Yesterday was the the first day of classes and it was certainly like being thrown into the deep end of the pool. We started at 9AM with a placement exam which was, many parts, way over my head. After being thoroughly reminded of how much Russian I don't know, I was placed into the 2nd level class which is what I had been hoping for. The class is very intensive, is completely in Russian and relies on mostly oral exercises which are difficult but definitely prepare you for speaking in public. I already feel far more confident talking to shopkeepers and food servers and I haven't even been here a week. The class goes from 9AM until 12:40PM on Monday through Thursday. We had class this morning but it was much of the same. Homework is not too intensive but it does take between an hour and two hours to finish.

Here are some more pictures from yesterday. We took a boat ride down the Москва Рыка (Moscow River) and were able to see some of the sights along the way. Definitely a good experience though I may have gotten some sunburn...