My Russian Host Family

So I'm living with a grandmother and her granddaughter who is about the same age as me. Her name is Tanya and she studies African languages at St. Petersburg State University. She's a freshman there.

Their huge black dog is still trying to attack me. They keep a muzzle on him so I'm safe. I plan on making friends with him eventually though. The cat also vomited on the floor in my room yesterday and I cleaned it up cause I didn't want to be a burden to my host family... Their last cat jumped out the window of the room I'm staying in and they're very cautious. From now on I'm not letting that cat in here ever again. Even though I'm keeping the window closed all summer cause it's freezing cold here.

So far I have not seen one black person. I went to the supermarket yesterday and it was the most awkward feeling of my life. Being 6'5 I usually stand out anywhere. Being 6'5 and Black here is like wearing a billboard with neon lights and spotlights. You know that feeling you get when you walk into a room and everyone knows each other in the room and you don't know anyone and it seems like everyone pauses to turn and look at you when you walk in? Multiply that feeling by 1000 and that's what it feels like to be me.*

It is kind of cool though that I'm living on the same street that Dostoevsky wrote Crime and Punishment. The main characters in the novel actually lived on this exact street and there's monuments to them outside my house. The area isn't as grimy as it is in the book but now I have a much better visual as to what it looked like at the time...

I'm on the 6th story of this building. Outside the streets are very broad. Not narrow like in Paris. Everything I've seen so far is big. Right across the street from me there's a coffee shop and there's a few other cafes on this street as well. And there's this really dope* looking club/bar/pub right next to me too. It looks like a really trendy spot for young people. I will definitely be checking that out later...

I'll update you later on. What it's like to live in a room that belongs to a 10 or 11 year old Russian girl. What it's like living with a Russian Jewish family. And what it's like trying to speak Russian with Tanya who wants to practice her English with me.

Keep me in your Prayers. I'll let you know how the first day of school is.

GO LAKERS!**

Stay Tuned

**I'm cheering for the Lakers cause I've always been a Kobe fan. They beat my team, the Rockets (who took them to 7 games) and because I'm from the West I'm going to almost always root for the team that is out of the Western Conference. I'm not the worlds biggest Laker fan. But after the Rockets, Nuggets, and Mavs/Spurs they're my favorite Western conference team.