100 hours

     Until I land back in Texas!! I'm excited to see all my friends and family again , but I will definitely miss my Russian life I have developed over here.
      So Wednesday night we went to the ballet Romeo and Juliet at Novaya Opera. Afterward we had discussions about whether we preferred it to Swan Lake or vice versa. While Swan Lake's traditional and classic aspects are beautiful, I think Romeo and Juliet won my heart with its more theatrical elements and of course ultimate love tragedy.
      Yesterday we had class then went to the Mayakovsky Museum. He was a futurist modern artist during soviet times. Although the museum was unique and interesting I'm not sure I've developed much appreciation for modern art!! After that we headed to the Arbat where we ate sbarro's for dinner and got ice cream!
     Today we don't have any excursions planned so I will probably take a nap then go out for dinner or something. My tests went well and tomorrow we get to go back to Izmailovsky and to Lenin's tomb.

Before the ballet

Romeo and juliet

I finally beat all the levels of jewel quest on my russian phone!

Modern art

Where Mayakovsky shot himself

Mayakovsky museum

Big Update

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been too busy being "cultured" with operas, ballets, and plays!!!
      Saturday we went to Izmailovsky Park, which is basically a giant flea market where you can haggle for souvenirs all day long. I managed to get some pretty good deals and a real white rabbit fur hat, so now I can look like a real Russian!! too bad I won't need it in Texas....
      Sunday we went to the Gulag Museum which was very interesting and two women put on a special performance of what life was like for women in the Gulag. After that I went to Subway then back to my dorm to study for my tests.
      Monday we had classes then we went to the opera Yevgeny Onegin. It was a really beautiful production, but I still prefer ballet to opera!
      Yesterday, we had classes then I took a nap then got ready to go see the play Uncle Vanya. The main character was played by one of the most famous movie actors in Russia, so it was pretty neat !! I've noticed I'm starting to pick up on a lot more of what's being said, which feels great!
      Today I had classes then in about two hours I'm going to the Icon store with Olga and then KFC and then to the ballet Romeo and Juliet! I found out my last test grades, Culture:105 and Language: 99. So now all I have left is two classes, finals on Monday, and my paper due July 2!! I'm excited to be headed home soon but I will definitely miss all my friends!

Izmailovsky

Giant snail on campus

Gulag actresses

Gulag Museum

Opera theater

before Yevgeny Onegin

russians dressed as mexicans harassing a news lady... 

Ashley and I before Uncle Vanya

Uncle Vanya cast

Swan Lake and Tretyakov Gallery

     I'm sorry I haven't updated lately, I've been fairly busy and getting home late! Wednesday we had a test in our conversation class and I made a 100!! Then after that we all got dressed up to go see the ballet Swan Lake at Novaya Opera. It was a very beautiful production and I enjoyed it a lot!!! We got home around 11:30 so I went straight to bed!
     Yesterday we had class then headed to see the Tretyakov Art Gallery. It was interesting and huge! Then we all went to try a Georgian restaurant (the country, not the state!). They had the most amazing appetizer of cheesy bread! It was very good, but the service took a while since there was a bunch of us. After getting back to the dorm I did my homework then went straight to sleep.
      Today we didn't have an excursion so after class I walked down the street to exchange money then took a much needed nap! When I woke up I finished reading Chekov's Uncle Vanya, which I get to see live on Tuesday! The role of Uncle Vanya is going to be played by one of Russia's most famous movie actors!!!
      So here's my schedule for the next few days:
Tomorrow, Saturday : Going to a huge flea market to shop for souvenirs, then hopefully work on my term paper
Sunday: we are visiting the Gulag Museum
Monday: class, then going to the opera Yevgeny and Onegin
Tuesday: class, then going to the play Uncle Vanya
Wednesday: class, then going to see Romeo and Juliet the ballet!

My University

How far away I am :(

Waiting for the ballet to start

Novaya Opera

Odette and Prince

Tretyakov Gallery

The Demon painting, my favorite :)

me in front of the Tretyakov

My friend's meal at the Georgian restaurant

Cheesy goodness!

Happy Russia Day!!

    So today is June 12, which means it is Russia Day! On this day, in 1990, Russian parliament formally declared Russian sovereignty from the USSR. It's kind of like fourth of July, there are Russian flags everywhere and people are celebrating. 

     Well,  I didn't update yesterday because all we did was have classes then a small group of us went down to the Arbat, which is a pedestrian only street with artists, restaurants, and stores. Not much really happened. We did see some young people dancing in the street for money which was pretty cool. 

     Since it is a national holiday we had no classes today and I slept until about 12:30 in the afternoon. Since the weather is beautiful, sunny, and hot we went down to the track on campus and laid out in the sun for a while. It almost felt like Texas!!! I plan to spend the rest of the day on campus to avoid any possibilities of protests or riots. Tonight Russia plays Poland in the Euro 2012 soccer tournament, so I'm sure if they win everyone will be going crazy tonight! I have a test tomorrow in my language class, so I intend on studying for that, cleaning my room a little bit, and then maybe try cooking something for dinner. 

      Oh yes and one last thing. Today makes nine months that Chris and I have officially been dating. Every month on the twelfth we usually plan a fun date, but I guess being in Russia makes that a little difficult (unless you count skype)! So instead I figure I'd dedicate a small post to it and post some pictures of us over the past few months. Chris, I love you more everyday and I can't wait to see you in exactly 2 weeks!! I miss you so much :)

Our first picture together- Fish Camp August 2011

Our most recent picture together- May 23, 2012

The Moscow Sixteen

     Well I finally returned from our trip to Tula and will be staying in Moscow for the remainder of my trip, which is only 16 more days!! Our trip to Tula was a nice weekend visit to the countryside of Russia. It was very beautiful with lots of nature and forests all around us. Our hotel was very nice, we even had a TV!!!
     So I guess I should rewind back to Friday since I haven't told you about it yet! Well we had classes and then had the entire afternoon free! So some friends and I headed to the WWII museum. It was absolutely beautiful and interesting. I learned a lot about the war and that Russia lost approximately 26 million lives. After that we went hunting for a Chili's. Yes, there are 3 or 4 Chili's in Russia!! Go Capitalism!!! :) Well, we kind of got lost  but ended up in the Arbot which is this really cool street with no cars. There were tons of souvenir shops and American chain food places, it was like a mini America! After practicing our Russian by asking for directions we found the Chili's. It was definitely the best burger of my life!!!
       The next morning we had to wake up at 6 am to catch our train to Tula. It took almost 5 hours to get there and the train was rather crowded. However, I ended up sitting next to a Russian girl and her father. Once she realized I was American she started talking to me in English and we had some really good conversations. Finally I asked her how she had learned English so well and she said she was never taught it she just reads a lot of books and stuff on the internet and this was actually her first time to practice speaking!!!!! I was highly impressed!! She also told me some sad stories about WWII times and how her father's family was almost tortured to death and how many other Russian families have similar stories and that's why they are excited to celebrate Independence Day which is this coming tuesday, June 12.
      Once arriving in Tula it felt like a little Mexico almost. We all crammed onto this bus (pictured below) and headed off to Tolstoy's estate. His estate was beautifully set in the forest with lots of trails and lakes to roam around. It was definitely a break I needed from the hustle and bustle of city life!! After that we went back to our hotel, which was by far the nicest place we have stayed yet! It was so nice to only share a shower with 2 people instead of 16!!! We also had a TV! I watched a show called Happy Magic, which is basically the Russian version of American Idol for magicians.
       This morning we went to the Kremlin of Tula where we walked around and went in a weapons museum. Then we got on the train and headed back for Moscow!!! Now we're back to our normal schedule of classes, so I guess I better get some sleep! :)

Tula Kremlin

Lenin Statue in Tula

The longest escalators in Europe

WWII museum fountains

WWII museum and monument

Chili's!!!!!

my delicious bacon cheeseburger!

Train station in Tula

Old train station

Bust of Tolstoy

Tolstoy's estate

Our pimped out ride

our bedroom

our living room, with a balcony!!!!

entry way

door to the bathroom

toilet thingys

shower and sink

Sheremetevo Estate

   Yesterday we had classes then toured the Sheremetevo Estate across the street from us. basically it was just a giant party house where the first Duke of Russia threw parties. It would have been really pretty if the weather wasn't so gloomy. After that we were free and I just stayed in the dorm and watched some of Tangled then went to bed early. Our hot water just turned on!! I've never been so excited for hot water!
     Tomorrow we are leaving at 6:30 a.m. by train for Tula to visit Tolstoy's estate for the weekend. Unfortunately I will not have internet access at all this time and will not be bringing my computer with me. However, I will be back Sunday night.

Russian Snickers

The theater where we saw The Seagull

poster for the play

the estate

the estate