Thursday:
I was feeling even worse than Wednesday morning so I decided sleeping in could be a very good thing for me and I called in sick to Russian language in the morning. But I still made it to afternoon class and I think the sleeping in was good for me because I finally felt like I wasn't going to die immediately. Thursday afternoon was our last lecture for our classes in English and while I felt a little sad about it I was mainly happy that we didn't have to sit in a hot room directly after lunch. After class I headed to the European Mall to do a little shopping. It's been incredibly hot here and I was hoping to find a nice loose cotton dress to wear in St. Petersburg so I wouldn't die of heat stroke. I was striking out and feeling bummed until I popped into one last store and found a really cute black cotton dress for 400 ru., around $15 or so. Purchase in hand, I returned home exhausted and Dad and I went to get some food and beverages in preparation for our guests.
Our friend from home, Cale Burdick, was in Dubna (about 1.5 hours away) skiing at Worlds and he headed down to us with his friends Billy Susi, Trent Finlayson, and Thomas Moore. We met them at the train station, and immediately the energy of the group quadrupled. They were so excited to be in Moscow, to be able to get around in Moscow (with the help of yours truly and my Russian skillz), basically just happy. We hit a couple of places, had dinner on a really pretty pond, and I stayed up way too late, sliding onto the metro just before it closed. It was great to hang out with other Americans (/Canadians - Trent and Thomas) and see them react to a city I've gotten used to now.
Friday:
I was feeling surprisingly good but tired Friday morning. I had my last language class and we tried to communicate to each other how nice it was to talk and how much I appreciated the effort she put in to rounding out my education. After class Elise, Xannie, Ben, and I had lunch in Stolovaya 57 in the GUM right off of Red Square. It's this Soviet-era cafeteria type thing with good food, good prices, and a great atmosphere. Then we went for a drink (I guzzled coffee instead) before heading back to the school for a going away party. We were getting a lot closer and sillier with each other, telling funny stories, laughing, and generally being ridiculous. I'm glad that we got to this point but I'm sad that we missed out on more time of being so comfortable with each other. The going away party was awkward - since it was just the 5 of us and some of the teachers and administrators, but it was a nice idea for them to put in on for us and we got to say goodbye.
I headed back home to rest a little before dinner and leaving for St. Pete and found some of the skiers awake, others sprawled around the house napping. They LOVED my salsa (redemption!!), though to be fair it did taste a lot better after everything could soak together for a while and it was awesome just hanging out and chatting. They modeled the fur hats they got and Thomas put on a hilarious fashion show for us. Once everyone stirred and showered we headed to a nearby Thai restaurant for dinner and drinks, and met up with one of Dad's Russian friends. Before I knew it I had to leave to catch my train (we were meeting at midnight) and I had to say goodbye to my new friends. Though there was a world of differences - age differences, the fact that they are pro skiers and I am not..., we got along great and I had a lot of fun with them. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with them again at water ski events this year.
Back with the group, we got on our train for an overnight trip to St. Petersburg. Each compartment had 4 beds and somehow Joe and I were the ones not with the rest of the group and were instead sharing with two older Russian ladies. In traditional Russian fashion some of the rules are totally followed and others are always broken - this time we thought we had to sleep in our assigned beds but one of the ladies tried to sleep in Joe's instead and we had a big language miscommunication. The trip itself was about 8.5 hours and relatively nice - air conditioned, clean, and pretty easy to sleep.
Saturday:
We went on a bus tour first thing, which was nice because we saw a lot of the city and got to get out and walk around a lot at important sites (the site of the original harbor, where the Decembrist revolution was, St. Isaacs Cathedral, etc). Almost everyone fell asleep by the end though - a long overnight trip plus a warm bus is a dangerous combination and when we finally checked into the hotel we had group nap time. The hotel - well lets just say it was less than great. And dirty. The wood floor was filthy and the comforter and mattress made me a little less than comfortable. Luckily the sheet felt clean and I spread it over the whole bed and slept on top because it was boiling hot anyway. The showers and bathrooms were separate from our rooms which was a little annoying because after paying so much for the program you would think we could get something a little nicer, but since it was only for one night it didn't really matter. Before naptime we had some lunch and did a little looking around. After naptime we showered, got drinks at a super cool Irish pub before having an AMAZING dinner at a little restaurant. The food was so good and fresh and tasty. Probably the best food I've had in Russia (to that point). We decided to go on a river tour, which was only $12 or so for students and had a really great time on the boat even though it rained a little. Then we headed back to the hotel, hung out for a bit and crashed.
Sunday:
We slept in and relaxed then Xannie, Joe, Elise and I headed out for the Hermitage. We walked around the city checking some things out and then did a fairly quick trip through the museum. I like art but I loved the rooms much more because the Hermitage is located in the Winter Palace where the Tsars used to live. I definitely want to go back and spend more time there but we were trying to maximize our time. It's free for students of all nationalities though - so it's definitely worth going to multiple times. Xannie had found a vegetarian restaurant online and we headed there for lunch. In one word - fantastic. The food was fresh and amazing, with lots of vegetables (not common here) and I had the most amazing freshly squeezed orange juice. I probably could have drank a whole gallon of it. We lingered and relaxed before walking slowly back home and stopping in Zara's - where I bought a really cute grey knit dress on sale - and a military-type store - where Elise bought pins for her bf and friend - before heading back to the hotel to unload. We went back to the Irish pub, which was lacking this time, and then ate in a "German" but actually Czech restaurant close to the hotel so we could head back to catch our 12:30 train. We took the metro to the train station and I have to say I like the Moscow metro better. The way back on the train was pretty much the same as they way there except I think we may have been sharing a compartment with clandestine lovers...
Thoughts on St. Pete - AMAZING city. It feels so fresh there because of the water, there is a great breeze, and it's not quite as hot. The city is very European and very pretty. The people are also a lot friendlier than in Moscow and many speak English, probably because it is more of a tourist town. The pace of life is also a little more manageable and I felt like I was able to relax unlike in downtown Moscow. The unanimous opinion was that it's better than Moscow and we all really enjoyed our time there. I can't wait to go back. Not to say that Moscow isn't great, but it's a hard city to live in, and it was nice to have a break.
Monday morning we got back in town and then my mommy came!!!! It was so exciting to see her and have her back but she was obviously very tired and jet-lagged. We went to dinner at the Hard Rock which was touristy but the waiters speak English and they have English menus and American food to ease the transition. Then I met up with Elise, Joe, and Xannie and we hung out and headed back to the dorms to continue our fun time. I'll definitely be sad when they leave.
Today we hit up this huge souvenir place and I got a few more presents and these super cool Soviet Propaganda coasters for myself. I still want a scarf for me but haven't been able to find the right one yet. We went at a great time because it was deserted and we got good deals because of that. Or at least better deals. Later we'll have our last dinner together and then say goodbye :-(. I'm excited to do stuff with my parents but I will definitely miss my friends and the close relationships we've made over the past week or so. Hopefully we'll be able to meet up again later in life.
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