SCHOOL

I'm a week in to school right now and it's going swimmingly. The results of the initial placement test put me in group 3 which, considering group 1 is only heritage speakers, is pretty good. At least my host mother was rather pleased. I can pretty much understand everything that is said although I often have trouble responding without a good deal of 'ummms'. Each group is 7-9 people strong and pretty much stays in the same room all day; there isn't much moving around. All of the language students take Conversation, Grammar, Phonetics, a class on Vocab, and СМИ, which is a class on methods for consuming mass media. We also get two electives. I am in a class on culture and a class on civics (Russian political and social life). They also offered a class on comparing the US and Russia and a Lit course (ugh).

Classes take place in one of the back buildings on the Smolny Campus of Saint Petersburg State University. It's also the Smolny Cathedral. The building itself is fantastic. It's a light blue with white trimmings, and demonic cherubs everywhere. Inside, the walls are peach and it always seems to be on the cold side, somewhat like a cave. CIEE has its own lounge with free wifi, which I have yet to get working on my computer.

To get to school, there are apparently some buses or marshrutkas I could take, but why would I waste 20 rubles when I could have a nice 40 minute walk? Good news: I haven't gotten lost yet!

In the school there is a cafeteria which is said to offer a cheap, albeit tasteless, lunch for 110 rubles. I have yet to try it. There is also a building across the street which has a banana machine in it. I will report on that later.

Homework seems to depend on which group you're in. My group hasn't had too much homework, maybe a couple hours worth if you were to spend some time on it.

And here's to beginning week 2 in school.