Saturday, July 12, 2008

Yesterday...

Was eventful.

We went to class. Class was ...sort of a total bummer. I've been trying to be really optimistic about the whole thing (and it's been working, too!). But I just can't talk. Over three years, I have learned almost no useful vocabulary, and I can't take part in a simple conversation without grabbing my dictionary seventeen thousand times just to make a single point. We had a debate yesterday, and after class, my teacher said something to me and I must have looked confused. "Quiet," whispered one of the girls next to me (who may or may not be an angel.) So she was asking why I was quiet. "I don't know," I said, because I know how to say that really, really well. She said something again, and the teacher herself translated that one "bad mood?"

Oops! "No, no, I just...have too few words." There is a better way to say that and extrapolate upon it, I'm sure, but I don't know the words to do so. Then she said something else involving seventeen other words I didn't know, but I think it was friendly, so I'm not going to worry about it.

Then we stopped at the Universam (24 hour sorta-grocery store) for lunch things. We came back, and I swiftly made grilled cheeses that we then devoured. And then I made myself two peanut butter and honey sandwiches, which were amazing. I just had another one for breakfast, but now we are all out of honey ;.;

After lunch, we lounged. And got more water, because I am a fish. And I studied and painted my nails, and took a brief shower. I've started heating up water on the "stove" for my face, because I just don't feel like washing my face with cold water does anything but wake me up.

And then we got fancied, and during that process there was a frantic knocking at the door. "We're not late, are we?!" I thought, and the boys came running in yelling that there was a naked girl on the roof. So we looked, and we're pretty sure there was, unless her bathingsuit was flesh coloured. We have our own naked guy, like in Friends, only ours is a lot farther away and might not be naked. Also, a girl.

So then we continued fancying, and went off to the ballet! We took one bus to Nevsky Prospekt, and caught the other one - going the wrong way. Thankfully the babushka taking money and giving tickets didn't charge us. So we hopped off, and looked in vain for a place to cross the street (ended up using one of the subterranian crosswalks), and caught the bus in the right direction. Turns out we totally could have walked, but whatever.

Funny observation that we discussed over dinner: Russian girls don't mind being naked in public. They wear the biggest stripper heels and the tiniest skirts, and very low-cut shirts, and either they don't know how much they're showing, or they don't mind. Like nakedgirl on the roof. Oh, it's sunny out? I think I'll sit naked on the roof of my building which is directly across from college dorms. Naked girl on the bus was pretty spectacular, though. From where I was sitting, she went up to give the bus driver her money and bent over, and lifted her leg (because her platforms were about 7", and I said to myself "I have got to ask the boys (who were on the other side of the bus) if she was wearing anything under that tiny trenchcoat of a dress." The answer is no, she was not. And she sat on the bus seats, which have been goodness knows where and have had whatever spilled on them, and the thought just squicks me out. Also, because I like to think that the person who last sat in my seat wore undapants. That's just something I take for granted, I guess.

So then we got to the theatre.

Got our tickets, and went in! The theatre is just gorgeous. Outside it's lightminty green with white trim, and inside is just decadent and lovely. The rules say no taking pictures, but everyone was . . .except for me, because I forgot my camera. Which is better, because my back is already injured just from carrying the stuff I had in my bag - I have got to find a way to rationalize buying a new purse. Only it might be hard to find one here that's not some fancy name brand.

So we got to our seats, and a piece of advice is: If you have to pay more for the better seats, do it. Alexandra and I both agreed that we're going to next time. We couldn't see the whole stage. And then two seats were open so we moved up and we could, and then the jerks showed up late and we had to move back. Rar.

But! It was awesome anyway. Here it is. The cast, and plot synopsis
Karen, some notes for you:
Do you know what role the ambiguous shirtless guy plays? We were pretty sure he was Conrad's lover, and then the three of them had a whole happy three-way relationship. Accurate? It is possible I just made that up, but our programs were only in Russian and I (thankfully, for my back) did not bring my dictionary. Here is the part in question. Also - incredible, watch it. I think it was the same choreography, though definitely played by different people and her outfit was HOT PINK. Which looked nice with shirtless lovah's blue pants.

The live orchestra in a small (compared to some places) venue was amazing. And the set was very cool. And the dancers were just incredible. At first it was all plot driven frisking about on stage, but later there was some very cool acrobatic stuff. Pirate fights, and the guys solos, which I tend to think of as "power dances" (Look, how I can fling myself about the stage and make it look so easy!) were awesome. And the main ladies were just incredible. There was one sort of minor part of the main Corsair lady who was amazing, in her red character shoes and general awesomeness. She did a folkier kind of dance. Medora and Gulnara were both spectacular, and their costumes were very shiny and I want to be a ballerina way more now than I ever did when I was little XD
But I wouldn't sacrifice eating everything I want for it, so I'm all set.

And then after the ballet, there was a grand adventure. In which the boys had explored while we were at the ballet and picked a place to eat, that we went to. That was overly posh, and our waitress didn't once crack a smile, and the food was amazing but more expensive than some of us might have liked to pay. (I didn't mind - roast chicken with mushroom risotto is worth a little sacrifice when I don't have the comfort of a warm shower anywhere in my near future.) After dinner we walked over the bridge to catch the bus and found out the 7 stops running at 11:19. and walked to the metro and made it for the last train. And then walked all the way back to the dorm from the metro station, which is not a short walk. And fell down and cried over our poor feets and pulled out our hair at the lack of hot water, and shook our fists at the sky. Except for all that last part. Mostly we just whined a little and flopped over into bed (or at least that's what I did).

And now I guess I should get dressed. For I am hungry.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Yay for ballet!

The dance you're talking about is the most famous part of Corsair, but it's also not really well understood. In fact, the whole ballet is supposedly one of the most confusing ever written. (There's a great tape of ABT's version, where they interview the dancers about the story, and no one knows how it goes.) The shirtless guy (Ali) is Conrad's slave. Originally he was another guy trying to get Medora's attention, but the character evolved into Conrad's slave. If I recall correctly, it has something to do with Conrad being to much of a swashbuckler to lift his lady is exotic and difficult ways. The ABT version doesn't have all those bystanders, so it's even slashier sexytime in that pirate grotto.

- Karen