Day Two

We had class today in the beautiful studio where the older classes have their exams. It was my first class that I have had at the Vaganova Academy that was held in a studio with a raked floor, and it did not go nearly as badly as I had anticipated that it might (though I still have some serious adjusting to do). 

There is a nice little alcove outside the entrance to the studio, and I spent a long time there before class this morning. I stretched and warmed up, listening to the music coming from the class taking place across the hallway.

Class was a mix of new combinations and combinations that we repeated from yesterday, which was nice. I like being able to work on improving combinations from the day before, but having new material mixed in makes class more exciting. I enjoyed doing big jumps down the rake; it feels like you are flying since the floor drops out below you as you travel forwards.

It was evening when I was in this studio on Sunday, so I didn't get to see the beautiful natural lighting that it has when I went in there previously. Each side of the studio is lined with two rows of windows, all of which are covered in semi-transparent pink curtains, so there is soft light coming in from both directions. I love dancing in natural light, so that made me happy.

After class, I went with several other international students to a photography shop where they take and print the passport photos that we need to have in order to submit our applications for our multi-entry visas (the ones that all of the new students currently have are valid only for 90 days). We were informed by the cashier that we should return in three hours to pick up the photos. Rather than return to the dorms, we decided to take advantage of the free afternoon and go see a bit of St. Petersburg.

I do not yet know my way around the city (which is hardly surprising since I've only been here a few days), even the streets right near the school, so it was a good thing that one of the returning students was willing to act as a tour guide.

We saw the outside of the Mikhaylovskiy Theater, which is the same beautiful yellow color as the academy.

We also saw the Church on Spilled Blood, which I love. The outside of the church is covered with detailed mosaics, stone carvings, and gold leaf.

There is a gold cross on top of each brightly-colored onion done adorning the roof. I like this cathedral for many of the same reasons that I like St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow- the complexity, the combination of elements of both symmetry and asymmetry, and the deep colors on the onion domes that look almost good enough to eat. I was glad to see that the Church on Spilled Blood seems to be in a much better condition than St. Basil's; it made me sad to step inside St. Basil's and see the state of disrepair into which it seemed to have fallen, the walls dirty and the artwork beginning to peel.

We continued walking, heading now towards the nearby grocery store.

I requested that we stop at a book store that we passed. The outside was more ornately decorated than that of any bookstore that I had seen before. Above the door was a black sign with the words дом книги (meaning literally "book house") written in gold, surrounded by ornate gold and black carvings. Similar decorations were repeated around each one of the store's windows.

The inside, though not decorated as impressively as the outside, was filled with all sorts of Russian books. I started wandering around, seeing if I could find what I was looking for, before deciding that I would never be able to do so without asking for some help. In Russian, I asked one of the store employees where to find the Harry Potter books. She led me to the section rather than give me directions, which was a very good thing because I would never have found my way even if she had given me directions in English. We walked towards the back of the store, ducked into a large second room that I had not noticed before, and turned into an aisle between two rows of bookcases before finally arriving at the proper one. 

I ended up buying two books, the fourth and seventh in the series. 

I want to point out something which I find rather odd. In Russia, Harry Potter is known as Garry Potter rather than by his proper name (Гарри Поттер is phonetically equivalent to Garry Potter). I am still searching for an adequate explanation as to why Harry must undergo a name change when his books are translated into Russian. Nobody that I have asked seems to have any idea why this is.

I have made a goal for myself to read an entire Harry Potter book in Russian before this year is up. It occurs to me that, by posting my goal on my blog, I may be making things difficult for myself since I now have quite a few people holding me accountable for achieving this goal. If it motivates me, though, I suppose that that can only be a positive thing. Reading any part of either one of my Russian Harry Potter books will be good for my Russian skills and fun for me, too. (As you may know or have guessed, I really, really like Harry Potter)!