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@annarussianlbat
To sum up the amount I learned during my time on the Russian LBAT would take many more posts and lots of rambling about my love for the culture.
To keep it short and sweet, I want to let everyone know that Moscow is an amazing city. The Russian people are very different from every other culture...
Vladimir, Russia
The Russian countryside in Suzdal, Russia
Had a great excursion to the Kremlin. I had the pleasure of seeing the Coronation Cathedral, the Lenin Gardens, the Cathedral of Mary the Blessed Virgin, and had a great view of the entire fortress. It also contains the Diamond Room which houses the Tsar's crown jewels and the Armory.
The word "Kremlin (Кремль)" actually means fortress. It is right along the Moskva River and housed the President of the Russian Federation,
This is me in front of The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (Церковь Спаса на Крови). It was the famous church often associated with St. Petersburg and can be seen on many postcards and tourist commercials. It's located just off the main street, Nevsky Prospekt, and lies on Griboedov Canal. It was a REMARKABLE site.
Its name is significant because the church was built on the site of Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. He is a much celebrated leader because he passed the Emancipation of Serfs in 1861. Throughout Moscow and St. Petersburg there are many monuments in his honor that remain.
Got to see Green Day for their first tour in Russia. They were fantastic. It was the best show I have ever been to, and to think I never would have seen them if I didn't #StudyAbroad.
We happen to run into the Russian Naval Academy cadets at the train station (hence the terrible wardrobes).
Curtsying in the Dance Hall of the Yusupov Palace. This Moika Palace, as it is often referred to, was the home of wealthiest family in Russia. It also happens to be the place where Rasputin was murdered.
Weekend in St. Petersburg
There are no negative things to possibly say about St. Petersburg. Over the weekend some of us (myself and other LBAT-ers from all levels) got the opportunity to travel to St. Petersburg for three whole days. Over the course of three days we saw the Night of the Red Sails, heard a Russian rap, heard a Russian rap in English, went to the Hermitage Museum, entered the Yusupov Palace, beheld the glory of the Romanov's resting place, and sunbathed at Peter and Paul's Fortress. It was amazing!
St. Petersburg was like a completely different world when compared to Moscow. The people, the attitudes, the fashion, the food, the scenery, the architecture, EVERYTHING. The city is European with a hint of Russian sass, while Moscow exhibits the qualities of a truly Soviet nature (apart from a few sites here and there). Before going I thought Moscow would hosts more tourists than any other Russian city - I was wrong! St. Petersburg and Odessa hosts more foreigners from around the world than Moscow.
Many refer to Moscow as its own little bubble. . . I, now, know these words to be true. I cannot wait to see what I can do in Moscow for the remaining three weeks, but until then here are some photos from the trip:
Me in front of Peter the Great's resting place at Peter and Paul's Cathedral
Russian LBAT Overview
Just a little about the program so far. I am on week 4, and it has been a great experience. We have class Mon-Thurs from 9-2. Depending on the classes sometimes we will get out early, and I have no complaints about the three day weekends. One class is strictly an in-depth structure and grammar course, the second a speaking session, and the third is a lecture on Contemporary Russia. This class is my favorite. Here, we learn about Russian government, politics, and economics, as well as the struggles and benefits Russia possesses currently. I am currently pursuing a project regarding Russian missile defense policy.
On another note, so far my class has gotten to see the Kremlin with the Cathedral of the Dormition & Cathedral of Archangel Michael, the Palace of the Romanov Boyers, Red Square, toured Moscow seeing the famous МГУ (Moscow State University) and World War II Victory Memorial, and more. It has been utterly astonishing to see the mix of intricate and exquisite Italian architecture from the Romanov Dynasty to the plain and soft Soviet style. There are beautiful spots in this huge city just waiting to be found.
The city constantly grows more and more friendly every day as my language skills continue to improve. English is known by only a select few, so stuff like ordering train tickets and buying juice has been incredibly challenging. Although I cannot wait to see how much my Russian language skills have improved when all is said and done.
To think this all started with my three classmates and I taking Russian as freshman with no idea that the future would bring us here.
Here, I am at the tallest Orthodox Church in the WORLD! - Храм Христа Спасителя (“Cathedral of Christ the Saviour”)
These are some photos of my apartment. You can see the church from my window, the small shower (by the way there us also the smallest washing machine I have ever seen, you can see the door in the photo!), my bedroom, the view from the kitchen, and ALAS! the kitchen. Girls, there is no room for taking more than 15 minutes to get ready. And for all those chefs - there is NO counter space!!
A New Name in Recycling - We Call Them Russians!
So after my first week here in the lovely city of Moscow there is one inevitable small detail that is impacting everyone here from America: There are NO trash cans.
At Georgia Tech and even around the city of Atlanta, there are trash cans on every corner for people to throw away their trash from ice cream, or buying some new headphones, or whatever trash you acquire while walking around. However, even in the house I am staying at, there is only ONE trash can (in the kitchen) and it is tiny enough to be considered an Easter basket.
Even on the streets there are rarely any actual trash cans. The usual places for you to throw away miscellaneous garbage are some of the ash trays located at popular smoking areas or outside of some buildings. The trash can is tiny, so if I acquire a large shoe box or something similar I will have to carry it with me all the way home.
Even at the university there are only "Easter baskets" to throw away our stuff. It is really interesting how the Russians keep everything. The elder woman I am staying with throws almost nothing away. Juice containers, water jugs, anything she can reuse she keeps in a cupboard or on the counter. She refuses to throw it away!
It also costs money for grocery bags. You know all those Kroger plastic bags we keep in the house to use later, but we somehow manage never to use them all? Those are roughly 5 Rubles here. While that is the equivalent of 3 cents, it still provokes all Russians to carry around their own bags that they constantly carry in their purses and always reuse.
It is amazing how much these people keep and reuse, There is almost no need for recycling, and I have yet to actually see a recycling bin. I will keep an eye out.
Fish-n-Chips alongside my first pint.
"London Calling"
-The Clash
Layovers. . . They aren't always bad.
As anyone trying to get to Moscow will learn, there are no direct flights from the US to Moscow. So when my friend and I booked our flights to start our trip we decided to make this adventure completely new [not too mention extremely sleep deprived]. We chose a flight from Atlanta to Heathrow, London with a 22-hour layover. The most common placed were JFK, Milan, and Heathrow. With this layover we were supposed to arrive in London Friday morning and spend the night in London only to catch an 8 a.m. flight to Moscow.
Our flight was delayed coming into London because another airplane had caught fire. We did not realize what happened until we landed and people from all over the world were panicking trying to rebook flights because so many had been either cancelled or extremely delayed! After arriving late we went straight down the list of things we wanted to see:
Houses of Parliament
Big Ben
Westminster Abbey
London Eye
British Museum
Tower of London, etc.
Unfortunately, do to our plane's delay we did not have time to race to the Tower of London for a tour and then make it to Westminster Abbey. Also, the British museum was a little out of the way, so we decided to walk around and see as much as we could in central London. We had a blast except for the experience of classic English and rainy weather. I even ran into another Tech student who happened to be vacationing from her study abroad in Sweden. SO COOL! We got to go shopping in Soho and see the abbey, the River Thames, Churchill's war rooms, && my favorite. . . BUCKINGHAM PALACE. It was beautiful and extremely large with golden crusted gates and beautiful landscaping. It is located dead center in the heart of London and it did not disappoint... especially the large tree nearby that sheltered us during an excessive downpour.
We returned to spend the night at the airport with an American student from Philadelphia. I could definitely see myself being completely satisfied living in London. Not only were the landscapes, metro, and national treasures beautiful, but so was the fashion! Although we got almost no sleep, it was totally worth it, and I hope to return to London soon. [Going to the new Harry Potter world is on my Bucket List.]
Just give me a reason....
I have always wanted to learn a new language. It has been a goal of mine while growing up for as long as I can remember. I took three years of French in high school, so I know enough French to ask "Where is the bathroom?" and "Wine, please." I know enough to get around, but definitely not enough to understand Bradley Cooper showing off in an interview. When I came to Georgia Tech to study economics and international affairs, I decided to focus on economic development. With this focus and my knowledge of the EU and Europe already, I decided to focus on the region of Central and Eastern Europe, thus Russian snatched my interest. In the region, most people don't particularly warm to people who speak Russian, but those who do speak Russian can understand almost all of the dialects and languages of the former Satellite Nations. After studying Russian for two years, I decided it was time to get away from Atlanta and explore the culture.
My best friend and I set flight for our journey May 23rd & the first stop. . .
LONDON.
