The full story is that my roommate didn't feel comfortable in the home-stay that we were in. He has numerous tattoos, piercings, and a mohawk, and, while this would make him stand out even in America, it seems far more tabboo here in Russia. I still remember how our babushka's face dropped when he first arrived, and that she thought he was odd was made very clear. While she would occasionally become short with me, too (lecturing me for half an hour about how I "don't love myself" because I had an omelette for dinner, which is unhealthy), she seemed to have less patience for my roommate. She was even fairly rude to him on a couple of occasions. Between this rudeness (which she didn't ever really have towards me) and her growing list of items in the house which were off limits (from the entire kitchen to the washing machine), he no longer wanted to live in the apartment. So he talked to GRINT (the program I'm studying at, which coordinates our home-stays and the planned excursions) about moving into the dorm.
After this, I'm not sure exactly what happened, because the information that I got didn't match up. I got home two Thursdays ago and my babushka told me that my roommate was planning on moving out, and that I would have a talk with GRINT the next day about whether or not I wanted to also moved out. When I told her then that I'd like to keep leaving there, she said she thought I'd be happier in the dorms, but that it would be my decision in the end. Then, the next day, I'm talking to the student coordinator, and she's telling me that my babushka has told them that her "situation has changed" recently, and that I either need to move to a new home-stay, or to the dorms. Now, I think I got pretty lucky with my homestay, for the most part. There are certain things that were a hassle (the 45 minute walk to campus, not being allowed to cook or do my own laundry (and having to pay her to do my laundry)), however, we also would watch TV most every night and talk about what I'd done that day (always in Russian, since she doesn't know English). I was comfortable in the house, and thought she was mostly pretty nice. So, all-in-all, I think I was really pretty lucky with my home-stay, especially in comparison to some of the other home-stays. I don't think I would get lucky twice, and so instead of doing another home-stay, I opted to come to the dorms.
They've been fine. I mean, they're dorms. I've living with Americans, which is convenient, but also not why I came to Russian. But I'm probably having more fun, because I'm around more people more often, without the hassle of having to walk home through an "at-risk" neighborhood at night by myself (oops, Mom). Anyway, I've been here a week now, and all is still well.
In other news, we went to see Evgeny Onegin (Eugene Onegin is the more common English spelling), an opera. I had a loose understanding of the story going in, but when Tchaikovsky was writing it, he only included the really important scenes (it's an adaptation of a Pushkin поема, or novel in verse) because the story is so well known in Russian. So it was confusing, but I really enjoyed parts of it. Here's a link of my favorite part of the opera, but I'd skip to about the 4:50 mark in the video.
Then, yesterday morning we went to Lenin's Mausoleum, where the body of Lenin is literally on display (he is taken out every 6 months to have his preserving fluids changed). It's a very eery thing to see, especially since he is on display against his request. He had wanted to be buried alongside his mother, but instead he has been set up as an idol as the creator of the soviet communist party. I find it interesting as Russia continues to hold up so many Soviet symbols with such high regard (Putin himself recently said in a speech that the fall of the Soviet Empire was one of the worst tragedies of the 20th Century, and yet it's because of that tragedy that he now holds so much power (and can run for President (and he WILL win the election, one of my professors said))). Outside of Lenin's Mausoleum they have the graves of many (maybe all?) of the Communist leaders, including Stalin. All of them had roses placed on the graves, including Stalin. Again, I find it interesting (to say the least) the extent to which Russia holds on to its Soviet-ness still. Even the worst part of it.
Sorry for no pictures. I'll post some photos here soon.
I'm so sorry, Caleb! I heard a few things like this happened to several people in Petersburg. By three weeks in EVERYONE had moved into the dorms in Moscow...I honestly think it is just the Moscow people, they aren't as with it as the Petersburgian ones in terms of Western-ness...but you know that. Loving reading your blog! Hopefully now you get to enjoy the stinky sewer showers at the dorm! Weeee.
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