Upon my arrival in St. Petersburg, I was aware that I was about to enter a completely different and unique culture. However, I was not prepared for what I was about to encounter. Everything was very new and interesting. I felt like a child in a toy store when I was having all of these experiences that I did know how to understand. I arrived in St. Petersburg willing to learn about a new culture, but I never expected the unforgettable experience that I was about to journey into. I left Russia a changed person, not only intellectually, but also emotionally and spiritually. A month was enough to impress me for a lifetime.

Arriving at my hostŐs apartment, I was nervous and a little scared. She spoke no English, I spoke no Russian. Communication for the first couple of days was a struggle. Slowly we learned a few phrases in the other personŐs language in order to ease the pressure of the language barrier. We began to actually have conversations, not explicit ones, but ones skilled enough to form a relationship between us. I began to feel close to a woman I had just met and with one that I could barely communicate. After about a week, I began to meet other people in the city. , ones that were Russian, American, and British. It was amazing to see how they treated each other and how they accepted me into their seemingly private worlds. Almost immediately, they watched out for me and I felt like I could trust them. I had never made friends so easily. Looking at this group of people in Russia, they seemed to be a normal group of friends. However, when I arrived home again, I began to realize just how very different they were. I thought how they would act together at home and I knew they would not even know each other. My realization displayed just how important it was for me to study abroad to meet people who are very different from me and most importantly learn something from them.

The Russians that I met were obviously very different from us and the other Americans that I had met in St. Petersburg. When we were given a tour of St. Petersburg by some of the students that went to Nevsky Institute, I noticed some very interesting qualities. They were very interested in knowing why we came to Russia and how we had an interest in their country. They were pleasantly surprised to find out that we were not pretenous and rude. Maybe we helped to better the images of American youth in their eyes. If we bettered one personŐs opinion of America, it is worth the effort. The real shock came not with the other Russian students but with people, I encountered on the street. Some people were so excited to see Americans. They were interested in talking to us simply because we spoke English and they could ask us questions about America. One boy wanted to take a picture with me, the ŇAmerican girlÓ as he said. Others were not quite so friendly. We occasionally were referred to as Ňdumb Americans.Ó People easily became irritated with us when we did not understand them or we could not speak to them. At those times, I did feel like a dumb American. Most of the people just paid no attention to us, just like any other stranger.

The most interesting part of analyzing the people in Russia came when I would walk down the street by myself and just observe how people interacted with each other. It was very easy for me and them to feel alone in a crowd of people. Most people were not willing to offer help or services to others without expecting something in return. Doors were not held open for the person following, no one waited in line they simply stepped in front of anyone they wanted to, and pushing people to get ahead of them was commonplace. Although I saw these negatives, when a group of people, say a young couple or a family walked together, they were so concerned for each other. Mothers walked arm in arm with their sons. Couples were very affectionate. Girls walked hand in hand with their friends. A sense of the reasons for these actions became apparent to me. I felt that an overlying theme that if loved ones did not take care of each other, no one else would take care of them. Therefore, it was imperative to have a group of people close to you that you would choose with great caution and be able to trust in any circumstance that may arise. It was very difficult to choose those people and not easy to find them. An overwhelming look of sadness appeared on most peopleŐs faces as I walked by them on the streets and in the subway. Only young children seemed to be happy. Maybe children still had hope of a good life. Maybe their parents knew how bad things could get and were constantly concerned about their childrenŐs future. Any way you look at it, I could tell there was a grave insecurity for well being in the people I observed.

The most notable and easily distinguishable quality that every Russian I met owned was a strong love for their country. From out tour guides to common people on the streets that I met, everything Russian was ŇgreatÓ, or Ňthe bestÓ or Ňbeautiful.Ó It is hard to keep such respect for a country that has treated its people the way Russia has in the past. Common people know how if feels to go hungry, suffer from oppression, and not be able to think freely. It seems as if they are not sure what to do with it now that they have it. It is so new and no one can really make a proper judgement on how to handle it. Most people in countries that have always been free do not know how to handle it. It is impossible to expect a mass of people that have never known freedom to accept it and use it properly. Instead, they accept it with trepidation, and uneasiness. It is not a comforting feeling to know that everyone has this freedom and some people will abuse it. Overall, I see such a wonderful group of people who are trying to figure out the best way for them to live. They do not exactly know what they want now that they have a choice. Eventually the situation in Russia will allow her people to finally be happy and free.

One aspect of the difference in people is how they lived. One very large and important part of life is the way one eats. Food in Russia is very different than in the United States. It is amusing and disturbing to see McDonaldŐs, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Ice cream is sold at every corner and on the coldest days. At my hostessŐs apartment there never was something that I did not recognize. However, it was always prepared in a different manner than what I am used to. Sour cream was served with everything. Ketchup tastes different. Cheese and sausage are staple items. Extremely large meals are a regular occurrence. It was difficult to refuse a second helping of food for fear I would offend my hostess. She was extremely impressed when I bought a four dollar cake for her one night. This made me take notice of the price of the food items that people needed versus the price of treats. There were days when I would go to a bakery and buy a loaf of fresh bread, sausage, cheese, and a beverage all for under one dollar. The emphasis was well planned because it made for the most unfortunate people able to afford to feed their families. The variety of fruits and vegetables, meats, and dairy that were available for a good price was impressive. Although these were unhealthy in standards of high cholesterol and fat, they provided for a very well balanced diet. People were able to receive all of the nutrients they needed and were able to be very healthy too.

Another aspect of the community was the reactions I received upon entering stores, trying to purchase items. Some people were receptive, others were not. Most of the time they were just patient with us while we tried to communicate with them. However, one very interesting quality was very apparent. I noticed that although the shelves were stocked mostly full, when an item was not available, there was not compensation or substitution. The Russian people just took that in stride while American people are used to expecting something to be done about it. It was just a level of convenience that surmounted to a seeming ignorance on the part of the Americans. We expected something that was unable to be given and we were not used to just understanding that it was not available.

When we entered retail stores that were averaged priced, we were treated as any other customer. When we went into expensive clothing stores, it was another story. We were courted from the moment we entered the stores. They knew we were American and we had money to spend, or so they thought. They offered so many things to us, especially the most expensive items in the store. In these stores, the availability was very high and the service was excellent. This was of course in Western stores. If you were willing to pay the Western prices, you got Western service, sometimes even better than that.

As far as the public transportation was concerned, we were satisfied with the subway and na•ve with the taxis. We quickly became accustomed to the metro system. It was very helpful in getting around the city. However, it was much easier sometimes, especially at night to take a taxi or private car to our destination. When we ordered taxis, it was very easy, the cars were always on time, and the cost was always established. We eventually learned that most people just driving down the street would drive us to our destination for a much cheaper price than the taxis cost. It was difficult to get someone who would drive me where I needed to go, who knew where to go, and who was not trying to rip me off. Both taxis and private cars seemingly pretended not to have change for even small bills when we arrived at our desired place. I wound up paying much more than originally agreed upon because they could not change my bills. I do not mind doing this because most of the time, I knew that I had more money on me than these people made in a month. I did not mind giving a little more.

The different places were visited were just breath taking and rich in history. I thoroughly enjoyed touring the Hermitage, Pushkin, and Peterkoff. I felt like I saw a glimpse into the Russian history. St. Petersburg was absolutely gorgeous with all of the baroque buildings along the Neva River, the beautiful cathedrals, and magnificent impressionist art. St. Petersburg was very much European and modeled after early nineteenth century achitecture. However, a much more modern city was my favorite place that I went on the entire trip, Moscow, especially Red Square. Seeing LeninŐs tomb, St. BasilŐs Cathedral, and the Cathedral of the Annunciation and Assumption were some of the most magnificent places I have ever been. I have always been in love with Russian history but standing in the middle of Red Square, knowing that such a huge part of history had taken place there all throughout Russian history, really is a special feeling. I just thought of all of the photographs and newscasts that I saw that were there and realized a little bit more where exactly another culture was coming from. I saw part of history this time for which I had been alive. I cannot say that I enjoyed Novgorod as much as St. Petersburg and Moscow. Moreover I did not spend nearly as much time there and it was not the best weather and living conditions, which I know plays a large role in my opinion on the city. I did nonetheless, enjoy the sites I was seeing. St. Sophia was my favorite site I saw in Novgorod.

When living in St. Petersburg, I saw a European city with a Russian twist to it. It was full of life and people. Most everything was available, from foodstuffs to entertainment giving St. Petersburg and relatively healthy economy. When I visited Moscow, I did see some major changes. Not nearly as many people spoke English which became a large barrier for obvious reasons. The Muscovites were not as accepting of us and did not have as much patience for foreigners. I did not see the European influence in Moscow. Moscow is what I expected a Russian city to be like. Finally, Novgorod was in a completely different category. I saw a city that was depressed and a place that I have only read about. It was what I imagined the Eastern block countries to look like. I saw the Soviet housing and bleak buildings that infected the outskirts of the city. Life in Novgorod was not lively and exciting. When I think about the huge differences I saw in each of these cities I tried to compare them to the United States and how different cities here are. I know that I can think of a city that compares to each of the Russian ones I visited that are here. I feel that Moscow would compare to New York City, St. Petersburg would compare to Chicago, and Novgrod would compare to a small rural town in Middle America. As seemingly different Russia may seem there always is such an underlying similarity in the way people, live.

When I arrived in St. Petersburg, unsure of what to expect, I kept an open mind and tried to experience as much as I could while being there. I did not like obvious things such as never receiving ice in my drinks and poor service from people in public jobs. I did not like how some people adored Americans and put us on higher levels than themselves. It made me uncomfortable to think of myself like that. On the same note, I did not like that we were charged much larger prices to see the same sites, although I do understand the reasoning behind it. I disliked most seeing the poorest people begging on the streets that I had ever seen in my life. Seeing elderly women and children who are dirty and cannot even afford to eat anything brings me sadness. I know that Russia cannot afford to have social services as the United States does to help them. I immensely enjoyed my time in Russia. I wish I could stay longer and experience something close to my trip very soon again.