Privet from St. Petersburg! We left Atlanta yesterday at 6 pm and arrived in St. Petersburg at XXX pm the next day. Wow! It was a total of about 18 hours including our layover. The flights were not good, Lufthansa is the same as always, but I actually did sleep a little on the plane. I snuggled into my blanket and neck pillow, popped in some earplugs and an eyemask. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but I did get about three hours sleep, which is highly unusual for m...

Thursday, May 29, 20089:00 PM (America)3:00 AM (Russia) 1, 2, 3……here we go! After the months of planning and weeks of preparation, we are finally off. Got to the airport at 3:00 pm and went on to the gate with Kyla, Mary, and Michael. I was so proud of myself, my luggage wasn't overweight and I got everything there on time. We got our group lists. I am in charge of the Green group (apparently as Captain Kari), Michael is in charge of the Red group, and...

It seems like the universe is conspiring against me! It's been really tough to get down to business and do my pre-work over the past two weeks. So many of my friends are graduating or back home for the summer and it's very tough to say no to hanging out with them. I've had three birthdays happen in the past two weeks, plus having a cookout, going to the lake, Indiana Jones, Friday frak parties, my cousin Ashley came to visit, I went to Hilton Head and Savannah, c...

Some friends asked me what kind of luggage I use, especially for a trip this long, so I typed up a really long post for them. Here is a condensed version of it. From top to bottom, right to left we have:- Samsonite hard-body large suitcase - my main one if I need to check a bag, for any trips 1 week and up.- Samsonite soft carry-on spinner - the new suitcase, will become my main carry-on from now on. I may also check it sometimes.- Random soft carry-on - I got ...

Our first assignment: a pre-departure essay. Here's mine. This program in St. Petersburg is the realization of a dream for me. Not only to visit Russia, but to live and study in such a complex and relevant country. While I have traveled to many areas of the world, I have never had the experience of being fully immersed in a new culture. This will be the longest trip I have ever taken and by far the most fulfilling. With our own country and economy in turmoil r...