Happy Halloween from Moscow, where, yes, it is snowing...appropriate weather for Christmas caroling...:) Another lazy Saturday spent with good company (went to a lovely French restaurant for lunch, except we randomly sat with two different groups of people at the same table...). I don't feel bad about missing Halloween, however my sweet tooth is pretty sad to not be able to indulge in some tasty Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers and other traditional Halloween goodies.
The snow is a) scaring me because I'm pretty sure this is going to be a LOOOOOONG winter. I love snow as much as the next person, especially not having to shovel!!! :)))))) It's the plain cold that gets on my nerves, so as long as it continues to snow, I'll be content. b) helping me get in the holiday spirit. I can't celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving, but I can celebrate Christmas at least (hopefully at home, but that still remains to be seen) by singing all these wonderful Christmas Carols, from Hark! The Herald Angels Sing to a lovely French carol to It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and so on. We haven't done O Holy Night yet, and I'm really hoping to, because I love that carol so much, especially the high soaring melody. It's super fun to sing and play on the piano. I also hear talk we're going to sing a couple excerpts from the Messiah, so along with Vivaldi it should quite a fantastic concert! Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I'm probably going to plug for it every week until the eve of the concert, lol!
Can you all believe November is already upon us? In a few weeks time it will be Thanksgiving, a day spent in front of the TV watching quality football games and chatting with family in excited anticpation for that glorious turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Soon after that is Advent Sunday, and then Christmas and just like that 2010 is also around the corner. I for one am thankful for my health, for my friends and family for all their continual love and support (yes, I am aware that I repeat myself constantly, I don't have a memory problem-though I'm sure some would dispute that, lol, I just like stressing the blessings in my life that are truly God-sent. I'm thankful for the possibility to sing in three choirs every week, to strengthen my faith and enhance my passion for music and growing love of singing, to deepen my interest in Russian fairy tales and combine it with a love of Russian grammar (yes, I said love of Russian grammar, shocking, I know), and so on and so on. *breathes a sigh of contentment* Life is good, because God is good...all the time! All the time, God is good! Amen and Hallelujah!
Well. that's all from me at the moment. Keep me updated with goings-on, and keep posting and reacting to my blog! :) Miss you and love you guys! Peace out! Happy trick-or-treating! Keep a look out for the Great Pumpkin! ;)
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Fill the mead cup...
So this morning commenced Saturday rehearsals in preparation for our Christmas concert. Not sure yet when that is, but I know I'll definitely let you know. All my friends who happen to be in Moscow through early/mid December, consider yourselves invited (and by that, your presence is expected, no questions asked. :)) The most extraordinary thing happened...if you've ever been a choir, you'll appreciate this, especially for all the underrated tenors of the world out there. There were MORE tenors than basses today. This may seem insignificant, but for me it was the first time I"d ever seen that in all the years I've been in choir. Granted, rehearsal was on a Saturday morning, so it's not entirely unsurprising, I suppose. Plus, it seems that sometimes things aren't always the most organized (we always start late, not everyone has the music, breaks are long). Anyway, I do love when Sergei gives instructions in English. Today's gem was directed at the sopranos, in the midst of a very interesting arrangment of Deck the Hall with lots of syncopation and the most amazing dynamic marking I've ever seen in my life: "coarse", "beery", "persuasive", "hysterical". With words like "fill the mead cup", "quaffing", it all reminds me of a Christmas drinking carol. But anyway, the gem: so the sopranos were having problems with two measures, and eventually Sergey said, "You need to sing in your temp. And mine. Better if it's the same temp." Gold.
So yeah, the singing of Christmas carols is making me reminisce about singing in College Choir during Lessons and Carols, and I'm already starting to feel the spirit of the holidays. I can't honestly say I will notice Halloween this year because it's not really celebrated here, although it seems to be more common in recent years. Thanksgiving is a tough one to miss. I remember it was one of the saddest times for me in St. Petersburg, not being able to celebrate Thanksgiving. And it seems, with my last day of class being on Dec. 24, I will likely not be home for Christmas for the second straight year, although I am planning to be home soon thereafter for at least a couple of weeks. The fact that I'm already talking about Christmas even though Halloween is still a week away (itself a miracle) is a testament to how quickly time goes by.
Classes are going well. I'm starting to get a hang of translating, even though all the articles are either about Iran or North Korea. It would be nice to have different topics or styles (maybe reviews, poems or excerpts from literature). I'm enjoying reading different fairy tales, but need to find more secondary materials, and know that sooner or later I'm going to need to start drafting the thesis. I'm allowing myself until the beginning of the second semester to complete preliminary research and start writing.
Most of this week I've been feeling more tired than usual and have had a damn cold that just wouldn't go away. Today though I feel better, so thanks to everyone for their well-wishes! Trying to stay healthy and active as we move closer and closer to the storogaya russkaya zima. Last winter wasn't too bad, so hopefully this coming one won't be either, though I do expect to be home (where, God bless New England, you just never know what kind of weather to expect) for a part of it.
Not much else to report on this week. I forgot to wish the College Choir a great Family Weekend Concert, I hope it was in fact splendid! It was also the first time since I graduated that I wasn't able to sing Songs of Holy Cross. :( Next year I will be back again. Also want to wish the Chapel Choir a great Family Weekend Mass, may God fill their souls with music and praise, and that we destroy whoever we're playing in football! Go SADERS! CHU CHU RAH RAH! SHOUT HOIAH FOR HOLY CROSS!!! Man, I still can't believe that a) I've been out of school for two years now and b) I wasn't able to sing with the choir. :( I miss College Choir. I miss Chapel Choir. What I really miss, if I'm honest, is playing the piano. Singing is wonderful, I'm totally glad I got into it in college and am still keeping up with it, but there's really nothing like sitting down at the piano, belting out show tunes/Josh Groban and even improvising and composing. Just being able to destress, to put all my emotion into the keys, finding a balance between piano and forte, being able to crescendo and decrescendo. Just finding time to practice, that's what I really miss about being in Russia, apart from my family and friends. Can't wait to sit down at the piano again. I could play for hours if I had the energy. There were days when I just wanted to relax and played for only a few minutes, and there were days when I skippped it altogether, but I was always most content whenever I could sit and play for an hour or two, from Being Alive to Bridge Over Troubled Water to my Russian Dance to trying out new compositions to playing Les Mis. I will always treasure the piano. It's a moot point to say that I'll never stop, I can only hope that I continue to play (and sing) with as much passion and love as I had when I first managed to continue studying piano independently. The six years of lessons were great without a doubt, but I feel the last 8 years I have really come into my own as a musician. Here's to the power of music! It is on that joyful note (no pun intended, lol) that I conclude. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Keep in touch! :)
So yeah, the singing of Christmas carols is making me reminisce about singing in College Choir during Lessons and Carols, and I'm already starting to feel the spirit of the holidays. I can't honestly say I will notice Halloween this year because it's not really celebrated here, although it seems to be more common in recent years. Thanksgiving is a tough one to miss. I remember it was one of the saddest times for me in St. Petersburg, not being able to celebrate Thanksgiving. And it seems, with my last day of class being on Dec. 24, I will likely not be home for Christmas for the second straight year, although I am planning to be home soon thereafter for at least a couple of weeks. The fact that I'm already talking about Christmas even though Halloween is still a week away (itself a miracle) is a testament to how quickly time goes by.
Classes are going well. I'm starting to get a hang of translating, even though all the articles are either about Iran or North Korea. It would be nice to have different topics or styles (maybe reviews, poems or excerpts from literature). I'm enjoying reading different fairy tales, but need to find more secondary materials, and know that sooner or later I'm going to need to start drafting the thesis. I'm allowing myself until the beginning of the second semester to complete preliminary research and start writing.
Most of this week I've been feeling more tired than usual and have had a damn cold that just wouldn't go away. Today though I feel better, so thanks to everyone for their well-wishes! Trying to stay healthy and active as we move closer and closer to the storogaya russkaya zima. Last winter wasn't too bad, so hopefully this coming one won't be either, though I do expect to be home (where, God bless New England, you just never know what kind of weather to expect) for a part of it.
Not much else to report on this week. I forgot to wish the College Choir a great Family Weekend Concert, I hope it was in fact splendid! It was also the first time since I graduated that I wasn't able to sing Songs of Holy Cross. :( Next year I will be back again. Also want to wish the Chapel Choir a great Family Weekend Mass, may God fill their souls with music and praise, and that we destroy whoever we're playing in football! Go SADERS! CHU CHU RAH RAH! SHOUT HOIAH FOR HOLY CROSS!!! Man, I still can't believe that a) I've been out of school for two years now and b) I wasn't able to sing with the choir. :( I miss College Choir. I miss Chapel Choir. What I really miss, if I'm honest, is playing the piano. Singing is wonderful, I'm totally glad I got into it in college and am still keeping up with it, but there's really nothing like sitting down at the piano, belting out show tunes/Josh Groban and even improvising and composing. Just being able to destress, to put all my emotion into the keys, finding a balance between piano and forte, being able to crescendo and decrescendo. Just finding time to practice, that's what I really miss about being in Russia, apart from my family and friends. Can't wait to sit down at the piano again. I could play for hours if I had the energy. There were days when I just wanted to relax and played for only a few minutes, and there were days when I skippped it altogether, but I was always most content whenever I could sit and play for an hour or two, from Being Alive to Bridge Over Troubled Water to my Russian Dance to trying out new compositions to playing Les Mis. I will always treasure the piano. It's a moot point to say that I'll never stop, I can only hope that I continue to play (and sing) with as much passion and love as I had when I first managed to continue studying piano independently. The six years of lessons were great without a doubt, but I feel the last 8 years I have really come into my own as a musician. Here's to the power of music! It is on that joyful note (no pun intended, lol) that I conclude. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Keep in touch! :)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
How do you say "baptism by fire" in Russian?
As I alluded to in a recent AIM status, I am a masochist when it comes to studying this elusive, zagadochny Russian language. Six years later, I have finally come to this realization that I will likely be in some way connected to clovopodchinyonye predlozheniya and prichastiya for the rest of my life (yes I did buy a clovar' russkikh prichastii. I am officially a language geek. How many times through the years have I used this term: from glowing about gerunds and infinitives in English to spending a MONTH teaching reported speech to my teenagers to using fairy tales as a source for teaching Russian grammar to students studying it as a second language. Hello, my name is Jon, and I have a grammar problem. Whew. I feel better now. Incidentally, if I actually had any grammar problems, I'd be in serious trouble with regards to writing this damn thesis.
Speaking of that, the time has come to formulate my topic and purpose (in Russian formal academic writing, it's required to state the tsel', or purpose, of your topic, and why it warrants analysis/discussion/further exploration). My subject is (tentatively, subject to revision upon meeting with teh advisor): analysis of Russian fairy tales and teaching Russian grammar to students using the fairy tales. My purpose is something like this: to discern and analyze some general characteristics of fairy tales and their relationship to studying Russian as a foreign language. To do this I am going to read and analyze themes (in this case morals/main ideas) of various skazki and find and explain the grammatical structures and stylistic devices that might be found and used in teaching lessons. All this, naturally, formulated in Russian. :p Yay. (Not so much with the yayage...)
If that wasn't enough, you may be thinking, why am I a masochist? I'll tell you. It's because I thought it might be a good idea to take an elective course, NOT FOR CREDIT mind you, on translation. So the first class was on Wednesday. Our first homework assignment: to translate a two page q/a on Iran and the nuclear issue. Welcome to translation. Hahahaha. Oh my God, what the HELL did I get myself into? I'm sure I'll get the hang of it though, even if I have to take a final exam at the end of the semester. If I get too in over my head, then I'll drop it. We'll see how it goes.
On a lighter note, choir is going well. We're starting to sing some Christmas carols in preparation for our concert in December. Next week we start having rehearsals on Saturdays, which will mean that choir will in fact totally dominate my life on weekends. Which, I must add, is not necessarily a bad thing. I'll need some spiritual guidance, not to mention a general reprieve from the hecticness that is being a grad student in Moscow. More than that, I feel very much at home singing in choir, like I belong to a big family. This feeling of belonging I experienced right when I first started going to St. Andrew's and I still feel it every week, be it in the morning, in the afternoon with the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy, or on Tuesday evenings when the few proud tenors gather together to show up the rest of the choir...LOL. Well, perhaps not show up, but we do try our best. And we have fun too.
As the days turn into weeks, as the weeks turn into months, I am starting to already think about coming home for winter break. Because tickets are expensive around the holidays, and because Russian students take their exams in January (after a TEN DAY holiday beginning on New Year's Day), I may be coming home sometime in mid-January, though still with a decent break (2-3 weeks). I hope to negotiate an earlier return if possible, nothing would please me more than
Christmas with my friends and family. We shall see, but regardless of when I will be home (notice I said when and not if), the time spent will be a much needed break from the chaos and uncertainty of life in Moscow. For now though, I continue to keep my head about water as best as I can, hoping that this project will go somewhere, even if I don't write the majority of my paper until after the break. Miss you guys and gals! To all my friends out there in Sader Nation, have a great Homecoming Weekend at the Cross! Have a drink on my behalf and I hope to see some of you during the break (perhaps for Winter Homecoming???). Love you all, just keep swimming and take care! :)
Speaking of that, the time has come to formulate my topic and purpose (in Russian formal academic writing, it's required to state the tsel', or purpose, of your topic, and why it warrants analysis/discussion/further exploration). My subject is (tentatively, subject to revision upon meeting with teh advisor): analysis of Russian fairy tales and teaching Russian grammar to students using the fairy tales. My purpose is something like this: to discern and analyze some general characteristics of fairy tales and their relationship to studying Russian as a foreign language. To do this I am going to read and analyze themes (in this case morals/main ideas) of various skazki and find and explain the grammatical structures and stylistic devices that might be found and used in teaching lessons. All this, naturally, formulated in Russian. :p Yay. (Not so much with the yayage...)
If that wasn't enough, you may be thinking, why am I a masochist? I'll tell you. It's because I thought it might be a good idea to take an elective course, NOT FOR CREDIT mind you, on translation. So the first class was on Wednesday. Our first homework assignment: to translate a two page q/a on Iran and the nuclear issue. Welcome to translation. Hahahaha. Oh my God, what the HELL did I get myself into? I'm sure I'll get the hang of it though, even if I have to take a final exam at the end of the semester. If I get too in over my head, then I'll drop it. We'll see how it goes.
On a lighter note, choir is going well. We're starting to sing some Christmas carols in preparation for our concert in December. Next week we start having rehearsals on Saturdays, which will mean that choir will in fact totally dominate my life on weekends. Which, I must add, is not necessarily a bad thing. I'll need some spiritual guidance, not to mention a general reprieve from the hecticness that is being a grad student in Moscow. More than that, I feel very much at home singing in choir, like I belong to a big family. This feeling of belonging I experienced right when I first started going to St. Andrew's and I still feel it every week, be it in the morning, in the afternoon with the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy, or on Tuesday evenings when the few proud tenors gather together to show up the rest of the choir...LOL. Well, perhaps not show up, but we do try our best. And we have fun too.
As the days turn into weeks, as the weeks turn into months, I am starting to already think about coming home for winter break. Because tickets are expensive around the holidays, and because Russian students take their exams in January (after a TEN DAY holiday beginning on New Year's Day), I may be coming home sometime in mid-January, though still with a decent break (2-3 weeks). I hope to negotiate an earlier return if possible, nothing would please me more than
Christmas with my friends and family. We shall see, but regardless of when I will be home (notice I said when and not if), the time spent will be a much needed break from the chaos and uncertainty of life in Moscow. For now though, I continue to keep my head about water as best as I can, hoping that this project will go somewhere, even if I don't write the majority of my paper until after the break. Miss you guys and gals! To all my friends out there in Sader Nation, have a great Homecoming Weekend at the Cross! Have a drink on my behalf and I hope to see some of you during the break (perhaps for Winter Homecoming???). Love you all, just keep swimming and take care! :)
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thank you Jonathan Larson...
Yes, I watched Rent today. I like a lot of shows, but Rent always moves me in a way no other show can. Surely it is in part because of Jonathan's tragic passing without ever being able to see the success Rent had, playing on Broadway for twelve wonderful years, including winning the Puliter Prize for Drama and the Tony, which he worked so hard for. His music, his words, his life, all reflect in the story and journey of Rent. I totally agree with the idea that Seasons of Love was Jonathan's own memorial. One of the most powerful songs I think I've ever heard. He had a lot of friends who unfortunately passed away from AIDS. His entire show, especially the Will I? and Life Support songs, are a testimony to his friends. The whole show is about friendship, about living life to the fullest, about loving each other, love that transcends gender and race and class. "How do you measure a year in the life? How about LOVE?" All that while transforming musical theater and bringing the worlds of opera and rock and pop together into one fantastic, life-changing show. For all that, and for the wonderful work of all the casts of Rent: the OBC, the cast that I had the privilege of seeing live on Broadway, for the closing show cast and everyone associated with Rent, and to the Larson Family, Rent will always be one of my favorite shows. I will never fail to be moved and inspired by Jon's spirit.
How appropriate that not only do I remember Jonathan by watching Rent for the seven hundred thousandth time, but also this weekend a couple of years ago a very close friend of our family passed away. On this day 6 years ago my cherished grandmother, Meme, devout Catholic and genius of the kitchen (meatball extraordinaire, lol), finally lost her battle with cancer and entered into God's kingdom. Every year I try to honor her name with a prayer. When I was a freshman we said a prayer for her prior to singing at the Family Weekend Mass. My senior year I played a recital in her name (thank you again to all who came, by the way! It really meant a lot to me then and does now, three years later). Now I sadly do not have piano access, but I can still say a prayer for her and for Lorelei, which I try to do every day, and I can honor them here by celebrating their lives and all the good they did for our family.
One of the best things we can do for loved ones who have passed on is to a) remember the good times that we spent with them and b) emulate their example by loving each other and fostering a sense of community and love in others. By loving others we become better people and the world can truly be transformed. I don't care if it sounds silly or cliched, especially considering the problems of global terrorism, racism and wide disparities between rich and poor, but while we certainly can't fix everything overnight, what does it cost us to show genuine love to our brothers and sisters? What does it cost us to smile and be a friend? What does it cost us to tell someone we care about that we love them and that they are such a huge part of our lives?
I pray that we will "forget regret", to understand that there is "no life but today", and that we will always, always remember and spread the love. Thank you Jonathan Larson. Thank you Meme. Thank you Lorelei. Thank you Marie. Thank you Kevin. Thank you, my friends, for reading. Go out and spread the gospel of LOVE.
"It's time now to sing out, though the story never ends, let's celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends. Remember the love! Remember the love! Remember the love! Measure in love! Measure, measure your life in love! Seasons of love, seasons of love."
How appropriate that not only do I remember Jonathan by watching Rent for the seven hundred thousandth time, but also this weekend a couple of years ago a very close friend of our family passed away. On this day 6 years ago my cherished grandmother, Meme, devout Catholic and genius of the kitchen (meatball extraordinaire, lol), finally lost her battle with cancer and entered into God's kingdom. Every year I try to honor her name with a prayer. When I was a freshman we said a prayer for her prior to singing at the Family Weekend Mass. My senior year I played a recital in her name (thank you again to all who came, by the way! It really meant a lot to me then and does now, three years later). Now I sadly do not have piano access, but I can still say a prayer for her and for Lorelei, which I try to do every day, and I can honor them here by celebrating their lives and all the good they did for our family.
One of the best things we can do for loved ones who have passed on is to a) remember the good times that we spent with them and b) emulate their example by loving each other and fostering a sense of community and love in others. By loving others we become better people and the world can truly be transformed. I don't care if it sounds silly or cliched, especially considering the problems of global terrorism, racism and wide disparities between rich and poor, but while we certainly can't fix everything overnight, what does it cost us to show genuine love to our brothers and sisters? What does it cost us to smile and be a friend? What does it cost us to tell someone we care about that we love them and that they are such a huge part of our lives?
I pray that we will "forget regret", to understand that there is "no life but today", and that we will always, always remember and spread the love. Thank you Jonathan Larson. Thank you Meme. Thank you Lorelei. Thank you Marie. Thank you Kevin. Thank you, my friends, for reading. Go out and spread the gospel of LOVE.
"It's time now to sing out, though the story never ends, let's celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends. Remember the love! Remember the love! Remember the love! Measure in love! Measure, measure your life in love! Seasons of love, seasons of love."
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Dear thesis...
Dear thesis,
I should just come out and say that ours is going to be a love-hate relationship. So that I feel more love for you and not disposed to hate every fiber of your being, let's agree to a few simple things:
1. Accept that teaching Russian through fairy tales is an awesome topic that needs no further modification and structure my overall argument for me.
2. Write a review of all the relevant literature on folklore and teaching methodology, as well as an annotated bibliography.
3. Having done all the preliminary research and analysis, you are now ready to write a first draft no later than the end of June.
Yes, my love for you is conditional, but fulfillment of said conditions will prove your steadfast love for me, which I in turn will be only too glad to reciprocate. I'm not being picky, I'm just saying it's going to take some time to trust you. Once I can be sure of your intentions, which I trust are noble, then I can move from frustration and rage to begrudging tolerance.
Love,
Jon
I should just come out and say that ours is going to be a love-hate relationship. So that I feel more love for you and not disposed to hate every fiber of your being, let's agree to a few simple things:
1. Accept that teaching Russian through fairy tales is an awesome topic that needs no further modification and structure my overall argument for me.
2. Write a review of all the relevant literature on folklore and teaching methodology, as well as an annotated bibliography.
3. Having done all the preliminary research and analysis, you are now ready to write a first draft no later than the end of June.
Yes, my love for you is conditional, but fulfillment of said conditions will prove your steadfast love for me, which I in turn will be only too glad to reciprocate. I'm not being picky, I'm just saying it's going to take some time to trust you. Once I can be sure of your intentions, which I trust are noble, then I can move from frustration and rage to begrudging tolerance.
Love,
Jon
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Priroda - eto klassno!
Hello to everyone out there! As I write this, I cannot help but be totally "shokirovan" that it's already October and I've been in Moscow for a month already. True, it's a little sad that I'm going to miss fall foliage in New England, and the Sox kicking Anaheim's ass AGAIN, but life is good. And God is good...all the time. All the time...God is good.
It's also good to be back blogging away after taking a bit of a break from the internet. Yesterday I decided to get out of the city for the day and take the commuter train (electrichka) up to Dmitrov, which is a beautiful little community, even though it now takes me 2.5 hours just to get there. I stayed and walked around the Dmitrovsky Kremlin. I probably would have stayed longer, but Mother Nature wasn't quite so cooperative. Anyway, now that I live in the southern part of Moscow, I intend to search out other prigoroda so I can take day trips that don't require quite so much travel. Today, on the other hand, the weather was gorgeous, albeit chilly. I took the metro to Kolomenskoye, which is a lovely park/museum along the Moscow River. The best things in life are free, so the saying goes, and one cannot argue with that. There really is something to be said for just walking around and enjoying nature. I saw a lot of couples out and about and even a couple of newlyweds...in Russia it is traditional for married couples to walk around the city, I've seen quite a few in my time in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Speaking of St. Petersburg, I am long overdue for a visit...maybe see a ballet, be amazed by the beauty within...;) That shall have to happen soon. Getting back to Kolomenskoye, I spent a good two hours walking around and reading (yes I am that guy who spends his Saturdays doing homework) and thanking God for keeping me safe as well as His glorious creation. Hallelujah! :D
What lies on the horizon for me in the near future? Well, Monday I have my first test in Stylistics (eek!), for which I need to choose and read an article on fairy tales, which I will later use for my research. We've been studying how to write annotatsi, referaty and various plans (summarizing/outlining of texts) and we have to do all that using the article we choose. It's a little overwhelming, but I think I can do it, and it's almost certainly required later on for the other books and articles we use. Apart from that, I need to give my Bach presentation on Thursday, seeing as though class was cancelled last week (gotta love Russian universities!) Hopefully I will be able to make it to St. Petersburg, this will require some planning in advance, so maybe sometime in November I will get to go. Let's just say I have an extra incentive to see the city where I celebrated my 21st birthday drinking apple juice through a straw and attending a really sketchy museum.
That's all for now. Poka iz Moskvy! Love you guys! :) Miss you mucho!
It's also good to be back blogging away after taking a bit of a break from the internet. Yesterday I decided to get out of the city for the day and take the commuter train (electrichka) up to Dmitrov, which is a beautiful little community, even though it now takes me 2.5 hours just to get there. I stayed and walked around the Dmitrovsky Kremlin. I probably would have stayed longer, but Mother Nature wasn't quite so cooperative. Anyway, now that I live in the southern part of Moscow, I intend to search out other prigoroda so I can take day trips that don't require quite so much travel. Today, on the other hand, the weather was gorgeous, albeit chilly. I took the metro to Kolomenskoye, which is a lovely park/museum along the Moscow River. The best things in life are free, so the saying goes, and one cannot argue with that. There really is something to be said for just walking around and enjoying nature. I saw a lot of couples out and about and even a couple of newlyweds...in Russia it is traditional for married couples to walk around the city, I've seen quite a few in my time in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Speaking of St. Petersburg, I am long overdue for a visit...maybe see a ballet, be amazed by the beauty within...;) That shall have to happen soon. Getting back to Kolomenskoye, I spent a good two hours walking around and reading (yes I am that guy who spends his Saturdays doing homework) and thanking God for keeping me safe as well as His glorious creation. Hallelujah! :D
What lies on the horizon for me in the near future? Well, Monday I have my first test in Stylistics (eek!), for which I need to choose and read an article on fairy tales, which I will later use for my research. We've been studying how to write annotatsi, referaty and various plans (summarizing/outlining of texts) and we have to do all that using the article we choose. It's a little overwhelming, but I think I can do it, and it's almost certainly required later on for the other books and articles we use. Apart from that, I need to give my Bach presentation on Thursday, seeing as though class was cancelled last week (gotta love Russian universities!) Hopefully I will be able to make it to St. Petersburg, this will require some planning in advance, so maybe sometime in November I will get to go. Let's just say I have an extra incentive to see the city where I celebrated my 21st birthday drinking apple juice through a straw and attending a really sketchy museum.
That's all for now. Poka iz Moskvy! Love you guys! :) Miss you mucho!
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