busking

Posting again from school! In a little bit we are leaving for an excursion to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. I'm hoping that they will be selling a copy of the movie "Alexander Nevsky"...I remember it being hard to find in the states.

I think I may have finally found an area of the city that works for students. It is tricky to find places that aren't expensive and fancy, and at the same time, not chains from the US, here. So it has taken a bit of exploring and investigation to find the right balance. After today's excursion, I'm planning to go with a couple people to a cafe a few blocks off of the main street.

I mentioned in the last post that I've been playing violin for money. This has turned out to be a good decision not only because I have some extra cash, but also, people come up and talk to me all of the time. For the first time, I've gotten to talk rather extensively with people who don't speak any English. Most of my encounters with Russians have been with people in the service industry or academia, and most of these people have been multilingual to some extent. So I've been setting up next to my metro, in a largely residential area, and people pass me by on their way home from work or whatever. Some people request certain songs, one fellow gave me a CD of himself, and lots of people want to know where I'm from.

If anyone thinks of anything I should buy here, tell me so! It will be too late once I leave in three weeks. It gets legit dark around 1am these days...strange.