So I feel like 4 trips and more than 72 hours in platzkart is quite an accomplishment. Here are some tips in case you ever decide to cruise Russia on rail.
1) Use the Rzd website to reserve and purchase tickets. Yes, it's in Russian, but any idiot with google translate can figure it out. Why use it? You get exactly the same price there as you do in the ticket offices. If you use a third party website or service to purchase your tickets for you, you'll probably end up paying 30%-40% more than you would by purchasing direct. Also, the platzkart option will most likely not be offered.
2) By purchasing online, you now need to head to the train station and use the ticket printing kiosk to obtain your tickets. It's super easy to use and a billion times faster than using the ticket office.
3) Traveling alone? Don't want to be locked in a box with 3 strangers who probably smell 'interesting'? Use platzkart. It's the third class, open compartment option offered in every former-USSR country. I can't speak to it specifically, but I've read from other female travelers that this is safer than second or first class because it's open, and the openness keeps people honest.
4) Don't forget your tracksuit. Approximately 20 minutes after your train departs, the clock strikes pantsless o'clock. Almost everyone changes into more comfortable clothes for the journey like tracksuits (velour, or 'mafia red or white), pj's, or other loose fitting clothes. This brings us to...
5) Slippers. Don't forget your slippers. No matter how many times the stewardess mops the aisles, the floor is still disgusting and you don't want to be wearing your outside shoes the entire time. Literally everyone has them on the train, and assuming you're near social people (or babushki) you will be asked why you don't have them.
6) Bring a cup, tea, and coffee. Every wagon has a boiler in it and the boiling hot water is free. If you bring a cup, you can fill it as many times as you want and be sufficiently hydrated for your journey. You can also buy tea, coffee, and sometimes cocoa from the stewardess for no more than 30 rubles AND you get to drink it out of one of those sweet podstakanniki!
7) Also ramen. For food, you can bring what ever you want on the train, but because the water is free, why not bring some ramen or instant potatoes. Ramen in Russia is pretty good, and on the whole, seems to be more involved than ramen in the States. Some varieties come with meat sauce (I don't quite know what that means) or miniature meat balls (think kibble-like chunks of freeze-dried meat product).
8) Think of another excuse to refuse alcohol other than "I'm taking antibiotics" because they've caught on, and it doesn't work anymore. On the way to Volgograd after we all woke up, the men in the lower bunks decided 9:30am was an appropriate time to start downing the pepper vodka. Having found out the night before that I was a foreigner, they probably thought it would be fun to get me drunk or something. I tried refusing, saying that I was taking antibiotics and the medicine wouldn't work if mixed with booze. They countered with "booze is better medicine, drink!". After about half an hour of this, I decided it was easier to take booze from strangers than to argue. This started some pretty good conversation and was a fantastic experience.
9) Russians might offer you food, so you might want to bring something to share as well. On the trip from Volgograd to Moscow, I shared the compartment with some middle-aged women who were just the nicest people ever. They also had a strange desire to feed the foreigner. Tried refusing, didn't work, ended up eating cookies with my favorite cheese, kolbasny cheese (literally sausage cheese, and it's one of the cheaper cheese, probably the Russian equivalent of American cheese).
10) Layers. Bring layers. The trips I had varied from freezing to boiling hot.
11) Train rides can be the most fun, or the scariest experience ever. On the way back from Moscow, there were two very drunk soccer hooligans in my compartment. Granted, I had the worst compartment in the wagon-- the one next to the toilets-- but jeez, that night was bad. Shortly after departure, I realized one of the drunks had a fully-loaded gun. Needless to say, I didn't sleep that night.
Showing posts with label TIR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TIR. Show all posts
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
So I finally made it to Moscow
And let me tell you, it was pretty fantastic!
The program took an overnight train to Moscow which took about 8 or so hours. The ride itself was pretty smooth and the Kupe compartment was rather comfy.
*Note on Russian Trains: Traveling by train in Russia is still probably the best option in terms of balancing speed, comfort, and price and is the most popular means of intercity, and possibly international, transportation. Typical trains in the former Soviet Union usually have three classes; Lux, Kupe, and Platzkart. Lux is the nicest and most expensive. It has 1 to 2 berths per compartment. Kupe is the next nicest and about half the price of lux. It's a four berth compartment. Then we come to the infamous Platzkart wagon. This is an open-berth wagon and is the cheapest option for overnight train travel. No Doors, and as many beds as they can fit in. It's a hoot, to say the least.
Anyway, Moscow was great. We arrived in the morning and despite being super tired, my level of excitement was annoyingly high. Immediately upon exiting the train, I saw the top of the Leningradskaya Hotel, one of the seven Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow. For those who don't know, my fascination with these seven buildings (and a couple others) is approaching fetishism, so having one be the first thing I saw in Moscow was just splendid.
The first thing on the schedule was checking into the hotel, breakfast, and a bus tour, so after waiting for some very entitled people to get to the bus, off we went. We stayed at the Hotel Inn near the Cokol'niki metro, which was probably nicer than I would have wanted, but it came with a gas mask and a non-hand-held shower, so why argue? During the bus tour we experienced some of Moscow's horrible traffic, causing the bus tour to take about an hour longer than I would have wanted. We drove by a bunch of cool things, like a sputnik monument, Ostankino tower, the first McDonald's in Russia, and the center area. We also stopped by Red Square and the Sparrow Hills, where Moscow State University. Some point during the tour, we drove down New Arbat, which is a shopping/entertainment street with lots of Western things like Chili's, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts. I definitely need to go back there when I'm in Moscow again. Also, the bus tour added about 20 new things to my "Things to do in Moscow" list. Sheesh
After the bus tour concluded, about half the people on the program wanted to be lame and stay at the hotel for the rest of the day. I, however, went exploring to knock some things off the list. I hit up Gorky Park, to see the Buran parked there, and the sculpture garden across the street. Gorky Park was a pretty cool place to go walking. There were lots of sculptures and things; there was even a kids amusement park. I only explored about half of it, so I'm sure I missed a bunch of things. The sculpture garden is located outside the Tretyakov Gallery and is where they decided to put a lot of the old, Soviet monuments and statues. There are a bunch of Lenins there, some Brezhnevs, and a Stalin or two. This is probably one of the few places you can see a Stalin statue or bust after the De-Stalinization period. Also in the park, there is the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky which used to be located in Lubyanka Square and was knocked down after the Fall of the USSR.
I had plans later on to meet with some friends for dinner on Arbat, so I needed to kill time around that area for a bit.
And then it happened. STARBUCKS. I got a way overpriced coffee, but dammit, it was worth it. It was ACTUALLY coffee, not an Americano. Also, it wasn't half bad. I mean, it was....Starbucks. (Caribou FTW)
Dinner at Chili's. Had an overpriced hamburger. Meh.
Day Two: Crusty Communist Leaders and Over-zealous tour guides
On Lenin's Mausoleum: First thing in the morning, we set out for Red Square to go see Lenin in all his glory. Things you are allowed to do in the tomb: Talk, have anything electronic with you, have hands in pockets, smile, stop walking. After going through a metal detector (and in true Russian fashion, it's more for show than regulation), armed guards lead small groups of people to the entrance. The path takes you through half of the Kremlin necropolis (parts of the wall where important people are interred) and around to the front of the tomb. You enter the tomb and from that point on, you are being watched by at least 2 guards at any given time. The walls are black marble (think, Ministry of Magic), and there's just a creepy feeling in the place. After going down a couple flights of stairs, you enter the actual room. Lenin is in a glass case, dressed in a suit. He looks a little green, a little waxy, and a little plaster-like. Lots of people think he's a replica, and he could be, but he's also pretty old so I didn't expect him to look, well, lifelike.
After that, we had some time to bomb around Red Square before the Kremlin tour. I hit up St. Basil's (oddly tomb-like inside), and GUM, a massive department store.
Kremlin tour--Mostly churches, which we had just gotten done talking about in culture class. Also the tour just took forever and the guide just wouldn't shut up. Annoying. Next was the Armory, where they keep all the spendi things the Tsars had. Unfortunately, the jewels were not part of the tour and cost like 500 rubles extra. Our tour was mostly over a bunch of metal things the Tsars got from other country; lots of dinnerware. Lastly, there were like 5 Faberge eggs---Not worth it.
Day Three: Optional Tours-Lubyanka, Gulag, Cosmonaut
One of our coordinators led the group I was with to Lubyanka Square to talk about the building (it has a rather morbid history), and to see the stone placed there as a memorial to those who were killed there. Unfortunately, we were there during a holiday, the one day a year they let the families come and pay respects. We were not allowed into the area around the memorial.
Next stop-Gulag Museum. It was a pretty small museum, definitely not what I expected. The problem is there is no unified Gulag museum in Russia. The funding isn't there, and it is still a little taboo apparently.
Last stop- Cosmonaut Museum. This was the absolute coolest. It's located outside VDNKh, underneath the monument to cosmonauts. It's probably as big, if not bigger, than the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. I was impressed. Also, for students, COMPLETELY FREE. They had models of all the Soviet/Russian rocket systems and capsules. A life size replica of a Soyuz capsule and one of the pods currently in the International Space station. They also had Belka and Strelka...stuffed. They were among the first animals to go up to space, and survive. One of their puppies was given to JFK as a gift and their descendants are still alive today.
As much as I got to see, I didn't even come close to completing my list. I still have about 40-50 things left to do, including every station on the metro. I guess that's just one of the downsides of being in a group. I could have completed almost everything had I been by myself, but at the same time, I wouldn't have gotten a tour of the Kremlin, and I wouldn't have gone to the gulag museum.
Upon returning, I read someone else's blog about St. Petersburg. He is currently in Moscow as a student and was in Piter during roughly the same time I was in Moscow. He mentioned how in St. Petersburg, everyone speaks English and how you get a truer Russian feeling in Moscow. My two cents? I wish that were the case, but from my experience here, NOBODY speaks English to me. I can pretty much count on one hand the times someone has spoken English to me in St. Petersburg. However, in Moscow, literally everyone did. The waitress at Chili's, the barista at Starbucks, the cashier at the produkti--All spoke English.
We shall meet again soon, Moscow.
The program took an overnight train to Moscow which took about 8 or so hours. The ride itself was pretty smooth and the Kupe compartment was rather comfy.
*Note on Russian Trains: Traveling by train in Russia is still probably the best option in terms of balancing speed, comfort, and price and is the most popular means of intercity, and possibly international, transportation. Typical trains in the former Soviet Union usually have three classes; Lux, Kupe, and Platzkart. Lux is the nicest and most expensive. It has 1 to 2 berths per compartment. Kupe is the next nicest and about half the price of lux. It's a four berth compartment. Then we come to the infamous Platzkart wagon. This is an open-berth wagon and is the cheapest option for overnight train travel. No Doors, and as many beds as they can fit in. It's a hoot, to say the least.
Anyway, Moscow was great. We arrived in the morning and despite being super tired, my level of excitement was annoyingly high. Immediately upon exiting the train, I saw the top of the Leningradskaya Hotel, one of the seven Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow. For those who don't know, my fascination with these seven buildings (and a couple others) is approaching fetishism, so having one be the first thing I saw in Moscow was just splendid.
The first thing on the schedule was checking into the hotel, breakfast, and a bus tour, so after waiting for some very entitled people to get to the bus, off we went. We stayed at the Hotel Inn near the Cokol'niki metro, which was probably nicer than I would have wanted, but it came with a gas mask and a non-hand-held shower, so why argue? During the bus tour we experienced some of Moscow's horrible traffic, causing the bus tour to take about an hour longer than I would have wanted. We drove by a bunch of cool things, like a sputnik monument, Ostankino tower, the first McDonald's in Russia, and the center area. We also stopped by Red Square and the Sparrow Hills, where Moscow State University. Some point during the tour, we drove down New Arbat, which is a shopping/entertainment street with lots of Western things like Chili's, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts. I definitely need to go back there when I'm in Moscow again. Also, the bus tour added about 20 new things to my "Things to do in Moscow" list. Sheesh
After the bus tour concluded, about half the people on the program wanted to be lame and stay at the hotel for the rest of the day. I, however, went exploring to knock some things off the list. I hit up Gorky Park, to see the Buran parked there, and the sculpture garden across the street. Gorky Park was a pretty cool place to go walking. There were lots of sculptures and things; there was even a kids amusement park. I only explored about half of it, so I'm sure I missed a bunch of things. The sculpture garden is located outside the Tretyakov Gallery and is where they decided to put a lot of the old, Soviet monuments and statues. There are a bunch of Lenins there, some Brezhnevs, and a Stalin or two. This is probably one of the few places you can see a Stalin statue or bust after the De-Stalinization period. Also in the park, there is the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky which used to be located in Lubyanka Square and was knocked down after the Fall of the USSR.
 |
| Hurray Capitalism!! I'm pretty sure this is the 1st McD's. If so, It's the largest in the world as well. |
I had plans later on to meet with some friends for dinner on Arbat, so I needed to kill time around that area for a bit.
And then it happened. STARBUCKS. I got a way overpriced coffee, but dammit, it was worth it. It was ACTUALLY coffee, not an Americano. Also, it wasn't half bad. I mean, it was....Starbucks. (Caribou FTW)
Dinner at Chili's. Had an overpriced hamburger. Meh.
 |
| 117 rubles of pure joy |
Day Two: Crusty Communist Leaders and Over-zealous tour guides
On Lenin's Mausoleum: First thing in the morning, we set out for Red Square to go see Lenin in all his glory. Things you are allowed to do in the tomb: Talk, have anything electronic with you, have hands in pockets, smile, stop walking. After going through a metal detector (and in true Russian fashion, it's more for show than regulation), armed guards lead small groups of people to the entrance. The path takes you through half of the Kremlin necropolis (parts of the wall where important people are interred) and around to the front of the tomb. You enter the tomb and from that point on, you are being watched by at least 2 guards at any given time. The walls are black marble (think, Ministry of Magic), and there's just a creepy feeling in the place. After going down a couple flights of stairs, you enter the actual room. Lenin is in a glass case, dressed in a suit. He looks a little green, a little waxy, and a little plaster-like. Lots of people think he's a replica, and he could be, but he's also pretty old so I didn't expect him to look, well, lifelike.
After that, we had some time to bomb around Red Square before the Kremlin tour. I hit up St. Basil's (oddly tomb-like inside), and GUM, a massive department store.
Kremlin tour--Mostly churches, which we had just gotten done talking about in culture class. Also the tour just took forever and the guide just wouldn't shut up. Annoying. Next was the Armory, where they keep all the spendi things the Tsars had. Unfortunately, the jewels were not part of the tour and cost like 500 rubles extra. Our tour was mostly over a bunch of metal things the Tsars got from other country; lots of dinnerware. Lastly, there were like 5 Faberge eggs---Not worth it.
Day Three: Optional Tours-Lubyanka, Gulag, Cosmonaut
One of our coordinators led the group I was with to Lubyanka Square to talk about the building (it has a rather morbid history), and to see the stone placed there as a memorial to those who were killed there. Unfortunately, we were there during a holiday, the one day a year they let the families come and pay respects. We were not allowed into the area around the memorial.
Next stop-Gulag Museum. It was a pretty small museum, definitely not what I expected. The problem is there is no unified Gulag museum in Russia. The funding isn't there, and it is still a little taboo apparently.
Last stop- Cosmonaut Museum. This was the absolute coolest. It's located outside VDNKh, underneath the monument to cosmonauts. It's probably as big, if not bigger, than the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. I was impressed. Also, for students, COMPLETELY FREE. They had models of all the Soviet/Russian rocket systems and capsules. A life size replica of a Soyuz capsule and one of the pods currently in the International Space station. They also had Belka and Strelka...stuffed. They were among the first animals to go up to space, and survive. One of their puppies was given to JFK as a gift and their descendants are still alive today.
As much as I got to see, I didn't even come close to completing my list. I still have about 40-50 things left to do, including every station on the metro. I guess that's just one of the downsides of being in a group. I could have completed almost everything had I been by myself, but at the same time, I wouldn't have gotten a tour of the Kremlin, and I wouldn't have gone to the gulag museum.
Upon returning, I read someone else's blog about St. Petersburg. He is currently in Moscow as a student and was in Piter during roughly the same time I was in Moscow. He mentioned how in St. Petersburg, everyone speaks English and how you get a truer Russian feeling in Moscow. My two cents? I wish that were the case, but from my experience here, NOBODY speaks English to me. I can pretty much count on one hand the times someone has spoken English to me in St. Petersburg. However, in Moscow, literally everyone did. The waitress at Chili's, the barista at Starbucks, the cashier at the produkti--All spoke English.
We shall meet again soon, Moscow.
Monday, November 7, 2011
LOL JK RUSSIA IS AWESOME
1) Classes are easy. Like really easy, to the point where I'll have trouble finishing my last semester of college because it'll be rocket science compared to what I'm doing now.
2) I haven't tried it yet, when I finally decide to, I take great solace in knowing that I won't have to walk more than 3 blocks to the nearest Sushi Bar. Seriously, If you live more than 3 blocks from a sushi-bar here, you're doing it wrong.
3) I would say the same about coffee shops, but that's the one thing I'm ACTUALLY bitter about. And the same is true, if you're more than 3 blocks away from some incarnation of a coffee-house, you're doing it wrong.
4) I actually like my host family. She's nice, and she makes lots of delicious soups and things for me. Like: Schi, Sour Schi, Rassol'nik, Pumpkin soup, caviar, pate, caviar, the best cheese I've ever had (smoked ftw), Kasha that would kill angels, eggs just like I like them (burnt whites, yum), eggplant mash, vat jelly, homemade sauerkraut, sausages with mash, Ukha, and more.
5) The food is SOOOO yummy! Syrok, Pops, Yogurt, Cookies (nutela waffle tubes), Blini, Soup, omg BUCKWHEAT, other Russian foods---even RAMEN tastes better here. (coffee still sucks...grrrr)
6) The stoplights have countdowns on them. You no longer have to guess how much time you have left before a gypsy cab (or cop) runs you over in the crosswalk. The cycle works as such:
Green to Red- Green Blinks 3 times, then Yellow for roughly a second then Red
Red to Green- Yellow turns with Red for roughly 3 seconds before Green light comes on.
The previously Green side of intersection is at a Full Red before the Other side is alerted to the changing lights. In theory, a very safe, efficient system. The US should implement.
7) There is an overwhelming amount of stuff to do. And I do mean 'overwhelming'. I feel like I haven't done anything since arriving because my to-do list is so long. I'm slowly working through it. I still have a semester to go!!!
8) I get to wake up every morning knowing that I'm in St. Petersburg! And lemme tell you, that is all sorts of surreal. Up until two years ago, I had no idea the direction my life would take, and had someone told me, I wouldn't have believed them. I am simply amazed everyday.
9) This city is older than the United States. Peter the Great FTW
10) Drinking beer on the street--at least until 2012 (wah wah). A new law will treat beer as alcohol and thus, the ban on public drinking will extend to beer.
11) Cheap vodka
12) Finland is super close, ya know, for smuggling runs. Apparently things are cheaper over there. Somehow, I find that hard to believe.
13) Banya--- Sauna + Sadomasochism + Snacks= Awesome!! Not only is it fun, it's super refreshing. While in the steam room, you beat yourself or others with things called 'veniki'. These are traditionally birch branches with leaves still attached, but oak is cheaper and I have even seen evergreen (with needles, I need to try that!)
14) Kopeck hunting (not for 10's or 50's, but for 1's and 5's). Stalk some weddings, find some coins they don't make anymore, get some weird looks from Russians. Fun times.
15) Hazelnuts in candy, like Snickers and M&Ms
16) This place is full of magic and Everything is amazing!
2) I haven't tried it yet, when I finally decide to, I take great solace in knowing that I won't have to walk more than 3 blocks to the nearest Sushi Bar. Seriously, If you live more than 3 blocks from a sushi-bar here, you're doing it wrong.
3) I would say the same about coffee shops, but that's the one thing I'm ACTUALLY bitter about. And the same is true, if you're more than 3 blocks away from some incarnation of a coffee-house, you're doing it wrong.
4) I actually like my host family. She's nice, and she makes lots of delicious soups and things for me. Like: Schi, Sour Schi, Rassol'nik, Pumpkin soup, caviar, pate, caviar, the best cheese I've ever had (smoked ftw), Kasha that would kill angels, eggs just like I like them (burnt whites, yum), eggplant mash, vat jelly, homemade sauerkraut, sausages with mash, Ukha, and more.
5) The food is SOOOO yummy! Syrok, Pops, Yogurt, Cookies (nutela waffle tubes), Blini, Soup, omg BUCKWHEAT, other Russian foods---even RAMEN tastes better here. (coffee still sucks...grrrr)
6) The stoplights have countdowns on them. You no longer have to guess how much time you have left before a gypsy cab (or cop) runs you over in the crosswalk. The cycle works as such:
Green to Red- Green Blinks 3 times, then Yellow for roughly a second then Red
Red to Green- Yellow turns with Red for roughly 3 seconds before Green light comes on.
The previously Green side of intersection is at a Full Red before the Other side is alerted to the changing lights. In theory, a very safe, efficient system. The US should implement.
7) There is an overwhelming amount of stuff to do. And I do mean 'overwhelming'. I feel like I haven't done anything since arriving because my to-do list is so long. I'm slowly working through it. I still have a semester to go!!!
8) I get to wake up every morning knowing that I'm in St. Petersburg! And lemme tell you, that is all sorts of surreal. Up until two years ago, I had no idea the direction my life would take, and had someone told me, I wouldn't have believed them. I am simply amazed everyday.
9) This city is older than the United States. Peter the Great FTW
10) Drinking beer on the street--at least until 2012 (wah wah). A new law will treat beer as alcohol and thus, the ban on public drinking will extend to beer.
11) Cheap vodka
12) Finland is super close, ya know, for smuggling runs. Apparently things are cheaper over there. Somehow, I find that hard to believe.
13) Banya--- Sauna + Sadomasochism + Snacks= Awesome!! Not only is it fun, it's super refreshing. While in the steam room, you beat yourself or others with things called 'veniki'. These are traditionally birch branches with leaves still attached, but oak is cheaper and I have even seen evergreen (with needles, I need to try that!)
14) Kopeck hunting (not for 10's or 50's, but for 1's and 5's). Stalk some weddings, find some coins they don't make anymore, get some weird looks from Russians. Fun times.
15) Hazelnuts in candy, like Snickers and M&Ms
16) This place is full of magic and Everything is amazing!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Phase 2--Russia Sucks
In honor of the wicked 'Phase-2*'ing happening right now, I thought I'd share my own (and some other people's) personal grievances with this god-forsaken country.
1) This country is dirty as hell. Like, it's just grimy. It's understandable that Russians don't wear their outside shoes inside...EVER. The amount of muck I walk through everyday is unbelievable. Also, there is poop everywhere. I hope it's dog poop, but from the size of some of the loafs, I'm starting to believe Russians actually DO have bears for pets. I haven't stepped in any yet, but I know it's just a matter of time.
2) It's wet. It rains all the time and apparently the Fall and Winter trade rain for snow, so Whoppdi DOO. Even when the weather report predicts sun all day, St. Petersburg will find a way to sneak some rain in there somewhere.
3) Kopeks- WTF!! These are the 'cents' of the Ruble. They are COMPLETELY useless, and yet, I somehow have a bag full of them. I try to use them, but then I get yelled at because I'm taking too much time to count them. This brings us to:
4) Cashiers can go to hell. It's impossible to get through any type of cash transaction without some exasperating sigh or disappointing look. You buy something and pray that it comes out to exactly 100 rubles, because if it doesn't...ahh hell. Someone has to count out change, and it's going to ruin their day. Even when you try to spare the cashier the horrible task of making change by having the exact amount, they still glare at you. You can't do right. Once a cashier yelled at me because she thought I should have had 75.60 in coins. The change for 100p is FIVE COINS. I should have given her a sassy "Сука, Пожалуйста!" but that probably would have caused a situation.
5) Pickpockets-I just don't want to deal with that.
6) Water- Fun Story: Water from the tap in St. Petersburg has Giardia in it. This isn't such a big deal, because most of the time I drink tea, and it has been boiled, killing the parasites. However, say you wake up at 3a.m. with an unreasonable thirst and you forgot to purchase water today. Too bad. Don't even think about drinking the boiled tap; it tastes like pennies. The nearest 24 hr. store is 5 blocks away and to get there, you're going to have to deal with defecating drunks (yeah, that happened).
7) Water-again. There's a joke here which states 'all of Mendeleev's can be found in the waters of the Neva'. It's probably closer to truth than not. A few kilometers outside of town is a place called Красный Бор. It's a big hole in the ground where the Soviets thought it would be ok to dump all sort of chemicals. It's full now, and every time it rains, it overflows and drains into a river which leads to the Neva. Guess from which river St. Petersburg gets its water? Yeah, the Neva. There's so much pollution, Finland is getting pissed. Even when the water is boiled, the chemicals remain and there is always a metallic taste. Bottled water FTW.
8) Coffee- Class just got out and you're craving a delicious coffee concoction so you head over to the nearest Кофе Хауз, Шоколодница, or Coffeeshop company. Looking at the menu, everything looks yummy; the flavors are exciting, and everything smells like coffee. You can hardly wait. The waitress arrives with you order and it looks amazing; it has the fancy foam on top and everything.
What is this I don't even...
The menu says 300ml of coffee. Sounds like a lot, right? Wrong! Screwed once again by the metric system. The 10oz of, let's not even call this coffee, WARM MILK SCENTED LIKE HAZELNUT is SOOOOO not worth the 189 rubles ($6.07) you just spent on it. Let's say you just want a normal drip coffee. Yeah, not gonna happen. It's the ONE drink coffee shops don't do.
9) Doors- They always come in pairs. There are always weird locks and weird keys. Those weird keys and locks only work properly 50% of the time. I have been locked on the wrong side of the door to my apartment twice so far. Not a fun experience.
10) Host Families- I've lived pretty independently the last 5 years of my life so naturally, having a 'parental figure' around all the time was quite the shock. While she does cook for me, she scolds me for using the wrong hand soap. She's called me rude a couple times; I'm still not sure why. I would understand, maybe, if my Russian were good enough for me to be catty--but it isn't. She also has a tendency to turn off my light for me when she notices I'm up at midnight. Thanks. Also like doors, light switches are incredibly confusing for Americans. Now, this is particularly annoying when taken into consideration the fact that I also wake up an hour before anyone else in the apartment. I think I'm doing fine with my 6.5 hours of sleep. I do not need to go to sleep at 9, nor does anyone between the ages of 9 and 65.
Also, Everyday:
Her: What are you doing today?
Me: Meeting with [some girl/group of girls/group of mixed company]
Her: Is she pretty?/ Will there be girls?
Me: ಠ_ಠ
Her: Why aren't you married?
Me: ಠ_ಠ
Her: How's [insert girl's name]
Me: ಠ_ಠ Good
Her: Is she your girlfriend?
Not Now. Not Ever. I'm 23. Why the hell would anyone be married at 23 in 2011?? The fact that I'm single does not mean I'm open for matchmaking--especially from a Russian babushka. Because lemme tell you-- I'll come home with a couple Komsomol badges and some furry hats, not a girlfriend.
I'm probably forgetting some really juicy rants, but I'm exhausted now.
Honorable Mention:
Republicans: This resides in the honorable mention category as it is not a problem with Russia, per se, but with the Americans IN Russia. Having spent a majority of the last couple years in Minneapolis, it's easy to forget that they exist. But I'll leave it at this: If I see one more person checking the news on The Drudge Report, my brain is gonna start bleeding.
*Look up 'culture shock' on wikipedia
1) This country is dirty as hell. Like, it's just grimy. It's understandable that Russians don't wear their outside shoes inside...EVER. The amount of muck I walk through everyday is unbelievable. Also, there is poop everywhere. I hope it's dog poop, but from the size of some of the loafs, I'm starting to believe Russians actually DO have bears for pets. I haven't stepped in any yet, but I know it's just a matter of time.
2) It's wet. It rains all the time and apparently the Fall and Winter trade rain for snow, so Whoppdi DOO. Even when the weather report predicts sun all day, St. Petersburg will find a way to sneak some rain in there somewhere.
3) Kopeks- WTF!! These are the 'cents' of the Ruble. They are COMPLETELY useless, and yet, I somehow have a bag full of them. I try to use them, but then I get yelled at because I'm taking too much time to count them. This brings us to:
4) Cashiers can go to hell. It's impossible to get through any type of cash transaction without some exasperating sigh or disappointing look. You buy something and pray that it comes out to exactly 100 rubles, because if it doesn't...ahh hell. Someone has to count out change, and it's going to ruin their day. Even when you try to spare the cashier the horrible task of making change by having the exact amount, they still glare at you. You can't do right. Once a cashier yelled at me because she thought I should have had 75.60 in coins. The change for 100p is FIVE COINS. I should have given her a sassy "Сука, Пожалуйста!" but that probably would have caused a situation.
5) Pickpockets-I just don't want to deal with that.
6) Water- Fun Story: Water from the tap in St. Petersburg has Giardia in it. This isn't such a big deal, because most of the time I drink tea, and it has been boiled, killing the parasites. However, say you wake up at 3a.m. with an unreasonable thirst and you forgot to purchase water today. Too bad. Don't even think about drinking the boiled tap; it tastes like pennies. The nearest 24 hr. store is 5 blocks away and to get there, you're going to have to deal with defecating drunks (yeah, that happened).
7) Water-again. There's a joke here which states 'all of Mendeleev's can be found in the waters of the Neva'. It's probably closer to truth than not. A few kilometers outside of town is a place called Красный Бор. It's a big hole in the ground where the Soviets thought it would be ok to dump all sort of chemicals. It's full now, and every time it rains, it overflows and drains into a river which leads to the Neva. Guess from which river St. Petersburg gets its water? Yeah, the Neva. There's so much pollution, Finland is getting pissed. Even when the water is boiled, the chemicals remain and there is always a metallic taste. Bottled water FTW.
8) Coffee- Class just got out and you're craving a delicious coffee concoction so you head over to the nearest Кофе Хауз, Шоколодница, or Coffeeshop company. Looking at the menu, everything looks yummy; the flavors are exciting, and everything smells like coffee. You can hardly wait. The waitress arrives with you order and it looks amazing; it has the fancy foam on top and everything.
What is this I don't even...
The menu says 300ml of coffee. Sounds like a lot, right? Wrong! Screwed once again by the metric system. The 10oz of, let's not even call this coffee, WARM MILK SCENTED LIKE HAZELNUT is SOOOOO not worth the 189 rubles ($6.07) you just spent on it. Let's say you just want a normal drip coffee. Yeah, not gonna happen. It's the ONE drink coffee shops don't do.
9) Doors- They always come in pairs. There are always weird locks and weird keys. Those weird keys and locks only work properly 50% of the time. I have been locked on the wrong side of the door to my apartment twice so far. Not a fun experience.
10) Host Families- I've lived pretty independently the last 5 years of my life so naturally, having a 'parental figure' around all the time was quite the shock. While she does cook for me, she scolds me for using the wrong hand soap. She's called me rude a couple times; I'm still not sure why. I would understand, maybe, if my Russian were good enough for me to be catty--but it isn't. She also has a tendency to turn off my light for me when she notices I'm up at midnight. Thanks. Also like doors, light switches are incredibly confusing for Americans. Now, this is particularly annoying when taken into consideration the fact that I also wake up an hour before anyone else in the apartment. I think I'm doing fine with my 6.5 hours of sleep. I do not need to go to sleep at 9, nor does anyone between the ages of 9 and 65.
Also, Everyday:
Her: What are you doing today?
Me: Meeting with [some girl/group of girls/group of mixed company]
Her: Is she pretty?/ Will there be girls?
Me: ಠ_ಠ
Her: Why aren't you married?
Me: ಠ_ಠ
Her: How's [insert girl's name]
Me: ಠ_ಠ Good
Her: Is she your girlfriend?
Not Now. Not Ever. I'm 23. Why the hell would anyone be married at 23 in 2011?? The fact that I'm single does not mean I'm open for matchmaking--especially from a Russian babushka. Because lemme tell you-- I'll come home with a couple Komsomol badges and some furry hats, not a girlfriend.
I'm probably forgetting some really juicy rants, but I'm exhausted now.
Honorable Mention:
Republicans: This resides in the honorable mention category as it is not a problem with Russia, per se, but with the Americans IN Russia. Having spent a majority of the last couple years in Minneapolis, it's easy to forget that they exist. But I'll leave it at this: If I see one more person checking the news on The Drudge Report, my brain is gonna start bleeding.
*Look up 'culture shock' on wikipedia
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Trapped: How I Managed to Survive Imprisonment Within a Russian Apartment
Russians seem to like doors, like, a lot. For my apartment alone, not only is there the door to the building, but two sequential doors for the entrance to the apartment. I have heard that the number of doors can double if you have an older building as there are twice the entrances (one for people and guest, one for trash and servants). With these doors come many keys. Right now, I have a fob for the outside door, a key for each apartment door, and a key for the deadbolt. Also, the keys don't look like keys in America. Rarely will you have the flat, grooved key with ridges for the pins, but you will have either a dungeon-y key, a four-sided ridged key, or a circular key with holes in it for pins.
So on Monday morning, I woke up, had breakfast, and got ready for school. By the time I actually got around to leaving, the other two in the apartment had already left. Ready to leave, I unlocked the inner door and pulled the handle. Nothing. It wouldn't even turn all the way. Confused, I checked the deadbolt to find my key wouldn't turn (yeah, use the key on the inside and outside). After that I was sure that the deadbolt was unlocked as it had never been locked before.
I began trying every combination of door usage I could think of: lock door, try deadbolt, move lever-thingy (I still don't know what it does), lift door handle up. For a while, I thought I had forgotten how to use a door.
After about 20 minutes of playing this game, a slight feeling of panic set in. My hozyaika was at the dacha and everyone else was at work and I sure a hell wasn't going to call them to explain in pseudo-Russian that I was locked in the apartment. My first thought was, "Is being locked in the apartment an excusable absence from school?" My Russian friend from Kazan said 'probably'. Relief.
I called one of the program coordinators to describe my predicament. She then called my host-father (could have skipped the middle man), who then called me.
Problem #2--I don't understand Russian over the phone, not at all. So about 5 minutes pass with what sounds like frustrated yelling over the phone, and I am no closer to escaping.
My host mother then calls, and I can at least understand her a little bit, usually, but today it sounds like more frustrated yelling. After negotiating with this for about 5 minutes, I finally figure out the secret to operating the door.
Freedom. And I only missed one class.
So on Monday morning, I woke up, had breakfast, and got ready for school. By the time I actually got around to leaving, the other two in the apartment had already left. Ready to leave, I unlocked the inner door and pulled the handle. Nothing. It wouldn't even turn all the way. Confused, I checked the deadbolt to find my key wouldn't turn (yeah, use the key on the inside and outside). After that I was sure that the deadbolt was unlocked as it had never been locked before.
I began trying every combination of door usage I could think of: lock door, try deadbolt, move lever-thingy (I still don't know what it does), lift door handle up. For a while, I thought I had forgotten how to use a door.
After about 20 minutes of playing this game, a slight feeling of panic set in. My hozyaika was at the dacha and everyone else was at work and I sure a hell wasn't going to call them to explain in pseudo-Russian that I was locked in the apartment. My first thought was, "Is being locked in the apartment an excusable absence from school?" My Russian friend from Kazan said 'probably'. Relief.
I called one of the program coordinators to describe my predicament. She then called my host-father (could have skipped the middle man), who then called me.
Problem #2--I don't understand Russian over the phone, not at all. So about 5 minutes pass with what sounds like frustrated yelling over the phone, and I am no closer to escaping.
My host mother then calls, and I can at least understand her a little bit, usually, but today it sounds like more frustrated yelling. After negotiating with this for about 5 minutes, I finally figure out the secret to operating the door.
Freedom. And I only missed one class.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Orientation Redux
So I probably forgot the most important part of the entire orientation
experience: Meeting your Host Family. My host family consists of a Host
Mother, her husband (I never see him), her son (rarely see him), and her
granddaughter, who is visiting for a semester before going back home.
So on the last day of orientation, they loaded us onto a bus and away we
went. I was part of the last group to get dropped off and while they
said the bus would be ready for us at 5, it didn't pick us up until 7ish
due to 'dacha traffic'. Dacha traffic is a wonderful phenomenon that
happens on Friday as people get off work. Basically everyone who has a
dacha in the country gets the hell out of Piter at the same time. This
causes all major and even minor roads jam up. So 7-ish rolls around, and off
we go. There were around 25-30 people on our bus with luggage; it was a
tight fit. We dropped off some people who lived close to the hotel
first and then made our way to Petrogradskaya Storona. I do not live
here so I settled in for the long haul, little did I know how long it
would actually be.
It took us a while to realize that this process of dropping people off was taking far longer than it should. We also started noticing the same businesses and streets moving past us. As it turns out, we had been driving in circles for at least 3 hours. By this point we had just about finished dropping off half the group. After a few more trips around the same city block, we made our way back to the city center to drop off the rest of us. Luckily for us, we had a heritage speaker on board and she filled us in on what was happening. Apparently the bus driver had no idea where he was going, hence the circles. Also, the bus we were on was scheduled to go to Finland at midnight (yes it was that late).
A little before midnight, we pull in behind the October Hotel and the driver kicks us off. After 20 or so minutes of waiting street-side with our luggage, a replacement bus shows up. As a group, we were all still quite jet-lagged and the 6 hour bus ride was not helping things. We were all pretty delirious near the end; laughing at just about anything, most likely stupid things.
I was third from the last to get dropped off at a reasonable 1:30am. Upon entrance to the apartment, my host mother promptly fed me, which was greatly appreciated as I hadn't eaten dinner before the hell-on-wheels fiasco. Dinner consisted of soup--mmmmm. And after I had eaten everything, she then made (read: force fed) me 8 blini with black current jam. Those were delicious and I now have the privilege of saying that I have double-fisted pancakes.
It took us a while to realize that this process of dropping people off was taking far longer than it should. We also started noticing the same businesses and streets moving past us. As it turns out, we had been driving in circles for at least 3 hours. By this point we had just about finished dropping off half the group. After a few more trips around the same city block, we made our way back to the city center to drop off the rest of us. Luckily for us, we had a heritage speaker on board and she filled us in on what was happening. Apparently the bus driver had no idea where he was going, hence the circles. Also, the bus we were on was scheduled to go to Finland at midnight (yes it was that late).
A little before midnight, we pull in behind the October Hotel and the driver kicks us off. After 20 or so minutes of waiting street-side with our luggage, a replacement bus shows up. As a group, we were all still quite jet-lagged and the 6 hour bus ride was not helping things. We were all pretty delirious near the end; laughing at just about anything, most likely stupid things.
I was third from the last to get dropped off at a reasonable 1:30am. Upon entrance to the apartment, my host mother promptly fed me, which was greatly appreciated as I hadn't eaten dinner before the hell-on-wheels fiasco. Dinner consisted of soup--mmmmm. And after I had eaten everything, she then made (read: force fed) me 8 blini with black current jam. Those were delicious and I now have the privilege of saying that I have double-fisted pancakes.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Scary Scary
A week ago on Friday, I got to school super early and decided my time was better spent going for a walk. I started out by touring the embankment; seeing lots of nice apartments and some not so nice ones. After about an hour of that, I headed back to the campus along Шпалерная Улица (Shpalernaya Ulitsa). On the left is an open square of sorts with a monument in the center. Thankfully during the bus tour, the tour guide introduced this statue as Felix Dzerzhinsky. Behind this statue is a rather run-down looking building with no obvious signage or labeling.
On that particular day, a woman happened to be taking pictures of the building, not the statue. She was also really close to the building; taking a picture and then feeling the surface or inspecting a crack in the cement. It was then that I saw two armed personnel exit the building, approach her, and escort her inside. After returning to the campus, I talked to one of the program coordinators about what just happened. As it turns out, that building is a branch office of the FSB.
I took pictures of both FSB buildings in Kazan last year...And I want a picture of that Dzerzhinsky statue.
On that particular day, a woman happened to be taking pictures of the building, not the statue. She was also really close to the building; taking a picture and then feeling the surface or inspecting a crack in the cement. It was then that I saw two armed personnel exit the building, approach her, and escort her inside. After returning to the campus, I talked to one of the program coordinators about what just happened. As it turns out, that building is a branch office of the FSB.
I took pictures of both FSB buildings in Kazan last year...And I want a picture of that Dzerzhinsky statue.
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