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After three days in St. Petersburg and a close call with the Lufthansa strike I managed to make it home yesterday afternoon. I've still got jet leg and a general sense of disorientation, but it was all worth it. Thank you for a great summer, Russia. There's tons more to say, but I'm not taking the time to write everything, because there isn't enough time. Here are some pictures from St. Petersburg.

Dostoevsky Monument

Altai

This weekend we took a trip to the Altai Mountains, located in the south of Siberia, near the borders with Mongolia and Kazakhstan. 12 hours on bus there, 48 hours in the mountains, and then another 12 hours back to Tomsk. Needless to say I'm worn out, and on top of that our flight to St. Petersburg leaves early tomorrow morning, but it was all worth it. The mountains were very beautiful, we did some fun excursions and generally had a great time together. We did hiking, saw a waterfall, went into a cave, and also went to a banya.

A banya is like a sauna - there's one room with a large, hot oven, and you poor water over it to steam up the room. You get really hot and sweaty, and then one of your friends beats you with birch branches as you lie down. When you've had enough you go into the next room, where you jump into a really cold pool. Repeat the process as much as you like. You leave the banya feeling clean and purified, not to mention warm. As is known, for many months of the year Russia is a very cold place, so the banya has become an integral part of the culture.

In conclusion, beautiful scenery, fresh air, and Russians of all ages in skimpy clothing. Pretty much like going to the backwoods in America. Now for pictures.

Birch trees are everywhere in Russia.

The tour guide got everyone to put their hand on the inside of the tunnel, make a wish, and then run around it three times, with the promise that your wish will come true. I personally think he was bored and curious to see what he could get people to do.

Beautiful scenery. What you don't see is the pile of garbage at my feet. People take it upon themselves to create garbage dumps here and there.

My new hat, in the fashion of the indigenous Altai people.

Banquet

Yesterday was the last day of classes, so to celebrate we had a banquet dinner with our professors and program directors. I heard the restaurant was nice, but I was blown away by our arrangements. First, the restaurant itself had great atmosphere, a lot of wood, and art designed by the artist who we visited a few weeks ago. We had a ton of food, too. The table was completely covered with appetizers like fish, meats, fruits and vegetables before we arrived, and I was so full that I forgot that I also ordered a main dish. Plenty of bottles of Soviet Champagne, red wine, and vodka certainly helped maintain the lively mood. Making toasts is a big part of Russian culture, so needless to say, there was a lot of toasting and gift-giving going on. Everyone was in such a great mood, and I realized how I'm definitely going to miss everyone, Americans and Russians alike, after the program ends. Of course, we had music too. A tradition in Russian restaurants is to hire a singer to sing cheesy love songs for the 80s, and we had that going on, although once we all decided to hit the dance floor we got a nice change of pace going. I'd have to say the highlight of the night was dancing with two of my professors, Tatyana Borisovna and Natalya Giorgevna. All in all a fantastic time, but it's not over yet, since this evening we're leaving on a 12 hour bus ride to the Altai Mountains.

Tomsk Art Museum

Teplokhod

Two weeks and I'm back in America. I don't know where all the time went. I'm sick of doing school work and kinda tired of Tomsk, but I don't want to leave Russia because there's so much left to explore in this vast country. But hey, two weeks left and there's still St. Petersburg....

Sci-Fi building

We went for a boat ride and danced with locals while enjoying the scenic views.

It wasn't until now that I wondered where gravel came from.

Relaxation

Last week was stressful. Lots of excursions, coupled with a social life, as well as homework, left me drained by Friday. Much good came out of it though. Apparently word has gotten around that there is a group of Americans in Tomsk, so this week journalists have visited us at school twice. On Tuesday's news they showed a clip of one of our classes (unfortunately not mine). Then, on Friday, at least five journalists showed up at our weekly Russki Chai (Russian Tea). Russki Chai takes place every Friday after classes are over. We all gather in one room to drink tea and eat cookies as each group (we are split into 3 groups of 6 or 7 students) recounts the week's lessons and gives an artistic performance (in Russian, of course - everything is in Russian). For example, we have sung Russian songs and read poetry. One kid always sings opera. Well, this week, I, along with two other girls from the group, performed a scene from the play "Duck Hunt" by Aleksandr Vampilov. Apparently I'm a great actor, cuz I got compliments for the rest of the weekend. Who knew? Journalists were filming, snapping photos, and asking questions left and right. Later that evening an interview I gave made the final cut for the newscast. The point is Tomsk, Russia, may be my big break to stardom.

That night, motivated by our reminisces of college life, we threw a party, complete with jungle juice. The Russians were unfamiliar with it, but don't be surprised if hunch punch becomes the next big thing amongst Siberian youth. The following morning I had to get up early, as I had volunteered to work with two of our professors to put together a video about Tomsk and our group's experiences here. The American girl who is collaborating fell ill, so once again I became the star of the show. After shooting for a couple hours I was compelled to explore by myself, since there are only two weeks remaining and I figured there's a lot I still haven't gotten around to seeing. I didn't stray far from my own neighborhood, but I was fascinated by all I saw, and I realized that this city really is beautiful and has a character all its own (or at least I'd assume so). Today was the first day I could really relax, stop, and take it all in. I've been doing so much these past two months, but when you're consistently on the move, you don't have time to digest everything your mind is taking in and truly process where you are and what on earth you're doing. But yesterday was that day, so praise the Lord. I'm definitely blessed to be here.

And now for photos I took while exploring yesterday.

Gators for Pushkin

Two professors, two Russians, me, and a Chekhov-impersonating American student who's from the same town my mom was born in.

Russian car - a Volga, if I remember correctly.

Remember that building from the Power Rangers?

Architecture School

Regional Court House

Ballet

Russia has a rich cultural heritage, and ballet plays an important role in this tradition. Here is a scene played by the famous Mikhail Baryshnikov, whom you may know as "the Russian" from Sex and the City. Enjoy.