For my Russian students in Texas...

This is a picture of a sign in front of a place we visited yesterday (Saturday). On the first day of school, I will offer you the opportunity to start off the school year with an extra credit quiz on the five items on the sign (the largest of which is the name of the place).

See if you can figure out what the place is, what it would be called in English, and what's available to those who visit...

Two meals in two hours!

Another place to eat! After visiting and eating with Sergei and Nina's family yesterday (Saturday), we had a stop at one of the newer hotels in the area, then we were at this restaurant for lunch, which had been arranged ahead of time. No one knew that there would be so much food at the Russian family's house (apparently it was supposed to be tea and a light snack). Here we are eating in a typical-looking traktir (tavern-style restaurant)-- yes, a full course lunch (salad, bread, some sort of warm potatoes in a bowl, soup, a fish dish, and coffee/tea). After this we went to...

Nope, not to another place for food (thank God). We visited another hotel, a relatively swanky one by Russian (and even maybe Western) standards. Since yesterday was 07-07-07 on the calendar, we saw a few couples getting married. At this second hotel, we walked past a couple about to release a pair of white doves; however, oddly enough, I didn't hear anyone yelling "Gorka!" at the couples (maybe I just missed it). Gorka means bitter and it's a tradition for well-wishers to yell this at the bride and groom-- then they kiss, changing the bitter to sweet by tradition.

After the hotel, we visited a ceramics place (where pottery is made; actually a few in our group made an small item while there)... It was quite an eventful day, considering we started with cow poop and all...

Russian Hospitality

We had more food at the next stop yesterday (Saturday)... And I mean MORE food.

A family in/near/just ouside (I'm not sure-- maybe "boondocks" is the best reference) Suzdal opened their home to us. This had to have been one of THE best excursions we've made, by far! As you can see in the first picture, our all-terrain bus is parked on a dirt road in the middle of Nowhere (well, it's really in the middle of Somewhere, if you're a Russian), in front of the house where Sergei (husband) and Nina (wife) live with a son, daughter, son-in-law, two grandsons, and a whole lot of flora and fauna (pigs, turkeys, geese, chickens, dogs, at least one cat, and rows and rows of things growing).

To the apparent surprise of our Russian ekskursovody (guides), this family was more than ready for us. Man, they put out a spread like you wouldn't believe! The pictures below don't do the experience justice. In the close-up picture, there is sliced cheese (some with dill in it), bliny (traditional-- and scrumptious-- Russian pancakes), a samovar with hot water in it for tea, homemade jam, a bottle of mead (lightly alcoholic honey drink), plus other things, such as fresh cucumbers, bread with fruit in it, Russian-style boiled potatoes, etc. In the same picture, there is a pitcher with a cloth on top-- this was warmed, unpasteurized milk (I passed). Also, the host, Sergei, brought out some locally produced Russian white lightning called samogon (lit. homemade fire)... We did the obligatory one shot during a toast and all of a sudden my cataracts were gone (okay, not really, but you get the point). Since Sergei works for the one factory that produces hard liquor in the region, he had more than a few bottles of samogon and mead on hand, so he parceled out a few as gifts. When we were done eating, we got to take a look inside their house-- it was really interesting to see how a typical Russian family lives beyond the apartments of the city.

The last picture is of the family (minus the older grandson). It was true Russian hospitality! And so much food. After chowing down with Sergei and Nina, we headed off to visit a relatively new, but traditional style resort-type hotel (where the beer bath thing is available-- I just don't get it, but I'm simple, so...), and then we went to... (see next post)

The source of the problem...

Yes, Virginia, there really ARE cows in Russia...

Yesterday (Saturday) was another interesting dayinthelife kind of day here in the metropolitan Vladimir-Suzdal area! Our first stop on the journey was to a collective farm operation, the nuts and bolts of which escape me... I can tell you that, after our initial introduction to the director, we were led to a large (1/3 football field-size) pool of cow poo. From what my sensors indicated, Russian cow poo and American cow poo are pretty much the same. Again, though, the nuts and bolts escape me...

Then, after putting on protective clothing (which, it turned out, was not 100% protective) in a stiff wind (I think the cows were laughing at us), we were herded (pun intended) through the the cow stalls, the floors of which the cows may have thought were clean enough to eat on...

Afterward, the collective folks put out some freebies for us of the stuff they produce. For many in the group, this may have been their first encounter (judging by the looks on some of the faces) with Russian items such as kefir (a yogurt-like substance) and tvorog (mistakenly referred to by many as Russian cottage cheese-- it is really pressed curds, kind of like tofu). The lady who set up the display put out what looked like cheese (little nibbles with toothpicks), but was, in fact, tvorog. You either like it or you don't. I'm not too enamored with it (or kefir), even when it has sour cream on it (they way Russians eat it); Katya put out a brick of it with fruit in it one morning and I ate some (with sour cream on it)...I can take it or leave it, really. They also put out some "drinkable" yogurt (a little looser consistency than a smoothie), which was pretty good. Actually, I had one this morning here at the American Home.

So, we had food... And then... (see next post)

Дрянь

I'll have to explain this in better detail later... We wore hospital gowns to wander through dairy cow operation. At first I wondered why... Then it quickly became clear: Mucho mucko!

Medal of Honor (Ron-style!)

Check out the medal Ron pinned on the collective's director as a souvenir and token of our appreciation... It's kind of hard to see in this cellphone picture, but it's a red-white-and-blue flag medal (awarded for unparalleled courage and heroism in the face of more than two dozen Americans!).

Collective Farm in Suzdal

This was our first stop today... We are meeting the director... Standard procedure.

Zhukovsky Museum

Our last stop yesterday, after the appliance factory, blimp works, and brick factory, was the "mansion" once belonging to the "father of Russian aviation," Nikolai (I think) Zhukovsky. It was like a Twilight Zone episode... I'll try to get pictures up tomorrow. The lady who directs the place and who showed us around was happy, peppy, and bursting with love...way too much so for that late in the day. Another woman there and the director's daughter wore turn-of-the-century clothing and treated us with the hospitality of that time. While we were inside, we were offered a shot glass full of what tasted like cough medicine-- it turned out to be ashberry cognac. It went down kind of rough and spread through me like this stuff I used to take for asthma as a kid. (In fact, it cured my lazy eye and I no longer have a tic when I stand up too quickly.) (Okay, it didn't do all that, but some of use were sure we saw ol' Nikolai on the premises after partaking...) We were also offered tea and chocolates (that were melted into the box-- it was hot) and shown a place in the garden where we could make a wish that the director said would be sure to come true (and I think only one of us-- not me-- took her up on it).

Anyway. The word of the day today is agriculture. We're off to Suzdal (again) to visit some more rural areas, then to the village of Pavlovskoe for lunch... Another all day excursion.

One last thought/observation to share before I sign off for now. I find that I understand just about 100% of the Russian I hear (if I hear a word I don't know, I ask about it, and sometimes the context escapes me...), which is good, but all of our visits and lectures are usually given in Russian and then translated into English. Listening to everything twice, first in Russian, then in English (or vice versa) is like watching a movie in which the language and subtitles keep changing... I'm not complaining-- the practice I'm getting is GREAT. When the situation allows, I try to ask our Russian lecturers and guides questions in Russian, even in front of the other Americans (because I know someone will translate it), just for the practice. This is most definitely a unique experience for me!!

(Okay this is the last thought...) The local paper has a write-up today (Molva, issue number 75) of the 4th party and a picture of Ron (Dr. Pope to you) dancing... Only Terry is mentioned (as "a teacher from Seattle).

What they lack in coffee, they make up for in beer...

Here we are having a Siberian Corona (beer) at 7pm at the little beer place next to the American Home. It was a long day, but another interesting and enjoyable one!

A little R&R after today's excursion(s)...

Dr. Pope checking up on his American ambassadors just before 7pm. We were, of course, on our best behavior. :) Terry (from Seattle, not pictured) and I actually logged some time chatting in Russian with the curious locals.

Back of the bus.

On the way home at 6pm...

Another Carol

This is Carol from Indiana, who was next to me on the other side (Galina is on my right)... We spent about 5 hours of quality time bouncing up and down as we chugged along Russia's highways and by-ways... (She's another Carol because I'm married to a Carole.) Not a great photo of me, but that bus was beboppin' while I was trying to take this picture...

Mmm, coffee!

Unbelieveably, we were two-for-two on coffee offers during our first two visits, the first to a Turkish appliance factory (Beko is the company name), then to the blimphouse. At Beko, we were offered REALLY good Turkish coffee and at AeroScan we were, again, offered coffee! This cup wasn't all that great, but when coffee appears seemingly out of nowhere in Russia, you just have to act.

Still doin' the blimp thing...

The big hangar we were in contained two blimps about half the size (I think) of a typical Goodyear-ish sized one in America. They are used in Russia to do geographical research (infrared and laser scans).

How do you say blimp in Russian?

This is Yours Truly at the AeroScan blimp works, our second stop. (Actually, the Russian word for blimp is a cognate of the English word dirigible. Though I think Aleksei may have heard blimp for the first time when I said it...)

Purloined Fruit

This is Galina of the Aleksei-and-Galina husband and wife pair (and two of THE nicest people in Russia-- or any country, for that matter) that run the show at the American Home. She was sitting next to me on the bus, and she extracted this huge bag from her purse-- it was fruit from the table in the restaurant where we stopped for lunch. "It's not stolen," she said after I accused her, "we paid for it." Galya is a hoot!

Sleepless in Vladimir

The night before last I got about 2 or 3 hours of real sleep. The bedroom I'm in faces the alley/courtyard between apartment buildings, and through the open window, I could hear young people sitting on the playground equipment laughing and singing (in fact, the girls-- teenagers, I'm sure-- were singing a song, the lyrics and subject of which would have made their mothers blush) and, inevitably, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. This was from about 12:30am until almost 2:30am (why no one else in the building I live in complained, I don't know). To make matters worse, Katya had changed the bedding and when I came home that afternoon, the curtains were pulled back. So I had to deal with the one mosquito that got in that I could hear, but could never see...

The next morning, Katya set out a breakfast for me that could have been for a family of four: 3 types of kolbasa-like sausage, 2 types of bread, kasha (hot barley cereal), 2 hot dogs, small croissants with chocolate inside, 2 containers of yogurt, unrefrigerated juice (Russians don't drink cold juice), and boiled coffee (I'm used to it...when I get to where I can see the silt in the bottom of the cup, I stop drinking it). So there I sat, half-awake from the night before, looking at all of this food; Katya was looking at it, too, because she watches me eat (not unlike a hawk, but more like a server in a restaurant)... Oh, but I DID catch sight of that mosquito on the wall before breakfast. Problem solved.

By the time we were released from prison (sidebar... When we returned to the American Home yesterday, I sent the following text message to my wife: "We were just released from prison." The quick response was "What?") and sat through the last lecture, I was dog-tired by the time I go back to Katya's apartment-- hot, sweaty, and about ready for the rack (as we used to say in the Navy). But the rack would have to wait.

Katya is a lawyer of some sort at a big bank down the street. Her boss took us to dinner last night (which was really good and VERY nice of him). His name is Sergei and we met him at 7pm in front of Katya's building, then we got on a bus to go to the popular Azerbaizhanski restaurant in town (where we had already eaten as a group a few days before). Russian meals are a social event and last much longer than American meals. Russians, as a rule, aren't very expediant (however, after being disgorged from whatever mode of public transportaion they were on, they tend to move pretty quickly to whereever it is they go). By the time Sergei finished arguing with the hostess about his reservation, it was 7:45pm by the time we were seated. Through the various courses, I had more than enough opportunity to practice Russian! But around 9pm, some guy named Igor showed up (they told me he had just returned from a business trip) and for an hour the three of them talked about business while I nursed a beer and tried to keep from lapsing into a sleep-deprived coma. (A quick aside-- Katya and Sergei, and Igor, are Russian business people not unlike those in America who have cellphones that go off every 5 minutes.)

We finally finished up around 10:30pm. When we hit the street, Sergei asked if we wanted to go for a walk. I didn't, but when in Rome... So, we meandered back to Katya's (about 3 miles or so), chatting about this and that, though I was so tired I'm not sure what we were talking about, really-- it was mostly smalltalk). 11:30pm now. I finally got into bed and at 2am two cats outside were fighting for what seemed like an hour. But I did get some sleep... Amen.

Today we're off to (I'm not making any of this up): "a Turkish-built factory that produces household appliances, a dirigible-producer, and a brick-producer in the small town of Kirzach..." Of course, I should have the pictures to prove it. :)

Yesterday's journey...

Yesterday's docket included two trips, first to the Vladimir Juridical Institute (sort of a bureau of prisons, but something gets lost in translation and there's not enough time or space here to get into it), where we schmoozed with the staff and a few cadets. (The lady in the white business attire next to the standing officer in the next to the last picture had made a law enforcement exchange program trip to the University of Illinois.) We ate lunch there and then moved on to "Vladimir Central," the (in)famous federal prison where, among others, Gary Powers was imprisoned after his U-2 was shot down in 1960. It was kind of interesting in a God-loves-you-soccerball sort of way (see previous post); VERY cultural-- Paris Hilton has no idea how good she had it!
The first and last photos are of us waiting for the bus in the morning and then on a tramvai (trolley) on the way back in the afternoon... The ride back was crowded and hot, but, I suppose, easier than walking...

In the middle photos, you can see me sitting under an A/C unit blowing a gale upon me (it's either feast or famine) and Audrey (to my right; to her right is Stacie and to my left are Tom, Matt, and Warner). The Russians in the other photo were at the table opposite us.

Hands-free evangelism...

You never know what you're going to find in this country. Yesterday, we were at a juridical (look it up) institute here in Vladimir and I spotted this soccerball in a glass case. It had been given to the institute in 2002 by a soccer team from Liverpool, England. On it is printed in Russian "God loves you." Why, I'm not sure... (I have cogitated over the whole God-is-The-Refree thing some and have a theory...)

Мои (м)учительницы...

Don't let their smiles fool you. ;)

These two ladies are my one-on-one conversation tutors, Nellie (r.) and Tanya (l.). Dr. Pope arranged special pull-out sessions for me while the others are in basic language/culture lectures. It has been GREAT practice! These two women are very patient with me and keep telling me how good my Russian is, but I think they're trying to lull me into a false sense of security. But they won't break me. :)

By the way, the "(м)учительницы" in the title is a tongue-in-cheek stab at them... the word without the letter in parentheses simply means teachers; with the "м" it means torturers...

More of yesterday...

This first picture is of our trip to the Gus-Khrustalny Chrystal and Glass Works. The first stop was the museum in the building, a one-room display through which we were led by a very nice woman who herself had to be in her 80s (and, therefore, probably part of the very exhibit she was showing us!). She spoke with pride about the history of the place and the objets d'art on display. Honestly, to me everything looked like props from the old 60s Star Trek television series... However, to each his or her own.

The second picture is of most of us-- the Americans on hand for the 4th of July fete-- getting ready to sing "America, the Beautiful" for our Russian guests. It was a very good time, with LOTS of food and music, though the magic of the evening was dampened a bit when I got an earful from Katya for showing up at 9:30pm. Most of the Russian host families expected us to be done right at 7pm per the printed schedule. It was a good time, all in all. I remain amazed at this American Home institution here in Vladimir, Russia.

A quick footnoote about yesterday. A new American student (here to study Russian) at the American Home was introduced-- she had just arrived yesterday, before the party-- and we got to chatting... A 20-year old Missouri-Synod Lutheran from Michigan... I used to know a 20-year old Missouri Synod Lutheran from Michigan... ;)

The Russian Bathroom

My Russian students often have difficulty, at first, with the English-Russian cognate "toilet." In American English, bathrooms are everywhere, though in public places without showers or bathtubs, we would say "restroom." In Russia, the toilet is the device, as well as the place where it is located. In public places, it's more euphamistically (and European-ly) called a "water closet." In an apartment, the toilet may be in its own little tiny (and I mean tiny) room, separate from the bathroom. In Katya's apartment, there is an actual bathroom (lexically, I mean)... The picture below doesn't quite to the dimensions justice, but in one room there is a bathtub, water heater, toilet, and small washing machine (and plenty of other odds and ends); in fact, it is so small that I can stand in the center and just about touch all four walls.

Next time you get in your shower and turn on the hot water that you take for granted, be grateful. Not everybody has it so good...

American Independence Day in Vladimir, Russia

Hello, or Привет, from Vladimir, where it is presently 5:45pm (8:45am in Texas). When we returned from Gus around 3:45 this afternoon, a carnival-like atmosphere was building in the backyard of the American Home (see first picture-- the guy in the black shirt and jeans is a reporter who's talking to Terry from Seattle in the picture, but who interviewed us both for a story he said would be out in a local paper on Saturday). Luminaries from the local area were among the 80 or so Russians invited to mark the American celebration of Independence Day, as well as the 15th anniversary of the American Home, established to foster intercultural relations among both Russians and Americans. It is truly a unique and unbelievably worthwhile endeavor! I've benefitted from being here only a week; I can only imagine what they can do in a year here! And Dr. Pope is the keystone... He's unique and unbelievable, too. ;) (I know you're keeping tabs on me and my blog, Ron!) In the second picture, Dr. Pope is addressing the crowd in Russian. The third picture is of a musical group that sang and danced for us-- they were really great! And the last picture is of five of us-- Stacie from Detroit, Deidre from Kansas, Guess Who, Mark from Maryland, and Tom from South Dakota. (Just after this picture was taken, Tom sat down in his chair which had sunk into the ground-- it rained pretty hard as festivities began-- and tipped over backward... His recovery was 10 out of 10, but I was laughing so hard I almost burst a blood vessel!) Anyway. That's it for today. Happy 4th to you all!!

Rebirth

This display is called "Rebirth" in Russian. I'm not sure why, but it caught my eye in the china and glass museum... It looks sort of churchy; however, if you click on the picture, you can see a larger shot and form your own opinion.

P.S. We are back at the American Home now, about to be put on display for about 80 Russian guests for our 4th of July celebration... I will try to post a picture or two just as soon as possible!

The Great Hall of China

This is the inside of what used to be a large cathedral. Now it's a crystal and glass museum... And we spent all day (it seemed) getting there.

Statue-esque...

They named a restaurant after this guy (I know, because we ate there after a very anticlimactic visit to the crystal and glass works-- pictures tomorrow)... As it turns out, this guy, whose name I can't recall (Malzkov, perhaps), and whose head is missing (just mentally transfer mine to his body-- we look alike anyway!), is the guy who started the whole famous (in Russia, anyway) Gus crystal and glass works. This statue was in front of a museum that used to be a church before the commies got ahold of it. It's now the Gus Museum of Crystal.

Still life through a bus window.

I took this picture as we were travelling through Vladimir to the orphanage on Monday. The girl in the red car was having an animated conversation with the woman in the back seat... Besides that, it's kind of a mini-vista. Russian drivers rival Italians in their observance of traffic practices, rather than of traffic laws (including lines on the road, which to Russians are simply suggestions).

I meant to mention a few days ago that the wind blowing through birch trees sounds like rushing water. We walked through a small grove on the way to a small cathedral a mile off the road and the sound was so serene... Another one of those you-had-to-be-there moments, I guess!

And to all you Americans out there, Happy 4th of July! We well be celebrating the 4th here at the American Home tonight after we return from the town of Gus (where we'll be touring a crystal works factory and museum).

С праздником!

The day before yesterday...

Here are three pictures from our trip on Monday to the orphanage and a kindergarten. That's me with the little tykes (the kid in the red shirt was in a panic because he couldn't find his markers that had been in a "goodie bag" the American Home prepared for each of them-- he eventually found them and became ecstatic). The next is of the kindergarten kids at the very end of their naptime. And the last picture is priceless... Our Esteemed Director (Dr. Pope) on a time-out (he can get a little rambunctious...).

Bluetoothin' with a priest...

...but not just ANY priest. The secretary to the Vladimir Archbishop. This may be the crowning achievement of my trip (so far!)...

While visiting the Nativity Monastery and Knyaginin Convent here in Vladimir, we were standing in front of a cathedral at 2:22pm when the sound of church bells rang out. Everyone looked around, but there were no bells moving in the bellfries. All of a sudden Father Innokenti (Innocent) exclaimed "Gospodi!" ("My God!") and reached into a pocket and retrieved a cellphone (in his hand in the picture) that someone had given him earlier in the day. The bells were the ringtone on the phone... He was a really nice guy, so after we were done visiting with him, I asked him where I could download that ringtone... In Russian he replied that maybe we could Bluetooth it, but he wasn't sure how to do it. He sent a nun off to get another phone, but while he and I were waiting (the others in the group had already departed-- this is why I have some spare time for a hastily pounded-out update), we worked it out. It was a great topic of conversation for Russian practice! And now I have an audio souvenir from Russia! How cool is that?

Random thoughts...

...quickly, because we're on a break right now. I got up too late to get to the American Home this morning to upload a picture or two...

Last night Katya's friend Olga stayed over night in the apartment-- she lives with her boyfriend and his grandfather, who, apparently, had too much to drink-- along with a new puppy. So there were 6 sentient beings in that one small place: Katya, Olga, I, one and a half dogs, and my silent friend, Stefan The Cat. I overslept a little this morning, which meant that the whole system got backed up a little; then I walked to the American Home in the rain. However...

My day made a turn for the better during my one-on-one Russian instruction. The conversation with the instructor (Nellie) was very interesting! I cannot believe how fortunate I am-- Dr. Pope made this arrangement for me, especially. It is such good practice (in the same way, though in a different context, as living with a non-English-speaking person)!!

Other quick observations: On Sunday, as we were traversing the city on foot, a small motorcade of 3 or 4 cars appeared on the road behind us. We moved out of the way and this line of dark-colored, expensive-looking cars passed us and stopped at a church up ahead. A few Orthodox priest-looking guys got out and we happened upon them a few steps later, as we passed a courtyard at the entrance to the church-- one of them was a, I think, a metropolit (pope/cardinal equivalent in "rank"), judging by the flowers the local church guys were proferring him. Many Russians consider that the Orthodox church has become more opulent over the last few years and continues to grow financially. Priests are purported to live in big, newly built houses, for instance...

Anyway. Gotta get to the next lecture. More later... And some photos of yesterday's excursions to an orphanage and kindergarten tomorrow a.m.

First Sunday in Vladimir...

Sunday is THE day that most Russian spend out and about, and here in Vladimir the tradition holds (and it's also party day, as the amount of "spent" beer bottles, cigarettes, etc., that I saw along my way to the American Home today would seem to indicate)... One of the women that works with Katya is a part-time guide, so we met up with her and another teacher in the group, Lori from Massachusetts, and her host family at 11:30am near the American Home. From there we visited a small convent-- we got there just before a church service began in an old cathedral on the grounds. The first picture below shows the крестный ход (procession of the cross), during which the priests carry an icon into the church. Such pageantry and so much symbolism! Once the procession entered the church, we were able to follow and I was actually inside during part of the service; by comparison to our largely Protestant American church services, a Russian Orthodox service can only be described as surreal. But very beautiful (though the asthetic draw was somewhat tainted by the temperature inside and the many bodies squeezed in) .

There was this young (20-ish) nun who I spotted peering around the corner of the church building. As soon as she spotted the procession, she sprinted over to the bells (next picture) and began ringing them quite dexterously. It was quite a sight!

After the convent, we visited the Stoletov House museum (a period museum, really-- the Stoletovs were a famous family centered on two brothers, one a general and the other a physicist) and the beautiful Patriarch Garden (last two pictures), a botanical garden worked on, mostly, by children, especially during the Soviet times. At the base of this long stairway is a pool and a pavillion, where we had tea (made from herbs grown there) and cake (homemade-- our guide, Larissa, picked the berries and made the cake from scratch). In the pavillion are pictured (l-r) me, Lori, her host's daughter Yana (who speaks English)Lori's host mother Natasha, Katya, and Larissa.

All in all, I think everyone is getting used to some of the "unique" Russian customs (like the hosts serving us food and then watching us eat, no coffee readily available, etc.). The first week has been great! (I can't wait to hear the other folks' tales from their dacha experiences!)

REEEC Photo Diary

There are pictures of our trip being posted to the University of Illinois REEEC site at:

http://www.reec.uiuc.edu/outreach/fulbright.htm (click on "photo diary")

The original link I had posted wasn't working. This link is listed on the sidebar, as well.

На даче...

I ended the long day that was yesterday with a barbecue at Katya's dacha (country place), about 20 minutes by car from her apartment (she drove and I was scared-- she has a tiny little tank-like car that reminds me of something clowns would climb out of). The others there were Olga (in baseball cap), Zhenya (who has lived in the States and could speak English), and Dennis (Olga's boyfriend). Katya's dacha is on a plot of land which is mostly garden-- she grows veggies and there are all sorts of berries around, strawberries, raspberries, etc. We had barbecued chicken and pork shish-kabobs. The converstaional Russian practice was great!

Наши бабушки...

We bring them all the way to Russia from America, put scarves on their heads, and photograph them. These are the women teachers in our group, with one of our Russian poitns of contact here at the AH, Galya (left, front). Actually, they are wearing scarves out of reverence for the custom here that women must be covered to enter some churches. We happened to be in a nunnery in Bogolubovo. As an interesting aside, the nuns don't mess around. One guy in our group strayed from the pack to look at baby chicks in a garden and got an earful from one of the sisters... By the way, we had the same guide all day that we had had in Vladimir, Pasha. He said something that is so profoundly true: "You can't understand Russia with just your brain."

Lunch in Suzdal...

Five American teachers eating lunch: (l-r) Mike from Maine, Mark from Maryland, Yours Truly, Rick from Tennessee (who should join the Blue Collar tour-- he is a riot), and Tom from South Dakota.