Petersburg and More!

Spring has sprung and Russia has awoken from a long winter slumber. As my friend said today "it went from -10 C to +10 C in a week". People are appearing out of no where, it's incredible. I went to a lookout point on top of a hill near the university which was empty on my first night and now it is packed with people, motorcycles, bicycles and roller blades. So much is happening so fast here that it's hard to update this blog in a timely fashion or even include everything that is worth talking about!

So I guess the first big news is that I finally got the permission and approval to stay in Russia and am currently having my visa extended until the 1st of August. People keep asking me at home why I want to stay here. I've only been here 2 months and I feel like I've only scratched the surface of my potential as far as understanding the language and the people. In just 2 months, my ability to read and comprehend what people are saying has increased dramatically, but still my speaking skills are not at the level I want. Second, is that since I'm taking so many classes here other than Russian, it is difficult for me to focus on it like I need. I'm taking 4 other classes in English and that ruins all chances for total immersion. When I stay this summer my focus will be completely language. Another big reason to stay is that I will be able to take the TORFL or Test of Russian as a Foreign Language. I will definitely be ready to pass the first level which would allow me to enroll in any university in Russia or work for any company. Also I will be well on my way to studying and taking the 2nd exam. The higher the level I achieve, the better jobs within our own government will become available to me. Just passing the 1st exam will put me at a great advantage when applying for a job at the State Department.

The last week has been chockablock with activities. Last weekend we took the overnight train to Saint Petersburg, and for those of you who have never taken a sleeper train, its quite an experience that everyone should have at least once. We left Moscow at 1am and arrived in Petersburg at 11am. From there we just grabbed some breakfast and went on our way! Our first stop was the Peterhoff Palace. This Romanov Palace is known for its amazing fountains but because of winter/tradition, they keep them off until the 1st of May. We some more walking around near Nevsky Prospect before I met up with my friend from A&M, Jeff Edwards. Jeff and I are both juniors and are studying International Studies and Russian. He decided to spend his study abroad in Petersburg. So he took myself and others from my group around Petersburg to some of the places he likes to hang out at night.

In and around the complex of Peterhoff.







I think my favorite part of just walking around was observing the differences between the people who live in Petersburg and those who live in Moscow. There was actually a pretty big difference. Moscow is a bigger city but people there are more similar as far as dress and attitude are concerned. Muscovites always wear there black leather shoes with blue jeans and a black leather jacket which is much more conservative than Petersburg where the people are much more western. We saw dread locks for the first time, multi colored clothing and the people just seemed younger.(Edit: I went to a park near the Kremlin and Khram Khrista Spassitelya after writing this and saw for the first time hippies in Moscow, I don't know what's happening but there were people dressed in neon colors, and as cats, pigs, pandas and santa) Also in Petersburg when we took a cab, the driving there was so calm. People actually stay in lanes. That being said, I like Moscow better. It's a bigger city, more to see, more to do. It has a longer history and architecturally it has more variation.



Jeff and I on Vassilyevsky Island looking over the Peter and Paul Fortress.


Church on Spilled Blood (The church was built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated)


The Hermitage


The Bronze Horseman Statue of Peter the Great.


A bear I pet on the street!

Here are some pictures of Парк Победы (Park Pobyedy) or Victory Park. It was completed about 15 years ago for the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Union taking control of Berlin, ending their part in WWII. At the base of the large column is St. George slaying the dragon. This is on the flag of Moscow and they adapted this symbol to depict Russians (good) destroying the Nazi dragon (bad). It was a pretty park and I expect the flowers to start blooming soon!





I actually laughed out loud when I saw this. There are just so many ironic things about a pipe that says "Russia, Made in China" printed in English. I think it really sums up our world quite well.


I've had the opportunity to attend a few cultural performances. Two weeks ago I went to the Moscow Conservatory and saw a choir performance. The students there put on performances almost daily, most of which are free. Then last Thursday I went to see "Novaya Russia" (New Russia) which is an orchestra conducted by the famous Yuri Bashmet. They played two Russian classical pieces, one new then one old. The first piece was called Violin Concerto No 4 by a composer named Schnittke (Шнитке). It was a very modern composition with much of the emotion that you would experience from Shostakovich. To perform the intense and at times violent violin solo was Latvian born Gidon Kremler. To balance this out and show the orchestras versatility the performed Tchaikovsky's (Чайковский) 5th Symphony. The 4th movement is a piece I played my senior year of high school in full orchestra. It was amazing having the opportunity to hear a professional group play a song that I knew so well. The performance took place in the main room of Moscow State. This room was completed after the building opened and was heavily influenced by Stalin himself. In the Fall of 2009, Hillary Clinton gave a speech to the students of MSU where she stood on this stage right under the hammer and sickle and in between large quotes by both Lenin and Marx. It's kind of surprising that the right wing didn't get a hold of these pictures and try another "see, she's a communist!" campaign. I would really like to thank my History teacher and Fulbright scholar, Professor Goodwin, for inviting me to attend this with her.



Well this week I have a lot of school stuff going on but I will post again soon. I really need to write about two amazing yet hilarious places I've attended. One I have nick named the "Soviet Epcot" and the place I went to today is the "Russian Disney World". I think people will really enjoy this so please check back soon!

-Justin

Finally, here are some final pictures of just random places around Moscow.


Another Bauman statue, this time in Bauman Park!


Good thing no one was around when I found this because I think I actually screamed. Only in Moscow do they think building over and around federally protected 19th century buildings counts as "preservation".


A really cool looking church near Pushkinskaya Square.


The beautiful Church of the Intercession in Fili built in the Moscow Baroque style