я - деревянный башмак

June 2010 trip is in the works...

2009-05-27T07:36:00.004-05:00

After some cogitating on the question, I decided to keep going with what's become a biannual trend-- taking students to Russia every two years. So, I've contacted EF Tours (click post title for type of tour info) to get the ball rolling...

Interested Mansfield ISD students and parents should stay tuned to http://mansfieldrussian.shorturl.com/ for updated info. I will post more here, as I find out more. I will have an initial, informational meeting for parents and students after the start of the school year, near the end of August.

We made it home...

2008-06-26T06:57:00.004-05:00

Boy, what a fast trip! Seems like we just left...

The journey back was a trip in itself, though-- almost 30 hours (and for me, that was after only about 2 hours of sleep)! The last 3 from Newark to Dallas were there the longest, it seemed. We arrived back at DFW at about 6:30pm on Tuesday.

We didn't lose anyone (I don't think...did we?) and I think all the travellers got a good dose of Russia (sights and culture).

Thanks for keeping an eye on our progress. Now it's time to put this blog to sleep until it's needed again...

Пока!

E.B.

Heathrow...coffee...

2008-06-24T01:55:00.001-05:00

Thank God! It's 11am in Russia, 8am here, 2am in Texas.

Прощай, Россия!

2008-06-23T19:24:00.004-05:00

We are at the Domodedovo airport in Moscow (the new one on the south side of the city), waiting for the flight to London. We left our hotel at 2am-- most of the kids didn't sleep, sot hey're pitiful. I got about 2-3 hours before we left, but I'm hopped up on cappucinos...

Everyone's ready to head home, I think. It's been a good trip (now, if we can just get through Newark unscathed...), but the tourist thing is tiring.

I tried to upload a picture or two this morning, but the current provider won't let me. Maybe from Heathrow in London while we're sitting around for 3 hours between flights.

Anyway. We're all safe and sound and homeward bound.

Circus

2008-06-22T23:19:00.006-05:00

No, this is in the hotel AFTER a visit to the Moscow service (sometimes it's hard to tell, especially at the morning melee they call a breakfast buffet here). Yesterday after dinner, the group went to the circus; the guy on the left is Zach, one of mine, the green-haired girl is from the Hughes City (TX) bunch.

Today (Mon.) is a free day to wander, so at 10am I'm leading an expedition to the open-air shopping market at Izmailovsky Park, then we'll probably haunt Red Square before returning for dinner. We have to leave for the airport very early in the morning (1:30-2:30am) for the journey home.

Time sure has gone by quickly!

First Russia preaching experience!

2008-06-22T07:36:00.003-05:00

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed being a part of this afternoon's worship service and looking out into the faces and seeing some of my students (and one parent) among them. It was great to be part of things, but it was also a great feeling to have some of the group from Mansfield there for moral (spiritual, too, I hope!) support...

St. Cyril and Methodius Ev. Lutheran Parish in Moscow

2008-06-22T07:35:00.008-05:00

This is the sister congregation of my congregation in Arlington, TX. As some of you already know, I am a pastor intern in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. My friend Aleksei is the pastor of this congregation in Moscow, and not only was I fortunate enough to be able to a) attend a worship service here in Russia on this trip, b) bring a few of my students and one of my student's parents along to experience a Protestant service in the Russian language, but c) I was able to give the sermon and participate in the service. It was a very memorable experience! I have led worship services at my church in Texas since January, but this is the first time I have given a sermon in Russian to Russians in Russia!

The Justin Forkner Effect.

2008-06-21T14:12:00.001-05:00

A picture is worth a 1000 kopecks.

We found Starbuck's...

2008-06-21T14:01:00.003-05:00

...and my Russian friend Aleksei (wearing an MHS ballcap!). (By the way, they're building a second Starbuck's about 4 or 5 blocks from this one!)

At the Cosmos...

2008-06-21T13:56:00.001-05:00

...Cornelius is briefing the group before venturing into Moscow subway after dinner.

Sleeper train, first day in Moscow, et al...

2008-06-21T10:03:00.002-05:00

We made it successfully to Moscow after a relatively smooth sleeper train operation. The day before we spent some free time going from the hotel to the center of St. Pete using public transportation (bus>metro). Getting 3 dozen people from point A to point B-- and the majority have never been to Russia-- was an endeavor. But it worked! Thomas and Travis were very helpful in using their Russian to accompany one of three groups (makes a teacher proud...sniff). We had free time because we had to check out of the hotel early, then wait for the train to Moscow.

The train ride went well, though, as usual, I got about an hour of sleep. We were all dog-tired when we arrived in Moscow, but we were picked up brought to the hotel Cosmo (on the north side of the city) and given breakfast (coffee!!!). After that, wen had a short city tour on the bus followed by some free time to wander Red Square. Some in the group queued up right away to see Lenin, others,like me, just meandered and grabbed a bite for lunch. After we checked in, we had some down time. I was in a deep sleep when the maid knocked on my door to change out the pillows at 3pm. Why, I have no idea. I was so out of it, I wasn't even sure where I was.

Now it's after 7, we've eaten, and we're off to the Arbat (shopping district). I'll try to post more pics, but it's a crapshoot with the Russian cell providers.

That's it for now!

We're in Moscow...

2008-06-21T09:45:00.007-05:00

Arrived at 6:30am on sleeper train.

More from Neva River 3

2008-06-20T02:42:00.001-05:00

More from Neva River 2

2008-06-20T02:40:00.001-05:00

More from Neva River 1

2008-06-20T02:38:00.001-05:00

On the Neva River...

2008-06-20T02:28:00.001-05:00

...11:30am Friday.

Walking to bus stop...

2008-06-20T02:12:00.001-05:00

...from hotel, 9am Friday.

On the bus...

2008-06-20T02:08:00.003-05:00

...to metro station at 9:30am, going to catch canal boat.

On the canals...

2008-06-20T02:02:00.002-05:00

...11am Friday.

Today (Friday)

2008-06-19T21:52:00.002-05:00

This morning we have to pack up and be out of our rooms by 9. We're going on a canal tour and then will have some free time to wander before we come back to the hotel for dineer and leave for the train at 8pm or so. We're taking the night train to Moscow and will be there by 7am tomorrow...

It's the sleeper train, four to a compartment, and not my favorite mode of travel (four to a compartment and I don't sleep very well in the submarine-sized bunks), but the kids in the group will like it!

That's it for now. I'm off to breakfast...

More later!

Siege of Leningrad Museum

2008-06-19T21:31:00.002-05:00

I took this rather poor quality of a picture at the end of our visit yesterday afternoon to a Siege of Lenigrad (former name of St. Petersburg) museum. Everyone was watching a video of film footage from that time. It was a very moving experience-- difficult for most young Americans today to fully comprehend how amazing the survival of this city really was.

The Bronze Horseman

2008-06-19T21:30:00.004-05:00

Pushkin was moved enough by this monument to Peter the Great (from Katherine the Second) that he wrote about it. We were killing time before a folk show started, so we took a picture in front of it yestderday evening. It's another of the many iconic landmarks in St. Petersburg. (By the way, not everyone in the group is in the picture, as some went walking around on their own.)

Small world...

2008-06-19T02:55:00.002-05:00

...the folks in this picture are connected through my friend Julia, whom I met when she and her daughters moved to Mansfied, TX, little more than 4 years ago (I met her daughter when she was in jr. high as the first Russian-speaking ESL student in the school district). In the photo are (l-r) yours truly, our Russian guide (Andrey), Neal, and Natalya (Neal's wife)...

Here're the connections: Natalya is good friends with both Julia and Andrey. During our city tour the day before yesterday, we were off the bus at one point to take pictures, Andrey was on the phone with someone and asked me if I knew a woman in Mansfield named Julia (kind of an odd question from a guy you've know briefly and who lives in St. Petersburg). He had been talking to Natalya, who--obviously-- is in Russia with her husband. We met inside St. Peter and Paul Cathedral yesterday (and took the picture outside afterward). But wait! There's more...

I actually had "met" Natalya at a store in Arlington, TX, when my friend Aleksei from Moscow was visiting a year and half ago and we were shopping there (I bought him a cowboy hat for his birthday) and it was Natalya who rang us up... Coincidence? (You decide for yourself.)

Iconic spire of...

2008-06-19T02:52:00.001-05:00

...St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, resting place of the czars.

At Peter and Paul Fortress...

2008-06-19T02:46:00.001-05:00

...maìn gate, 10am.

We got our bags last night (well, all but one...)...

2008-06-18T23:45:00.002-05:00

Eleven suitcases showed up at 8pm; only one of our group is still missing his-- turns out it was sent to the wrong hotel (part of the mix-up that was the bureaucratic Gordian knot we tried to unravel after our arrival to St. Petersburg), but it should be here today....

Last night some of us got out for a bit with Cornelius for an abbreviated "walking tour" in the heart of St. Petersburg (he said he was going to read us some Pushkin under the Pushkin statue in a little park in town-- I thought he was kidding; he wasn't). He cracks me up-- while he was going on about Pushkin and his wet nurse (you had to be there), I laughed so hard that I almost had an accident. After our short "tour" we were rained on. It had to have been in the low 50s, and it was windy and wet. Not the best weather in which to wander the city.

Yesterday during the day, we went on a city tour and then to the Hermitage museum, both went by kind of quickly-- there's just so much to see in a short amount of time! I did, however, learn how to say "hitchhike" in Russian after a conversation with our bus driver, Konstantin. The most fun I have here is listening to how everyday Russian is spoken!

I think our kids in the group especially are starting to see the cultural differences (and oddities) a little more clearly-- this is much better than my prattling on in class...

Gotta run for the bus now. More later!

This is Cornelius...

2008-06-18T08:56:00.001-05:00

Our tour director who's just a sketch (in a Monty Python sort of way)!

Yours truly at 6:30am...

2008-06-18T08:12:00.001-05:00

...after 4 hrs sleep, a shower w/ Russian soap, shampoo, and a borrowed shirt (and a few text msgs w/ my wife).

In the Hermitage museum...

2008-06-18T08:04:00.001-05:00

Speaking of tourists...

2008-06-18T08:01:00.002-05:00

Zach has a future modeling...or scaring locals...

After...

2008-06-18T07:41:00.001-05:00

Note black Russian hats... Tourists!

Before...

2008-06-18T07:37:00.001-05:00

On the bus at 9am for city tour

Russia on one pair of underwear...

2008-06-17T14:43:00.003-05:00

For now. I was grody when I took this pic at dinner in our hotel at 9. Maybe we'll get bags tomorrow on the next British Air flight. We don't have them because of the storm that kept us on the runway in Newark for 2.5 hrs! So we literally ran through Heathrow airport in London (and our bags were checked through)... 80% frustration, 20% learning experience. The Russian system for reporting a lost bag involves a customs stamp on two of the exact same forms, then a third exact same form in another office. Each person had to go through this, one-by-one. We were at the airport until 6:30 or 7 after a 4pm arrival! The only thing that compares to this is a trip to a Russian post office. The folks here are learning quickly that there's one way...and the Russian way.

It took us 24 hrs...

2008-06-17T14:29:00.003-05:00

...but we made it to the baggage claim in St. Petersburg at about 4:30pm. We got only 2 suitcases!...

LONG layover in Newark...

2008-06-16T15:50:00.001-05:00

At ticket counter, which didn't open until 3:30. We got here at 11. We don't leave for London until 6:30...ugh!

We're off...

2008-06-16T06:23:00.001-05:00

Here's the group at DFW airport. In about 24 hrs we'll be in St. Pete!

Another summer, another trip to Russia! (Woo-hoo!)

2008-06-12T13:08:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been about 10 months since I posted anything to this blog... Time to dust it off in preparation for my fourth trip to Russia and my second with students from Mansfield, TX. We begin our journey eastward on Monday morning (really, really early Monday morning) from DFW airport. This trip will take our group of 10 from Texas to St. Petersburg to Moscow and back to Texas in 9 days.

If all goes as it should, I will be posting pictures here while travelling-- some near-realtime with my cellphone, so stay tuned!

More later as we get rolling...

Why is the hot water turned off in summer in Russia?

2007-08-20T16:01:00.000-05:00

One of the other teachers in our group sent along this link to an interesting article in today's NY Times about hot water in Russia; unfortunately, many of the host families went through this while we were in both Vladimir and Murom. I was fortunate-- both Katya and The Colonel had a hot water heater in their bathrooms...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/20/world/europe/20cnd-moscow.html

Trip pictures are online...

2007-07-26T09:40:00.000-05:00

http://dbashmak.myphotoalbum.com

What a trip!

2007-07-24T06:59:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or was that a fast 5 weeks? I arrived back in Texas last night after a long day of travelling that began for all of us at 7:30am when we left our hotel for the Moscow airport by bus. After a couple of hours in traffic, we arrived at Sheremetevo-2 and stood in line for about another 45 minutes to get through security and ticketing, then had a little time on our hands before our 12:15pm flight to New York. The flight left a few minutes late, but we arrived at JFK a little early, at approximately 2pm-- no matter how you slice it, Moscow to the U.S. is a 10-hour flight.

At JFK, the customs entry point is probably the worst, in terms of "customer friendliness," I have experienced! (Washington Dulles is the best, in my opinion, and Dallas is okay.) The customs guy who was pointing folks into the citizen or non-citizen lines was stereotypically New York rude (and even told one visitor, not a U.S. citizen: "Ma'am, if you raise your voice one more time, you're gonna be here for 3 hours."-- nice, huh?) Besides the general feel of confusion (it was confusing to ME and I live here-- I helped one non-English-speaking Russian lady going to Seattle who couldn't figure out the bag-checking process for continued flights; I agreed that it was way too complicated of a process, a "cluster %$#@" as one of the Americans in our group remarked while we were in a line wondering what to do with our checked luggage, and added that it was worse than the Moscow airport to which she agreed). The part of this seemingly renaturalization ritual I REALLY don't understand is the full security check (shoes off, scans, etc.) before moving on to the next flight; I suppose it's because we can't be too sure about other countries' security measures...but, still, it was a drag after such a long flight. I feel sorry for foreigners whose first impression of America is JFK airport.

While we were in the luggage line trying to figure out what the procedure was, I noticed a 4:20pm flight to DFW a few gates away from our continued flight to Chicago O'Hare. Once we got out of the bowels of the reentry area, I hurried to the gate and asked if I could swap my Chicago ticket for a seat to Dallas. I got an even exchange, but had only minutes before boarding, so my suitcase went on to O'Hare and I didn't really get a chance to say goodbye to everyone... My wife met me at the airport at around 7:30pm and then after a quick stop by my mom's house for hello and a bite (I was tired as a dog, but my daughters, sister, dad, and aunt were there), I was home in bed by about 10:30pm. And, oddly enough, I slept pretty well-- no identifiable signs of jet lag just yet-- after the 20+ hour-long travel day that was yesterday.

So, if you're an "everyone" from the group, sorry to have disappeared so quickly! It was a great trip and you were a great bunch to travel with! I really, really enjoyed my time in Russia! And to Ron and Aleksei & Galya: Thank you SO much for everything!! I hope I haven't seen the last of you... And Katya (my hostess in Vladimir), if you're reading this: Вам огромное спасибо за то, что Вы открыли мне свою кавартиру (и жизнь) на две недели! Я очень хорошо провёл время... Передайте пожалуйста "Прощай" от меня Царю Стефану и его двоюродному брату Майку! And if you have been following my journey, I hope I was able to convey a sense of what we experienced as American teachers in Russia-- thanks for tagging along!

As soon as I can get all of my pictures uploaded to a webpage, I will post the link here.

So much Russia in so little time...

Удачи всем из Техаса!

E.B.

Прощай, Россия!

2007-07-23T13:12:00.001-05:00

At the Moscow airport to go home, 10:30am Mon.

An American Lutheran in Russia

2007-07-22T09:38:00.001-05:00

Aleksei and I after his service, 6pm Sun. It sure was nice to be able to be part of Aleksei's congregation again, even for only the length of a worship service. As a Lutheran pastor in Russia, he has his work cut out for him. Among those present this evening were a Norwegian family, husband and wife and two cute-as-can-be young daughters, who had been living here in Moscow a year and are going back to Norway on Wednesday. They were a pleasure to chat with, as was a young woman who will be marrying a Norwegian guy (who, she told me, is on a ship somewhere in the North Sea)-- Aleksei will be performing the ceremony next month. I met another young couple with a baby, whom Aleksei had baptized a few weeks ago; they were very nice, too. In the middle of the service, a twentysomething Russian woman wandered in and sat down...she turned out to be a Baptist from somewhere other than Moscow, but I could see she was struggling with the liturgy a bit, so I introduced myself to her and tried to help her along... Lutheran services are really not all that complicated, but the order of service takes a time or two to get down (but she persevered).

Anyway, it was great to visit Aleksei's congregation, which, incidentally, is the sister congregation of my Lutheran church family back in Texas. I wish I had had more time to visit with them!

Last day in Moscow...

2007-07-22T04:22:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow we're up early to get a bus to the airport for our 12:15 flight to JFK in New York... I think everyone's about ready; it's not too difficult to read some of the shifts in the group dynamics. ;)

Today we visited, as you can tell from the previous posts, Red Square to see Lenin's mausoleum and St. Basil's Cathedral. I split from the group to return to the hotel to do some emailing/blogging before church at 5pm. Everyone else went on to the Arbat, a big shopping area where there's a Hard Rock Cafe the Americans just love to go into. I've been there a few times already, so...

...here I am. Contemplating lunch, actually, as it's currently about 1:30pm.

It's been a great trip, so far, but I really have to say that I enjoyed the more "real life" adventures of Vladimir and Murom. I like St. Pete and Moscow, but I'd rather live here for awhile among the natives than wander through the tourist spots... But all the places we've been in both cities are, I suppose, part of the See Russia experience, so I can't really complain. I've seen things I hadn't seen before, so for me it's been a VERY worthwhile experience!! (And our group is a good one-- everyone gets along with one another, which doesn't always happen with prolonged travel programs like this.)

Unless something more blog-worthy happens, I'll send up a last photo from the airport as we're saying Прощай! (Farewell!) to Moscow...

So, in advance, thanks for tuning in and keeping an eye on me/us here in Russia. It sure has been an odyssey!

Пока!

E.B.

St. Basil's Cathedral

2007-07-22T02:42:00.001-05:00

Yours Truly in front of St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square (the first time I've ever seen it without scaffolding!), 11:30am Sun. I got to see the inside for the first time; it's an interesting place, very different from other more typical Orthodox cathedrals.

Our sherpa...

2007-07-22T02:38:00.001-05:00

Here's our Russian guide Nadya weighed down with my backpack full of cameras during our wait in the long line for Lenin's tomb, 10:30 Sun. (Got to tell you that the 90 minutes in line to spend 1 minute with Lenin was kind of anticlimactic... But now we can all say we've seen the ol' boy-- or his wax likeness...)

I caught up with Aleksei...

2007-07-21T11:19:00.001-05:00

Here I am with my good friend Aleksei at a restaurant for dinner, 8pm Sat. (I'll be seeing him again on Sunday evening for church-- Aleksei is a Lutheran pastor here in Moscow-- while everyone else is going to the circus.)

Kremlin 4

2007-07-21T03:18:00.001-05:00

Start of Kremlin Guard ceremony, noon Sat.

Kremlin 3

2007-07-21T02:48:00.001-05:00

I am in the crowd waiting for a Kremlin Guard ceremony to start at noon. I had just asked the stoic young man in uniform if I could take his picture... Nyet! (Don't know why my eyes are closed!)

Kremlin 2

2007-07-21T02:19:00.001-05:00

In the Kremlin, the president's building in background (with white columns), 11:15am Sat.

Kremlin

2007-07-21T02:09:00.001-05:00

Guide briefing group at Kremlin entrance, 11am Sat.

Two interesting articles on changing Russia...

2007-07-21T00:45:00.000-05:00

Hello, again! A quick post to pass along two interesting articles I found reflecting the changing Russia in this week's English-language The Moscow News newspaper:

Bitten by Consumerism Bug

Hilton Comes to Moscow

Off to Red Square now, more later!

Saturday a.m. in Moscow

2007-07-20T23:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a blur. After arriving in Moscow on the night train, we were brought straight to the Vega Hotel, where we were able to get rooms pretty quickly at about 9am. Mine is on the 26th floor, so getting an elevator that doesn't stop on just about every floor is tricky (and everytime the doors open and people who are waiting see that an elevator is full, someone presses the button again and the doors don't close-- it's a marvel of Russian engineering). The weather here is mild, thankfully, so with an open window the rooms are not too bad. And the water in the shower is hot and pressurized like a fire hose...

One of my mantras here (that the others in the group have learned, it seems) is: There's one way and there's...(the Russian way). It's very easy to become impatient and even perplexed by the way Russians operate. I think the others in the group have come to appreciate that language isn't necessairly what separates us as a people; there is a cultural barrier that grays out occasionally (when things go smoothly in an almost Western sense), but is always there lurking under the surface. For instance...

Yesterday after the folk show in St. Pete, we had to get to the train station on time, so our guide arranged for us to have Subway (there is one on Nevsky Prospekt in the center of town) sandwiches, which she called and ordered ahead. Nothing is as it appears here, especially if it something familiar like an American restaurant. (A McDonald's here is a McDonald's, yes, but the customer service is WAY different-- Russian-- and the menu items are basically the same, but...well, you have to experience it to understand, I guess.) So, we rushed out of the theater to go to Subway. When we got out of the bus in front of Subway, so did our sandwiches. She had ordered them, gone to pick them up, then we went to there to eat (a good move, actually, because Subway sells beer and I was ready for a sedative by this point)-- there's one way, and there's... I wish I had captured the looks on the others' faces when they discover what kind of sandwiches our guide ordered. Apparently Russians think that Americans like ketchup on everything. How about something looking sort of like a an American sub sandwich slathered with ketchup?

Russia-- and Russians-- are full of contradictions, some amusing at first, some tiresome, such as ATMs that give out only large denomination bills that few places will accept because they can't (or so they say) make change. Last night at lunch, our guide gave me a 5,000-ruble note to pay for our lunches and dinners. The waitress begrudgingly gave me 3 1,000-ruble notes back in change that, again, had to be changed to give change to the others (????). This seemed like a laborious process for such a big, touristy hotel. I finally ended up at the money-changing lady's window-- she was on the phone and barked that I could only change one. So I gave the other two bills to two others who went back to her window to change them... Why? (Well, there's one way and there's...)

So, life goes on here in The Motherland. Everyone's well, and more than a few are ready to come home... We're off to Red Square today, so hopefully, I should be able to get up a picture or two. And I may even get a chance to see my friend Aleksei tonight.

That's it for now. Stay tuned...

Vega (hotel, not star-- or 70s era Chevy)

2007-07-20T10:13:00.001-05:00

Well, we made it to Moscow intact. We're staying at the Vega Hotel adjacent to to the uber-touristy shopping bazaar Izmailovsky Park. I stayed in the same hotel complex here last June with my students... I can't believe it's been over a year.

Anyway, only a few more days left...

I'll check back in when I have more time.

Arrival in Moscow

2007-07-19T22:28:00.001-05:00

We made it to the Moscow train station-- I got 4 hours of sleep, more than I expected. The compartments were SO hot! 7am Fri.

Which one doesn't belong?

2007-07-19T13:48:00.001-05:00

On the train...waiting to depart at 11pm. 10:45pm Thur.

Sleeper Train Redux :(

2007-07-19T13:12:00.001-05:00

At the station for the sleeper train, 10pm Thur.

Folk Music Show

2007-07-19T13:07:00.001-05:00

Russian traditional folk music show... Great dancing! 8pm, Thur.

St. Isaac's Cathedral

2007-07-19T08:21:00.001-05:00

At St. Isaac's Cathedral in center of St. Pete, 5pm Thur.

Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad

2007-07-19T07:30:00.001-05:00

At the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad-- an AWESOME memorial! 4pm, Thur.

Katherine Palace 2

2007-07-19T03:13:00.001-05:00

Inside Katherine Palace, noon Thur.

Katherine Palace

2007-07-19T03:12:00.001-05:00

Going into Katherine Palace in Pushkin (Tsarskoe Selo), about 30km from St. Pete, 11:30am Thur.

Peterhof

2007-07-19T02:59:00.003-05:00

Peterhof, noon Wed.

Neva River from the Lookout Bar

2007-07-19T02:59:00.001-05:00

View of Neva River from 8th floor bar in hotel, 9:30pm Wed.

Indian Tonic Water

2007-07-18T10:12:00.000-05:00

Today was a routine day (no petty crime to report!). We started out this morning with a trip to Peterhof (Peter the Great's summer home on the Gulf of Findland) and then we had a quick tour of the State art gallery here in Petersburg. I had never been to the former, and really like the latter. It was a lot of walking, but the excursions were good.

There are so many interesting paintings in the State art gallery, that I could have stayed in there longer than our hour tour (and this was my third visit). But we hasd a nuts-and-bolts tour guide, who is a professor Dr. Pope knows-- he was quick and informative.

Tomorrow we check out of the hotel here, have an excursion or two, then get the night train to Moscow... You know how I feel about those sleeper trains. I'm not really looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to Moscow (and visiting with my friend, Aleksei). Truth be known, I'm starting to become a weary traveller... I'll be ready to get on that plane next Monday. (I've already gotten a slew of school-related emails, so the next year is bearing down on me already.)

Talk to you again from Moscow (probably)...

Oh yeah. "Indian Tonic Water." I just drank a can of it... It's the Schweppes Russia exact equivalent of "Bitter Lemmon." I have NO idea why it's called that or what it has to do with Indians (my theory is that it's something the British concocted in Inda, adding the quinine to prevent some disease like malaria, but I'm not sure)...

Stilted view...

2007-07-18T08:07:00.003-05:00

As we wheel around St. Pete in a little tiny bus (with windows that only go as high as my eye level) and our guide says look left or right, this is what I see... Only the first 6' of everything. Bummer.

I did it. I ate at McDonald's...

2007-07-18T08:07:00.001-05:00

I hate to admit this, but I'm in this McDs next to hotel as I text this... Had an Egg McMuffin w/ an orange yolk...and coffee!

Metro Pickpockets!

2007-07-17T23:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we spent a good part of the day on the other side of town. First, we had a great boat ride on the Neva River and through the canals! It was a gorgeous day, weatherwise... Everybody got a trucker tan (and even a mild sunburn). Next we went to The Hermitage (which was crowded as usual) for a quick tour. After The Hermitage, I offered to shepherd any folks who wanted to stay in town back to our hotel via the metro after a couple hours of free-time wandering...

The big news of the evening was the push-and-grab pickpocket incident in the metro station near the center of the city. After we regrouped about 8pm, I led a small group of 6 of us to the metro station to get the train back to our hotel. I never really considered our level of vulnerability, really. Last year, my students took any precautionary measures (such as keep quiet and keep your money/passport in your front pocket on public transportation, don't make eye contact, stay together, etc.) very seriously. I should have been more aware! As we were waiting for the train on the platform, our English and laughing and clothing styles gave us away... As the doors opened, someone(s) pushed us in from behind and I felt a hand in my wallet pocket, which I pushed away (besides, as hot as I was, there was no way my wallet was going to be easily extracted). It happened too fast for me to even see the perpetrators. Mike (from Maine) in our group was not so lucky-- as the doors were closing, I saw him run off the train and down the platform. The train left and we were worried that he (he's a BIG guy) had tackled someone and was going to have to deal with the police. When we returned, I immediately told Dr. Pope, who, in turn, called our native-speaking guide, Nadya, to figure out what to do when Mike showed up at the hotel. At least he still had his passport with him. After he called his wife from the front desk, we got him some cash to tie him over (poor guy was down to one last cigarette), and called it a night. BIG LESSON here for anyone in the audience traveling abroad. It's hard not to be an American, but as soon as some folks hear American English, they see not you, but dollar signs.

Russia, even big cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow, is a safe place with nice people. You just have to be careful. Last night's incident was the first I'd ever been involved in in three visits to this country...

Anyway. That's all the news for now. More later!

Processional to Church on the Blood

2007-07-17T11:13:00.001-05:00

We happened upon this procession going toward the Church on the Blood, commemorating the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family on July 17, 1918. 6:30pm Tues.

Nevsky Prospekt

2007-07-17T08:24:00.001-05:00

Nevsky Prospekt in the center of St. Pete, in front of Kazansky Cathedral, 5:15pm Tues.

The Hermitage 3

2007-07-17T06:35:00.001-05:00

Tsar's throne. They wouldn't let me sit in it. The Hermitage, 3:30pm Tues.

The Hermitage 2

2007-07-17T05:53:00.001-05:00

In the Romanov's Gallery at The Hermitage, 3pm Tue.

The Hermitage 1

2007-07-17T05:47:00.001-05:00

Ascending grand staircase in The Hermitage museum, 2:30pm Tue.

Church on the Blood

2007-07-17T05:42:00.001-05:00

Church on the Blood from canal ride, 1pm Tue.

Siege of Leningrad

2007-07-17T05:33:00.001-05:00

At Piskariovskoye Memorial Cemetery, the memorial to the Siege of Leningrad, 3pm Monday. This place is a mass grave. Very moving.

The White Nights are fading away...

2007-07-16T23:49:00.000-05:00

Most folks have heard of the St. Petersburg White Nights, those summertime days (pretty much through most of June) when the sun sets after midnight. Here now the sun sets around 11:30pm or so, then is up again around 3:30am. It's a little strange to look out the window and see people walking around like it's dinnertime, when it's really 10:30pm...

Our hotel is located on the far eastern side of town, off of Nevsky Prospekt, the main drag in St. Petersburg. Nevsky Prospekt runs east-west through the city; on western end between the banks of the Neva River (which snakes east-west, as well, in an inverted C shape-- we're at the end of the right side of the C). We're actually situated right next to the Aleksandr Nevsky Square metro station, so a trip west into the center of the city is a two-station ride (or a 3-mile walk). I was too tired to venture out yesterday, but I think that this evening some of us will metro westward for a bit...

Yesterday we visited the Siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg during Communism) Memorial Cemetery, where mass graves are located. There were so many deaths during 1942-1944 that the bodies couldn't be buried fast enough. The memorial is a beautifully landscaped garden/park. It was a very moving visit. I tried to upload a pic from my cellphone yesterday, but it wouldn't go... Maybe later.

We also went into the Church on the Blood, which was new for me. I've walked past that church numerous times on each visit to St. Petersburg, but had never been inside. The church was built on the spot were Tsar Aleksandr II was fatally wounded in 1881. It's the St. Basil's Cathedral (which is Moscow on Red Square) of St. Petersburg. The inside is fascinating-- all the icons are mosaics. You just have to see it to believe it. During the Communism era, it was a potato storehouse (so some jokingly refer to it as the Church on the Potatoes).

The food in this hotel is uber-European, but more Western than in Vladimir or Murom. The bad part about this hotel is that it's chock full o' tourists, so everyone speaks English and, where there's English, there're higher prices... But it's tolerable, enough. The accomodations are good and I just love surprising the English-speaking Russians as a Russian-speaking American. In fact, often I hear them conversing about people that they assume can't speak Russian-- like my group, which looks and sounds so American... It's kind of fun. :)

So we're off again to see more sights at 9:30am (in about 20 minutes). All's well here in St. Pete for now...

More later!

We made it to St. Petersburg...

2007-07-16T03:33:00.000-05:00

...the only thing that didn't make it, apparently, is the USB cable I need to upload pictures. I must have left it at the American Home.

Anyway, I had the usual little-to-no-sleep night train experience. BUT... We got off the train around 10:30am and were whisked away to our hotel, the Hotel Moskva right near the center of the city. I just had a shower that I could better describe to you if this wasn't a family-friendly blog. Man, talk about movin' to Beverly (Hills, that is, swimmin' pools, movie stars...)! St. Petersburg is the very antithesis of Murom. You could just see it in the others' eyes as we were on the bus through town to the hotel... Coffee shops! Stores! Cafes! (I think I may have seen a tear or two...) We all agreed that we had once-in-a-lifetime experiences in Vladimir and Murom, but many were without hot water, and I was on the Nescafe 12 Step Program (which ends RIGHT now, brothers and sisters).

I haven't really slept more than 4 or 5 hours solidly in the last two days, so I'm a little punchdrunk right now as I write. But I'm clean. Doesn't get much better than a hot shower after a 12-hour train ride (by the way, there were rumors that we were delayed because of a train wreck between Moscow and St. Petersburg; I don't know, but if you get wind of it in the States, we weren't a part of it).

If I can connect to the right cell service, I can send up a few pics that way... Maybe I can buy another USB cable. We'll see. Anyway, the adventure continues. Lunch somewhere at 1pm and then... I'm not really sure what's next. I'm just happy to be back in St. Pete. I really love this city!

More later as the plot unfolds!

The Colonel

2007-07-15T08:07:00.000-05:00

Vladimir (Volodya to his friends) and his wife, Tatyana, are the TWO MOST HOSPITABLE Russians I have ever encountered! They treated me like their son. The dacha experience (life in "the country") I had thanks to them was unforgettable, berry-picking and all! Volodya is a retired Russian Army colonel and a psychologist (and is actually a professor at Murom U.) He and his wife-- she is a school teacher who speaks some English-- really love their country place. He renovated an old 1940s era dacha (dacha comes from the Russian verb "to give" and refers to the actual plot of land given to Soviet citizens) house and built his own Russian-style banya (steambath) behind it. He also installed a hot water shower next to the banya... In a country where the hot water is turned off every summer for days at a time, he's living in the lap of luxury.

The banya is a part of Russian culture-- it's more than a sauna. There's a ritual to going in and coming out to shower off three times. The temperature inside was abour 150 degrees and when inside, you wear a silly-looking, almost elf-like wool hat ("to keep your head from burning"). Flagellation with a handful of wet birch branches while you're in there is supposed to be therapeutic... I don't know what medicinal properties birch trees have, but I know that when all was said and done, I was cured like a ham. I really DID feel refreshed (like someone had ripped off my old skin and put me in a new one)... There's nothing like a naked 65-year old man covered in sweat and wearing an elf hat beating you with tree branches. Oh well, as we say, there's one way and there's the Russian way...

After we went through three times, Stacie and Tatyana went in. Stacie had never experienced a banya (my only other experience was a public banya in Moscow three years ago-- not QUITE the up close and personal treatment I got at the dacha!) before, so she was a little apprehensive perhaps. But we could hear the two of them chatting and laughing from outside, where the Colonel was building a fire... In the end, Tatyana really enjoyed talking with Stacie (and even shared some anecdotes about her husband with her). We drank beer and chatted around the fire until later in the evening, then The Colonel brought out the accordian and sang a tune or two... We really had a good time (and, again, all slept in the same room-- a little too close for comfort for me, but it was only for a few hours)!

When we were eating breakfast, they gave both me AND Stacie parting gifts. It was very nice of them. I will truly remember my time with them as one of the most positive real-life cultural experiences in Russia! Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to tell all the stories I have about The Colonel (his driving, his sense of time, his talking to himself, his fondness of repeating "No need to hurry... I'm a pensioner... and you are on vacation." as we're running late, etc.)

The first picture below is of the three of us as we were getting ready to drive over to Murum U. to get the bus back to Vladimir today. The other two are of Volodya last night.

Tonight we're off to St. Peterburg at 10pm on a sleeper train. More from St. Petersburg...

So, stay tuned!

Nastya

2007-07-15T07:45:00.000-05:00

This is Stacie from Detroit with whom I shared Act 2 of The Dacha Experience with Vladimir (The Colonel) and Tatyana last night. There is so much about this Russian couple, that a blog post or two just can't do it justice. So let me preface what's coming next with a little more context.

Stacie (Nastya-- a short form of Anastasia to The Colonel since he couldn't get the hang of Stacie) had the misfortune of being assigned to a host family that was, for the most part, a mother and two little girls, 4 and 2. The house was a mess (really dirty-- details too disgusting to add here), so Stacie was moved into the same house where Aleksei (of Aleksei and Galina) was staying, which meant she was really without a host family. The Colonel was excited about getting his homemade banya (a Russian sauna) fired up yesterday; the banya is a cultural experience and I knew that Stacie had never been to one, so I relayed her host family story to him and asked if she could come along yesterday to their dacha. Both he and his wife welcomed her with open arms... What seemed a little odd to me at first as a host family assignment turned out to be one of the greatest cultural experiences I've had in this country. The picture is of Stacie sitting at the kostyor (campfire), between the dacha (small country house) and the banya, after we had the banya experience (which I'll relate to you in the next post)...

Apparently it's okay to do this in Wisconsin...

2007-07-15T07:25:00.000-05:00

...but not here in Russia. Karen had to be hauled away by the police...

(Okaaaaayyyyyy... Not really.)

But 2nd grade teachers really do need a shorter leash-- or so it would seem-- than the rest of us.

This was a really interesting time (Karen not excepted) at the Dom Tvorchestva on Friday, where we had more than a little cultural entertainment, like a concert from these guys in the second photo, a group of traditional Russian folk singers (sort of Oak Ridge Boys-like, in a folksy, old-time Russian sort of way), named Muroma. They were great! I also got yanked out into the spotlight to a) flip a pancake while the traditional Russian childhood scary witch-in-the-woods Baba Yaga was yelling at me, b) dress up like a bogatyr (old Russian knight), replete with helmut and armor and sword (sorry, no photo), and c) danced with a girl dressed in period clothing from the 18th century.

Back in Vladimir...

2007-07-15T07:16:00.000-05:00

This is another breaktime picture from Murom. We rolled back into Vladimir around noontime today (Sunday) and are at the American Home now gearing up for our train ride to St. Petersburg at 10pm. In the meantime, everyone is doing last minute laundry, shopping, emailing, etc. There is a last farewell dinner tonight at 6pm with our Vladimir host families, then we're off...

Like everyone else... I'm behind, so I'm going to blog what I can while I have a little time here...

A river runs through it...

2007-07-13T08:55:00.001-05:00

On the Oka (ah-KAH) River, Fri. 5:45pm.

Breaktime at The Institute

2007-07-13T02:55:00.001-05:00

Fri. the13th, noon, break before lunch at Murom U.

Dacha 7

2007-07-12T22:41:00.001-05:00

...then pelmeni and coffee (instant, thank God) before heading back to town at 7:45am. MUCH more about this dacha experience later!

Dacha 6

2007-07-12T22:38:00.001-05:00

After a rooster welcomed the sun at 4am, a shower in the greenhouse...

Dacha 5

2007-07-12T14:07:00.001-05:00

Seems we're all sleeping together...

Dacha 4

2007-07-12T13:21:00.001-05:00

Tatiana at the fire behind the dacha. 10pm.

Dacha 3

2007-07-12T12:31:00.001-05:00

The fruit of our berry-pickin' labor at the dacha.

Dacha 2

2007-07-12T11:16:00.001-05:00

This is how rustic!

Dacha 1

2007-07-12T10:39:00.001-05:00

Here we are at the dacha, 7:30pm. It's rustic...

More on The Colonel later...

2007-07-12T10:20:00.001-05:00

Vlad (aka The Colonel) driving me to his dacha. He's the only Russian who obeys all the traffic laws. It's REALLY scary!

Ilya Muromets

2007-07-12T07:45:00.001-05:00

I'm in front of a monument to the Russian Paul Bunyan in Murom.

Another day, another church/convent/monastery...

2007-07-12T05:18:00.001-05:00

At St. Troetsky convent in Murom, 2pm Thur.

Big guy, little table. And this is a university...

2007-07-12T03:21:00.001-05:00

Our first lecture on Murom history at 10am on Thursday.

The Institute

2007-07-12T03:17:00.001-05:00

This is Murom U. where our lectures are.

Sofa bed is better than no bed...

2007-07-11T22:49:00.001-05:00

I'm living in a living room. My Murom hosts speak only Russian and are very nice!

My new host family...

2007-07-11T22:00:00.001-05:00

Here are my host parents in Murom, Vladimir and Tanya. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto...

We made the 6 O'clock News...

2007-07-11T04:49:00.000-05:00

...or the 6:05 or the 7:19 or the 9:43 news-- for the life of me, I cannot figure out when tv programs start in this country (you'd think mostly on the hour, but...).

Anyway. We had a "press conference" with a couple of local media outlets, Channel 6 in Vladimir and the Vladimir Information Agency (radio). We sort of roundtabled about this and that, our impressions of the country, Why are you here?, What do you do?, etc. We were in the backyard of the American Home. The guy sitting next to me is Oleg from Channel 6. He was actually an emcee at the 4th of July shindig... He lived in the U.S. and attended the U. of Missouri for a year, so his English is pretty good!

A unique event occurred as we were wrapping things up before lunch. Oleg grapped this big microphone, put it in my face and asked me to answer a question or two IN RUSSIAN. Then the other guy (I can't remember his name) put HIS mike in my face... So. To all of my fellow countrymen and countrywomen, I apologize for any reaction to comments, should they be broadcast publically and set U.S.-Russia relations back 20 years! ;)

(Actually, I secretly approached Aleksei to ask him if I sounded like a blithering idiot and he said my Russian was good... It's most definitely a weird feeling to speak to another country's press in their language, ESPECIALLY in front of Americans. How ironic that in my own country, few people who know me would turn me loose in front of a live mike!) :)

Talk to you from Murom, hopefully... We leave in an hour (3pm).

Пока!

The OTHER Russian icon...

2007-07-11T04:41:00.000-05:00

(Seems like we have a bit more free time before Murom, so I'm going to add a post or two!) You cannot truly appreciate this picture unless you've been on the business end of Aleksei's peals, meaning it's time to start a lecture or activity... (There were plots to steal or hide his bell, but that would be like taking a bell away from a Salvation Army volunteer...

Grilled cheese sandwiches, post office, et al

2007-07-10T23:14:00.000-05:00

Well, I actually have a little time this morning (it's 8:30am on Wednesday) before we begin the next step of our journey (to Murom) to blog...

First, the three pictures are of (1) the group listening to Professor Gurvitch, (2) Stacie sitting proudly after making grilled ham and cheese sandwiches (Karen is next to her), and (3) the entrance to the Moscow Street Cafe and Bar (taken to show examples of cognates)...more explanation below.

Yesterday began with my last Russian language session with Tanya (sniff!); today is my last with Nellie (sniff!). These two women are just great! I am so appreciative for all the Russian language practice I've been getting here. Dr. Pope and the staff here at the American Home have gone out of their way to give me ample opportunity to conjugate verbs and decline endings to my heart's content. I really have become a disciple of this unique institution that is the American Home here in Vladimir.

After the language session, we visited a dentist's office, a photography studio, and the old city (open) market. Around 11:30am, we broke into 5 groups and began a scavenger hunt, which included having to get back to the American Home by bus from where we were on the other side of town, find ingredients for "an American sandwich," find a travel agency and get the cost of a ticket to American cities (ours was New York), take 5 pictures of signs that contain cognates of English words, buy drinks, and get one small souvenir that is representative of Vladimir (we bought a small, cheap Vladimir city flag). When we returned (Stacie and Karen were in my group) with ham, cheese, bread, and mustard, Stacie decided to make our sandwiches grilled cheese. They were pretty good. A grilled chesse sandwich-- as Americans know it-- just doesn't exist here. All the groups returned and we (along with the Russian folks here) ate our "American sandwiches" together. It was an interesting experience...

...But not quite as interesting as a trip to a Russian post office. Perhaps "interesting" is the wrong word. I went with Stacie and Terry, both of whom had post cards to mail back to the States, to help them communicate. First of all, just finding the post office takes some minor detective work. Secondly, once you get inside, there's no easy way to discern where to go next. Thirdly, once you pick a large room with one long counter, there are no well-documented instructions as to what woman at what place behind the counter does what. I guess Russians just know the ropes. So I walked up to the one woman I saw with out a line in front of her and asked about buying postage for postcards. She said that wasn't her job, but the lady next to her (who was away from her post) could help me when she returned. After a minute or so, the woman came back, didn't say anything to me until I said "Excuse me..." to which she replied (word-for-word quote here) "What do you want?" After a short discussion of how much it REALLY costs to send one postcard to America (19 rubles, apparently, but the rounded up to 20 for convenience-- less stamps to stick, which for the postcard mailer IS convenience), the woman asked whether they wanted to mail them airmail or regular (regular means maybe they'll get there before you die, maybe not). I said airmail, so she had to go find a sheet of what looked like Avery ink-jet labels that said airmail (in Russian). Each one had to be individually cut off the page (with scissors, which she was about to do) and peeled off the backing and then stuck on the postcard... Thankfully, she decided to just give us the sheet. Then she had to go get stamps. So, after all of that, Stacie and Terry had to come BACK to the American Home, assemble the postage and airmail stickers, then find somewhere (again) to mail the postcards. I know our U.S. post offices often have long lines and slow service, but at least once you get to a counter, you can do everything at once (the idea being to mail your letter/postcard WHILE you're there)... In some ways, like the post office, it's very hard to believe that this country was ever a superpower.

The last act of the afternoon was Professor Gurvitch (redux). He really is a fascinating character... If there's a book out there by him about his life, I'm sure it would be interesting reading!

I said goodbye to Katya (and Tsar Stefan) this morning... She really was incredibly hospitable! On Sunday, when we wagon train through again to get to the Vladimir station (for a 10pm night train to St. Petersburg), we'll be having a farewell dinner with the host families, so I'll see Katya again. Tonight we will be parcelled out to new host families for four nights. I think I'm being assigned to a woman who has a 14-year old daughter... However, we're not really sure who our families are, as there have been some changes.

If I can get to a computer while I'm in Murom, then you'll see this next step of our journey in living color... So, stay tuned!

Дождь идёт...

2007-07-09T23:17:00.001-05:00

It started raining yesterday (Monday) evening and hasn't stopped (it's after 8am Russia time)... I walked from the American Home to Katya's last night and back again this morning in a light rain. Every Russian has an umbrella. Only silly Americans walk around in the rain, apparently.

Yesterday's docket wasn't all about women, as I had mentioned earlier. After some one-on-one practice with Nellie (I have to say my Russian has been better than during that session-- that woman has the patience of Job), Aleksei told us a few anecdotes about his life under Soviet rule. It's so hard to believe that the Soviet Union really existed, even with the few vestiges that remain. After lunch at a restaurant in town, our first presenter of the afternoon was a gentleman named Percy Gurvitch, who is a professor of foreign languages at Vladimir State Pedagogical University. He is 80+ years old and shared pretty much an hour and a half's worth of contemporay Russian history as he lived it, including 3 years in a Nazi camp and 4 years in one of Stalin's camps. His take on Krushchev and Gorbachev (and even Putin) as three great men was curious, but understandable, given the first couple of Communist leaders. I think he's coming back this afternoon to continue... This is the kind of thing you just can't get from a book or a movie!

The afternoon ended with a discussion about women in Russia-- I have to tell you, the cultural and gender stereotypes in this country are, indeed, speed bumps on the road to any kind of equality as we understand it in America... This topic was interesting, but as I'm far from an expert on women or their roles (in any country), my level of competence on the subject kind of dampened my enthusiasm for participating in the discussion.

Today I think I have another language session, then we have some sort of "scavenger hunt." I don't know exactly what we're looking for, but in my experience here, so far, I don't find things...they tend to find me. Not one day goes by without a surprise... Some days the compass shows the correct heading, other days it just spins out of control... Some days you just have to dead reckon (if I may wax nautical) or flow where the current takes you...

So tonight we pack for Murom. I don't know how frequently I'll be able to touch this blog, so if I'm out of sight for any length of time, I hope I won't be out of mind! :)

Until next time... Всего хорошего!