OK, This is Really the Last One

So, this is really my last post. I just wanted to share a few things.

First, I've been drinking the tea I brought to America with me from Russia all the time to try and re-create the wonderful times Lena and I sat in the kitchen and drank tea and laughed til we cried. I miss that.

Second, I have been indoctrinated into Skype. I talked to both Sergei and Masha today for about an hour each on Skype and it was wonderful. The quality was really good, as so was the price (free!). Hearing their voices was like magic. I miss them so much. I'm waiting for Lena to get back from her holiday so we can Skype too.

If anyone else wants to Skype with me my name is francesca-celeste :-)

Third, I miss hearing Russian language. I asked Sergei to speak some Russian to me this morning and almost started to cry. I mean, I really like his voice and the way he specifically speaks Russian, but I legit teared up...wierd.

So, that's it.

Peace

I Think This Is It

So I'm thinking that this is the last post in this blog...sad! I'm pretty much settled in a home, pretty much back on NY time and pretty much missing Russia like CRAZY. NY is not the same any more and I just don't feel like myself the way I did in Russia. Like Sasha wrote in her blog, I feel kind of empty. I feel lonely without my Russian friends and family. I feel hungry without Russian food. I miss the beautiful and interesting city of Novgorod. I feel that none of my pictures did it justice. I printed some pictures today and have started working on my scrapbook. Trying not to get tears on the pictures. It hurts so much to think of my time in Russia as just some fun trip to document in my scrapbook and then to get on with my real life here in America. I don't know where my life in America is going, but I wish it was going back to Russia.

So that's it. Trip is over, recuperating from trip is just about over, back to 'real life'. To read about my 'real life' please check out my new blog dedicated to said life. You can find it at www.iamfrancesca.blogspot.com

До свидания

Not The Last Post But Close

I have a few thoughts to share.

First, all my photos from the trip are uploaded to my album on Picasa. Remember you can view them without registering for an account and they are all nice and commented on and very nice, so look at them. The link again is: http://picasaweb.google.com/FrCeKo/RussiaSummer2009?feat=directlink

Second, you may be curious about how I spent my last day in Russia and jazz like that. I woke up, got ready and headed over the to Lycee because Stas needed us for a few minutes. After that, around 12:30 I met up with my Russian boy and we walked down by the river and took a few pictures. Then we crossed the bridge and met up with the group and Stas at the pizza place and had some champagne/tea/pizza. My good Russian friend Masha also met up with us and it was so wonderful to see her. Then we walked down to the Kremlin to take a few more pictures. Another Russian friend, Alina, met up with us which was nice so that I could say goodbye. Then I went with the boy, his name is Sergei btw, to see his family's apartment. I was interested to do this because I wanted to see what other apartments were like and how they were set up/furnished. I also met his brother for a quick second. Their apartment is nice. It's on the edge of the city so there was a nice view. Then we headed over to my apartment. I had to buy a card on the way for Lena so we stopped at Rus, the big store. Then we went to my apartment and spent the rest of the evening eating pilmeni for the last time and packing. While I packed Sergei helped me translate a note into Russian to put into Lena's card, read me the story of the Little Mermaid in Russian, and also told me the story of Cinderella in Russian. It was SO cute. We also listened to some music and he played with my ipod and kindle. Around 9 Misha came over, then Masha came over too, and Lena got home. We all hung out for a long time, later than I should have stayed up because it was really hard to say goodbye. Sergei stayed the longest because that goodbye was especially hard. We both got fairly attached fairly quickly and had spent a LOT of time together for the 4 or so days prior to my departure. We both knew that I was leaving, but we definitly care about each other, and that's as far as we could get.

Tuesday was all traveling. 2 hour bus ride from Novgorod to St. Petersburg. Had to say goodbye to Lena at the airport. It was horrible. Then we flew to Helsinki (took about 2 hours), changed planes, flew to NYC (took about 8.5 hours). Went through passport control and customs. Had to wait about 4 hours in the airport to fly to Roch. Ended up having to wait about 2 more hours on the plane and didn't get into Roch until about midnight. Then another hour drive home. It was an exhausting day of travel but my time feels all messed up because I am on Russia time, not New York.

It feels very strange to be in America. I missed silly things like my bed and my cell phone. As well as my friends and family. But I really miss Novgorod. I feel like I'm at my house, but I'm not quite at home.

Anyways, I will probably post one or two more times in the blog about my trip but then I will be switching to a new blog about my life in general since my trip to Russia is over :-(

Last Post in Russia

OK, I leave my apartment soon. I miss Russia already. Keep reading blog because I will update a few more times.

Last Day in Russia

I can't believe I have to write this but today is my last day in Russia. I leave bright and early tomorrow morning to catch a bus to St. Petersburg and fly away home. I wish more than anything that I could stay. I've become so attached to this city and the people that live here. It's one thing to say "I want to live in Russia" but what I really mean is "I want to live in Novgorod (with all my friends here)". I really truly love this city. I know that a lot of people my age do not like it here. They think it is too small and have their eyes fixed on St. Petersburg or Moscow. However, I like small towns/cities and this one is the perfect size. And, of course, I met so many amazing people here that I don't know how I am going to get through my days with out seeing them.

I don't really have any specific plans for today, no goodbye party like we had for Colin. I have to go over to the Lycee and pick up bus tickets for tomorrow. I also want to walk around the city a little bit and take pictures. Also, I need to buy vodka to talke home with me. I need to pack. And I need to somehow figure out how to say goodbye.

Oh, and PS...for the next 21 hours (until my bus leaves) I am dating a Russian. And he is wonderful.

Maybe one more post tonight before bed. I can't stand the thought of this being my last post in Russia.

Triple S Saturday

The first S: shopping. Lena and I spent some time on Saturday doing my souvenir shopping. Not too many details here because then you would know what I got you, if you are actually reading my blog at all...heehee. I can tell you what I bought for myself though :-) We finally made it to the tea store after meaning to for about 2 weeks. I bought tea so that I can pretend that I am in Lena's apartment in Nov when I am back in the states. I also bought a cute little wooden ring for about 50 cents that matches the bracelet that I got for my birthday. The only souvenirs I have left to buy are vodka ;-) and I will probably do that tomorrow. I still have a lot of rubles left though!

The second S: strange. A couple sort of strange things happened on Saturday but I will just show you one. When Lena and I were about to cross the river at the bridge near the Kremlin, we happen to notice that the sky looked very strange indeed. It had been raining all day, and this was the result:

The third S: sweet. Ok, I will confess. When I got all the warnings from my parents and from Liza forbidding me to get married when I was in Russia I thought everyone was crazy. I am a sane, and usually rational person. I could NOT see myself finding someone all falling so in love that I would want to marry them after so short an amount of time. Don't worry, I haven't changed my mind. But, I am surprised that I have fallen, not too hard, but still, fallen, for not one, but TWO Russian guys. I also know that a few people were mistakingly thinking that the romance of Russia might lead myself and a certain ex-boyfriend who was also on the trip to maybe get back together. While I knew beyond a doubt that this wouldn't happen, I was also fairly confident that I wouldn't actually be in any sort of relationship like that while I was here. People will remember that I joked around a lot about finding a Russian boyfriend at the beginning of the trip, sometimes just to give Liza a hard time ;-) However, here I am about to leave Russia and sort of dating a Russian guy. It was one thing when I Russian I was crushin on didn't reciprocate, but it's sort of unnerving that this one does...a lot. Hence, sweet. It might be a good thing that I'm leaving because I think if I spent much more time with him I would fall, hard.

In other news, since it's actually Sunday afternoon now. Toma and Max are home!! I missed them so much. Toma looks so tan! And she brought me cute little shell souvenirs from the sea...love it. I think later I will show her some pictures of all the stuff she missed while they were gone. Pictures from my birthday and the parties at Alexander's.

A Party, A Walk, and I HATE Goodbyes

First, I have uploaded many of my pictures from my trip to Picasa. You can see a slideshow of them (randomized) on the top left of this page. You can also view the album on Picasa, without making an account. I recommend this because this pictures will be bigger, in chrono order, and you can view all my quippy little comments :-) Here is the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/FrCeKo/RussiaSummer2009?feat=directlink

Ok, a party. Last night (Thursday) was Colin's last night in Russia so we had another little party at Alexander's. It was, if possible, better than the last one in some ways. We bought chicken and more Georgian bread and I brought the leftover vodka from my birthday. Alexander, Lesya, Valentin, Colin, Lena, Dima, Alina, Sergei and myself where there and we had so much fun. The food was delicious of course and we all just had such a nice time talking and hanging out, and singing along to AC/DC and Debussy :-) Alexander and Lesya are such nice people and they are so hospitable. And, we got to see inside their apartment and it is SO nice. And they have an adorable cat. Anyway, they are just the nicest and most generous people. Also, Dima came with us this time and he helped Alexander with some of the cooking, and so did Alexander's son Valentin, so Alexander could sit with us more and talk and drink ;-) He is generous with the vodka and cognac so I had to pay attention and take little strolls periodically to make sure I wasn't over-indulging :-) Also, I was glad Sergei decided to come even though he didn't know anyone. He said he like to meet new people and I think he had a good time. Lena and I agree that we think everyone had a good time. And Lena talked to Alexander on the phone today to thank him for having such a nice party and he say something along the lines of 'how could it not be nice when the people were so nice'....Adorable!


Ok, a walk. Today was the last day of our internship and we took a nice walk with the children to a church not far away. It was absolutely beautiful with many flowers and trees. We also got to hear the bells ringing which was really lovely. We went inside as well. It was a good size church and beautiful like all the others I have seen. It was a nice change of pace. Also, the children were very affectionate today. They wanted to hold our hands, sit on our laps and be picked up and held. Also, they loved that Sasha and I were taking a few pictures of the church and them, since it was our last day. They loved our cameras and had so much fun posing for the pictures and then demanding to view them. It was very cute and we got some really nice pictures....check the album on picasa to see them!


It's true...I really hate goodbyes. It was very difficult to say goodbye to the children, even though some of them didn't understand that we weren't going to be there anymore. It was sort of harder to say goodbye to the 2 women who supervise the children. Today 2 of our favorites were working and they had really nice things to say and gave us many hugs before we left. It was so sweet. I will really miss everyone there.
Also, today is Colin's last day in Russia. He leaves tonight for St. Petersburg. I am so sad to see him go because he has been such a great, great, great friend to me during this trip. He has a wonderful sense of humor and has really been a gem. I am determined to make it to Memphis to see him sometime while he is studying at Rhodes. It's not goodbye, only so long. He is actually coming over to the apartment soon to say goodbye...so sad!

Totz budz!

One Week Left

I can't believe I only have one week left here in Russia. I'm so devastated to be leaving, I can't even think about it. I haven't even started souvenir shopping or mailed my postcards yet. (Sorry guys! I'll mail them tomorrow I promise!)

Anyway. Yesterday was good. Went to the beach with Colin and sunbathed for a few hours and really got some tan back. Then I worked at the orphanage for a few hours. I can't believe I only have 3 more days with the kids! We've really done some fun stuff with them. Played catched, hopscotch, tag, colored with colored pencils, markers, sidewalk chalk, played on their playground, done crafts, jump roped. It's really been so much fun.

Today was similar. Couple hours and the orphanage and then Colin and I went to see a photo exhibit of local photographers. It was in the same old monastery where we went to do birchbark weaving with Matt's host dad (Vladimir?) in his workshop. That seems to be an artist community type place; it's cool. The exhibit was awesome. There were tons of beautiful pictures and a lot of them were of Novgorod, the Kremlin, St. Sophia, Jaroslav's Court, other monasteries. The pictures were so awesome. One really cool thing was to see pictures of Novgorod in the winter. It's summer here now, so it was nice to see what it looks like with snow covering everything. Still beautiful.

We also ducked into a couple stores on our way back. One of which was a jean's store named Colin's. We couldn't resist. I couldn't even resist taking Colin's picture out front by the sign. Cute. We also went into Diez which is a big media store and looked at some books. Then we came back to my apartment and chilled with Lena. She made these amazing zuccini pancakes that were delicious. I guess the zuccinis at the dacha are really thriving so she was trying to think of different ways to cook them. Anyways, when I get back to the states I will make you guys some zuccini pancakes. They are delicious with smetana by the way, of course.

Oh, and I have a culture tid bit for you. Itchy palms...you know the feeling? Anyway, if your left palm itches it means money is on it's way to you! Whoo! If your right palm itches you will be shaking hands with someone soon. Cool.

Some good news: Toma and Max should be back from the sea on Saturday! Also, my good friend Masha is coming back to Novgorod on Thursday! So I will get to see here again before I leave :-)

Our Camping Adventure

So we just got home from our little camping trip, and it was an adventure to say the least. After eating and packing yesterday we hoped on a trolley to the bus station. From there we bought tickets and got on a bus out of the city to Ilmen, the huge lake that the river that runs through Novgorod starts from. It really is a big lake, you can't see the other side, but it is very shallow. The deepest parts of the lake are only about 4 meters deep. When we got off the bus we had to walk for about half of an hour or 45 minutes. It was really hot and we were carrying heavy backpacks, a bag of food, mats, our tent...it felt like forever. Then we got to the lake and it was worth it. We met up with Kostya, who organized the trip. I saw organized because it wasn't just a camping trip at the lake. He actually set up that a bunch of people would bike to the lake to camp, but also spend the day picking up some of the TONS of garbage that trippers leave there in the summer. So even though we didn't bike, we did pick up some garbage to help out the environment. Then we spent some quality time at the beach, mostly wading and sunbathing. Lena made an awesome sandcastle too ;-) Then we headed back to camp and had some food. We spent most of the afternoon just lying in the sun and hanging out. We spent some time by the fire and I was so tired that I headed to bed a little after 10. I know it was really early but we didn't really know anyone there and I was legitmately tired. I had fallen asleep but around 11:30 maybe, I was awoken by a rousing rendition of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" from the crowd still sitting by the fire. That wouldn't have been that wierd except I'm in Russia. Anyway, I started laughing which woke Lena up and we were talking, I guess sort of loudly, in English of course, and someone outside was like "English! An American! We want you come and share our fire and speak us Engligh". Since I was awake I obliged. There were about 6 people who wanted to hear my English, only 3 of whom really were confident enough to speak English to me. One of whom, Sergei, I must mention because had absolutely gentlemanly manners and was very nice to talk with (and he had a great smile!) Anyway, it was nice to meet yet more Novgorodians who speak English! I will have so many Russian friends by the end of the trip!

Anyway, I went to bed around 1:30 am but I did not sleep well at all. I was really cold all night and couldn't get comfortable. I did not feel good when I woke up this morning. My body was achy, my throat was VERY sore (still is) and I was freezing even though Lena was frolicking around outside in her bathing suit. I spent more of the morning just resting and dozing. Around 1 I started feeling a little better and forced myself to eat something. Then we broke camp, packed up and heading to the beach, since it was on the way to the bus stop. We waded and little and put the finishing touches on our suntans :-) The beach was really nice. The sand was smooth and clean and the water warm. After a tiny nap we headed to the bus stop and only had to wait for about 15 minutes for the bus. When we got back to Novgorod we hoped onto a trolley and headed home. It was a fun little adventure but Lena and I are pretty tired. We need some showers to get all the sand off. We are thinking about eating some pilmeni for dinner (I missed smetana while we were away...lol) and the broth will feel good on my throat which is still very sore. Then I just feel like vegging on the couch and watching a movie (probably Harry Potter in Russian) or maybe reading while Lena works on her belt. A quiet evening :-) Plans for something fun with Colin for tomorrow and then back to the internship of course. Another very fun weekend!

Birthday Celebration

Ok, I have to be kind of quick about this because Lena and I are leaving in a little while to go camping and we still have to eat and pack and stuff.

My birthday was interesting. Very fun, but very interesting. First, thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes on vkontatke and facebook, and texts, even people who haven't spoken to me since May (you know who you are sir). I miss you all very much and would have loved for you to be with me last night and enjoy the experience I had. Second, thank you to Lena for throwing me a wonderful party and caring so much about me and making sure I had a good and memorable time. Я тебя люблю! Third, thank you to Misha and Dima and Lena for actually getting me gifts! How cute and sweet! (Especially to Lena for telling the guys what to get me because she has a wonderful memory!)

So, the party. Colin showed up first and helped us finish getting ready. We chilled and listened to Magical Mystery Tour of course because I need it when I'm getting ready these days. Then Misha showed up and we decided to start eating. The egg salad was a bit hit. We made a bug batch of it with 20 eggs and there was only a spoonful left at the end of the night! No one really liked my iced tea as much as I did but I made Colin drink some. Everybody made toasts in my honor and it was very sweet! Dima finally came over and he brought me a beautiful plant of pink flowers that smell SO good and also 2 DVDs of movies that I love in Russian. Then we ate the pilmeni and smetana and it was DELICIOUS. Totally my favorite Russian food. We did drink some vodka (it was my 21st!) but I knew it would be ok because my mamochka was there watching me :-) One of the shots we did (Dima and I were the only ones drinking the vod) we had to balance the shot glass on our elbow and then lean in and drink the shot without touching it. It was kind of hard but fun!

After that Lena disappeared into the other room and came back with a cake! I was so surprised! It was so delicious and rich because it had smetana in it! It was also really pretty because there was chocolate shavings on the top. It was so nice! And delicious. They were even candles and they sang "Happy Birthday". It was wonderful. We had tea with our cake and it was delicious. They we all just sort of hung out and talked. My birthday was came true pretty quickly, which was nice.

It was a wonderful party. This is the third year in a row that I've celebrated my birthday away from home, away from my friends and family. It can be a little sad, but my Russian friends and family outdid themselves to make my birthday wonderful. I can't thank them enough!

Little Friday

Yesterday was Wednesday, but it was also a "little Friday" as Toma and Lena say. It was the first day without class so I got to sleep in and basically just hang around all morning. I went to my internship and played with the children. They seemed kind of cranky and in bad moods but we still had fun. When I came home Lena and I went to the huge grocery store Lenta to buy some food for the party tomorrow. We ran into one of Lena's friends (Lena...teehee) and her Peruvian husband Carlos. Carlos speaks some Russian and has found a job here in Novgorod. He also (obviously) speaks Spanish so we chatted in Spanish a bit. Although my Spanish is quite rusty after all the Russian so I was really speaking some wierd mixture of English, Russian and Spanish...Spengssian maybe? While we were at the store Lena got a phone call from Alexander, whom she tutored in English and who was also Don's host while he was here. Alexander invited us over for a little shashlik party because he has a nice veranda in the back yard of his building and he felt like doing some grilling. We decided to go even though it was Wednesday night and we brought Colin and my Russian friend Masha with us. While we were getting ready to head out I got an interesting text message. When we went to Vertigo, the club on the boat, about a month ago, we met a few people from Finland. I gave them my number here because they want to meet up at the beach the next day. I never heard from them until yesterday when I got a message from Ilari. He wanted to go for coffee but I invited him to the party instead. He has been living and working in Novgorod since January and he is a very nice and interesting new friend. Anyway, the party was very fun. We ate some delicious shashlik and this Georgian bread that is kind of flat and very tasty. Alexander is very hospitable and generous and of course we had to drink some vodka with him but not too much. His wife is also a very charming woman and we just had such a nice evening.

Today I slept in again because we didn't get home last night until 2am! I hung out with Lena and Sasha came over for a bit. We ate and drank tea and watched Harry Potter and it was very pleasant. Then we headed over to the internship. The children seemed to be in much better spirits today. Unfortunately it was raining pretty hard and we had to stay inside today. We ended up watching Lilo and Stitch (in Russian of course). Since we were watching the movie it was a little harder to interact with the children although they did want to sit near us on the couch or on our laps. Hopefully it will be nice out tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, it will be my birthday already! I can't believe it will be August 7 ALREADY. My trip is almost over :-( I will definitly post details about the party tomorrow or Saturday and I'm sure Lena will take pictures :-) She is the best Russian mamochka I could ever have gotten or even wished for. I so sad that I only have 11 more days here! But I am pumped to commemorate this momumental birthday with my Dansville and Brockport friends when I get home! Love and miss you all!

Francesca

More Goodbyes

Yesterday was our last day of real class. We took our final test which consisted of both an oral and written component. We got our grades back today when we went into for a goodbye tea party. I got a 99% on the oral and a 100% on the written. Too bad that doesn't mean I can actually speak Russian :-) We didn't have history so I headed home after class. It was raining pretty hard so I ended up spending the afternoon watching Harry Potter in Russian and chilling out on the couch. Then in the evening more Harry Potter and I helped Lena work on her skirt she is making. We also ate some blini and just enjoyed chilling with each other. We have such a great time together; our senses of humor mesh really well. We also had a pretty interesting conversation about what she remembers about Soviet/Perestroika times. Very illuminating.

Today we went into school for a a goodbye tea party. It was really fun. I am really going to miss my teacher Tamara. She was so wonderful and sweet and patient. I learned so much from her. She told me today that she knows I will be able to speak Russian quickly and with a good accent if I keep working at it. After that I headed home for a few hours. Lena was working on her project listening to some awesome tunes so I just chilled on the couch reading. It was nice. Then I headed down to the Kremlin to one of the nicest restaurants in Novgorod which is actually in one of the guard towers. We had a farewell dinner with our instructors Tamara, Sasha and Stas. Liza was there and all the students except my dear Magda who left on Thursday. The food was delicious. I had pilmeni which is already one of my favorite Russian foods and will be served at my little birthday gathering on Friday :-) It was really sad to say goodbye to almost everyone in the group. Even Liza's eyes looked a little wet.

If Toma, Max, Madga and the rest of the students weren't enough to say goodbye to, my very good Russian friend Masha is going on holiday Thursday and won't be back until after I leave, so I must say goodbye to her tomorrow :-( I want her to come visit me in the US though, so I will hopefully see her sometime soon stateside.

Speaking of birthdays, Lena and I are hosting a small party at the apartment. It might have been a bigger party but hardly anyone is left in Novgorod! It is going to be a very non-traditional menu: pilmeni, chocolate, egg salad and iced tea. An interesting mix of Russian and American cuisine. We are also having some berries and champagne...and a little vodka ;-) The vodka is really necessary though (Mom) because we have a karaoke machine and will be singing after we eat :-) It should be fun.

Also speaking of birthdays, I have some great superstitions/customs for you. The first is that you cannot celebrate/congratulate birthdays before they arrive. It's bad luck to even say "Happy Birthday" before it actually happens. Another, when someone leaves for a long journey everyone must sit down together before they depart. Another, if you leave the house and you forgot something, you don't go back for it. If it's crucial, you must look at yourself in the mirror before you leave again after retrieving it. Another, when someone comes to visit, you step out of the house or bring the person inside before shaking hands, you never do it over the threshold. Another, if you drop a knife while cooking or eating you will have a male visitor; a spoon means female. Interesting eh?

Love,
Francesca

Weekends

Another super fast weekend. Ended up just hanging out on Friday night. Had a bit of a sore throat this week so I was laying low. Yesterday Lena and I had a little beach trip with some of our friends. It was fun to be in the sun and see some of the beautiful countyside and a bit of the lake. Today Lena and I went to the beach again, the one close by on the river near the Kremlin. It was on and off rainy and sunny, but we really had a lot of fun. Colin, Alina, and Masha met up with us and we had some really fun frisbee going on. Then it started raining so we played in the rain and then Lena and I ended up going swimming. It was really fun. When we got home we ate pilmeni which are SO delicious and quickly becoming one of my favorite Russian foods. Then I watched a pirated copy of the newest Harry Potter movie in Russian...I understood a bit of it...lol. Now Lena is at it again the the kitchen making some delicious blini...another of my favorites. Tomorrow is our final exam in my Russian language class so it's blini and studying for the rest of the night.

Oh, here's an anecdote from the internship. On Friday one of the little boys, who I've never really even spoken to, was like attached to my waist and wouldn't stop hugging me the entire time was there. He actually tugged on my arm and I leaned down to hear what he wanted to tell me. It ended up being "Я вас люблю" which means "I love you". It was cute...in a wierd way. Lol.

More later.

Francesca

PS...21 in 5 days :-)