The Little House on Kapitanskaya

The Birth of the Blog @ Brisbane, Australia

2008-12-14T21:55:15.000Z

Dun... dun... dun... DA-DUUUUUUUN (bom-bom--bom-bom--bom-bom--bom-bom--boooom).

And on the 7th day (of the week, provided you call Monday the 1st one...), the blog was born.

Here, within these pages, will be contained the exploits of one Miss Amber and the other one, Miss Serena, as they traverse the globe - flying from Brisbane to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to London, London to St Petersburg and so on - searching for the correct genitive plural form of 'kocherga' and, just maybe, a most fantastical adventure.

Friday, January 9th 2009, 00:50: it begins.

Be there.

... or catch up later.

[Much love to our beloved friends and anemones]

["Hey Mum!!!" xoxox]

T-55hrs @ Marsden, Australia

2009-01-06T17:35:32.000Z

Two more sleeps and already this blog has been viewed 141 times! Either all our dear friends are waiting fervently for further news about our escapades, or I've forgotten my password more times than I thought.

Anyhow, all of our documents are in order, our tickets are valid, our visas have arrived and our bags are nearly almost packed. We have been faithfully informed by Lyndall that it's already quite cold -- around minus 13C. Her blog says that all the good coats are gone from the shops, which might pose a bit of a problem if it does turn out that our Australian approximations thereof fail the Russia test. Perhaps on my follow-up foray into the frozen lands, I'll be sure to ask at the Snowbiz counter if my coat is 'Russia-proof'. I know my boots are - $69.95 from Columbia at the DFO and they're guaranteed insulated to -30C.

I have just subscribed to global roaming. Time will tell if this is a good idea, or not. I honestly think that the amount of money I'll spend on texts home will not add up to the cost of even a discounted STA SIMcard. Could be wrong, though. Didn't do much homework. Best to email, then, maybe. ;)

I've found myself waking up at the wee hours of the morning and thinking how soon it is until we fly out, feeling a pang of anxiety and constantly ticking off checklists and making new ones in my head. I'm hoping this is more excitement than terror, although I think it is tuckering me out enough to ensure a good sleep on the plane.

I've re-evaluated the lotions and potions that I've attempted to pack, and decided not to take the protective serum I use for straightening my hair. For one thing, I don't want that stuff leaking in my bag. For another, I'm going to Russia, not the moon. Mind you, if you see me with a bandana on, you know my hair has been fried off... =D

Just about to register with smarttraveller.com.au - just in case.

Not sure when the next post will be! Can't wait to arrive in Russia and bribe *cough cough* I mean CONVINCE the ladies at the university to let us stay on under the guise of a minimal contract for an extra two weeks. Otherwise, we'll be back in the beginning of February and that would be sad.

Not much time not much time!! @ St. Petersburg (Saint Petersburg), Russia

2009-01-14T13:08:49.000Z

Hello everyone! We had incredibly long, but safe, flights, a night in London that was akin to something out of The Bill and arrived in Russia to be greeted by a blood-red sunset and lots of snow. It's not fun dragging 30kgs through slushy snow.

Having heaps of fun but I've only got 8mins left in the internet cafe. Sorry. You guys came last. Talk to my mum hahah.

Our hostel really isn't the Ritz at all, nor even the Ritz's back cupboard, but it has beds and a little kitchen and a bathroom and a toilet that is free haha. The real problem is that we are situated so far away from a metro station and therefore pretty much most of the city. It takes us an hour to get to uni in the morning and we have to find our own way back. That takes about 1 1/2 hours. It means we have to plan our day in the morning if there's a bit we have to do. We got in at 10.30 last night after 14hr day.

Our courses at the university are really fun. We have grammar, speaking, phonetics and literature. We have to pay so much money for bus passes and stuff every time. Even our poor room mate has to pay for her internet connection, even though there are ports throughout the bedrooms. Thieves!

I haven't done much site-seeing yet as this first week has been all about organising ourselves and making sure we have all our documents under control.

The metro is great, buses are ok and mashrutki are fine. Don't intend to mess with a taxi.

5 mns left.

We have German (Olga) and Japanese (Ellie) neighbours who are lovely and there are two Italians (Marta and Mauro) and a Frenchman (Siril) in our uni classes. I heard whispers of other Australians but I haven't seen them yet.

Haven't bought any gifts yet - no time and I want to look after my money.

I'll try and come online again soon and write something a little more coherent and meaningful. Did I say? The last internet cafe we went to didn't allow use of foreign websites!!! lol bye xx

All You Need is Love @ St. Petersburg (Saint Petersburg), Russia

2009-01-21T14:23:54.000Z

What a week. We've been so busy that this is the only chance I've had to come online again. I've been keeping a diary so here is the short of it:

Wednesday 14th

- Met a man called Anatoly Alya. Actually, we didn't meet him - he followed us as we were walking to the metro. He told us that he has a red diploma in english, that he knows 20000 words in english and, in not as many words, that he thought I should marry his son. Completely unrelated to the last sentence, he told us that he had visited a gypsy and she told him that he was going to write a book that would be famous in Russia and made into a world-famous film in America. He said there are 4 other gods apart from the Almighty: John, Paul, George and Ringo. He then proceeded to sing Beatle's songs to us in English and then in Russian (his own translation). So much for trying to not stick out in a crowd.
- Took the wrong transport home. Ended up on the island above ours (without a bridge) and had to get help from a 'molodoy chelobyek' on the tram. He really like Olga and was waiting for her at the bus stop when she went to the market after we got home!!! Freaky. She lived.

Thursday 15th
- Met with Lyndall and John at Cafe Lima to say goodbye. We took Olga and Isabella with us, and we went to Dom Knigi (House of Books) afterwards. I spent too much lol. I bought a big Russian-English dictionary, some tretradi (exercise books), more maps, a book of poetry in English and Russian and a dual-language Sherlock Holmes book. I'm sure I got more, but I can't remember. Someone asked me what I bought when we walked out of the shop, but I couldn't remember then, either. Ever since I've been pining to go back. Apparently there's a cheaper spot somewhere outside of the centre, so we'll go there one of these days.
- I discovered what the europeans have been using for all these years to write on - little squares like the ones we in Australia use for maths until grade 5. They're brilliant! I mean... !!!! I'm either going to have to buy heaps of them here (because the ones I got are for learning Russian/English and come with columns and stuff) or order them from Australia when I get back.
- Took the right bus home

Friday 16th
- Explored Vasilyevski Island (where we're staying) with Olga. Took a fair few pictures, but nearly froze my hands off. We were standing at the lighthouses on the fork of the Neva and Malaya rivers. We had dinner at a fastfood chain called Teremok. Very tasty and very cheap.
- Found the right bus home

Saturday 17th
- Slept in for the first time in aaaages. Was very nice. Explored a bit of the Hermitage, but because we slept in so late and we were hosting a party that night, we could only spend about 3 hours there. I think we only go to see 1/2 of the first floor. The place is huge and beautiful and all the gold is real. The gold on the ceiling and the walls, I mean. We get in for free with our student card, apparently, but we didn't know that at the time. Foreigners get in for 300rb and natives for 100rb. We took our Russian friend who bought our tickets as we acted like native Russians. Bargain!!! At least until we found out about the student card...
- Hosted a party. About 30 people or so came, representing every continent but the Americas. Heaps of fun, except the toilet doesn't work anymore. We awoke the next morning to find a swimming pool in the WC. About 2.5-3" deep. We used a saucepan and lots of chux to scoop/mop it all up. Olga's computer died that night, too. There are no switches on the powerpoints, here, sooo....

Monday 19th
- Went to the markets behind Spac Na Krovi (Church on Spilled Blood) in the evening to scout out a nice new coat, but bought a nesting doll with everyone from Tsar Nicholas to Medvedev. Tsar Nicholas is about 5mm high. Amazing.
- Blisters are improving.

Tuesday 20th
- Bought a beanie and a new bag. The beanies I brought with me just don't do the job in -4. When it gets to -15, -30, I think I'm going to have to lash out on a fur one (hugely expensive), otherwise I'm just going to have to stay inside.
- Made a tasty dinner while everyone else was at the ice party. (Party on the Gulf of Finland, on the sandbank by the ice - too cold for me so I went home early. Also, I could barely negotiate the ice and I was SOBER...)... Anyway:
Fry bacon, add mushrooms, garlic seasoning, salt and pepper.
Add sour cream and reduce.
Serve with buckwheat kasha fried with garlic seasoning, salt, pepper and oil.

---

That's pretty much it, so far. I parted with Serena on the metro and found my own way here to CafeMax. Go me!!! Walked in what an Australian would call a blizzard. It snowed in my eyes lol

Lots of love to everyone - I suppose I should tell you all about what I'm stuyding next time lol

Until next week! xoxoxo

What language are you speaking? @ St. Petersburg (Saint Petersburg), Russia

2009-01-29T13:02:13.000Z

What a week. Only 25 more days left in Russia for the dyevushki iz afstraleeyee. I have to admit that I am slightly disappointed with the way this blog is progressing. I was hoping to pen something a little more interesting and witty than just a listy-boring-verbatim copy-out-of-the-diary-with-better-grammar effort. It's hard. Especially when you only buy an hour of internet time. But this time is different. I bought two. This is the second hour. I spend the first surfing the internet, looking at the tennis, forgetting to look at the cricket, writing no emails BECAUSE NO ONE SENT ME ANY!!! If I hadn't bought most of your gifts already, I would have forgotten about them lol. Just kidding. I've bought them already.

We have once again endured an impossibly busy week. Impossible, because quite a bit of it was spent either sleeping, relaxing or eating. It is amazing how much we eat. It is the running joke among the denizens of the obshezhitie/hostel about how Serena and I either always talk about food, are always eating, or otherwise once again heading over to the market to stock up on food. We have been forced to find a different supplier of mushrooms, seeing as Paterson's doesn't seem to want to stock them, anymore. In fact, yesterday we went to no less than four magazini in one trip! First to "Supermarket" to get the most delicious chocolates you'll ever taste in your life - Aryolka's by the company Red October. Just for that they'd have to be tasty! From there, with our little green-bag-wot-Lyndall-gave-us laden with "essentials" (chocolate, cheese, potatoes etc) and a 6-7L (we never look and can't remember how big it is) bottle of water. On the way back to the hostel, we remembered that we needed some Lay's Potato Chips in "Shashlik" flavour, so I waited outside with the groceries while Serena got two huge bags of those. Then we remembered that we needed mushrooms, and had to go into the little "produkti" building outside the bus-stop - 300g for only 50 roubles!! Our fourth stop was, finally, Patersons. We realised that there was, indeed, another party tonight and were forced to buy pepsi, pivo and some tasty little "sirok" desert cheesecake-in-chocolate thingies. I had also run out of Snickers. So, for the umpteenth day running, we returned to our building with bags full of stuff. We gave up on buying 4 packs of toilet paper last weekend and splurged on a 10 pack. Then we realised that it was just Serena and I this week, after our neighbours Olga and Eri (yes Eri - not Eri... she's from Japan... *cough*) went home.

We have met lots of new people this week - a grand total of 2. One was a man called Valentin, who is a photographer that sells his works at the markets behind the Church of Spilled Blood. He was kooky. Serena loved him. The other one was a molodoy chelobyek from Germany called Niels. He had heard Olga and her partner speaking German in Hostel Abrikos, and when we were having our farewell lunch (at Teremok, no less), he came over for a chat. We have promised to take him on our next adventure.

An entire two bus-loads of Canadians arrived at the hostel on Kapitanskaya on the weekend, but they don't say anything. I have discussed my theories with Isa and Serena over "tortillas de patatas" and beer (yes, beer) and I have concluded that coming to study Russian in a group is the worst thing you can do. It's a pack-mentality thing. The person with the best Russian does all the speaking (their teacher) and the rest of the group mill around together, not talking to anyone but themselves.
Serena and I thought we'd do the nice thing and help a molodoy chelovyek in need (the lady at the front desk of Kapitanskaya kept asking for his migration card and he didn't understand), so we said hello, helped him for a bit (until the Canadian who spoke better Russian came) etc and went on our merry way. The same day we saw him in Paterson's supermarket and he looked at us like we were aliens. We'd even brushed our hair. Imagine the nerve.
We helped his teacher the next day, as were were handing our key to reception. We saw the teacher standing there, looking anxious. There were to 'formidable looking women' (his words) in front of him, and all he wanted to do was hand in his key, but felt as if he couldn't just place his key on the counter. Because these women were 'taking up all [his] time', and Serena and I were hungry and this was one of our trips back to the market (I told you we go every day), I said, "mozhna?", took his key, elbowed past the scary ladies and whacked all our keys on the bench with a "Dobryoe dyen'" and a "Spasiba". It's Russia. Sometimes, you just have to do it. Anyway, after all this goodwill and assistance, you'd expect a little bit of respect in the halls of Smolny, or at least a smile and a wave or something. No. Pack-mentality. The Canadians and Yankees (Canayanks - I just thought of it... I know) get THEIR OWN CLASSES (Serena and I are in international ones where you get to meet people from all over the world and arrange the most fantabulous parties), but not only this, the Canayanks GET THEIR OWN SMORGASBORD!!! They get their own room and their own tables in Smolny!! Us 'internationals' have to queue up with the rest of the international student body and find our own places to sit and and and... !!!! This, of course, does nothing to endear them to us. Especially when you seem them in the hostel the same afternoon and they RUN past you - wide-eyed and terrified like little mice that are trying to out-fox the big Tiger that's running around Siberia or something. Really - I saw that on the news.

Anyway, the Canayanks don't really talk to anyone but themselves, don't eat with anyone but themselves, don't study with anyone but themselves and, in general, are quite boring. That is if they even acknowledge you.

Last Sunday was Eri's last day at the hostel. Serena had gone to visit Jeff and I'd gone with Isa and Sveta and Liev to see a Nina Karlsson concert (250 roubles I probably could have spent better, elsewhere, methinks). The room was tiny and full of people smoking cigars and drinking. My coat stank the next day. So did my jeans and my jumper and everything else I was wearing at the time. Plus, one drunk guy charged through the door, smashed into our table and sent all our drinks and chips crashing onto the floor. The other drunk guy plonked beside me and decided I was a nice pillow for him. Liev had a word with the publican and after the end of one of Nina's songs, had a word with the guy- asked him how he was feeling: very bad; suggested he'd better leave: after his beer. He went to take another swig but his hiccough got in the way and he started spluttering everywhere. Then he decided it was time to heave I mean leave and walked up the stairs, got to the top and started teetering backwards (in my soft, comfortable direction). Everyone groaned, and I think the collective gush of air righted him and he made his way out the door safely. But, yes. It was Eri's last night. Isa and I got back at about 11.45pm. After parting with Isa at the lift, I saw that Serena was already home and had eaten all the food with Eri and Mauro. I was sad about that. All my food was in a glassy pile on the floor of the club, so I had to make some of my own. We stayed up until no later than 4am. No alcohol involved, just a whole lot of fun and laughter and posing in fake fur hats and pretending to be garden gnomes in a red beanie, glasses and my grey ear-muffs. It doesn't sound so great now, but when you see the pictures, you'll understand. Thankfully, our timetables had changed that week and there is no school for us on Mondays.

I'm not sure if I wrote last time about how we didn't realise we could use our ISIC cards at CafeMax, and could have saved ourselves at least 1 hour's payment. It seems that, as our Russian improves, we are being asked if we have some kind of card at Patersons, which we frequent at least once, daily. We aren't game to ask what kind of card. Considering the majority of our expenditure has been undertaken in the hallowed halls of the supermarket, if we find out we can get a discount after three weeks of cheese and mushrooms and cucumber... stay tuned.

In happier news, I visited a shop named after YSL perfume Rive Gauche (not so sure about the copyright infringement or the spelling, for that matter, as Russians spell it phonetically), and bought a 50mL bottle of Kenzo Indian Halo for a mere AU$60 - I distinct improvement from another shop which had it for about AU$150. Of course, these prices were in roubles and there was a couple of thousand involved and I was very happy to learn that Rive Gauche provide an ISIC discount. Needless to say, my clothes no longer smell of cigars and alcohol and I'm thither bound as there is only 2 minutes of internet remaining.

Much love to everyone and you'd better email me this week or I just have to stay here until you do!! xoxox

The Little Hostel on Nevsky Prospekt @ St. Petersburg (Saint Petersburg), Russia

2009-02-12T14:27:32.000Z

What a week. Horrible, intriguing, harrowing and all that other stuff that seems happen at the end of a trip to try and muck everything up.

First things first - I have reevaluated my opinion of the Canadians (the Americans are another story :p). After midnight sessions bonding over beers, politics and cartography dressed in togas, some of them are an alright sort of bunch. The pack mentality somewhat remains, but they're forced into it, apparently. They sure can drink a lot, too. Not quite sure if they can hold it as well has the rest of us, but gee...

Next thing's next - my little hostel on Nevsky Prospekt is a dream. A bed that doesn't scream at you when you move your little toe; a shower that doesn't send flakes of paint all over you with an errant swipe of the loofah; a toilet that is white and sparkly; a washer AND dryer; warm floors; pleasant staff; a water cooler... it's a little pocket of western luxury that old soviet hostels can only aspire to be. That said, the chief inhabitants of my little Hostel Abrikos (Apricot) are Russian. Well - we are on Nevsky. I've been meaning to get online there because there is, also - wait for it - ... FREE INTERNET!!! ... but because it's free, it's usually always occupied. Don't know why - it's a horrible machine. Still, it's free and it's only a few metres away from my comfy bed. I bought some disgusting pink slippers, too, which are so ugly they're beautiful, so I shuffle around the halls of Abrikos desperately seeking facebook...

What else has happened? Apart from finishing our studies, we haven't managed to see any other St Petersburg dostaprimachatelnosti (tourist sites). We've been too busy trying to balance our social lives that took a drastic beating upon leaving Kapitanskaya - in fact, Serena living all the way up on Bugri makes it triply hard for even the devushki iz afstralii to organise a decent get-together; keeping ourselves from shopping until we drop, or at least our bank cards do; and dealing with new and old relationships that seem to have taken our remaining time by the proverbials. To what do we owe these obstacles to site-seeing, people-meeting and authentic russian cuisine finding?? Only our wonderful characters, of course. Our Kapitanskaya parties reign supreme, still.

Yesterday, however, was the worst of all the days I've been here, at least. I woke up to a call from Mum saying that the house back home in Australia had been burgled and they'd taken all sorts of lovely things, such as: the jewellery I'd purposely left behind for fear of Russian bandits; the laptop with 2 years worth of university slavings and notes and thoughts and lecture slides and russian-verb-chart creations etc etc I'd left behind for fear of over-zealous customs officials; Dad's hearing aid (that really aggravated me); and the courage of my little pooch (for which I am considering extending the social networks in search of a dealer of revenge). Who does that? I am constantly reminded, however, that I have my family and my health, unlike those who continue to suffer and endure the VIC fires - truly a mournful comfort, but one best not forgotten.

Serena and I have yet to meet the friends of Lyndall and John. By the time we go our separate ways, we're usually exhausted and all we can think about is food and bed and then wake up the next morning to be once again taken by the torrent of energetic friends and new acquaintances. We're heading back to Kapitanskaya today for a little vecherinka, and with any luck we'll be able to sit down and call the various Natashas and Sonias (??). Is it Sonia? All I know is that there's definitely one Natasha. In our group at Smolny, the Korean girls' names were Natasha and Sonia. A strange coincidence or a brain-meltdown?? Who knows. We will be on our best behaviour, however, rest assured.

Today I hope to buy some nice new boots. I have been informed by many a cheloveck and devushka that I'm really in dire need of nice boots. Serena has the same ones, and no one seems to tell her to get new ones =( lol

We are finding that our Russian is improving, however these past few days, we've only been talking in English and that does pose a little bit of a problem when it is necessary for one to switch instantaneously into Russian. It doesn't help when you've met a molodoy chelovek who speaks far better Russian than you do and does most of the talking most of the time. In a Greek accent. But it's ok - we got the water cooler refilled.

Tomorrow we are hoping to take a trip to the post-office to send off our kilogrammes of shtuff that has been purchased in the various book-stores of SPB. My entire carry-on luggage thingy is full of things to be put on a plane to a far away place, that, upon placing the index finger and thumb of the left hand inside the knuckles of the opposite hand, always seems to be with you. I'm dreading to think of the cost, but I can only hope it will be cheaper than the excess baggage fee of FinnAir.

Well, I fear I have little else to say for the time being. I think we have 9 days left until we're forced to awake at 5am in order to get to the airport before check-in. No vecherinka for us next Friday =( Maybe we'll do it on Thursday, instead... hmm...

Love to all and hello from everyone here (friends old and new). Many hugs and kisses and sprays of Kenzo and Issey Miyake (I spent far too much money on perfume and make-up, yesterday...) xoxoxoxo

The End of the Road @ St. Petersburg (Saint Petersburg), Russia

2009-02-20T12:32:01.000Z

So. Here it is. The day before I fly out (and I'm on the internet?!?). Yes - someone tried to scam my cards here, so I thought it would be wise to check my balances. Happily, I'm rather certain that it is me that has drained the finances to nearly zero. I have been on QUITE the holiday from reality. Only a handful of people know the amount of roubles I've spent at Рив Гош, and hopefully, it will stay that way.

I have to say that this has been one of the more draining weeks of my stay here. Who'd've thought that we'd meet so many people and go to so many restaurants (we've all grown up a bit and are passing on the вечеринки). I've eaten fast-food style borsch and real borshch and beef stroganoff and 'tater cutlets with mushroom sauce and mushroom risotto and grilled vegetables with genovese pesto and and and and all in this week, alone haha. Today we're going to find a new place to eat and celebrate our friendships and plan our returns and our future holidays etc etc etc. I know. I'm writing very long sentences and using 'and' a lot, but what the heck. It's my last day.

Would it be vain to say I've lost count of the amount of times I've been propositioned? Probably, but I have. It's quite scary. Towards the end, not even "I don't speak Russian" made them go away, and they were all to polite to really warrant an "уходите", or "go away". In fact, both Serena and I are always mistaken for Russians, now. It nice that we blend in and the like, but really. We don't speak very good Russian. That is, we speak good Russian, but only a little bit and our studies really haven't encompassed the "How to get away from scary people without making a scene" part. We're working on that. Well... we WOULD work on that, but a combined 15kg of Russian textbooks and dictionaries are currently floating their way across the ... well, I don't know which ocean, but they're floating their way home. Just FYI, the ratio was 1:2, with mine being the 2. I know. Don't say anything. Молчи.

We have broken hearts and broken blood vessels - we have proof of the bruises. We've... I've bought new boots and new clothes and a new bag and and and.. yes. That's where the money went. At least I can share the perfume, mum =)

We have met people from all over the world - every continent - and we plan to visit all their couches at some time in the future. Right now, the deadline for a couple of visits is June/July this year. I'm thinking of going from St Petes to Frankfurt to Amsterdam and then home again. That is, if a decent pay rate and an unchanging (if not non-declining) GPA allow it.

We've laughed, we've cried, we've nearly died from hypothermia (at least Serena nearly did yesterday. Next time, I'll REALLY believe her when she says she can't go any further. Scary. Even the waitresses at Lima looked stunned). We've been sick, we've been well, we've been loved and adored and now we're ready to come home.

We send our love to everyone and can't wait to see you all upon our return.