I arrived ok and now at last I have found a computer

Thank you all for sending messages but I only recieved the ones I have published - some basics to start off with. By the way I have just spent ten minutes working out how to type in our alphabet as it changed for no obvious reason to cyrilic part way through the last sentance.



The host familly are lovely, the food is better than the Russian resteraunt in Bradford.



My classes are great but I am by far and away the worst student. Fortunately my teacher Larrissa has the patience of a saint.



Petrozavodsk is very nice, a lot like Harrogate but on a lake and no sign of a Betties tea room yet. Also I read a book at midnight last night without the light on - I knew it would be light late here but its pretty weird to actually live with it.





OK so my journey hear was a farce, I got to St Petersburg ok even though it took most of the day and got talking to a chap called Sergei who is in ship building and was flying back from work in Glasgow. He kindly volunteered his wife to give me a lift to the youth hostel although she didnt seem too pleased as their were 2 kids her, her brother and Sergei in the car allready. It was very generous of them but it would have been better if any of them had a clue were the youth hostel was or were willing to just drop me off nearby rather than insist on taking me to the door - it took well over an hour to find and the car was getting rather sticky.



Next day I crossed town carrying my enormous bag and was quite pleased to succesfully order a ticket to Petrozavodsk, Unfortunately I was told the train was full so I had to get the overnight train that evening. You might think that an unexpected day in St Petersburg is a good thing but unfortunately I had a bag I can scarcely lift and I knew the host familly would be waiting for me that evening. Sadly my phone number for them would not work and I had no other way of contacting them. I spent the day visiting all the museums with tea rooms and places where you can leave your bags.

I bought a beer and some chocolate for the train, the lady in the ticket office had advised me I was in a top bunk so I knew I had to share the room but I thought this would be quite convivial.

I was wrong.

If you can picture an english railway carriage but where their is a pair of seats in england here their was 3 bunks, top middle and bottom facing side on to the direction of travel. On the other side of the aisle parrelel to the direction of travell where we would have two seats they had 2 bunks. It was a 65 person carriage with one toilet, a conductor who also sold drinks and so gender segregation! I tried to explain to my host that this wouldnt happen in Brittain.

The punchline to this is that I found my accomodation which luckilly is near the station and the University and apologised proffusely for being 12 hours late and now Dasha the younger of my host familly and also another student has confirmed their is a comfortable bus from Helsinki and I could have come via that route for less cost in half the time.