Settling in

Sorry this has taken so long to get started.  Its been hard to find internet, but I've found a place that I can get free wi-fi in the city now.  Its a bit of a walk, but I should be able to update every day or every other day if I really want to.

Now, on to the stuff you care about.

The flight over was just fine all told.  One of our group members barely made the flight out of JFK, because his flight from Texas was late, and he literally got to us just as we were boarding.  We were a bit late getting off the ground in JFK, due to high traffic in the area or something, so we barely made our connecting flight to St. Petersberg.  We land

ed in St. Petersburg around noon, and made it to Novgorod by mid afternoon.

My host is extremely nice.  Right now its just her, Sveta, and her husband is away until, I think, next monday.  She barely speaks any english, so its been good for me.  Also, we have tea with every meal, which couldn't really be any better.

Classes have started now, and I've got plenty of things going on every day.  I'm very happy with the trip so far.  We went to the folk art museum yesterday and they taught us some traditional Russian dances and games.  It was pretty goofy, but good times.

Here are some pictures I've taken so far.

Can you tell we've just been traveling for a day?

https://files.getdropbox.com/u/1347322/P7030004.JPG

Here is the Kremlin

https://files.getdropbox.com/u/1347322/P7040010.JPG

Here is a monument called "A thousand years of russia."  Lots of good stories surrounding this one, but I'll save that for another time.

https://files.getdropbox.com/u/1347322/P7040016.JPG

And St. Sophia Cathedral, inside the Kremlin.  It is also, incidentally, where Liza, my Russian teacher, got married.  Its very nice inside.

I'll post again soon!