And, once again, alive in St. Petersburg.

It took over thirty hours of traveling to get back to here due to a layover in Moscow in the very early hours of this morning (I can now accurately say that I spent parts of both Christmas 2008 and New Year's 2008 in both Moscow and St. Petersburg), but I am back in St. Petersburg just in time to celebrate New Year's in Russian style.

This holiday is definitely more like Christmas for us, as I came back to my warm, clean room to find a miniature New Year's tree (evergreen branches in a vase decorated with tinsel and ornaments) in my room on the desk with a bar of chocolate underneath. Our apartment is yellow and orange and cozy and the TV has a program of Russian singer/actor types singing famous old Russian songs (already heard "Помоги мне" from Бриллиантовая рука) dressed up in their New Year's gowns and I gave the family their presents and Olga seems to really like the album I put together of photos from my past seven months of living with them and it makes me glad to be back and home for the holiday. It's funny, for how crazy and hectic and exhausting this city is and how much I am looking forward to my upcoming break and time away from it, stepping out of Moscovskii Vokzal and into the city was such a relief after traveling so much. It was comforting to know how to get home without even having to think about it. And the sky was dark but clear and a finger nail clipping sliver of the moon was hanging up above the train station with one bright star next to it. Or maybe it was a planet. It was beautiful whatever it was.

I'm quite happy to be back. Not that Kiev wasn't great -- Kiev was wonderful, the hostel was amazing, we actually came so, so, so close to spontaneously changing our plans to stay in Ukraine for the holiday because we were having such a good time -- but I am glad to be back here as I planned. Plus, there appears to be ominous, upcoming conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Before we left, Katy's dad had told us he'd heard Russia decided to cut off Ukraine's gas supply after the New Year. In Kiev we didn't hear much about the situation, but when we did we heard the same thing -- Russia had decided to cut them off. Now back here tonight, hearing Olga's perspective and watching a very serious and somber news release of Medvedev and Putin speaking about the problem (with a very not-serious, goofy, and quite happy New Year's tree blinking away behind Medvedev's head throughout the whole thing) -- it appears that the story here is that Ukraine wanted gas for free or for even cheaper and decided to reject Russia's gas supply and use Europe's instead. Who to believe? I'll never know. Anyway, Misha said it's good we came back when we did. He thinks there is going to be a war between the two countries. Doesn't that make you thrilled, Mom? How is it that whenever I travel outside of Russia in the former Soviet Union conflict arises? First Georgia, now Ukraine.... well, the point is, I'm back. And that's good. And I'm glad I got to see Kiev while I could.

Anyway, you'll hear about Kiev soon enough. I'm off to гулять around the city with everyone and photograph the lights and join in the general merriment. I have a feeling this night is going to be like the winter version of Alye Paruca. I'll let you know how New Year's goes this year.

Think of me at 4:00PM EST when it will already be 2009 in St. Petersburg! I'll think of you guys at 8:00AM tomorrow here!

Happy New Year!!! love, e.b.