Здраствуйте from Moscow! I'd really love to say 'from sunny Moscow!' or at least, 'from unseasonably warm Moscow!' but this morning I woke up to snow so I'd say my chance to bask in the European sun has certainly passed.
I flew in on Wednesday, at about 4am Moscow time- some would say an incredibly inconvenient time to arrive, however by the sheer bulk of people moving through Domodedovo airport it seemed to be THE time to be arriving. However, my being-swept-along-in-the-human-river was put to a pretty abrupt halt quite early in the proceedings, as my visa had a technical issue- turns out it was suggesting that my gender was actually that of a man. Problematic. I was quickly quarantined, lectured to in Russian (yeah so two years of not practicing and 4am didn't help my understanding much) and left on my lonesome to wait. Luckily there was a consul on site who could issue me yet another visa (I have three and counting for this trip) and I could be on my way. In the end a useful delay, as I didn't end up leaving the airport until around 5:30am, which meant the taxi deposited me at my dormitory at the almost reasonable hour of 7am.
Dormitory, I hear you ask? What exactly IS Lucy doing in Moscow, again? For those who need a little catching up, I have arrived to this snowy city to begin my higher education, on a Russian State Government Scholarship. While it all seems a little too good to be true in my mind, I am essentially on a free ride here- my tuition, accommodation, text books etc are all paid for, and I also receive an allowance every month that is sufficient to live comfortably and also save for some adventures. Initially I am staying at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, taking part in a preparation program of Russian Language. I will be here for about the next nine months, just studying Russian to be able to then take my Masters in Linguistics at Moscow State Linguistic University, which will be another 2-3 years. During my Masters I will be able to incorporate some other language study as well, but initially it is all Russian all the time.
All. Russian. All. The. Time. Something I conveniently forgot about the time I've spent in this beautiful country is that the level of English here is non-existent. Dormitory? No. University? No. Anyone, anywhere? No. For the first time in a long time I experienced the utter frustration of being completely unable to convey what I need and want- all very well being able to ask someone to help you but if that is where the communication breaks down there isn't much point. Come about 11am on that first day you'd have found me wandering my university campus, choking back tears as yet another security guard yelled at me and turned me out of the building I was trying to enter, all in the hope of finding the incredibly elusive Faculty of Russian Language. Security is very tight around here (to enter my dorm you must satisfy a fingerprint scanner) and you need a student card to buzz through the turnstiles upon entering every university building- which of course I did not have. Contemplating the next plane home, I finally stumbled upon the International Student Office, where with my halting Russian and a student's halting English I finally obtained the correct directions and made it to the semi-legendary (half the staff of the uni I met didn't even know it existed)(or my accent was really that bad) Russian Language Office. The typically stern greeting soon melted into welcome, a hot cup of tea, and, if no English, at least no yelling. Able to sit down and have someone else fill in the complicated Russian forms for me while I nursed a hot mug allowed my rattled nerves to settle, and I finally felt like this may have been the right choice after all.
The dormitory is nothing at all like I had feared. While I am sharing a room, my roommate and neighbours (they corralled the foreigners together) are all the same brand of crazy as me- we have all left our own comfortable countries, lives and families to throw ourselves into the snowy, frequently unfriendly, huge crazy mess that is life in Moscow. We all love Russian, though with little rational reasoning, and are absolutely thrilled to think that we really are living here for the next three or so years. And I tell you, dear reader, I had really, really, really underestimated just how darn nice that would be. As I said to my mother- 'I'm not the crazy one anymore! I'M IN A WHOLE BUNCH OF CRAZIES!' Also I am the only student ever to be from Australia so I am pretty much a minor celebrity- the administration ladies call me 'Australia' as if it were my name and every time a Russian student overhears they pretty much overheat with excitement. I do preen.
Today there will be no photos (my best stern Russian impersonation) because I have just been super slack with getting the camera out- I've either been hopelessly lost, in a state of bliss, confused, or in complete awe of the beauty of this city as I get to know it again. I've ended up on Red Square almost every day, drawn back to practically the birthplace of the entire country again and again. I've eaten my weight in black rye bread already, searched high and low for peanut butter (unsuccessful please send help), made Russian book purchases that I do not have the skills to back up, given directions to Russians who asked which I am not entirely sure were correct but at least they were in Russian, and just generally had an awesome time (bar day number one). Right decision? Absolutely.
This is going to be one nuts adventure.
Из России с любовью,
Луци.
P.S Once it starts snowing properly I'll take my camera on an adventure and get some snaps. And then probably accompany them with a whiny rant about snow being everywah and oh ma gawd so annoying.
P.P.S Just joking. I love snow. I'm eyeing off cross country skiing as my winter sport! Apparently it is just THE way to get around the city.
P.P.P.S I may not love snow all the time and may still whine. Full disclosure.
I flew in on Wednesday, at about 4am Moscow time- some would say an incredibly inconvenient time to arrive, however by the sheer bulk of people moving through Domodedovo airport it seemed to be THE time to be arriving. However, my being-swept-along-in-the-human-river was put to a pretty abrupt halt quite early in the proceedings, as my visa had a technical issue- turns out it was suggesting that my gender was actually that of a man. Problematic. I was quickly quarantined, lectured to in Russian (yeah so two years of not practicing and 4am didn't help my understanding much) and left on my lonesome to wait. Luckily there was a consul on site who could issue me yet another visa (I have three and counting for this trip) and I could be on my way. In the end a useful delay, as I didn't end up leaving the airport until around 5:30am, which meant the taxi deposited me at my dormitory at the almost reasonable hour of 7am.
Dormitory, I hear you ask? What exactly IS Lucy doing in Moscow, again? For those who need a little catching up, I have arrived to this snowy city to begin my higher education, on a Russian State Government Scholarship. While it all seems a little too good to be true in my mind, I am essentially on a free ride here- my tuition, accommodation, text books etc are all paid for, and I also receive an allowance every month that is sufficient to live comfortably and also save for some adventures. Initially I am staying at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, taking part in a preparation program of Russian Language. I will be here for about the next nine months, just studying Russian to be able to then take my Masters in Linguistics at Moscow State Linguistic University, which will be another 2-3 years. During my Masters I will be able to incorporate some other language study as well, but initially it is all Russian all the time.
All. Russian. All. The. Time. Something I conveniently forgot about the time I've spent in this beautiful country is that the level of English here is non-existent. Dormitory? No. University? No. Anyone, anywhere? No. For the first time in a long time I experienced the utter frustration of being completely unable to convey what I need and want- all very well being able to ask someone to help you but if that is where the communication breaks down there isn't much point. Come about 11am on that first day you'd have found me wandering my university campus, choking back tears as yet another security guard yelled at me and turned me out of the building I was trying to enter, all in the hope of finding the incredibly elusive Faculty of Russian Language. Security is very tight around here (to enter my dorm you must satisfy a fingerprint scanner) and you need a student card to buzz through the turnstiles upon entering every university building- which of course I did not have. Contemplating the next plane home, I finally stumbled upon the International Student Office, where with my halting Russian and a student's halting English I finally obtained the correct directions and made it to the semi-legendary (half the staff of the uni I met didn't even know it existed)(or my accent was really that bad) Russian Language Office. The typically stern greeting soon melted into welcome, a hot cup of tea, and, if no English, at least no yelling. Able to sit down and have someone else fill in the complicated Russian forms for me while I nursed a hot mug allowed my rattled nerves to settle, and I finally felt like this may have been the right choice after all.
The dormitory is nothing at all like I had feared. While I am sharing a room, my roommate and neighbours (they corralled the foreigners together) are all the same brand of crazy as me- we have all left our own comfortable countries, lives and families to throw ourselves into the snowy, frequently unfriendly, huge crazy mess that is life in Moscow. We all love Russian, though with little rational reasoning, and are absolutely thrilled to think that we really are living here for the next three or so years. And I tell you, dear reader, I had really, really, really underestimated just how darn nice that would be. As I said to my mother- 'I'm not the crazy one anymore! I'M IN A WHOLE BUNCH OF CRAZIES!' Also I am the only student ever to be from Australia so I am pretty much a minor celebrity- the administration ladies call me 'Australia' as if it were my name and every time a Russian student overhears they pretty much overheat with excitement. I do preen.
Today there will be no photos (my best stern Russian impersonation) because I have just been super slack with getting the camera out- I've either been hopelessly lost, in a state of bliss, confused, or in complete awe of the beauty of this city as I get to know it again. I've ended up on Red Square almost every day, drawn back to practically the birthplace of the entire country again and again. I've eaten my weight in black rye bread already, searched high and low for peanut butter (unsuccessful please send help), made Russian book purchases that I do not have the skills to back up, given directions to Russians who asked which I am not entirely sure were correct but at least they were in Russian, and just generally had an awesome time (bar day number one). Right decision? Absolutely.
This is going to be one nuts adventure.
Из России с любовью,
Луци.
P.S Once it starts snowing properly I'll take my camera on an adventure and get some snaps. And then probably accompany them with a whiny rant about snow being everywah and oh ma gawd so annoying.
P.P.S Just joking. I love snow. I'm eyeing off cross country skiing as my winter sport! Apparently it is just THE way to get around the city.
P.P.P.S I may not love snow all the time and may still whine. Full disclosure.
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