Spring finally showed up

So I hear back in Minnesota, we are having record breaking highs. Well, here in Russia we were having record breaking lows. Of course. But the past few days have begun to thaw the ice palace that is St. Petersburg and I can officially say that Spring has made its way to Russia. And it is about time.

I actually had to go out and buy a pair of sunglasses, something I never thought would happen in a country that has less that 30 sunny days a year. But the weather has been gorgeous. My roommate and I decided that every day the temperature reaches 4 degrees we are going for a run. So far it has been pretty entertaining, dodging babushkas, black ice and Militsia. And I have come to the realization that if I don't fall on my backside at least once, it is a pretty good day.

This new bout of gorgeous weather has made us all more excited to explore the city. Earlier, we could stand for maybe a 15 minute walk through the ice water that drowns St. Petersburg. Now, being outside is a pleasure. Yesterday, a group of us ventured to Kunstkamera, the museum started by Peter the Great as a personal collection. This museum is know for the collection of "natural and human curiosities and rarities."

Needless to say, this was by far the most disturbing thing I have ever seen. I really cannot even describe what was kept in this museum. If you really want to see it, you can google it, but I would rather not disgust everyone reading this. But on our way to the museum we walked along the impressive banks of the Neva River, one of the most beautiful sights in the city if you ask me.

We are more than halfway through our Russian studies and I feel as though I have just been reintroduced to the city. We have so little time left I already know I will miss Russia. In three weeks we are going to spend a long weekend in Finland and Estonia. People tell us that for countries that are merely separated by a small gulf, they could not be any more different.

And after our trip to Finland, we have a mere three weeks left. Everything is speeding by and we are trying to take advantage of every museum and historical site the city has to offer.

One main realization I have come to is that I much tougher than I previously believed. I officially lived through the worst winter in St. Petersburg in over 100 years. Not even the communists had to put up with this crap.