воскресенье, 8 марта 2009 г.
So today was pretty cool... definitely a great start to a trip. We all slept in a little bit and then took off for Red Square. I was probably kind of freaky about how excited I was to see the square. I was such a cliche tourist, taking all sorts of obnoxious pictures of the babyshkas with their totally awesome fur hats and of adorably bundled little boys... the Cathedral was also breathtaking. It's something I've always dreamt about seeing, so it was fantastic to actually be there- sounds corny, I know, but you'll probably understand. After the trip to the square we met the U.S. ambassador to Russia. He was seriously an awesome guy, and the residence was fantastic. Now I'm hanging out in the room with my roomies... We kind of feel like we need a mellow night in order to make it through the next week of sightseeing and partying... ;) On a sort of final note, I'm going to try to upload some pics. I'm kind of bad with technology, though, so we'll see how everything goes...
Day 2!
Today was our first full day in Moscow. I woke up at 4:30 AM, looked at the clock, and thought 'NoooOOoo!' But I as soon as I got home from our outings I napped, unintentionally, for an hour and a half. I decided not to go out tonight and just catch up on sleep.
We started our day by briefly visiting the Red Square. We did the tourist thing, taking pictures with the St. Basil's Cathedral in the background.
Then we took the metro to the Izmailovsky market. The metro was a lot different than D.C.'s -- in a good way. It ran underground and the enterance still used swipe cards but the tunnels and stairs were made of marble. Everything was amazingly clean! It got pretty hectic because there were a lot of bustling people and I didnt have a clue where we were. Our large group got a lot of stares.
But we made it to the open air market! We had an hour to shop and eat. There were hundreds of stands selling every typical Russian trinket imaginable. We were immediately targeted as foreigners and when we walked by the stalls we had to ignore calls like, 'Sex bomb!' and 'I love you! I love you!' It was actually pretty funny. So I got to use my non-existent bargaining skills. I started out well in Russian but had to end up switching to English. All the merchants spoke English. Some were pretty surprised that I spoke Russian back to them and were happy to help me practice and work out the numbers. (But I also only approached people who looked friendly.) I'm pretty sure I still over-paid but I am proud of myself that I tried to haggle and somewhat succeeded! I am very happy with my purchases!
Then we took the metro back to the apartments and changed into dress clothes for the meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Russia. In an hour he showed us (his) the Spaso House and answered any questions we had. The house was very formal, being used for diplomatic entertaining. It was just as you'd imagine any other governmental building. We were served drinks, sat on couches casually and discussed any topic of our choosing. I asked him about Russia's environmental future and the Kyoto Protocol. His answers were really interesting yet professional, as expected. He was very personable and it was very awesome of him to take time out of his busy schedule to meet with us!
After that we headed back to the apartment! And thats where I am now!
Hope everything is going well back in the States! Miss you and love you!
Oh! And today was International Women's Day! It is a very BIG holiday here. It is kind of like Mother's Day and everywhere women were walking around with flowers. It was really sweet.
We started our day by briefly visiting the Red Square. We did the tourist thing, taking pictures with the St. Basil's Cathedral in the background.
Then we took the metro to the Izmailovsky market. The metro was a lot different than D.C.'s -- in a good way. It ran underground and the enterance still used swipe cards but the tunnels and stairs were made of marble. Everything was amazingly clean! It got pretty hectic because there were a lot of bustling people and I didnt have a clue where we were. Our large group got a lot of stares.
But we made it to the open air market! We had an hour to shop and eat. There were hundreds of stands selling every typical Russian trinket imaginable. We were immediately targeted as foreigners and when we walked by the stalls we had to ignore calls like, 'Sex bomb!' and 'I love you! I love you!' It was actually pretty funny. So I got to use my non-existent bargaining skills. I started out well in Russian but had to end up switching to English. All the merchants spoke English. Some were pretty surprised that I spoke Russian back to them and were happy to help me practice and work out the numbers. (But I also only approached people who looked friendly.) I'm pretty sure I still over-paid but I am proud of myself that I tried to haggle and somewhat succeeded! I am very happy with my purchases!
Then we took the metro back to the apartments and changed into dress clothes for the meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Russia. In an hour he showed us (his) the Spaso House and answered any questions we had. The house was very formal, being used for diplomatic entertaining. It was just as you'd imagine any other governmental building. We were served drinks, sat on couches casually and discussed any topic of our choosing. I asked him about Russia's environmental future and the Kyoto Protocol. His answers were really interesting yet professional, as expected. He was very personable and it was very awesome of him to take time out of his busy schedule to meet with us!
After that we headed back to the apartment! And thats where I am now!
Hope everything is going well back in the States! Miss you and love you!
Oh! And today was International Women's Day! It is a very BIG holiday here. It is kind of like Mother's Day and everywhere women were walking around with flowers. It was really sweet.
My room has made the choice to say in tonight. We're all quite tired and barely made it in the door before we fell in bed. The day was full and exciting. We got to sleep in this morning but most of us were up all night from jet lag. We walked around red square in the morning, did some shopping at an open air market in the afternoon and then met the US ambassador to Russia to conclude our activities. The ambassador was incredibly accommodating and gave us a warm welcome. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to meet him. Good night all... at 8pm :)... time to sleep off some jet lag!
суббота, 7 марта 2009 г.
First Morning
Everyone in our apartment has woken up early, so we're enjoying some early morning breakfast before we make some blini. We are all very excited for today, to go out and explore Moscow. It snowed last night, as we were leaving the beautiful 'universam' on Tverskaya and we walked back to our apartments. From the window it appears that a descent amount of snow has fallen - we also have the window open and we can hear the early morning sounds of a city awakening. I always love to listen to how a city really begins to wake up - we first heard the pigeons cooing outside our window, but now that sound is eclipsed by shoveling on the street and the occasional discernable sound of a moped, or a car engine. The sun has yet to rise, but the sky is lightening up.
We're getting ready to make some blini, but we don't have any butter, so we're going to just try to make them with water. We purified the water, and Emily R. can't drink her water yet because it was boiling, I think she put it in the fridge. This is going to be a lot of fun, we'll see if it works. Nate and I have enjoyed some early morning tea, and Emily R. and Lauren had some yogurt - we're trying to determine what the yogurt is made of, since they both like the taste so much more...I wonder how much yogurt you can get through customs...
I can hear more engines now, above my apartment mates playing a card game, and Nate eating his apple. Last night in the 'universam', he was chastised by a woman who worked there because his apple was not in a bag - I also realized at the 'kacca' that I didn't weigh my grapefruits and I had to run back and get an official sticker.
It's about five of seven right now, and we're deciding on the colour of the sky. Nate thinks Moscow Blue, or Volga Shale, and Emily R. thinks Moscow Blue...it's a mixture of those maybe?
We're getting ready to make some blini, but we don't have any butter, so we're going to just try to make them with water. We purified the water, and Emily R. can't drink her water yet because it was boiling, I think she put it in the fridge. This is going to be a lot of fun, we'll see if it works. Nate and I have enjoyed some early morning tea, and Emily R. and Lauren had some yogurt - we're trying to determine what the yogurt is made of, since they both like the taste so much more...I wonder how much yogurt you can get through customs...
I can hear more engines now, above my apartment mates playing a card game, and Nate eating his apple. Last night in the 'universam', he was chastised by a woman who worked there because his apple was not in a bag - I also realized at the 'kacca' that I didn't weigh my grapefruits and I had to run back and get an official sticker.
It's about five of seven right now, and we're deciding on the colour of the sky. Nate thinks Moscow Blue, or Volga Shale, and Emily R. thinks Moscow Blue...it's a mixture of those maybe?
It is almost 2 am, and I am, of course, not sleeping in the city that never sleeps.
For a while, I had been trying to find the proper words to say about the tragic and irreplaceable loss that shocked us and broke our hearts yesterday. Despite the fact that I largely failed and that I am by no means the right person for this, I would still like to say that all of us here in Moscow are grieving deeply for the loss of a truly exceptional member of our Conn family, and are joining the prayers for Elizabeth's soul that resonate in the hearts of her family members and numerous friends. Althought I did not have the privilege of knowing her, I found her volunteer work all over the world not only inspiring, but also representing the values our school cherishes in the finest possible way. She was an example to all of us, and her loss will never be replaced. May peace rest upon her soul, and may God give courage and strength to her family members and friends to endure through these heartbreaking times.
For a while, I had been trying to find the proper words to say about the tragic and irreplaceable loss that shocked us and broke our hearts yesterday. Despite the fact that I largely failed and that I am by no means the right person for this, I would still like to say that all of us here in Moscow are grieving deeply for the loss of a truly exceptional member of our Conn family, and are joining the prayers for Elizabeth's soul that resonate in the hearts of her family members and numerous friends. Althought I did not have the privilege of knowing her, I found her volunteer work all over the world not only inspiring, but also representing the values our school cherishes in the finest possible way. She was an example to all of us, and her loss will never be replaced. May peace rest upon her soul, and may God give courage and strength to her family members and friends to endure through these heartbreaking times.
The presents for Ambassador Beyrle are on the desk of our apartment, and they look absolutely stunning! A super classy glass candy holder with a top and a nice metal Conn logo, a gold-covered letter opener with a small golden Conn logo, and, last but not least, the Certificate of Appreciation signed by Prof. Lanoux and President Higdon and framed elegantly. We are off to an oustanding opportunity and a meeting with an extraordinary leader tomorrow, and I am sure we will make his time worth while.
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