Well i’m not sure how you fit a while week of St. Petersburg into one blog, but I will do a brief summary and then when I am home you can ask me more about it if you truly are interested!
So we got on a train on Friday at around 3:00pm and embarked on our adventure! I have never ever been on a train until then and so it was exciting! The entire ride there was about 23 hours and a few minutes! It was very very slow moving, but I do like to travel by train! In a plane you are very confined to a seat, and in a car you also have very little freedom, but in a train you can walk around, and sleep, and sit, and eat all comfortably!
So I don’t know if my pictures will show a good example, but basically we were in 3rd class (but it is cheaper and so we don’t really care!) and so we had 6 of us on the top bunks and 2 on the bottom. We shared the two compartments with other Russians- they were really friendly in my compartment! If only I spoke more Russian I would have been able to communicate more with them. But during the day you just sit on the bottom bunk and then when it is time for bed you climb up to the top and sleep! I slept pretty well- it is fun to fall asleep to a rocking train car! So yes, we survived 24 hours on a train! The bathroom was very scary! Hahaha it was quite the experience, but to be honest you learn to expect weird things!
I always carry hand sanitizer and tissues around with me because you never know the state the bathroom is going to be in! Sometimes you have to pay money to use them and they are GROSS! Sometimes they are nice, sometimes they are all soiled, and sometimes they are clean. Really though you just expect things to be a weird experiences so when you do face it: you laugh, take a picture, and tell all your friends! They sketchier the better I suppose! So the bathroom was scary but I lived through it!
So we brought lots of food like bread and crackers and chocolate and then Russian version of “Cup of noodles” is very popular here for train rides, so we were just like everyone else with our “Rollaton” (They have boiling water in the back for you to cook your food, and of course for all the Russians to drink their tea and coffee- it is so popular here…like seriously!
So these are seats and then the seat on the left turns into a bed, and the self above is a bed too!
Our friends! :)
Cute Mikaela made my bed! So that is our Russian neighbor in her bed (which is also our seat in the day time) and then mine and Mikaela's beds are where Mikaela is sitting!
eating our cup of noodles!
My nook!
Luke and Sami reading!
Well we made it to St. Petersburg (ps- when we needed help finding anything, we would always be blessed with someone to show us where to go- thank you for all your prayers, they are felt and we are always so taken care of). So the ILP teachers in St. Petes were absolute angels and let us stay in their apartment for free while they were on vacation to Finland (kind of jealous!!)
So we got to stay in St. Pete’s for free! Only the cost of travel and food and souvenirs- tell me that isn’t AWESOME!! So here is what we accomplished:
(NOTE: I realized that i messed up the days on this page, so just go with it!)
Day 1: Sunday
We went on a quest to find the church! So we had my tiny ipod touch with wifi internet at the apartment (ps- mom thank you for the wonderful Christmas gift, it has saved my life so many many times… there is even a metro app which was really handy!). We weren’t sure if the map was updated, but we decided to go with it anyways!
So we got a map and found the closest metro stop and got off and went about searching. Mikaela is ninja when it comes to directions and so she found it! We were so happy to find it! :) Church was awesome! We had it translated by the missionaries (seriously missionaries are THE BEST! I hope I can be one one day!) and then Sunday School was all in English and there were also 3 guys from Finland visiting who spoke English too! Just another thing to add to my list of why being a member of this church is awesome! I love going to church in a random country and city and realizing you are all brothers and sisters! All united in a goal to be like Christ! I have met so many wonderful members of this church from Finland, Albania and Russia- It is such a growing church!
Then we explored a little and then some of us (me included) went back because it was cold and I was in a skirt and we wanted to rest up for the upcoming awesome week!
LOTS OF METRO RIDING!
We found the church!
Yay for church!
Tessa and me and a bridge!
Jallyn feeding the pigeons!
Monday: We visited the Peter and Paul fortress. A way cool place, but not my best day… I accidently slid down a muddy hill because I was trying to climb down and instead of going the long way, I went the short way and it was really short because I slid down in the mud. Luckily I had my friends to laugh about it with, but still I was covered in mud! Then I also forgot my shoe inserts so my feet were dead… so a rough day, but a very cool fortress! We visited the jail where famous Russians were kept!
Mud :(
Peter and Paul Fortress!
Awesome cathedral that was there!
Then we saw the amazing Savior of spilled blood cathedral! Even cooler looking than St Basil’s and it was a ton bigger! We went inside and it is completely covered in mosaics! The whole inside is mosaics of Christ’s life and then all of their saints (still haven’t completely figured out why the Russian Orthodox church has so many saints,) but nonetheless it was a very remarkable building!
Then we went in the Kazan cathedral which was HUGE! It also smelled strongly of incense. I liked the outside better than the inside!
Tessa and me discussed how we better understand why other people aren’t allowed in our temples. I mean we go into an Orthodox cathedral or church and look around and are astounded at all the magnificiant of it, but we are a tourist with no understanding of the Orthodox Church so it seems a little strange to us. We don’t understand the bowing and the crossing and the candles and the incense. That is how it would be with the temple. It is something so sacred that if we were to let just anyone in, they would not understand the symbolism and the sacredness of it.
Savior of Spilled Blood!
Cool Mosaic-ness!
Yes, it made me smile!
Crazy HUGE KAZAN cathedral!
Tessa and Alix lived in a different aprtment and somehow the door locked without the key, so this is Tessa trying to figure out what to do :( Poor girl!
Then on Tuesday: HERMITAGE! Holy Cow- REMARKABLE! So much beauty in one building! This was the winter palace where the tzars lived! It was turned into one of the biggest museums. I didn’t even see nearly all of it and I was there for about 4-5 hours! Plus I didn’t really stop at one piece of art, I just kind of walked around and around fascinated by the amazement of it! It is huge- and everyone should go there… that is all!
WAHOO!
Whole group in front of the Hermitage! :)
AMAZING!
Then Wednesday we went to Catherine’s Summer palace which is about a 30 min drive out of town. It was the most beautiful thing I have seen! The grounds were amazing and beautiful and there was so much to see everywhere. The inside was beautiful and I have been in the famous amber room! We walked around the ground and explored and relaxed!
Gorgeous!
Grand Ballroom!
Feeding the ducks!
cool Chinese pavilion
weirdest statue ever!
walking around!
Then we went home and had too much fun!!
...
If you feed MIkaela a banana...
We had so much fun!
Thursday: We went to one of Dostoevsky's houses (famous Russian writer)
Also we went to St. isscac’s Cathedral and that was my very favorite part of the whole trip! The inside was HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE! And then we got to walk all 200 stairs up to the very top and see a remarkable view!! AWESOMENESS!
Famous Statue of Peter the Great!
Huge St. Issacs!
If only it could be captured on camera!
walking up lots of stairs!
long way down!
AMAZING VIEW!
I LOVE ST. PETERSBURG!
So awesome!
That night we went on a boat ride! It was fun but would have been a lot more fun if I wasn’t so cold! The sunset was beautiful with the buildings! You have to realize that ever building in St. Petersburg is beautiful and picturesque! EVERY BUILDING! You look in front of you, behind, to the left, to the right, and everything is so beautiful! Seriously it was the most beautiful city I have ever been to!
Boat ride fun!
Little chilly!
:)
Friday was “Unity Day” in Russia and we were told to be safe, so we dodged the main city and went and touched the GULF OF FINLAND! I even waved to FINLAND (even though you definitely couldn’t see it!) But it was so cool and fun! We had a lot of fun laughing and finding cool rocks.
Then we went to DISNEYLAND! Well not really, but it was like Disneyland- there were all these Disney rides and icons! Haha But it was free to go in, just cost money to ride the rides! We may or may not have ridden an awesome ROLLER COASTER! Just for kicks! :)
Then we went to IKEA! I have never been to an American IKEA, but the one in St. Pete’s was really cool!
GULF OF FINLAND- BALTIC SEA!
touching the Baltic Sea!
DINEYLAND!
ALLIGATOR WHISPERER!!
This one is for you Renee and Jake! I met YODA!
The park was called Divo park... does the "D" look familiar! hahaahahaha
WE RODE A ROLLER COASTER IN RUSSIA! We were so excited! :) SO MUCH FUN!
IKEA! or ИКЕА!
Then on Saturday we did some last minute shopping! We tried to visit the summer gardens where Russel M Nelson dedicated Russian to missionary work, but when we got there it was closed for construction. (I guess Summer Gardens is taken literally). But then we did everything we needed to and packed up and headed off to get back on the train. I must admit, going there was a lot more fun than coming back!
Summer gardens are closed :(
Mikaela built an awesome fort- this is us in the fort!
We made it though!
When I got home, I was so happy to be home! (I can only imagine how that feeling will be intensified when I get to America home!) However, the whole front of my apartment was in shambles because they are redoing the kitchen! Haha so we have been doing dishes in the tub and cooking on a little campstove thingy!
I only have 5 weeks of teaching left and then I am done. My time is going by so fast!
Snow has fallen in Russia and I have learned how to dress warm!
jacket, coat, hat, long socks, boots, gloves and scarf- then you are good to go! When we came back to Voronezh there was a huge temperature difference! It was a lot warmer in St. Petersburg! It has been around 30 degrees in the daytime.
jacket, coat, hat, long socks, boots, gloves and scarf- then you are good to go! When we came back to Voronezh there was a huge temperature difference! It was a lot warmer in St. Petersburg! It has been around 30 degrees in the daytime.
Then teaching this week went okay, kind of hard to teach after a break but we managed!
Then this Saturday we made Blini, listened to Christmas music and watch Anastasia and understood a lot more and recognized a lot of the places in St. Petersburg- Totally AWESOME!!
:) I am happy, I am eating a lot of good food, and everything is going well!
Hope that is the same way back home!
We celebrated Elder Frost's birthday!
My cereal which looks like horse food and tastes like chocolate!
SNOW!
delicious stir fried vegetables with seasoned chicken!! :) YUM!
BLINI!
:)
Learning the art of Blini!
Love you all!!!
-Kelsee :)
So, Natasha Wing gave me your blog link to read about what was going on with the teachers there now. I can't even BELIEVE it's been like 11 years since I was in Voronezh! eek!! time flies. I just wanted to tell you how delightful it was to look at these pictures and remember my own memories in Voronezh. To think that these same type of memories are being made by young Americans still, delights me!! Know that these experiences will help you so much as your life progresses. You'll be so thankful for your washer and dryer forever more. And you'll love this culture forever more forever and ever. Enjoy your remaining time there and know there is a 30-something across the sea who misses it all terribly!!! spasibo!!!
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