Russia in full

Classes have started, and its incredibly nice to be studying Russian in Russian, especially at the intensity (three hours a day) that we are. Not only can I feel my mind expanding- quite literally- but its actually applicable. Walking around and reading signs is so much more entertaining, because when you figure them out or just sound out the cyrillic its frankly rewarding. But more about St. Petersburg itself.

We travelled to the Hermitage yesterday, and had a short tour around part of the museum- its incredibly large so a small part of it still took two hours. With our Russian student IDs we get in free, so I plan to spend multiple days/evenings exploring the collections. Its also one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever been in, both the Winter Palace and the 'new hermitage' built as a museum in (I believe) the 19th century by Nicholas I, and each room is like its own work of art. The inlaid floors alone are worth visiting the museum- often as ornate as the surrounding art, and made with multiple kinds and colors of wood. Unfotunately we did get yelled at for touching something that we didn't touch by a scary old lady working there, but what can you do. The protectresses of the art are fierce, but that's true the world over.

Just walking around downtown Petersburg is breathtaking, especially in the evening in lower light. Yesterday during golden hour the sky was partly sunny (it was also the warmest day we've had in a while, actually too warm for a jacket and the first time I have contemplated eating the famous Russian ice cream), and the colors of the buildings were stunning. They have such beautiful colors on the buildings here, probably as a result of the somewhat dour surroundings and unfriendly weather. If your surroundings are grey, you may as well paint everything yellow, red, green, or something equally cheery, and that seems to be pretty much the case. You can also turn corners and stumble across points of historic or cultural interest- I walked down a street that happened to have two theaters and a traditional tea house, then turned down a few more to stumble upon the Dostoevsky museum and a church.

Its becoming more and more clear what Russian culture really means. Everyone seems to wear a lot of black and/or really shiny things, especially the women. We all tend to feel quite underdressed and confused by the smallness of many styles that women are sporting- it will be interesting to see what happens when the weather gets colder. We learned a phrase in Russian today that means 'beauty demands a victim' which seems particularly apt. It also seems that to avoid standing out means not smiling as much and definitely not at strangers, and to talk at a lower volume- although the last is true for Americans all over the world. I'm sure other, more subtle aspects will come out over time.

And tonight we're taking a 'Jazz boat' cruise on the Neva!