Travel Journal: Saint Petersburg 2017

I believe this is finished as of 1 November 2017. You can comment on inaccuracies or things you would like me to add.

Brief introduction - I was in St. Petersburg from 1 October 2017 to 29 October 2017. I had decided to spend the month as part of a Russian language immersion program.

I had gotten interested in Russian culture in 2009, although it was not until 2014 when I had begun to consider acting on this. By the end of 2015, I had already started research for my story and decided to start learning the language. It had been recommended to me to go to visit. Since my purpose was to learn what it would be like to live in the society and I need to have people at home, I had chosen to find a homestay-type trip.

The main page for these journals is here.

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Daily Life

Home - I stayed at the home of a mother and daughter. They are both nice, although the daughter was often busy as she both works as a tutor and is a student. I wake up and go to bed before both of them. This has not been an issue, though. Food at home has been good. I eat breakfast and dinner at home. The apartment is small compared to American (or Canadian) standards. I find a lot of the workarounds of the lack of supplies or stuff which doesn't work perfectly fascinating, in part because of my application of such techniques when living alone.


Classes - The first day I was with someone, but the second day (and later) they put me alone. I think my level was too complex for being put with another person, although other people were also put alone. There were a total of 7 students when I first came, and 2 left by the end of the second week. The third week, 4 new students came and one left at the end of that week. At the end of the fourth week, 4 left including me.

Classes are in the mornings. The students then often go to lunch as a group and later do homework or tutorials in the school in the afternoon. By the third week, I was going to lunch with my teacher instead of the group. The program often has presentations or excursions in the evenings. They did manage to keep me busy, both because I went to all the excursions and because I tend to loose energy to do things by the evening. It seems like we can always find time to do our own things if we want, but they provide things to do if we don't have our own activities.

I have found that I can talk in Russian in class, but I am slow and it is difficult outside of class. It is frustrating for me when I can't speak, despite knowing the words, outside class. I guess I often have trouble talking to people for the first time even in English, though, so it is understandable. I can put my thoughts in the language and I can read most of the signs, although pages of text are beyond my level.


Food - On the right is a photo of where I like to eat lunch. It is a cafeteria-style restaurant. (Here is the transcription of the sign for those who want to use Google Translate:
щелкунчик // ресторан быстрого оьслуживания // вкусная еда //пресная еда // живое пиво // пиво как пиво // приятная атмосфера // скучная жизнь.
I have seen similar types of advertisements in Waterloo, although not as involved.)
We pick out what we want (or tell the server what we want for the hot stuff) and then take it to the cashier to pay for the food. This one has mostly Russian cuisine, but a lot of options. It is located in the middle of the building under the big Leningrad sign (in the picture of the square below).

There are lots of restaurants of this style around. We have gone to others which are more expensive but have other cuisines as well. The one in the mall has both a pizza/pasta bar and a sushi bar as well as the typical stuff. I think there are cheaper ones around which have very few choices. The Soviet government had built these so that women wouldn't need to cook. Women, however, still preferred to cook and still cook now.

I have been trying various foods, but sometimes it feels like I am just eating what is familiar and how I eat at home. This is probably just a result of already knowing I like Russian food and it not being exotic here. It is the first time, however, I have felt like I have had choices of what to eat at a restaurant. Typically I am severely limited and often need to alter a listed meal.


The City - It is a large city, and caters to tourists, with souvenir shops and tour guides everywhere on the main road, many hotels, restaurants with English menus, etc. The central areas during the day can be very crowded, like would be expected for a large city, but some streets are less crowded and more manageable. Besides the roads and squares, there are many courtyards behind buildings leading to many more buildings. Some sections can be like a maze, although shops will have signs pointing out where they are, if you realize that not everything is at ground level along the streets. There are also many small parks with playgrounds for children. Relics of previous eras are everywhere.

Weather - For the first three weeks, the temperature was between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius. The first day or two I was cold, then after that only in the evening after an excursion. I have only been using my hat and winter coat. I think my body may have gotten used to the temperature. By the fourth week, the temperature was around freezing, and there would occasionally be very light snow. I had also gotten slightly sick, so it was more difficult for me to maintain my body temperature as well. I still managed to walk for about 1.5 hours outside two of the mornings.

It was often overcast for the entire trip. I am told that this is normal. I found it nice as I did not need my sunglasses or to turn up the brightness on the screen of my phone. Most other people dislike the weather. It does rain regularly, but not heavily.


Leisure - By the second week, I managed to get my phone's internet working and started walking around and playing Pokemon Go. I did talk to some of the other players in the city, but I am not very good at talking to people and they typically use Russian. In this city, the raid chats use Telegram (instead of Discord like the west). The groups I used were - Poke Raid SPb, NestsPointsPokemonSPb.

During the third week, I went to a time-cafe in the area and was able to talk to people (in English), but by the fourth week I was sick enough that I couldn't maintain my energy into the evening in order to be able to go to events there.


Internet - Websites track your location, and so it was kind of weird when major international websites decided to default to Russian. Google is one of those which will change based on location, and even for Blogger, it will change the country ending automatically based on location.

Also, for people who don't know, Russians tend to use VK instead of Facebook for their social media network.


Impression - I like the city. I typically don't like cities, but I may be getting used to living in a city. Sometimes I can be bothered by the overuse of English (like отель for hotel despite there being a Russian word). I am one of the types of people who dislikes American culture being exported everywhere, especially all the problematic parts.

This time, like at the University of Waterloo, it seems like all the other students are on their fourth or fifth language. There is also this big overwhelming sense that this is not something people are expected to do. Everyone always seem to expect people to want to live where there are rights / freedom, money, and sun / light.

But, every time I continue to explore Russian culture, it feels more familiar and relatible. Things that I dislike or don't relate to don't feel alienating like they do in every other culture I have learned about, even American culture. All the aspects which people call strange never really seem to be strange. But in some sense I am still alone, discouraged or forbidden to follow this.

In SPB, I watch the people the people run across the crosswalks to get past before the crosswalk closes, something I tend to do, but had not seen in Waterloo. Someone messes up and crosses at the wrong time, when the cars are starting to move instead of stopping, and several people follow perhaps watching the other people go and not noticing that they went at the wrong time.

[In Russia you can't trust the drivers to stop and sometimes they even drive on the sidewalk. There is a reason (actually several - aggressive drivers, poor roads in rural areas, good public transit, lower wages imply ideal possession is closer to one car per household instead of per person, and a stronger sense of community and division of labor which means that unlike in Anglo-Saxon cultures, there should be no shame in asking others for a ride) why it makes sense for Russia to have a law against mentally disabled drivers, even if it was poorly designed and is at least partially designed to discriminate against people who are different, which is problematic.]

I remember seeing people looking at me on the street, and understanding why my mother is bothered about certain aspects of how I compose myself. I don't think it is wrong, but it takes time to learn what certain actions and expressions mean for different people.

By the time I was finished, I did not want to leave. It felt like the first time in a long time when I did not want time to pass. In the UK, the sense of alienation hangs in the air again, in its own way. I will eventually get everything put together here, but there are some aspects which I know will remain.

Despite the limited time to rest and to put together things here, I know it was good for me to go to Russia, the program was very good, and I will return when I have time.


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Interesting features

As is common in a city, there are some stores which are always open, stands and carts on the street, and people (here often in costume) handing out flyers and other stuff on the street.

(In St. Petersburg [SPB], I have most frequently seen the yshanka/bomber [stereotypical Russian] style hat worn by the people in costume, and it typically then also includes the Soviet emblem. It is not quite cold enough for people to wear these hats, although tourists do occasionally have them. Russians, or at least the urban ones, supposedly refuse to wear them as they are not fashionable right now. All the souvenir shops sell them, though.)

Fruit and Vegetables - The fascination with this is complicated, but it seems that these small 24 hour grocery stores are everywhere and include fruit (фрукты) and vegetables (овощи) prominently. In this one, all the fruit is out in the open in crates (which you can see some of) for people to pick the best ones. This is in contrast to the concept of the food desert in the US, where fruits and vegetables are not available.

 

I have not seen in these stores any of the various disposable kitchen or cleaning supplies we get in the US. I don't think Russians use the disposable things for everything like we do in the US (or Canada). At home, there is toilet paper and cotton pads for makeup in the bathroom, and paper napkins and whichever containers the food comes in from the store in the kitchen. Besides, the larger supermarket like stores seem to have this stuff, and they are everywhere and are occasionally 24 hour stores as well.

Here is another image of fruit sellers, this time on the street. [Vosstaniya (Insurrection) Square] (I know the view is not good, but the square is crowded and I am not good at photography.)

It was suggested by another student that the people who do this are selling things from their dacha in order to make enough money to survive, but the existence of tropical fruit does not support that conclusion for this one. I think other sellers of food outside in Vosstaniya Square are of this type, but I didn't take pictures.

The Dacha - Unlike Americans who prefer to live in the suburbs, Russians prefer to live in small apartments in the city and have a separate country house for weekends and holidays called a dacha. Dachas may not all have heating, insulation, or running water, but they tend to have a vegetable garden which would be used to provide additional food for the family.

I was told that there are no health food stores the same way in the US we have Whole Foods, but I would expect that there wouldn't be such a market as they are too expensive. But even in the US, supermarkets have whole wheat bread, and I am sure buckwheat would be available in the typical shops here. Trader Joe's (cheap imports with some cheap health food and nontoxic soaps and cosmetics) seems closer to the type of exotic food store Russians would want, although I have not seen this even in Canada. The only reason Whole Foods is cheap now is because it has to compete with Trader Joe's.

Books - Here are more 24 hour stores and stands on the street, this time for books.

This bookstore is large with many other things, including souvenirs, arts and crafts, games, and, of course, a coffee shop and lots of books. It gives the sense that instead of being obsolete, bookstores are a necessity of life. I tend to like this, since being in academia I like books, and I like to see them valued. I think my host family also likes books (although they are also in academia) as the daughter pointed this store out.

And, yes, Russians have internet. There are places which sell phones and phone plans everywhere. The phones are full price, although they are not locked to a provider and tend to accept two SIMs. The plans are much cheaper, less than $10 per month. I got one for 200 rub for the SIM and ~150 rub for the month which comes with 7 GB data, free WhatsApp, 300 min in SPB (the city), 300 text in SPB. There is even cell coverage underground in the subway. I also have Wi-Fi at home and at school. I don't know how much they order online, however. And I have been told (by some reviewers) the Kindle does not work well with Cyrillic text.


There are a few other 24 hour stores around for other things. What I remember was for household goods. I have not explored this.

For the outdoor stalls, I have also seen permanent ones for souvenirs and newsstand stuff (enclosed and you order through a window), for tours of the surrounding area, and a few for food (also enclosed). Near the book stand here (Vosstaniya Square), there was also a portable eyeglass stand. I have also seen portable ones for winter clothes or rain gear.

Graffiti - As is typical for a city, there is graffiti everywhere, including some large city art pieces. Here is one which I found interesting. The upper left corner has a hashtag. I know it is not visible from this.

Parks - Like any city, there are many parks throughout the city of various sizes. This city may have more smaller parks than I am used to. Every park has a playground for kids, large gravel paths, and grass. Typical features also include monuments, benches, trees, and other plants. They tend to be fenced in, with the gates closed when the park is closed. The city workers regularly pick up the leaves this time of year.

They also typically have signs like this one banning dogs. (Apparently people don't pick up after their dogs.) There are also typically signs which indicate that walking on the grass is prohibited. Of course people still walk their dogs in the parks and let their dogs play on the grass, because every dog owner believes that any fenced in public grassy area is for dogs to play.

This flag is familiar, (and I do not mean the Russian one) -

I will let you figure this one out. The text is бриллианты якутии if you want to look it up. I have not gone in the store. It did not seem interesting.


Newspaper outside - So this is a Soviet thing. Pravda, the newspaper here, is still owned by the Communist Party.
(You can see the old fashioned style for instance here: http://cinema.mosfilm.ru/films/film/1970-1979/djentlmeni-udachi/ 5:44) (I believe the Communist Party is the second largest political party in Russia with about 10% support. They do have members in various levels of government.)
Apparently someone replaces the newspapers regularly, only to have graffiti over many of them soon after. There were two spots in the city where I have seen this. I think they are both relatively close to the Communist Party's office.

For those who do not know, the Russian Orthodox Church has had more success getting people to accept their control and has imported gender enforcing techniques from the west in order to help impose themselves as a moral authority. I am not sure if the Communist Party actually wants control, though, or if they just don't want to be pushed out of society. I guess it is typical that minority groups want to be accepted as part of the conversation which is society and culture, while those with the power want control.

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Sunrise Photos

One morning, I couldn't get back to sleep after waking up, so instead of sitting in bed I looked up the time for sunrise and the location of the nearest body of water and went there to watch the sunrise. (Sunrise was 7:45.) Here are some photos:

Twilight (Before sunrise when it is already bright enough to see.)

Sunrise

This one is from sunset of a later day:

These sunrise photos from two different days after the first sunrise photos:

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Tourist attractions

I am not going to put in lots of pictures (or comments) as I am sure you can find better ones online. If you want some with me in, I have been told they are here:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Exlinguo.StPetersburg/photos/?ref=page_internal
(You are looking for October images - октябрь, 2017)

Just for reference, the city was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great
https://www.rbth.com/politics_and_society/2017/08/24/from-shaving-to-potatoes-5-things-that-peter-the-great-brought-to-russia_827666
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_the_great

I tend to find it interesting that not only has nobody wanted to get rid of the relics of the past, but they actively try to preserve it. During Soviet times, people worked hard to protect the treasures, even those from Imperial times, from the Nazis (who did destroy or steal monuments) and now people repair both Imperial and Soviet monuments. This, as well as the way the culture has changed over time, gives more of a sense of continuity of the culture rather than one punctuated by traumatic revolutions.


Around the City - There are many interesting features in the city, including buildings, canals, fountains and statues. Here is a monument to the cats who ate the mice which plagued the city.

Churches - Many of the Russians are Christian, and there are many old churches and cathedrals around. The one on the left is famous and iconic of SPB: The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. It is under renovation right now. There are some churches which were used for other things by the Soviets and returned to the Orthodox community with the fall of the Soviet Union.

Площадь Восстания [Insurrection Square] - This are some images from the square very close to the school which I go through every day. As you can see, the monuments here are Soviet. (The text in the image on the right is Gorod[city]-Geroy[hero] Leningrad. The monuments are in reference to WWII.)

Hermitage and Winter Palace - I don't want to show the images of the paintings from the small subsection of the Hermitage museum I went to, but I will show this image of the Winter Palace taken from inside the museum.

Metro - The subway systems in Moscow and SPB were designed during Stalin's rule. He had dictated that the metro stations and many building be magnificent the same way Peter the Great wanted such beauty in the cathedral and his fountains, for instance. It is an interesting symbolic concept, that public transit would be constructed to appear magnificent.

Peterhof - This is a large park right on the sea with many fountains everywhere powered by gravity. It was originally opened to the public by the Soviets, but later pillaged and destroyed by the Nazis. Some of the statues are replicas rather than originals as a result. Here is the main fountain of Peterhof, with a view of the palace of Peter the Great. Peterhof is not in SPB, but a separate town nearby. There is a bus which goes there.

Cathedral - Apparently this style and beauty was not typical of Russian churches, but was something Peter the Great imported from the west. The Nazis re-purposed this building since it was taller than all others, so the art is original.

Russian Museum - Besides being filled with paintings by Russian artists from the 13th century to modern times, the building itself was beautiful as a former palace/mansion of various people through history. The location is in a square full of artistic institutions. I ended up getting emotionally overwhelmed in this museum, I believe after our teacher told us about Catherine the Great.

Grand Choral Synagogue - This one I went to on my own as my grandmother had recommended that I go. I went in the main building as well as the kosher store / souvenir shop nearby. Since it is autumn, I will show the images which include the sukka out front. [Большая Хоральная Синагога С. Петербурга // добро пожаловать в нашу сукку]

Peter and Paul Krepost (Fortress) - When we went, the museums were already closed. However, we did see the Trinity bridge and all the buildings.

Summer Garden - This one is in between a park and a museum, like a much smaller version of the Peterhof fountains. I went here on my own. The fountains were off by the time I went there, but I think there are a couple fountains there. People seem to use it like a park, walking and enjoying nature.

Veliky Novgorod - This city is a 3 hour train ride from SPB. Here we saw three things:

• the Novgorod Kremlin, which included a monument to the 1000th anniversary of Russia, shown below,
• an outdoor museum with old Russian buildings which included a good view of distant buildings shown below,
• and a museum with old writing, tools, etc. from archaeological digs in the area as well as a WW2 memorial exhibit and an exhibit with old christian idols.

It also snowed a little when we were in the outdoor museum. The date was Saturday, October 21st. Starting around this date, the average temperature dropped from around 7 C to 1 C. I saw a little snow several day after as well, all very light, for only a short period of time, and melting by the time it reached the ground.

Таврический сад - Another park, this one was very large. I had walked around the park on my own two different mornings and one evening. I had taken pictures the first day of the outside of the Suvorov Memorial Museum nearby. I like the bird emblem despite the fact that it is an imperial symbol, and similar to the American one which I dislike. I guess it feels familiar, relatible, like the angels.

Площадь Ленина (Lenin Square) - This is another metro station, with a statue of Lenin facing the river outside of the train station, in a plaza with fountains which have been turned off for the winter. I had gone there on my own. When I was there, probably the most interesting thing was that there was a guy who wanted me to take photos of him in front of the statue. I think he said he was there previously 40 years ago. I guess I find it fascinating learning how Russians relate to history.

The photo here clearly shows that there are sunny days in St. Petersburg in October.

The Menshikov Palace - I saw this with someone else, an individual with whom I will be talking later. This was the palace of a friend of Peter the Great who was exiled after Peter died. I took no photos of this, but below is one from music museum below which is similar to what was seen here.

Music Museum - I went on Saturday, October 28th as my last excursion. I went only with one teacher since no other students were free this day. The lower floor of the old palace was a music museum with many old musical instruments on display. The upper floor had for display the old living areas of the palace as well as other exhibits. The image on the left has both musical instruments and is representative of the old palace. The image on the right is interesting because the image on the box appears to be beaded, like my mother's jewelery.