St. Pete: Days 3, 4, 5

Monday was our first day of academia here in St. Petersburg. I woke up around 8:30, while it was still dark, so I could eat breakfast with everyone and be at the placement test at 10:00am. The placement test was mostly open ended questions, which allowed students to give as complex or as simple answers as they wished. This was good because it let you practice Russian at your comfort level. I went out on a limb in a few places: for example, using 'kotori' clauses to make complex sentences. Another thing the test forced me to do was think of creative ways to use my limited Russian vocab and grammar, so it was an interesting little exam.
(to the right is me on the metro)
After the test we went back to the dorms, which are in the same building (4 flights down, down the hall, 3 flights up). Some of you may already know, but one requirement to get a student visa in Russia is that you have to get an AIDS test. Although we already performed blood tests back in the states, we had to get another AIDS test Monday afternoon. Turns out they don't trust American AIDS tests, which is funny, cause we don't trust Russian AIDS tests! Doesn't matter what immunizations you receive in the States, getting a needle in your arm abroad is never a good thing.
We piled in the van and drove to a grimy building downtown, where nurses clustered around the doorways, puffing cigarettes and mumbling in Russian. I don't think any of us were feeling good at this point: I'll be honest, I have moderately low confidence in Russian medical hygiene. I volunteered to go first so that A. I could get it out of the way and, most importantly, B. so I could come back and say things like “the first needle doesn't really hurt” or “they just cut you and let you drip into the vile”. Mom: don't you miss running commentary like that? Ah boy. Sometimes you gotta laugh to keep from crying. The test actually was fine. It was quicker and more painless than the test I got in the US, and they even took less blood.
Tuesday was our first day of class. I checked the board first thing in the AM to discover that I had been placed in level 2, which is comparable to RUSS 201. Going into the test I knew that if I only placed into level 1, I would be fine with that. Starting fresh would give me an edge and not make me worry about recalling things I learned years ago. However, level 2 has an even better set of benefits. Of course the challenge is far more satisfying, and the class size is a whopping 4 students: Mike and Bruce (my suitemates), a Greek guy named Manus, and me. Our teacher, Nina Matelevna, is a charming little woman who sometimes goes on rants in Russian.
Wednesday we eagerly awaited the arrival of 3 new students, who had the misfortune of missing the first week (see Alisa), including my roommate, Keith. Keith is a junior at Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA. We celebrate his arrival along with Dallas Lapoint, who is from Vermont, and Kelsey, who is from Wisconsin. Tonight we also met Emily, a Canadian who lives in the door to the right, and Samantha, an English girl who lives down the hall. What can I say? Us native English speakers hang tight!
One of the cool things about our dorm is that its across the hall from the weight room, and Bruce just bought a dart board, which is a lot of fun. I've gotten really good at darts, and I'm gonna post a picture of one round I played against myself. Now, if you don't believe that I threw all four of those from 12 feet away, I'm not going to hold it against you, because its pretty unbelievable, but I did, so, there.

Mr. White, you might like this. It's a home improvement store near our dorm (metro stop Akademicheskaya) called Domovoi. We bought a pan there to increase our ability to cook. Like many stores in Russia, it requires you to pay for plastic bags.


Nina and Mike in Russian class. Russian meets for over 3 hours, 3 times a week, and is very intense. You might not be able to tell from the photo, but the classroom is probably 12' x 8'.


There it is. Believe it or not. Two bulls-eyes and two of what I call 'Bull's Cornea's'.