Victory Day

9 May is Den Pobedi, victory day and the whole Russian Federation celebrates the defeat of the Nazi. Everyone gets super patriotic in the weeks leading up to the day and it is marked by a parade at the city's main Ploshad (main square, it is called a Ploshad in Russian) and a march to Mamaeb Kyrgan where is a huge statue of a woman (the statue you are seeing in the background) and symbolizes all the events that took place in the war.

The last two years I never went for the parade, just the fireworks in the evening at Heberezhnaya, that is always super fun, but this time, it being my last few months in the country I thought it would be nice to give the parade a shot and it was worth it. I am not exaggerating guys, the whole city was there! Even toddlers get all dressed up in what I am assuming where army uniforms during the war with  berets, and one particular child had what looked like a red cross sling bag (probably playing nurse, I am not sure). I normally get stares when I am walking but not today, everyone was concentrating on the parade and the display (believe me, I am not complaining, I wish everyday was victory day if it means I do not get stared at). Volgograd is not a very big city so the parade is a mini version of the one held in Moscow, and they displayed Soviet era artillery and a few modern ones, i will post pictures so you guys can check them out.

After the parade, people march to Mamaeb Kyrgan with pictures of their grand fathers and great-grand fathers who fought in the war. I am telling you, Russians take this day very seriously singing war songs as they walk and making loud wailing sounds (i am assuming it is a way of showing grief for the lives lost) and if you read the history of the city (it was called Stalingrad at the time) you would understand why. As for the security,I am not sure how many metal detectors I passed through, there where check points everywhere, especially close to where crowds where gathered like for the march and for the parade (these guys do not play, you should see the security at my school, and it is not a military academy).

 The day ends on a much brighter note of fireworks displays in the three main points of the city which I have always made a point to participate in over the years, this year I am not so sure (I have 4 hours left to decide LOL).

I am attaching photos and videos of the event for you guys to see (the quality is good enough LOL). Until next time, пока!

Russian 'hospital' cuisine anyone?

Having been in Russia for over two years, I am a little embarrassed to say I haven't really had many Russian dishes (well, i have had pelmeni and borsch, it would be absolutely disrespectful to come and go without having pelmeni at least once!). I tend to order western dishes when I eat out, probably because I am more familiar with them, they are popular back home. I love food (a lot of us do), but I am more of a fries and spicy wings kind of girl.

I have heard people say that hospital food is the worst (had been fortunate enough all along never to be in that kind of situation) but imagine having some Russian dishes for the first time in hospital, the horror!

So, what had happened was (😁 get it?), I got hospitalized for some time and got to have some errh...complicated Russian meals (let's go with complicated). So basically every meal came with bread, but I am not a fan so I never took it not to mention that I didn't really like the dull brownish color (reminded me of the homemade bread our grannies make back home in rural Zimbabwe, not that I hated it but I had enough to last me several life times). I am not a nutritionist or anything so I am not an expert on what types of food are meant for breakfast or dinner and the like but I am pretty sure some of it is basic. After my hospital stay however, I have to say I got a little confused. At one time we had grated carrots and what I think was meant to be egg casserole, except i didn't taste any bacon or cheese in it, for breakfast  (and the brownish bread of course) then had oatmeal porridge (don't forget the bread) for dinner...Long story short, each time a person on TV says something about hospital food being horrible, I can definitely relate now.

I am now a little less motivated to try some traditional Russian meals but it won't be fair for me to judge them based on that not so fun experience (and also my taste buds were probably compromised at the time). I will let you guys know once I do. 

Being admitted into hospital is not fun for anyone, and especially when you are in a foreign country, far from your family but these two ladies in the same ward with me made that time a bit bearable (one of them never caught my name and ended up just calling me 'my chocolate', obviously because of my beautiful chocolate colored skin 😎). The staff were all very nice and professional, I felt that I was in good hands and I am really grateful. Russians sometimes buy flowers for their doctors when they recover to show their appreciation and you know how when you are in Rome you do what Romans do...

I know I haven't posted anything in months, a lot has been going on and I will make an effort to share more stuff with you guys more often. I have attached a picture collage of the hospital food, the two times I remembered to take pictures, never been one to take pictures of food before I eat (I am usually totally looking forward to think about taking pictures). Feel free to leave your nice comments, I would love to hear from you all. Much love. Пока пока!

Dance school

One thing very few people know about me is I absolutely love dancing, like really love it except I am not good at it. I think it is a great way to express yourself while keeping fit (let's face it exercising is just so tedious and super boring). When I finished high school, I applied to study choreography at the University of Bedfordshire in the UK and got in. I never actually pursued it though, I mean choreography is not really something you can do as a career in my culture so I ended up enrolling to study Chemical Engineering instead. I did not know many dance studios back home (or any dance schools for beginners) so when I came to Russia I was determined to find one and learn some moves!

So a few months after my arrival, when I had settled in, I joined NS Наш Стиль dance school and man turns out choreographed dances are a lot more difficult than I thought (I have a whole new respect for the art). I always thought how hard could it be, you have a routine then you practice over and over again but I was in for a surprise (left me really confused about dancing being one of my talents, I mean I have really good muscle coordination...). I had the best time though, we practiced three times a week for an hour and a half and I did stay fit during the time. At the time my command of the Russian language was really poor (the language ain't easy y'all) but one of the instructors spoke English so she would explain some stuff to me after the lesson.

I was in the dancehall group and we occasionally danced to some African songs (I am pretty sure I had something to do with that). Once every year on their anniversary the school holds a festival and  in May 2017, I found myself performing at Tsaritsynskaya Theater! I was nervous (I was probably the only foreigner in the whole theater and I got stared at...really unnerving) but the experience was super awesome, I would do it again! My Russian counterparts definitely made it worth the while (and of course my own adrenaline had a lot to do with that high LOL). I think we performed very well judging from the applause we got.

Things to do before I die; dance in a Russian theater to a Russian audience...check ✔✔ (I added that one once I realized I had actually done it!). You can check out some of the NS dance school Volgograd videos on YouTube, they are awesome. I have added a picture collage of me and my former dance mates, cool huh (you can't miss me in the photos). I am thinking if I go back to dance school, maybe this time I should learn some traditional Russian dance routines, it would be interesting. Until next time...Пока!!

Final Year

Today, I had my first lecture for the second (and final) academic year and let's just say I basically picked up from where I left (I still sit in the front row in class...alone because students like to sit in the back even when we are not writing a test). I am pretty excited about this year because my schedule is very flexible, apparently I should be working on my dissertation and I am sure other students know what that technically means (waste time and wait for adrenaline to kick in a few weeks before the deadline!). We had laboratory work today and as always I finished last but the good thing is I understood 80% of the stuff we where doing (which is an improvement from my previous 50% or less) so things are looking pretty good.

The other thing I am excited about is that autumn is finally here (yaay, my favorite season!). Volgograd is still kinda hot but I am just happy summer is technically over. Was a little tired of the heat and for some reason some Russians think Africans enjoy the heat. You get remarks like 'oh it is 40℃ today, you must be enjoying the weather'...no it's too hot! (I normally just smile but I will be screaming on the inside). I can safely say I have experienced my hottest (40℃) and coldest (-25℃) conditions in this city. This summer was particularly brutal because I was out and about more often (in 2017 I had lectures up until end of July), I mean with the city hosting the world cup and all...

I moved to a different hostel (away from Prospekt Lenina and the bikers who rode in my room thank heavens!) and it is really cool. My new roommate is from Guinea Conakry and she speaks French and no Russian at all so for now we basically just sign to each other...I am getting a good vibe about this academic year, a lot of good things have been happening and I am sure the trend will continue till end of year. I will be sure to keep you guys up to date. Until next time...До Свидания!

First Winter

The day I landed in Volgograd, I remember it was around 1900 hrs and the temperature was probably above zero but I felt like it was negative twenty or something, nothing could have prepared me enough. I mean back home in Zimbabwe we would complain when it was +14℃ and cover every part of our bodies (yes, scarfs, gloves, boots...the whole shebang!), but now at such temperatures I rejoice and walk around with nothing on...nothing refers to a super light jacket in this case. My body was in complete shock and I could not fathom how Russians could stand such cold but you adapt I guess (though I cannot say I am completely cool with it, I need at least another 10 or so years), and that first Russian winter seemed to last for a year...

On the third day, some nice Nigerian guys offered to take me and some new students to go shopping for supplies, the trip seemed to last forever (it was probably 3 hours at most but my mind was still exaggerating everything at the time) and by the time we got back to the hostel I could not feel my toes! I was rewarded with a serious case of flu and stayed in bed for days.  During the first few days, I would get excited each time there was a little bit of sunshine then get completely disappointed once I was outdoors.  It's sole purpose was to let us know it was morning and we had to wake up and attend lectures, nothing more (by the way we had a lecture the following day after our arrival, thankfully we got lost and missed it LOL!). The sun during winter is the equivalent of the light in your fridge, it has absolutely zero effect on the temperature! The worst I have ever experienced is negative 25℃ and even then some of my Russian classmates bragged about it being 'nothing' (seriously, who on earth decided to start civilization in this place!). 

Our hostels where (still are) well heated and it would take a lot of courage and self discipline to take the trash out cause you have to wear a lot of stuff just to walk a few meters outside, or else the cold will definitely show you no mercy. By March, when spring came I had seriously had enough and even then it was still chilly, but that spring brought with it a ray of hope that one day I would walk the streets with no jacket on. Once the snow melted and trees started getting all green and we could freely walk around, I realized that Volgograd was actually a beautiful city (I mean all winter I was either in bed or in class and an occasional trip to the supermarket where I would buy weeks worth of supplies, that is how much the cold terrified me).

Check out a picture of me and another Zimbabwean student (he moved to a different city after language training) on our first day in Volgograd...cute isn't it. I promised to tell you the other reasons why I wish it was winter already...well I love snow (despite all the cold it brings with it), it is a terrible beauty! As for the third reason, I am going to give you a hint and let you take a guess (hint: staying indoors with my favorite person, having чай (pronounced chai, meaning tea) and watching a movie...). Until next time...Пока!!

Volgograd Sundays

Unlike back home in Zimbabwe, where nearly half the country goes to church on Sundays, Volgograd is pretty much uneventful. For some it is business as usual (the post office is open till 1800 hrs) and since we are still on summer holiday, students have no school stuff to attend to (you can have your exam on a Sunday!). I remember my year in the preparatory faculty, where foreign students take language classes, Saturday was like any other week day, lectures from 0830 hrs to 1500 hrs...it was a nightmare. First semester, first academic year I had philosophy lectures every other Saturday from 1000 hrs arrrgghhh....the horror!! Hopefully this academic year will be different (fingers crossed).

A lot of people simply гулять (pronounced guliat; meaning to take a walk) on Sundays at the city's numerous parks and leisure places. Asking a girl out to go and guliat is actually super cool and may increase your chances of winning her (Russians take their guliating seriously!). I personally have a nice spot along the river Volga where I like to take time out and just relax ( I will try to attach pictures from time to time so you guys can get a clear picture of what I am talking about). Volgograd is especially beautiful at night along Volga and summer temperatures allow people to stay out way past midnight (except students who live in the University hostels, we have a midnight curfew...😑).

People sometimes take boat rides on the Volga river (but you can take one any day of the week, Sundays are however more busy for the boat owners). I took one in the spring of 2017 when my sister came to visit. There was a DJ playing some electro house music on the open deck and a bar... it was, however, nothing to write home about (though I strongly suspect the fact that my sister kept looking at her watch because she didn't want to miss her massage appointment had something to do with it). The ride was about an hour from Tsentral'nyy Naberezhnaya to Mamaev Kyrgan and then back, I was not very ecstatic about it but I will probably give it another shot before I go back home.

Cycling is also quite common, young couples especially cycle (super cute...in my opinion) and sometimes teen boys may cycle in groups (with a boom box...😀 kidding, but they do play music on their phones I assume, perhaps with a small speaker cause it can be pretty loud). Bicycles are expensive in Russia. A decent mountain bike can be up to 15 000 rubles, which is the equivalent of US $250 at today's exchange rate whereas in Zimbabwe you can find it for US $100 or less. Thankfully there are places where you can hire a bicycle on an hourly basis or for a day which is what I assume most people do because once summer is over it will be too cold to cycle...unless if one intends to cycle every day during summer or maybe they just buy because they do not compare the bicycle prices here to those of any other countries...

Even roads are fairly less busy on Sundays. My hostel is along Prospekt Lenina, which is the main avenue of the central district of the city, and Sundays are pretty much less noisy (thankfully). Saturdays are another story altogether because bikers just love to ride at night (for some reason) and since it is too hot to close the windows (there are no air conditioners in my hostel and a fan is of little help) it's like they are riding in your room!! (a friend in Tomsk, another Russian city, used to say that a lot...it sounded a lot funnier when he said it). This is one of the three times that make me wish it was winter already, will tell you guys about the other two another time.

Check out a picture of my sister and I on a boat ride and she doesn't look like she cannot wait to get off though LOL! I hope you enjoyed my 'Volgograd Sundays' edition. Пока!! (pronounced paka, informal goodbye).

Hello everyone!

Hello and welcome to my blog. As the title suggests, I will be sharing with you my experiences as a foreign student in the Russian Federation. Quick background...I am from Zimbabwe and I am studying for a master of Science degree in Volgograd, a city in Southern Russia over 900 km from Moscow. I have been here since December 2016 and since it is my final academic year, I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the things I have and still experience in Russia. I will post as often as I can...It's gonna be awesome! Do feel free to add your comments...only fun comments allowed! 😊😊😊