Cinderella

December 27th, 2016

After a long recess, thanks to a minor corrective surgery, in which I can now comfortably walk, I have spent the majority of my last bit of money paying for taxis, and getting medical supplies, thanks to the cut being in a very awkward position, and making it difficult to walk without risk of the bandage falling off.

But, almost 2 weeks have passed, and I'm on the road to recovery, now being able to comfortably walk, and the bandage remaining in place (as long as I use my old pants that are to big for me now).

Spending the first few days of my vacation relaxing, I have promised myself to finally finish The Karamazov Brothers by Fyodor Dostoevsky by the end of the year. I told myself this on the 26th. It is now the 27th and it is completely finished. So Im going to start The Wealth of Nations pretty darn soon.

First of all, I'm quite excited to be on a long break. There will be The Kazan Travel Logs coming soon, with esteemed guess, my former VLI Guzel. That's something to look forward to! At the beginning of the year, I will have my friend from Krasnodar visiting for a few days, which will be a much needed kinship to start the year. February is a trip to Hamburg and Bremen, Germany. These are the only planned things so far.

Now, why is this title Cinderella? Quite simply so. On an ordinary day such as today, not even 15 minutes after having finished the before said Dostoevsky novel, my friend messaged me with a sense of hurry, inviting me to see Золушка (Cinderella; also, it was a modern rendition) at the Mariinsky 2.

Normally, I'd be against such late invitations, but I had nothing occuring, and I was just going to be a bum regardless. So I took up their offer and rushed the the Mariinsky 2 theater (Right behind the Mariinsky. No need for picture of the exterior. Look at previous posts.)

Well, the ballet itself was spectacular, and we had brilliant seats on the floor, giving us a perfect view of the stage. Of course, I started getting antsy, since I hate sitting in theater seats. (Halbritter is an exception. I get paid to sit there, plus, they're actually comfortable to a degree.)

I won't get too much into the show, since we all know the story, but they had some really nice set designs, although I kinda wish that it was more magical. The modernity of it kinda ruined that aspect, and you couldn't even tell magic was occuring.

Well, here are some pictures of the location, as well as a video and pictures of the bows. Also included, pictures of the christmas tree near Saint Isaac's, and the one at home (pre opening presents. Oops.) as well as Sadovaya. Also, my favorite alcohol, Havana Club! Something you can't get in the USA (yet).

Christmas in Russia

December 25th, 2016

This blog post contains no pictures or videos. Sorry, not sorry.

Christmas time in Russia is usually celebrated on January 7th, mainly because the Russian Orthodox church still uses the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar, so it's skipped ahead by a few weeks, putting it well past new years.

According to my host mom though, it makes no sense to use the old calendar, and mess things around when we have the new calendar, and christmas should not be celebrated after new years. So we celebrated on the 25th.

It was a quiet affair. My host family had some of their friends over, and there was a party with soup, fruit salad, lots of fruit cake, mandarins, cookies, and some sort of fruit pastry (of which I probably ate the most out of.)

We opened presents right after our little dinner, and I got my host mom 1984 (in Russian), and my host sister Harry Potter (6th book, in english.) In return, they got me a calendar, and a poem collection of Владимир Высоцкий, who is a famous russian poet/actor/musician. I enjoyed it way too much.

Then my host sister and her friends started singing carols, of which I knew the tunes of, but not the names of the songs. Also, since they were in Russian, I couldn't tag along. Oh well. They wanted me to sing Santa Claus is Coming to Town, but they lost their train of thought when it came time to drink tea and chat. Thank you host mom for saving me!

And that was pretty much it for the night. I didn't take pictures, because I left my phone in my room, and I haven't left the apartment much, thanks to a minor corrective surgery that made it extremely uncomfortable to walk. Thankfully, I feel much better, and will be planning to go and do things very soon!

The Siege of Leningrad

December 11th, 2016

The State Museum of the History of Saint Petersburg, located at the Rumantsyev Mansion. This is one of the many history museums pertaining to the land of SPb, but it covers more of the Soviet Era if anything. 

It's located on the English Embankment, Next to Galernaya, on the block after where Smolny is located, so it's the closest museum to the university, other than Novoya Gollandiya, which is more of a hangout spot/market than it is a museum. Oh, and the Naval Museum. Can't forget that.

So the museum exhibition that I ended up going to dealt with the title of this blogpost, the Siege of Leningrad. over 900 days of a blockade, harsh winters, and a famine that wreaked havoc in our darling Leninsburg. It wasn't something you could remain cheerful about, especially once you arrive to the section involving the children having to see their family members perish. 

Luckily, the tour ends with a before and after look of the siege and current SPb, and leaves off on a cheerful note with a proletariat pride to defend the motherland, and happiness that you defended communism from the fascist forces. PURE PROPAGANDA!