It has been some time since my last post, and for this I apologize. My family visited me in Saint Petersburg last week, and the experience was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the semester so far - even if they monopolized my time and kept me from writing. Tut tut tut. But if you're reading - and I know you are - it was truly a pleasure to see you, and it's always wonderful to experience things through new eyes. I regret to say that having walked past the Winter Palace countless times it has started to blend in to the landscape a little bit. That all changes when with a first-time visitor to the city.
Today marks exactly two months before I board the plane to New York by way of Helsinki, and while I am actually slightly more than halfway through the program, this seemed like an appropriate time to reflect on the last two months.
Where to start? Any discussion of my time here has to begin and end with my host family, and they have simply been wonderful. Welcoming since Day 1, they have done nothing but make me feel like a member of the family. Elena, Andrei, and Nastia are simply some of the kindest people I have ever met - in any country. And to them I am truly grateful.
Russia itself remains something of a mystery to me. This should not be surprising, given how Russia herself doesn't really know how to define itself, and it has a 1,200 year head start on me. But I'll catch up. Maybe. As I've written before, Russians are cold and aloof on the street, yet warm, cheerful, and welcoming in their homes. The very same little old lady who berates you for the color of your shoes (yes, this has happened to me) can be seen just a few minutes later offering some candy to a child (I stuck around to watch - the candy was not poison, at least not the fast acting kind). Russians love their country, yet they know and understand its flaws. They want change, change for the better, but many are unwilling to sacrifice to achieve that change. It is a country, that I fear, could face significant upheaval in the years to come. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and the middle class shrinks everyday. Something will have to give sooner or later, especially as the generation born since the end of the Cold War matures and begins to take its place among the leaders of the nation. In 30 years, I would be shocked if Russia looks anything like it does today.
Saint Petersburg is as much a mystery as the country. Stunning vistas come naturally to the city, it's uniquely colored buildings giving the impression of a festive atmosphere. Saint Petersburg parties as hard as any city in the world, but the city largely shuts down after midnight, driving most of the parties indoors and out of sight. It's a city that wants very much to be like Paris or any number of other great European capitals, but as my brother stated, it feels closer to New York with it's long wide boulevards and spread out landmarks. The one-time playground of the Tsars is now home to fabulously expensive shopping and luxurious restaurants, but just a few minutes away beggars sit on the street holding their hands out for change. Of course this can be found in many cities, but in Saint Petersburg the difference seems even more jarring, perhaps due to the high standard of fashion many Russians adhere to.
This is not to make Saint Petersburg or Russia seem like bad places; on the contrary I have loved my time here (though not unequivocally). Saint Petersburg is a wonderful city to study in, full of culture, music, and places to have fun. It's a very student-friendly city, with a plethora of cheap restaurants, bars, and attractions. But, as with every other place in the world, it is not flawless.
Now, with two months left to go, I have made two lists: highlights of the first half, and things to look forward to in the second half.
First-half highlights:
1. Family visiting from New York
2. Пышка - these are small donuts sold in eponymous bars for 10 roubles a pop. Simply delectable.
3. Free/reduced admission to countless museums and attractions
4. Meeting many, many interesting people from across the United States - not to mention many Russians as well
5. Host family. See above.
6. Peterhof and the fountains
7. My father mentioning something about "a few DaVinci's hanging around this room somewhere" in the Hermitage, right after we passed through a room full of Rembrandts (preceded by a rooms full of Rubens' and Van Dycks)
8. Black bread
9. Borscht
10. Blini
Things to look forward to:
1. Upcoming trips to Tallinn (Estonia), Moscow, Warsaw, and Vienna
2. Russian hipster party (there will be future entries on this, I promise)
3. Snow
4. Plenty of live music
5. Possibility of seeing "The Nutcracker" in Russia
6. Wearing my new flat cap everyday
7. KHL games
8. More time with the host family
9. Seeing that guy in the bear suit on Nevsky everyday
10. More time with friends there is a very real chance I will never see again
11. Coming home to New York
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