Saturday, January 26 (Posted after writing)
It is 4:52 and I cannot sleep. The lack of sleep is at least partially my fault, because I took a long nap earlier in the evening. I have the window open because it is hot and I can hear men yelling and dogs barking, which is kind of unnerving and makes me wish I didn’t live on the first floor.
There was a last minute change and I do not live where they told me I was going to live. My hostess wasn’t able to come to the hotel to pick me up so I was sent with Mimi, another student, and her hostess who lives in the same building. When I got to the apartment I didn’t know anything besides my hostess’ first name, Olga. She left me to unpack and it was really hard not to be frightened not knowing where I was or having a method of contacting someone from CIEE.
Anyhow, I now live on the island Vasil’evskyi, but the upshot to dealing with bridges is that I now have many students who live nearby. Knowing that Mimi lives in the same building is really quite a relief. In the morning I am supposed to walk to her hostess, Nina’s house in order to go with them to the Metro to meet with our group, but I don’t really remember which direction I should walk to get to their apartment. I was nervous when they and I were dropped off so I wasn’t paying too much attention to the drive. My building is a large L, which is why it is so confusing. I think they live on the concave part of the L and I live on the outside.
So far I don’t think I’m dealing with culture shock so much as “I’m living with a woman who I can’t really communicate with very well” shock. Also, not yet having a cell phone and not having the internet is slightly strange, but I should be able to buy a cell phone on Sunday, which I believe will make me feel much more comfortable.
I don’t have a key to the apartment yet, and my hostess seems to work a lot, so I will try to ask her if she has one for me tomorrow. If not, I suppose I will have to ask a CIEE director for help.
My room is a nice size, and comparable to what I have at home, only shorter and more wide, which I think is for the better because it seems like there is more room.
The floors of the apartment are heated, which feels cozy but strange at the same time. There is also a towel heater in the bathroom, very much like the one that was in my hotel room. It is similar to an S with an extra bend made out of heated pipe that you can hang towels on. Another interesting thing is that if you turn the water in the bathroom on with a small stream it gradually turns itself off.
I cannot really think of anything to say to bring this entry to a concise ending, which might continue to be the case if I continue to journal at odd times in the night.
