery store because they think I'm Russian! They just come right up to me and ask for advice on the best vodka or ask me translate labels into English. One lady seemed to think I might speak Italian and we had to work out sign language for "salt" which eventually involved pointing at fish!
11 July
Allyson is going back to the States tomorrow. It's really unfortunate that she got to spend so little time here, and half of her time here was spent in the hospital. Still, hopefully the doctors back home will be able to figure out what's wrong with her and treat it. Just remembering my own run-in with stomach problems, it can be incredibly frustrating and infuriating having to wonder how your body will cope the food at every meal.
So, now you're all caught up on life in St. P.