Nastya Antonovna: My Daily Ego-Check

My typical interaction with my 5 year-old host sister is :

1) Her slapping me in the face when I fall asleep
2) Coming into my room, farting, then running away giggling
3) Leaving dirty spoons on my bed, only for me to find later when I'm already in bed
4) Hiding in my closet when her mom wants her to go to bed and,
5) Wiping her hands on my computer screen.

Although seemingly annoying, these things are actually quite funny. The one thing she does that makes up for #1-5 is:

1) Whenever I practice my pronunciation with my host mom, she will run up to me, laugh in my face, and then proceed to say the word I mispronounced over and over and over again. Usually she runs around the apartment and screams the word repeatedly for about 5 minutes. Although this makes me HATE whatever word that is, (and severely damages whatever ego I have left) I never forget it, and from then on, I always pronounce it correctly.

New-age teaching tactic for Americans learning Russian? I think so. Simply supply each American classroom with a hyperactive 5 year-old Russian native and VOILA. Progress.

When Going to the Movies in Russia, Remember to Bring your Patience.

Tonight my friends and I decided to go see "Valentine's Day". Still thinking in my American ways, I was excited to go see a movie and just relax.

But OF COURSE that wasn't the case! First we get to the theater, and can't find where to buy tickets. Obviously it was across the street in another building.... How could we not have known that? (Note: Sarcasm). The tickets were sold out (Again, of course), so we went to another theater down the street.

This theater was less crowded, a little cleaner, and with big comfy chairs- but at the price of 50 extra rubles. Also, they had Mountain Dew! Excited to have some carbonated-goodness, I went up an ordered a medium drink. Clearly they picked up on my accent because 60 ruble drink was only 3/4 full, with 1 ice-cube, and it was flat. When they gave me my change they all laughed at me. I guess my pop-ordering skills are not up to par for Russian movie theater employees.



Grr!


As if that slap in the face wasn't enough, while I was attempting to watch the Russian-dubbed-American movie, there was a couple behind me who were literally talking the ENTIRE TIME. I learned later that it is more culturally acceptable here to talk during movies, and that they weren't just an annoying couple. *The More You Know!*

Plus side of the evening: Understood most of the movie--It DID help that it was a typical, cheesy, uncomplicated American romantic comedy, but I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt!

Next time I go to the movies here, I'll be sure to isolate myself from the talkative couples. And bring my ibuprofen. (Russian-dubbed movies are not kind to your head).


Just another day in the life.....of Masha DePuglio.

The Week of Language Regression and Rasputin

This week, for the first time since arrival, I felt as if I blended in with the Russian populace. My confidence has risen to the point of feeling comfortable listening to my iPod while walking to and from the metro, and reading books while on the metro late at night. Dangerous, maybe. But its what every other Russian my age does. I was even confident enough to ask a seemingly-grumpy lady to move her bag so I could have a seat on the train. I have come to find that Russians respond very well to a sassy attitude....

I have also come to find that the more I feel blended into the population, the more I feel like I have lost my sense of identity. Maybe that is due in part to the monotonous ways of my daily routine. Wake up. Walk to metro. Cautiously avoid random patches of ice. Push through people in metro station. Bottle-neck my way to the escalator. Sit on metro. Don't smile. Get off metro. Walk to school. Go back to metro. Go home. To not draw attention to yourself you basically have to look completely dismissive of everyone and everything.

As my confidence increases and individuality slightly decreases, I find somewhere in the middle a feeling of what it is to be Russian.

Although, obviously, I can't feel completely Russian if I can't speak the language! Which brings me to my next point-- This week my ability to communicate and comprehend Russian felt even worse than before I got here. Although the ACTR Manual swears that this is normal, it doesn't mean it's not frustrating! However, there are times, although it seems rare, where I am talking with my host family, and use a verb that I had not known before, or an adjective that I picked up in class. Maybe I'm just an impatient,overly-anxious student who expects my brain to be like a sponge, and have a fabulous retention for difficult foreign languages.

Alas, it is only week 3! I am getting ahead of myself. The point is, complete immersion of a new culture and language is bittersweet: you learn more than you realize, but it is difficult to track your progression in a concrete manner- which is something all Type-A people like myself want to do.



AAK!


On to more interesting things! This week we went to Юсуповский Дворец, or the Yusupov Palace. Quick background history: The Yusupov's were an immensely wealthy family in Russia (at one point THE wealthiest). They are most famous for their donations to charity, huge collections of art...... and the murder of Grigori Rasputin. Felix Yuspov (a B.A.) was a noble and married to the niece of Nicholas II. He didn't like the obvious influence of Rasputin on the Romanov family, so he and his cronies plotted his murder. The story, although there are many variations, goes like so:

1) Felix met up with a doctor to get a poisonous concoction (aka CYANIDE), to put into Rasputin's food/ wine.
2) They attempted to poison Rasputin, but it did not kill him (they later found that the doctor flaked and did not make the poison strong enough.)
3) When this did not kill him, they fetched a gun which was SURE to do the trick. Nope! He still attempted to stand and chase after Felix, even after being shot 4 TIMES.
4) The next logical step was to tie him up in a blanket, beat him over the head, and throw him into the river.
5) He managed to break free being tied up while in the water, but couldn't get out of the river.
6) His autopsy said he died of hypothermia. ... SERIOUSLY?

... Clearly this guy was not human. It is very interesting to know that he was such an integral part of the Romanov family, despite his freakish nature (mostly for his ability to "naturally heal" Alexy, the heir to the throne, who was burdened with hemophilia) .

Anyway, the Yusupov Palace is gorgeous, right on the Moika River. They did a fantastic job of recreating the night of Rasputin's Murder. Here are some pictures:




With the doctor, who was supposed to create a deadly poison..but didn't. (Aren't these wax figures awesome?)


Felix and Rasputin. He is anxiously awaiting for the poison to work.. to no avail!


Close-up of Rasputin. It looked so real... As I tuned out the tour-guide who was speaking too quickly for me to understand anyway, I could have SWORN I saw him move...

All in all, despite my language set-backs, it has been a fun week! I have an interview at the Hermitage Museum tomorrow for a potential internship- wish me luck! I also may be going to Pskov for the long weekend, updates to come later.

Miss you all, I hope everything is going well back in the States! Спокойный Ночи :)

Olympics with the Host Family-End of Week 2

I would equate week 2 to the week before finals in terms of energy level... Simple, everyday tasks suck out all the energy I have, so by the time Friday comes, I'm ready to drop dead. And it doesn't help that on Friday's I have 3 hours of straight grammar, and then and hour and a half of phonetics... and this Friday came with a twist! 2 out of the FOUR people in my class didn't show! I'm not exaggerating when I say it was an interrogation...

Teacher : "Masha, what is ......(grammar question)?"

Me: "....(wrong answer)"

Teacher: Rolls eyes, looks at me like I just killed her first-born, keeps looking at me like I don't deserve to live, and then proceeds to the next question. Repeat cycle for three hours. And add in a lecture or two about how I need to study my vocabulary more and how I'm not a prepared student. Ужас.

Plus side: Learned a lot, and realized that Russian has WAY TOO MANY PREPOSITIONS. In grade school I always learned that a preposition was anywhere a mouse could go... in Russian, its anywhere a mouse can go... times 1000.

By the end of class her reaction was to just laugh at me.

...Needless to say I was happy when 315 rolled around.


On to more exciting things: I got up this morning and asked my host mom if we could watch the Olympics. We all watched the opening ceremony, where each country walks out, etc. etc. She enthusiastically pointed out to me each country that was in the former Soviet Union. And went on and on about how weird the president of North Korea is ( apparently he rode the train from Vladivostok to Moscow and then St. Petersburg and the news tracked where he was everyday until he and Putin finally got together...). She also laughed at the countries that only had 3 or four people walking.

Then it was Russia's turn to walk. She said something along the lines of "Our Russia, our comrades!" with a slight laugh.

....

I nervously chuckled and merely commented on their cool winter gear. Then MURRICA's turn came and I said "Horrah!" And she looked at me and said "Masha, look, there are your comrades!"

I think that's the first time I've heard "Comrade" since I've been here. I was a little taken aback, but slightly amused as well.

To increase the awkwardness, my host mom's sister came over. She attempted at small talk with me (which is actually more like FAST TALK) and my babushka said: "Inga. You have to speak veeeeerrrrrryyyyyyyy slooooooooowwwwwwwllllllllllly around Masha. She doesn't understand."

I laughed out loud while the speed at which my self- esteem plummeted could easily rival Lindsey Vonn's fastest down-hill ski race time.

Alas, this language will not defeat me! Thank you Inga, for the motivation!


To end off the week on a fun note, I went out with some friends to an actual cool Russian-hangout that is NOT McDonalds :) Our other friends were already there and when we walked in our sassy Russian waiter said : "The American table is over there." ...Sweet. Anyway, It was full of rambunctious Russian hipsters listening to American pop songs. (Keisha's catchy but semi-annoying song "Tik Tok" seems to be a Russian favorite, as I hear it pretty much everywhere).

And of course, can't go a day without a creepy metro experience! After leaving said newly found Russian- hangout, my friend was overheard speaking English on the escalator and was asked by a young Russian lad where in the US she was from and where she lives in St. Pete.... awkward! And random crowds of (drunk) Russian teenage boys were wrestling on the platform next to a homeless woman singing opera. And couples with flowers and tacky heart-shaped balloons. And dogs riding on the metro like they have important places to go and other dogs to see. My friend Cornelia says the metro is like "Being in a bad 70s music video". Couldn't have said it better myself! I wish I could take pictures...

And speaking of picutres, here are a couple of my host family.


They are wonderful!


Before their outing to the Circus. (Totally checking that out while I'm here!)

Off to bed. Спокойни Ночи!

I love Wednesdays- Maslenitsa Edition!

So, as everyone knows, Wednesdays here are excursion days. To celebrate the current holiday, Maslenitsa, the group headed to this awesome park to partake in some awesomely hilarious/slightly outdated traditions.

Maslenitsa (Масленица) is celebrated the last week before Lent. Very similar to Mardi Gras, but at a different time and from what I've experienced, a lot more fun. It is a week full of Blini (pancakes), sledding, dancing, burning straw figures- basically a week of debauchery.

Once we arrived at the park we were greeted by old-Russian peasant reenactors (if you thought Civil War reenactors were crazy....these guys are INSANE). One basically attacked me and said something in annoyingly fast Russian and when I responded with "что?" ("what?) he kindly said in English: "Oh excuse me! I thought you were Russian but I was greatly mistaken." Well... I guess I look Russian... but then I open my mouth and I give myself away. I think its a sign from God that I need to put more time into my phonetics homework...

About 10 minutes after our arrival we started a snowball fight. I'd like to think that I dominated but was thrown into the knee-deep snow and couldn't get up. I think it was then when I realized just how COLD it is here.

Anyway we went through different stations in the park where we learned about old folk dances, dress, games, and other traditions. I got to shoot a bow and arrow! Obviously, I was a natural. We ended off the day by eating BLINI and going sledding. I love Field trip day. Here are some pics!


The park! So much snow=awesome.


My new friend. I don't remember his name, so I'll just call him Igor (I think he looks like an Igor). He is the one that taught me how to shoot a bow and arrow.


Dancing around Lady Maslenitsa-she is the mascot of the week of Maslenitsa and it is tradition to 1) dance around her and 2) burn her (her ashes left on the ground supposedly fertilize the crops.)


And the dancing continues....


BURN Lady M, BURN


The whole group enjoying some DE-LISH Blini and tea.

And finally....


SLEDDING


In other news... I've decided that living with a host family is sort of like getting your nails done. The people speak fast and you always think they're making fun of you... but you never reaaallly know. And trying to understand my host mother when she talks to me while at the same time trying to ignore the tone-deaf Russians singing their own renditions of classic American rock songs on the radio is enough to make my head explode. Good thing I have a life-time supply of Ibuprofen!

I survived my first week in Russia.

Ah, yes. Here I am once again at the coolest Russian hang-out in town- McDonalds.

I updated only a short while ago, but since then, much has happened... here goes!

This morning when leaving the apartment, I opened the door a little too hard, and accidentally hit the most beautiful Russian man I have ever seen (even more beautiful than Ovechkin--I don't care what you say about his missing tooth, Ovechkin's a babe) Anyway, I said:

Me: "Ой, извините!" (Oy! Excuse me!!)
Beautiful Russian Man: "Ничего Ничего" (Not a problem)

...I think its fate.

Anyway..let's backtrack a little bit. Yesterday we did not have class-field trip day. Some of my friends and I decided to meet up and go sight -seeing. On the way there, I was on the metro, minding my own business when a creepy man whispered in my ear (the metro is CROWDED) :" "Девушка, что хочет?" --What I thought translated to: "What's your price." I've been told it has happened before, so naturally I freaked out and got off that metro asap and made a BEELINE for the door. I went on with my day but the incident was in the back of my mind for quite a while. My host mom somehow has a sixth sense and could tell that I was upset that night, even though I've only been there a few days and don't speak much Russian. I told her what happened as best I could, and once she started to laugh, I knew I had misinterpreted the situation. She said: "Masha, you don't understand Russian very well yet. Trust me, if a man wanted a prostitute, he would definitely know where to find one" She went on to say that the metro is a heavily guarded place with cameras, police, etc. And if any police saw a prostitute, she'd be thrown in jail, not to mention a man would never dare ask such a question in the morning with so many people around. After calming down a little and laughing at my own ignorance, she gave me some tips on how to deal with the creepers on the metro. She told a story about a time where a man was bothering her--she kept telling him to go away, and when he didn't, she got up and moved to the opposite end of the train. He then followed her, and she continued to say 'leave me alone'. The other, less-creepy men on the train grabbed him by the collar, and when the door opened, kicked him out. Awesome. So, lesson learned: Before coming to Russia, I liked to think I knew everything about Russian culture. This incident proved that I still have much to learn.

Whew! After sight-seeing, touring the main campus, and eating a good ol' 'Murrican meal of Diet coke and Mozzarella sticks, the group headed to the bowling alley to meet our Russian tutors/peers/paid friends/whatever you want to call them. My tutor's name is Diana, she's 23 and actually works with Nathan for ACTR. She is very nice and said she has a lot of plans for us to go out.. I'm not sure if I completely understood everything, but I think she said 1) Her family has a dacha and that I should go with her 2) Her mom works at a ballet studio where many well-known Russian dancers practice for shows and that I should go watch sometime.. AWESOME.
Bowling with her was fun, I also met all the other Russian tutors and am well on my way to being a part of a hip Russian crowd.

After I got home and freaked out to my host mom about creepy-metro guy, we continued to talk for another hour and a half about stereotypes, culture, politics and history. I understood her 95% of the time, but then theres always that 5% where my brain shuts off... Anyway, I learned a lot from her:
1) Russians and Georgians don't HATE each other, like I've been told- She kept saying that the relationship between the two countries is very exaggerated on the news. There are Georgian restaurants, large businesses, and stores in Russia. The two cultures peacefully co-exist.
2) I asked her what Russians REALLY think about Stalin/Soviet Union/etc. After assuring me multiple times that she was not a communist, she went onto explain though it was a very difficult time, there was a system for everything. Although I am still obviously very cynical about the whole thing, what I learned from her was that Russians liked the systemization, but not Stalin. I am still trying to understand it, because I think the two go hand in hand.
3) She has the impression that schools in Western Europe/ United States focus solely on history of W.E/US, and not enough about Russia, producing stereotypes. She makes a valid point: There are many, MANY stereotypes about Russian culture, and since I've been here I have realized that those stereotypes (like many) are only valid for an tiny portion of the population. Example: There aren't vodka bottles lying around, people don't throw back shots in the morning, there aren't bears roaming the street (although that would be cool), and not everyone is a communist. (It is still a political party, but not the one in power-and from what she was saying, it's relatively small).
4) Random, but curious question: When I asked her if I have a heavy accent when I speak Russian, she told me I had a foreign accent, but not necessarily American. She said the most noticeable American accents are southern.

After an 1.5 hours passed, the babushka came in the kitchen and said very firmly "Masha, you MUST sleep- you are young and you need energy. Enough talk, sleep Masha, sleep!" Fearing the wrath of the Russian babushka, I quickly got up, said goodnight, and ran to my room.

Whew! Now as promised, some pictures of my host family, but of the little girl Nastya. I will get pictures of Sasha and Tatiania Dmitrievna when they aren't so busy. Also some pictures of the main campus where I study/ Sight-seeing with friends.




She's adorable!


In front of the Winter Palace- we are waiting to go inside until we can get free admission with our students IDs.


LUNCH with my friend Grace.


Standing by the bridge across the street from Palace Square.


Main Campus Building


Пока! Off to get some bottled water and Kinder Chocolate= win!

First day of RUSSIA SCHOOL!

Hello, everyone. I am currently sitting in an overly-crowded Mcdonald's by my metro stop because it seems to be the only place to get free wifi. And everyone is staring at me... They're probably thinking "Psh, Americans and their computers..." Well, Russia... I need my internet fix!!! Get over it!

Ladies and gentleman... I have mastered the St. Petersburg Metro! No big deal... Although, I wish I could tell people not to stare at me. I have this constant feeling that there's a booger hanging out of my nose and that's why people are looking. Also, the weirdest thing happened on my way back home.. I am sitting on the metro, minding my own business, when this old Russian woman starts singing some folk song at the top of her lungs and ringing a bell! I'm thinking "what the heck" but nobody else was looking at her. They didn't even flinch. The metro is an interesting, interesting place. Full of old, cranky men, overly-touchy teenage couples, babooshka, elementary school kids... and the occasional dog.

Anyway, today was the first day of class... I went to school by myself and did not get lost! How exciting... My professors are great, they all speak very quickly but are very helpful. I had my politics teacher almost in tears when I told him the story about the flower lady spraying windex in the old drunk mans face (we had to share a funny story in russian).

Tomorrow I don't have class-- excursion day. We are touring the campus, and then going bowling to meet our new tutors. ACTR pairs each student with a Russian tutor/peer that is our age. It is to encourage meeting Russians...obviously. Nathan calls them "paid friends" At least he's honest! I am curious to see who my tutor is.

Funny story to entertain my readers: Today I fell flat on my face on the sidewalk. People weren't kidding when they said there is nasty slush EVERYWHERE. And no salt on the roads... but whyyy!?!? Russia is not conducive to clumsy people like myself.

That's all, folks! Gotta get home, the babooshka is making dinner... where I will no doubt be force fed AGAIN. I'm going to have to buy another bottle of tums, I'm almost halfway through the one I brought with me.

RUSSIAN OVERLOAD-Jan 31

Today has been one of the craziest days I’ve experienced in a very long time. This morning my roommates and I woke up to go eat breakfast and get flowers for our host families. Getting breakfast was great.. I ordered without any issues! Learning a lot already. Then, when we were looking at flowers, and old, OLD Russian man comes up to us (me mostly) and starts saying “pah-rum pum pum pum” over and over again. SO weird! I just ignored him until he got a liiiiiiitle too close…then I freaked out and started saying “Net”, over and over again. He then said «что нет? Что нет?» (rough translation: what are you saying no to?) The flower lady saw this man bothering us and proceeded to spray windex in his face. Probably one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life. Needless to say, she is one of my new favorite people.

Things went smoothly after that- we went back to the dorm and got packed up to meet our host families. We were all quite nervous, mostly because we knew that we were going to have to start speaking Russian a lot more!

I went into the lounge, where I finally got to meet my host mom (Sasha)! She is stunning and very, very nice. She didn’t let me go outside until I had buttoned up my coat and put my hat on… (AKA: she buttoned up my coat FOR me, and dug my hat out of my bag). I really don’t like wearing hats, but she wants me to, so its all good.

Then we got into the taxi… I don’t know what it is with Russians and extreme temperatures, but its starting to make me sick! Its freezing outside, but practically a sauna indoors! I was too nervous to take my coat off, so with a sweater, scarf, heavy coat, and hat, it didn’t take me long to start sweating. That combined with the taxi drivers crazy driving was enough to make me barf. (I didn’t though)


Sasha’s apartment is a typical Soviet-style apt. building. There are 7-10 identical apartment buildings in her neighborhood. Once we stepped inside I finally met my бабушка (host-grandmother), Tatiana Dmitrievna, and Sasha's daughter, Nastya (5yrs old). Nastya is a bundle of energy. (By the way, My Little Pony= smashing success!)

Sasha gave me a tour of the apartment and explained to me how to lock the doors (much more complicated then you think). Once you open the front door, there is another door you have to unlock. And then you have to turn off the security system. After much explaining in Russian, (and her having to repeat herself a dozen times so I could keep up) I finally understood what to do. They take safety at home much, MUCH more seriously than we would in the US, and for obvious reasons.

Anyway, all the Russian has already given me a headache! My comprehension is a lot better than I thought, and I am already starting to get better after one day. Listening to Nastya speak Russian is VERY cute. And she is not afraid to correct my Russian…also amusing (and helpful). Sasha then took me shopping to buy slippers, toilet paper, and laundry detergent. (Tatiana Dimitrievna won't let me do my own laundry. She insists on doing it for me=win).

After shopping we had dinner. They asked me what I liked to eat and what I didn't, so I told them… I also thought it would be a good idea to tell them that I usually don't eat breakfast. After I said this, I honestly thought they were going to have a heart attack. Their eyes got really big and they said «Net, Net!» So… I guess I'll be eating breakfast this semester.(I had eggs sunny side up for the first time this morning (Feb1)...ehhhhh) At dinner we talked politics, suprisingly. And I understood what they were saying for most of the conversation. As I expected, they LOVE Putin. I'm not quite sure if I understood it correctly, but I think they said Putin is the person who does the most work for Russia, whereas Medvedev (the president) is more of a title and a 'face' for the country. Then we made fun of how short they are… quite hilarious.

Ok, that’s pretty much my day… My brain hurts.

Cultural differences I'm having a hard time getting used to:
1) Many Russians don't have an issue with getting all up in your space. Before coming, I definietly had a personal bubble… not so much anymore. For all of you who know what a non-touchy person I am, you know how difficult this is for me! I've been kissed on the cheek three times today.. three times! And on the metro this person got on the train he got within INCHES of my face. I swear, if I lifted my head we would have been touching noses. AAK!
2) SO MUCH FOOD. And they make you eat ALL OF IT. Tatiana was definitely watching me eat. And she didn't like the fact that I wouldn't finish off my meal with a tomato.
3) Having to be constantly aware of your surroundings including: large holes in the street, drunk men, where your personal items are, etc. Its exhausting. Thank you field training for teaching me situational awarness! (and dad, of course. )
4)Cold Drinks: Russians don't like cold water... or any cold drink for that matter. So juice, water, etc. are lukewarm. I honestly don't think they have ice in their freezer... maybe I'll just go outside and get some.

First day of school is tomorrow-2.5 hours of placement exams. Wish me luck!

Here are some pics of the room: