Dead Russians

I spent a good portion of today wandering around the graves of dead Russians. Before anyone thinks I've gone goth, trust me when I say this is a very normal activity. A few of my classmates and I decided to wander over to the Nevsky Monastery to see the graves of several famous Russians. Among those who now call it home are Rimsky Korsakov and Dostoyevsky.

Many of the graves are beautiful, some are morbid and some are actually funny. Many of them have beautiful statues and are very well taken care of. There was a local art school there, and the students were sketching the statues. It was nice just watching them work.

I managed to purchase a Russian cell phone for myself yesterday. A feat in itself. It's a little pay-as-you-go phone, which suits my needs perfectly. I also purchased some funky nail polish remover gel which is banana scented (why you'd want banana scented nails is beyond me), but it works remarkably well.

I try to set little goals for myself with speaking Russian outside of the classroom everyday. Yesterday it was purchasing a cell phone and the nail polish remover. Today I had a conversation with the lady who sold maps at the graveyard, and I spoke to a Russian woman on the phone. Little steps to improve my Russian.

Tonight there's a free concert at St. Isaac's Cathedral, so I'll be heading over there at 7 o'clock with the classmates. As a student with no job, free is the best word I know in any language.