I'm here as part of an immersion program with a colleague - living and breathing Russian for a few weeks. So far, I have managed (perhaps not gracefully, but still) small exchanges with the bus driver, in the station, and with my host family. It feels great to hear Russian everywhere -- and to understand something!
Class starts in about an hour... and I need to get ready. In the meantime, here are a couple of views from the balcony this morning. Unfortunately, the snow doesn't show as well as I might have liked, but you get the idea.
P.S. If interested, I am maintaining a Russian language blog about my experiences. Just drop me an email and I'll happily send you the other link.