Firstly, I did get that baby-sitting job, and my first day was last Thursday.  It’s perfect, actually: it doesn’t breach my contract with EF, they’re just around the corner, they want me for 4 hours a week (two on Tuesday, two on Thursday) and they’re paying me 1500 rubles ($45) an hour.  That was my opening bid!  They also want to know my full-time rate: they want to poach me from EF, but the only reason I’d abandon my teenagers is if I went to Moscow or left the country.  I couldn’t possibly be in St Petersburg and not be their teacher, I love them way too much!  I do have to come up with a full-time rate anyway though, as it sounds like this family will want me to go with them for the summer, to Italy or Turkey.  Whoa, nice right?  They want their kids to speak English like a native—and the kids are adorable, a six-year-old girl and 18-month-old boy.  I’m to just hang out with them—I’m employed as a ‘friend’—and play games like hide-and-seek, cook cakes and things.  Super-fun, right?  Yay 🙂

Secondly, as promised, here are photos from the trip to Pushkin last weekend.  Enjoy!  (To see the album on facebook instead, click here :))

The saddest reindeer 🙁

At the market. This little market reminded me so much of Romania.

Once you’re out of St Petersburg, the buildings start looking more like this and less like delicious dolls’ houses.

“That’s a sweet gate” you might say. At the entrance to Alexander’s Park at Pushkin.

I love seeing beach equipment in the snow haha.

You can’t have it!! It’s mine!! Ner.

A right shemozzle of statues by the White Tower in Alexander’s Park.

The snow family 🙂

This little cottage reminded me of something Hansel and Gretel might discover 🙂

The back entrance to Catherine’s Palace at Pushkin.

The back facade of the palace.

An artist’s rendition of what the palace looked like after WW2 bombings.

The same pose adopted by millions of Russian girls in their “eta ya” photo albums! It’s good to see it has a heritage.

There are chandeliers everywhere in Russia, it’s awesome.

I don’t think I’ve been out with my camera on any occasion in Russia without taking a photo of a bride. They’re everywhere.

Yup, this is exactly like dinner at my place… :s

I love that the bride’s going “who’s your mate” at the crazy lady in costume.

Rocking it.

Below one of the chandeliers 🙂

This room was hectically colourful – I’ve actually reduced the colour saturation on this photo because it looked so unreal as it really was.

The blue things are heaters – so intricate!

One of Catherine’s outfits.

I loved this guy.

The wall-paper in every room was different, and super-intricate. I’d never have thought I’d find wallpaper so interesting!

Me in the Mariinsky Theatre.