Ross in Russia!

2009-12-10T10:36:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed the pictures from Turkey. Unfortunately, I will be leaving Russia soon, but I have to go back, no choice. It just feels weird that after 5 months I am actually going home. Now, Moscow kind of feels like home. When I came back from Turkey, I thought to myself "ok, I'm back home, where things are normal." Then I remembered, I don't live in Moscow! I will be sad to leave, but I am glad to see lots of snow. It is getting much colder (-1, -7 degrees Fahrenheit) so I don't think the snow will melt.

More Istanbul and Istanbul dance

2009-12-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

The palace and the university

2009-12-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

Basilica Cistern

2009-12-03T10:50:00.001-08:00

Cruise on the Baspharus

2009-12-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Blue Mosque (not the Kazan one!)

2009-12-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

Hagia Sophia

2009-12-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

Istanbul is the city of Mosques!

2009-12-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

Turkey

2009-12-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

Here are my pictures from Turkey.

More Kazan!

2009-12-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

A frozen canal, me posing as a statue, Baumana street, the most famous street in Kazan, and more pictures of my 2nd favorite city after Moscow!

Kazan

2009-12-03T09:47:00.001-08:00

At last! Pictures from Kazan! Here are some pictures of the Kremlin, the Blue Mosque, the Volga, a church, and us sitting in the Kremlin

Moscow Business Zone

2009-11-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to the Moscow Trade Center to check it out. It took a long time to figure out how to get inside, as there is still a lot of construction going on. The whole area was supposed to be finished already, but because of the crisis, most buildings are still only partially complete. We walked around outside, and inside of the sort-of mall underneath all of the buildings, until a security guard told us to leave. I guess a needed a suit rather than jeans and a t-shirt to fit in. We found some cool restaurants there, but they are most likely out of our price range. The whole area is also difficult to get to, kind of far from the center. At night, it was mostly filled with migrant workers. They work on the skyscrapers, and live in the prefab "barracks" just outside of the Financial District.

2009-11-20T07:23:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't written for awhile, I'm busy writing papers and finishing up the semester. I am trying to finish all the things I would like to do, but running out of time. I actually think I will be sad to leave, and I wish I could stay.
Last weekend, I went to the Tartar city of Kazan. It was amazing, much better than Vladimir and Suzdel, and even better than Petersburg (I think). We went to the Kremlin, and down this street that's kind of like Старый Арбат in Moscow (a pedestrian street), but more lively in my opinion. There were evven musicians out playing when it was -10 degrees! It was cold there, but lots of snow! I loved it! The volga river was beautiful, and Tartar food is soooo good! We were only there for a day. I think it would have been better if during the summer we had had an excursion there with just one overnight stay, instead of Vladimir and Suzdel (that trip was kind of boring). We took and overnight train Saturday night, and came back Sunday/Monday morning just in time for classes. Unfortunately no pictures, I forgot my camera! I asked my friends to email me theirs, though, so I should have some to post soon. Meanwhile, here are some more pictures from around Moscow

The palace before and after Nazi occupation

2009-11-05T06:34:00.000-08:00

St. Issacs and Savior on the Blood Cathedrals, and Cathrines Palace

2009-11-05T06:28:00.000-08:00

Winter Palace, Palace Square, and Peter/Paul Cathedral

2009-11-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

Snow Snow Snow!

2009-10-30T02:39:00.000-07:00

It's finally started to snow! It took a awhile, it has been below freezing for some time. It's still October, we never get snow in Atlanta before Halloween! It's not much, though, just flurries that melt as soon as they hit the ground (like Atlanta), but soon we should get real snow. I heard that in Moscow they spray the clouds with some sort of chemical in order to get it to snow less. I don't know if that's true, but it's snowing now!
I just got back from St. Petersburg last Monday, but haven't had time to post the pictures yet. It was fun, but the last day was boring. We were there from Friday morning till Sunday night (taking night trains Thursday and Sunday night), but most everyone left Saturday night for Finland or Estonia. I wish I had gone with them, as the rest of us (just 6 people) wandered around the city.
Overall it was good though.

Kuskovo

2009-10-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I went to the Russian estate of Kuskovo with one of my Russian friends. It is good to go with Russian friends, as I get to practice my Russian more. My friend also has a car, which beats taking the bus when you are away from the center of this city! It was nice, but all these estates seem similar to me, and now I am not very interested. I am still very excited about St. Petersburg coming up, and I have to decide soon whether I will go to Istanbul or Sweden over Thanksgiving. Such a hard choice, I wish I could do both!!!

2009-10-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

Today we went to go see Lenin's Mausoleum. It was a long line, and we were rushed through, but it was free. Lenin looked totally fake, and he seemed very short. There was a rally by the Communist Party outside. The police thought it was funny. It was just a bunch of old people. After that, we went to the State Polytechnical Museum. It was ok. Tomorrow I might go to Kuskovo, another Russian Estate with one of my friends, but we'll see. The statue in the picture to the left is Markil Zukov, a famous Russian General if I remember correctly. This, along with Lenin, is near red square.

Arkangelisk

2009-10-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not posted anything for awhile. This while be like a double post. First, last weekend I went to Arkangelist Estate right outside of Moscow (the town of Podmoskovski) with one of my Russian friends. It was cold, but a good time. Getting a little outside the city was nice. The estate kind of reminded me of Madison, GA. Next week we are going to St. Petersburg, so I am very excited about that, and will take lots of pictures!

Sports

2009-10-11T01:34:00.000-07:00

So last night was the big World Cup qualifier match between Germany and Russia. There were lots of people on the street yesterday, selling Russian flags and celebrating before the match. There were lots of police out too, and instead of carrying their usual batons and pistols, they all had automatic weapons. I tried to stay inside, as to avoid all the rowdy crowds. I contemplated going to the game, but tickets were 3000 rubles ($100) and up. I am just not THAT interested in soccer. I couldn't watch it, but watched the highlights. Russia lost, and now will have to fight for a play-off berth to go to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Not to rag on Russia, but no one likes soccer in the US, and we still won our division and qualified for the World Cup. Even North Korea Qualified! Soccer is the most popular sport here, and they still could not qualify. Now, granted, the European divisions may be harder, but the US still beat teams such as Mexico, Costa Rica, etc., where soccer is very popular.
I've also noticed that American Hockey is very popular here. I don't know if they even have a Russian hockey league, as everyone seems to follow the NHL.
Tennis is also not very popular, even though there are many great tennis players from Russia.
And, of course, no one cares about American Football. You can watch NHL Hockey here in Russia on Russian television, but not NCAA or NFL football.

VDNX

2009-09-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to a park called VDNX. It is near the space museum, and it is a very eclectic park. It had many different things to see, but a lot of it looked run down. It reminded me of the setting of a gothic novel or something.
It is starting to get much colder now. Fall came quickly, and then disappeared! It is now in the 30s everyday and raining. I hope it doesn't get much colder, or else that rain will turn to ice. It is only the beginning of October! I don't want winter to come already! Things are also better with my host family now.

Victory Park

2009-09-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today I went with one of my Russian friends to Парк Победы (park pobedy), which translates into "Park of Victory". It celebrates the victory of the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany in WW2. The layout of the park kind of reminds me of Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, only this is bigger and cleaner. The metro was even sparkling clean! They had several fountains that were still on, but my friend told me they will be shut off next weekend (as it is starting to get much colder). Once we had walked around the park, we headed in to the WW2 museum. It was very interesting, to see part of the Rietshtag that had been taken from Berlin, and all the other old German and Soviet uniforms, weapons, and equipment. I also didn't know that the siege of Lennigrad was just as big as the seige of Stalingrad. They had a very large room with many, many of the names of those Soviet soldiers and officers who died in the war (not all of them, but it really reminded me of the Vietnam Memorial in DC). It was very humbling.
Sorry it has been awhile since I wrote. I have been busy with Kontrolnaya (tests) and homework. I'm pretty sure I failed my first test, but the professor said that she knew it was hard for me since I'm not a native Russian, and not to worry about it.
It is starting to get very cold, and my friend said it is not going to get any warmer, just colder. It is now usually in the 40s (F) each day, and it always rains.

Angry Babushkas!!!

2009-09-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

So today was interesting...We ended up going to the wrong classroom for what we thought was Russia and the world in the 20th century (at least that's what it said online), but it was changed at the last minute (which we didn't know about) and ended up in a 4th year class in the business faculty instead of the 2nd year class we where looking for. Also, when the professor walked in, all the students stood up. We were sitting in the front and didn't notice it, but then we stood up. We were maybe half a second or a second slower than the Russian students, and the professor got mad. She gave us an evil stare, and then asked what we where doing there. We said that we were the non-Russian students and were their for the history course (it was actually a business etiquette course). She told us we were in the wrong place, and we left, all the while she was giving us the stink eye. I have never seen this before in any of my other Russian classes before. It was weird almost militaristic (the standing at attention upon professor's entrance). I've heard that that's customary in Russian high schools, but not in college. Maybe since she was older, that is what she is used too.

Which brings me to another point, why are all the older people (especially all the older babushkas) extremely rude? From old women stepping on my feet in the metro, pushing me out of the way to get on the train, why? The sketchiest looking young people I've met have been the nicest people ever, while almost every old lady has been very rude. Maybe they feel entitlement (aka like people from Palm Coast?) or it is left over from Soviet times, when everyone was treated like that.

2009-09-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

The first Bear I've found in Russia

2009-09-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Lubyanka Square.

2009-09-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Bentley store! There was also a Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati store connected to it (along with a designer suit store. You could pick a suit and a car at the same place. I'll have to remember that next time I need a suit and a Ferrari)

2009-09-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Actual Free toilets! (normally it costs money to use them, wherever you are in Russia)

2009-09-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

Police near red square (they were everywhere, as usual here)

Moscow's Birthday

2009-09-09T11:29:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was Moscow's birthday (supposedly), and there was a big festival. Red Square was closed, but the festival was on Oxotny Ryad, right outside Red Square. I only went on Saturday (there were tons of people), and there were a couple of concerts and lots of stuff to do. Our host sister is in Hong Kong right now, so our host mom rented out the room to some Austrailian tourists. They don't speak any russian, so we have been helping them out.
Here's a list of what the pictures are (I will try to post other pictures from the day too!): 1).Flame that never goes out near the tomb of a WW2 Soldier
2). International house of music (near where I live!)
3).Moscow history museum
4). GUM department store
5). Entrance to Red Square

First day of class

2009-09-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

I actually didn't have class today, just a convocation-like ceremony. It was very, very, very strange. It was like a convocation, only they had singing and dancing! It was crazy! Evidently Russians go crazy over the first of September. It is almost a holiday, the day all students (grade school up to university) go back for the Fall semester. The metro, along with all the restaurants at my University's metro stop, were extremely crowded.
I don't know if I will like my school very much. Everyone dresses up very nicely (like Harvard Business School or something), and it seems very elitist. My Russian professor told be that guys would wear sport coats, but most of the guys were wearing very nice suits. I think I might have felt more at home at a State school, like Moscow State University.
I still don't know what my classes are, and I don't have class until Thursday. Hopefully then I might know what classes I am taking!

Riding Horses

2009-08-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

Just kidding! I didn't ride any horses, but my friends did. We planned on going to this park in the south of Moscow. One of my friends said we should get off early and take a bus, but I wanted to take the metro all the way and then walk. We ended up taking a bus, and we didn't see the park when we passed it. After going 30 minutes south of Moscow, the driver said we were nowhere near the park. When we asked where the metro was, he laughed and said "There's no metro out here!" We were in the boonies. We found another bus to take us back to a metro station, and had lunch. After that I had to leave to go to work at the American Center, so I didn't go to the park with the others or ride horses. I didn't really want to ride horses anyway. A new student from Stanford went with us. She probably thinks we don't know our way around Moscow! The other Stanford students (about 16-17 in total) will be arriving on Monday. I am kind of thinking of not volunteering at the American Center anymore, as speaking English doesn't really help me, and it is long hours and sometimes people show up late and then don't show up at all (had 2 no shows today). I still have to do a formal presentation on Atlanta and Georgia for the Center, but I think I will be too busy to continue doing the 1 on 1 conversations.

2009-08-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

I finally found places where you can order Mexican Food in Moscow! However, it is usually very expensive (like in a fancy restaurant) or not that great. We found a place called Starlite diner that is almost exactly like a Steak n Shake (they even give all their employees American names: our waiter was Denis, which I don't think is a common Russian name), except for the prices. Shakes were about $10 each, as were sandwiches. I ordered Nachos (as seen in the picture), and they were not cheap (I guess they have to import the tortilla chips). After that we went to the mall. It was overall a good day. I still don't know what or when my classes are, and we start next week!

2009-08-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

Today we ate a place named chokolodnitsa (шоколодница). It was good, but very expensive. My meal was small, and cost around 300 rubles ($10). Many people, my Russian professor included, said they did not like шоколодница, and for good reason; however, many Russians I talked to said they liked it. I should have listened to the other people. The dessert was good, though.
Myself and the other American student from Tech, Eric, were thinking about going to see DJ Testio in concert, but the tickets cost 1400 rubles each (about $45). Testio is also playing in
Atlanta, and tickets cost $40 there, so the price is not outrageous, but I still do not want to pay it. The Norwegian band Nightwish is also coming to Moscow, but the tickets I found for them were $4000 rubles each (about $125)! I know they are more popular here in Europe than in the US, but maybe music events in general are expensive in Russia. During the Summer program, one girl wanted to see Britany Spears, but the cheapest tickets for that concert were 2000 rubles each. The circus we saw was only 700 rubles ($22.50), though.
That's one thing I've noticed, things in Russia are usually fairly cheap (groceries, Sabbaros) or fairly expensive ( шоколодница, concerts). There is no middle ground (except maybe the circus)!

Weather changes

2009-08-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

It's starting to get colder here, and it already feels like Fall. It's in the low 50's, high 40's here now (Fahrenheit) and raining. Evidently August is usually a wet month in Moscow. Everyone stared at me because I was just wearing a T-shirt, but I wasn't cold (not like Washington State was). I will have to buy a light jacket or hoodie, because I forgot to bring one (I remembered heavy coats, though). Today was my last day with tutoring, and soon fall classes will start. I do not know what I will do until classes start a week from now, maybe just hang out.

Meeting new friends

2009-08-20T10:13:00.001-07:00

I met some new people at the American Center yesterday, and we went out for tea and coffee afterwords. It was good because I could practice my Russian, and they could also practice their English. I have actually found a lot of people who would be willing to help me practice my Russian. Tomorrow is my last tutoring session, and I am sort of glad. This past week and last week (until today) I had a substitute because my original tutor was sick. I liked the substitute so much more than my actual tutor! With the substitute, two hours felt like only 2 minutes, and I didn't want class to end each day; with my original tutor, 2 minutes felt like 2 hours and I kept looking at my watch waiting for class to end. I think the other tutor had more patience with me. Sometimes we would just have conversations about life in Moscow and such, and I could practice my conversation skills; with my main tutor, we just do grammar exercises the whole time. One of the few American students left here leaves on Saturday, so there will be one less person to hang out with; however, the Stanford kids should be arriving soon, I think.

Shopping malls

2009-08-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

The other day we went to the Mall at the Universitet Metro stop. I was looking to find a light jacket, because I forgot to bring one to Russia (but I remembered all the heavy stuff such as coats and boots). The prices were ridiculous. A t-shirt was ON SALE for $30 (originally $60). This wasn't even designer clothing, just stuff you would find at a Kohls or Ross in the US. Jackets at a sports store (Nike, Adidas, etc.) cost as much as $150-$200! I will probably just buy something from a local market or something like that.
We saw District 9 today. I was not impressed. We had read online that this particular movie theater (Kinocenter) showed movies in their original language with Russian subtitles, and that movies only cost 150 rubles during the day ($5). It turns out that the movie cost 200 rubles ($6.50 or so) and was only shown in Russian. I probably should have asked, but the last time I called and asked if any movies were in English at this other movie theater (35mm) the person on the other end became angry and hung up on me. I have noticed that customer service is not familiar to Russians. For example, when we ate lunch today, our drinks didn't come until we already had the check, and my meal came 20 minutes after everyone elses. The waitress didn't even apologize for it. It's not a huge deal, but still annoying. Maybe because no one tips around here, there is no incentive to give good service.

Updates

2009-08-16T01:04:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't written anything in a while. I completed my first day at the American Center yesterday. I only had 3 appointments for 30 minutes each, but people kept coming in. Everyone's English ranged from being as good as my Russian (which is not very good) to being perfect; one women was an English teacher. One strange guy only wanted to talk about American Wrestling (of which I knew nothing about); however, I had a really in depth conversation with a girl about my age, who had lived in Chicago for a year, about issues such as affirmative action in the US versus Russia. We also talked about immigration to and within Russia, and also the US. One other guy had lived in Virginia and went to Jamestown High School near Williamsburg and Newport News, VA. He was a little disappointed in the movies being shown at the American Center, and I sympathized with him (they like to show old Aubrey Hepburn movies, which even I would not go out of my way to see).
Today we are once again going to try to watch a movie in English (District 9) if we can find a theater that plays movies in their original language with Russian subtitles.

American Center

2009-08-11T04:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the American Center to check it out, and I think I will be volunteering there a little bit this month. What I will be doing is helping out with projects, such as helping Russians find books in the English library at the center on different topics (like on the 40th anniversary of the moon landing they made a presentation and found books on the subject), and helping out with lectures when people from the US embassy come. They give lectures on all kinds of topics, such as preparing for college in the US (can definitely help with that), and on American culture (cooking, etc.). I will also have 1 on 1 conversations with Russians who want to practice their English. If they have trouble, I get to practice my Russian with them, which is good because they usually have trouble with big, complex, abstract words and sentences, and I get to learn how to use them in Russian while they learn them in English.

River cruise

2009-08-08T05:55:00.001-07:00

Today we went to a park (воробы горы) on the river and went on a river cruise on the Moscow river. It passed by several famous Moscow landmarks, such as St. Basil's, the Kremlin, and the Church of Christ the Savior. It was fun, but we didn't know that the tickets we bought were only one way; thankfully, it stopped near my host family's apartment! Sorry no pictures, I keep forgetting my camera! A lot of the guys here carry around small purses that they keep their stuff like cameras in(man purses as we call them), but I don't want to do that. Most everyone is leaving tomorrow, but there will still be a few of us left. Some of the guys are going to a soccer game tonight. Tickets for sporting events are cheaper here than in the states (400 rubles for a good seat, about $13-$14)(cheap seats are only 200 rubles), and it is a professional event between the best 2 teams in Russia. A similar NFL game in the US would cost a lot more than that for good seats! I hope to be able to volunteer at the American Center, which is only a block from where I live. I would be helping Russians practice their English.

Georgian food

2009-08-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a Georgian restaurant for dinner. It took us a while to find it, but it was well worth the search. The food was amazing! They had this cheese bread that was probably without a doubt the best bread I have ever had in my life! We also had other things, such as Georgian soup, stuffed mushrooms, and this very good chicken dish. Sorry I forgot all the names, but if I see them again, I will probably recognize them. I think I want to visit Georgia now! It was expensive (500 rubles, about $17) but worth the price, as I think this is the first time I have eaten out in Russia and left full (not counting places like subway, sabarros, etc.)! Tomorrow we plan on going to see one of the parks and taking a boat cruise on the Moscow river. Also, when I talk about Georgia, I am talking about the country near Turkey, not the state of Georgia in the US!

New Trekyakov gallery

2009-08-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to check out the modern art at the new State Trekyakov Gallery. First we had lunch at Pizza Hut (they were advertising a "business lunch special"). That was a mistake. It was 210 rubles, and you got a personal pizza w/2 toppings, a salad bar visit, and a drink. What I didn't realize is that menus in Russia advertise anything possible, not what they have on stock. I ordered a cheese and mushroom pizza that was ok, but small. The salad bar was one trip only, and was a Russian salad (whole vegtables and fruit, not like american salads). They only gave me the equivelant of a shot glass of Pepsi (it was a normal glass that was only 1/3 of the way full). This was about $7 total. Not going to Pizza hut in Russia again! Sorry so many of my posts have been about food, I just love food!
After lunch we went to what we thought was the gallery (we got lost), but ended up being a "house of art"(we wondered why all the art was on sale!). We eventually found the gallery, and I was pleased with it. I think I like modern art the most. The tickets to both places were cheap (50- 150 rubles ($1.50-$5.00) ). I think art museums are an elitist thing in the US, and that's why they cost more (the High in ATL is $20 per person!). Also, it is a government gallery, which may be why the cost was so cheap.

Going to the library

2009-08-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Today we went to библиотека имени ленина, the Russian version of the Library of Congress in the US. I guess it will be my primary library from now on, because all of us who are staying in the Fall picked up library cards there. I don't know how often I will use it though, as it is an EXTREMELY complicated system. You cannot take any bags, paper, or other books into the Library, and you have a pass you carry around everywhere you go, that you get stamped when you use the internet (which you have to pay for), check out a book, etc. You can have the books for 3 days, but can only read them in the Library (you turn them in at the end of the day if you are not finished). Also, mostly everything is STILL done by card catalog!!! I don't think I've ever used a card catalog! I've grown up using computers and electronic catalogs! In addition, you write done what you want (more paperwork) and assistants go get it for you, you do not go get it yourself. The picture is outside the library, where there is a big statue of Dostoevsky.

Tsaritsino Park

2009-08-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Tsaritsino park, which was once owned by Catherine the Great as one of her summer homes from what I understand. We walked around the grounds, which were very large (it's a big public park), and then went inside the palace. It was nice inside, but nothing was original because it was not kept up after the 1917 revolution; however, 2 years ago it was rebuilt as it originally was. After that we ate lunch near red square, and then went home because we all have to work on our papers. I will be working almost nonstop on the paper, on top of the normal homework I have plus the work I have from my tutoring sessions. It's jeans week this week, so I have started a load (I am only allowed one laundry load per week, which is even less than you think since European washers are about 1/4 the size of US ones). I will be up for a while typing and doing laundry.

Food in Russia

2009-07-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

Russians love their cheese and dairy products: cream cheese, sour cream, cheese, milk, kefer (a sour form of milk that I am not a big fan of), and cheesecake! They have these little things called sirok (сырок) that are like bite-sized cheesecakes, and they are very good! They are also cheap (10-15 rubles each, so 30 to 50 cents). I can usually only eat 4 at one time before I get sick. They are that good! I talked to a guy who says every time he goes back to the states (he is american) he takes a whole box back. They are usually for little kids, so when I buy them for myself the cashier usually thinks it's funny. Bread is also very cheap here, and it is very inexpensive to buy the ingredients to make a lunch, rather than go out to eat. I spent $2 on lunch when I went to the store, and usually spend $5-$10 when eating out. I also had watermelon today. I was very good, just as good as in the States. All the food here seems to be made from scratch, and maybe that's why everyone seems healthier here. Not as many fried foods or preservatives. I have actually, however, had as much access to soft drinks (coke, sprite, etc.) as in the States; one thing I do miss is gaterade/powerade. It is very hard to find, and if you do find it, it is usually expensive. Other than that, the food is really good here. My host family feeds me very well. I do miss fried chicken, however! Maybe I can go to a KFC here (probably, since they are popular here).

Старый Арбат

2009-07-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a market that sold a lot of souvenirs. A lot of people bought T-shirts, Machirska dolls, etc. I found a Russian hat that was synthetic fur (it was cheaper), and was able to haggle the price down from 1,000 rubles to 2oo rubles($6-$7). It wasn't too difficult, I just had to be firm. When they see that you are not from Russia, they try to jack up the price. It surprised him that I spoke Russian, and I think speaking Russian helped me to get the price down. After that, we went to "Old Arbat street" (Старый Арбат). It is a walking street with lots of restaurants, souvenir shops, and other types of shops. We ate at a Sabbaros, which was very cheap. It was 35 rubles (about a dollar) for each "super slice" of cheese pizza (if you add toppings, the price goes up a lot, by twice as much 70-120 rubles). My whole meal was 117 rubles (about $4), which is very cheap for eating out in Moscow. Also, you don't throw your trash away, in Russia people do that for you; however, it is not customary to tip. This is a little different than in the States, but I'm not complaining!

Going to the movies

2009-07-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

So today we decided to go see the movie "Public Enemies." First we tried to go to this art cinema called 35mm, but the times listed online were wrong, so instead we had lunch at Subway. It was a little different than in the States (you could customize your sandwich more, but cheese costs extra and they only had one type). It was also a little more expensive ($8.50 for a footlong(30cm) and medium drink). After that, we went looking for the "america-cinema" near the European mall. We couldn't find it, but found another theater that was showing what we wanted to see. The person who bought the tickets forgot to ask whether it was dubbed or with subtitles. It ended up being dubbed, but it was still good (even though I didn't understand much of the dialouge). I'm not sure how historically accurate it was, but I still enjoyed it. When I get back to the states I will have to watch it on DVD (in English this time!).

Trip to Tretyakovskaya 7/25

2009-07-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the State Tretyakov gallery. It had several paintings from the 19th century, and lots of religious icon paintings. After that, we went to a monastery near the Frunzenskaya metro stop. We also stopped by a graveyard nearby and viewed Boris Yeltsin's grave. I also just started the blog today. I will try to update it every so often.

Ross

July 24

2009-07-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

I finally got the chance to visit Red Square today. I walked around St. Basil's, but didn't go inside because it cost money and was very crowded. Lenin's tomb was also closed, and I was disappointed. I didn't have my camera with me, but my friend had hers, so she said she will email me the pictures. I saw the Kremlin as well. It is like it's own city (similar to the Vatican) and walled off. Once again, it was crowded and cost money, so I just saw it from the outside. What I liked most was going into GYM department store. It was very big and impressive, although a little over the top. Like the plaza in KC, you go there to see the items, not buy anything because everything is super expensive. On the top floor, however, a lot of things were on sale because not many people are buying things there. I also went to look at the church of the asenction (assumption? I don't know how it is spelled), but it was closed. Evidently it is not the original (although it is on the same grounds), as the communists tore it down after the revolution. I am not too disappointed in not getting to go inside, because everyone says the insides of most of the churches in Russia are the same. In fact, that church was modeled on the one I saw in Suzdel.

July 22

2009-07-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

We are going to the Moscow circus today, so that should be interesting. Other than that, I have just been studying Russian all day. Yesterday myself and some of the other Tech people ate lunch at this cafe called "Mo-Mo." It is evidently a chain in Russia that is very popular. I ordered борщ for the first time, and it was very good. It was expensive. I did not order very much, and it was still $8 for lunch. Another guy ordered a full meal, and it cost him $20! Eating out is expensive in Moscow, so I guess that's why it's not done often.

Trip to Vadimir and Suzdel July 18/19

2009-07-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

My group went to the towns of Vladimir and Suzdel last weekend. Suzdel is a small town with old Russian churches, and had the yearly "pickle festival" were they had lots of good pickles and other things. I tried this Russian carbonated honey drink called Meed. It was very, very good. Vladimir was once one of the largest cities in Russia, back when Kiev was the capital (8th or 9th century). It was nice to see other Russian towns besides Moscow. It was a fun time.