Well, it's come to be my first weekend here. The big news: I think I actually slept through the night. At least, I don't have any recollection of lying in bed until 4 am checking my watch every half-hour or so. Could the jet lag be defeated, not to return until I go back home? We can hope. It'd be nice to avoid any more big yawns during class.

Also gone, for the most part, are the nerves. Following a friend's suggestion, I emailed the US consulate here in Petersburg and explained my concerns. They assured me that most airport personnel speak English, and told me about the "City Concierge" service. Apparently a free service of the "City Marketing Agency," it provides assistance to tourists in several languages, including English. They can help with taxis, as well as offering information on events, theatre tickets, and so on, as well as offering help in emergencies. Knowing I have something like that there if I need it does a lot to settle my mind. And I plan to make use of it for general information as well--while the point is to avoid English and work on Russian, I don't plan on letting my pitiable lack of skillz keep me from getting out and seeing what the city has to offer.

The plan for today is to meet up with Robin and get some help getting a metro ticket. Past that, my plans for the weekend are relatively modest--study, of course, but also figure out the situation with laundry and, if I am really lucky, get a washcloth. If I can manage some of those things today, tomorrow I might treat myself to a trip to the Hermitage. It's THE museum and all, and I figure it'll be good for several visits (at least) over the course of this whole crazy thing. Meanwhile, I think I'm going to walk around this neighborhood and see if I can find someplace to get a big water jug.