Well here’s to my last night in Saint Petersburg. I have to wake up at the ungodly hour of 2:00 am in only a few hours, but at this moment I couldn’t care less. I …
Kaylie Duffy
Sochi: A Whole New Russia
Reflection. Sometimes it is so incredibly hard to reflect. I just got off a 42 hour train ride from Sochi to Saint Petersburg, and I’m having a difficult time summing up the glorious, stressful, wonderful, …
Compare and Contrast: Evaluating my New Home
Sometime over the past month Saint Petersburg became my home. I didn’t realize it until I was strolling down Nevsky Prospect (the main street of Petersburg) today. The sun was shining on my face as …
Breaking Down Stereotypes: Moscow Style
Have you ever heard the stereotype that Russians are cold? I don’t mean just “cold” physically. I’m referring to the stereotype that Russians are cold, cruel, and always frowning. Well, I heard this a LOT …
Jumping Turnstiles: The Road Less Taken
I get lost a lot, and I’m pretty sure it is because I never really think before I do. I just do. There’s no planning that ever goes into my excursions in this country. Usually …
Aggressive Love
I’m in panic mode. It’s already March, and I still have so much to experience! Part of me wants to stay in Saint Petersburg through the end of summer. My host babushka, Marina, and her …
Sour Milk
About five days ago I watched as my host babushka poured a jug of milk into two mason jars. There they sat on the counter for five days. On the third day I asked her …
Support System
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to adequately describe my host babyshka. Marina is a paradoxical woman, and I feel like I’m learning something new and exciting about her every day. I also …
Delays and Jetlag
My neck is in severe pain. It is the only thing I can think about. My mind has turned to mush, and I feel as if I have no concept of time. The past day …
Cheese Curds and Nerves
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the …