LAC

Being Back

2010-01-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

My life back home seems really, really luxurious. I've been taking time to enjoy some of the simple pleasures back here - unabashed consumerist culture, really delicious smelling water (except for the occasional sulfur attack here in Florida, which causes water to smell like rotten eggs. Um, whose idea was that? Awful...), amazing AMAZING food of every possible ethnic background, my super comfy bed, my friends and family from home, and, of course, my magnificently comfortable bed. That being said, there are definitely some things I'm already starting to miss about Peter: the public transportation (granted, it was often smelly and crowded, but hey, at least it was there!), the snow (I love snow! Despite it's inconvenience), the style (I've barely seen any fur since I arrived back in the states), my friends in Russia, clubs in Peter, gypsy cabs, the Russian language, and, of course, the availability of vodka and blini. Leaving Peter was sweet, but there definitely has also been a bit of a bitter aftertaste - I'm really gonna miss the great times I had there!

Since I've been home, I have pretty much retreated into a whirlwind of gluttony and laziness. And, while it has been lovely, this trend must stop immediately. So, immediate plans for the future include whipping myself back into shape, reading a few books before I head back to school, and working on finding a job.

On a completely unrelated side note, last night I had the incredible opportunity to attend Lady Gaga's "Monster Ball." OUT OF CONTROL!!!!!! It was, hands down, the BEST concert I have ever been to (granted, I haven't been to too many good concerts, but still!). She is an incredible entertainer and a talented singer- the costumes were amazing, Lady G was witty, a little outrageous, and entertaining, and the songs were SO much fun - almost everyone was up and dancing the entire time!! I highly recommend you catch Gaga in concert ASAP!

Also, this is my new favorite Lady Gaga song.

Home Again/Blog fate

2009-12-31T16:05:00.000-08:00

I'm back home! It's pretty weird to be back in the US again, but also really, really quite nice. The past few days I've been spending time with family, eating burritos, eating bagels, and spending entirely too much money. Tomorrow though, I will begin being a normally functioning person again and begin studying/working out/continuing my transition to adulthood (haha, 'cuz I have been absolutely regressing the past couple of days..).

My flight back to the US was pretty rough. Since a bunch of people from the study abroad program were leaving on the 26th of December, we had a bus shuttle us to the airport. Unfortunately, the bus driver was a total jerk/drunk at the time and didn't know how to get anywhere and refused to park in spots that were at all convenient. This fact combined with the largest snowstorm in St. Petersburg in over 100 years resulted in us dragging our suitcases through over three feet of snow hundreds of feet to where the bus was parked. I felt like I was training for the Winter Wars. Awful.

Once we got to the airport, we discovered that we miraculously made the flight to Helsinki, because of a delay. So that was great! Except for the fact that 20 minutes later, we were informed that we actually wouldn't be able to get a flight because they "switched to a smaller plane." Ummm, fabulous... So we spent the day waiting around in Pulkovo airport (by the way, this was pretty much the most poorly run airport I have ever been to, including the tiny one nestled in the Himalayas in Ladakh, India). FINALLY we got to Helsinki, only to be informed that we would have to spend the night there and wait for a plane to the JFK airport in NY the next day. Fine. I didn't mind, because Finland is awesome, and Finnair paid for all of our meals and put us up in a really nice hotel. Woke up the next morning, got to the airport, found out there were no spots on the flight to NY, buttt, luckily, managed to find a flight from London and from there to the US. The rest of the journey was not exactly...smooth, but we made it back as planned (largely thanks to the delays caused by extra-stringent security on flights to the US). I was just SO happy to not be in an airport by the time I got back.

Unfortunately, my baggage was not so lucky, and I was missing the bags for 3 days before they finally managed to track them down. In the end though, they found the bags, and they were delivered to me and so now I am sitting comfortably in my room, with my suitcases, and all seems right with the world.

As for the fate of this blog, well, it's been up for a while, and it would be a shame to let it go just because I'm back from Russia. I started this blog out as a channel for my creativity (AKA a place to post funny videos, good articles, things I want to buy, and complain about things), and it will continue to function as such while I finish up my last semester at school, and posiblemente into the future. So, for now, happy new year/С Новым Годом!!

Dear Finals, Die!

2009-12-20T00:28:00.000-08:00

Well, the good news is I am DONE with RSL (Russian as a Second Language). I finished my last exam on Friday! The bad news is this weekend I have 3 papers to do and a test on Monday to study for. So far I've finished one paper, have about 3 pages to go for one, and 8 pages to go for another. SO, hopefully this next day and a half is very productive. Anyway, 5 days and a wake-up left here in Russia! Sorry for the short, uninteresting post. I just wanted to have something down, mostly for myself, so that I can log on in three days, look at this post, and indulge myself with a giant sigh of relief.

Oh! Also, any good souvenier ideas out there?

My finals habit

2009-12-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Is shopping online. It's sick. It's really sick.

....well, it's not sick. But, the commercialism is probably a little perverse. Still, I am using this time as an opportunity to stock up on essentials, like a new pair of headphones. I've gone through two pairs during my time in Russia. The first pair broke on it's own with nary an explanation or even a humble apology - halfway through the mind-numbing 12 hour bus ride to Latvia. I bought a high qual pair of Latvian headphones that I LOVED while I was there. But then about 3 weeks later I stepped on them, and that was the end of their too-short life. Only the good die young, I suppose. Well, anyway, hopefully the new ones will last a little longer. I got a pair of porta pros (classic 80s style, so I can look like a character from D.A.R.Y.L.), and a pair of skull candy earbuds for running. Can't wait to see them when I get home! SO very soon.

Anyway, pray for me to do okay on finals! Freaking out! Meanwhile I'll pray with thanks for the new Ugandan law banning female circumcision and with hope that their new awful, awful law banning homosexuality is reversed. Oh! And I will also pray with gratitude for the existence of this brilliant idea. Umm, anyone wanna invite me to their wedding in Pittsburgh?? Gosh, I can't wait for cookies and pastries in the US. As much as I love Russia, their pastries cannot compare to cakes/pies/cookies/desserts/bread in general in the US. Maybe I'm biased, but the cool thing about American pastries is that, although a few authentic "American" pastry recipes exist, generally speaking, we just do really good versions of other countries pastries (so, basically, thank the lawwwd for immigration - because without it, there would be no cannolis, Guava pastries, baugette, Nuo Mi Zi). It works out really well though. I mean, aside from the whole obesity thing that we have going.

Booklist Dec 2009

2009-12-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

Well, my mom asked me randomly to make a list of 10 books that I wanted. I have no idea why and she refused to tell me (MUST DISCOVER THE REASON!). Anyway, it was kind of a fun activity, so I'm going to put the list up here, and, for the purpose of figuring out what other potentially interesting/fun/strange books might be out there - post your list of 10 too! Some of the books on my list are ones that I've read, others are ones that I want to read. But anyway, here it is, the current list of 10 books I want!

"Master & Margerita"

"Ada"

“Catcher and the Rye”

The Brothers Kazamarov

“The Dharma Bums”

“Big Sur”

“Tristessa”

“Visions of Gerard”

“Farewell To Arms”

“All is Quiet on the Western Front”

Happy Chanukah!

2009-12-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

Shalom Aleicham!

Sorry it's been forever since my last post. I've been distracted by finals. Well, I've been distracted by trying to distract myself from finals. But I've just realized that this blog can serve the purpose of procrastination brilliantly, so here I am, the day before my fourth and final RSL (Russian as a Second Language) final.

So, today it was -16 degrees here in St. Petersburg! The Neva finally froze over! It’s beautiful here right now with the giant coat of snow over all of Peter and the bright New Year’s decorations. And, surprisingly, it doesn’t feel toooo cold. I actually kinda like this weather. I think I’m really getting used to the darkness too – I’m kind of enjoying my tendency to snuggle up indoors and watch movies right now! So comfy!

I have two fun stories though that I have to share

(1a) I discovered this amazing video store. Well, really my friend discovered it and showed it to me – each DVD is a mere 60 rubles (that’s about 2 dollars) and comes with about 9 movies! They’re movies from all over the world dubbed in Russian, and pretty high quality! I bought about six of them on my first visit there, and the guy working there handed me a chocolate bar, as he said, “a gift.” It was glorious. And, okay, well…this is awful, but I feel special ‘cuz I was the only one in the store who got one when I bought videos, though there were people who bought more than I. I can’t lie, I love getting special presents (e.g. chocolate) because of my special qualities (e.g. being the only female in the store). Hahahaha. Anyway, it was glorious.

(2b) On the bus yesterday, this homeless guy walked on with about four bags of glass bottles and set them down in a corner, then the conductor came by and asked him to pay, which he did not do, and the conductor, naturally, got mad and started ranting at him then just gave up and walked out. Then he drew and integral signal with 2pi at the bottom and like, mu, at the bottom, on the frosty window drew a circle next to that and started drawing lines in it with mathematical symbols all over the place. Then he stood there thinking for a few minutes and started writing out an equation, took a break from that, and wrote “Dark Side of the Moon” on the window. He wrote a few more things into his equation, then wrote down “Gaga Behavior” on the glass. At this point, it was my time to exit the bus.

Helsinki???

2009-12-04T03:16:00.000-08:00

Dear readers,

I cannot decide whether or not to go to Helsinki this weekend. Hmm. So here's what I'm think about:

Reasons to go

-Won't have an opportunity for a weekend Helsinki trip anytime soon

-Will be old enough to go clubbing in Helsinki, which I was not last time I went there

-Moomi museum

-I'll get to hear Finnish- one of my favorite languages EVER!

-If I stay, I'll be allll alone this weekend and will probably spend the weekend watching movies alone.

Reasons not to go

-been there before

-to be honest, not the most thrilling city ever, and I wouldn't have time to go to Tampere or Jyvaskyla or Rovaniemi or Viitisaari or any other beloved towns or cities in Finland

-there's no way I'm leaving Finland without my share of Cloudberry, Marrimekko, or Ittalo products - which is awesome, but my bank account doesn't think so

-Helsinki is EXPENSIVE!

-If I stay, I'll actually get work done.

Oh gosh! I cannot decide. Dear readers, assist me in making a wise choice!!

The Countdown Begins

2009-12-02T03:21:00.000-08:00

Only 24 days until I make my triumphant return to the US and A. WOW! I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly. As much as I'm going to miss St. Petersburg, I am really looking forward to getting back. Lately I've just felt dirty here. As in really, physically, just grosssss. I'm not sure what it is, some combination of cigarette smoke, pollutants, brownish water - it's just all combined to create this new phenomenon in which I just constantly feel unclean - no matter how many showers I take. This is fairly new, however, so I'm not realy sure what exactly triggered this psychological nonsense. Let me know if you have any insights! Please!

When I get back I am going to spend a week in NY with the fam - mom, dad, bro, grandma. We're reuniting on the big LI! It's going to be a great week - I'll probably be shopping and eating uncontrollably after these last few months. Coincedentally - a BUNCH of my friends will be in NY at the same time - Megan, Joe, Sam, Ben, Audrey, and maybe even a few more that I don't yet know about. So, yes, it should be fabulous.

After that week, welll, that's a whole different story. You see, I have no plans for Wintersession, so it might just be a month of me working out and re-learning Army things and how to properly speak the English language. Which, at this point, I'm mostly okay with. During this month, I might also start job applications (!), learn how to cook, and continue my progression to adulthood (by reading "How to Become an Adult", of course).

As far as my next month here, it looks like it should be relatively uneventful. No travel plannned, but, as always, spontaneous travel a possibility. I have class until the last week I'm here, which is pretty unfortunate IMHO, because it would've been great to have a week at the end to travel to Germany or Poland or somewhere of the sorts. Instead, I'll be at school on Christmas day :(. But not actually, because I don't have class on Thursdays. So that's at least a plus.

In sum, this little dirty old suite of mine is getting old, and I want my palace already!

Happy Post-Thanksgiving!

2009-11-28T03:52:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I've been spending this Thanksgiving weekend relaxing - and it's been SOOO nice! I downloaded my second-favorite TV series tonight - "Freaks and Geeks" (a close second to "My So-Called Life), and my favorite 1940's Disney Film, "The Three Cabelleros" and I've just been kind of lounging around watching those and organizing my music, editing my resume, wasting time. It's been glorious though.

Tonight I'm getting out of the house and going ice skating though - cannot wait to get back on the ice. I'm going to be renting skates, which is always a little annoying just because I am always too cautious to try to do any real figure skating stuff, even if they are giving away actual figure skates and not those cheapo plastic boots with butter knives affixed to the bottom. I'll let you know how it goes though!

Anyway, not too much exciting stuff to report on, although, tomorrow I am going to a ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre - which I am SURE will be something to write home about!!! More updates soon - and I promise, they'll be more exciting!

Moscow - Day 2

2009-11-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

Since my last blog post got all wonky at the end (not sure what happened with the font and formatting there?) I decided to just go ahead and start a new one, anyway, here it goes DAYYYY 2 in Moscow. When I stepped outside Saturday, I could finally appreciate some of the unique aspects of Moscow (which I couldn't appreciate the day before since I was SO completely exhausted). The first thing I noticed was how physically HUGE everything is - the streets, the sidewalks, the signs, the statues. Everything is just completley OVERSIZED!! It's kind of incredible. The architecture in Moscow is also VERY different from St. Petersburg. While Moscow is a much, much older city (it's a medieval city) than St. Peterburg, most of the buildings (with the exception of the churches) are much younger and built in a classic communist style. Also, you see at least three churches from pretty much anywhere you stand in Moscow.

Anyway, Saturday morning we went to the Red Square and GYM, and took a tour of the Kremlin. It was a pretty amazing day - these were places that most people only get to dream about visiting - and it was awesome to actually be there. The tour guide was great, and I actually learned a lot about the Kremlin and Red Square - but it was absolutely FREEZING! OY! GYM was pretty awesome too - it's crazy ironic how Red Square is now home to a shopping center that houses the most expensive, luxurious, bourgoise fashion labels in the world. Se la vies, I guess? Oh! I also visited the biggest McDonald's in the world!! OK Magazine happened to be doing a production there and had a Russian TV series actress there taking pictures with people to promote the magazine so I jumped in and had my picture taken with her by the OK Magazine people and got my friend to take another pic! haha! It was kinda ridiculous.

Saturday afternoon we had another tour to Old Arbat - which, once again, fabulous tour guide, interesting tour, TOO COLD TO CONCENTRATE!! Once we actually got to Old Arbat, however, my friend and I split off, had a delicious warm meal in a nice warm restaurant (for which I paid entirely too much), went souveneir shopping, then went a little crazy in a perfume shop, saw Hare Krishnas dancing in the street, and then made our way back to the hostel. I was still too exhausted/poor to really go out clubbing Saturday night - so instead I decided to hit up a bar "Art Garbage" with two friends. It was pretty fun, tame. Just had a Pepsi and listened to the live band play random Russian songs and hits from the 90s. It was a bit of an odd crowd, a mix of younger and older people, mostly couples. Four of our friends also met us there later in the night. We got back pretty early and I PASSED out when I got back.

Sunday morning I woke up for the group breakfast and headed to the New Tretyakovskaya Gallery with two friends. It was GREAT!!! They stock all of the best Russian 20th century art and happened to have an absolutely fantastic exhibit on Russian ballet - showing the costumes, various sketches, video clips, etc. I'm kind of obsessed with Ballets Russe right now. Also, if you haven't heard of it, look up the following ballets: Parade (esp. the version with costumes by Picasso!), and Shaharizade. AMAZING! We met up with the group for lunch and I went to the movies with my Russian friends that afternoon- it was perfect - wonderful to get off my feet for a while!! That night we headed back to Peter, and today here I am, back in the ole dorm room!

Back in Peter!

2009-11-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

I got back from Moscow on Monday morning and I've been recovering ever since, so I apologize for the delayed post. I had an awesome trip and absolutely loved Moskvy! Whereas Peter can seem small, and almost provincial, at times Moscow is huge, over-the-top and extravagant. On the way to the hostel we passed a Maserati dealer, a Bentley dealer, and endless designer boutiques. I went with my study abroad program, and we left St. Petersburg Thursday night on the night train. We arrived to Moscow early in the morning, checked into the hotel, and headed to breakfast. The cafe was really nice, and they served us two blini and four eggs. I ate everything.

Right after breakfast, we went on to our first tour of the trip - which was more like an endless walk led by our program director (whom we've nicknamed Zeidi - Yiddish for Grandpa. Really for no discernable reason). Our tour was followed by lunch, which was probably some variation on chicken and potatoes, possibly with soup of some kind, and a "Russian Salad," which typically consists of chopped cucumbers and tomatos in some type of a bitter dressing with dill, or this purpley stuff seasoned with dill and vinegary something, or carrots with bitter sauce and dill (although that last variation is called a "Korean Salad" for reasons I have yet to discover). Our lunch was followed by a visit to the Tretyakovskaya Gallery - which houses all of the great works of the pre-20th century Russian masters. While it was a great museum, we were definitely all ready to go to bed - I sat down on pretty much every bench in the museum and was close to dozing off about six different times. We ended the day with a group dinner, whereupon I returned to the dorm and fell asleep promptly.

Latke Weekend

2009-11-16T00:46:00.001-08:00

I just got back from Vilnius, aka "The Jerusalem of the North," this morning. I had a great time there! I went with four of my friends from the Bard-Smolny program via train on Friday. We were in the cheapest seats on an overnight train and it was quite an experience. I had the top bunk, and amazingly, slept wonderfully all night long (I'm sure staying out late on Thursday for my roommate's birthday helped with that). We got there and figured out how to get on the bus to reach our hostel, then figured out where to get off with the help of some really sweet Lithuanian ladies. I was pretty psyched because a woman from Kaunas (another, smaller city in Lithuania) complimented my Russian! YAYYY! About 80% of Lithuanians speak Russian and some 13% speak English.

Anyway, on Saturday we wandered through the old city, saw the last remaining synagogue there (at one point, there were over 100 synagogues in the city), and went to a bunch of cute little shops. It's a very funky, artsy town - the district in which our hostel was located, Izupais, is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Vilnius and is an "artist's republic" - they have their own President, two bishops, constitution, etc. The graffiti throughout the city is actually really beautiful and impressive and they have a lot of odd statues and little parks throughout the city. The also have a Frank Zappa statue!! It was built right after the collapse of the Soviet Union- a celebration of the new artistic freedom in Vilnius.

On Sunday morning, we got brunch (I had amazing latkes and sour cream!! Mmmmm! Latkes are really popular there!) and headed to the Genocide Museum. I assumed the museum would be all about the Holocaust, but it was actually about the Soviet occupation of Lithuania. It was really interesting to hear about Soviet rule from a Lithuanian prospective - Lithuanian nationalists struggled for independence from the first hints of Soviet power in the region at the end of WWII until the collapse of the Soviet Union. I had never before realized all that the Lithuanian people have been through - from Polish occupation, to German occupation, to Soviet occupation with just a few years in between - and fighting for their soveriegnty the entire time. It was actually an incredibly depressing museum. Very moving, very sad.

The museum was housed in an old KGB prison, and you could visit the cells, torture rooms, showers and exectution rooms, the also had a few exhibits about the KGB. This part, to me, was absolutely terrifying. Seeing the torture rooms in person was horrifying - one had all padded walls and a straightjacket attached to the back wall, others had a low ground with one little platform in the middle where prisoners would have to balance or else they would fall into freezing cold water or onto ice (this room was not heated at all during the winter). They also had a lot of information about what exactly the KGB did, and what life was like during the Soviet Regime with regard to the KGB. They had a full room filled with shredded documents that the KGB destroyed just before the Soviet Union collapsed to cover their tracks, and information about various undercover agents, assasins, methods of spying. The sheer number of people that were spyed on, blackmailed, tortured, exiled, and killed was just incredible, and shocking. The other part of the museum that was really jarring to me was how recent some of these events transpired. The jail itself was open until 1987 and was fully functioning until that time, using many of the same techniques it had used during Stalin's regime. I left the museum a far more informed (and more depressed!) person.

Anyway, once we left we went to a bakery and had SUCH GOOD food! I'm just gonna go ahead and say it, I definitely prefer Lithuanian to Russian cuisine. We left after that and took the train back, it was a pretty decent, smooth ride back. Unfortunately I had to go straight to school this morning :(. Oh well!

I have a lot of work to do now since I didn't get much done during the weekend! But, well worth it!

Vilnius!

2009-11-13T02:27:00.000-08:00

Against my father's wise advice, I have decided to travel to Vilnius this weekend despite the mounds of work I must complete. Here's my thinking:

- I only need to get C's in my classes this semester, since study abroad counts as pass/fail

- I'm pretty good at finishing work quickly and pulling all nighters if necessary, I can take being tired and miserable upon my return if it means getting the chance to go to Vilnius

- I don't have to go out at night - and I don't plan on it. Instead, I can use the internet at the hostel and work on my two papers and two presentations next week and do my sightseeing and all during the day

It's going to be a bit of a crazzzy week (especially considering the fact that I'll be heading to Moscow on Thursday) - but I only have about a month and a half left here, and I really want to take advantage of my time instead of sitting in my room doing homework (which I could be doing anywhere) on the weekends.

Anyway, off to finish preparing and buy tickets. Ciao!

Classes next semester

2009-11-09T04:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is another boring post, I suppose, but, it's still very exciting to me! I registered for classes this morning and here's the schedule so far:

- Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible - gotta get my REL requirement

- Slavic Folklore and Fairy Tales - for my Russian minor

- International Economic Policy - IR class, of course

- annnd, hopefully (I have to get the Prof's permission) - a seminar of People, Agriculture, and Environment (another IR class)

Very exciting! Verrrry exciting!

Health and Normality!!

2009-11-08T04:12:00.000-08:00

I'm bbbbbaaaaaaaaccccccckkkkkkkk! After being down with the flu entirely too long, I'm finally back to health & working on catching up on work. I've been in my room pretty much all weekend (save for the occasional trip to the grocery store) holed up writing papers and doing homework. As lame as it sounds, I am a very happy camper right now, just because I feel SO much better! YES! Anyway, since I've been sick all week, pretty much nothing exciting has happened. Next weekend, however, I will be heading to Vilinius - so I'm sure there will be plenty of excitement in my future. Anyway, I really don't have too much to write about, unless you'd like to hear the details of the death of my throat and the river of mucous that was my nose. Probably not though, so I'm gonna go ahead and stop while I'm ahead.

Also, these jeans

2009-11-03T06:50:00.000-08:00

They are perfection

...except for the fact that they cost $225.

Anyone have a Hudson Jeans connection?

Illness, Anger

2009-11-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the massive delay between postings lately. I've been down with the flu (possibly swine flu? who knows these days) and it's been pretty awful. I HATE being sick. And this is the second time this semester. Crazy. From now on, I am buying at least one container of orange juice/week. Anyway, I tried to go to the health clinic today, but the cabbie couldn't find the right address and dropped me off in front of a random government building. So I wandered around the area for a bit in my delirious fluvian state until I decided to get some hot chocolate (which, as I've said before, is in Russia far superior to anything you can find in the US) and head back on two busses (had to make a darned transfer). Oh well, made it back without passing out.

In other news, I hate facebook. Really, I do. It was all fun and games before, when it was limited to the college crowd, but now that it's opened it's doors and gone all Myspace on us, the original followers, the attraction that drew me in in the first place (its exclusivity - limited at first to students a few select colleges, then to all colleges) is gone. Anyway, I'm leaving for a while. I will be back eventually, as it has proven over the past few years to be the easiest way to keep in touch with old friends, but for now I just need my time away from the online social networking world.

Also today, I'd like to present a short thesis on one particular aspect of feminism. I've noticed here, that usually after a night out, I enjoy a good feminist rant in the morning. It's an odd little habit, but I have embraced it, and my roommates have, I suppose, learned to deal (while pretending to embrace it). But, today, there's one that I think might be worthwhile to share with the world outside of the LoveNest (the name of our suite here in Peter).

I've never really been a conservative dresser, I've always been goofy, and pretending that I'm in a Patrick Demarchelier photoshoot has pretty much been on the top of my hobbies list since I got my hands on my first vogue. So, yeah, that's pretty much me. In middle school and high school i couldn't WAIT to get to college so I could wear whatever I wanted without the regulations of my public school's dress code. I think it's stupid that women have to monitor what they wear because, supposedly, it's some sort of distraction or reflection to their character. I'm sorry, but FALSE. I despise, for example, the sentiment that, if a woman dresses a particular way, "if something happens to her, she's just asking for it". Well, no, just as I don't agree with the refrain that if women's appearance distracts men, the women should cover up. Really? I mean, that sentiment is completely degrading to men, as if they cannot control themselves. I think more of men than that.

I also disagree with the refrain that what you choose to wear is a reflection of your character. I will stand by that until the end. I love seeing punks with 13945345 facial piercings win academic awards. I have certain principles that I have to stick by, as a feminist, as a human being. While in a professional setting, I'll dress like a professional, in my own life, hey, I'd rather not have a friendship with someone who judges me based upon what I wear. And, you know what, I love my body, and I think modesty is mostly BS pushed upon us by America's puritan roots (just ask the average European what they think about nudism as a concept compared to the average American). I'd rather be myself and explain why i am the way i am then try to dress or act differently. I mean, Dolly Parton did it, eh?

Another Crazy Weekend!

2009-10-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

I had an AMAZING time in Latvia. I ended up just spending two days in Riga instead of heading to Vilnius the second day. The 12 hour bus ride there really wasn't too bad - it was a night bus, so I basically slept the whole ride - and the bus was only about half occupied, so I had plenty of room to myself. I didn't have any trouble purchasing my ticket or finding the bus station. Well, that's a lie, it actually took me about 15 minutes to cross the street and buy my ticket (I always forgot that sometimes they have those underground passageways instead of crosswalks...oops). Also, when the clerk asked me if I knew where the bus picked us up from, I thought she was asking where I was from, and I said "from America." Smooth one, Andrea.

Anyway, the trip was easy- I had to get out for customs between Estonia and Russia (but interestingly, didn't really have to do anything for the Estonian-Latvian border). When I got there, I wandered around for a while in the beautiful old city, just taking in the sights, and made a quick trip into Stockmann (my FAVORITE store of the Baltic states, which also has an outpost her in St. Petersburg). I also visited the Amber Museum (Riga has amazing amber jewelry) and the Latvian War Museum - which was very interesting, and also very sad when I got to the floor about Latvia in WWII, where the country sustained major losses in every imaginable way.

I headed to an "authentic latvian cuisine" pub for dinner that night and overheard a group of guys speaking English with American accents! So I turned around to ask if they were from the US, and it turns out they were US sailors on liberty for the day in Riga! Crazy, right? Anyway, we started talking and I ended up joining them for dinner (I had, by the way, a carrot spread on black bread with cranberries...which was about as appetizing as it sounds, the guys ordered dried elk, pigs' ears, blood sausage, rhubarb, old-school traditional Latvian cuisine is definitely quite different). They WOULD NOT let me pay for my dinner!! Then I said I was going to get a shot of cloudberry liquor because, I LOVE cloudberries - LOVE. Really, these are probably my favorite berries in the world. Anyway, they decided to try it with me and it was absolutely incredible. Simply delectable, my friends, simply delectable. My new Navy friends invited me to come out with them so we went clubbing and had an amazing time!! Really was an awesome night. Really, really, like, unbelievably awesome. The champagne was flowing, a Norwegian businessman gave me his number and told me to talk to his secretary to meet people in St. Petersburg, the Sailors were hilarrrious. It was just, in a word, baller.

I got back to the bus station to catch my 3 am train to Vilnius, but I had about 3.5 hours to spare, so I decided to sleep and recharge my iPod at a hotel right above the bus station. It was sooo nice to sleep on a bed without a giant hole in the middle and wash my face for the first time in about 24 hours! But, little did I know that the hotel LOCKED its guests inside. So as I struggled to force the glass door open at 2:45 AM, I saw the bus pull up, then pull away a few minutes later...ughhhhh. So I went back to sleep until about 8:30, and decided to just head back, since I had mid-terms and a friend visiting the next day anyway. Still, twas an amazing trip.

Last night I went to pick up my friend from Yaroslavl - she's staying for the week. We went to wander around Nevsky that night, going into super-expensive stores and pretending to be loaded (I saw my Stella McCartney boots!!), and then we went into Sbarro, which I've been wanting to try, and had THE BEST PIZZA EVERRRR! Aghhh it was SOO good. AND they have free wireless. So, from now on, I will be conducting any and all videochats from Sbarro. Yess!

In Riga

2009-10-23T02:55:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know- I'm in Riga now!! It's gorgeous...and has surprisingly amazing shopping!! I had to replace my messenger bag with a backpack and buy a new set of headphones, so I've already spent a decent amount. Buuutttt this has definitely been worth it so far!! I have also booked my ticket to Vilnius - leaving at 2am and getting there at 6:40. I'll have to find an internet cafe because a charged iPod is definitely key for the train ride/bus ride/whatever I end up taking back. Anyway, I can't wait to tell you all about it when I get back!

From Latvia with love,
Anj

The First of My Solo Traveling Adventures

2009-10-22T07:11:00.001-07:00

This weekend I am traveling to Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

Tonight I'm catching a bus to Riga, Latvia, where I'll be spending the day, from there I'm heading to Vilnius, Lithuania and then I'll be either heading straight back, or heading back, spending a few hours in Estonia, and getting back to St. Petersburg a little bit later on Sunday.

This upcoming week, by the way, I also have my RSL mid-terms (!!).

I'm traveling solo, and not planning on staying at any hostels (I'm traveling at night), wearing my "traveling clothing" (AKA I will look like a sloppy American...). I'm kinda nervous about the journey, but it will definitely be interesting. Hopefully I'll be able to use internet somewhere during my journey, if not though, I will most certainly tell you about it upon my return.

Wish me luck!!

hermitage!

2009-10-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today I visited the Hermitage for the first time, and let me tell you, it certainly did NOT dissappoint. I was only there for about and hour and a half - but I will definitely be going back. The palace in which the museum is housed is incredible!!! I would really, really like my future home to be a scaled down version of the Winter Palace. I think this could definitely be feasible. The interior was just, unimaginably luxurious - each room had its own quirks and personality that ranged from perfectly symmetrical floors and ceilings, to incredibly bright green marble, to the giant red hall completely covered with portraits of Russian military heroes.

Aside from the interior itself, the collection of artwork that the Hermitage houses is absolutely incredible. Today I was able to see arms and armaments dating from the earliest days of the Russian empire, works by Raphael and Michaelangelo, and Cannavi. I was only able to tour a tiny, tiny portion of the museum today, so I will definitely have to go back. Entrance is also free with my student ID!!

If you want to get an idea of how magnificent the museum is, I would recommend renting the film "Russian Ark." My parents hated this movie, and will probably make comments regarding their hatred of the film, but really, you must take it for what it is: asthetically, the film is undeniably a masterpiece. I mean, yes, the plot is a little...nonexistance. But watch with a little patience and an open mind and you will have no regrets.

In other news, this weekend I'm traveling to Tallinn with a friend, then either going to Vilnius or Riga solo (unless I can find a travel partner before Wednesday). I'll keep you updated before my departure!

Also, I have a story about me being socially awkward, but I'll share that in a later post.

Ultimat

2009-10-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

I joined the gym - Ultimat - and had my first little workout. YAY!

Also, I am feeling lazy, and so, instead of studying, I shall provide you with things I've learned this week:

- Body language and pointing are key aspects to communication in my world. In fact, I would go so far as to say that these two combined is the primary method of communication in my skewed little universe.

- TLC never gets old. I'm talking, by the way, about the band

- Black miniskirts also never get old.

- How donuts, and donut holes, came to Russia (and also how to say both donuts and donut holes)

- How to say "sparkling wine" and "dry wine" po- russki

- I will probably never have a week in my life where I do not sustain a new cut or scar. Just not gonna happen.

- men in Russia - far more persistent than American men. Not sure yet, whether this is a plus or not so much.

- Russian women, por lo general, really know how to dress for the cold. Somehow they manage to make giant winter coats look sexy and glamorous and amazing! It's incredible!!!!

This weekend will be very study-heavy - I have my first mid-term on Monday. An ORAL EXAM ON THE COLD WAR IN RUSSIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oy! Yeah, it should be fun. I'll let you know how that goes...

staying in...

2009-10-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

I resisted tonight. I know there's free champagne and free cover, but, I just needed to relax. at home. by myself. So here I am, relaxing. And let me tell you, it feels pretttty good. No matter how many parties or clubs I go to, and no matter how much I enjoy them, there is still a part of me that loves just being at home, reading, wearing my retainer, being a dork.

Today I had four RSL classes (ugh!) then went to the grocery store and picked up my shoes. I learned that I actually requested a metal tap on the bottom of my heels- I thought the guy was asking me if the heel was reinforced with metal yesterday. Obviously I need to work on my cobbling related vocabulary in Russian. Anyway, though, this was an incredible discovery. I feel like the metal might just last longer than the plastic tips PLUS they look crazy hardcore. Anyway, the only unfortunate part about this is that my shoes are going to be super-loud on certain surfaces. Whatever, though, I can deal.

Anyway, I was also getting my boots fixed, and cobbler asked me "are these uncomfortable," because ever since a couple of weeks ago, the heels been occasionally bending out of place. Well, as it turns out, the can work on this too! WOW! So, two pairs of shoes are still being cobbled, but one is good to go and the others will soon follow suit.

I'm really sorry I just wrote a full post on shoe repair. This is what I choose to write about while I'm in glorious Petey?? But, seriously, it was fascinating to me. Hmmm....other news? Well, I might be heading to Moscow next week, we'll see. Also, my style is definitely becoming more Russian. I just need more things that are black and shiny. And leather. Or fur. Or fake leather and fur. Take, for example, these gems. Anyway, that's really about all I have for now.

morning adventure

2009-10-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, this all happened about 5 minutes ago, so posting it on this blog so soon really makes me kind of a loser. But I'm gonna do it anyway- because I need to tell someone about my "morning adventure" and none of my suitemates are awake yet!

This morning I really needed to accomplish a few things I had been putting off lately: buying meat (you have to ask for it! they put it in a plastic bag! it's really kind of a scary process...haha), getting my three pairs of shoes repaired, and joining the gym. I only accomplished one of these tasks. The store didn't have the only cut of meat that I'm currently eating (chicken breast), and I couldn't find the gym!! It's supposedly the easiest place in the world to find, but once again, my lack of land navigation skills leads to a tragic disaster. Oh well. I will look again tonight after classes. I did, however, acheive brilliant success in the shoe repair field. Actually, the shoe repair place was closed when I got there, but then as I turned around the shoe repair guy called out "devyshka" (that means girl, and people use it in all contexts - you can scream it out if you need help in a store, need a waitress, want to get any female's attention. AND you can call, like 98 year old women devyshki) and opened up the shoe repair place about an hour early for me. Incredible! Then he asked where I was from and we started chatting it up (well, as much as I can "chat it up" in Russian), and he's from Armenia. And then he asked if I've tried Armenian food, and asked me to get Armenian food with him! Whoa! I was wearing super unattractive gym clothing too- it was a miracle. AND he's definitely among the top attractive men I've seen in Russia. Anyway, that's my morning story.

Also, turning in my second paper in Russia today -- ughhh. MUST. FINISH. EDITING. NOW.

Gym?

2009-10-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

I'm currently deciding whether to join a gym or not, here are my pros and cons thus far :

Pros - I'm just a better person when I work out

It's good to be in shape for the Army

Cons - Costs ~$100/month

Do I even have time for this?? I'm always super busy and feel like I'm going to pass out every second

Okay, well, that's my awful list of pros and cons. So difficult!! I just don't know, I really don't.

On a side note, I think I'm really, seriously addicted to cereal. I just need to stop buying it. I'm like a cerealhead. This needs to stop.