Day 35:
I can't really remember what we did on ths day and I don't have any notes, so we must have been on tours all day. I'm sure that I can write about it after I llok at the itenerary.

Day 36: Free Day
Valerie and I decided to take full advantage of the free day today rather than to do any of the organzed activities that teh adults had set up. Around 11 we met with the guys and went to the market where I bought the last of my souveniers. Then we had lunch at the mall, came back, did laundry, and napped. In the evening we hung out with some of the others.

Day 37:
We had an interesting meeting with the head of Journalism in Extreme Situations, an NGO which works to show the problems faced by journalists in Russia. The conclusion of this speech seemed to be that there is no true free speech in Russia and that the first Chechen War was the high point of freedom of speech for journalists/ the golden age of Russian Journalism. That afternoon we also met with the head of Glasnost Defense FUnd, whose father was actually a major character in a book I read for class last semester. He, too, seemed pessimistic about the state of free speech in Russia and gave us each a books with "the best of Russian journalism." Both of these men were interesting characters and the second even claimed to have the largest private collection of turtles, numbering over 2000, inanimate of course.

Day 38: Last Day in Moscow
So today we visited Mosfilm. This is a little like visiting Universal studios and getting a real behind the scences tour. We looked at all of the cars that they had used in movies. Then we walked on outdoor sets and looked at an indoor one under construction. After the tours we actually got to meet with the head of the studios, who is also a director although there was a miscommunication, so it was a rather short meeting. After that we had some free time in the afternoon. Beth and I went back to the market where she was good at playing the helpless female, so everyone treated me like a translator and thought that I could speak fluent Russian, which was definitely interesting. Later we packed and then the girls and Harrison hung out.

Day 39: The Train
We took the day train this time so we sat in a large compartment with a lot of other peole. It was not airconditioned, athough at lest some windows could be cracked this time. I read, slept, and talked to others in the group. We arrived in St. Petersburg in the evening and had a meeting before going to bed.

Day 40:
Today we listened to a really long speech on the Seige of Leningrad. Then we went to a couple of monuments, followed by a museum dedicated to a female poet. At least thist time the guide was not obsessed with the writer. Then we were to go to the Marinsky to see Swan Lake again, but several of us who had already seen it on the first trip (the guys and myself) did not want to see it again so the fiveof us and one of our teachers sold our tickets. Then we wandered around town for our "alternate excersion." We ate at a small place, walked some more, and then came here. I plan to go back to the hotel, read, hang out, and sleep. I don't need to sleep early because there was a hitch in the plans, so I don't need to be ready until after noon tomorrow, which is really exciting. I'm enjoying my time here, but I'm ready to be home.