Week two is now over and yet again I am too lazy to do anything other than recount the events of the past week. One of these weeks I'll try and think of something insightful and interesting to say about my stay and my experiences.
-01/07/2012- My first full day off. I got to wake up later that usual which was really nice. I helped out cleaning the fish tank and my room and then went downtown with Nikita and walked along the Volga. We were there for a few hours. After we got back we went to the магазин to do some grocery shopping. For dinner we had a cookout down by the creek near our apartment. A stray cat watched us the entire time, hoping to get some food. I got to use the banya at the tennis club Elena works at. It was nice, although I don't think I stayed in it for long enough. I watched the first half of the Euro Cup finals and then went to sleep.
-02/07/2012- A pretty good day. Class went well except for grammar. Our teacher skipped around a lot and went way to fast, and we didn't cover everything very well.We had theater practice as well....meh. I'm really not looking forward to that.
-03/07/2012- An ok day. I was really tired all day. Classes were all fine, nothing spectacular or terrible. We had art class and made little birds out of cloth, cotton padding, and string. It was fairly fun. We had the same teacher as last week; she's really funny at times, and nice. After classes me and a few other students from my class went to a souvenier shop and Дом Книги. I bought a few gifts.
-04/07/2012- Classes were fine today, again nothing spectacular or terrible. We had choir practice for the first time....can already tell that's going to be a blast. The teacher is very nice but it's just not a very enjoyable class. Don't really remember anything else from this day.
-05/07/2012- After classes we had an excursion to a meeting at the city hall about preserving and supporting Tatar cultural heritage and pride in Yaroslavl. On my way home I was actually show courtesy by a driver; he waved me across a driveway before he pulled in. The bus that I rode also sounded like it was going to snap in half everytime it started moving; it would make a giant groaning/creaking noise whenever it accelerated away from a stop. Ruth, a few other students, and I went to a free outdoor concert. Lots of '60s rock covers. While we were talking, Ruth told me that if I went looking, I'd easily be able to find a Russian wife in the 6 weeks I was here because I'm an American and the right age, and that would make me very sought after. She has lots of interesting information and insights about Russian mindsets and culture.
-06/07/2012- We had a test at school; I thought it went fairly well. After classes we went to the Yaroslavl history museum, which was interesting. After I got home, I gave Elena the American cities book I brought and we spent some time looking over it. On our way to the shower we saw a guy get pulled of a bus by the police. The kittens at the tennis club can move around on their own now and they're starting to explore. The dog hid under my bed when I was about to go to sleep and took a bit to come out. Supposedly the hot water is back on too!
-07/07/2012- Our group went to the Rostov Kremlin and ceramics factory. The kremlin was very beautiful; I really enjoyed seeing it. The factory was also interesting. The artwork that is produced there is very good and it was fun to see how they make it. It is very similar to the way they make the lacqured boxes in Suzdal. When we got back I went to the market with a few others and bought a pair of shoes for 1000 rubles. They look pretty awesome. When I got home I had the flat to myself. Nikita had to work until 3 am and Elena was helping with a wedding until very late.
-08/07/2012- Got to sleep in again, which was super nice. Elena brought back a few pieces of cake from the wedding. I got an 8 inch long, 4 inch wide, 3 inch tall piece for breakfast, as well as chocolate cereal and other sweets. After breakfast I did some homework and then Elena and I went downtown to meet Ruth and a few other students to go to a concert. It was part of the Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity. There were a variety of groups, some of which were quite good and some of which were a bit ehh. The Бабушки, a group of grandmothers who got 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place at Eurovision last year, performed. Their oldest member is in her mid-90s. At the concert I was mistaken for a Russian according to Ruth, who said a few women behind us were wondering what I was doing with foreigners. After the concert we went to the 1000 year anniversary park and cooled off in one of the fountains. Next weekend we're going to wear better clothes and actually go swimming in one.
-01/07/2012- My first full day off. I got to wake up later that usual which was really nice. I helped out cleaning the fish tank and my room and then went downtown with Nikita and walked along the Volga. We were there for a few hours. After we got back we went to the магазин to do some grocery shopping. For dinner we had a cookout down by the creek near our apartment. A stray cat watched us the entire time, hoping to get some food. I got to use the banya at the tennis club Elena works at. It was nice, although I don't think I stayed in it for long enough. I watched the first half of the Euro Cup finals and then went to sleep.
-02/07/2012- A pretty good day. Class went well except for grammar. Our teacher skipped around a lot and went way to fast, and we didn't cover everything very well.We had theater practice as well....meh. I'm really not looking forward to that.
-03/07/2012- An ok day. I was really tired all day. Classes were all fine, nothing spectacular or terrible. We had art class and made little birds out of cloth, cotton padding, and string. It was fairly fun. We had the same teacher as last week; she's really funny at times, and nice. After classes me and a few other students from my class went to a souvenier shop and Дом Книги. I bought a few gifts.
-04/07/2012- Classes were fine today, again nothing spectacular or terrible. We had choir practice for the first time....can already tell that's going to be a blast. The teacher is very nice but it's just not a very enjoyable class. Don't really remember anything else from this day.
-05/07/2012- After classes we had an excursion to a meeting at the city hall about preserving and supporting Tatar cultural heritage and pride in Yaroslavl. On my way home I was actually show courtesy by a driver; he waved me across a driveway before he pulled in. The bus that I rode also sounded like it was going to snap in half everytime it started moving; it would make a giant groaning/creaking noise whenever it accelerated away from a stop. Ruth, a few other students, and I went to a free outdoor concert. Lots of '60s rock covers. While we were talking, Ruth told me that if I went looking, I'd easily be able to find a Russian wife in the 6 weeks I was here because I'm an American and the right age, and that would make me very sought after. She has lots of interesting information and insights about Russian mindsets and culture.
-06/07/2012- We had a test at school; I thought it went fairly well. After classes we went to the Yaroslavl history museum, which was interesting. After I got home, I gave Elena the American cities book I brought and we spent some time looking over it. On our way to the shower we saw a guy get pulled of a bus by the police. The kittens at the tennis club can move around on their own now and they're starting to explore. The dog hid under my bed when I was about to go to sleep and took a bit to come out. Supposedly the hot water is back on too!
-07/07/2012- Our group went to the Rostov Kremlin and ceramics factory. The kremlin was very beautiful; I really enjoyed seeing it. The factory was also interesting. The artwork that is produced there is very good and it was fun to see how they make it. It is very similar to the way they make the lacqured boxes in Suzdal. When we got back I went to the market with a few others and bought a pair of shoes for 1000 rubles. They look pretty awesome. When I got home I had the flat to myself. Nikita had to work until 3 am and Elena was helping with a wedding until very late.
-08/07/2012- Got to sleep in again, which was super nice. Elena brought back a few pieces of cake from the wedding. I got an 8 inch long, 4 inch wide, 3 inch tall piece for breakfast, as well as chocolate cereal and other sweets. After breakfast I did some homework and then Elena and I went downtown to meet Ruth and a few other students to go to a concert. It was part of the Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity. There were a variety of groups, some of which were quite good and some of which were a bit ehh. The Бабушки, a group of grandmothers who got 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place at Eurovision last year, performed. Their oldest member is in her mid-90s. At the concert I was mistaken for a Russian according to Ruth, who said a few women behind us were wondering what I was doing with foreigners. After the concert we went to the 1000 year anniversary park and cooled off in one of the fountains. Next weekend we're going to wear better clothes and actually go swimming in one.
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