I find myself missing the woods. I’m not homesick, nor do I want to come home, but I noticed the other day that I was craving something, and I think it’s trees. Petersburg does a pretty decent job at having parks spread out and planted trees everywhere, but it’s not the same. I definitely love being in this city, but I wish I could go for a walk in the woods, or run around baxter boulevard, or drive along route 77 (to Meghan's house, of course). Okay, that makes it sound like I miss home, but I will just say that I miss nature. There. That’s that. I miss seeing thick pine trees and the ocean, despite the fact that I live on the water here. I loved Maine when I lived there all the time, but my god, what an awesome place. I know I’m going to be so comforted to drive my car around the familiar streets when I visit home this summer. Man, I hope that I always make it back to Vacationland in the future.
Okay, this is going to be an entry full of more random anecdotes. I should really be catching up on Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle, of which I am currently 200 pages behind on (it's a 450 page Nabokov novel - super dense), or doing something to benefit my Russian like reading children’s stories (I found a book of bedtime stories/fairytales for kids in the bookshelf in my room [unfortunately still above my language level]) but WHATEVAH.
I would honestly rather be watching my new favorite tv obsession: House of Cards. Oh. My. God. Have you seen it?! If you haven’t, I would highly recommend it (I know I do that a lot, but you have to give this one a chance; the episodes are all on Netflix Watch Instantly). In short, the show is basically about how Congressman Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) manipulates his way through the White House with his equally merciless and power hungry wife (Robin Wright) right by his side. The characters definitely make this show. Kevin Spacey’s character often turns to the camera to rant about whatever he wants to share (usually he lets us in on his cruel opinions of others or arguments to support his latest scheme), and his soliloquies are actually hilarious sometimes. Other times they are not, but you’re hooked nonetheless. In more crude terms, Francis Underwood is a slimy son of a bitch, but he’s BRILLIANT and you have to admit that you like him. His wife Claire is pretty cut throat too, but I admire so many of her attributes (is that worrisome? Perhaps...). Anyways, I just found out that my favorite power couple has an agreement to do whatever they want with whoever they want as long as it is advantageous to whatever mastermind plan they are up to next. Oh so sexy. However, if you are afraid that watching this show might make you hate American politics even more, then you’re absolutely right. Don’t watch it.
On another, funnier note, the other day the cat Emelya was crying during dinner, and my host mom apparently knew exactly what the cat wanted. Nina Vasilievna proceeded to usher the cat into the bathroom, talking to the cat as if it were a baby (I am so guilty of it as well). A few minutes later, Nina Vasilievna tells me that Emelya wanted his face washed. Did I know that? Why, no, Nina Vasilievna. I did not know that Emelya’s cry was about his gunky saucer eyes not being clean. Nina Vasilievna told me to go look, and when I walked into the doorway of the bathroom I was greeted with the sight of Emelya, sitting on the toilet seat, cheerfully meowing with a wet, clean face. I started laughing, and began to laugh even harder when my host mom reminded me to always put the toilet lid down because Emelya would fall in the toilet. Oh, the things people do for their pets.
Equally as random, but a few weeks ago a bunch of us were walking around Smolny on the way back from a bar when, all of a sudden, we see two giant green army tanks roll through the street. There were people on the top of the tanks, but it wasn’t making any alarm sounds or anything. It seemed like a perfectly routine drill. My friends and I were all like, “yup, only in Russia will you see tanks casually strolling through the streets.” Only in Russia.
Okay, more thoughts. The winter olympics are over, and I unfortunately did not achieve my goal of watching more of the games than I normally do. I don’t use the TV in my apartment, and I haven’t been checking the scores online. I’m disappointed, but can I blame myself? So many people from home have asked me what it’s like to be in Russia during the olympics, and I have sadly replied that, in all honesty, I feel like you could walk down the streets of Petersburg and have NO idea that this country was hosting the olympics. How can that be true? I know I’m a foreigner and I can’t understand much of what is said on the radio or on TV, but should I need to understand everything that’s being said? I have seen nobody dress up in Russia’s colors. I have encountered no hooligans shouting in the streets for their teams. There are no funny signs or billboards to cheer their athletes on (with the exception of a few, but you could walk past them without knowing). There’s a chance I’m just being my usual, oblivious self, but I refuse to believe that entirely. It seems like people are more excited about the olympics back home than they are here. Why so apathetic, Russia?
Speaking of apathy, I seriously need to rant about Kiev. My friend Leland asked me the other day what people in Russia are saying about the political situation in Ukraine right now, and I got so frustrated when, after wracking my brain trying to remember anything I’ve heard on the radio or amongst friends about the situation, I said that I haven’t heard anything. And then I got kind of mad, because I know for a fact that if I were at Conn right now every single one of my classes would be talking about Kiev. I’M the one in Russia right now. I’M the one who should have all the juicy information! I’M the one who should be able to make comments that people haven’t heard in the states, but I can’t! I’ve been reading articles as much as I can about the unfolding events next door, but - okay, maybe this is my problem - they’re all from American or British sources. I hear them talk about Kiev on the radio, but again, just like with the olympics, I can’t understand all the details. I should probably start reading the Russian newspapers here (either in Russian or in English) because I honest to God have no idea what the average Russia, or even IF the average Russian, thinks about current events. I want to ask my host parents what they think, but we were advised to avoid discussing politics entirely. I want to ask Russians my age, but I have no Russian friends! There are Russians in my classes, but can you imagine what kind of “what the hell?” look I’d get in return if I just leaned over in my seat and asked my neighbor, “hey! You’re a Russian my age. What do you think about what’s going on in Kiev right now?” They’d probably think I was gearing up to dissect them like a frog. I mean, common. Isn’t that why I’m here? To ask people directly what they think about Putin? What they think about the "West"? About gay rights? About the Olympics? About Zac Efron? Aside from that last one, it’s not really appropriate for me to do so. There’s a part of me that is furious, but accepting towards this fact. Yeah, it sucks, but I don’t wanna get locked up abroad for my big mouth. But then there’s another part of me that says, well fuck that! I’m going to ask people whatever I want. I’m only here for a while. Why not?!
We’ll see how that goes for me.
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