Kesean Takes on Russia

Follow me as I take on Russia one day at a time!

[keseangoestorussia]

Day 30: Return to the United States

Today we are returning to the United States. Although I am sad to go, I’m excited to see my family again. We took a two hour flight to Moscow before heading back on another 9-hour flight. Surprisingly, the flight was nearly empty. There was only one person in the entire row in front of and behind me and no one in my row. I was able to take a couple of naps during the flight and watched a couple of of movies which made the flight go back pretty quickly. 

Empty plane

Going through customs on the way back into the United States

Funny story though: on the flight back, a Russian couple asked me to help them with their bags in Russian and because I responded back in Russian, they thought I was completely fluent. Throughout the flight, they tried to speak to me in Russian which was pretty funny because I didn’t understand everything that they were saying--I only understood like the general concept of what they were speaking about. 

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Fun Facts from St. Petersburg

Here are some things I found interesting about St. Petersburg that might make your visit more interesting:

1. The effects that the blockade had on the people of St. Petersburg

2. Pavslovsk Palace and its occupation by the Nazis

3. Statues being moved during the war

4. Pavlo (Catherine II’s son) moving out his mother’s palace only to be murdered 40 days later

5. Mass graves from WWII 

6. The first gastileydore in St. Petersburg for traders

7. Germans bombing foodstuffs

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Day 29: Learning about WWII

Today is our last full day in St. Petersburg. Throughout the entire day, we learned about what happened to St. Petersburg during WWII. We went to a WWII memorial which was honestly breathtaking. Unfortunately though, because it was flag day, a lot of the museums were closed so we couldn't go inside. 

After leaving the memorial, we went to a mass grave that was used to bury all of the bodies of the people who died during the blockade of the city during WWII. 

When we left, we headed to dinner and relaxed for a little while in the hostel before going to the bridge to watch the fireworks. Unfortunately though, because of some unknown reason, the fireworks did not happen. It was okay though because it was still nice to see the city lit up at night. 

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Day 28: Palacesssss

Today we went out of town to a suburb just outside of the city to see two different palaces. The first palace was Pavlovsk palace which was created for one of Catherine the Great’s sons in the 18th century. I thought the palace was very nice but it wasn’t like any of the other palaces that I have seen in other parts of Russia. It was interesting to learn about the history of this palace in particular though because it was occupied by the Nazis during WWII in their siege of St. Petersburg and actually burned down when the Nazis were leaving (the palace we see today is an ongoing reconstruction). 

The second palace we went to was another one of Catherine’s palaces. It was very large (typical of Catherine lol) and was surrounded with an amusement park sort of. There was a lake where she would be paddled around while the orchestra played, there was a church, a restaurant, and so many other things. 

Although we also walked around Pushkin’s palace, we didn’t get to go inside because of construction so I don’t really know what it looked like. 

When we got back to the hostel, we had Tim-tims and drank tea together! 

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Day 27: Russian Museums and Palaces

Today was probably one of my favorite days in the entire trip. We went to two different museums that were once palaces and I can honestly say that everything was so beautiful. The first museum we went to was the Rooskie/ Russian museum which basically had different genres of Russian art as they changed through time. I found so many rooms in the museum to all have great paintings that I would have liked to look at more if we had the time. 

The last four pictures are of the war room which commemorate Alexander II’s meetings with all of his generals

After lunch, we went to the Hermitage which is another museum that is located closer to the center of town right on the river. It is another very popular museum with a long history that dates back hundreds of years. It was originally a palace for Catherine the Great but now is the second largest museum in the world. 

The castle was filled with SO MUCH gold

After the Hermitage, we went to an Indian restaurant for dinner which was pretty good (yet a little expensive) and then went to the Church of the Savior on Blood which was created on the site where Alexander II was killed. 

One thing that I have started to notice today in particular is how everything in the city (literally EVERYTHING) has a secondary/ more significant meaning. On the walk to the museums and bus stops, David pointed out seemingly meniscal things such as horse shoes and plaques that commemorated something so much greater. 

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Day 26: Sightseeing in St. Petersburg

This morning, I woke up to the train rocking for gently back and forth. It was honestly pretty comfortable--more comfortable than I thought it would be (I've never been on a train, let alone an overnight train). When we got off of the train, we had to carry our bags through the train station and about 20 minutes through town until we got to our hostel which was a pretty good workout. When we got to the hostel, we relaxed for a little bit before we went out to do some light touring of St. Petersburg (just seeing some of the things in the city without really going to museums or anything). 

While we were walking through the city, we had a guy come up to us and ask where we were from and once we told him that we were from the United States, he seemed very happy and said that we were always welcome in St. Petersburg which I thought was pretty nice. 

After walking around for a little while, we went to a small cafe and did a little bit of shopping for gifts for our families. I picked up a pretty cool pocket knife which I think I will give to my brother in law. 

At the end of the day, we went to the Russian ballet which was very entertaining. I don’t think I have ever been to a ballet so it was definitely an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Based on my first impressions of St. Petersburg, I feel like it is a calmer version of Moscow, and as of right now, I think I actually like St. Petersburg a little more. 

[keseangoestorussia]

Day 25: Free Day before the train ride to St. Petersburg

I think I’m going to cry because today is my last day in Vladimir hanging out with all of my Russian friends. I woke up and had breakfast before going to a flea market with Natalia and Rostik to find some Russian slippers for my mother and sister. Because they did not have my mom’s size, I decided to just get them some scarves from a shop that specialized in the handmade scarves. 

After getting back from the flea market, I decided to grab some lunch with everyone I met in Russia just as a final way of saying goodbye Because I am a procrastinator though, I had to head home because I still had to pack a lot of my clothes and make sure that I had everything before I left. When I finished packing, I ate some dinner which was borsh and talked and laughed about all of our experiences together. I gave my host family a lot of hugs before going to the train station to catch the train to St. Petersburg. 

Amazing pepperoni pizza today

At the train station, I took a lot of pictures with everyone that I had met and thanked everyone for making my trip in Russia so enjoyable. 

Me and babushka at the train station!

Once on the train, we sat and talked before heading to bed so that we would be well-rested for our first day in St. Petersburg. 

[keseangoestorussia]

Day 24: American Home Goodbye Party

I honestly can’t believe that today is our second to last day in Vladimir. We started off the day with our last Russian lesson with Irene :( going over everything we learned from the beginning. After our Russian lesson, Irene told us that we were excellent students and thanked us which was so sweet. After this, we had our last lecture with a visiting professor. He taught us about the nature of Russo-American politics as well as the history of the relations between the two countries. It was interesting to learn that the two countries didn’t really have any real relationships prior to WWI besides the American purchase of Alaska.

After this, we had lunch with some students who go to the American Home summer camp. When we finished lunch, we had a jeopardy game with the kids which was honestly pretty hard. I’m glad that I had a smart team who was able to bring us to FIRST place! After we finished jeapordy, we created matryoshkas and relaxed before our American Home goodbye party.

My group for jeopardy #dab

In the little bit of time between our matryoshka making and our goodbye party, we had more ice cream from a cafe downstairs and I went to print out a picture to be used for a photo album I want to give my host family as a goodbye present.

Our goodbye party was honestly so fun but it was so sad. We had a lot of our Russian friends come and perform their musical talents for us before we sang some songs for them. I was very glad that Natalia and Rostik were able to come because the party was very fun.

[keseangoestorussia]

Day 23: Visit to the Orphan’s Home

Today we went to a home where childhood orphans are helped in their assimilation into society. It’s a little more than that though. It’s hard to describe, but it is basically where people who are having a tough time in life can come to clear their heads and relax before going back to work and their daily life. At the home, we met a few people who help out at the home and stay their at times. We went on a tour of the home and saw the farm that surrounds it and learned that for the most part, the home is self sufficient. They produce their own fruits and vegetables and have animals that they use for food. When we finished our tour, I went with the other guys to the field where we helped to dig up some of the weeds so that they can plant their next field of vegetables while the girls helped to prepare lunch. 

Me and my rabbit buddy!

When lunch was ready, we went inside and ate some palmeney and salad and drank tea while we talked about our own lives and got to know each other. When we finished eating, we went outside and played pioneer ball (a really fun game that is a little like volleyball) with some of the children who lived next door.

After pioneer ball, we went back inside and learned about the wooden crafts that our host Alexei makes and were able to paint our own objects! Unfortunately, after this it was time to go back to Vladimir. I really wish we could have stayed longer. 

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Day 22: Summer Camp and Monastery

Today wasn’t too busy of a day. We had our usual Russian lesson, and then went to a summer camp where children in elementary school hang out over the summer. The camp was in a pretty good area of town and had a lot of different rooms filled with art and historical themes including a very large hallway that showcased a lot of different Russian fairytales. The students were really excited to speak with us but I could tell that some were a little shy and hesitant to answer questions and have a conversation. The camp kind of reminded me of a recreation center. 

After we left the summer camp, we went to grab lunch and then to an old monastery that was a little bit outside of town. Although the monastery wasn’t the typical monastery that we saw in Suzdol with large walls and multiple buildings. Nevertheless, it was very interesting to learn the history of the church and see so many different rooms that were relatively untouched besides recent touch ups on the paint. We helped one of the nuns clear up some of the trash in one of the sheds so that construction on one of the new buildings could be constructed.

[keseangoestorussia]

Day 21: Painting the dog shelter and American Home gathering

Today was a relatively uneventful day considering how much we have been doing over the past few days. I woke up around 10 and took the bus to the same dog shelter that we were at before. We helped the other volunteers paint the outside of the shelter so that it would be less resistant to fires. After about an hour of doing that, we went back home and relaxed before we had to go back out to a party at one of the American Home teacher’s houses. At the party, we ate some great shushleek, played some sports, and danced A LOT (well I did). I even had someone ask where I learned to dance so well (probably sarcasm because I am a horrible dancer lol).

A cool double rainbow

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Hike Video

For some reason, Tumblr won't let me post the video of the hike, so here’s the link. Check it out to see all that we did!

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanHome/videos/10155270379171290/

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Day 20: The Hike

Today we had to get up early to go on a hike to an old church that is being restored. We met up in the center of town and took a bus for about an hour and half to a little village where we would start our hike. We got off of the bus and hiked for about an hour and a half through the forest which wasn’t as physically demanding as I thought it would be. Most of the hike was just through the forest with an occasional large puddle to walk around which wasn’t that bad. We did have about a 15 minute walk through swamp land though which was bearable since I had on rain boots that blocked the mud from getting on my feet.

When we got to the church, we learned about the church’s history including a sad but also very creepy story about a nun who had been murdered at the church. After a quick snack and some tea, I helped some of the other guys move some trees that had been cut down so they could create another bridge through the swamp. The logs weren’t that heavy, but there were a lot of bugs flying around and a lot of tree shavings that got in my eyes.

After about two hours of work, we sat down for lunch which was some kind of fish soup and buckwheat. When we finished lunch, we all sat around together and played some games with the other volunteers to get to know each other and the church’s history.

On the walk back to the bus, I talked with Olga and her daughters about school and learning different languages which was pretty interesting. Olga’s mom teaches French which is cool because I want to practice my French. It was weird because once I actually go back to the bus, I was more awake than I was when I was on my way to the church.

Everyone who came with us today

On the walk home

The ride back home on Vladimir’s buses was definitely very interesting though. It felt like people were staring at me but that is probably because I was wearing muddy boots and clothes that had stains and other things on it lol

[keseangoestorussia]

Day 19 (part 2): Preparing for the Hike

Tomorrow we are going for a hike, and what better way to prepare for a hike than going out with university friends to a bar? Lol

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Day 19: Children’s Hospital

Today we visited a children’s hospital that was located on the very outskirts of town (very close to Suzdol I think). Because I was late to the meet up at the bus stop though, I had to take a taxi with Galina (I felt really bad because I think it cost like 5x more). We got to the children’s hospital around the same time as the rest of the group who took the bus and met up with the chief doctor who was in charge of the entire operations at the hospital. 

After talking for a little, we watched the ceremony for the opening of one of the new classrooms where children recovering from surgery could recuperate. When the ceremony was finished, we went to a room where children were holding a drawing contest and drew pictures with the children and their parents. After a few songs and some beautiful pictures, we went to the office of the chief doctor again and he explained the hospital’s history and talked about the importance of connections between people. He talked about how he is very close to colleagues around the world who share tips on surgeries that are minimally invasive as well as other practices that can make recovery a lot smoother. 

The outside of the hospital

Honest opinion about the hospital--I enjoyed visiting the hospital because it really cheered the children up to see foreigners and it was comforting to hear that political relationships don’t have a negative effect on providing medical care to those who are sick, but it made me very sad to see all of the children who are going through so many troubles. 

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Some of our lovely singing

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Day 18: Summer Camp and Russian Friends

As usual, we had another Russian lesson before we went to another school for their graduation ceremony. We received a special performance by little kids who were pretending to be in different professions which was very cute. After the performance, we went on a mini tour of the school to learn about the school’s history, a little bit more about school zoning, and the importance that communication has especially at a young age for children. 

When we finished our tour, we painted a staircase for the school that had been fading. It was a little difficult though coordinating how to paint the staircase because we had to coordinate who would paint going up, who would paint going down, etc, but overall painting was pretty fun. It was very relaxing and there was time to reflect on the Russia trip so far. 

When we finished painting the staircase, we said goodbye to our nice hosts before grabbing some lunch and going back to the American Home for another guest lecture. After the lecture, we went to hangout with our Russian friends who cooked us dinner which was really good. We played Imadginirium again and sang American, Russian, Chinese, and Australian folk songs as a way of learning about each other.