Heather
Worley Living in St. Petersburg, Russia
Vol 3: Home. Thanks
Hi everybody -
Somehow, I forgot to mention the most exciting news of all in the last little
bit I sent - I have a ticket home! I had the darnedest time finding a ticket
that didn't cost $2000, but I finally managed to find one, order it, pay for it,
and get in all the necessary documents . The funniest was the
form stating that I am aware I bought a one-way ticket into a country that will
hunt me down like a dog if I don't leave when my visa expires...little do they
know I don't need one! So I really am going home.
My feelings about this are very mixed. Now that the end is near, I'm getting
more and more impatient to see my family. I also kinda miss my cat, although
I doubt she'll recognize me when I get back, since she was only a year old when
I left. On the other hand, though, there are people here I'm not ready to
leave. But one thing is very clear - I'm glad I no longer have to worry
about actually finding a ticket.
I remember after being in China for a month two summers ago, the hardest
thing about going back was that it was just so darn boring. After having approximately
fifteen adventures a day, Oklahoma seems very uneventful. I also remember
that it took me approximately three weeks to get over the jet lag on the return
trip, whereas on the way to China, it only took about two days. I'm trying
to think of good ways right now to de-brief before I leave, to prepare myself
for the re-entry experience. I'm psyching myself up with thoughts of tamales,
unlimited internet access, and English (with an American accent even!).
I'm hoping the week I spend in Prague with my mom will provide a nice, gradual
transition - it's neither here, nor there; it will be a vacation, so we won't
have a lot of responsibilites; and I'll have some alone time with Mom.
As for things I'm actually doing here to prepare myself, I've chosen an odd balance
between seeing things in the city I've always wanted to see, and purposely leaving
some things undone, comforting myself with the idea that I'll do it next time
I'm here. I've also quit studying and sleeping almost completely, because
I want to spend as much as time as possible hanging out or exploring the city.
As a result, I'm always tired, but I've discovered that if I'm tired enough, I
speak Russian better. I'm too tired to care about mistakes, so I don't stutter
and stumble around nearly as much. I'm not nearly as grammatical, but I'm
much more understandable. And mutual understanding is the goal. :)
Writing this journal has also been an amazing help to me along the way.
It's helped me to process what's going on around me, it's enabled me to become
acquainted with lots of new people from all over, and - most importantly, because
this was the original intention - it has helped me assure the people I know
and love back home that I have not fallen off the face of the earth, in addition
to giving them a little insight into my experience in Russia. I hope, more
than anything, that I've been able to share Russia with those of you who
may never get to see it in a way that makes you feel like you have seen it, and
that what you've seen is something you can relate to in some way.
I don't want to use empty phrases like "let's be friends." I think
that regardless of what direction international politics takes, people everywhere
should have an approach to other peoples and cultures that says, "We're different,
but we can share this planet in peace." Understanding like that can
only come from an open heart and an open mind, but on top of that, we need to
have concrete knowledge of other ways of life. Fuzzy feelings don't get
us anywhere when there's an actual conflict to resolve. I hope my writing
home has given everyone a chance to gain some of this knowledge and
experience vicariously through me - armchair travelers, if you will.
This won't be the last issue I send home, but it may be the last new one
that gets posted for a while. My webmaster, Kosta, is going home for the
summer to see his family soon, so he's taking a break. (If you want to see
the man behind the mania, click the webmaster link on the website.) Kosta,
I owe you a huge thank-you for posting this stuff to my site and then sending
the link to your acquaintances. Because of this, I've been able to meet
tons of new people and keep up with even more people from home I already knew. That's
a very generous gift...you have a true russkaya dusha.
Thank you also to Jeff for putting up pictures for me! And I promise that
when I get home this summer, I will start learning to maintain my website myself,
and never ever ever use Microsoft software to do it. :)
Thanks to everyone who has faithfully been reading this the entire time.
Y'all rock! Knowing someone is there listening makes talking much easier.
Must run to class. I'm late (opyat').
Till next time -
Heather:)Next Story: dobre yitro from Prague