First real week

Well my first week of classes is over and I'm getting ready to start another one! My classes are divided into 6 sections - reading, grammar, Russian culture, etc. They are all taught exclusively in Russian, although if we're not really getting it at all, the professor usually throws in a word of English. I like most of the professors a lot, and I understand probably 60-70% p of what is actually going on. I can usually pick up at least what we're talking about even if I can't understnad every word that's being said. There are 7 Italian girls, 1 Hungarian, 1 older Belgian woman and Tom and I in the class. Everyone there except for me has taken two years of Russia, so I'm definitely the weakest link. However, the other people are only staying for a week or two more, so maybe after they leave things can be adapted more to my level? We'll see. Anyway, it feels good to be a student again! Although I'm not as good at studying yet, so I'll have to work on that!
We have class every day except Thursday (well this Thursday we did have class, but no one told me or Tom so we didn't go....) so on Thursday I studied a bit and then went to see some churches in the afternoon. I went to the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood, wchich is one of the most recognizable churches in St. Petersburg, I think.

Weird name for a church, you say? Yes, very. The church was constructed in the 1880s under Alexander III on the spot where his father, Tsar Alexander II, was assassinated by the Revolutionary group the People's Will. Ironically, the People's Will actually probably messed things up for Russia even more. Supposedly Alexander II had a plan for constitutional reform in his pocket (read: supposedly) at the time of his death. But son Alexander III turned out to be much more of a reactionary than his father and resisted pretty much any reform... Come on, revolution...

The church is crazy beautiful, both inside and out, though. There was a display about the reconstruction efforts that started in the 1970s; the church had a rough time during the war and the early Soviet days, but now it's almost completely restored and looking good. I took way too many pictures of the inside, but here are a few:


I also went to the Kazan Cathedral, which housed the Museum of Atheism during the Soviet times. Good one, guys. It was built in the early 1800s to house an icon, Our lAdy of kazan, that appeared in the 16th century and then mysteriously disappeared in 1904 - but wait - only to return in Moscow on the day of Nicholas II's abdication (something about the divine power of the Tsar being returned to the Mother of God). The icon still isn't at the church, but may actually
be an icon located at another cathedral here. Complicated.

On the host front, things have improved somewhat. I'm now allowed to use the kitchen, which is good, but she still gets really frustrated and is slightly rude. She is also a major meddler. I have three small drawers with clothes in them and she switched my underwear and shirt drawer? Why?? I have no clue. But I'm getting better at ignoring her when she's rude and raises her voice. She also pays less attention to me now, which is fine by me.

On another highly important note, I finished Twilight. While it was a fun read and I'll probably continue the saga, it in no way can be compared to Harry Potter. JK Rowling creates a whole entire new world of magic, whereas this lady just adds a few vampires to a regular town, not as cool. Also, if you took out all the "I love Edward, he is so beautiful, his skin is so beautiful, his eyes are so beautiful, his hair is so beautiful...." the book would be 25% shorter. I know you're all not trying to convince me of their equality, but I just really needed to get this out there - so internet world - know this: Twilight does not equal Harry Potter. Ever.