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!