I really don't even know where to begin with this first week because it has been such a storm of activity. The flight over here was good, but extremely long and I didn't sleep during any of it, so after 30 hours of being awake and traveling I arrived in Moscow and had to find the cab my program had paid for at one in the morning when I could barely keep my eyes open, much less speak in Russian. I was finally able to make it to my home stay safely though, so I guess it all worked out just fine.
My host is a very nice older woman who is very patient with me and cooks like a boss. We live fairly close to the Moscow State University campus, but my classes are all in a building on the opposite side so my walk to class is about 40 minutes every day. My classes are all very interesting and it's already proving to be a good change in perspective to hear about Russian history and politics from Russians rather than Americans. Everyone in my program gets along very well and it seems we're quickly becoming good friends. I have only met a handful of actual Russians so far, but part of that is because I haven't had much time to go out and the other part is that they keep all the foreign students in separate classes. I was having difficulty finding internet here, but was able to by a little modem that attaches to a USB port and picks up wifi. It's not exactly the cheapest option, but it works well and I'm mobile again, so I'm happy.
I've only been out to one bar so far (The Crazy Daisy) and had a blast while I was there. I had to learn the hard way that the metro shuts down at one in the morning though. Turns out when Russians go out they party till the metro starts running at 5 in the morning. It's a little hard core for me, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
I've done some of the touristy things like go to Red Square, the GUM mall, and all that good stuff. It's incredible to see it all with my own eyes. For now I'm just trying to get used to the new routine and language, but I'm happy and feeling good about how things are looking.
Some side notes about Russia so far: Traffic here is the closest thing to total chaos I've ever experienced, the metro really is as good as they say it is, and people here smile much more than I was led to believe.
That's all for now, but please send me emails or skype me, I would love to hear from all of you. I may not respond right away, but I will as soon as I can, I promise.
My host is a very nice older woman who is very patient with me and cooks like a boss. We live fairly close to the Moscow State University campus, but my classes are all in a building on the opposite side so my walk to class is about 40 minutes every day. My classes are all very interesting and it's already proving to be a good change in perspective to hear about Russian history and politics from Russians rather than Americans. Everyone in my program gets along very well and it seems we're quickly becoming good friends. I have only met a handful of actual Russians so far, but part of that is because I haven't had much time to go out and the other part is that they keep all the foreign students in separate classes. I was having difficulty finding internet here, but was able to by a little modem that attaches to a USB port and picks up wifi. It's not exactly the cheapest option, but it works well and I'm mobile again, so I'm happy.
I've only been out to one bar so far (The Crazy Daisy) and had a blast while I was there. I had to learn the hard way that the metro shuts down at one in the morning though. Turns out when Russians go out they party till the metro starts running at 5 in the morning. It's a little hard core for me, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
I've done some of the touristy things like go to Red Square, the GUM mall, and all that good stuff. It's incredible to see it all with my own eyes. For now I'm just trying to get used to the new routine and language, but I'm happy and feeling good about how things are looking.
Some side notes about Russia so far: Traffic here is the closest thing to total chaos I've ever experienced, the metro really is as good as they say it is, and people here smile much more than I was led to believe.
That's all for now, but please send me emails or skype me, I would love to hear from all of you. I may not respond right away, but I will as soon as I can, I promise.
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