Almost There

Exactly 3 weeks from now, I will be in Detroit. I will probably be wide awake due to the time change and excitement. At that point, I will be on my 108th day away from life as I am used to it. While I have enjoyed my time here, there are comforts from America that just can't be replaced.

1. Food

Everyone misses the food they are used to, especially if it's something they can't get outside of the country. In my case, I miss so many things. I realize that a few items on my list, such as Arabic food in general, ice cream, and seafood, I can get in many places. But I'm specific about what I want. I want Arabic food prepared by Parker's mother. I don't just want seafood, I want a crab boil, and not even Haagen-Dazs can compare to my love of a Braum's banana split.

As for the items not on my list... Ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, barbecue in general, a GOOD hamburger, meat cooked well in general.... sweet potatoes... I can't wait to go home and just pig out. Maybe then I won't look like death.

2. "Normal" Household

I know that the definition of normal widely varies from person to person. You may be used to something I am not, and vice-versa, but I am just ready to be inside an American home again.

For starters, I would actually like to be inside a house. I know I would feel differently if I lived in different places, but this lack of homes just feels so wrong. I don't like hearing everything that goes on in the apartment next door/above/below. I don't want to deal with these poorly insulated walls. I would like a house, please. Not only that, but I would like some of the things I am used to about a house. Like a real shower. One that doesn't require you to only use the handheld thing. I really think I'm going to take a bath when I get back to the states, something I don't know if some people here have ever done. I would also appreciate a toilet that doesn't smell like a porta potty.

That brings me to my next point. I would actually like to see cleaning supplies. From what I've noticed these past few months, the mentality here is "if it looks clean, it must be clean" or "eh, I'm not cleaning it." While my desk may look like a tornado took over thanks to notebooks and papers being spread all over it, I am willing to be you, it is the cleanest surface in this apartment. Once a week, I clear everything off, wipe down the table cloth, and put everything back. The other surfaces... let's just say I sat down to take off my shoes and dust came up from the stool. I really think the only two things that get cleaned (really and truly cleaned) in this apartment are the entry and the kitchen counter. I am not the most likely to be motivated enough to clean something, but after three months, you would have thought something would have been attacked.

3. Driving and Feeling Safe About It

I know that the first time I get behind the wheel of a car will probably to drive around the block, but even if I have to go on the interstate after four months without driving, I will feel more comfortable than I do crossing the street here. Drivers here have NO idea what they are doing. I can't wait to go back to America and, while not everyone follows every driving law out there, the police actually enforce them. The only time I have heard a police siren while I have been here has been in this week, and that's only because of the increasing tourism for the holidays.

4. Music

The music being played here is either really crappy Russian pop, crappy European pop, or Western pop that the US has either rejected or been sick of a while back. And, while I'm sure they are perfectly happy with it, I am sick of the pop. I want something heavy. In the words of Becoming the Archetype, "Make it sound nasty." I actually got to ask a guy where he got his metal, and he only confirmed my findings. They get it from streaming radio from England or, if they are lucky, the US.

::sigh:: I will be happy to be home.

In other new, I finally was able to eat the one food I had been banned from. Cucumbers. It was glorious. After all, it isn't cucumbers that make me sick. It is Russian "cottage cheese" called Tvorog.

Ok. I need to get back to my papers.

Cooking in Russia (aka: Operation Thanksgiving 2012)

As to be expected, food in Russia is VERY different than what I am used to. If you haven't already, go read my post on fish soup. But one thing Hot Stuff and I didn't think much of until it actually happened, was cooking a meal.

OPERATION THANKSGIVING 2012

Thanksgiving is the second largest US holiday, beaten only by Christmas. This day is usually meant as an excuse to gather the family together and eat otherwise elephant sized portions, but it is worth it.... until you do it all again a month later. Since there is no family to be seen here is Russia, and homesickness had begun to take over, Hot Stuff and I planned this day in the kitchen as best as we could having somewhat of a knowledge of what ingredients we would be able to find. Despite our planning, when we went to get the ingredients... Let's just say our recipes changed. The traditional turkey, for example, became a Thanksgiving chicken, which just sounds wrong. It was delicious, but that whole ordeal will come in a bit.

Since I was only allowed over to cook for one day, Hot Stuff had to try to make my family's rolls without me. She followed the directions and it failed miserably. The dough just didn't rise, which was weird since these rolls rise in the refrigerator. While I was making a new batch the next day, which ended beautifully, she went ahead and prepared the failed dough for baking. It actually rose, but it still wasn't as magical as the second batch. We did, however, add apple pie filling to some of the dough (best idea EVER), and turned another bit into cinnamon rolls, which needed more cinnamon, but were still rather tasty.

As, I mentioned before, the bread was a family recipe, which, like the rest of our recipes for the day, means the measurements were in U.S. customary and not SI. If you cannot eyeball a recipe, I recommend NOT trying to change measurements. I really think our meal would have failed had we not been able to say, "This looks like it would be about a cup."

Rolls ended up working out, but what about the sides, and what was the problem with the chicken?

For sides, we made mashed potatoes with onions and garlic (yummy), broccoli and cauliflower casserole, and candied carrots. You remember up above when I mentioned that recipes had to change? The carrots are a great example of that. There is no brown sugar in St. Petersburg. If you can find it, let me know, because we could not. Instead, we used regular sugar and vanilla sugar. It actually turned out really well.

While the sides ended up being delicious, the main problem we ran into, was not having enough cookware. All of the things that needed to be baked were immediately transferred to a plate or bowl when they came out of the oven, just so we could turn around and use the baking sheet again, the pot for the potatoes was originally used to brine the chicken, etc. It was a disaster zone not having everything you needed.

The chicken was supposed to be the centerpiece of the meal (having originally been a turkey in our game plan). We began to prepare the chicken and then realized something. Unlike the US, where any bird you buy is nice and clean, this chicken still had to have feathers and hairs plucked from the skin. We just opted for cooking the chicken and serving it skinless after giving up. It was rather tasty, but that fact alone almost made  Hot Stuff and I abandon the chicken and purely having sides and rolls for dinner (something that unintentionally happened anyway).

Overall, it was a great meal and a great experience, but, while I will hopefully get the opportunity to cook again, I believe Hot Stuff and I are agreed that it will never be on that kind of scale. We commend all who manage to cook like that, and now realize why Russian dishes are meant to be made in large quantities.

Long Time No Post

It's been... I don't even want to know how long since I last posted. Why? The answer is rather simple. Life has gotten in the way.

I don't normally keep things up like this, but I wanted to keep my family updated. Normally, I just do whatever and don't really care, but whenever your grandmother emails you asking if you are still alive... well, it's time to get out from behind whatever it may be and post a blog entry.

If you haven't figured it out by now, I am, in fact, alive and well. My brain feels like it's going to either explode or shrivel up and die, but I am physically doing alright.

Let's see... what has happened since my last update.... hmmm...

Since I have no idea what I posted about last (and am far too lazy to just save this post and go look), I will just tell you about it all.

In the past few weeks, Hot Stuff and I have managed to see several museums (I highly recommend the Museum of Communications), the rest of Yelagin Island (the island with the park we should have gone to the first time) and the palace and museums there, practically the entire Peter and Paul Fortress, and a great deal of other things.

Since I am being lazy, I am going to share Mappy-Map 2.0 with you. Yes, this is the name Hot Stuff and I have given to this particular map. The other maps we have suck. If it is bold (i.e. circled in black pen), we have seen it. We have also seen many other things not visible to you, either because the map doesn't have it marked, the location has been outside of the city center (Peterhof, Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad, etc.), because I haven't managed to mark them yet, or because of the glare (I'm sorry, but you can't expect to take the best pictures of a map).

I know these aren't the best pictures, but I tried to give you some overlap in order to give you a general idea of where things are located. I know you can't read the map anyway, but #2 has the Fortress at the bottom; #3 has (from left to right) the statue from Catherine the Great to Peter the Great, St. Isaac's cathedral, the Hermitage, the Kazan Cathedral, and the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood/Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ; and the last one has the Alexander Nevsky monastery.

Since my last post, I have also managed to see a parade of people dancing in circles and chanting on their way to the Russian Museum and, almost immediately after, find one of the sketchiest streets in St. Petersburg. If you ever plan on going, just ask me which places to avoid.

The video was much better....

I'm sorry that this post wasn't very educational or thought provoking, but my term papers are eating away whatever brain power I have left.

A Little More Culture. A Little Less Caring About Blogging.

I finally have pictures of things and, while I am rather happy about this, I have lost all motivation to go through them or even post them here. I honestly get home for the day and don't want to touch my computer. I, however, have an obligation to my family to keep them informed and assure them that I am perfectly safe, so I am going to post something, turn off my computer, and do something I believe to be a bit more productive.

My companion and I have recently been marking more and more off of our maps. I have a feeling the majority of it will have a rather thick outline by the time I return home. Yesterday, we managed to go to the Museum of Music and Mikailovskiy Castle, as well as see some pretty fascinating things.

The Museum of Music was rather interesting. It was small, but its collection of instruments was breathtaking from the collection of pianos to the harpsichord to the Stradivarius hanging proudly. It actually gave me the desire to play a classical instrument, and, if even for a moment, classical music didn't seem as painful to listen to.

The castle was also rather interesting. I, however, would not have called this a castle. When one thinks of a castle, one does not think of what I went into, but rather something more like the castles in Scotland, Ireland, England, France etc. This was almost as though a palace had been built around a square. Don't get me wrong, despite size, the castle was rather stunning on the inside, with pictures of the Tsars and their wives and with detail put into ever square inch of the place, but I just wasn't very impressed. If you compare this castle to, say, the Winter Palace, you would think the palace was far more magnificent.

Speaking of the Winter Palace, Hot Stuff and I finished the Hermitage on Saturday.

It was a really beautiful and really big place. As it is a rainy day, I am not motivated enough to post many pictures  to show you just how gorgeous and just how vast the Hermitage's collections are. Instead, I will just leave you with the one statue (a personal favourite of mine), and let you figure out what it is.

It has been awhile since my last post. Hot Stuff and I have been going out and seeing so much lately that I've simply been too exhausted to post about anything. She definitely has a lot more energy than I do, as she has been posting a lot more about what we have seen. I, on the other hand, have been using my last bits of energy on other things that do not pertain to this blog in the slightest.

In the last week, I have been to the Memorial to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad, many churches, the Yusupov Palace, the only synagogue in Russia, and finally managed to make it to the Hermitage. It has definitely been catching up to me, so I am going to spend this post giving a small blurb about each of the places we have seen and will, hopefully, get to writing a full post in the near future.

Day 1:

Near Mayakovskaya Metro

Church of the Birth of St. John the Baptist (Chesme Church)

 This church has become famous for it's graveyard. It has been the burial place of soldiers since it's consecration. It is most famous as the burial place of the soldiers who during the Siege of Leningrad.

Statue of Lenin

 This particular statue of Lenin is apparently the largest Lenin statue in St. Petersburg at approximately 16 meters (52.5 feet) in height. Considering this statue is not very far from our next destination, it's locations seems fitting.

Memorial to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad.

This monument is incredible. It tells so much history in such little space. Along with this statue, there is an obelisk and a hall, in which, the history of the 900 day Nazi siege of Leningrad is told.

Near Lomonosovskaya Metro

Cossack Church of the Exaltation of the Church

This church stands on the site of the oldest cemeteries and churches in St. Petersburg. It is also known for having the largest Cossack congregation, which is why it is known as the Cossack Church. Unfortunately, this church is undergoing major reconstruction. I don't think this church has fully seen a service in over 100 years. In fact, I think any services on this location are reserved for the small chapels on the grounds if even that.

Volkov Cemetery (Literary Footpath)

This church was originally the location of the largest German Lutheran cemeteries. That changed, and many famous writers, poets, actors, etc. are now buried in the cemetery. The picture above is the head stone of Galina Kovalev, a Soviet and Russian (she died in 1995) opera singer and teacher.

Day 2

Central Railway Muesum

[There is no image for this one as we decided not to pay for photography. We will have to go back.]

This museum covers the history of the Russian railway system. It was very interesting and informative. If you like trains, you HAVE to go to this museum. If you don't like trains, you still need to go.

Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas

This church was built for the sailors who had settled in the area. It became a Naval Cathedral in 1762 under Catherine II. It is one of the last remaining examples of true Baroque architecture.

Ysupov Palace

This palace is amazingly beautiful. While you have to pay for photography here, I highly recommend it. I think we would have greatly regretted it otherwise. Just know that this palace can get rather crowded with tour groups.

Day 3

Kazan Cathedral

This cathedral was named after the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which is housed there. This also used to be the location of the Museum of Religion and Atheism.

Monument to Peter the Great (The Bronze Horseman)

This statue was built by order of Catherine the Great to commemorate the greatest Russian before her to have the throne. One the side of the statue it reads Petro Primo Catharina Secunda: Latin on one side; Russian on the other.

Day 5

The Hermitage

To be more specific, we visited the Winter Palace. This is one really pretty and slightly over glorified art Gallery. Catherine the Great loved to collect art. I mean LOVED to collect art. The entire museum is covered in paintings and statues. Don't get me wrong, it is very beautiful, but I get museumed out quickly here.

Day 6

Troitskiy Cathedral

This cathedral is not only one of the most beautiful cathedrals in St. Petersburg, it also has cannons in front of it. It served as a regimental cathedral and has plaques of regimental officers who have died on its walls. This cathedral has had important icons stolen and, in 2006, it burned. Luckily many of its renowned icons were saved and there was no major damage to the cathedral outside of the copulas. Reconstruction will, most likely, be forever ongoing.

Day 7

Mariinsky Theatre.

So this hasn't actually happened yet. The play is in an hour. I will definitely tell you about it! ^_^

Some General Rules to Live by While Abroad

While I am waiting for pictures, gathering the last bits of history before I tell all of our continuing adventures, dealing with school, and coming out of my stress bubble, I am going to share some general rules that you may already know or think about, but that you really need to act upon if you plan to be abroad for an extended period of time.

1. Nothing will go as planned.

While Hot Stuff and I have been able to keep things under control lately, we still haven't managed to fully keep everything from not going how we would like. Both of us have had to move since we've been here, and, while she moved to make things easier for her, I moved because the institute required it and have not had the best of times. While my host mother had lightened up a bit, she is still known between Hot Stuff and I as the "Never Lady". I still come home to find things reorganized in my room (I'm still waiting to come home and find the gifts on my table moved somewhere, and, like my charging cables, I will have to search high and low for them). I still have to eat foods I don't care for. I still only get one load of laundry a week in a tiny washer. We still don't talk despite efforts.

And then there is outside of the home. Different buildings/churches/museums have different hours. (I am working on a list of everything along with locations, hours, and costs that I will post in the future.) Google maps isn't the best in Russia. Spend the 150 rubles. Get a map. Mark on the map the location you need. Otherwise you may end up going to a Lutheran cemetery because the park looking place is where you think you need to go when, in reality, you already saw the church you wanted to see.

2. Don't plan on going into churches that aren't specifically tourist attractions.

If you don't have to pay to go in, don't plan on seeing the inside. There are so many services, special occasions, or events going on that going inside will be a little difficult. Also, just because it's a tourist site, doesn't mean you can take pictures. Another general note: When going to a church, always bring head covering. It's better to be safe than disrespectful.

3. Bring a camera, but expect to have to pay for photography.

While this isn't the case everywhere, Hot Stuff and I have found through our adventures that photography isn't always free or even allowed. Look for signs such as "NO FLASH" ans "NO PHOTOGRAPHY BEYOND THIS POINT". It may be really pretty and you may want to photograph the moment, but you might not be able to. Also, a resent change in Russian laws have made it illegal to photograph the inside of the metro stations. Luckily, there are many pictures online.

4. Send out a weekly or bimonthly email to your family.

While blogs are nice for telling people what you are up to, it doesn't answer the questions they actually care about. How are you? What's the weather like? How are classes/work? Do you need me to do anything for you? These are the questions your family wants answered. Not "We had so much fun doing x,y, and z and here's some history on it and here are pictures and i'm just running around seeing so many sites every minute I can!!" It's your family. They need more than that.

5. Skype

Skype is a wonderful and glorious thing, but it is also your enemy while you are abroad. My rule to you all (Note: This is not a suggestion), only get on Skype 1-2 days a week. Stress will hit hard, especially if things aren't going as you would like, but you can bet there will be people back home who don't care about how much stress you are going through because they think it's equal to theirs. In some cases, it may be. In others, it's not. They are dealing with the comforts of home, getting stressed out by school/work, and being able to see their friends, go places you miss, eat foods you miss, and participate in activities you miss. You, on the other hand, are in an unfamiliar place, communicating in a language you may or may not understand, having to learn what you can do and what times you have to do those things, you may have a curfew (either because of your host or because they raise the bridges at night), you may have a hobby you love but can't do... And to top it all off, you have to deal with stress. You may see this as not being fair and think that you are suffering a much higher level of stress than the people back home. It may be the case, but you should never assume so. You should never think that someone is  not understanding to your situation. They may not be able to fully understand what you are going through unless they have gone through a similar situation themselve, but it isn't and shouldn't be a competition.

I've found that, the more you communicate with someone, the more you seem to compete, the more stressful it becomes, and the less understanding people seem to be, because your stress is making it appear to be that way. Limit your time. Save yourself from getting angry. If you want to communicate on a daily basis, send emails until your days for Skype. If you have a family, Skyping more regularly is understandable. You probably want to say goodnight to your kids. Just don't try to  communicate with people every minute you have available. You need time for yourself as well in order to calm down from your "stress bubble".

6. Schedule

SCHEDULE EVERYTHING!!!

There is so much you want to do and so little time unless you plan. Plus, if you just go off and try to do something fun every free moment you have, you are going to neglect something. Schedule your days. I'm not saying "Today I'm going here. Tomorrow this is happening, etc.", but more like "I need x amount of time to get the important stuff done, leaving me with this time to enjoy myself." I'm playing catch up right now, which is why I'm saying this.

7. Have fun.

The most important thing to do is to enjoy your time. Don't let other people and things ruin your time in another country. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. You don't want to spend it being miserable. Before you leave find out what you want to see. Research what's available as far as entertainment options. Know what you have before you go. It's not because you don't know if you can find something, but it will make it easier instead of  wondering around saying, "If I only knew about this sooner..." It's your trip. Do what you want. Just, please, think about the safety of what you're doing. Everyone wants you to come home in one piece.