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.

Belfry

Yesterday we were on the road again, this time to visit the city of Suzdal (the next stop, going east, on the Golden Ring) and the town of Bogolubovo to see the many 12th century churches. Inside the St. Euthymius Monastery of our Saviour, there is this belfry (pictured at left) in which one guy rings all the bells on the hour-- we were there to see/hear it at noontime. It was amazing! Also, we got the chance to hear "business monks" (as our guide referred to them) sing a capella inside one of the chapels. It was tear-inducing beautiful! On the clock face (next to the belfry pictured), there are no numbers-- in early times, church slavonic letters were used to represent the hours on a clock.

Below is a picture of a this cute little girl in a scarf picking flowers. I noticed her as we were walking into the Suzdal Kremlin (kremlin simply means fortress)...

Lenin and beer: two Russian icons?

Yesterday we were out and about for about an hour after lunch at a restaurant in the center of Vladimir. I went wandering with Warner (of Mr. Potato Head fame) and another teacher in the group, Stacie from Detroit. The picture below was taken in front of a big statue of Lenin which Stacie pointed out to be somewhat ironic because it's in front of a huge bank (capitalism). It's also ironic in two other ways-- there is a big Russian Federation seal on top of the bank, behind Lenin's head (same seal as the one used in tsarist Russia) and the spelling of "bank" is five letters long, rather than the usual four (the word bank has the old hard sign letter on it; this letter was one of the ones removed-- it's use on the end of words, actually-- as a result of Lenin's spelling reform). Anyway, it's so east-meets-west-y that we had to take the picture.

Then there was the beer break on the way back to the American Home for the next excursion...

The Eddie Van Halen of the balalaika...

Last night we had a potluck dinner for the folks in the group and the host families. There was an improvised horeshoes pit and, of course, vodka. But the cherry on top of the sundae was this guy who played the balalaika like Eddie Van Halen plays the guitar (though he looks more like the father on "Married with Children") . He was really good! In the second picture is my host(ess), Katya, in the audience...

Swiiiiiii-ing it!

One of our excursions yesterday was to "The Lenin Palace of Culture and Technology," the arts center in Vladimir. While we were being shown around, we happened upon this Russian woman instructing these two kids who were cuttin' a rug, let me tell you... It was amazing! There was also this young Russian lady who was brought along to translate for the director who was showing us around... She was cute as can be as she tried to keep up with him-- he kept talking and talking and talking in Russian. She did a great job. Consecutive translation is hard, especially in front of a large group of foreigners.

Haunting?

There are these mannequins in the museum complex in Vladimir that just defy description... This one is standing facing a door (as if to exit) in a corner display that looks pretty real at first glance. This tableau made me stop and wonder who? what? when? where? etc. Not only that, there was a very moving poem by the Russian poet Nikolay Gumilyov affixed to a little stand by the window of the museum to the left of this display. (Maybe you had to be there to get the full effect...)

And they can dance, too!

While we were visiting the museum complex situated between the St. Dimitrius and Assumption cathedrals, we had the opportunity to see a few young ladies in period costumes. This group shown here actually performed a folk dance for us (while another young lady played the the balalaika). They were great! The museums here in Vladimir really do have a lot to offer (by comparison to the larger cities in Russia). I really enjoyed our visit!

Which one is Mr. Potato Head?

This is one of our teachers, Warner, who is, coincidentally, from Champaign, IL (our starting point for this journey, if you've been keeping score at home). He has been tasked by some entity to get pictures of Mr. Potato Head as we move through Russia. This photo was taken yesterday in front of St. Dimitrius Cathedral... I'll let you decided who's who. ;)

St. Dimitrius

Yesterday we toured St. Dimitrius Cathedral (shown here), which was built in 1197, as well as a museum complex and the Assumption Cathedral (built in 1160). (More about these places here.) A teacher friend of mine in Mansfield (where I teach in Texas) is a member St. Seraphim Russian Orthodox congregation in Dallas and their church building is a smaller scale replica of St. Dimitrius in Vladimir. (I have taken my Russian students on a field trip to St. Seraphim the last two years.)

Golden Gates, et al

This is a picture I took yesterday of the famous Golden Gates in Vladimir. We went on a walking tour of it and the history museum in Vladimir, escorted by an English-speaking Russian guide. Yesterday was a pretty full and really interesting day... Besides the walking tour (during which we were rained on), we had lunch in the tavern next door, and they have set up some special one-on-one Russian classes for me. The Russian practice here is great-- and, as my newly-appointed tutors would probably tell you, I need the speaking practice! Katya lives about 2 miles from the AH, so I walk to and fro each day. I will try to get some shots of the sites on my route soon. Vladimir is a typical Russian city, of course, but very different from Moscow in many ways. It's a very interesting place. Talk to you again tomorrow... Пока!

Will Stefan ever learn to speak?

These are two of my very hospitable hosts, Katya and Stefan the Cat (along with a protruding 4/5 of me). Stefan is the only seemingly mute feline I've ever met. He'll open his mouth to say something, but there's no audio...

Pic Post Test

Here's a test post from my digital camera... This is my room in Katya's apartment. Uploading photos from AH is kind of slow, but I'll see what else I can post when I get the chance.

Live (okay, not really) from Vladimir! It's...

...me again! :)

Well, now. It's amazing what a hot shower and a few hours of sleep can do for the weary (and I mean WEARY) traveller. We got into Vladimir at about 5:30pm yesterday, at which point I had been up for +/- 30 hours. We were all dragging... I have tried to upload a picture of our Russian hosts waiting for us in front of the American Home when the bus pulled up (I felt like a GI returning home from war), but the cell service here isn't cooperating (I can text and call, but can't send an email). It worked fine from Moscow (different provider there, though). So you'll have to wait on pictures until I can find a computer that I can hook up a digital camera to... Here at the AH, the Internet service is metered, so sending pictures would be costly. Perhaps I can find an Internet cafe...

We left Champaign, Illinois, at 3:30am on Monday (most of us were up around 2) for the Bloomington airport on a bus and hit fog that delayed our take-off 45 minutes. Then, in Atlanta, we arrived late, so there wasn't an available gate-- we sat on the tarmac for 30 more minutes. After the 5-hour layover in Atlanta, we had to sit on the runway for 30 minutes because of bad weather. The 11-hour flight to Moscow wasn't too bad... As you can see by the picture below, Mike (teacher from Maine) and I made friends with Katya the Russian-speaking stewardess. Let's just say that SOME folks may have gotten a little free wine on the trip. ;)

It was noon when we arrived in Moscow, and by 1pm we were on the way to Vladimir by bus. The traffic getting out of Moscow was horrible, so it took us 2 hours to get to our lunch place, a very Russian-y (in the traditional sense) restaurant named Сказка (Skazka, which means "fairy tale"). The food was good, but the ambience was a little tarnished by the American rap blaring as our meal began (imagine hearing the N-word over and over as you try to eat your first meal in a foreign country). I think the restaurant folks thought we would appreciate it...

My host's name is Katya. She lives within a 15-minute walk of the AH (I walked here this morning), in a typical Russian apartment (on the fourth floor of a typical Russian apartment building-- if I can negotiate the technolgy here, I'll show you pictures). We took a taxi back to her apartment and I lugged my 60-lb. suitcase up 8 flights of stairs. She gave me a cold beer and I took a hot shower (thankfully, she has her own hot water heater and even a small washing machine), then we chatted some (in Russian-- she knows 5 words of English) and I crashed about 9pm. I felt bad because a couple showed up right about then and I think she thought I might be eating; I was just too tired. Anyway, Katya is very nice. And she mothers an energetic year-old cat named Stefan and a 4-year old Dachsund mix named Mike. I think my accomodations for the next couple of weeks will be okay. (Assuming nothing gets lost in the translation!)

As it is summer here, the sun doesn't set until late in the evening-- it was still light when I went to bed and when I woke up around 3am, it was starting to get light again. There's not much to do in a stranger's apartment that early in the morning... So I exchanged a couple of text messages with my wife, took another shower, then watched tv for a bit. She has cable, which is a far cry from the 6-channel Soviet-era set the lady I lived with in Moscow in 2004 had!

So, here I am at the AH waiting for today's activities to begin. So far, so good. (However, I discovered a major urban difference between Vladimir and Moscow or St. Pete-- you can't break a 500 ruble note early in the morning here...and I only wanted a bottle of water.)

Oh, yeah. There is a group picture of us taken the day before we left the U. of Illinois posted to the REEEC site at http://www.reec.uiuc.edu/outreach/fulbright07/photo_diary.htm .

That's it for now. Пока!

Well, we finally made it!

Here we are in the Moscow airport. More later when I'm not so tired. It's been a long day...

This photo needs context, yes...

Later, though, when I regain the use of my faculties after this long journey... (The woman's name is Katya and she was our Russian-speaking stewardess...)

Atlanta airport...at last!

We left Bloomington at 7:30am, rather than 6am, because of fog... We actually taxied out to the runway, but needed more gas to lift off, so we taxied back to the gate... The flight was only an hour and a half, but once we landed, we were stranded on the tarmac without a gate for 30 minutes... But we made it, finally. At least our 11-hour jaunt to Moscow won't be on a puddle-jumper.

While here in Atlanta, Dr. Pope is "interviewing" us... The picture above is of us shortly after mine.

Talk to you again from Russia!

Poshli my!

Well, it's 2:30am Champaign time... In an hour, we're off to the airport; before tomorrow is over, we'll be in Vladimir. This will be my last post here in the US, with the exception of a possible cellphone pic or two along the route.

Talk to you again from The Motherland!

Poka!

Blog Demo

This is our last briefing... The next one will be in Vladimir, Russia. I was showing the class how this cellphone photo-to-blog process works.

Mafia Laundry Operation

And I mean laundry laundry, not money laundry...

I got up this morning early to do a load or two of clothes to make sure I'm leaving for Russia with practically all clean stuff... What a process. First, you have to buy a "smart card" for $5 (or $10 or $20), which gets you $3 of laundry time. I ran two loads and it cost me $2.70 (the smart card isn't smart enough to give change). Then I realized I needed drying time, but I didn't have another $5 (only a $20 bill), so I woke up the deeply sleeping woman at the front desk who looked irritated and said she had only twenties... So I walked a few blocks to the nearest convenience store, got a cup of coffee and a newspaper, got one five in change, came back and added $5 to that smart card, so now I have $3.30 to spend on drying one load. What a racket! I feel sorry for the hapless college kids who are exploited by the laundry mafia...

The government needs to know about this. If I disappear, please tell my story...

Interesting topics today!

Our first speaker this morning was a high school teacher from Phoenix (who went on the inaugural Fulbright program in 2004) who presented a lesson plan from a course she designed called "Teaching Russian History through Literature in High School." I got to thinking about my half-semester course proposals for surveys of Russian history and 19th century Russian authors at Mansfield High School and may use her course as a model for combining the two... I think it would work out really well and I have access, now, to some great resources.

After lunch, we found out more about the American Home in Vladimir. Dr. Pope ran us through a pretty good slide show and offered all sorts of heads-up info about our visits to Vladimir and Murom. I'm really excited about going!!

We ended the afternoon with some videos... Mostly about Russian families, interviews with kids-- stuff we could use in the classroom, really. Then we ended on Paul McCartney's 2003 concert in Red Square...

Tomorrow is a morning-only wrap-up session. After that, I plan to sleep as much as possible before we have to get on a 3:30am bus the following morning...

That's it for now. Off to dinner...

Poka!

Aww, shucks...

...this is the longest-term continuous corn plot in the world. Really. And it's right here on the University of Illinois campus. My (horti)cultural horizons just keep on expanding...

From the conference room...

...is a another poor quality cellphone photo of me, my suitemate Terry from Seattle, and another teacher, Deirdre from Kansas. By the way, in reference to the corny picture above, I have to tell you that, being from Kansas (in only a way she can understand), Deirdre told me that she is "anti-corn"... Teachers. Who can understand them?

The Break.

Yesterday's topics were interesting, more or less. In the morning, the presenter was a grad student who was born in the Ukraine; he is a Jew and his family-- like many others-- left the Soviet Union in the 70s. He spoke about everyday life in the Soviet Union. I thought the topic was very good! (And he gave us a break halfway through-- it was two hours long.)

(No breaks from that point on...) There were two two-hour blocks after lunch, the first on Russian politics, from Gorbachev to Putin. A very enthusiastic professor kept going and going and going. By the time she was done and we earned 10 minutes (for good behavior?), my brain and butt were starting to go numb. The last two hours were on Business and Politics in the New Russia (aka economics). The presenter, a lawyer-turned-professor, was okay, but there is a reason why I don't teach economics. Much of what he was talking about and what appeared on his PowerPoint slides was over my head... By 5pm, I was starting to hallucinate...

We had a group dinner at 5:45pm at a nearby restaurant. Everyone is starting to get to know each other a little better-- it's interesting to see the group dynamics at work (like in the classroom).

Today's menu begins with a high school teacher who was on the 2004 trip, then we have a bona fide trip orientation by the seminar director who will be accompanying us to Vladimir, then some videos until 5 or so. Shouldn't be as brain-numbing as yesterday!

Anyway. It has been a great experience so far... We are scheduled to depart for Russia via (first leg) a flight to Atlanta from Bloomington (IL)-- to get to the airport, we have to get on a bus at 3:30am Monday. That will be one long trip. There's a lengthy layover in Atlanta before getting on the really long flight to Moscow; once in Moscow, we get on another bus to make the 2-hour trip to Vladimir...

So, that's it for now. You know the drill... Coffee!!

Where's Waldo?

This is another cellphone pic (thus the quality, subject notwithsatnding). By the Internatiolnal Studies Bldg. sign (where we have our lectures). The tall building behind me and to the right is our dorm.

Russian geography, history, et al

Yesterday was a long day. It seemed like we were anchored in our chairs in this same conference room forever (I think my butt went to sleep twice)!

But it was an interesting one. In the morning there were two lectures, the first on Russian and Eurasian geography (and ethinic groups), the other on Russian environmental issues. The program folks bought us lunch in the dorm dining facility (it was palatable) and then the afternoon sessions picked up a bit. We spent a good 3 hours with THE premier Russian history expert (and prolific author) of our day (as he is know around here), a U. of Illinois professor named Mark Steinberg. This guy's presentations were fascinating (to me, anyway); he is especially interested in the 1917 revolution and the life of the last tsar, which he talked about for half the time. The last portion of his lecture was on Russian peasantry (doesn't sound like an overly stimulating topic, I know, but it was good, too!). After that was a lecture on Russian folk music-- by the time the nice lady was ready to begin, we were all ready for a nap... But hers was interesting information, as well.

We walked a few blocks for dinner (and to restore blood flow to our internal organs-- brain, mostly) and then, as fate would have it, there were technical difficulties, so we didn't sit through the planned hour and a half of videos. I was glad, because I was ready for the rack (and I wasn't the only one)...

Today we have politics, politics, and-- you guessed it-- more politics. Then a group dinner somewhere and nothing afterward.

So, as is my now-established routine, I must go get coffee. Or perish. :)

Speaking of the Gulag...

...well, I wasn't, but I just thought I'd mention a book I'm almost finished reading called Dancing Under the Red Star by Karl Tobien. I sort of stumbled onto this book while I was wandering around a Borders Book Store last week. It's an easy read about the only American woman (one of only two Americans) to survive the Soviet Gulag system under Stalin. In the 1930s, Henry Ford sent a few hundred families to live and work in Gorky (now the city of Nizhny Novgorod). This young woman, Margaret Werner, was in her late teens when she was declared an enemy of the state (this, after the authorities came and got her father) and was sent to labor camps in Siberia.

I think it would be a book that high schoolers could read (and would get a lot out of). I'm considering assigning it or, at least, reading it in class next year.

That's it for now... Gotta find some coffee!

This is your name in Russian.

Well. What an afternoon. First, there was the lecture on Russian Electoral Reforms by a visiting professor from the University of Florida. Interesting, but it was a tad dry for me... Actually, someone in the crowd asked the lecturer a question and I understood neither the question nor the answer.

Then there was Russian Language 101 for almost two hours...

The pace picked up for the last lecture on cultural trends. Then there was a "wine and cheese" reception from 5-6pm (really). I had the opportunity to yak with the Russian lecturer who did the language/culture topics-- she is very nice and was amazed to hear that Russian is being taught in high school in Texas.

This was followed by a mass migration to some place called Murphy's for dinner. Now it's 8pm and I'm about to retire for the evening. What a party animal am I.

Tomorrow we have lectures into the after-dinner hours... The docket looks interesting enough. I'll let you know.

Until then...

Poka!

Not a great picture...

...but it's proof that I exist. This was taken by the teacher I'm rooming with in the computer room in Illini Tower. We spent a little time meeting the folks in the Russian Studies department here, where our lectures start at noon today.

Fireflies

Okay. Last night I landed in Champaign, Illinois, which, anyone here will tell you, is nowhere NEAR Chicago (we're two hours south). In fact, I think I'm closer to Kentucky than Chicago, actually...

The Champaign airport was practically empty when we arrived at 8:30pm last night. The largest plane on the tarmac was the one I got out of, a 90-person puddle-jumper. I chatted with the lady sitting next to me on the flight, which was a good thing; she offered me a ride to the U. of Illinois campus-- her son-in-law is a Miller beer salesman and is familiar with the layout and he picked her (us) up in her car. They were very nice people and they saved me the hassle of trying to find transportation on my own. (Though I'm sure her daughter and her husband wondered what kind of weirdo I might be...)

It was getting dark as we left the airport and everywhere were little flashing lights-- even in the middle of intersections. There were lightning bugs all over... Reminded me of Maryland or Pennsylvania.

My suitemate here is a history teacher who knows a little Russian. He's from the Seattle area and seems like a pretty nice guy. I haven't met anyone else yet; our first get-together is after lunch today.

I wandered out last night to get a bite to eat and there is NO doubt that this is a college campus! On my way to a small pizza place, I passed the Girls Gone Wild tour bus and there was loud music coming from just about every direction. Oh well. Only 4 days. And it's cool and quiet on the 10th floor of the dorm I'm in.

That's it for now.

Off to Champaign, Illinois...

Tonight I make my way to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the first step in my 5-week Russian odyssey. I'll be staying in a dorm building called the Illini Tower on the campus. With the exception of O'Hare airport, I have never really been to Illinois (well, I take that back...my family lived there briefly when I was a kid). For 4 or 5 days we will be attending pre-departure lectures on campus. I'm ready. Let the journey begin!

Dallas>Champaign>Vladimir>Murom>St. Petersburg>Moscow>Champaign>Dallas (or bust!)

Well, another summer, another blog (same blog as in past summers, just gave it a facelift)...

I am preparing to make my way back to Russia for the 3rd time in 4 years, this time as a participant in a 5-week seminar program entitled "Understanding Russia Through Everyday Life" through the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. After a few days in Chicago, we'll be on the way to the famous Golden Ring city of Vladimir (not too far from Moscow), where the other program participants and I will be living with host families for 2.5 weeks before travelling on to Murom, St. Petersburg, and Moscow.

You can see what we'll be doing by clicking the program link above. As in previous trips to Russia, I hope to be able to keep a running log of notes, observations, updates, and, if possible, pictures here.

Stay tuned... The journey begins in 3 weeks!

Пока,

E.B.