The Fatalist

If you want an apt, albeit exaggerated and symbolic, description of my weekend, you can go read this short story by M. Lermontov: The Fatalist.  I'll tell you why it's so appropriate.

• On Friday I was still feeling a bit down, but when some of the girls in my group announced that they were going to a movie after school and anyone who wanted to come was welcome, I jumped at the chance to hang out with my friends.  And so we went and saw Twilight: Eclipse.  I don't think I've ever seen a more pointless movie, in any language.  I am very sorry for those of you who love Twilight: I just don't think that it was a good movie.  The upside is that it was a good movie to watch in Russian, because the plot line wasn't complicated at all and I was able to understand almost all of what was going on.  I do intend to watch all three of the movies, eventually, when I get back to the States: however, I don't hold out much hope that they will be much better in English than in Russian.
• After the movie, I hurried back home to wolf down some supper before heading out again, this time to meet some other members of the group for a concert.  This was a performance of the Men's Choir of St. Petersburg in the Peter and Paul's fortress.  Anna B- had thought that the performance was in the actual cathedral, and indeed it used to be, but when we went it was in another, much less impressive building.  Nonetheless, the choir was as good as Anna promised.  Russia is famous for its exceptionally low bass singers, and they were out in all of their glory at the concert.  Some of the notes they sang were so low that they literally shook the walls of the room wherein we sat!!  I thought of my friend from Princeton, Griffin Telljohann - he's a bass too, though slightly less impressive in his range (but only slightly ^.^)  The performance strongly reminded me of Princeton A Capella; all we needed was a stone arch (and those weren't in short supply in the fortress ;]).  It also made me think of the hours of choir practice I sat through in Belgrade (and those memories aren't quite as pleasant as the former :P)  The first half of the concert consisted of traditional religious songs, and the second was all folk music.  The religious music was all very somber and slow, but the folk songs were lively and made me want to get up and dance - I could just imagine such a group dressed in furs, sitting around a fire and singing these songs on a cold winter's evening, many centuries ago.  
• On Saturday, we went to Pushkin, a suburb of St. Petersburg, to tour Catherine's Palace at Czarskoe Selo.  It was absolutely gorgeous, as have been all of the palaces we have visited.  Fortunately, we didn't have to meet quite as early as we had for our trip to Novgorod: our rendezvous was at 10:20 at one of the most southernly metro stations.  From there we took a marshrutka to Pushkin - once again, I forgot my motion-sickness candy, but I didn't end up needing it - and I even read on the way there!!  I started The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - I have never read a more depressing novel.  It's like A Series of Unfortunate Events, except not in the least amusing.  I only recommend that this book be read under duress (for example, as summer reading for an AP English course) or if one feels it necessary to be in an exceptionally dour mood for the next week.  I honestly don't know if I can finish it without falling into a serious bout of depression.  Fortunately, the marshrutka ride was only about 20 minutes long, so I was spared from too much dwelling on the misery of the human condition.  We arrived at the palace complex before 11, but it was another hour before our tour guide showed up and she had to fill out some forms before we could actually begin.  Once we finally entered the palace, those of us with larger bags (which definitely included me) were required to check them.  I considered taking my camera out, but I wouldn't have had anywhere else to put it, and I was under the impression that photography within the palace was only allowed upon purchase of a ticket, as it is in many other museums we have visited.  Unfortunately, I was wrong, so I didn't get the chance to capture any of the splendor of the interiors.  Perhaps I can convince some of the other people in my group to let me get a copy of their photos.  
• The most splendorous (wow, that's actually a word) room in the palace was undoubtedly the world-renowned Amber Room.  In this room nearly every inch of wall space is covered with a mosaic of the fossilized resin; even picture frames and bas-reliefs are made of it!  It is absolutely incredible (as well as being the one room in the palace where photographs are forbidden).  
• After our tour of the palace, we explored the park a bit and learned more than any of us ever wanted to know about its history.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful to Anna's friend who took time out of her day to come lead the tour for us, but her English was slow and laborious, and by the time we reached the park it was already past 1, and we were all hot and tired and hungry.  We were more than glad when we reached the end of the park and it was finally time for lunch (by which time it was nearly 2:30, and Latalia and I had eaten breakfast at 8!!)  Lunch was a picnic, courtesy of Princeton University - ham and cheese sandwiches on various types of bread, cucumbers, and cherries.  It was one of the best picnics I have had in a long while - probably because we were so hungry by the time we began.  
• After the picnic, our excursion was officially over, so our group split and went their separate ways.  I ended up wandering with Mykola, Andrew, Hayk, Ian, and the Russian friends of Mykola and Andrew (later I realized that I was the only American girl there, but I couldn't leave the poor Russians to fend for themselves with those crazy boys!! :])  We explored the carriage trails that criss-crossed the park, wandering with no ultimate goal in mind - and very nearly got ourselves thoroughly lost.  I was very jealous of the mountain-bikers that I saw (I haven't had any exercise besides walking all summer :P).  We found some really cool old abandoned brick buildings, as well as a high stone bridge which we climbed and explored.  It was good just to hang out with some friends, and I felt that (besides the lake the week before) this was the first time I had done so since arriving.  
• Then it was back home to finish my weekend homework.  T.T. called to say that she would be back the next morning (as usual) and that we should make ourselves supper, which we did of blini.  I had heard that the girls in the group might be planning to hang out in the evening, but either the plans never materialized or no one thought to call me.  Not to be faced with another long evening of studying, however, I decided to stay up until the bridges rose (which happens between 1:30 and 2am, depending on the bridge) and take pictures of this most characteristic St. Petersburg phenomenon.  Not wanting to do homework until that time, I also decided that I would wander around my island until it was closer to the time for them to be raised.  So at about 9:30 I left my apartment and struck out northward, planning to explore the three less-inhabited northern islands for a while.  En route, I ran into Qaiocu (pronouned "Chao-Choo"- I don't know if I spelled it correctly, but it looks much cooler in Cyrillic - as do so many other things...) and she decided to accompany me for a while.  Since she lives on the more northernly part of my island, she has wandered this area quite a bit, and she could tell me what I would find there and where to go.  We wandered across the first of the northern islands, which consists of mostly well-to-do newer neighborhoods and apartment complexes, some of them gated communities, as well as St. Petersburg's amusement parks.  Then we crossed to the smallest of the three islands, Yelagin Ostrov, which consists entirely of a park (Central Park of Culture and Rest).  We stayed there for a while, exploring the wooded trails of the park, then Qaiocu set off for home - she wanted to be back by 11:30 and it was already 10:50 by this point.  I sat on a bench and read for a while, but had to leave before midnight because that's when the park gates close.  The White Nights are basically over, but it's still quite something that I can sit on a bench at 11:30 pm and have enough light to read a book!  
• So, it was after this, when I was wandering slowly across Petrogradsky Island towards the bridges which would open at 1:30, that I realized just how dangerous was the situation in which I found myself.  I was: 1) a 19-year-old 2) female 3) walking alone 4) past midnight 5) on a weekend night 6) in a large city 7) in a foreign country 8) where I didn't speak the language very well 9) in a part of town that I had never been before.  However, by the time I realized this, I was already equidistant from both my apartment and the bridges; it made just as much sense to continue as it would have to return home and wait until the bridges rose.  So I continued, stopping into a 24-hour produkti for a candy bar to bolster my energy. 
• Fortunately, the night progressed without incident, and the bridges were truly something to see - it was definitely worth it.  At least I conclusively discovered that it gets dark at night - but all of the bridges are bedecked with plenty of lights.  I got some great pictures before returning to my apartment and crawling into bed at 2:45.

And now, since I haven't even gotten to the most exciting part of my weekend and already another is upon us, I shall sign off for the present, hoping to complete my tale soon, in another post.