Recapping the last 2 weeks
As the title suggests, I'm going to do my best to recap that last 2 weeks, however, this may end up being multiple entries, but we'll see.
One of the things I was most upset about was the fact that I did not have any internet in my room. Before I left, I had talked it over with my parents and my boyfriend, Marcus. They all agreed that Russia has done a good job of playing catchup with the rest of the of world, and that they should have wifi. Unfortunately, the only wifi I could get in the building was in a little cafe in the basement of the dormitory. My roommate Tara, however, was smart, and brought an ethernet cable with her, and was able to plug her laptop in, and the internet worked fine for her.
February 8th, consisted of, don't be surprised, more paperwork. Marina took all of us to the building where we would be having our classes. There we met the dean in which he had to create student IDs for us. That process took at least 2 hours. Once everyone got their IDs we went back to the main building where we lived, and had to go to an office, fill out some paper, sign our names, and then we left. Later, Marina took us on a tour of where we could find the metro, and a mall. We learned how to take the trolley bus and a regular bus. The bus charges about 20 rubles a person, and the trolley is 28 rubles. We all decided, that unless absolutely necessary, walking is the best way to get anywhere, even if it does take 20-30mins.
Everyone went to Ашан which is a grocery/super market inside of the mall. Tara and I bought cleaning supplies to attempt to get rid of some of the mold in our bathroom, toilet paper (because there aren't any cleaning ladies/janitors that supply you like they do in most American Universities) and a Brita water filter.
February 9th consisted of placement exams! Basically, we all got sort of lost trying to find the building we needed, but after about a half our of wandering around aimlessly, we figured it out and arrived about 20 minutes late. Guess what? It didn't matter, because they hadn't even started yet. We were put in a room with a bunch of foreigners, and waited some more and some more. Several hours later, after the Koreans, Australians, British, and French people went, it was at long last the Americans turn. There are 3 groups in which we could have been placed in. Group 1 is the basics, and just learning the language. Group 2 is a bit more advanced, and Group 3 is simply hardcore. Everyone was nervous, especially Rachel. I kept telling her to calm down, and just simply talk to them. That's all the exam was. One by one, someone would enter a room with 2 professors, they'd ask you a few questions, and you would answer them to the best of your ability in Russian. I went in confident, and did really well. I got put in group 3. However, to my dismay, I am more at the level of 2.5-2.8. I am not fluent, I have difficulty with comprehension, and my vocabulary is lacking.
February 10th
I had my first class and got my ass handed to me. It was called Чтение и Понимание Текста. That roughly translates to Reading and Understanding Text. The professor chose a few words, then wanted us to find synonyms for them. Well, that failed, horribly, because I didn't even know what the words she gave us meant. Ugh. I felt so far out of my league.
February 11th
Class today went much better. I had a different professor, and even though I couldn't understand everything she said, she was much more expressive, using body language which helped a LOT. I didn't come out of class with a headache! That was a nice change, hehe. For the first part of class everyone introduced themselves, and the professor would ask us a few extra questions and we'd answer. The second part she went over some grammar like using СЯ on verbs, and using numbers in the genitive plural. Then we learned a ton of verbs. Well, some were new, and others were just review. But after she'd write them on the board she made us go around and say examples with the verb in it. Then we did 2 different reading exercises. One was on paper, it was pretty easy to understand. She made everyone come up with their own questions and people had to answer them. Then she read a biography of someone and we had to answer questions about him. I feel like I've been needing this. My comprehension was already getting better, and I felt much better about my placement.
For lunch on the same day, Dan and I decided to go to the mall for food. Everyone else still had Russian history, and he and I were the only ones not taking it. This was an English elective, not a Russian class. They had both Burger King and McDonalds. We were ecstatic. I got a wrap from BK and Dan got 2 burgers. Yum. The quality of the fast food in Russia is much better in America. This is because they do not have any chain stores. They are all owned by the same person, so the quality of meat and fries is checked accordingly. YUM.
February 12th
Today was kinda boring. My friends in the level 2 Russian group had class this afternoon, (yes, on a saturday) and when they got back at 2:30, they took a nap. My roommate didn't get out of bed until like 2. So I sat around, watched a few episodes of Smallville, read an online comic. It entertained me for several hours, then at 6pm, everyone was awake and I got dinner, (or breakfast/lunch for some people) and I did laundry. I was really confused, because the lady in charge of the laundry room was nice, but I couldn't go near the machines. When growing up, Russians do not learn how to use washing machines like Americans do from the time they are young. I couldn't figure out if she wanted all my money in coins, or if I could give her paper money. So I tried really really hard to ask her, but I just confused the crap out of her, and just gave her 140 rubles in cash which worked out. Friday night is such a bad idea to do laundry, I will never do that again...it was busy, I'll just leave it at that.
February 13th
At 12 noon, we met Marina at the metro station. We went to Red Square, but didn't spend time walking around. It was so cold, being outside for just 5mins...like, I can't even explain it I felt like I was gonna turn into an icicle. I have a feeling it was around -15 F. We went to a museum there in which it was the history of civilization in Russia. It was really cool. It started with the neanderthals and worked it's way up to when Russia caught up to the rest of the world in a European sense. We spent about 3hrs there, then went to the underground mall in red square to get a really late lunch. We took the metro there and back, and when we got back we went to the mall to pick up some groceries and tissues and stuff. Rachel and I got separated form the group, don't know if they left without us or what, but we took a bus back to the school, but the bus driver drove right past it, so we were stuck on it for a little while longer...I ended up arguing with him, because he claimed that we didn't pay him, when in reality as soon as we got on we did...Oi...A word of advice, if you ever plan to take the buses in Moscow anywhere, when you see your stop coming, yell STOP, otherwise if the driver doesn't see anyone waiting, he's just going to drive right past it.
February 14th
Monday started out a fresh week of new classes for me. I had Russian history class in Russian. I loved it, the professor was excellent, and I was able to understand almost everything she said. It also helps that I've had 2 semesters plus some classes in high school on Russian history, so I knew everything she was teaching us. BTW, Happy Valentine's Day! I was surprised to see that no one was wearing red in class!!! I was the only festive one! ugh, lol. Not that I went out of my way or anything, just wore a black top with the pretty plastic heart necklaces my mom bought me. Tsk tsk, people are no fun :p My mother had slipped a card with the necklaces into my carry on, I didn't find it until I had completely unpacked. I was going to pick up at teddy bear with Я Люблю Тебя for my boyfriend, and give it to him when I got back, but all the ones they sold not only at the school but in the mall said "I love you" yes, in English. Blargh...guess V-Day is more of a commercial holiday over here than anything else. However, I did see some men bringing their girlfriends/wives flowers, so I guess they do celebrate it over here.
I was missing Marcus, for obvious reasons but he sent me some really sweet emails, and we skyped for a while. I actually left a card for him to open on V-Day too, so I got to see his expression when he opened it and the Hallmark Hoops and Yoyo were saying how much I wanted to kiss him. Hehe
February 15th
At this point in time, I had returned to my original sleeping schedule (bed at 12:30-1am, wake up at 9-11am depending on what was going on) and to a natural eating schedule. When I first arrived, and for a several days afterward, I did not have an appetite, and was only able to eat really small meals.
Today was Tuesday, and I don't have any classes on Tuesdays! Neither does group 2, but group 1 has one in the mornings. At 3pm, we met Marina at the Metro, and she took us to the Revolution Museum. It was really interesting, but we ended up having a tour guide. Personally, I really don't like museums to begin with, I get bored easily, but I do like to nosy around and see what I want to. The tour guide's English was not good. It took him twice as long as it would have if he spoke in Russian to explain the history/significance of an item. I eventually stopped paying attention, because his English was just so broken, that I couldn't understand what he was trying to say. I felt bad for him, but uhh...I think he needs to work on that some more before he gives anymore tours to English speakers. We spent 3 hours in the museum, and didn't even get to see everything because of how long it took him to explain everything, it was time for it to close. McDonald's was just around the corner, so Marina said good bye and left us on our own. It's unbelievable just how popular McDonald's is, the place was huge. It had 3 floors, and all of which were completely packed. Spencer, Trevor and I lost the rest of the group in the mess, and managed to spy a couple getting ready to leave, so we quickly claimed the table and were ok.
Once we were done eating we were left to fend for ourselves on getting home through the Metro. It took us 20 minutes of looking at maps, arguing, and calling Greg, (the native Russian) to figure it out. But, to say the least we made it back alive! The metro in Moscow, is the deepest in the world, and the most beautiful. There is art in some of the tunnels, I haven't seen any of it, but have heard many stories and seen pictures. One of these days, we'll just have to take a metro tour of our own and find all the beautiful tunnels and hallways ourselves.
One of the things I was most upset about was the fact that I did not have any internet in my room. Before I left, I had talked it over with my parents and my boyfriend, Marcus. They all agreed that Russia has done a good job of playing catchup with the rest of the of world, and that they should have wifi. Unfortunately, the only wifi I could get in the building was in a little cafe in the basement of the dormitory. My roommate Tara, however, was smart, and brought an ethernet cable with her, and was able to plug her laptop in, and the internet worked fine for her.
February 8th, consisted of, don't be surprised, more paperwork. Marina took all of us to the building where we would be having our classes. There we met the dean in which he had to create student IDs for us. That process took at least 2 hours. Once everyone got their IDs we went back to the main building where we lived, and had to go to an office, fill out some paper, sign our names, and then we left. Later, Marina took us on a tour of where we could find the metro, and a mall. We learned how to take the trolley bus and a regular bus. The bus charges about 20 rubles a person, and the trolley is 28 rubles. We all decided, that unless absolutely necessary, walking is the best way to get anywhere, even if it does take 20-30mins.
Everyone went to Ашан which is a grocery/super market inside of the mall. Tara and I bought cleaning supplies to attempt to get rid of some of the mold in our bathroom, toilet paper (because there aren't any cleaning ladies/janitors that supply you like they do in most American Universities) and a Brita water filter.
February 9th consisted of placement exams! Basically, we all got sort of lost trying to find the building we needed, but after about a half our of wandering around aimlessly, we figured it out and arrived about 20 minutes late. Guess what? It didn't matter, because they hadn't even started yet. We were put in a room with a bunch of foreigners, and waited some more and some more. Several hours later, after the Koreans, Australians, British, and French people went, it was at long last the Americans turn. There are 3 groups in which we could have been placed in. Group 1 is the basics, and just learning the language. Group 2 is a bit more advanced, and Group 3 is simply hardcore. Everyone was nervous, especially Rachel. I kept telling her to calm down, and just simply talk to them. That's all the exam was. One by one, someone would enter a room with 2 professors, they'd ask you a few questions, and you would answer them to the best of your ability in Russian. I went in confident, and did really well. I got put in group 3. However, to my dismay, I am more at the level of 2.5-2.8. I am not fluent, I have difficulty with comprehension, and my vocabulary is lacking.
February 10th
I had my first class and got my ass handed to me. It was called Чтение и Понимание Текста. That roughly translates to Reading and Understanding Text. The professor chose a few words, then wanted us to find synonyms for them. Well, that failed, horribly, because I didn't even know what the words she gave us meant. Ugh. I felt so far out of my league.
February 11th
Class today went much better. I had a different professor, and even though I couldn't understand everything she said, she was much more expressive, using body language which helped a LOT. I didn't come out of class with a headache! That was a nice change, hehe. For the first part of class everyone introduced themselves, and the professor would ask us a few extra questions and we'd answer. The second part she went over some grammar like using СЯ on verbs, and using numbers in the genitive plural. Then we learned a ton of verbs. Well, some were new, and others were just review. But after she'd write them on the board she made us go around and say examples with the verb in it. Then we did 2 different reading exercises. One was on paper, it was pretty easy to understand. She made everyone come up with their own questions and people had to answer them. Then she read a biography of someone and we had to answer questions about him. I feel like I've been needing this. My comprehension was already getting better, and I felt much better about my placement.
For lunch on the same day, Dan and I decided to go to the mall for food. Everyone else still had Russian history, and he and I were the only ones not taking it. This was an English elective, not a Russian class. They had both Burger King and McDonalds. We were ecstatic. I got a wrap from BK and Dan got 2 burgers. Yum. The quality of the fast food in Russia is much better in America. This is because they do not have any chain stores. They are all owned by the same person, so the quality of meat and fries is checked accordingly. YUM.
February 12th
Today was kinda boring. My friends in the level 2 Russian group had class this afternoon, (yes, on a saturday) and when they got back at 2:30, they took a nap. My roommate didn't get out of bed until like 2. So I sat around, watched a few episodes of Smallville, read an online comic. It entertained me for several hours, then at 6pm, everyone was awake and I got dinner, (or breakfast/lunch for some people) and I did laundry. I was really confused, because the lady in charge of the laundry room was nice, but I couldn't go near the machines. When growing up, Russians do not learn how to use washing machines like Americans do from the time they are young. I couldn't figure out if she wanted all my money in coins, or if I could give her paper money. So I tried really really hard to ask her, but I just confused the crap out of her, and just gave her 140 rubles in cash which worked out. Friday night is such a bad idea to do laundry, I will never do that again...it was busy, I'll just leave it at that.
February 13th
At 12 noon, we met Marina at the metro station. We went to Red Square, but didn't spend time walking around. It was so cold, being outside for just 5mins...like, I can't even explain it I felt like I was gonna turn into an icicle. I have a feeling it was around -15 F. We went to a museum there in which it was the history of civilization in Russia. It was really cool. It started with the neanderthals and worked it's way up to when Russia caught up to the rest of the world in a European sense. We spent about 3hrs there, then went to the underground mall in red square to get a really late lunch. We took the metro there and back, and when we got back we went to the mall to pick up some groceries and tissues and stuff. Rachel and I got separated form the group, don't know if they left without us or what, but we took a bus back to the school, but the bus driver drove right past it, so we were stuck on it for a little while longer...I ended up arguing with him, because he claimed that we didn't pay him, when in reality as soon as we got on we did...Oi...A word of advice, if you ever plan to take the buses in Moscow anywhere, when you see your stop coming, yell STOP, otherwise if the driver doesn't see anyone waiting, he's just going to drive right past it.
February 14th
Monday started out a fresh week of new classes for me. I had Russian history class in Russian. I loved it, the professor was excellent, and I was able to understand almost everything she said. It also helps that I've had 2 semesters plus some classes in high school on Russian history, so I knew everything she was teaching us. BTW, Happy Valentine's Day! I was surprised to see that no one was wearing red in class!!! I was the only festive one! ugh, lol. Not that I went out of my way or anything, just wore a black top with the pretty plastic heart necklaces my mom bought me. Tsk tsk, people are no fun :p My mother had slipped a card with the necklaces into my carry on, I didn't find it until I had completely unpacked. I was going to pick up at teddy bear with Я Люблю Тебя for my boyfriend, and give it to him when I got back, but all the ones they sold not only at the school but in the mall said "I love you" yes, in English. Blargh...guess V-Day is more of a commercial holiday over here than anything else. However, I did see some men bringing their girlfriends/wives flowers, so I guess they do celebrate it over here.
I was missing Marcus, for obvious reasons but he sent me some really sweet emails, and we skyped for a while. I actually left a card for him to open on V-Day too, so I got to see his expression when he opened it and the Hallmark Hoops and Yoyo were saying how much I wanted to kiss him. Hehe
February 15th
At this point in time, I had returned to my original sleeping schedule (bed at 12:30-1am, wake up at 9-11am depending on what was going on) and to a natural eating schedule. When I first arrived, and for a several days afterward, I did not have an appetite, and was only able to eat really small meals.
Today was Tuesday, and I don't have any classes on Tuesdays! Neither does group 2, but group 1 has one in the mornings. At 3pm, we met Marina at the Metro, and she took us to the Revolution Museum. It was really interesting, but we ended up having a tour guide. Personally, I really don't like museums to begin with, I get bored easily, but I do like to nosy around and see what I want to. The tour guide's English was not good. It took him twice as long as it would have if he spoke in Russian to explain the history/significance of an item. I eventually stopped paying attention, because his English was just so broken, that I couldn't understand what he was trying to say. I felt bad for him, but uhh...I think he needs to work on that some more before he gives anymore tours to English speakers. We spent 3 hours in the museum, and didn't even get to see everything because of how long it took him to explain everything, it was time for it to close. McDonald's was just around the corner, so Marina said good bye and left us on our own. It's unbelievable just how popular McDonald's is, the place was huge. It had 3 floors, and all of which were completely packed. Spencer, Trevor and I lost the rest of the group in the mess, and managed to spy a couple getting ready to leave, so we quickly claimed the table and were ok.
Once we were done eating we were left to fend for ourselves on getting home through the Metro. It took us 20 minutes of looking at maps, arguing, and calling Greg, (the native Russian) to figure it out. But, to say the least we made it back alive! The metro in Moscow, is the deepest in the world, and the most beautiful. There is art in some of the tunnels, I haven't seen any of it, but have heard many stories and seen pictures. One of these days, we'll just have to take a metro tour of our own and find all the beautiful tunnels and hallways ourselves.
Your Grandmother's Funeral was beautiful. May her memory be eternal. God bless you in Moscow.
ReplyDelete