Germans=Good. Sunday Service.

This week I've been very determined to attend Mass. I'm not picky either. Russian Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, whatever I could find. Luckily there's a nice Korean girl here from Brown that has been attending Mass at a Catholic church on Nevsky Prospect every Sunday. She told me that it was in English and so all week I've been making plans to go there.

I woke up this morning at around 9:00. I knew that I had to get to service soon. So I called Julia (the Korean girl) and told her that I was on my way. Mass started at 9:30. I finally got to wear my suit! I was excited about that. It's just been in my room collecting dust and animal must. I got dressed and I tied the perfect half windsor knot in my tie! So proud of myself. It's symmetrical and thick enough but not too thick. You'd probably see a tie tied like this in a GQ magazine. I looked great.

I saw my babushka when I was running between my room and the bathroom getting ready and she had cooked me oatmeal and hard-boiled eggs. I quickly ate the oatmeal and left the eggs. They serve me tea every morning too. I have never liked tea. Ever never at all. I actually hate it. I can stand Earl Grey with milk and lots of sugar but that's as far as I'll go into tea land. I poured a ridiculous amount of sugar into my tea. Drank about half and then took it to my room and left it right here and it's still next to me half empty.

I'm leaving the house about 9:50. I'm not making bad time at all. It's raining outside and still really cold so I grabbed my umbrella before I left. I must not be feeling well though because I forgot my Yankees hat that I have yet to go anywhere without. It didn't bother me too much cause I was wearing a suit but I just felt like part of me was missing. The Metro was really empty. And I almost accidentally got on the line that takes me to school everyday I immediately realized my error and made a dash to the other side of the station. I get on the train and in 3 minutes I'm at the Nevsky Prospect stop. It's currently 10:05.

I'm freezing cold and rainy and I don't have on gloves and or an overcoat. I can't warm my hands cause I have to hold my umbrella with my right and flip through my blackberry/russian mobile phone with my left for directions to the Church. I wandered almost aimlessly in the area between the Russian Museum and Church on Spilt Blood. The streets are practically empty because most Russians are either still drunk or passed out from Saturday. So I can't ask for directions. I recheck a message she sent me on my blackberry and she said that the address was 40 Nevsky Prospect. Simple enough to follow. I go back to Nevsky and walk a few blocks halfway counting numbers. I saw 25 and 26 and then I saw a big big huge church. It looked old and I thought that the Catholics were closed this Sunday. However, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try and open one of the doors. The first 3 were locked by the last one on the very left was open.

Once inside I immediately looked for the Holy Water that I could splash myself with. Couldn't find it. Strange. Very Strange. I go to my left and I see a receptionist looking lady. She tells me "поеиму дождь. две этаж." translation: "because of rain. second floor." I thank her and proceed to go up to the second floor. Look for the Holy Water and I still didn't see any. I open the door and I felt like I was coming out of the locker room at halftime because the inside of the church on the second floor was just constructed just like a basketball court. Of course there were no goals or anything like that but there was the pulpit up front. Rows and rows of benches where the court would be. And then places to sit on the sides where the stands and crowd would be. It looked really nice. First thing I did was check for Julia but I didn't see her anywhere. And I realized that I was not at a Catholic Church.

Turns out I was at a German Church! I was really confused at first because I thought they were talking in Old Church Slavonic (predecessor to the modern Russian language) but then I heard one of the priests say "der frau" and I knew that I was at a German place of worship. Here's what it was like.

There were two people in front of the congregation. One was an very official looking male priest that spoke in German and the other was a woman also dressed in official church priest attire that spoke in Russian. I'm guessing she was translating. The congregation consisted of around 80 or 90 people. The music was so harmonious! It had that old medieval choir music sound to it. I understood maybe 20% of what they were saying. The service was orderly and there were a lot of songs. I remember saying (silently) a really long Prayer during one. Then Communion was served. It was really different. All Believers that had been confirmed (Konfirmation-German word) went up first. I've been confirmed in the Methodist Faith and I've read enough about religion and been to different types of worship services so I figured I was confirmed enough. We all formed a circle at the front of the church and I was given my wafer and then a person came around with the wine. I dipped the wafer in the wine and that was pretty much it. At some point in time we all joined hands. I forgot if it was before or after Communion. Then all peoples who had not been confirmed went up and did the same process. There was the Benediction and a long organ finishing theme. On the way out the priests went to the back and shook everyones hands on the way out. They were very nice to me. I left Service feeling a lot better.

Everyone there was really nice. I remember a lot of people smiling at me. Probably baffled as to why this good looking young Black man has joined us today. There was also a point in the service in which we could walk around and greet one another. Everyone was really kind to me. I shook their hands and some greeted me in German others in Russian. When I responded using using the same language I was greeted people didn't look stunned or shocked they just smiled even more. I felt really at home. Maybe one day I'll meet a nice German girl and we'll have German kids that speak German, English, and Russian.

I called Julia and told her that I went to a German church but I insisted that she explain to me one more time where the Catholic Church was. She did. And I found it. I don't know How I missed it. It's huge! And was right next to the metro stop where I got off. The German church was actually in the opposite direction. I might check it out before I leave but I'm definitely going to go back and have service with the Germans.

Funny story about German actually. When I was learning my colors in Russian. I was in class and working with the one German girl that takes Russian and she holds up yellow. And I say gelb (German for yellow) by mistake. She starts laughing and my professor cracks up too and proceeds to tell me about all the Germans in Petersburg. At the time I was embarrassed and didn't really listen to what he was telling me but I now know that the Germans here are good people and I'm happy for my experience with them today.

Also. I got another Obama comment yesterday.

Stay Tuned.

Decode and Learn/Germans and Dostoevsky's Hood

Sprechen sie deutsch? Ja! I still do! But not much. Anyway, this is one street down from my apartment in the direction AWAY from the Canal. When Petersburg flooded the waters were this high.

My Russian Professor from Brown (in purple) she's incredible. And our tour guide the old guy in the vest. And the Students with Professor Левенцкий in the back.

Russian Grammar Table. And it's actually more difficult/complicated than it looks.

Essentially. I am trapped in a Russian Language Matrix. Currently decoding and liberating myself from the prison of grammar rules and syntax that has torn asunder my illusions of a simple one to one correlation of how Russian language functions.

Last night I pulled my first all nighter here. I came home napped and then from around 10 or 11 pm until 5 am I employed the help of a Redbull (only my 2nd or 3rd time drinking it in my life) my Russian tutor Ana back home via skype, and my Pocket Russian Dictionary. I got the work done and slept for a couple of hours. Got up told my host mom that I didn't need breakfast went to Sadovaya and had shvormak and then hopped the metro. Took a shower the gym and actually...

Strangest thing just happened I was writing this and then I got "invited out" by some people and I'm just now getting back to it. I'll have to stop here and continue later.

Sorry for falling off on that post earlier. So I went to school right after the gym and I showed up early. I was actually the first one in class. My teacher (the young one) was surprised to see me in class so early and I told her that I wanted to do better in class. I was amazing in class! Best Russian I've spoken yet! I paid attention and could understand 85% of what she was saying and I was really doing well in the class. We were learning about computers and different computer parts and functions.

Anyway, after class we had the Dostoevsky excursion. Which is basically: the neighborhood where Dostoevesky lived and wrote many of his great works including Crime and Punishment. We walked to all the places and on the exact path that Raskolnikov walked at the beginning of the book. So I actually saw where he killed the pawnshop lady and her sister his escape route where he kissed the ground all of those places. The guy who took us on this tour was this old Russian guy who seemed to be very wise. Almost like a sage. Anyway, for all those Crime and Punishment fans out there I just lived your dream. I walked everywhere Raskolnikov walked. I feel like one of Dostoevsky's characters living here though. Knowing that he lived and wrote in the apartment literally right across the street from me. I feel like the novel would be entitled "The Negro of Sadovaya"

A long time ago a lot of Germans lived in this neighborhood too. So there's like some German inscriptions in various places. Plus a few German business are still here. There a STIHL chainsaw and tool store not too far from here. The guys I met later I think one of them were German... That invited me to go out and I knew I shouldn't refuse. You know those Germans. If you don't join their party they'll come get you.

So the tour was great came home and took a nice long nap and had every intention of doing homework when I got up. But what happened was I went to go take the trash out. Met the Russian and I think half German guy and they wanted to hang out with me. So I ran back up and put on some jeans (cause I was wearing my Texas Longhorn shorts) and I grabbed my grammar homework! I was thinking. I'll hang out with these guys and get them to help me with my homework. And we did! We hung out! They helped! Then some girls came. Then people wanted to go into the bar (the one literally on the first floor of this building). One thing led to another... And yeah... So I got back in at an ungodly hour and I realized that I just had a very good cultural practice. I spoke a lot of Russian. Made friends. Took pictures. Cause at the bar I unveiled a few dance moves that I usually keep on reserve for my own personal usage when I'm alone in my room. But the Russians thought I was the King of the Dance floor. And then they played Michael Jackson... I was the only one that knew English... The only Black person... And only American... Do you see where that is going?

Anyway, I'm in tonight though! Mama and anyone else reading this feel free to call me. I'll be here studying away. Not going anywhere.

Strangest thing last night too. The half German kept asking where I was from in Africa and how my family was doing. He was pretty drunk... I explained to him many times that I was a student and I didn't have a wife or kids and that the last time that my family was in Africa was roughly 400 years ago.

Stay Tuned.

Где я буду жить? MTV Cribs Russia.

My Russian workspace. Pictures of Laila and one of my favorite pictures ever of me, Prof. Walker, Scott, and Greg Tate are on my desk.

this is my closet MTV cribs. you'll notice the suitcases are next to the Nike duffle bag which was a gift from my little brother custom made exclusively for me. above them my travel suits. custom made for European countries.

my bed. normally a 10 year old girl sleeps in it. the NBA pillow case is just a little something something I brought from home. I've had it since I was 10.

my room. no carpet=gross nasty.

the gross, ancient, decrepit dog that sleeps literally right outside my door and stinks up the entire place

White People for Dinner

Yesterday I had dinner with some of my host moms strange friends. Tanya was acting really weird as always. I got the vibe that she didn't want to be there. Anyway, there was a woman that had a haircut like a man and that had a kind of manly build. There was another guy that looked kind of silly. He looked like a nerdy computer person but according to everyone at the table he was a musician. And then there was a girl at the end of the table that was very shy and spoke really softly. I couldn't tell how old she was. She could be as young as 16 or maybe even as old as 27. The manly woman and nerdy guy looked like they were in their 40's. I don't think they were a family but they seemed to know each other very well. They all smoked in the kitchen while we were having dinner and it was disgusting.

They were interested in me and where I was from and asked questions about my family. I explained in Russian that I was from Texas and that I was student studying Russian language and everyone was really impressed with how well I spoke Russian. The dinner was really good and we had wine too. I only had one glass and I had to eat quickly cause I had homework but mostly cause I had to get out of the kitchen and away from the smell of cigaret smoke and animals.

I was very cordial and explained that I had a lot of homework that I needed to finish and they understood. They told me to come back and join them when I finished or if I needed help. I needed help but never finished. I heard someone playing the guitar later and everyone was singing along. My host mom is a psychologist by the way. She told me and I also see some psychological evaluation forms (in Russian) on the kitchen table from time to time.

Pet dogs, cats, and turtles are not house-dwelling animals. No matter how much some people may want them to be. Especially if your living space isn't that large. They let the turtle crawl all around the floor of the kitchen he doesn't have a cage or anything.

Seriously. I'm not supposed to wear my shoes in the kitchen (which I don't mind) but the cat is allowed to lick itself clean and leave cat fur everywhere right in the kitchen! And yesterday was the first time I saw the dog with his muzzle off. The top of his nose was disgusting looking! It was all covered in a blueish green pus. It looked like that from all the times he had been trying to take off his muzzle. It was gross. But I think he was given some type of drug cause he was really sedated and didn't bark or bite at me. He made himself very comfortable under the table while I sat and had dinner with the people.

I'm not the only one who requested a non smoking family. To Russians nonsmoking means not smoking in your presence. My babushka, mother, and Tanya smoke like people in Texas keep on the AC in the summer. All the time. I was talking to some girls at lunch and they said that they BOTH requested nonsmoking families and they said at first their host mom didn't smoke but then she started to smoke on their balcony then the living room and now she's gotten comfortable enough to smoke in the kitchen.

My room doesn't have a closest and the kitchen doesn't have cabinets for the dishes and there's no microwave in the house either.

I also did laundry again yesterday. Coin operated laundromats are a rarity in Russia. I asked Sif and he said he's never found one. So I had to let someone else do my laundry again. I LIKE doing my own laundry. And now it's all over my room in various locations drying.

The white people asked if I played an instrument and I told them that I played the trumpet. It's been a while but I've still got it. First Chair 7th AND 8th grade. Symphonic band. I think there's a free concert for students at St. Isaac's tonight. I have to run back to class now. пока!

Pictures. That's the kitchen/living room. The white people were sitting on that couch bed thing and I was on the side of the table by the computer. Imagine sitting in a room where all someone did was smoke 23 hours a day for 364 days a year mix it with gross animal smell and that's what my kitchen/living room smells like.

stay tuned.