So much to do so little time

Privet! So this semester has begun(like two weeks ago) and I am already tired haha But in all seriousness, this semester is shorter than the last one and it seems like I got a lot more to do/learn. I'll try to catch you all up on my life in the big Russian city.

The first thing I want to say is that my schedule is AMAZING. I pretty much am in love with it. So far I have no classes on Friday's and I can sleep in most days. My whole schedule is not done yet since I still have to get an internship and pick a class with Russian students. I plan to do that pretty soon, maybe. It felt so weird when I first came back to Moscow. I can't really describe it concretely. After a few days the feeling wore off and I realized that this semester is going to be much better since I got the hang of things and I have a much better understanding of the Russian language than last semester. Homegurl Eleonora is pretty much the same, still pretty ridiculous. Unfortunately, at the moment she's pretty sick, she has some sort of cough. So everything at the university and the home front is going pretty well. I have to talk about my trip to Vladmir and Suzdal now!

So our first trip outside of Moscow was a weekend trip to the Vladimir and Suzdal area. We went by train to Vladimir then took a bus to Suzdal. In Vladimir we did the educational thing and went around with Alina and saw several churches and went into a museum. When we got to Suzdal we went to.... THE BANYA! A banya is basically a Russian sauna and it was pretty amazing. We basically all were in this huge wooden room and we sweat it out and once in a while we ran outside and jumped in the snow. This is supposed to be traditional custom during the winter. We also got beat each other with birch branches hahaha My favorite experience was definitely the banya. The next day we went to a Russian festival called Maslenitsa. It's basically a reason to eat dairy products that aren't allowed during Lent for orthodox russians. The most traditional food during this festival is the bliny which is the Russian version of a pancake. They make the blyni because it represents the sun meaning that winter will soon be over(yea right...). I of course had my fare share of the bliny and had a fun time although it was FREEZING outside on the square. We also got to taste the famous Medovukha which is a traditional Russian honey liquor. Overall it was a pretty good time.

Within the next few days I will have to decide for reals what I need to do as an internship and the class with Russian students. The downside is that I will have less free time to do other things(such as write on my blog) but the upside is that I will gain lots of experience which will be helpful later. I hope to update all of you frequently though and I think I have the video posting almost figured out so hopefully with my next post there will also be a video :)

Hot Cocoa's Vacation Part Two

I am back in Kara's house now from my trip around Europe. Sadly, my winter vacation is basically over. I am just packing/relaxing today and tomorrow morning I will be Moscow-bound. It's been an amazing time here and I really cannot believe it's coming to end. But the bright side is that I am going back to Moscow and it's going to be better than before since I know my way around now.

My first stop was in Palma De Mallorca, Spain. When I first went outside and saw the clear skies and palm trees I knew it was going to be amazing. The hotel I stayed in was pretty decent for the price. The location was amazing as well, a two minute walk from the beach. Kim and I did the tourist thing and saw the huge cathedral and we went to a recreation of old Spanish architecture. One of the highlights from the stay was when I saw the churreria(a churro stand). For those of you who don't know what a churro is, omg you are missing out! It's this fried dough stick sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and it's just so good. I also definitely missed speaking Spanish. In Moscow I really don't have many opportunities to speak Spanish. And speaking of languages, I knew Palma was like a tourist spot for Germans but I didn't realize how much until I got there. I am not kidding, almost every sign for restaurants and stores had German translations. Also, in the hotel I stayed at, like almost every person I ran into was German. But anyways, now to the most amazing part, THE SUN. Sorry but Moscow is not really the place to go if you are trying to soak up those UV rays. Now that it's winter, I rarely see the sun. I know it's sad, but it's the truth haha... Walking along the sea in Palma De Mallorca while the sun was shining and not having the need to wear a sweater or anything was AMAZING. In all honesty, I loved it so much. I really want to live there. I'm definitely putting it on my list.

So my next stop was England. I went to Norwich to visit Maddie and Grace. It was so great to see them both. We got there at night and we headed to the campus pub(WHAT?!?! Love it) to catch up and stuff. The next day Grace and Maddie took Kim and I around the town and it was pretty cool. It was a really nice little English town. I also got to see another person from Dickinson I knew, Flow!!!!! It was really nice seeing her again even though it wasn't for long. The next morning I set off for London to stay for a couple of nights. As I was on the train heading for London I realized that I actually do miss Dickinson. Seeing people back from Dickinson always makes me feel that way. I miss hanging out with them and just seeing them from time to time.
Well, when we got to London, we had to take The Tube to our hostel. I got two words for whoever controls the tube TOO SMALL. I am not kidding, there were several times when we couldn't get on a wagon because there wasn't any room. The wagons and stations are very modern looking but you gotta expand the wagons. We spent the first evening in the Natural Histoy Museum, I'm a total sucker for all that science stuff. The next day we went to Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The National Gallery, and Westminster Abbey. The squirrels at Hyde Park were crazy, like they came right up to you and even follow you, it was pretty funny. If you have ever been to Dickinson, and you think the squirrels there are crazy, you need to go to Hyde Park. One of my favorite parts was walking around Leicester Square and seeing all the theater advertisements. I freaked when I saw an ad for Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Trust, if I would of had 29 pounds I would so gone to see it. Overall, London was cool. But I'm going to be honest and say I really liked it, but I didn't love it. We headed back to Kara's house after London.

At Kara's we just relaxed before our next and final city, Paris. So I've been pretty excited for this trip since forever because Paris is one of the cities that I have wanted to visit since forever. The first night I got there we of course had to visit the Eiffel Tower. I can't even put seeing the Eiffel Tower at night into words, it simply took my breath away. We also went to go see the Arc de Triomphe. The next day we went to the Louvre and spent pretty much the whole day there. We then walked around for a bit at night on the Champs-Elysees. I had a croque monsieur which is this ham sandwich on toasted bread with tons of cheese on top. It was amazing. I actually spent the rest of my money on it haha and it was worth every cent. The last day we made our way to the Sacre Coeur which is pretty much the highest land point in Paris. The view from there was unbelievable and actually rivals the one of the Eiffel Tower at night. On my way up to the Sacre Coeur I was stopped by some guys trying to sell me an hakuna matata bracelet. He told me he was from Kenya and asked me where I was from, I of course told him I was from Spain. He started speaking to me in Spanish and explaining how the bracelet is for good luck and it's also hakuna matata to which I replied "oh yea like the Lion King" and he laughed and said of course. I actually found 30 cents in my backpack the night before and gave it to them telling him that's all I had(which wasn't a lie). He of course wasn't happy but whatevs, I was fine, I got the hakuna matata bracelet. We visited a couple of cemeteries which were really cool and I got to see Oscar Wilde's grave which was a pretty cool one. It was basically this statue of an angel flying but like a ton of people just put on lipstick and kiss the grave, leaving their lip prints. People also write on it and stuff. It was funny since his grave had a plaque telling people to not deface it and how it's punishable by law and all that boring junk. After that we headed to the Latin Quarter and walked around for a bit and saw the Luxembourg Garden, the Pantheon, and the Notre Dame. They were all incredible sights. Also, the metro in Paris is quite good. I would say it's better than The Tube. Paris was an incredible experience, I really wish I could go back or stayed longer. Also, I don't know why there's this stereotype that French people are rude. They were nothing but nice, but I mean I also spoke French the whole time so I think that definitely helped. As I was sitting in my room and getting ready to leave, I thought I started hearing Lady Gaga's Bad Romance. I opened the window and realized someone was playing it loudly from their car and people where singing it was they walked by on the street. I thought at that moment YES this is for me. That was the last sign I needed. Paris is definitely the city for me.

So that's been my little journey through Europe. I return to Moscow tomorrow and I'm actually feeling ready for it. I also want to take this little bit to say thank you to Kara for housing me for a while. You are amazing Kara, <3 And I will be returning to my regular updates from Moscow.

I Just Want To See The World! Hot Cocoa's Vacation part one

Well... I haven't done one of these since forever but I will try to continue to do what I always do. I'll do my best to provide somewhat of an update of my busy life abroad haha So I guess I should get started.

I arrived in Germany several days before Christmas. On the way to Kara's house there were two things that kept popping into my head 1) OMG Germany is BEAUTIFUL and 2)I need to learn German. Thankfully I know some survival phrases. Not knowing the language made me feel a bit helpless, which I wasn't a big fan of. But of course, I'm a survivor so I can handle it. Kara's house is in a small German town called Bitburg. Her house is really nice and her parents are wonderful people. They've been hosting Kim and I for quite a while. I have seen quite a bit of Germany since I have been here. I have been to Trier which is the oldest city in Germany, used to be a Roman capital. We went when it was time for the Christmas markets which were these stands of amazing food, drink, and Christmas-themed items. It was so incredible! We also went to Manderscheid which is this nice little town with a couple castles. Basically, I'm in love with Germany right now. I could definitely see myself living here for reals. We also took a couple day trips to Bruges and Luxembourg. Both cities were also unbelievable. My favorite so far was Luxembourg, I loved how everything looked. Not to mention, I finally got to practice some of my French in both Bruges and Luxembourg. Bruges was pretty awesome as well. Going up the bell tower is definitely an unforgettable experience. I also got to see some friends on another trip I took in Germany.

I made my way over to Bremen with Kim and Kara where one of my best friends is currently studying. I was thrilled to see him(Braeden) again since I thought I wouldn't see him again until August. Bremen was a nice town. It was really cold and it snowed a bit. I got to see more touristy stuff and took pictures. I need to upload pictures, I know it will get done but I just don't know when. We also went to another town called Bremerhaven which is a port town in the north of Germany. I got to see the North Sea! Well... sort of. I saw the river that leads up to it I guess. The nights were fun and full of us singing in Braeden's room late into the night. Leaving was really sad. But I did have a little taste of what I am about to do tomorrow. I will fly to Palma De Mallarca in Spain with Kim. After a few days I will go to visit my Norwich people and then to see some of London. I will write another blogpost once I am back at Kara's.

So, as I keep seeing more and more of Europe I am starting to like it more and more. Don't worry, I have not forgotten about Moscow. I have my flight back on the 28th so I fully intend on going back to the Third Rome. But I can definitely see myself living in Germany or even Luxembourg. How will I do it? I have no clue but I'm pretty sure it's possible. So... I will definitely update this once I am back and I will tell you all about my Spain and England experiences.

The End of A Semester and the Start of Hot Cocoa's Vacation

So, it's been a while since I've written on here. It's the end of my first semester in Moscow. In this post I will talk more about my thoughts so far on life in Moscow more than retell recent events. But I'll include a few of course.

The last day we had some group event was yesterday when the remaining people went to go ice skating on Red Square! It was umm.. well.. an experience for me haha All I am going to say about it is my people were not meant to be on ice. But I'd like to thank Kim and Kelly for helping me finally get off the wall. Sadly at the end we had to say goodbye to Amy at the end since she was only here for the semester. A week before we also had our goodbye dinner with Pat and Nina who have already left. It was a great semester with the three of them and I will miss them dearly. I feel like it's going to be really strange to start the next semester without them here. But I will definitely see them when I get back to Dickinson next year, even Amy, she's coming to visit.

Today is my last day in Moscow. I haven't packed yet haha but that's alright, it doesn't take me long. I will be flying with Kim to Frankfurt and then taking the train to Kara's house. I have some travel plans for January which include: Bremen, Palma De Mallorca, London/Norwich, and Paris. I am beyond excited for this winter. I finally get the opportunity to travel in Europe and I am definitely taking advantage of it. I will hopefully be able to update while I travel in segments I will call "Hot Cocoa's Vacation".

My experience this semester in Moscow will definitely be unforgettable. I would have never imagined myself here in a 100 years. But I would not trade this experience for anything. Out of all the places we've been to and seen, in all honesty, Moscow is still my favorite. I can't quite put my finger on it but there's just something about it that the other places just do not have. The interactions that I have had with Russian people have all been interesting. On the street and on the metro the blank cold face is put on by almost everybody. But once you get to know them and are in an environment where you can socialize with them, their attitude changes and their bright side definitely comes out. Also, living with homegurl Eleonora has been quite the experience. She is a character, our previous conversations have been about UFOs, our past lives, politics, and traveling. I will obviously miss her. Next semester is going to be crazier with the internship and project and a CLASS WITH RUSSIAN STUDENTS. But of course, I will keep you guys updated. I know it's early, but one of my new year's resolutions is to write a lot more on here.

I know I know I know

Yes, I know I've been bad. But what can I say? Again It's been quite a while since my last post. But I do have a semi-good excuse. I've just been SO busy. Life in the big Russian city doesn't keep you idle. Plus classes just got a little more real.

So, in this post I just want to discuss my trip to Pskov. I actually plan to make a post around Sunday discussing other things that have happened in the couple of weeks before. I like reverse chronological order. So it was a pretty busy time in Pskov. On the first day we met with out lovely guide Annya in the AM. Our first stop was the Kremlin of Pskov. We got a tour and went inside a church. It was quite different than what we have previously seen. The style was much more simplistic, which is not a bad thing. Afterwards we went to this like metalworking place. We got a tour and we got to make our own Pskov coins! And you know what was even more amazing? WE WERE ON TV!!!!! So I got to make my own coin by striking a piece of metal with a hammer and I got my exposure on TV. It was a successful dyen(day). After everything we were left to relax and do whatever. So... what do American students do in a small Russian city at 11:30 PM? We go see New Moon of course. If you don't know what New Moon is, it is the sequel to Twilight, a teen romance movie with werewolves and vampires. Like it's a pretty horrible movie, but it was in Russian so it wasn't all in vain.

And the next day begins with an hour trip to Pechory which is a few kilometers from the Estonian border. In Pechory we visited the Pskovo Pechersky Monastery. It's a large monastery that houses about 100 monks and priests. I liked it quite it a bit and we learned about how it there were caves where people are buried. But unfortunately, people are no longer allowed down there. So we continued our journey and headed to Izborsk, where one of the oldest fortresses in Russia is located. We climbed to the top of a tower from where we could see the whole place. It was a pretty amazing view. We also headed to these springs where if you drink from them you will receive either love, money, wisdom, or like death. Obviously I drank from the spring of wisdom haha Our last stop of the day was the honey farm! We got a tour of the place from the head beekeeper and at the end we got to sample pretty much all of his products. They were all pretty good which was evident when everyone in the group went up to buy something after the tour ended. That night we didn't do much except go out to eat. No new cinema adventures unfortunately(New Moon was the only thing playing x_x)

Our last trip with Annya was to a pottery class. It was pretty amazing. We learned how to make different little things out of clay and we even got to throw pottery! I made a hedgehog, a cat, a Pskov plaque, and my own pot. I really enjoyed everything that was planned out for us. Going to a small Russian city was quite a different experience than being in big Russian cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg. I felt more at ease in Pskov than I did in Moscow. But at the end of the day I could not survive if I had to in a place like Pskov for a year. I just don't feel like it has what I need, it doesn't have the energy and that "it" factor that Moscow does. But overall it was a nice break and I could definitely visit again.

Circus and Sickness

Hey everybody! Sorry this post is a bit late, but my internet wasn't exactly being cooperative last night. But now it's all good. Last week was a bit odd since I was out because I got sick with the flu(I know x_x).

We had our first official holiday off from school this past week. It was on Wednesday to celebrate Day of People's Unity(Dyen Narodnovo Edinstva). Nina and I went for a walk that day through Manezhnaya Ploshad and the surrounding area. At one point we found a huge line for something, we were curious so of course we asked one of the people waiting in line. It turned out to be something for the orthodox church. It amazed me how devoted people are. They will use one of their days off(I don't think it's many) and they will wait in a huge line in the cold to see some icons. So we continued on our stroll and guess what we found?! Stalin and Alexander I haha I of course could not miss the chance to take my picture with them simply for the ridiculousness of it. I'm definitely uploading that one to my flickr account. And later that night the group went to the circus!

So, the circus is something quite different than what we usually do here. We usually go to like ballets and plays. I think I've only been to the circus like one other time in my life haha But anyways, I had mixed feelings...It was a nice show and some of the tricks the acrobats and the people on the horses did were quite amazing. It just felt awkward at times because it felt like I was at happy hour at the playboy mansion rather then at an event for children. Women usually wore quite revealing outfits/costumes and did some dances. Also it just seemed a lot of the times the women in the shows had animal costumes while the men were running things. I wasn't really crazy about all of that. So yea, but I'm really glad I went and I'm excited for the events that we have planned for this month (especially Pskov).

Things at home are going well, except that homegurl Eleonora recently got really sick but I'm pretty sure I gave it to her when she was helping me out(oops...). I went to the doctor on Friday which went alright. His English was a little broken but he was quite helpful and I'm mostly better now, all I got is a cough. On another note, I can't believe the semester is almost over! I think we have about a month left. Overall I have enjoyed my stay in Moscow so far and I'm sure there's way more to experience and I definitely have time :)

Calling Out All My Single Ladies!

Hello Hello! I just got back from the Beyonce concert! I was so excited to go and it was a really great time. I went with one of my favorite single ladies here in Moscow, Kim. I'll discuss some thoughts that came up during the concert later in this post. But first I'll recap my life, as usual.

Unfortunately, the whole week was a bit uneventful. It's just one of those weeks you know? Plus, although it is not a secret to anybody here. I have been feeling pretty down lately. I think I have finally hit that depression stage in the study abroad year. Hopefully I will get back to feeling my normal self soon. Classes are going well, although I am starting to feel a bit tired of the routine. There was one little change in the routine last week though. Pat and I went to an art history class with other Russian students. It was a bit interesting to see real Russian students in a classroom setting. But I don't think Pat or I are going back anytime soon, it just wasn't our cup of tea. On the home front, homegurl Eleonora has been pretty great so far. We had a lovely conversation today about the pyramids and reincarnation haha She totally believes in it which I am all for. One of these days I am going to ask her what she was in a previous life.

My weekend was actually relaxing for a change. On Friday we went out to this place called Billingua. We were there before, but only as a cafe during the day. At night it turns into a pretty chill club. The music was pretty fun, it was all like 70s music and in English of course. We all had a really good time until the end. Some asshole decided to come up to our group and talk shit about me because I'm Mexican. But thankfully Nina was there to stand up for me(Gracias mi muñeca Griega). Halloween was a bit weird. Like back in the states I would of definitely been in a more celebratory mood. Here in Russia, Halloween isn't really celebrated all that much, I mean you see like a couple costumes and like you see clubs having some special DJ or w/e but it's not like the big event back home. So it's weird, I don't feel like I missed anything by just staying home on Saturday. Sunday I went shopping with Kim, I thought maybe the rush of consumerism would make me feel better. Don't get me wrong, it did, but it was only a quick fix.

So now the Beyonce concert. First, I got to say it was amazing. Beyonce is a great performer so it was quite a show. Now onto what I want to really talk about. One of the parts of the concert was her singing Etta James' "At Last" with a video backdrop of the civil rights movement and then some Obama clips. As soon as I saw it I thought about how weird it was. Here I am in Moscow, and at a concert there are clips of like a moment in American history. It also got me thinking about how Americanized other parts of the world have become or are becoming. Now I know it's Beyonce and she's an American celebrity, but still. It just makes me wonder sometimes...