Tomsk

Greetings from Siberia. I've been living in Tomsk for about two weeks now, and I'm glad to say all is turning out for the best. The city has a population of about a half million people, but it feels like a small town. Maybe I have this impression because I live right off the main street and thus never need to venture to the outskirts, but I think everyone has this relation to the city. So, first things first - where I live. By God's blessing my study-abroad buddy and I ended up living in a house with a great, kind family - a woman and her 21 year-old son. Note that it's not an apartment, but a house. It rocks. It's located on one of the highest hills in the city, and right down the street is located the stone that was laid when the city was founded in 1604. Our host mom is very sociable and hospitable, and our host brother is cool as well. On the first floor there's a small swimming pool, a sauna and a work-out room with weights. My classmate and I live on the third floor, each with our own big room and a balcony connecting the two. The balcony is rather high and overlooks the city and the river. Every night the sun sets around midnight, and I always have a beautiful sunset to watch. I definitely got lucky.

Pictures for now, more writing to come later.

No Russian city is complete without a statue of Lenin! This is Lenin Square, located along Lenin Prospect (main street, of course). My house is located on a small, dirt-cobblestone road that leads from this square and up a hill.

The wonderful view from my balcony of a Russian Orthodox church. Check out the onion domes!

The theatre located between Lenin Square and the River and an example of Soviet architecture.