Thursday mornings with Tatyana. These are usually a little better than Wednesdays with her. During the week in between our classes with her, she sort of forgets how far along we are and that some of her teaching methods consistently don’t work very well with us. We worked from a different exercise book today that was very helpful. It taught us how to make really long run on sentences by starting with a short sentence and gradually adding in adverbs and adjectives. Those are OK in Russia though. I sat with Marta again, and we both did a good job redeeming ourselves for being called out for talking the day before.
After class Greg, Max, and I decided to go to the Russian Museum. We walked back to the main university building first to pick up Greg’s school ID. It is something like 7 US dollars for tourists to get into the museum, but with a student ID from the city, it is only a dollar. Prior to the museum, however, we stopped for lunch. They decided on Subway. I declined getting anything since sandwiches just aren’t the same without meat or cheese. This prompted the main conversation for the meal and rest of the day: WHY ARE YOU A VEGAN?! They’re both pretty set on getting me to eat some kind of meat before we all part ways. I wished them luck and explained my reasoning, which over the past 7 months I’ve rehearsed a lot and become excellent at telling and discussing. The remainder of the day together was spent just making fun of each other and all of it playful with hints of beautiful sarcasm, something I haven’t heard Russians use.
The museum was wonderful. It is mostly modern art with some exhibitions on antique clothing, and old china sets. I talked to Sergei later than night and he told me it was his favorite museum. They have so much artwork that isn’t even on display because the building isn’t big enough. Although it is a very impressive museum, I still like the Hermitage better.
As we made our way through the museum, Max would frequently sit down on the little benches in the middle of the galleries. He is kind of like a little kid, despite being pretty tall. He would slouch down and then ask Greg and I to carry him… it was precious.
OH, right, and I gave them both an unofficial tour of the city. Since I’ve been here 5 weeks, I have retained a lot of historical information about buildings, past leaders, along with a knowledge for the layout of the city including places to eat, bookstores, good pastry shops etc. I was pretty proud of myself by the time we reached the museum… I had them asking me about different buildings, where we were, and where different sites were in relation to where we were.
I got home around 5:30 and had dinner by myself. I started thinking and reflecting about my day, as I do every day, and realized how much I’m going to cherish this experience and miss it when it’s gone. I’ve learned so much about this city and really gained an understanding of how historical events have influenced the current state of politics and society. I’ve met so many unique people from all over the world, which also has given me the opportunity to understand and appreciate other countries. I will miss meeting new people everyday and learning something new about Russia everyday. If there is one thing I would like to take with me back home, aside from the massive appreciation for all things familiar, is the desire to take advantage of history and learn whenever possible. I’ve been reading a lot about past presidents lately, probably stemming from my newfound love for America, and now feel more inspired to know whatever I can about my country. I love travelling and learning about new places, but the U.S. has recaptured my heart, if you will. She makes me want to learn and appreciate her more…the little minx.
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