OK, I'm sorry. I was hoping to do this about two weeks ago.

Hello, I am alive. Internet has been a lot harder to acquire and I haven't been in nearly as good of touch as I had hoped. For now, here's the basics. I will try to upload pics this week.

I live in a hotel on the Gulf of Finland. I share a room with a guy from BC and we share a flat with a Finnish guy who is studying business. The conditions are somewhat spartan, but we hav heat, hot water, and a toilet that flushes. I can't ask for much more than that.

My classes are at Smolny, a complex that was originally built as a convent, but is now part of the University of St. Petersburg. There is a good mix of students. Mostly Koreans and Japanese, but also several Canadians and Americans, some French, and some Aussies and Brits. My classes are with Canadians and this one French woman who lives in St. Petersburg because her husband is a French diplomat.

I would share more stories, but I'm not on my own computer so I need to give up my seat. Just wanted to let you know that I am alive and doing things...I'm even having a good time. Ciao for now.