WELCOME TO TVER

I have arrived!! And after my first full day at uni and single handedly washing every piece of cutlery and crockery provided in our flat, I think it’s time to write an update!

Summary of the Journey

Manchester to London: Fast. Opted for a shuttle flight. Best idea!

London to Moscow: Able to stay in a friends hotel room which was right by Heathrow instead of having to spend the night in the airport. Bliss! Got to meet all the other Manchester Russian students in Heathrow, had a cooked breakfast and then started drinking at about 8am (of course). Almost missed the flight by not realising how big Heathrow is and how early the gate shuts, resulting in a huge herd of about 15 of us all running through Heathrow in search of Gate B38 - Madness!! Luckily, we all managed to get there with about 2 minutes to go until it shut. That has to be the most stressful part of my Russian adventure so far!

Moscow to Tver: Expected to be travelling in a coach. We definitely were not in a coach!! It was one crazy minibus journey. Expected it to take about 2 hours, 3 hours max. It took over 4! But we did manage to nip to McDonald's when the driver hopped off the coach for some reason (lost in translation). Also, Russian roads are insane. There are about 6 lanes of traffic in each direction and it would appear that there are also no rules. None. Our driver only brought the minibus to a complete stop twice during the whole 4 hour journey. Twice!! AND ONE WAS FOR THE MCDONALD'S!!

A group shot at the start of our minibus journey to Tver.

Summary of the First Two Days

Yesterday began with a surprise grammar test which I wasn’t expecting at 10am on the first day, so that didn’t go too amazingly. I expected we’d have one, but I thought we’d be given a day or two to settle in before we had it! But, no. So I came out of it feeling really frustrated! However, today we were put into grammar groups based on our results and I love the group that I’ve been put in. There are eight of us in my class, everyone seems really nice and I love being taught in small groups! We have lectures Monday-Thursday 10am-1.30pm and we get Friday off!! TAKE NOTE MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY, late start, early finish and a three day weekend!! Russia knows how to do it.

The language aspect is difficult to get used to. Very, very few people in Tver speak English so you have to concentrate all the time to try to understand everyone and they all speak so quickly!! It seems to be going okay so far though. Although, today I did noticed that I seem to think I’m understanding everything, when really I’m understanding a few odd words and making up the rest in my head. I’m sure it’ll all fall into place soon though.. surely...? It's definitely getting easier anyway.

Tver is also really cheap. We went to the little shopping centre yesterday and got sorted with sim cards and phones for those who needed one (me). We then got taken to a supermarket which was huge and super cheap! I did a big weekly shop including buying loads of cleaning products for the flat and it came to less than £15. I could get used to this!! I also bought 5 bottle of 500ml Baltika beer for 34 roubles each, totalling 170 roubles for them all...£3.40(ish). Amazing! I am definitely succumbing to Tver’s charms.

The accommodation is very basic, but it’s also very Russian and after a good clean, it's definitely liveable. The beds don’t have duvets though, which I find crazy! With the Russian winter that’s ever coming, surely they need more warmth than what the three thin blankets can offer? Also, I haven’t seen any cockroaches yet!! (Watch while I jinx it now and wake up with one on my face.)

On Sunday night, after the two days of travel, I thought I'd film a little guided tour of the flat which I share with Stefka, so you can all see what it looks like and so my loving family can see that I'm still alive and well. Please take note of how beautifully it is decorated and how modern and clean it is... NAAAAT!!

XxX