Two Weeks In...

It looks like this is going to start being a once (or maybe twice) a week ordeal, rather than an everyday/every few days kind of thing.  Homework often takes longer than I think/plan for because it’s all in Russian (if it was in English, I could have it done in 30 minutes maximum, that’s how easy it is!)  And to be quite honest, at the end of the day, I’m thoroughly exhausted!  Thinking and living in Russian is way more tiring than I ever thought it would be.  No matter how much I sleep at night, I’m still usually in a sleepy haze for part of the next day.  My brain literally hurts!

One of my favorite churches.
It is right across the street from the University.

I can’t believe that I’ve been here for two weeks!!!  Some days it feels like I’ve been here for so much longer than that, and other days, I realize that I have three more months here, and that I actually haven’t been here that long at all.  It’s amazing how quickly the time has flown by, and I know that the next few months will go by just as fast, if not faster than these past two weeks!

A couple of days ago (maybe Monday-ish?) I broke out the knee socks.  I had been hoping to hold off for another few weeks, but I was a) cold, and b) out of low cut socks.  (Laundry will be tonight’s mission.)  I have found that dressing for the day is a game, and most days, I lose.  Although I am getting better.  The weather changes constantly.  For instance, this morning, when I woke up, the sun was shining and the weather was gorgeous!  (And as you know, for me, whether or not I see sunshine plays a huge role in my mood and outlook on the day.)  By mid-day, it was cloudy and kind of chilly outside.  But later in the day, when I left the university to return to my apartment, the sunshine was out again and the temperature was (relatively) warmer.  I am very grateful for the sunshine…it was much needed! 

I think I have figured out a solution to my trouble with doors.  You have to look and see what side the hinges are on….if you can see them, then you pull, and if you can’t see them, then you push.  Hopefully this will save me from further humiliation.

The city has been recovering from the devastating loss of the local hockey team “Yaroslavl Lokomotiv”.  It was a very difficult thing to stand by and observe because it was like a giant funeral.  It seemed as though everyone in the city was overcome with grief and sadness with this loss.  And rightfully so!  Many people can be seen wearing their Lokomotiv red and white scarves, and there are bumper stickers on cars and banners of remembrance hanging throughout the city.  It really heart wrenching to see just how much this team meant to the city.

Last weekend, we went on our first excursion, which was a bus tour of architectural sites in Yaroslavl.  It was quite interesting, but I don’t think it was quite what we all were expecting.  While we did see some great churches while we were on the bus, some of the places that we went were kind of random.  (One stop appeared to be just an apartment building.  Maybe I simply don’t think in the “architectural state of mind” but there was nothing spectacular about it.)  Even Anya, our Resident Coordinator, who has lived in Yaroslavl for her entire life, had not been to some of the places that we went, and even went so far as to advise us not to return, as they were slightly sketchy.  Fantastic!   None the less, it was still pretty neat and I caught my first glimpse of the Volga.

The Volga River

The past week has been kind of rough, I’m not going to lie.  I think I’m kind of over that first rush of excitement and exhilaration for the new and different.  Although every day (and some days more than others) I get excited when I remember where I am and what I’m doing.  It’s an amazing thing and I try my hardest never to forget that.  I have been going through periods of homesickness, most often propelled by stress, confusion, and isolation.  But I work my way through them and try to make things work out, simply because I have no other option than to do just that.  I also keep reminding myself that it will get easier, it just takes time.  And it is at these moments in time that I wish I was a more patient person!  Let me just tell you, “culture shock,” as they call it, is quite the roller coaster ride!!

But, to end on a good note…climbing the stairs to the fifth floor is no longer difficult.  J