Discovering

Hi!

So far I've been living in Russia little over two weeks. I really miss my future husband and our little cat. But I'm also getting to settle here in St. Petersburg and my everyday life here is getting easier. I have used metro by my own now several times and I'm not scared of it anymore or other you know, their basic stuff. Because girl like me from the little city from Finland, everything in big city life is huge and different. I didn't have any expections towards Russia but I somehow think that we're not that different after all. 

We all have our priorities, what we whorship; friends, family, etc. As I'm been able to get to know people who live here, they have same priority than me. We're all humans, even we don't have same electronic supplies doesn't mean that we wouldn't care so much from each others. I think Russian's history and architecture is amazing, but I also think that I can learn so much more than just those things. Discovering new things but also discovering myself. Getting new courage to do things and seeing that the world is here for viewing it.

I visited St. Petersburg Oceanarium few days ago and I think it's definitely one place you have to see here. :) It was only 600 rubles and three floors filled with different species. Seals, sharks, frogs, fishs etc. This post is going to be filled with pictures again. :)

Xoxo - Jennina

Hermitage museum

Hi!

Here's my schoolmates Sarah, Desi, Arianna and Essi, we were really happy today to have the opportunity to get to know the Hermitage, so this post is going to be mostly pictures... ;)

We didn't have lectures today (except few of our whole group who are in more progressed Russian language courses ;P), so we wen't to eat lunch together in a big group and after that other's joined us for Hermitage museum tour! :)

I'm just overwhelmed by it's size, even tough I heard that it's one of the biggest museum's in the world I still couldn't believe that.. :D Well, this was my first time in there and I was just taking pictures mainly of architectures and some pictures of art. I have to go there many times to understand all what it has to offer. I still have to see Michelangelo's, Da Vinci's, Vincent van Gogh's art and rest of the museum!

Let the pictures speak for themselves:

Old-fashioned clothing gentleman and the lady, ready for tourist selfies of course.

One side of Hermitage, I tooked so many pictures.. :D
 

 There were many stairs and all had this long red carpet, feeling like a royalty while walking on it. 

If I remember correct, this room was when we were entering the ancient Rome museum. 
 

 I think I can say that there was thousand of sculptures all over..

  
This sculpture was really beautiful, and somehow also touching.. :)

In the Hermitage there was so many chandeliers that I couldn't even count all of them.. :D
 

Old palace renovated looked so great.. :) There was few rooms which were under renovation but most of the rooms were available.
 

Gold, palace, awesome.. 
 

And even more gold, it was quite breathtaking!

Sculpture on a lamp, that's something I've never seen before. I don't think it's tasteless but different I guess.. :)

 Where ever you went there it was all huge lounges and columns..

Roof paintings were also in many rooms and aisles.. 
 

This picture I actually tooked from the Hermitage, one of the windows was clean enough for a good photo of Palace square!
 

Last two pictures are from the Palace square and we were lucky to have so beautiful sunshine today in our "tourist journey". :) I was really exhausted when I arrived to the dormitory, we left to our trip at 12am and I was home at 8pm, so really long but so fun day! Looking forward this week!

Xoxo - Jennina

First week behind!

Hello!

It's already been one week here in St. Petersburg and I feel like I haven't seen anything yet! I mean because there's so much to see, all the museums, zooparks, seaparks, amusement parks, circus etc! I'm quite lucky to have a exchange this year because even I don't do anything I get richer here because now 1 euro is 90 rubles!! Week ago it was only 83 rubles so yeah, I'm getting rich haha!! :D

Here's my great roommates Veronika and Kathrin, picture was taken yesterday when we were preparing ourselves for a party mode. Even tough I decided to stay home it was fun and it's good to have friends around you during the time of Valentine's day eve. Lucky me to have you guys around me! I bet we're gonna have such a great time here in Russia. :)

So this is the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood which was on the way to Jamie's Italian restaurant and I managed to get one good photo from it, next time I'll go in just to see how's it like because it's really stunning church I've heard! It's one of the main sights of St. Petersburg.

This Church was built on the site where Emperor Alexander 2 was fatally wounded in March 1881. The church was built between 1883 and 1907. The construction was funded by the imperial family. Estimates suggest that the construction cost 4.5 million rubles!

After some sightseeing I finally had my kind of Valentine's day in Jamie Oliver's restaurant because everyone else was sleeping off their hungovers so went to lunch by my own. :D I ordered small salad for appetizer and main course Jamie's italian burger and polenta chips, it was sooo yammy! And all of this with Pepsi cost 1300 rubles.. so it was 14,5 euros! :D In Finland you can't get even hamburger that price in that kind of "famous" place.. 

I'm really amazed by this city's architecture, there's so many details in these kind of old buildings and in every corner you found something new and interesting!

Next week I'll be going visit museums because we finally got our student cards and in some museums you get in for free with that so it's really great thing to have! Tuesday is day off from school, maybe then.. We'll see. So far I really like this city. :) But now, time to sleep!

Xoxo - Jennina

Waterlights

Hellou!

The morning started with brilliant surprise, almost all the ice was gone from the routes! It was so much easier to go to school. We had our first Russian language orientation meeting and it was quite fun to watch, because we hsave 8 different groups and almost everyone has different time schedule. So in first meeting we just gave our schedules to teacher and went to have a lunch at cantine. :D 

2 euro's meal and today I managed to have also salad! :)

For our IBS studies we are studying in two different buildings, old and new one as they call those. :D In the lobby in tje entrance of new building there's these beautiful waterlights!

We had quite long period of time between classes so we went to hang out together in this quite pleasant green zone with sofas and plants!

We had from 2pm till 6pm our business marketing classes and then we had to do one group task and I think it was after 7pm when I arrived to the dormitory, so it was quite exhausting day again. :D Fun but exhausting.. Tomorrow we have food tasting and welcoming event for IBS and I'm looling forward to it! :) 

Xoxo - Jennina

City tour

Hi!

Today was such a long day! I'm exhausted and ready to sleep now. I got up at 8am to get to the school by 10am. Our walk to school lasted like forever because there was ice _everywhere_!! But luckily we managed to get there almost in time!

After our first Business marketing lessons we had quick lunch in the school's cantine before our guided bus tour at the city. Meal was good but I noticed that there wasn't any salad options for meal. I was pleased that I got two sausages with good crispy potatoes with no problem with my Russian language skills.

We went to see the city by bus at 2pm in the afrernoon and it was raining quite a lot at that time so it was really nice to watch all the places I'll be visiting later from the bus and I managed to get few good pictures from the window! :) I will tell you later on from all the churches and buildings but now all you need to know is that there is plenty of beautiful churches and palaces. :)

I think it was almost 6pm when we went to the store called Okej, which is like local Lidl in here. After we had gathered all the food supplies with Essi we finally started our journey to home by metro. 

My calculator says that today I've had 12000 steps and I really do feel like it. We made spaghetti bolognese with Essi and after that I just went to my room and I think soon I'll fall asleep.. :D 

Aquarium in our school :D

I hope that by tomorrow the rain will melt the ice on the roads because our normally 15 or 20 minute trip to school lasts 35 minutes!! :D Let's hope for the best! Now it's good night or how my roommates would say in Germany "gotten nacht"! :) 

Xoxo - Jennina

First school day

Greetings from Russia!

Yesterday I posted in Finnish because I wanted to express my first impression of Russia to my family at home a little bit better. But shortly, I'm surprised that St. Petersburg is so cheap city and I'm overwhelmed for it's size! :D Girl from little city coming to the big city like this is all new to me.

Now I already have Russian sim-card, metro card and I know which metro station is near by and how to get to the school and to the city center. It's a beginning! :D

Today's breakfast, a little bit under 2 euros :D

Today we had our first schoolday at Imop and we got divided into five different groups for making our business plan. I've already done that in Finland but not in English so it will be interesting. In my group there's also one person from Russia so we will find more information about economic situation etc here in St. Petersburg. If I remember correctly we have like 25 people in our class in IBS program. :)

After our first orientation at school we went to eat Asian food and I ordered four sushi's, egg noodles and chicken teriyaki and soda with a little bit under 10 euros, and it was so tasty! I think that the sushi was better than in Finland.. :D

Tomorrow we will go to our first city tour with bus and I'm hoping that the weather is good so I can show you pictures from the city already. :) When I left home on Saturday I didn't realize that there is different time zone and clock is one hour ahead comparing to Finland. So now I have to wait one hour extra to videocall to Tomi, but it definitely is worth it. <3 

Xoxo - Jennina

Tervetuloa Venäjälle!

Moikka!

Eilen alkoi matka kohti Venäjää ja uutta kotikaupunkia Pietaria kohti, juna oli tunnin myöhässä ja mun matkatavarat oli ilmeisesti epäilyttäviä koska jouduin näyttämään tullille laukun sisältöä ja tenttaukseen minne ja miksi oon menossa. :D 

No, pääsin tarkastuksesta läpi ja päästiin rajan yli. Maisemat vaihtu aika dramaattisesti! Hökkelitaloja toisensa perään. Päästiin lopulta Pietariin ja meitä oli vastassa kaksi tutoria; Maria ja Marina. Hypättiin takseihin ja istuin etupenkillä kauhusta kankeana. Ootteko nähnyt niitä Venäjän liikennevideoita? Jep, ne on totta. :D

Sydämen tykytyksien jälkeen päästiin määränpäähän eli asuntolalle ja kaksi taksia oli yhteensä 700 ruplaa eli noin 8 euroa ja ajettiin varmaan vartin verran. Tässä vaiheessa tajusin että okei, taksilla ajelu on ainakin halpaa. Asuntolalla aloitettiin babushkan eli vanhemman naishenkilön kanssa sitten kirjautuminen asuntolaan. Nimmari kymmeneen eri kohtaan ja vartti eteenpäin niin sain avaimen kämppään. Englantia ei osannut sanaakaan mutta elekielellä mentiin aikalailla. :D 

Avasin oven huoneeseen ja mun tuurilla sain tietenkin yläsängyn. Tapasin kaksi muuta huonekaveria, toinen Itävallasta ja toinen Italiasta ja sovittiin että voidaan vaihtaa vaikka parin viikon välein sitä kuka nukkuu yläpedissä. Mukavia tyyppejä molemmat. Tän jälkeen lähdettiin tutoreiden kanssa kävellen kattomaan missä koulu on ja hankkimaan sim-kortit puhelimeen. 

Koulu vaikutti ainakin ulkoapäin siistiltä ja puhelimiin saatiin puolen tunnin odottelun jälkeen rajattomalla netillä varustellut liittymät neljän euron kuukausihintaan. :D Marssittiin syömään ekat blinit ja otin kaksi erilaista, tais olla kolme euroa yhteensä.

Ruokakauppa oli seuraava kohde ja ostin ison kassillisen ruokaa ja sain kulutettua 15 euroa. Älytöntä. Metrolla huristeltiin ja 35 ruplaa eli noin 40 senttiä köyhempänä sitten asuntolalle. Metrotunneli on yks maailman syvimmistä metrotunneleista ja ihmiset kuulemma meikkaavat ja laittavat jopa hiuksia odotellessaan että rullaportaat on perillä maan alla, vähän eri luokkaa kun Suomessa. Meteli metrossa on todella kova, tajusin tänään minkä takia kaikilla on kuulokkeet korvien suojana. :D 

Tänään käytiin keskustassa syömässä pääkadulla hienossa italialaisravintolassa ja tilasin ison pizzan peräti viidellä eurolla. Ravintolassa syö melkein samaan hintaan kuin kokkaisi asuntolalla paketin jauhelihaa ja makaronia. Whaaat?! Suurin kauppakeskus Pietarissa tuli myös bongattua ja se on Valtava.


Huomenna on ensimmäinen koulupäivä ja tässä vaiheessa jo tajuan kaiken odottelun jälkeen mitä sanonta "Tämä on Venäjä" tarkottaa. :D Mutta mahtavalta kaupungilta vaikuttaa!! Tästä se suomitytön tarina lähtee!

Xoxo - Jennina

Dream big

2 days.

Day after tomorrow. Russia calling!! Omg, can't believe that I'm really doing this.

I always dream big, this time it's time to make dreams happen! Today I got my pass photos for school, and also went shopping some must have stuff. Now it's time to spend quality time with Jonna, and tomorrow with Emma, Trina and after that Tomi. :)

Xoxo - Jennina

One word: love

Good evening!

Today was my last day at work before leaving to new country. My evening was perfect because I spended it in my loved ones arms. Beside that I also got cheese and crackers, yammy! Like this:

Tomi <3 Jennina

Yesterday was quite hard because I started packing and didn't had a clue what clothes etc I wan't to have with me. But after some difficulties desicions was made and now I have one full luggage with me. Getting excited!!

Remember to enjoy your life to the fullest!!

Xoxo - Jennina

Distance means so little when someone means so much.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Countdown to moving to St. Petersburg has started and last Saturday I had such a blast with my friends! I got flowers, cards, Finland souveniers and so on, thank you all! :) And the memories I got was the greatest gift, going to miss you all. <3

I made for every guest own plastic cup with Russian names. I also had matryoshka banners in living room and I think people really got in the "Russian" mood with those things and vodka of course! :D

Distance means so little when someone means so much. That's what true love stands for, both needs to learn how to stand at your own two feet. I'm blessed to have Tomi in my life, he supports my dreams and pushes me forward when I think that I can't.

Last few days I've been practising my Russian language and discovering all kind of things of Russia and St. Petersburg. I will change my euros to rubles in Russia, because at this moment in Finland I would have with 1 euro only 62 rubles, but in Russia I will get with 1 euro 83 rubles, so there's really big difference!

I already have one place I definitely want to visit, Jamie's Italian reastaurant and Zeniit football matches! :D And many many more.. I also learned that in Russia people don't have formal lines like in Finland, and when you go to end of the line you should ask "Kto poslennije?" which means "who is the last one?".

Only three days left! Whaat?!
Xoxo - Jennina