Thoughts of Whitman on these Russian Streets

O ME! O life!... of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless—of cities fill’d with the foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light—of the objects mean—of the struggle ever renew’d;
Of the poor results of all—of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me;	5
Of the empty and useless years of the rest—with the rest me intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer. That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.

Привет Санкт-Петербург!

As our boat cruised along the Neva River through the heart of Saint Petersburg, rain splattered across our windows and the sounds of smooth live jazz filled our ears. There was the Winter Palace. There was cathedral after cathedral. There were the city lights that brought color and life to this city on even the dreariest of days. The conversation of forty-three students rose and fell with the lapping waves of the river; we ate, we danced, we laughed. And this is this: the celebration of our first week in Saint Petersburg, Russia. A celebration of this place we now call home.

Calling myself a resident of Saint Petersburg simply makes my heart smile. This is a part of my journey that I have been waiting a very long time for, and let me assure you, even after five months of travel, the wait for Russia was definitely worth it. Hearing, seeing, and speaking the language that I have studied for almost two years and knowing that I am not simply visiting, but living here among the Russian people is simply bliss. I can only eagerly anticipate what these next three and a half months will hold.

The Winter Palace

Roommates ready for the Jazz Cruise

And so, in our first week here, we have dived directly into classes and filled just about every moment of spare time with tours, exploration, and orientation. It has been busy and exhausting, but we are in Russia (!) and the thrill of that overshadows all else. From cathedrals, palaces, museums, and forts we have seen much that is on the surface of this city, but it is really just a drop in the bucket of all that Saint Petersburg has to offer. With the several months that I have here I hope to at least fill some of that bucket.

For this first month here in the city I will be living in an International Dormitory connected with Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University. I must simply rave about my fellow study abroad travelers, a few of whom I now call roommates in our dormitory apartment. It is so refreshing to live and work with other students who are as interested in Russia as I am and who are as excited about learning its language. I couldn’t have imagined better friends with which to explore this city and this country. After the first month, about half of the group will be moving into home stays. In these home stays we will live with a Russian family in the Saint Petersburg area for the duration of our time here, commuting daily to the University campus. I cannot wait to have my very own Russian host-mother and daily be forced to converse mainly in Russian. The fluency that will ensue!

Peterhof: The Versailles of Russia

At Peterhof

While the Russian air may chill to the bone, while the stereotype of Russians as serious, intimidating people may prove to be somewhat true, and while three and a half months is entirely too little time, I am simply loving life.