Leaving a little bit of me behind

It's the morning of my flight back to America. I'm fighting bittersweet emotions. I'm glad to be going home to the country and people that I love so much. But there's no way around it--I will miss Moscow. The Russian people have made this experience a once-in-a-lifetime one and I can't say enough about all of them. They are the part of Moscow I will miss the most.

I love Moscow.
I love the Russians.
I love Russia.
I hope that I will come back very soon.
And as corny as it sounds, I'm quite confident I am leaving a little bit of me behind here.

What more can I say?

And That's A Wrap!

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end..." - Semisonic

Today I officially finished the last class of my undergraduate career. Forever. In Russia.

How did my life get to be this crazy?

We shook hands with Dr. Maleshenkov and accepted our certificates of completion at the end of class. We uploaded all of our final projects and hugged the Russian students. We finalized all of our travel information. And, just like that, it was over. I stood back and realized that today was not only the last day of the semester, but the last day of college for me. I guess I have officially become "an adult" (whatever that means). Hopefully, it won't demand any new requirements of my maturity.

I guess it also means that my time in Russia really is coming to a close. We will be in Saint Petersburg starting Sunday and, though it's my hope to squeeze in at least one more blog before I leave for America next week, I don't know that I'll be able to blog all that much from here on out.

So let me just say that this has been one incredible journey. With this trip, I finally got to do what I have always dreamed of doing and have successfully made every college goal. I love Russia, I love Russians, and I love the Russian language. As corny as this may sound, I'm so incredibly blessed to have experienced this trip and so incredibly grateful to everyone, both here and at home, who made this opportunity so wonderful. I can't explain all the emotions running through my head right now as I'm typing. It's a bittersweet mixture of melancholy, shock, and excitement. But mostly excitement. Many times I have fretted about my as-of-yet uncertain future, especially as graduation draws closer. But Mom reminded me that I thrive on uncertainty and looking back, I guess that's true. And that's good because right now, I'm facing nothing BUT uncertainty! And, you know, I do kind of like it...it leaves plenty of room for the future and the opportunities that brings (speaking of corny...)

So here's toasting to the end of an era, ending with a bang, and to welcoming a new beginning. I'm so excited for Saint Petersburg and for every other new adventure down the line. I know that it will be crazy, difficult, and amazing.

So, again, thank you...and that's a wrap!

The Last Lap

Usually when I visit a place, I like to find out a lot about it before I go so that I can know what I'm looking at. But during the last few months, I've discovered that one of my favorite things to do is explore. Just explore. This usually starts out with Miles picking a place that we don't know much, if anything, about. Whoever wants to--usually Shelli, Miles, me, and Maxime--joins us to see where it will wind up.

Last week, the four of us decided to go to Gorky Park after our class. With the days not getting dark until 9pm, we have more time and daylight for our adventures. Gorky Park is still pretty much shut down before the summer months and at first it seemed kind of desolate. The rides were sitting empty and there was nothing going on. The four of us walked along the riverbank and enjoyed the sunset (yeah, have I mentioned they're my favorite?). A few dancers were out dancing to some traditional Russian folk music and it was fun to watch them. Shelli commented that now she feels like she's in "real Russia."

The weather has finally let up and it has been absolutely beautiful during the past week. Although we've been very busy with the last lap of classes, we have been able to spend a good bit of time just exploring the city. No more museums or indoor activities, though--we want to be outside all the time now that we can! For me, it's really the last opportunity to. We leave for St. Petersburg this weekend! I can hardly believe it.

Now, I'm driving through the last lap and I'm so excited to finish our last class and spend my 22nd birthday in St. Petersburg!

Христос воскрес!

I didn't get to spend Easter Sunday in Moscow exactly as I anticipated. But it was still a wonderful holiday and a great weekend.

On Saturday, we finally made it into the Kremlin--something we've been trying to do for over a month now. Only the churches were open in anticipation of the Easter celebration, perhaps the biggest occasion in the Russian Orthodox Church, but the sunshine was so bright and warm, we didn't really want to be inside anyway. Instead, we stretched out along the steps of one of the cathedrals and just soaked it up.

On Easter Sunday, we made several attempts to get into various churches but were unsuccessful. So we spent some time in prayer and then went outside to enjoy the Day of the Resurrection in the park. I wish it had been more reverent (I really wish we'd gotten to a church) and more in remembrance of the reason for the day. But it was by no means a waste of a day. Miles and I had an extensive conversation on Christianity--it's always great for me to hear his perspective, especially since it's so different from mine. And being outside in the park with the bells ringing in celebration reminded me how blessed I am--in every way. And even if I didn't get to go to church, I took a moment to say thanks--I am so incredibly grateful.

Христос воскрес!

Angels, Bicycles, and Bright Red Jumpsuits

Another day well-wasted.

It was our first almost-sunny, almost-warm day in Moscow in what feels like forever and Miles, Maxime, and I took advantage of the almost-nice weather. We went to Izmailovsky Market again today in one last effort to load up on souvenirs to bring home. I've already blogged about that so I won't get into details about that. Afterwards, we went back to Vdnkh and there we rented bikes and cruised around the park to places we hadn't been able to see before. It was a great way to spend the day. Miles even unofficially initiated us into his "bike gang" the Angels and we rode in formation, barely managing to dodge pigeons and pedestrians along the way. In the process, Miles almost got us all involved in some sort of community-wide scavenger hunt. We didn't wind up participating but we did get red jumpsuits out of the deal! I think Shelli had more fun with mine when I brought it home than I did. She danced and cooked gretchka in it later that night.

Later, we strolled down the path behind our hostel with a few of our Russian friends discussing everything from soccer and beer to physics and the meaning of life.

Humor is the Universal Language

Last night, students from each of the departments at MSAU put on skits and made videos roasting their university and dissing each other's departments. A few of our Russian friends were in the skit and a few others were glad to have us tag along. Although we understood only a small percentage of the humor (whether it was because of language, cultural humorous nuances, or because of inside jokes about the school), it was a highly entertaining show.

We watched each group put on their show and naturally found some funnier than others. At first, I assumed it was merely because of the language barrier and we found those funniest that we could understand--that is, those that relied less on dialogue. But as it turns out, humor is a universal language. The best skits, even according to the Russians, were those that relied almost solely on physical antics, expressions, and one or two-line zingers. The audience interacted with the groups the same way as at home and certain departments had especially boisterous representation that laughed or cheered uproariously whenever they appeared. I could almost be at any event at home.

One thing seems to be the same in every language--poking fun at the human experience. That's something everyone gets--it's funny how so many things just don't need translation.

"A friend is someone who knows us and loves us anyway"

Shelli, Miles, and I have become pretty close over the last few months and we enjoy horsing around together, whether it's adventuring together or having utterly random and silly conversations. This evening Shelli and I were working on our Russian homework while Miles did...well, I'm not really sure what he was doing but he was around and we frequently pestered him for help when we got stuck. During a break from our studies, we decided to create our own dialect transliterating English words into Cyrillic. Shelli and I laughed hysterically at ourselves as we passed notes back and forth in our newly created writing form. Miles joined in for a while and then picked up a little reed recorder and began playing folk songs as we continued to amuse ourselves writing notes. As I wiped the tears of laughter from my eyes, I paused a moment and took a moment to appreciate the ridiculousness of the moment. Shelli and I, both on the verge of graduation, sitting here giggling like schoolgirls passing notes in a "secret" language and Miles in the background serenading us with a wooden recorder (and complaining that it didn't have an F). Yep, looks like all of us are hilariously odd. And I love it!

The more time we've spent together the more I've come to enjoy each member of our little family. Each of them challenges and enriches my life in unique ways. I've benefited so much from their companionship--they truly are like my family and I realized tonight as we were goofing off how much I will miss them when we return home, especially Miles and Shelli. But, hey, if we could all travel across an ocean to forge our friendship, we can continue it when we're back in the States. At least, I hope so. I really hope so.

To Life!

On Wednesday night, we celebrated Maksim's 22nd birthday in what was for me a very unique way. He rented a limo, provided some champagne, and drove a big group of us around Moscow. We stopped at several famous Moscow sights, including Red Square. There, those of us in heels found out that walking around on the cobblestones is really difficult! I walked right out of my heels at least once. Nevertheless, Red Square still remains one of my all-time favorite places, especially at night. And when you're celebrating with good friends, so much the better!

We got back around 5 o'clock that morning and then I met Inna for more Russian lessons. The reviewed vocabulary, not my strongest point. Russian grammar, although tightly structured, is difficult for me because I barely understand English grammar. But when we use it in practice as I do with Inna, it's a little easier so I'm extremely grateful for her help.

Other than that, it's been a busy week here. Our new energy management systems class is challenging and takes up a lot of time and we've been buckling down to work on homework and assignments. This means we've explored a little less this week but hopefully we'll make it to the Kremlin this weekend. It's crazy that it's April already--the time is absolutely flying! I guess that means I'd better get to work on that to-do list...

The Downhill Side

Yesterday, Miles, Shelli, and I took trip to the other end of Moscow to visit Moscow State University, one of the most prestigious universities in Russia. Unlike MSAU, whose central campus is small and comprised of only a few tightly-clustered buildings, MSU is a large, sprawling campus more in line of what we think of as major universities. As we were walking around, Shelli kept saying, "It's almost like being at LSU again!" Beautiful, ornate buildings, large park centers, and statues--tributes to the worker and to Lenin, of course. It was really beautiful.

At one point during the evening, we were walking around one of the parks and Miles brought out the Cuban cigar he had purchased at Vdnkh and we all shared a few puffs and mockingly toasted (can you toast with just a cigar?) Soviet education. As we walked around, we talked about our experience here, what we thought of Russia, and the meaning of life--a must when delving into deep discussion. I think for all of us, the campus created a strong awareness of where we are and just what exactly we are doing.

As we reflected, the conversation eventually led to the time we have remaining in Russia. We are into April now, which means we have just a little over a month left. It's hard to believe. I still feel in some ways like we just got here. The four-plus months we will have spent here is a wonderful amount of time because it's given us the opportunity to get an idea of what it feels like to live here. Yet, at the same time, it's not enough time to really delve into our lives here. Now, just about the time we're really settling into a lifestyle and making connections with the people here, we will have to leave. We all agreed we're just not ready to go. Now, of course, we still have over a month left. Maybe by the time it's over, we will be ready to leave--I know I certainly miss the people and many of the comforts of home and I'm looking forward to seeing them all again. But I have enjoyed my time here more than I can really say. And when it's over, I will go home, graduate, and face a very uncertain future. I will really be starting from scratch--and that's scary. That's probably part of my inclination to want to stay, too.

As we walked around MSU and then came home to enjoy a few drinks with some new Russian friends, all of this came to the forefront. We're on the downhill side of what has been a crazy, challenging, incredible semester. And despite the ups and down, I don't regret a second of it, in fact, I don't want it to end. There's just too much still to do with our time here. I guess we'd better get started...

пока!

Long Day

"You are in Russia, this is not like America. You cannot trust like maybe you can in America. And you are in Moscow, the center of Russia--you must be careful."

I don't like to think of Moscow this way. But I guess from now on, I will have to.

We have been warned almost constantly since we got here that we must be careful because we are American and things are different for us, we have to be extra watchful. And while we have certainly not disregarded those warnings by any means, over the last few months we have fallen so easily into our patterns and felt so comfortable in our surroundings and with the people we're with that the warnings have more or less, for me, fallen into the back of my brain. We go back and forth from our rooms to the classroom with little thought, we're in and out of each other's rooms with no problem. We're familiar with our hall and relaxed in our comfortable surroundings. I guess you could say that we have been lured into a false sense of security. Well, today Karlie and I paid the price for our complacency.

Today while we were in class giving presentations, someone came into our room and stole several items. Karlie came into the room after class and found it in a state of semi-disarray: random things were out of place, the wardrobe was open and clothes and boxes thrown around, Karlie's wallet was emptied out with coins scattered across the floor, and my sheaf of important information had been tossed aside. Nothing too serious (nothing was broken) but Karlie bore the brunt of the theft--her good camera, eReader and hard drive, and some money were stolen. My iPod which had been lying on my bed was stolen. Fortunately, our computers were in the classroom with us and I had by random chance kept my wallet with my documents with me today instead of leaving it in the room as usual. Fortunately, they didn't take any of our documents or credit cards, which was a relief. The frustrating, and disconcerting, part is that whoever took our stuff knew enough about us to know that we weren't in our rooms. Tonight, we were reminded that we cannot be so careless and that as Americans, we truly do stand out.

Although I would have appreciated a reminder that didn't result in today's kind of loss, I guess the truth is that it will help me remember to lock the door and double-check where I put my valuables in the future. It will make me remember to be more watchful.

But...I would rather it was a lesson I hadn't had to learn the hard way in the first place.

A riddle wrapped in a mystery...

It's probably no surprise that learning Russian is difficult. I love the language--how it sounds, it's structure (for the most part, they don't have to worry about 'is's', 'am's', and 'will's' etc.), and it's rhythm. In a lot of ways, it makes a lot more sense than English. For the most part, it stays within its own rules and, unlike German or English, its exceptions really are exceptions--meaning there are fewer exceptions than rules, like it's supposed to be! The hardest part about this experience is that because we only have Russian language once a week now and because our Russian friends are so good at English and because all of our classes are in English, there's surprisingly little opportunity to speak Russian--and we have run into few situations where it was absolutely necessary. Sign language, gesturing, pointing, and facial expressions go a long way, we've realized.

But recently for me, for whatever reason, my enthusiasm for learning it has increased dramatically. I think just being surrounded by it, I've come to recognize a lot of patterns and words just because of repetition. One of our Russian classmates, Inna, kindly offered to tutor me individually and that has contributed to my excitement. For the lessons, I decide what theme I want each to be--family, food, interests etc.--and she creates quizzes and dialogues for me based around those. At the end of each lesson, we read from a Russian fairy tale book I bought to improve my comprehension and pronunciation. I can tell that it has really helped and Inna is a wonderful, patient teacher.

Today at Sergiev Posad, I managed to have a conversation with a Russian guy. Though it probably broke every grammar rule in the book, I was delighted to be able to understand his questions about my education and where I was from. I was able to answer and even ask him a few of my own. Small steps maybe to most but bounds to me! I'm eager to continue lessons with Inna and to practice further--I have a feeling I will come away with the greatest knowledge because of her. Ludmilla, one of our language teachers, encourages me to continue Russian studies when I go home and I think I will follow her advice. The longer we stay here, the more I enjoy it and I have a feeling it will come in handy again in my future.

пока!

"It's snowing dippin' dots!"

In typical Russian fashion, spring has been elusive here in Moscow. There have been just enough warm days to raise hopes but it's far too hasty to call it spring yet. And as per Murphy's Law (or one of those...), the days that we venture out are usually the most miserable.

Last weekend, the Americans went to Catherine the Great's Palace in Moscow. Though it was on-again-off-again gray and damp, it didn't actually start snowing until we were on our way back to the metro--kudos, Moscow for that...The palace and grounds were absolutely beautiful, I guess a perk when you're royalty, huh? We never made it into the palace itself but we really didn't need to. It was great to just walk around and be outside amongst the cool architecture. Once it started to snow, we found the little cafe on the grounds and enjoyed some coffee and blini while overlooking the palace.

Today, we took a field trip to an extension office near Sergiev Posad, which is about an hour outside of Moscow. After we toured the extension office, we took a side trip to Sergiev Posad and I was able to attempt to recreate the pictures I lost when I lost my camera. Of course, it was gray and raining the whole time so I think they lost some of their effect. I was trying to be optimistic and say, "Hey, guys, it's raining! That MUST mean spring's coming, right?" We walked around a little bit, ducked into a coffee shop to dry off, and then came out to snow. They were small, round flakes that someone accurately compared to dippin' dots. I guess I spoke too soon. The weather really wasn't unbearable, at least it wasn't too cold, but what really topped off an otherwise pleasant day was the traffic jams we ran into on the way back. We have heard since we got here that Moscow traffic jams are awful and now we can say from first hand experience that we know this to be true. What should have been about an hour-long drive home took us over 4 hours thanks to 2 separate traffic jams. We were sitting on a bus in our damp clothes trying to make jokes about the experience but it was just a really long day. But at the very least, I'm glad I have pictures of the monastery to share now!

Moscow, please bring spring soon! Thanks in advance...

пока!

Catching a Moment

I feel it only fair to warn you that this blog post is completely personal and contains no insights into Russian culture whatsoever--so if you're still with me, thanks!

Many of you who know me well know that I am restless, maybe a bit of a wanderer. I like exploring places, learning new things, and moving on. I've spent most of my college career chasing purpose and trying to define what it means to "live life to the fullest." I think that's why I'm so keen on traveling. And while I certainly have not answered any questions yet, I was able to catch just a fleeting moment.

Last week was rough, emotionally and physically. I was sick and homesick and feeling like I was ready to quit. But this week has brought with it a surge of renewed vigor (unfortunately for some that means I've got my debating zest back--осторожно!). Between exploring more of the city, the change in weather, and getting to know the people here even better, I've really felt more content than I have in a while. Sure, I've still got wanderlust, I'm still bitten by the travel bug. But tonight I stopped on my way down the stairwell and I looked through the window out over the lit city. I was listening to "Free" by the Zac Brown Band on my iPod (one of my favorites) and I couldn't help but think, "I'm as free as I'll ever be, right now." I'm here, in a place I always imagined I wanted to get to but never thought I would, learning about a language and a culture I've always loved, doing things I've always wanted to do. And I paused for a moment looking over the city, thinking about purpose and living and feeling content. And, for just a fleeting but wonderful moment, I thought, damn, if this isn't living, I'm not sure what is...

Thinking of Home

The past few days have been a bit of a roller coaster for me.

It began earlier this week when Miles, Maxime and I went to the Moscow Zoo. It was great to have the opportunity to be outside in the fresh air and see the animals. I'll be honest and say that I'm over this Russian winter. Hearing about all the warm weather at home has made me miss it probably more than any other point on the trip so far. That's why I was especially glad to see horses in the zoo. In my limited international experiences, I'm always blessed because every time I start to get homesick, I always come across horses and it has been like a shot in the arm. A little sense of home away from home.

After the zoo, the three of us roamed around the surrounding city. We went into 2 of the Seven Sisters, identical steel towers erected under the direction of Stalin and famous landmarks of the city. One has been made into the famous Radisson Hotel, one of the grandest and most expensive in Europe. Under Miles' urging, we pretended like we could afford it and strode into the impressive, gold-decorated lobby like we belonged there. We even made it up to the restaurant at the top and got a sunset panoramic view of the city. We probably ticked off a few of the actual paying customers but, as Miles said, "You can't put a price on a view like this." Apparently you can: about 31,500 rubles (about $1,100) a night for the Executive Suite--breakfast included! Good thing I've always loved pretending...

The rest of the week has been filled with little adventures--museums and restaurants and night city treks--and a lot of class. The class we're currently taking (Agriculture Development) has been interesting as it challenges viewpoints and sparks debate--and if you know me at all you know I never shy from a good debate! The class sure has made me appreciate America even more than I did before. That has added to my homesickness and general droopiness lately--well that and yet another cold. We've been told the seven week mark is typically when the rubber hits the road mentally. And it seems to be holding true for our group. We're all settled into semi-routines and have adjusted enough to the Russian way of life to know what we do and do not like about it. I did get to go on a couple of runs this week--my first since I've been here and that was amazing. I've missed running here, normally my time to unwind and de-stress. Though they were by no means far or fast, they, along with the horses at the zoo, were just what the doctor ordered for my spirits. The other American girls have been great cheerleaders, too, offering pep talks and empathy as we all share similar thoughts on our experience.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still enjoying Russia immensely. But this week has forced me to take a little step back and acknowledge that I do miss home. I enjoy city life as well but not everything about it and that's OK. As this week draws to a close, though, I can honestly say that I feel rejuvenated for the week ahead. Spring really is in the air (all that blini on Maslenitsa worked!) and with a warm sun out, ice turning to slush, and grass poking through the melting snow, comes for me a renewed sense of excitement for our time here in Moscow. I'm well on my way to getting my adventure on again...and I'm excited to see where that will take me.

пока!

Maslenitsa Baby!

The past few days have been spent in what I consider to be an exploration into what I would categorize as the "ultimate Russian experience." From touring the Museum of the Revolution with Nadia, Miles, Maxime, and Katie McKee to celebrating Maslenitsa, the ancient Russian holiday to welcome spring today, I feel like we've really gotten a taste of the country.

Well, first off, let me start by saying we did actually go to the Starlite Dinner, a little piece of Americana not far from Christ the Savior Cathedral near Red Square. In the diner, decked out in American retro style, we could order burgers, milkshakes, fries, and breakfast at any time. I ordered a grapefruit soda and chicken wrap that were both delicious! Afterwards, Katie McKee and Shelli "stormed" the Kremlin--let's just say they get an A for effort.

On Saturday, a few of us went to Izmailovsky Market, a must-see if you ever are in Moscow. This market is about an hour plus metro ride but was well worth the trip. It's sort of like an American flea market, only classier. There are vendors selling nesting dolls (from the traditional flowery-haired girl to the rulers of Russia all the way back to Peter the Great and pictures of American sports teams), scarves, artwork, ornaments, hats, Soviet-era maps, and amber jewelry--to name a few. Vendors can speak to customers in Russian, English, Italian, German...whatever the situation calls for. Sure, there are a few chintzy souvenir stands geared towards tourists but the deeper you go into it, the more authentic the products became, and the cheaper. The hardest part was that every time I would stop just to admire someone's handiwork, the vendor would come over and want to show me. I don't know how many poor sellers pulled out all 10 pieces of a nesting doll for me just because I happened to pause a little. The craftsmanship on many was truly amazing. It was kind of hard to leave, actually, because there was just so much to see. Luckily, everyone agreed with me and I'm confident we will be going back before our stay is over.

Finally, today Katie McKee and I went to Red Square to attend a Maslentisa festival. The crowds were out in full force and between it and the market, I've seen more Americans in Moscow in the last two days than any other time. A big stage painted with bright yellow suns (the symbol of the holiday) hosted singers, storytellers, and gong-players. There were tables with straw dolls and sunflower wind catchers, drummers on high stands, clowns playing games, and carnival rides. Every other stand was selling blini in one of the many traditional ways to prepare it: with jam, with sweet cream, with jam AND sweet cream, with salmon, with caviar, with meat, with mushrooms, with meat AND mushrooms...you could find blini with just about anything. Gypsies dressed in brightly colored clothes danced, sang, and put on mini shows with characters dressed as bears and warriors. I had no idea what they were doing but it was fun to watch. The crowds were packed so tightly, I don't know how any of the performers managed to do anything! It was quite an experience. I'm confident that I got to see Maslenitsa in its fully glory. Now I'm curious how differently they celebrate the holiday in the provinces.

Oh, and fun fact, we saw peanut butter again yesterday in Moscow--for a paltry sum of $16 a jar. Oh, the things you take for granted, huh?

пока!

Blueberries In Any Season

One thing that I have come to appreciate about America since being on this trip is the variety of products that are offered in any typical grocery store. Not to say that we necessarily need an entire section devoted to types of toilet paper (hmm, do I like 2-ply, 4-ply or mega-ply?) like we do, but I do like having options. Particularly when it comes to options of quality.

Russian grocery stores, even the large ones, typically offer maybe one or two choices of a product such as toilet paper or tissues and these are liable to be more between color or brands rather than quality. Karlie bought one brand of toilet paper that advertised itself as "soft as a lamb" (or something like that, since we had to interpret based on pictures) and I bought a more generic brand. Though the lamb variety was about 10 rubles more, it was no better or softer than the other brand, it basically just had a different pattern. All of us have observed that everything is pretty cheaply made, the tissues I bought practically shred in my hands. Wrapping and packaging materials are of poor quality as well, tearing or falling apart with little effort.

When it comes to items such as fruit and vegetables, there is very little variation among the stores. One can find apples, bananas, grapes and citrus pretty easily but much beyond that is pretty rare. Readily available vegetables include mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes--but only in the big stores, the little neighborhood stores offer a pretty sparse vegetable selection. All of these can be bought at a premium. Sure, I know it's out of season but even so, similar products (certainly apples and potatoes at least) are widely and relatively inexpensively available at home. I believe that Russia imports a lot of its produce but even still, my occasional spoiled American mentality sometimes looks around and goes, "So...this is it, huh?" Even though in the States, I would pay more for produce that is imported and I don't usually find it necessary to eat blueberries in March (hey, don't put anything past me--I LOVE blueberries!), I never doubt that it will be available to me somewhere. And beyond blueberries, I can find kiwi, papaya, pomegranate, mango, cherries...basically, my options are limitless. And let's not even start on toilet paper, cereal, or shampoo!

Just a thought.

With a renewed appreciation for American grocery stores, пока!

Worth a thousand words..if only I could prove it

We got an early start this morning (ready to go before 10am? Who is this group?) to catch a train out of Moscow to Sergiyev Posad, a monastery about an hour and a half away. The train ride itself was an experience. It was not the nice, posh European trains that I have traveled on before, it was an old, dirty car similar to the metro with passengers sitting knee to knee. Throughout the entire trip, various people of all walks of life stood up to sell every kind of product imaginable. I saw someone selling magazines, cigarettes, eyeglasses, and demonic electronic stuffed animals. One shabbily dressed man who had no legs below the knee and no hands made some kind of verbal appeal and then shuffled down the aisle with his hat extended for coins. Both a dark-haired young boy playing the accordion and a middle-aged gentleman with a guitar serenaded the passengers at one point during the trip.

It was a cold, cold day but the monastery was well worth braving the weather (and the train ride). It is literally a fortress. According to Bolshoi Max, it was built in the 1400s, started by Ivan the Great and finished by Ivan the Terrible (Katie McKee pointed out, "You know, you don't hear much about Ivan the Mediocre") and it was impenetrable, even by a Polish force of 30,000 troops at one time. Once we entered the grand gate, we could see why--the walls were several meters thick and layered. Once inside, it opened to a beautiful community of churches, brightly-painted religious buildings, and gardens. Each building was unique and painted with vivid, wonderful colors, made more so by the snowy surroundings. There was a chapel (shrine?) for people to sample the famed "saint water," holy water that you can buy by the bottle. Inside many of the dimly-lit buildings was artwork: paintings of saints and biblical scenes stretched from floor to ceiling, gilded pillars and pictures and ornate metalwork added to the reverent scene. Miles looked around appreciatively and said, "Michelangelo gets a lot of credit for the Sistine Chapel but, if this were only a little brighter, it would be every bit as impressive." True statement, Miles.

Unfortunately, somewhere between leaving Sergiyev Posad and getting off the train home, I lost my camera. And with it, all of my pictures from today. I can’t express how aggravated this makes me, I hate losing things. And I really hate to not have it for the remainder of the trip. So, unfortunately, I guess you will have to google image the place since I now have no proof I was ever there…

A slightly sad пока from Moscow tonight...

No good title came to mind

It has been an interesting few days. Although we still haven't been exploring quite as much as usual due to the cold and most of us being under the weather to some degree, that has not stopped us from having some adventures, anyway.

On Wednesday of this week, Russia celebrated Men's Day, which is a holiday that gives tribute to men who served in the military. For us, this meant a day off from class and an opportunity to play laser tag at an arcade in downtown Moscow. Maksim and Anton took the Americans and French Maxime to play and we teamed up with a few Russians to win at least one game. My stealth skills need some work (the flashing red lights on my vest and gun didn't exactly help). Afterwards, Shelli and I went to get shawarma for the Russians and that almost ended up being a very bad night. Somewhere between the hostel and the shawarma stand, my purse fell open and all of my papers fell out--my passport, my hostel paper, my immigration form, my student ID. I realized this as Shelli was ordering the food and told her I was going to backtrack to try and find it. I walked the entire length of the sidewalk but couldn't find it so I returned to the stand. Shelli saw me and grabbed my arm, "Where were you?? I thought you got kidnapped or something!" I started to explain where I was when these 2 Russian guys dressed all in black came running up to me yelling. I had no idea what they were saying until one of them handed me all of my papers. I didn't know what to say, so all I said was, "Большое спасибо!" Crisis narrowly averted. And the Russians still got their shawarma.

On Thursday night while the American girls were getting food at the canteen, we met 2 Russian Special Forces soldiers, Alexei and Denis. They joined us for dinner and though they didn't speak English, they were able to tell us about how they served in Iraq and Afghanistan alongside American Special Forces. They were both extremely amusing. Alexei was celebrating his graduation so they brought out a bottle of champagne and we toasted with them. After, Alexei made each of us an origami flower out of napkins. Who said you need to know the language to communicate?

Last night, a large group of us went to an authentic Ukrainian restaurant a few metro stops down from the hostel, complete with colorful artwork, bright woven tapestries, and waitresses donning traditional flowered headdresses. We had a private room and ordered everything from boiled berries to horseradish, honey, and vodka (no better way to clear your sinuses, let me tell you). I split a dish of rabbit cooked in sour cream sauce with sauerkraut and sweet raspberry dumplings with Katie McKee, our newly-arrived, freshly doctorate-awarded professor. It was all absolutely delicious, made better by the setting and, of course, the company.

I'm still fighting some kind of derivative of a cold (I think I'm about as congested as is possible to be) so I hope that won't slow me down too much this weekend, though I don't know what's in store. Tomorrow we are planning on taking a little excursion outside of the city, which will be a nice change and I'm very much looking forward to it.

пока!

Statues and Sunsets

Not really sure what to blog about today. For some reason, I haven't been in the greatest of moods this past week. I think part of it is being cooped up because of the weather. It's been the longest stretch of bitter cold (although they tell us warm weather is coming--in the low 20s next week! woohoo!) we've really had since we've been here.

I was talking to Maksim about accents and how you can frequently tell where a person comes from based on their accent. Maksim told me that when he travels to Europe, he tries very hard to drop his accent because the general sentiment towards Russia is not very friendly. I found this interesting because though we are several years away from the "old Russia" that many feared, we really are not so far away at all. And, unfortunately for Russians, I think a Russian accent is about the hardest kind to lose.

Oh, and I am proud (and a little relieved) to notice that a few things in Russian have become second nature. They may be basic phrases but I figure that still counts for something! I struggle in class because I get hung up on the verb conjugations and gender construction but I realize that when we're out and about actually using the language in its "natural context" it comes much more easily to me. That's not to say it's easy, but it's more practical. Hopefully, with practice, the conjugations will start coming naturally, too.

Today, Miles, Maxime, and I went to some kind of statue garden. It's a garden filled with statues of the pre-Soviet era, if I remember correctly. Many of them are old religious statues that were taken down at one point or another during that reign. One portion of the garden was devoted to statues of the heads of various Soviet leaders. It was beautiful because we arrived around sundown and it started to snow lightly as we were walking around the snowy paths with these neat statues. I've officially become obsessed with Moscow sunsets. Maybe because of the perpetual winter and the smog but somehow the sunsets are incredibly vivid--I think a large portion of the pictures I've taken so far have been of sunsets.

OK, I know that is a random blog post today. But I am feeling a little better so I figured I'd post again (because the world really needs to hear more from me...). If I think of more interesting things to say, I will post a more cohesive blog.

пока!

Change of Tune

This evening, we were invited to an English-speaking club by some of our Russian friends (so we can practice our English?). It was a doomed mission from the start. It took us about an hour just to find the place and once we did, I strongly considered just walking the other way. It was a crooked door in the corner of an alley that led into a kind of auditorium/cafeteria. The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of Russians trying to practice English but Miles met a British guy and someone who spoke German. It was mostly just an awkward experience for us because we had no idea what was going on. Nadia, Karlie, and I took the earliest opportunity to get out of dodge.

No sooner did we make the metro back than did Maksim meet us and coax me into going back to the same station we had just come from to go to dinner. I almost didn't go because I was cold, wind-whipped, and tired but I agreed to go with him, Shelli, Katie, Katye, and Christina to a little cafe for dinner. It was another long trek but Maksim did eventually get us to a little basement restaurant set up with little tables and coaches surrounded by paintings. Soon after we arrived, we were joined by Roma and a new friend, Anton. He doesn't speak much English but seems like a lot of fun so we immediately encouraged him to come back. And, wonder of wonders, there was a piano! Everyone must have seen the longing glances I gave it because Miles asked the waitress if I was allowed to play it...and I was! I played everything I could remember. Admittedly, it's not as much as it could be but for my limited repertoire, I don't think I've ever had a more appreciative audience or setting. The waiters dimmed the lights as I started to play so that the entire room was lit mostly by candles, a few people made requests, and no matter what I played (or how poorly I played it), I received thunderous applause and cheers from my table. Katie told me that one of the waiters got out his lighter and was waving it while I played. I don't think I stopped smiling the entire rest of the night. Everyone was so complimentary and I appreciated their support and acknowledgement as I finished. I hope to be able to play again but if not, I think that tonight will be one concert that I will remember for a long time. As I sat down, Maksim grinned at me and said, "I knew this place had a piano the whole time, that's why we tried so hard to find it."

Thanks, Maksim. You have no idea the gift you gave me tonight.