I think I'm long overdue for another blog post considering everything that's happened. I completed a weekend trip to Novgorod, starting volunteering to help teach English, and visited the Museum of Artillery, which stands across the street from Peter-Paul's Fortress.
Oh, and yeah, there was also a visit to the Baltika Beer Factory as well. But I'll leave the details to your imagination. I will tell you though, that they gave me a glass tankard with "Baltika" written on the side, which will likely be going to my dad.
Last weekend, we visited Novgorod for two days. On our tour around Novgorod, we saw Saint Sofia's Cathedral, the Millenium of Russia monument, walked around the outer wall, experienced some fountains (one of which we could walk on), and a small World War II memorial that listed the names of people from Novgorod who died in the war. Next to the list of Novgorod's fallen, there was a tank and two artillery pieces (howitzer sized). On the hill behind the memorial, there was a large monument that memorialized the Red Army and Partisans who fought in WWII as well as soldiers from Russia's pre-industrial age.
After the tour, I decided to take my couple hours of free time to purchase some souvenirs for my family. I purchased a green scarf, a matrushka doll, and some magnets since my mother collects them. Then I hung out with my friends on the beach right behind the Novgorod walls where many of them were taking the time to soak up some sun or jump in the water.
On Sunday, we visited a monastery and saw the inside of another Eastern Orthodoxy church. I took the opportunity to purchase a couple of icons, one for my mom and one for me. My icon is of Saint Gregory defeating the dragon. We then visited a small village where we had dinner (and I was pulled into a dance by a performance group) before heading back to Petersburg.
The next day, Monday, I started volunteering at a foreign languages center on Vasileyevsky Island. So far, I've attended four classes, and I intend on helping at every class. However, I will be forced to miss one because I'll be in Moscow that night.
But I've met some very interesting and extremely nice people in the class. I've already been able to have long conversations with some of them about our respective cultures, politics, and what I think about Petersburg. And at the beginning of class for at least the new two weeks, I'll be giving short 10-minute presentations about American culture and my experiences. My biggest hope is that I'll actually be an effective enough teacher that they'll improve their English comprehension and knowledge by a lot.
And finally, this afternoon I visited the Museum of Artillery with my friends. It was a pretty fun and interesting experience, and because I'm currently a student at St. Petersburg State University, I was allowed to enter for free.
Next weekend, I'll be going to Moscow for four days. Something that I'm curious about though: In Russia, the name is "Moskva" but in the US, we say "Moscow." I wonder what lead to this word transformation.
Oh, and yeah, there was also a visit to the Baltika Beer Factory as well. But I'll leave the details to your imagination. I will tell you though, that they gave me a glass tankard with "Baltika" written on the side, which will likely be going to my dad.
Last weekend, we visited Novgorod for two days. On our tour around Novgorod, we saw Saint Sofia's Cathedral, the Millenium of Russia monument, walked around the outer wall, experienced some fountains (one of which we could walk on), and a small World War II memorial that listed the names of people from Novgorod who died in the war. Next to the list of Novgorod's fallen, there was a tank and two artillery pieces (howitzer sized). On the hill behind the memorial, there was a large monument that memorialized the Red Army and Partisans who fought in WWII as well as soldiers from Russia's pre-industrial age.
After the tour, I decided to take my couple hours of free time to purchase some souvenirs for my family. I purchased a green scarf, a matrushka doll, and some magnets since my mother collects them. Then I hung out with my friends on the beach right behind the Novgorod walls where many of them were taking the time to soak up some sun or jump in the water.
On Sunday, we visited a monastery and saw the inside of another Eastern Orthodoxy church. I took the opportunity to purchase a couple of icons, one for my mom and one for me. My icon is of Saint Gregory defeating the dragon. We then visited a small village where we had dinner (and I was pulled into a dance by a performance group) before heading back to Petersburg.
The next day, Monday, I started volunteering at a foreign languages center on Vasileyevsky Island. So far, I've attended four classes, and I intend on helping at every class. However, I will be forced to miss one because I'll be in Moscow that night.
But I've met some very interesting and extremely nice people in the class. I've already been able to have long conversations with some of them about our respective cultures, politics, and what I think about Petersburg. And at the beginning of class for at least the new two weeks, I'll be giving short 10-minute presentations about American culture and my experiences. My biggest hope is that I'll actually be an effective enough teacher that they'll improve their English comprehension and knowledge by a lot.
And finally, this afternoon I visited the Museum of Artillery with my friends. It was a pretty fun and interesting experience, and because I'm currently a student at St. Petersburg State University, I was allowed to enter for free.
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