Здравствуйте! My name is Kristina, I'm a high school student, and I just started learning Russian (rigorously) 3 months ago, mainly because I have always loved Russian literature and I want to read it untranslated. I'm also OBSESSED with Russian culture, film, music, etc and I want to study abroad there in college. I read a beginner Russian script book first, and I've been using a "Transparent Language" computer program from the library, "Teach Yourself" by Daphne West (books and cds), and an advanced grammar book that I haven't hardly touched yet because it makes everything a thousand times more complicated than it really is. Other than that, I've made a lot of progress, and found a Russian friend and school that helps me with the conversational part of it. Does anyone know anything about these programs/books and if they are any good? Any suggestions for further reading? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Kristina