Update!!!

So, this blog thing is quite a simple concept, but when you thrown in the whole life and college student thing, it becomes very easy to pass over it. For those of you checking everyday for a new post, I apologize and would suggest checking maybe every week (if that). So, in light of a lack of posts the week, I will give you an update of what I've been up to (which will theoretically justify why I haven't written anything!). 

Fasten your seat belts!


1. Боулинг (Bowling)


   Yes, I've gone bowling in Russia. No, it isn't any different from bowling in the US except perhaps that it is in Russia and therefore is done with a bit more professionalism and pizzazz.
For example:

So maybe this isn't the best illustration of the point I'm
trying to make, but believe me, this isn't some plain old
bowling alley.

So why did I go bowling in Russia? Well, it was a part of our cultural program where we explore Russia's cultural aspects and interact with the Russian students whom we sit in class with. I wouldn't say Russians are crazy about bowling more than Americans are, but the fact that they still go bowling is entertaining (for me at least).

   We gathered on a Friday night, Americans and Russians, and settled in with our slippery shoes to hit the lanes. Another thing that doesn't change between American and Russia in regards to bowling is my complete lack of skill when it comes to this game...

It's a high tech bowling-restaurant-bar-party
place-alley.

The skill levels were spread out equally between Americans and Russians, it really depended on the individual. When all was said and done, everyone had a great night and it was great to get to know everyone a bit better. Let's give a "Ура!" for cultural exchange!











2. Spying on the Russian Baltic Fleet


    Guarding the entrance to Saint Petersburg from the sea is the small but famous island of Кронштадт (Kronshtadt). Peter the 1st set up a naval base on the island back in 1700s and since then the island has kept watch over all ships coming in and leaving the city. In 1921, the sailors stationed on the island mutinied against the Bolshevik government in Petrograd (St. Petersburg at the time). The Bolsheviks responded by sending the Red Army across the frozen water to attack the island. After many losses on both sides, the rebellion was quelled. Today, the island sits peacefully nestled in the waters and now connected to the mainland by a long bridge.

   The day I found myself on the island was a beautiful, fall day complete with leaves changing colors and the added beauty of the city's architecture and people.

As we walked down the streets of this old town, it was so enchanting. It reminded me lot of of Rhinebeck, New York (the town my parents and I stayed at before I left for Russia). Small, peaceful, and beautiful.

   But as I mentioned earlier, the aroma of Кронштадт isn't the only reason to visit the island. As before, the island is partly a naval base and as such offers the visitor the chance to snap a photo or two (or three or four) of some of the ships of Russia's Baltic Fleet.

And this is what an American tourist looks like in Russia...

3. Having the Perfect Evening

   After visiting Кронштадт, I returned home for some dinner and rest and then set off again (this time in the company of my подруга) for a Chinese light festival that was taking place on Марсово Поле (a park/memorial dedicated to those who gave their lives during the revolution and civil war).

As we approached the park, the sun was beginning to set, the air was cool, and the grass wet. Above us floated towards the heavens hundreds of фонарики (fanariki; lights/lanterns). It was an awesome sight to see. What was more awesome was the amount of people gathered in the park to take part in this activity. It was incredible! Everyone from the young to the old, from families to friends, all came together to share this moment. They were all crowded together putting the фонарики together and asking for matches or lighters to send them up into the sky.

The perfect weather, the wonderful company, and the scene just took me away. It was wonderful. So wonderful that we decided to buy our own фонарик and give it a shot. We didn't do so well...Our flame burnt a whole in the side of our lantern and from there physics and aerodynamics took their course, bringing our poor lantern to rest on the ground, and sending me dashing at it before it caught on fire. But we nonetheless enjoyed the moment and the scene of thousands of other lights floating in the sky.

It was difficult to walk away from the scene. The peacefulness of the lamps, with the city aglow was a perfect ending to the day.


Here's a video I shot of the event, enjoy!

4. Seeing a fortress

This is not my photo. I don't have a helicopter.

      When Peter I, took the land that was to become Saint Petersburg from the Swedes, he built Петропавлоская Крепость (The Fortress of Saints Peter and Paul). The fort stands an a strategic intersection of the cities rivers and was therefore key to the city's defense. The fortress was also used as a prison for political prisoners during the Tsarist years. Many famous dissidents spent time and died within the walls of this fortress. One of whom bore the same last name of another radical dissident: Ульянов (Ullyanov). The picture below shows the older brother of Lenin who was imprisoned and put to death under Alexander III.

   
Walking around the fortress was very surreal. This is one of those places that you see and read about when studying Russia and to actually be walking along the cobble stone road through the middle of the fort was an exhilarating experience.















I will wrap up this update for now. Thanks for tuning in!
 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...Getting around in St. Petersburg

Every morning, I exit at some point from this lovely door:

Don't be fooled, this door is protected by locks
used to hold vault doors in place...

Number 36. It's such a welcome sight to see in the evening when I return home. But before that moment comes all the exciting stuff in between. Now, you've seen the results of my wanderings around St. Petersburg and the Russian countryside, but a natural question that may come to mind is, "How do you get around this city?"

I dedicate this post to all the methods of transport available in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Слава транспорту!


Let's start the music:

As you listen to the Bulls theme song and think back to glory days of the 1990s (I know I am...), follow me as I descend the steps of my apartment building....

I started photographing every step so you could
literally 'follow' me down, but I got weird looks...

I guess I'll say a bit about my apartment building since you are looking at it. You'll notice that it appears a bit run-down. Well, it is. The tiles are falling apart, the rail is a bit wobbly, and there is garbage and dust in the corners. And all the doors are different and very worn. And so what? It's in the inside that counts right?

Exactly. As I've already mentioned in a previous post, Russia is not a very glamorous country. It frankly is a bit dirty on the outside. But inside, you get to know that Russians take pride in their homes and what lies behind the crumbling tile and chipped paint.

Ok. Back to transportation. Our first option in this lineup of motion is....

You may pretend you are in my shoes, but you must
speak Russian...

The ever popular cheap and green option, your feet (shoes not included). This is the most obvious and most widely used of transportation options in St. Petersburg. You see people using it all the time and its very cost effective. But be warned, the distance on your map may appear shorter than it actually is. And when on foot, you can become distracted by a whole city worth of cool things all out to keep you from getting to your destination. If you choose to wear shoes (highly recommended), you want comfortable walking shoes, a waterproof footwear option, and for the winter months, good boots. Or you can wear high heels (This post).

Inside a троллейбус/автобус

If you need to navigate the streets of the city with more speed than your feet can muster, you may want to consider either the автобус (avtobuus) or троллейбус (trollébuus). Both of these transportation options run along set routes all across the city. There are few places where you will not see an автобус or троллейбус except for the back streets. All major streets and prospects have several остановки (Astanovki/stops) from which you can gaze upon the parade of автобусы and троллейбусы as they pull up offering you a break from walking. All автобусы and троллейбусы are numbered. For example, I take the number 11 троллейбус everyday to school. But be aware that an автобус with the same number as a троллейбус does not run the same route as that троллейбус and vice-versa. I will also mention that these are a part of the public transportation system in St. Petersburg.


If you aren't in too much of a hurry (really, I mean this) and want to experience a bit of Russia's Soviet past, take the трамвай (tramvai/Tram).

I think they are quite enjoyable to ride.

I've taken this transportation option twice already during my stay in St. Petersburg and I'd say that it is a wonderful option for anybody who needs to go a long way through the city, but is not in a hurry. They do not go that fast compared to other options (but certainly faster than on foot). You should not expect to easily concentrate or chat while on the трамвай because it runs on a rail system and has wheels similar to those you would see on a train. There is much grinding and clucking as you move along. Add to that the fact that a lot of трамвайs have been around since the Soviet era and you get a very noisy ride. Here's a shot inside a трамвай:

This photo was taken very stealthily.
What would you say if someone started
clicking their camera on a bus or something?

The leisurely pace of the трамвай and the fact that its built on tracks are its disadvantages. Its slow pace can be supplemented by anything blocking the tracks. During my second трамвай ride, I experienced a трамвай getting stuck on the tracks. I was in a hurry (first mistake in taking the трамвай), but we were cruising along at comfortable speed. Then all of sudden the трамвай stops. Two other трамвайs are sitting on the track in front of us. Presumably, the first трамвай broke down, blocking the path of the others.Good times. But still, a memorable experience and a reminder to me that I must always keep in mind this phrase while living in Russia: "Prepared to be unprepared."

Now if you really want to cruise around the city and you can fork out 25 rubles for the ride, the метро (metro) is a wonderful option to take advantage of. Underneath the city is a web of fast moving trains and people rushing to and fro and popping out of the ground to immerse themselves once again into life above ground. Be mindful of the crowds of people as they really make orientating yourself difficult. You have to know where you're going...or at least convince yourself that you are walking in the right direction. But after a few times, it all become routine and you realize that the metro is a friend that will help you get almost anywhere in a jiffy. Just be mindful that if you are a male between the ages of 14-70 (ish), you may not be able to sit down on the metro even if you've been walking all day. Courtesy reserves seats for women, passengers with children, and older passengers. Also be aware that the doors close rather forcefully. I once saw a chap get bounced between the doors and propelled away from the train onto the platform. He got up and walked away, so I'm sure he was okay, just a bit shaken. Before the train departs, listen for "Осторожно, двери закрываются" (Astarozhno, dveri zakriivaiootsiya/Caution, the doors are closing). You will hear it over and over again. But its important.

Don't get any funny ideas from this picture. This is a
Sunday morning at the first station on this route. Also, this
is one of the few times, I've actually sat on the Metro before...

Moving away from public transportation, there are a couple options available to the pedestrian that can fork out a bit more change. The first option is called a маршрутка (marshrutka/minibus/van). For around 25-30 rubles (perhaps more, especially for further distances), you can zoom through the city's streets and bypass almost any obstacle that gets in your way. The маршруткu are very reliable and fast and will get you where you want to go. The catch is that it takes a bit of self-esteem to take advantage of this option. While they have specific routes that they run, it is up to the pedestrian desiring to ride on a маршрутка to flag the driver down (waving an arm or just sticking it out work). Once on the road, you must tell the driver when you want to get off, so you have to know where you are going and be able to relay that to the driver. I've only used this option once and I knew the name of the place I was going, but I didn't know what it looked like. To add to the fun, I told the driver when I got on where I wanted to go, but I forgot to tell him when I needed to get off. Luckily, he remembered and told me to get off at a street. But he had already stopped at the place I was going....whoops. маршруткu come in two different shapes and sizes in St. Petersburg. You have the ones that look like buses and the ones that look like delivery vans. Neither is more legit than the other, just more spacious.

And if you are feeling very (and I mean very) adventurous. And if you have some money on you. And you want to get someplace really, really quickly. And you don't mind getting into a car with a complete stranger. The частники (chastniki/private owner of a car) is the option for you. To summon this player on the streets of St. Petersburg, you need one of these:

Just one. If you start using two, you'll just look like an idiot...

So, with your arm in arm (you can't really use "arm in hand" in this situation), simply stand on the side of a street (preferably one that is used frequently), and stick your arm out. Wait a bit, and a car will break away from the flow of traffic and make it's way to you.You'll open the door and tell the driver where you need to go and figure out a price. I've never done this (it is in fact advised against by my program here...), but I've seen it work a few times. It's a mixture of hitchhiking and small business.

But sometimes, all the above options just fail to come through. Your feet are either tired, too slow, or wet. Traffic is keeping the trolleybus and autobus from getting anywhere. The ever faithful tramvai has stopped in the middle of the route because another tramvai is stuck on the track ahead (true story). You don't have enough money for the marshutka and you aren't in the mood to test fate today, so the chastniki are not an option. You could take the metro, but there aren't any stations near your destination and you have to make 3 transfers so its not really worth it. What are you to do?

Well, I don't know about you, but during times like these when regular transportation options fail to deliver me complete satisfaction, I go for my own option:

Parking is a bugger, but that's what the tires are for...James Bond style
driving in Russia (see video below).

Side note: It is rather fun to recognize the streets and buildings in this scene! But not so fun that Bond is plowing them over...haha



That wraps it up!

На Дачу! To the Dacha! (Daaacha)

Note to self: I should be posting things in a more timely fashion...

Anyway.

This past Saturday (hence the note to myself), I was given the opportunity of going with my girlfriend and her grandma (Бабушка) to their Дача (Dacha). For those of you unfamiliar with this bit of Russian culture, it is easiest to compare it to the concept of "having a cabin." Many people own cabins and go there from time to time and relax and fish and hunt and do all sorts of things. The Дача is a similar concept but not. For Russians living in big cities like St . Petersburg and Moscow (and Nizhny Novgorod, etc...), space is limited. Everything around you is an endless stretch of concrete and stone, food stands, bustling crowds, and crazy drivers. And after work, you return to an apartment to relax and eat and perhaps work a bit more. The Дача offers an escape from all of this. Well, maybe not from the working part...


What follows is my experience at the Дача. It was not a complete Дача experience as I will explain as I go.

First, we head to the электрички (elektriktrichki), a train that moves on electricity. The station we go to is on the northern edge of St. Petersburg, the last stop on one of the metro lines.

There were quite a few people gathered waiting for the train to arrive. And when it finally did, there were quite a few more people already on the train. It was a scene right out of a novel or movie. People of all sorts riding on a train with seats for half of them. Everyone had different sorts of things with them. Those without seats sat on their luggage or the floor. Others (I included) stood and waited for our stop. The ride was about 30 minutes, taking us out of the claustrophobic city to the wild and free Russian countryside.

A few words on what I saw of the деревня (countryside). When I say wild and free, I mean it. Growing up in  Central Illinois, I saw country almost day. Long stretches of corn and soybeans; far as the eye could see. But the nicely ordered rows and plots of the Midwest look more like city blocks when compared to Russia's countryside. Trees and plants have been left to grown as they wish. There is little to no trimming to make way for people. The trees are cleared away from the train tracks and that's about it. The paths and roads that have been made are all dirt. People seem to have built with nature, not against it.

Once again, I felt like I had just stepped into a novel or an article on Matador (online travel site). But here I was, walking down a narrow dirt path on my way to the дача. As we moved away from the platform (and it literally was just a platform, not "station"), дача-s started popping up out of the forest like trees. A small village was ahead. While the point of a дача is to escape the crowded confines of a city, it is often the case that your дача will be within a small village of other дача-s. That doesn't take away from the atmosphere whatsoever. In fact, it adds to it. Whereas in a city, you may not have time to interact must with your neighbors or really get to know them, your neighbors at the дача are a different story. Your gardens are next to each other and you are now not worrying about catching our bus or trolleybus. Life is slowed down.

"Community meeting on August 27 at 1:00 PM on the field"

   So we heading down the path and come to larger road (not that much bigger, but big enough for a car) and head for a small store. The store is a place to buy things that you may not have at the дача such as meat, bread, water, vodka, toys. There's quite a random assortment. It is also a community message board of sorts. We stopped in because I had to buy some sausage to bring as a gift to the дача, another tradition/courtesy of sorts. With my sausage in hand, we headed to the дача itself.

That little building there is a well. An actual well.
And I got to use it!! I was really excited. A lot more
than I should have been....

 This particular дачa was surrounded by a fence, the front fence being a tall black iron gate. Inside was a wild patch of plants, a well, a house, and a large garden in the back.

     We approached the house and I was introduced, I presented my sausage and some candy I also brought along and they were set aside for lunch. After introduction with the grandma, I was introduced to some cousins who were out back. Then our purpose for coming to the дачa was revealed. As mentioned earlier, people don't come out to the country to just rest; there is work to be done.

You may either tilt your head or your computer,
whichever is smaller.

We received a tour of the garden and given our assignments for the day: trimming and cleaning up around strawberry bushes, moving a bench, and picking leaves for tea. We set about at our tasks right away. The weather was prefect! Not too hot and definitely not too cold. Perfect gardening weather. Our work was accomplished rather quickly. It was nice to be outside and away from the city and getting my hands into fresh Russian dirt.

Other traditional дачa activities include the баня (a sauna of sorts with lots of traditions attached to it), gathering грибы (greeboi/mushrooms), gathering berries, and roasting шашлык (shashlik/meat on a stick). We didn't do any of these, but that did not lessen the experience. There are certainly more days to enjoy these traditions.

   I actually enjoy much of these traditions at my host family's apartment. They've gone to their дачa and picked mushrooms and berries. The homemade jams and морс (morse/juice) are woooooonderful.


  We worked in the garden from around 11:00 to 13:30. Then, it was time for lunch! Today's menu consisted of boiled potatoes, fried mushrooms, sausage, and a salad. It was simple, but delicious! Very filling. And then, as Russian meals go, we finished with чай (chai/tea) and the candy I brought. It was right out of the 19th century. We cleaned up the kitchen and ourselves a bit.

With our work outside complete, our next step in дача-land was the lake. As we walked along the dirt road, surrounded by дачаs on all sides, we saw people working outside, cutting branches, digging gardens, burning wood, enjoying life. Прикрасная жизнь.







 One aspect of the countryside that immediately stuck to me was the completely Russification of the place. It may sound silly to so this when I'm living in St. Petersuburg, but the country seems more Russian than St. Petersburg. In the city, many signs are written in Russian with either the words spelled out in Latin letters below or an English translation. There are Макдональдс (MacDonald's) and Сабвей (Subway) and many other American and Western European stores. I could go on a rant about this, but I think I'll save that for another post. For now, let's just say that I was taken pleasantly by surprise when I looked up at a sign giving directions and found that it was completely in Russian. You either know it or ya don't. That's that.


 Okay. So we walked down the path, enjoying the weather, the trees, and life. We eventually came to a small beach that had many people enjoying the sun and the water. It was beautiful! And quite big. We sat down and watched the waves and the people and talked. We didn't have much time, but it was nice to enjoy life without cars and buses rushing by every second.

 The waves washed against the shores, children ran around, splashing into the water, and others laid out on the grass; reading, talking, and resting.

 Unfortunately, our time on the beach was short. We had to return to the station soon to catch the train back to Piter. We left the beach reluctantly and headed back to the дача. Along the way, we almost got hit by a jeep racing down the road. But other than that, it was a peaceful walk back.

   We reached the дача and gathered our things. Looking back, we took it all in before the trees would be replaced by buildings. We made our way back to the station and awaited our train.

All too soon, my day at the дача had ended, but it was a great introduction to the life that lies outside the bustling cities of Russia. I look forward to plunging deeper into this Russian tradition. Hopefully, my future time in Russia will present me with such opportunities.


Until then, I shall enjoy the urban jungle until it is time to stretch my legs and mind.