I am in an internet cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia. I've prepaid for my time here, and can't figure out how much time I have left, so I'll have to make it quick. Not really a problem since I'm exhausted and I've only been in the country for about, I don't know, seven hours. I'm not bursting with things to say like last time. Orientation was no big deal and I'm not consumed by the wonder of Russia the way I was last time. I've been here before. Russia. Not Petersburg. Still, it's familiar. Being here takes no getting used to, being back in Russia simply feels good. And I've realized it's the only country outside of the United States that I've been to more than once.

Anyway, my first impressions of Peter were not what I expected. The weather is my favorite thing so far, and while it's very beautiful, I'm not terribly awestruck. The canals are amazing but there are more important things to me here that I'm noticing. I'm more impressed by the mood, the pace. It's not as boring as Vladimir or chaotic as Moscow. It also doesn't feel as alive as Moscow, but just very comfortable. So where Moscow may be a better breeding ground for adventures, I've already decided that Petersburg feels like home. Again, I've been here a mere seven hours but that's what I decided is my feeling towards this city at this point. It may change. But I plan to write if it does.

So many things are different now. I'm coming into this semester with hindsight and experience, albeit a meager two months of experience, but I made enough mistakes last semester to know better this time around. I've already been speaking Russian a great deal and, to my surprise, I've been really genuinely enjoying it. I'm getting ready to work harder but enjoy it more. I do think individuals are highly influenced by their environments and, while I can't blame my laziness entirely on Vladimir, I do think it was not the best place for me and influenced my day to day habits. Here I already feel like I can breath better. We're also not starting out in the dead of winter, so that must help as well.

Basically, I'm safe, happy and really, really optimistic. I can see no reason why this won't be an incredible semester.