Russia

Last weekend, our group went on our excursion to Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia. Beforehand, I knew virtually nothing about these cities, so I had no idea what I was…

Being in a country that speaks a language other than your native tongue is always a challenge. When I came to Russia, I already had a year of Russian under…

Having two parents in the military, I moved a lot when I was a kid. I even lived in Japan for 4 years, and attended about 15 different schools from…

We’re sitting at the kitchen table and Elena, my host mom, is making us Turkish coffee like she does most days. I’m looking at the calendar and planning my week.…

The thing about St. Petersburg is that there is a lot to do. This city has a lot of museums (I mean A LOT of museums), bars, and restaurants. It…

1. I wish I had brought a longer jacket. I believe that having a coat that goes to at least above the knees is essential whether you are in the…

Spring came suddenly — almost all at once. Maslenitsa was in mid-February, an ancient Slavic holiday with both Pagan and Christian roots meant to mark the coming of Spring. In…

Not to find one’s way around a city does not mean much. But to lose one’s way in a city, as one loses one’s way in a forest, requires some…

Built on swampland and at points running beneath the Neva, the Saint Petersburg metro system dives deep into the earth. Admiralteyskaya is the deepest station, burrowed 105 meters beneath the…

On a quay of the Neva River in St. Petersburg, just outside the Academy of the Arts, sit two syenite sphinxes. They were transplanted here in 1832 after being removed…