Monica in Moscow

Moving on....

2008-05-08T09:05:00.000-04:00

I know this blog is far from the idea I had when I started it, but I promise to complete it with periodic posts on my Moscow sightseeing trips as I try to be more active on my new blog, monicainsofia.blogspot.com, while I am in Sofia, Bulgaria for another State Department Internship. Please follow the link above to the new site and continue to visit this one for new posts about old adventures!

Thanks!
~Monica

Happy Pi Day! (and Belated International Women's Day!)

2008-03-14T06:11:00.002-04:00

It feels slightly odd to be celebrating this academic holiday - one I remember from middle and high school that is marked by memorization and recitation of that famous variable, pi, as well as delicious feasting on a wide assortment of pies brought in by classmates. Unfortunately there is little Pi day festivities here at the Embassy, but maybe not that surprising considering that last weekend was filled with flowers and chocolates honoring women all over the world - International Women's Day was March 8th. The marketing and saturation of advertising billboards in not just Moscow, but St. Petersburg - reminding everyone of this important holiday - reminded me of the sugary infiltration of Valentine's Day into daily life beginning on January 2nd of each year. There was no escaping the flowery posters or ignoring the intricately arranged bouquets of flowers being carried around by men and women. Since this day also usually marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the stubbornly lingering "snow" (that is, the pollution-blackened remains) contrasted with the colorful flowers - fake and real - decorating the streets of the city. If only winter would get the hint....

Last week I was kept busy by the arrival of my sister, Julia, who wanted to visit me in Moscow during her University's Spring Break. In addition to taking her to the Kremlin and Ismaylova and the Maslenitsa Festival, we decided to take a mini-trip to St. Petersburg this past weekend before her return flight on Sunday. We spent a short day-and-a-half sightseeing in the city and a combined 16 hours on the train rides there and back. But we had fun, learned a lot about the city of the tsars, and made many many memories (not to mention, photos!). But all in good time - I've been recuperating from a week's worth of frenzied sightseeing and kilometers of "frugal" walking (instead of taking taxies or gypsy cabs) across two very large cities. Photos of St. Petersburg and a video of St. Petersburg's main square should be popping up shortly in the sidebar of the site.

До Свидания!

Maslenitsa!

2008-03-05T03:09:00.003-05:00

I can't even begin to describe the giddiness I had last night at the Maslenitsa Festival, held right next to the colorful St. Basil's Cathedral and just a few steps below the Red Square. It was dark by the time my sister and I passed through the gates, but the party was in full swing. The first thing that I saw was the giant effigy of Lady Maslenitsa watching over the Russians enjoying their Blinis (Russian pancakes/crepes) and the folk songs and dances on the main stage of the Festival.

We purchased our hot blinis filled with berries and cream and warm honey-mead to drink, and warmed up after our trek from the Tretyakov Gallery. Suddenly, the group on stage, dressed in traditional Russian winter costume, breaks out into a song I recognize! "Oi Maroz, maroz! Nie maroz menya!" (O frost, frost! Do not freeze me!) This was a song I had learned while learning Russian last summer - except then it was comical singing about frost in the heat of summer. Now, as I sang along, I felt myself beg the frost to stay away - Moscow has cooled considerably since I arrived and there is usually a light dusting of snow/frost when I wake up in the morning. I didn't catch all the words in the verses, but I reflected on my time so far here in Russia and realized that last year at this time I had no idea I would be here in Moscow! In March of 2007 I didn't even know any Russian! And last night I was standing in the Russian cold, with St. Basil's cathedral on my right and a giant Lady Maslenitsa on my left and singing along in Russian! I am greatly amazed to be here and feel honored to have been selected for this internship and this opportunity to live and experience Moscow. Pictures and video will be posted soon!

The Weekend I Visit the Seven Sisters and the Kremlin

2008-02-17T14:49:00.003-05:00

So another week has ended and I decided to embark on a weekend filled with sightseeing. Saturday was a guided tour of the Seven Sisters - the nickname given to the seven Stalin-era skyscrapers built in and around Moscow. Sunday I traveled by metro to visit the Kremlin and its armory. More details (and pictures) to follow...

The Day I Visited Gzhel

2008-02-09T15:25:00.010-05:00

Russian Pottery Barn
It might be unfair to use those three adjectives to describe this trip. First of all, I have never been to an official Pottery Barn store and so am basing this description on probably biased second hand opinions. Secondly, none of the seven stores we ventured into were barns – some were warehouses, others the front offices of the factory itself, one was nestled in a gasoline station convenience store while the last two were converted living spaces – one showroom filled a former ground floor apartment in a soviet-style apartment bloc and the other packed its goods into every available nook and cranny of a former living room.

Traffic? What Traffic?
We left the Embassy compound fairly early and traveled a speedy two hours to the outskirts of the city. If I haven’t mentioned it yet, traffic in Moscow is awful. But this morning it was light and the door of the van sliding open at our first destination woke me from my pleasant nap. I had been warned by previous participants that the first and the last stops were usually the priciest – best to look and then make a purchase half way through the trip, once you had an idea of what you wanted and what the price range was for the item. But this message was not passed on to the eleven other eager ladies in the van, and they promptly oohed and aahed over each salt and pepper shaker as well as each samovar and teapot, crowding the counter and pointing at plates with the accompanying “Da” or “Niet” (yes or no). Because the next store was around the corner, I and a few others left the growing crowd and proceeded onto the next showroom. It was as I took my third picture of the wall to wall display of Russian handiwork that my camera batteries, exhausted from my photo taking spree on the plane(s) and in my new abode called it quits. Luckily I had a new friend who made the trip with me - a fellow intern named Bethanne – and she snapped a few more pictures at the end of the trip. All I have are the blurred-together displays of blue and white, covering a vast assortment of kitchenware I didn’t even know I needed until a member of the group proudly displayed in the van “It’s a fish platter [wait for it - ] in the shape and glaze of a fish!” Or a giant samovar (a Russian teapot, to describe it succinctly) with little children playing on the handles. The formality of entering a store and a register meant that haggling for a lower price didn’t even surface during this trip. I’m not saying any of us got ripped off with our purchases, but every few minutes a voice would declare a purchase and its price, followed by “I know it might be a little on the high end, but I am helping the Russian economy.” By the end of the trip I was able to stow my souvenirs under my seat, while bags of boxed porcelain spilled down the aisle and between seats and feet.

The handiwork was beautiful to look at – in the first three or so showrooms – so that after a while I went in, tried to find something new or unusual, and promptly returned to the van, where our smiling chauffer kept the heat and the conversation going. I got to practice my Russian while inside the stores, the Russians were able to practice their English. “One more?” he asked us as we piled back in with bags full. “YES!” the ladies replied in chorus, anticipating an even better selection and even lower price at the next stop. Maybe they would finally find those hedgehog-shaped salt and pepper shakers that everyone at the embassy had but no store had yet revealed their whereabouts.

Every Monday and Wednesday except during Lent
A short nap later and we were back at the Embassy, all the ladies joking with each other about ways to sneak in their purchases past unsuspecting spouses. Some even haggled over borrowing rights and managed to arrange a custody schedule for fish platter over the remainder of the year. I haven’t included any pictures of my specific purchases only because one or two of these items will be gifts and I don’t want to spoil the fun. But I have included the three to four photos I managed to take and the several Bethanne was kind enough to take for me. Enjoy!

The Day After I Play Broomball Against the Finns

2008-02-07T12:54:00.001-05:00

I knew I was going to be sore - but today I felt it in my arms rather than my legs. But the game itself- priceless! I had heard about the broomball games hosted by the German Embassy, but last night I was actually there - suited up in hockey gear minus the skates and running across a frozen- over tennis court.

They Call Us...
I was one of the six women representing America as the "Frozen Assets" against the Finnish team "Finnladies." They were the one team that the Frozen Assets had beaten in the weeks prior to my arrival. Including our team from the American Embassy, there were a total of six teams in the women's league, each fielded from a different country's embassy here in Moscow: Austrailia, Finland, and Germany being the three that I remember. The German Embassy hosts all broomball games (those from the men's, women's and Marines's league) on their two tennis courts, which they cover in ice and surround with snow. Yesterday the temperature had been fluctuating around zero, so most of Moscow was either melting or freezing. Upon our arrival we found the courts fairly rough and not slick at all, which meant sliding would be more difficult and running mandatory.

Broom-WHAT?
Broomball is a sport that considers winter its mate and the hospital its mistress. Think of it as hockey without skates and a small ball instead of a puck, or "field hockey on ice." I had played broomball before - with just a helmet provided as protection - on the hallowed ice of Yost Arena near or close to midnight during intramural co-ed games. The game was challenging but fun - you slid around the ice off balance, trying to use a stick with a small triangle of plastic at the end (the "broom") to swat a ball smaller than a baseball into a two-foot high pee-wee hockey/soccer goal. At U of M, when a girl on the co-ed team scored the goal, it was two points to the one given the team if a guy scored. I remembered the guys were always faster and rougher on the ice than the girls on the team, and the girls were sent down to the other teams goal to await a pass that almost never came. No amount of shouting "I'm open! I'M OPEN!" would make those guys relinquish that ball if they thought they had even the slightest chance to score - which they almost always did. Anyways, I am getting off track... the point is that my experience playing intramural broomball was exciting and when I came to Moscow and heard about the Embassy's women's team I wanted to join and get back on the ice.

By chance I had decided to go to the Super Bowl replay party the Embassy's canteen/bar was hosting on Monday night (as it was 2am here in Moscow when the game began in the States). There I met Alicja and Linda and we got to talking about the broomball team, of which they were a part of. Hearing that I had played before, they told me I had to come play on Wednesday, as it was an early game and not very many team members could make the commute so soon after work (Traffic in Moscow is bad.... Los Angeles bad). They told me all about the Finnish team and how they had beaten them in the previous matchup. The Finnladies were seeking to avenge that loss on Wednesday....

Let's Get Ready to RUMBLE!
And avenge it they did. We were the first to arrive for the game and we started suiting up. I was surprised at all the gear the team had - padded pants, full leg guards, padded shorts, elbow guards, jersey, and helmet. They even had special shoes for playing on the ice - one team member described them as octopus tentacles because they had little holes in the foamy soles that acted like suction cups, sticking you to the frictionless ice. My big feet meant that for this game I would not be able to get and wear a pair of those shoes, and instead I scooted around on my boots. When I walked out onto the ice, I was feeling intimidated and restricted by all the protective gear I had just put on. I knew that I would have fewer bruises than when I played college broomball, but I missed the freedom of movement that jeans and a sweatshirt gave me in the game. By the end of the game, my body was thanking me for all the padding that cushioned my falls - both accidental and on purpose. After a little experimentation with sliding on my knees, I began throwing myself into the path of oncoming players, blocking shots with my arm, my stick, my legs - anything! - because I could. The padding kept me warm and helped me slide across the ice to my intended, and sometimes unintended destinations. It. Was. Awesome.

More like Fin-laddies
Those Finns were out for the win. They were serious about getting their payback. When the starting whistle blew, their team outnumbered us 3 to 1. We had one sub, they had ten. Anyone and everyone who had ever played for their team was there and they kept replacing their tired team with fresh faces throughout the entire hour. However, we were not to be intimidated by their strong showing of team members. We had a very intrepid goalie who swung from one side of the goal to the other and fought for every shot that came her way. As we rotated positions, we kept morale up with American catchphrases and cheers, making our game sound way more close than it actually was. And though it may be hard to believe that we were losing we were, more importantly, having fun. We lost, 5-1, but the whole hour was spent going from one side of the ice to the other, many shots on goal taken by both teams but only 6 went in. It was also a fairly clean fight, with the taller Finnladies having more of a tendency to high stick and the us, the Americans, being more physical in their attacks - but no one drew blood or got ejected, so score one point for diplomacy! As we got off the ice, we cheered for our team, for the referees, and for America.

Back to work...
And so my second week in Moscow and at the U.S. Embassy comes to a close. For all the people I've met and the work that I have done, I can't believe that it's been only been two weeks. This weekend I have more sightseeing planned, as I have now fully recovered from jet lag, as well as some technical issues to resolve regarding my photo slideshow here on the blog and flickr.com. I promise photos soon - especially of me in my broomball gear - and more frequent postings next week as I settle into my responsibilities and assignments as an intern.

До свидания! (Until next time!)
~Monica

The Day I Visited Dostoevsky's Childhood Home

2008-02-03T16:26:00.005-05:00

The weather had decievingly warmed up that day, leaving giant puddles just past the curb and forcing the three of us on the tour to walk several meters away from the corner and back down towards the corner on the street. The sidewalks and streets really leave something to be desired after pedestrian (and street-drain) friendly America.

Our tour guide was very proud that we, as foreigners, were visiting Dostoevsky's Childhood Home. Many Russians, even Muskovites, have not been to this historic place. Since it was my first weekend in Moscow, I was eager to begin sightseeing, even if it meant visiting the home of an author I had never read. That isn't to say I didn't try - but when you are in middle school and pick up Crime and Punishment the first few pages do not inspire further exploration. Based on what I learned about Dostoevsky's childhood, it was filled with the precisely the macabre and depressing experiences that would later influence his writing.

The house we visited was part of a medical facility -the hospital is still being used today! Fyodor Dostoevsky's father was a surgeon at the hospital and during Dostoevsky's childhood the hospital patients would be allowed out into the courtyard to sit in the sun, with the Dostoevsky children ordered to stay inside and not mingle. Fyodor would go out anyways, and while listening to the patient's stories he'd also catch glimpses of chain gangs walking on the street on their way to and from the nearby lunatic assylum and/or criminal cemetery. The neighborhood, even today, isn't very savory and out of the way. One of the only indications that Fyodor Dostoevsky lived in the area is a somber statue in the courtyard of the hospital. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the home, but much of the original furniture and belongings remain. Wandering from one dismal room to another and peering out the small windows at the snow covered courtyard made me appreciate my living space at the Embassy and in America and I sympathized with the young Dostoevsky and his humble origins.

The Day I Decide to go Shopping in Moscow

2008-01-30T15:22:00.003-05:00

Well, first of all, before I launch into the shopping expedition story, let me update you on my arrival to Moscow and the U.S. Embassy.

My Flight: The good, the bad, and the .... foggy?

I left Chicago's O'Hare International Airport at around 5pm (Chicago time) on a British Airways 747 jumbo jet. My destination: Heathrow Airport in London. Luckily my baggage did not go over the weight limit and the attendant manning the check in desk was friendly and placed me in a "great seat" for both legs of the flight. I had a nice man from Africa who spoke no english sit two seats down from me (I had the window seat). Once everyone had boarded, the captain announced that we had a very unusually light flight, so if we wanted to move around and occupy the empty seats we were allowed to do so. I would say the plane was at 65% capacity - the first time I have ever seen empty seats in the economy section of a plane! What I liked about this jet was that it had the new "On Demand" personal screens installed in the seat in front of you, which led me to watch several movies instead of sleep (Run Fatboy Run - a British comedy, Sense and Sensibility - great period film with Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson, and several TV shows). The staff on the BA flight was SUPER nice and attentive to any and all needs - they even roamed around the cabin with juice and water to make sure we stayed hydrated! Even when explaining that our flight would be delayed in arriving to the airport due to fog delays on the ground, the captain was cordial. We circled around a VERY foggy London (you could see the lights as a blur under the fog/clouds, indicating major roadways and the commercial hubs of the city) for about a half hour and finally left the plane at 6:45 am. My connecting flight left at 8:40am, so I was very anxious to get to my next terminal and make it for the flight.

Suffice it to say that after 6 hours in the air without sleep, I practically sleepwalked down the hall to the "Flight Connector" that would take me to the other terminal. I was supposed to leave terminal 4 (where the BA flight had landed) and take a bus to terminal 1, go through a security screening, and then go to the gate for the flight to Moscow. What actually happened was that I wandered down the path for terminal 4 (instead of terminal 1), went through security, found myself in terminal 4, checked my instructions, realized that I needed to be in terminal 1, ran back through the screening area, back down the path I mistakenly took, down the right path to the bus that would connect me to terminal 1. I rode the bus, disembarked, went through terminal 1's security screening, ran to the main part of the terminal and saw that the announcement board would not be posting which gate my plane to Moscow was at until 7:55 am. It was 7:00 and I was out of breath and half awake. I walked around the airport, had something to eat, and glared at the board until the magical time of 7:55. "Gate 38" appeared at 7:56, and I grabbed my carry on and practically ran to the gate, which was found on the other side of the terminal. When I arrived, the flight attendant was busily trying to explain that there had been a mistake and the plane sitting at gate 38 was not our plane. Our plane was going to be delayed (again - due to fog delays, our plane - which was being towed across the airport - had the lowest priority and had to wait on the side while higher priority planes landed or took off from the runways), and she didn't know for how long. She did make it clear that our plane would be found at this gate, so I walked back dejectedly to the main part of the terminal to await further instructions from the board. At 8:40 am, Gate 38 reappeared, and I, again - not wanting to miss my flight - hurriedly fast-walked to the gate only to find EVERYONE standing in two long lines waiting to board the plane. I decided to make a quick bathroom run while the line shortened, and when I exited the restroom and glanced at the board, my flight was CLOSING! AHHHH! I RAN BACK DOWN THE LONG HALLWAY, MY LUGGAGE SQUEALING BEHIND ME, CURSING MYSELF FOR TAKING THE FIVE MINUTES TO BRUSH MY TEETH AND THEN I ROUNDED THE CORNER and saw the line was still there. Another out of breath flyer came up behind me, commenting "You know I knew that they probably weren't closing the door, but with them, you don't want to risk it." I agreed and we both laughed in between gasps. I boarded and promptly fell asleep - no personal screens and empty seats on this flight. All I remember before falling asleep was the sound of the taped Russian translation of the crew's welcome. Before I knew it, we were touching down in the Russian countryside, our six hour trip to Moscow ending.

After going through another round of screening and passport control, I finally met my supervisor, Tim Birner, and we grabbed my two suitcases and made our way out of Domodoyevo Airport - located on the outskirts of Moscow. The ride into the city was pleasant as the driver knew the roads and expertly managed the traffic we encountered. I saw many buildings as we approached the Embassy, with Tim providing the commentary. I was here! I was finally in Moscow! I checked into the housing provided for me on the Embassy compound as well as got a run-down of checking in the next morning. I promptly fell asleep after unpacking my suitcases and welcome kit.

First Week
Although I cannot say a lot about my position or the work I have been assigned, I can say that this first week, so far, has been very busy but informative. There has been a lot of paperwork, many new faces, new tasks to learn and new assignments to complete. I've already had my Russian skills put to use! All in all, my expectations have been met and in some cases, exceeded. There is a lot going on in Moscow and many issues - not just the political ones - resonate in the various sections within the Embassy. It will be a very interesting and exciting time to be working in Moscow at the U.S. Embassy!

Sticker Shock
I blame jet lag for my lack of motivation to go on the metro or spend the evening sightseeing - but today I ran out of the roll of toilet paper that I brought from home and needed to go shopping. I and another intern decided to walk to the Ramstore, a 24 hour supermarket a few blocks from the Embassy compound. It had been lightly snowing all afternoon, so when we finally ventured outside the gates, the sidewalks were slippery and we trudged along in our boots past the metro station and around kiosks. The store, on the outside, looked deceivingly small, but once we made our way inside, we found the store not only extended back, but also down - into a basement the same size as the ground floor. As everything was marked in Rubles and I was unfamiliar with the exchange rate, I wandered around with my friend and picked essential foodstuffs not provided to us on our arrival, constantly asking her whether the price was reasonable. My basket was heavy when we approached the cashier and I hoped that my 800 Rubles (about $30), would be enough. It wasn't, and when I tried to explain to her in broken Russian that I only had 800 and not the 1000 Rubles the total indicated, she somehow understood and when to get the manager to reverse the sale. She dug through my bags and found the most expensive item - a package of 6 tomatoes on the vine - which cost me about 300 Rubles - that's 12 DOLLARS for six small tomatoes. WOAH. As she rang up my new total she gave me a lecture in Russian on how the packaged tomatoes are expensive and that next time I should bag my own from the bin. Meanwhile, those in line muttered under their breaths about my foolishness - but to be honest, I couldn't care less! I had just made my first purchase in a Russian supermarket! I gratefully thanked the cashier as I walked away, my arms weighted down with my bags full of food and toilet paper.

Pictures from my flight and apartment have been uploaded - see the slideshow in the adjacent column. I have signed up for several tours and excursions this weekend - followed by a Super Bowl party on Monday night - please, no spoilers! More pictures and posts to follow!

~Monica

The Day I Decide to Start Packing

2008-01-26T13:23:00.000-05:00

I've been accumulating all the clothing and essentials I will need in Russia for about the past month, but I hadn't pulled out my two suitcases and started fitting the stuff in until today - less than 24 hours before I leave the country. I've done my research and learned about the "Jigsaw method," the "block method," and my favorite, the "cramitin method." I expect everything will fit because I need everything to fit!

Also, joy of joys, the zipper on my favorite (and warmest) coat was repaired this week. I picked it up today from the repair shop and it looks like new, but more importantly, it works! For those of you who have been checking the weather in Russia, it is just as cold here in the Midwest as it is in Moscow. I've prepared for colder temps by buying insulated snow boots and several pairs of long underwear, in addition to the sweaters and long sleeve shirts I already own. I know that it will just be a hop and a skip from my apartment on the Embassy compound to the Embassy itself, but for those days I go visit the sights or buy my groceries, I feel that my layering skils (honed over a lifetime of dealing with lake-effect unpredictability) will keep me warm enough.

I will be en route to Moscow tomorrow (Sunday) evening and pretty much all day Monday. I hope to have a new post (with pictures!) by Wednesday!

~Monica

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2007-12-28T13:14:00.000-05:00

I wish you and your loved ones peace and joy throughout this holiday season and in the coming year.

Radosnych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia oraz szczęścia i pomyślności w Nowym Roku.

Я хочу желать Вам и вашим близким С Рождеством Христовым и счастливому и здоровому Новому году!

~Monica

The Day I Decided to Begin My Blog

2007-12-12T18:45:00.000-05:00

I have more than a month to go before I arrive and begin my internship in U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia. Between exams and papers and taking all the necessary steps with the University to make sure I can return (and graduate) next fall, I have decided to procrastinate a little and start the blog where I will be keeping all of you updated on my adventures in the land of the Tsars (aka Czars).

Now many of you know the story of how and why I applied for this internship through the State Department... some of you may not. Here is a little recap to get everyone on the same page:

1) This past summer (2007) I received a Summer Language Institute Fellowship to learn Russian, in a very accelerated fashion. At the end of four months I had passed Russian 103 and 203, Intense First-Year and Second-Year Russian. These two courses are usually a year-long sequence that allows students to learn 4 semesters of a language in half the time. I spent most of my summer in the freezing cold basement of the Modern Languages Building, learning the cyrillic alphabet, Russian vocabulary and grammar. When I wasn't speaking, writing, or reading Russian, I worked two campus jobs to cover the remaining costs of living and studying in Ann Arbor.
2) I had tried to apply for a summer internship through the State Department last November, but was unsuccessful - hence the decision to stay in Ann Arbor. However, in June I received an email reminding me of the July deadline for State Department Internships during the Spring 2008 term (which corresponds to UofM's Winter semester). With my confidence boosted due to my first six weeks of success with learning Russian, I submitted a complete application to the State Department, mentioning my Polish (and now Russian) language skills and my growing interest in the Foreign Service as a future career. I reasoned that if I got in - which I thought was a BIG if, then I would adjust my plans accordingly. This would explain the shock I had when...
3) ... midway through August, my cell phone rang on my way from class to work, and a staffer from the Russia Desk at the State Department asked me about my availability for a phone interview the following morning. That afternoon I had two emails from the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw and the Office of Holocaust Issues in Washington D.C., each asking if I was interested in interning with them during the Spring 2008 term. I ended up having two great phone interviews and was offered an internship placement in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
4) Of course, after two weeks of phone calls and emails and interviews and offers, my head was spinning with possibilities. Because the Russia Desk said that housing would be provided for interns during the Spring 2008 term and that I was eligible for a paid internship, I accepted their offer to intern at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. While that meant that I would be going to Russia and interning for the State Department, two huge firsts in my life, it also meant that I would not be able to graduate "on-time" in April 2008.
5) So I will return to the University of Michigan for the Fall 2008 semester, complete the requirements for my two majors, Psychology and REES (Russian and East European Studies), and graduate in December of 2008.... or stick around campus for a "victory lap" and finish in April 2009. If I want to to make myself a more presentable candidate for graduate school in International Affairs or Foreign Policy, I will need to take the Intro to Economics sequence I have avoided taking thus far as an undergraduate, brush up on political theory and history, and maybe learn a third foreign language - like Arabic, or Spanish.

Everyone caught up? Great! Stay tuned....