We landed at JFK and stood in long lines that really didn't take that long. I picked up my bags and headed out of the claim area to find..... no one waiting for me!! I went outside, no one. I cruised around a few hallways...but my wife was nowhere to be found. I called her cell phone from a pay phone because there was no reception in the terminal. So I found a seat near where all the people from my flight were slowly coming out. The man that sat quietly next to me for 10 hours came out and was looking for his daughter. He sat down next to me and we began a rather late conversation for two people who probably won't ever have any more contact. It turns out that he was waiting for his American daughter and that he was a physics professor at the U of Moscow. His university had started a special high school in Moscow just for higher math and science. They had tried to make some connections with American high schools, but had not been successful. I told him about my experiences and videoconferencing with Russian students in Penza. We exchanged emails and will try to connect this fall! Obviously, we should have started talking in Moscow and we would have had lots to talk about for 10 hours! His daughter came around the corner and we were introduced like we were old friends. She said that a lot of people were waiting in area C - our flight was exiting from area A. I went to area C and found my wife and my brother who were waiting for me to arrive at the wrong gate! Welcome to America!
We trained and subwayed to Penn Station. We went to the Hampton Inn in Manhattan. And then.....DINNER in AMERICA!!! The most amazing thing happened at a nice deli/restautant in Manhattan. The deli serves cucumbers and pickels for a snack/appetizer to everyone - Russians had cucumbers with everything! They also gave each of us a small dish of cole slaw. Now, what is slaw made of????? CABBAGE!!!! And then, the waitress comes to get drink orders. Her name was Iryna and her accent was definitely from somewhere in Russia!!! It is hard to leave Russia, especially when coming to NYC!!! Well, I had a Philly cheesesteak with onions and mushrooms, kethcup, fries, and all the ICED TEA I wanted to drink!! It was wonderful to be back the US of A!!
My wife, Judy, and I went to Ground Zero the next day and saw one big construction site. They were definitely in the foundation mode for the new building. Not much history to see. We took the subway north and took a tour of the United Nations. The Broadway shows we wanted to see had no seats together so we went out to dinner again and just relaxed.
The next morning, we took the Acela train to the BWI airport stop. Judy's sister and brother-in-law picked us up and took us to their house where Judy had left our car. We drove home, picked up our daughter Megan and promptly went out to OUTBACK for a great steak and shrimp dinner. It was great to be back home!!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
July 25th: Education in Penza/back to Moscow
Sleeping in is one of my favorite things to do, especially during the summer months. My students always complain that I am way too perky in the morning. The secret is out: it's the only way I can be ready to teach that early in the morning. I am so agreeable to my students who want to sleep in and start school later. Studies show....not now.
We took the mini-van to down-town Penza and went to the floral shop. Svetlana thought it would be a good idea to take flowers when we visit their boss, Marina S.! When we got to her office (air-conditioned - yes!) S gave me the flowers and ushered me through the door towards Marina. Marina had visited the US in the spring and had been to dinner at my house, so I wasn't a total stranger. However, I wasn't aware that I would be giving the flowers. But, flowers do amazing things to people when they are given as gifts - smiles, hugs, laughing - S knew what she was doing!!
We sat down with tea and sweets and discussed our two school systems and our connections through relationships and with videoconferencing! They wanted to expand that line of communication! I said it would not be a problem (my own BOE is struggling to get it together this week) and we could expand forthwith! I spoke in front of a video camera for a video that they wanted to show their social studies teachers at the beginning of the school year. It was an incredible meeting and visit!
We went to lunch at the BierHaus, a lovely restaurant in the heart of Penza. I ordered a salad and an entree thinking of all the tiny little salads I've eaten in the last month. The salad was as big as the entree and I made a bit of a pig of myself. Dessert was fantastic as well! Chocolate is always good. Is there anyone in the world who doesn't like at least one kind of chocolate?
I packed at the flat and Igor picked us up in his 4x4 Lada again. This time to the train station. K and I shared a compartment with two total strangers, but they were very friendly. Sleeping on the train again was not a problem for me! We arrived in Moscow at 8:20 and our cab driver was waiting for us. Again, K was the master of logistics in Moscow! He went and fetched my big suitcase that we had stowed days earlier, went to the cab. We were worried that I would not make it to the airport in time, but the cab driver assured us that the big traffic was coming IN the city and we were on the way OUT. We arrived at the airport almost three hours before my flight! I took some time to even out the weight in my bags and then waited in several slow lines to have my bags checked. Packed the bags again and went to the check in. I didn't even show them my ticket - the passport number is entered and the computer knows that I have a ticket!
Another passport check. Another carry-on luggage search. Russian security seems a little more extreme than the US. Every two gates has a waiting area that you cannot leave once you enter and go through the metal detectors. As I was waiting, an American started a conversation and we found that he lives in NJ right across the Delaware from where I grew up in PA - small world! The flight was fairly enjoyable. I sat next to a man, a Russian, and I didn't think he spoke English. So there were no conversations on this flight. Ipod, movies, food and drink....home is coming soon!
We took the mini-van to down-town Penza and went to the floral shop. Svetlana thought it would be a good idea to take flowers when we visit their boss, Marina S.! When we got to her office (air-conditioned - yes!) S gave me the flowers and ushered me through the door towards Marina. Marina had visited the US in the spring and had been to dinner at my house, so I wasn't a total stranger. However, I wasn't aware that I would be giving the flowers. But, flowers do amazing things to people when they are given as gifts - smiles, hugs, laughing - S knew what she was doing!!
We sat down with tea and sweets and discussed our two school systems and our connections through relationships and with videoconferencing! They wanted to expand that line of communication! I said it would not be a problem (my own BOE is struggling to get it together this week) and we could expand forthwith! I spoke in front of a video camera for a video that they wanted to show their social studies teachers at the beginning of the school year. It was an incredible meeting and visit!
We went to lunch at the BierHaus, a lovely restaurant in the heart of Penza. I ordered a salad and an entree thinking of all the tiny little salads I've eaten in the last month. The salad was as big as the entree and I made a bit of a pig of myself. Dessert was fantastic as well! Chocolate is always good. Is there anyone in the world who doesn't like at least one kind of chocolate?
I packed at the flat and Igor picked us up in his 4x4 Lada again. This time to the train station. K and I shared a compartment with two total strangers, but they were very friendly. Sleeping on the train again was not a problem for me! We arrived in Moscow at 8:20 and our cab driver was waiting for us. Again, K was the master of logistics in Moscow! He went and fetched my big suitcase that we had stowed days earlier, went to the cab. We were worried that I would not make it to the airport in time, but the cab driver assured us that the big traffic was coming IN the city and we were on the way OUT. We arrived at the airport almost three hours before my flight! I took some time to even out the weight in my bags and then waited in several slow lines to have my bags checked. Packed the bags again and went to the check in. I didn't even show them my ticket - the passport number is entered and the computer knows that I have a ticket!
Another passport check. Another carry-on luggage search. Russian security seems a little more extreme than the US. Every two gates has a waiting area that you cannot leave once you enter and go through the metal detectors. As I was waiting, an American started a conversation and we found that he lives in NJ right across the Delaware from where I grew up in PA - small world! The flight was fairly enjoyable. I sat next to a man, a Russian, and I didn't think he spoke English. So there were no conversations on this flight. Ipod, movies, food and drink....home is coming soon!
July 24th: Back to Lermontov's Estate
It was great to sleep in! A driver named Anatoly picked us up at 11:00 and we were on our way to Mikhail Lermontov's estate. Lermontov is Russia's 2nd most famous poet behind Pushkin. Lermontov lived in the generation after Pushkin, early to mid-19th century. The road seemed smoother than I remember three years ago. But now we are riding in a Volga and not a cargo van. Anatoly, our driver for the day, was a smooth machina operator! Passing on Russian two-lane highways takes some finess. There are basically three lanes. One on the right, one on the left, and one gray area in the middle for passing. When you do pass, it is expected that oncoming traffic will give you enough room to pass. Lines on the highways are not as defined as they are in the US. The drive to Lermontov's took a little over an hour, still in Penza region.
We toured all the buildings except the private chapel, which was being renovated. We liesurely walked around the grounds and enjoyed the weather. It is a quiet place, good for writing poetry! We had a meal at the kitchen which provided us with a 19th century meal. AND, we had pie for dessert! Pie in Russia isn't like pie in America. The pie was mostly bread, circular in shape, but the inside was filled with.......CABBAGE! My sweet tooth wanted to scream! I was thinking sweet apple pie, maybe blueberry pie, or strawberry pie...but not cabbage!!
We arrived back in the city of Penza around 7:00 and went shopping at a new store reminiscent of Wal-Mart. It had an entire grocery store on one side and a warehouse side for non-edible goods on the other. It was a fairly new store and was in walking distance to their flat. Dinner was great again...red caviar!! Although I am not a fan, I learned how to eat it properly the Russian way....bread....butter....and a half inch thick smear of caviar!! K and S discussed a lot educational possibilities with our new videoconferencing scheme!
We toured all the buildings except the private chapel, which was being renovated. We liesurely walked around the grounds and enjoyed the weather. It is a quiet place, good for writing poetry! We had a meal at the kitchen which provided us with a 19th century meal. AND, we had pie for dessert! Pie in Russia isn't like pie in America. The pie was mostly bread, circular in shape, but the inside was filled with.......CABBAGE! My sweet tooth wanted to scream! I was thinking sweet apple pie, maybe blueberry pie, or strawberry pie...but not cabbage!!
We arrived back in the city of Penza around 7:00 and went shopping at a new store reminiscent of Wal-Mart. It had an entire grocery store on one side and a warehouse side for non-edible goods on the other. It was a fairly new store and was in walking distance to their flat. Dinner was great again...red caviar!! Although I am not a fan, I learned how to eat it properly the Russian way....bread....butter....and a half inch thick smear of caviar!! K and S discussed a lot educational possibilities with our new videoconferencing scheme!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Monday, July 23: Moscow with Konstantin
I was up at 6:00 am and helped get some suitcases on the bus. I ate a last breakfast in Moscow with my fellow Fulbrighters. I said my goodbyes to all of them as they went to the airport to catch an early afternoon flight to NYC. After they left, I was alone in Moscow! I was alone in Moscow for nearly two hours - it's kind of scarey!! Konstantin, my exchange teacher from Penza, met me a little earlier than our agreed time in the lobby of the Vega Hotel. It was a joyful reunion! I have seen him several times in the US in the past few years, but this is the only time that I have been back to Russia! We then embarked on a luggage logistics exercise designed to get rid of my luggage at all the right places so it would be there when I returned to Moscow for my flight in three days! We took my large suitcase and put it in a locker at the train station (we would be coming back to Moscow on the train). We then placed my other suitcase at another train station, the one that we will take to the airport in the evening. After we had secured the big pieces of luggage, we were free to see the rest of Moscow! All of this was done by taking the Moscow metro all over the place!!
The first place we went was Gorky Park. I had always heard of it, but had never been there. Before we went there, we went to an outside park full of statues from the Soviet period. Some of these statues were very interesing. One statue was of Felix Derzshinsky, the founder of the secret police in the Soviet Union. I thought I would not see any statues of him since they tore one down in 1991 in front of the Lubyanka, KGB place of terror and execution. Gorky Park was like a small Central Park in NYC. It was a relaxing place with amusements, ponds, fountains, and cafes.
An interesting side activity involved Konstantin signing papers at a nearby realtor's office. He is in the process of buying a flat for his daughter, Marina. He told me some great stories of how difficult this buying process was. He had bought a flat in his home town last year. This year he sold it for double what he had paid for it! This gave him some down payment cash to make it easier to secure his daughter's flat. Marina has said that if you have a flat in Moscow, you have arrived!
We lunched at My My (pronounced Moo Moo). This chain of restaurants has a cow theme similar to our Chik-Filets in the US. The restaurant was really a big buffet with many things to choose from.
We metroed to Red Square and walked the Alexander Gardens adjacent to the Kremlin. Beautiful flowers were well in bloom. July is prettier than April in Russia!
K and I took a speedier train from Moscow to Domodedovo airport. It was as nice as any airport in the west. We were bussed to our little Aeroflot jet on the tarmac. We entered the jet from the rear. Our luggage was loaded in the back of the plane in a big cargo net. There were no reserved seats. First come, first served. K had movies on his blackberry, so we watched most of the movie 'Hero,' each of us with an earphone on the tiny screen! Smooth take-off and a smooth landing - nice! We reached Penza by 10:30 pm. Svetlana, K's wife met us at the airport. Igor drove us to K's flat in his 4x4 LADA. A late night dinner was prepared by Svetlana! Wonderful salad, meat, cheese, olives, AND..........MINT ICED TEA......with ICE CUBES! As E.B. declared with his beer earlier in the trip, "It was a beautiful moment!" I later would tell K that having iced tea with ice cubes in Russia, "Blew me away!" Translation = It was a very pleasant surprise! Sweets, hot tea, and toasts with cognac! Bed in another living room in a flat in Russia! But, this was not your usual day in Russia! Thanks to Konstantin and Svetlana, my very good friends in Penza, Russia! They are the BEST!
The first place we went was Gorky Park. I had always heard of it, but had never been there. Before we went there, we went to an outside park full of statues from the Soviet period. Some of these statues were very interesing. One statue was of Felix Derzshinsky, the founder of the secret police in the Soviet Union. I thought I would not see any statues of him since they tore one down in 1991 in front of the Lubyanka, KGB place of terror and execution. Gorky Park was like a small Central Park in NYC. It was a relaxing place with amusements, ponds, fountains, and cafes.
An interesting side activity involved Konstantin signing papers at a nearby realtor's office. He is in the process of buying a flat for his daughter, Marina. He told me some great stories of how difficult this buying process was. He had bought a flat in his home town last year. This year he sold it for double what he had paid for it! This gave him some down payment cash to make it easier to secure his daughter's flat. Marina has said that if you have a flat in Moscow, you have arrived!
We lunched at My My (pronounced Moo Moo). This chain of restaurants has a cow theme similar to our Chik-Filets in the US. The restaurant was really a big buffet with many things to choose from.
We metroed to Red Square and walked the Alexander Gardens adjacent to the Kremlin. Beautiful flowers were well in bloom. July is prettier than April in Russia!
K and I took a speedier train from Moscow to Domodedovo airport. It was as nice as any airport in the west. We were bussed to our little Aeroflot jet on the tarmac. We entered the jet from the rear. Our luggage was loaded in the back of the plane in a big cargo net. There were no reserved seats. First come, first served. K had movies on his blackberry, so we watched most of the movie 'Hero,' each of us with an earphone on the tiny screen! Smooth take-off and a smooth landing - nice! We reached Penza by 10:30 pm. Svetlana, K's wife met us at the airport. Igor drove us to K's flat in his 4x4 LADA. A late night dinner was prepared by Svetlana! Wonderful salad, meat, cheese, olives, AND..........MINT ICED TEA......with ICE CUBES! As E.B. declared with his beer earlier in the trip, "It was a beautiful moment!" I later would tell K that having iced tea with ice cubes in Russia, "Blew me away!" Translation = It was a very pleasant surprise! Sweets, hot tea, and toasts with cognac! Bed in another living room in a flat in Russia! But, this was not your usual day in Russia! Thanks to Konstantin and Svetlana, my very good friends in Penza, Russia! They are the BEST!
Saturday, July 21: Kremlin Tour/Red Square
We toured the Kremlin with its Cathedrals, Walls, Bell Tower, Tsarbell, Tsargun (largest cannon), Government buildings, and Towers. Troops marched in the kremlin as a band played. I saw a soldier with a falcon on his leather-bound hand that was used to keep the pigeons away. We toured through the Kremlin Museum. Peter's boots, Catherine's dresses. Crowns of the tsars and fancy carriages of the tsars. Faberge eggs and gold and silver and pearls. I took pictures in here three years ago. Now it is forbidden to take any pictures at all. A small group of us went to Red Square, Gym (pronounced goom), the fancy mall next to Red Square, and took pictures of St. Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's tomb. We walked to an Italian restaurant set up as a cafe on a traffic-less street near Red Square. I had what was the closest thing to a pepperoni pizza I could find on the menu - not bad. But, $3.50 for a small 10 ounce bottle of Coke Light!! We metroed to our hotel for the evening.
Friday, July 20th: Moscow
I have written about some of my experiences in Moscow in previous blogs due to the availability of computers and Internet Cafes. These blogs may be brief, but complement the earlier efforts. The computers in our hotel (Hotel Vega) had Internet capability, but not all of them worked all of the time. When I did log on, they worked very well. One night, I blogged and worked on answering emails from the hotel next to ours which had many more computers and worked very well.
On Friday morning, our train arrived in Moscow at 7:00 am pretty much on time. We boarded a bus with all of our luggage and went to the Vega Hotel which is in the Ismalovo area in NE Moscow. I got a shower and left with the group for a dicussion with a non-profit group called New Eurasia Foundation. This group wanted to help Russia realize its social and educational potential. We listened to their stories and their progress. We discussed our observations in Vladimir and Murom and came to the conclusion that there was still a LOT to be done to raise the social and educational potential of Russia and Russians.
On return, I went shopping at the big flea market close to our hotel with a bunch from our group. I bought a shawl for my daughter as a Christmas present. Even if she reads this she won't know what color or design is on it....or will she be able to guess? I used Nina's cell phone to call Marina Ulanova, the daughter of my Russian exchange teacher from Penza. She lives in Moscow and is employed by the Ministry of Agriculture as an interpreter. Marina met me at the hotel and took me to a fabulous restaurant near downtown Moscow, the Pushkin Cafe. Fantastic dinner! $40 entrees! $5 bottles of water! $10 drinks! $10 salads! $4 scoop of ice cream! $4 cup of tea! Did somebody say this city is expensive??
On Friday morning, our train arrived in Moscow at 7:00 am pretty much on time. We boarded a bus with all of our luggage and went to the Vega Hotel which is in the Ismalovo area in NE Moscow. I got a shower and left with the group for a dicussion with a non-profit group called New Eurasia Foundation. This group wanted to help Russia realize its social and educational potential. We listened to their stories and their progress. We discussed our observations in Vladimir and Murom and came to the conclusion that there was still a LOT to be done to raise the social and educational potential of Russia and Russians.
On return, I went shopping at the big flea market close to our hotel with a bunch from our group. I bought a shawl for my daughter as a Christmas present. Even if she reads this she won't know what color or design is on it....or will she be able to guess? I used Nina's cell phone to call Marina Ulanova, the daughter of my Russian exchange teacher from Penza. She lives in Moscow and is employed by the Ministry of Agriculture as an interpreter. Marina met me at the hotel and took me to a fabulous restaurant near downtown Moscow, the Pushkin Cafe. Fantastic dinner! $40 entrees! $5 bottles of water! $10 drinks! $10 salads! $4 scoop of ice cream! $4 cup of tea! Did somebody say this city is expensive??
Thursday, July 19th: Pushkin/Catherine I Summer Palace
We bussed to the town of Pushkin which was just outside the line where the Germans had surrounded St. Petersburg. We first went to the summer palace of Catherine I, Peter the Great's wife. In later years it would be called Tsarkoe Seloe or Tsar's Village. The palace was extraordinary! It was like a mini-Versailles! This palace was actually even more impressive as we learned that the Germans had burned most of the palace out and what we were seeing was the restoration from the last 50 years! The Amber room was the most impressive as everything inside the room was cut and decorated with amber! Each of the other rooms were decorated with gold leaf and mirrors were used extensively to capture as much light as possible. The ball room was extravagant. It reminded me of Versailles on a smaller scale!
Very close to the summer palace was another palace that was not open to tourists or even important hostorians and teachers like us. Alexander I's palace was yellow (the summer palace of Catherine was blue) and was important more than being lived in by the defeater of Napoleon! Alexander Palace, as it is called, was the 'holding cell' for the royal family of Nicholas II in 1917 and 1918 before they were shipped off to the middle of the country to a town called Ekaterinburg. There in 1918, they were murdered, all shot to death in the basement, by the Bolsheviks to show that there was no going back to a tsarist reign. As I have written, the tsar's family's remains have been identified and reburried in the Cathedral on Peter and Paul Fortress with all 0f the other tsars from Peter to Alexander III, Nicholas' father.
On the way back to town, we stopped at the Memorial to the Defenders of Leningrad (WW II), a very moving memorial. On the top level, there is a circle that reminds them of the 900 days and 900 nights that St. Petersburg was surrounded by the Germans. There is a very tall obelisk with the years 1941 - 1945 on it. Farther out from the circle are two groups of statues of soldiers from the Great Patriotic War (what Russians call WW II). Underneath the circle is a museum complete with artifacts and a film without sound made of documentary material showing some of the hardships Leningraders had to deal with during the siege. Very emotional and educational!!
Nadia, our guide in St. Pete and Moscow from the American Home in Vladimir, took us to SUBWAY for dinner. It was the fastest way for us to eat, get to the show (Folk Music), and not have to stop before getting to the train to Moscow at the appropriate time! The folk music show was great. I had seen the same show three years earlier and was impressed then! Lots of singing, typical Russian dancing with the leg kicking, balalaikas, bayans!
At 11:00 in the evening (it's St. Petersburg 62 degrees north) it was still light as we boarded the train that would take us to Moscow!
Very close to the summer palace was another palace that was not open to tourists or even important hostorians and teachers like us. Alexander I's palace was yellow (the summer palace of Catherine was blue) and was important more than being lived in by the defeater of Napoleon! Alexander Palace, as it is called, was the 'holding cell' for the royal family of Nicholas II in 1917 and 1918 before they were shipped off to the middle of the country to a town called Ekaterinburg. There in 1918, they were murdered, all shot to death in the basement, by the Bolsheviks to show that there was no going back to a tsarist reign. As I have written, the tsar's family's remains have been identified and reburried in the Cathedral on Peter and Paul Fortress with all 0f the other tsars from Peter to Alexander III, Nicholas' father.
On the way back to town, we stopped at the Memorial to the Defenders of Leningrad (WW II), a very moving memorial. On the top level, there is a circle that reminds them of the 900 days and 900 nights that St. Petersburg was surrounded by the Germans. There is a very tall obelisk with the years 1941 - 1945 on it. Farther out from the circle are two groups of statues of soldiers from the Great Patriotic War (what Russians call WW II). Underneath the circle is a museum complete with artifacts and a film without sound made of documentary material showing some of the hardships Leningraders had to deal with during the siege. Very emotional and educational!!
Nadia, our guide in St. Pete and Moscow from the American Home in Vladimir, took us to SUBWAY for dinner. It was the fastest way for us to eat, get to the show (Folk Music), and not have to stop before getting to the train to Moscow at the appropriate time! The folk music show was great. I had seen the same show three years earlier and was impressed then! Lots of singing, typical Russian dancing with the leg kicking, balalaikas, bayans!
At 11:00 in the evening (it's St. Petersburg 62 degrees north) it was still light as we boarded the train that would take us to Moscow!
Wednesday, July 18th: Peterhof and the Russian Museum!
Breakfast at the hotel buffet is fantastic compared to Murom's breakfasts, but I can see that the buffet would start to get old if we stayed a long time. We left at 10:00 for Peterhof, Peter the Great's palace 28 kilometers outside the city. Peterhof is impressive for its many fountains, over 150 of them. The palace overlooks the Gulf of Finland and has a 'canal' built right up to the palace lined with fountains. The fountains are propelled not by electrical pumps - no electricity in Peter's time - but by gravity. There must have been some smart engineers on the scene to make all of these fountains work without modern day pumps. They are beautiful!
We came back to the city and toured the Russian Museum - everything Russian! We had a fanatastic tour guide that shared the stories behind many of the paintings.
Dinner at the hotel with the same buffet, different night! Most of our group attended the ballet. I chose not to spend the money as I had been to the small Bolshoi in Moscow three years ago. I attempted the Internet Cafe again, but blogger still refused to post my blogs! So being the party animal that I am, I got myself some Nestea, went back to the hotel and watched the only channel in English, the BBC!
We came back to the city and toured the Russian Museum - everything Russian! We had a fanatastic tour guide that shared the stories behind many of the paintings.
Dinner at the hotel with the same buffet, different night! Most of our group attended the ballet. I chose not to spend the money as I had been to the small Bolshoi in Moscow three years ago. I attempted the Internet Cafe again, but blogger still refused to post my blogs! So being the party animal that I am, I got myself some Nestea, went back to the hotel and watched the only channel in English, the BBC!
Tuesday, July 17th in St. Petersburg
I was up by 8:30 for our buffet breakfast - no more typical Russian breakfasts - at least until I get to Penza! We all met at 9:30 to board the bus for our day in St. Petersburg! We stopped briefly at the Smolny Catherdral which looked more like a western cathedral than a Russian Orthodox one. It was colored in a stark blue color along with the other buildings around it. Most of them are used as offices today. The Cathedral is only used once in a while for special concerts and events.
We traveled to Peter and Paul Fortress, the fort that was built first in St. Petersburg before the rest of the city began to be built. We were able to tour the inside of the Cathedral there which is definitely of western designs with a very tall steeple. Inside the cathedral are all the tsars of Russia, their bodies entombed in marble sarcophagi (sp?) all across the floor of the church. There was a special room for the most recently interred tsar and his family, Nicholas II, whose remains were identified recently and brought here in a special ceremony with the old flag of the Romanovs. It is an interesting move on Russia's part to make the history come full circle. Much of what Russia deals with is righting (and writing) the past so that it is closer to the truth and not a pack of lies and propaganda.
We took a fabulous boat tour of the Neva River and many a canal. What a great way to see the city! Again we came upon the Church of the Spilled Blood. What a magnificent sight! From the water, we viewed the Winter Palace, Michael's Castle, Peter and Paul Fortress, and many a low bridge over the canals. After docking, we lunched at the Hermitage Museum before embarking on a tour. A few of us decided to stay until closing and seek out fabulous art work by Monet, Picasso, and van Gogh, among many others. Some of us dined at an outdoor cafe on Nevsky Prospect - good salad and shashlik (chicken/ myasa!). We walked down Nevsky Prospect stopping at book stores and an ice creamery. I actually paid 20 rubles to use the bathroom in a nice mall off of the street. Somebody had said something about the water here...it may have been something else I ate!
I used an Internet Cafe (a few dollars for an hour) to blog, but it wasn't posting my blogs. I gave up early and went to the hotel and sleep!
We traveled to Peter and Paul Fortress, the fort that was built first in St. Petersburg before the rest of the city began to be built. We were able to tour the inside of the Cathedral there which is definitely of western designs with a very tall steeple. Inside the cathedral are all the tsars of Russia, their bodies entombed in marble sarcophagi (sp?) all across the floor of the church. There was a special room for the most recently interred tsar and his family, Nicholas II, whose remains were identified recently and brought here in a special ceremony with the old flag of the Romanovs. It is an interesting move on Russia's part to make the history come full circle. Much of what Russia deals with is righting (and writing) the past so that it is closer to the truth and not a pack of lies and propaganda.
We took a fabulous boat tour of the Neva River and many a canal. What a great way to see the city! Again we came upon the Church of the Spilled Blood. What a magnificent sight! From the water, we viewed the Winter Palace, Michael's Castle, Peter and Paul Fortress, and many a low bridge over the canals. After docking, we lunched at the Hermitage Museum before embarking on a tour. A few of us decided to stay until closing and seek out fabulous art work by Monet, Picasso, and van Gogh, among many others. Some of us dined at an outdoor cafe on Nevsky Prospect - good salad and shashlik (chicken/ myasa!). We walked down Nevsky Prospect stopping at book stores and an ice creamery. I actually paid 20 rubles to use the bathroom in a nice mall off of the street. Somebody had said something about the water here...it may have been something else I ate!
I used an Internet Cafe (a few dollars for an hour) to blog, but it wasn't posting my blogs. I gave up early and went to the hotel and sleep!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Monday, July 16th: Train to St. Petersburg
There's something about sleeping on a train. The constant movement makes it very easy for me to sleep. This was not the case for everyone else. As we left the train, some of our Americans were noticebly ready for some R + R. Breakfast on the train was not like I remember on the train three years ago from Penza to Moscow. Today's breakfast was tea, a small package of cookies and a small wrapper of chocolate. It could be worse... We had pulled in 15 minutes late after hearing stories of derailments in the area. It must not have affected us. Took a van to the Moscow Hotel which catered to foreign tourists. So in less than 24 hours, we went from Murom, the town visited farthest east (a bit rustic in its accomodations), back to Vladimir (not bad for its accomodations), to St. Petersburg with all the accomodations that westerners expect in a modern hotel. The restaurant downstairs had a huge buffet filled with any kind of salad you can imagine, many kinds of meats and potatoes, fruit, drinks, and desserts! We toured the city by bus. The first stop was very sobering - the huge cemetary where thousands are buried unidentified in mass graves marked only by the year: 1942, 1943, 1944, the years of the Nazi siege that killed or starved on average a thousand Leningraders a day for 900 days. Yes, that would get you near a million people that perished in WW II just from the city of Leningrad!! Americans don't have the same perspective on WW II (The Great Patriotic War in Russia) as the Russians do. Nobody attacked the US mainland and killed 30 million of our people!! So everywhere, the Russian state acknowlegdes the sacifices made during WW II. It is why all weddings take a visit to a memorial or special site to pay their respects to those who served and gave their lives during the war against the fascist invaders.
We visited Pushkin Square, the Church of the Spilled Blood, a Russian Orthodox service as it was in session during worship. We ate dinner at the hotel, walked Nevsky Prospect (main drag), drank Nestea (Swiss Nestle Corporation has a huge investment in Russia), and to sleep with curtains closed to keep out the light of 'white nights' in St. Petersburg. Being the largest city above 60 degrees latitude, the sun never really fully sets in the summer months. So to get the most sleep possible, it is important to close those curtains. At midnight, you can still see quite a bit across the city. By 4:00 am, the sun is up and shining! Imagine this city in January - only a few quality hours of sunshine per day! Winter must be tough to live with. This may explain some of the reasons why Russians seem to people of extremes - dark, brutal winters and bright, beautiful summers!
July 15th: Murom to Vladimir to St. Petersburg
This the front of the Murom Institute, affiliated with the Vladimir University, on the morning of the 15th of July. Irena, my hostess, came to see me off. It has been a short visit, but memorable for many reasons. Irena, an English professor at the Institute was a great hostess. She, her sister Elena, and her daughter Dasha were very gracious and willing to put up with an American for a few days. I enjoyed discussing many a topic at Elena's flat. They are very proud of their accomplishments in and out of the classroom and the piano studio.
On that morning, I was up for zaftrak at 8:00. They had bought me exactly what I wanted for breakfast: Strawberry yogurt, bananas, and tea! Thank you, Irena! We ended up waiting an hour longer than we thought for the bus to come and load our luggage. Long goodbyes are not easy. Post 9/11 goodbyes in airports have been made shorter due to security checks. Goodbyes on busses and trains seem to be too long for words and are a little uncomfortable at times. Such was the case today with the bus and later the train to St. Petersburg. It was a two hour bus ride back to Vladimir for the afternoon. We ate lunch at a tractir (bar/restaurant) that we had not been to before. It was excellent! Thanks to Alexei! When we arrived "home" at the American Home, Galya said that I should go "home" to Olesya's flat. So I took the bus one more time to the flat I had stayed in for two weeks. We had tea, sweets and exchanged even more gifts - shot glasses made in nearby Gus- Krystalny and a sand painting done by Olga! It was nice to relax during the afternoon. We took the taxi back to the AH for our last supper in Vladimir, a pot luck of sorts. There were more gifts and presentations with vodka. We walked to the train station and said many goodbyes. We boarded the train and were on our way to St. Petersburg. Vladimir had been an amazing place to call home for two weeks. My host family, the Mayorovs, were the best possible Russian family for me to stay with. They weren't just hosting, they were 'family!'
In the picture, Olesya, Olga, and Alex surround me in front of the flower garden behind the American Home. Olesya, the English teacher, made my stay so incredible! I hope that Olga remembers the American states I taught her with a map of the US and lots of US quarters from each state! Alex, the independent truck driver, was so easy going and welcomed me into his home like a best friend. I challenged him to be able to own his own trucking company in the years to come. It could happen!! Thanks for a great visit to your wonderful city!
Saturday, July 14th in Murom!
I was up at 8:00, had tea, and reported to the Institute for zaftrak - not very exciting. We then walked to another building used for the university for a roundtable discussion about education. The discussion boiled down to the fact that it is very difficult to afford a college education in Russia. What used to be free is becoming costly. Graduates in education also find that when they graduate, they find that teachers are not well paid. $1,000 - 3,000 PER YEAR is the range of teacher salary for most Russian teachers. Some had graduated with a sociology degree and were paid even less than teachers. Their hearts are huge for helping and teaching others, but they cannot survive on such small salaries. I felt embarrassed to think of how much I make as a teacher and yet when I get my paycheck, I always think that tripling it would not be enough!!
Lunch today at the Institute was surprisingly edible! Chicken breast stuffed with prunes sounds odd, but was pretty good. We went back to the same room for more discussions about education, mostly centered around the Americans in our group and the American educational system. We stayed in the same room for an amazing concert! A soprano soloist sang wonderful Russian songs accompanied by another piano built in Vladimir! A cellist also shared some very nice old Russian melodies. But the show-stopper was a 15-year-old pianist who blew us away! She was preparing for some judgment coming soon. She played flawlessly! Absolutely amazing! She played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, not the slow easy second movement that is recognized by most, but the first movement which is exciting and incredibly difficult! She also played Rachmaninoff and Kachiturian (sp?) which were splendid!
Our farewell dinner at the Institute was very nice! Wine, salad, a small pot of pork and potatoes, and - a special cake. We toasted our hosts and bid a fond farewell to Murom!
In the evening, Irena, Elena, and I walked and bussed to the Fire Department of Murom! I had more t-shirts, patches, and hats to give as gifts and possible exchange. Two women and an American were not the usual visitors to the fire department. But after we discussed why we were there and started passing out gifts, the tone of the men changed quickly. I remembered to bring the special year book from my home fire department. Pictures from an American fire department made it easy to compare and contrast without too many language barriers. They went scurrying like those in Vladimir and came back with a Russian fire-fighter hat and three patches from their uniforms. One semi-triangular patch for each shoulder and small circular patch for the chest. Giving gifts is an amazing ice-breaker for foreigners! It causes the personal walls to give way for at least a few moments. It was like, at least for a few minutes, that we all had something in common as human beings. We weren't Russians and Americans, we were all humans who had the same interest in keeping people safe on some level. I had doubts about this exchange. Irena had looked very apprehensive about even attempting the visit. But this was a very successful 15 minute exchange!
At home that evening, our last together in Murom, we shared tea, sweets, AND I made cream of crab soup for everyone. It was a little taste of Southern Maryland from a can! Everyone tried some, even Dasha, the 13-year-old! We talked until late comparing and contrasting our lives in two very different countries. Elena got her last chance to take notes to share with her friends at school! It's an interesting feeling discussing American things with someone taking notes down, sometimes furiously, about life as you know it. Life as they know it is definitely on a different level!
Lunch today at the Institute was surprisingly edible! Chicken breast stuffed with prunes sounds odd, but was pretty good. We went back to the same room for more discussions about education, mostly centered around the Americans in our group and the American educational system. We stayed in the same room for an amazing concert! A soprano soloist sang wonderful Russian songs accompanied by another piano built in Vladimir! A cellist also shared some very nice old Russian melodies. But the show-stopper was a 15-year-old pianist who blew us away! She was preparing for some judgment coming soon. She played flawlessly! Absolutely amazing! She played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, not the slow easy second movement that is recognized by most, but the first movement which is exciting and incredibly difficult! She also played Rachmaninoff and Kachiturian (sp?) which were splendid!
Our farewell dinner at the Institute was very nice! Wine, salad, a small pot of pork and potatoes, and - a special cake. We toasted our hosts and bid a fond farewell to Murom!
In the evening, Irena, Elena, and I walked and bussed to the Fire Department of Murom! I had more t-shirts, patches, and hats to give as gifts and possible exchange. Two women and an American were not the usual visitors to the fire department. But after we discussed why we were there and started passing out gifts, the tone of the men changed quickly. I remembered to bring the special year book from my home fire department. Pictures from an American fire department made it easy to compare and contrast without too many language barriers. They went scurrying like those in Vladimir and came back with a Russian fire-fighter hat and three patches from their uniforms. One semi-triangular patch for each shoulder and small circular patch for the chest. Giving gifts is an amazing ice-breaker for foreigners! It causes the personal walls to give way for at least a few moments. It was like, at least for a few minutes, that we all had something in common as human beings. We weren't Russians and Americans, we were all humans who had the same interest in keeping people safe on some level. I had doubts about this exchange. Irena had looked very apprehensive about even attempting the visit. But this was a very successful 15 minute exchange!
At home that evening, our last together in Murom, we shared tea, sweets, AND I made cream of crab soup for everyone. It was a little taste of Southern Maryland from a can! Everyone tried some, even Dasha, the 13-year-old! We talked until late comparing and contrasting our lives in two very different countries. Elena got her last chance to take notes to share with her friends at school! It's an interesting feeling discussing American things with someone taking notes down, sometimes furiously, about life as you know it. Life as they know it is definitely on a different level!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Murom: July 13th
I was up at 8:00. The room is darker and the sunlight doesn't get through to wake me. I can now ask, "Moozhna Ya Doosch?" (May I shower?) And they actually know what I am asking! The funny part is that Irena always answers me in English! I had compote, tea, and fruit before going to the Institute for breakfast - ugh!
We heard the legend of St. Peter and Fevronia - miracle - they were buried together - true love! We heard a report on economic development in Murom -getting better very slowly. We then heard the legend of Ilya Morametz. Lunch - ugh!
Later in the afternoon we visited the Crafts and Culture Center. They shared a wonderful show of crafts, traditional dress and folklore with folk music. Fabulous! We then boarded a boat on the river Oka. The trip was pleasant with all the sights down the river. Dinner - ugh!
At home we watched the movie, "Catch Me If You Can". I attempted to make brownies by adding too much water. It overflowed in the oven! AHHHH!!!! I think Elena was ready to throw me out of the flat! But she watched it and saved it! When she served it, it was actually edible! We then talked and answered Elena's questions until midnight!
We heard the legend of St. Peter and Fevronia - miracle - they were buried together - true love! We heard a report on economic development in Murom -getting better very slowly. We then heard the legend of Ilya Morametz. Lunch - ugh!
Later in the afternoon we visited the Crafts and Culture Center. They shared a wonderful show of crafts, traditional dress and folklore with folk music. Fabulous! We then boarded a boat on the river Oka. The trip was pleasant with all the sights down the river. Dinner - ugh!
At home we watched the movie, "Catch Me If You Can". I attempted to make brownies by adding too much water. It overflowed in the oven! AHHHH!!!! I think Elena was ready to throw me out of the flat! But she watched it and saved it! When she served it, it was actually edible! We then talked and answered Elena's questions until midnight!
Murom on the 12th of July
I was up at 7:15 and did not get the feeling that running here in the morning would be easy. So I spent my time getting to know how to use a new bathroom in Russia. The toilet is always in a room by itself. The sink and tub are in a separate room. This flat had a window from the kitchen to the bathroom and a window from the bathroom to the toilet room. These windows are all high on the wall and not that big, but it was a bit annoying. I shaved and showered with HOT WATER! Lucked out again!
I was provided with compote (fruit drink) at home before going to the Institute for breakfast.
We heard a lecture about the history of Murom, one of the oldest cities in Russia! We watched two videos on Murom, one by professionals and one created by English students.
Lunch was not very exciting - bread and water are the best bet at the Institute. We walked to the river on the hottest day yet in Russia. It felt like it was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. There was an amusement part there and the imposing statue of Ilya Morametz. Toured the historical museum with many icons and Murom through the ages. The museum was the former house of the inventor of television, at least that's how the Russian story goes.
Dinner at the Institute was fried fish and not very edible for me! At home we watched an American movie: "School of Rock". Irena asked questions about different American sayings and slang. We talked until late. Elena has a lot of questions and takes notes about all my answers. Apparently, she will have a lot of great discussions with her fellow teachers in the fall!
I was provided with compote (fruit drink) at home before going to the Institute for breakfast.
We heard a lecture about the history of Murom, one of the oldest cities in Russia! We watched two videos on Murom, one by professionals and one created by English students.
Lunch was not very exciting - bread and water are the best bet at the Institute. We walked to the river on the hottest day yet in Russia. It felt like it was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. There was an amusement part there and the imposing statue of Ilya Morametz. Toured the historical museum with many icons and Murom through the ages. The museum was the former house of the inventor of television, at least that's how the Russian story goes.
Dinner at the Institute was fried fish and not very edible for me! At home we watched an American movie: "School of Rock". Irena asked questions about different American sayings and slang. We talked until late. Elena has a lot of questions and takes notes about all my answers. Apparently, she will have a lot of great discussions with her fellow teachers in the fall!
Our trip to Murom!
Events of July 11th:
Up at 7:00. Ran later than usual so there were more people and more cars. They don't stop for you when you want to keep your run going. They force you to run even faster - so you don't become road kill!
I had my last breakfast in Vladimir! SAD. But those strawberries are fantastic! I took the bus, as usual, to the American Home with my small bag of luggage. The big bag stayed in Vladimir until returning from Murom.
We had a class on things that were surprising to foreigners in Russia! This class could have gone on for a while. There are a great deal of surprising things here in Russia. Every day is full of surprising things!!
A press conference was held in the back yard and we discussed the role of the press in Russia today. A radio station and a TV station were represented. (We heard later that we made the news in Vladimir, although we never saw ourselves on TV). We ate lunch at the next door Traktir, filled out our evaluation forms. Downstairs, Alexei had organized a slide show of all of us as we trekked through Russia the last two weeks! Lots of pictures! We toasted with vodka and boarded the bus to Murom.
I met Irena Tolkachova and walked to her flat, a five minute walk. She and her older sister, Elena, served dinner with salads, bread, meat, potatoes, tea, cake. Elena played the piano extremely well - she had taught piano for 30 years!! Irena sang along on some songs. I hummed along a little, but most songs were not familiar. The TV is on all the time here. In two weeks in Vladimir, the TV was only on for 2 hours! I shared pictures of my family and trips around the US with map. I presented gifts, brochures, pens and was in bed by 11:00.
Up at 7:00. Ran later than usual so there were more people and more cars. They don't stop for you when you want to keep your run going. They force you to run even faster - so you don't become road kill!
I had my last breakfast in Vladimir! SAD. But those strawberries are fantastic! I took the bus, as usual, to the American Home with my small bag of luggage. The big bag stayed in Vladimir until returning from Murom.
We had a class on things that were surprising to foreigners in Russia! This class could have gone on for a while. There are a great deal of surprising things here in Russia. Every day is full of surprising things!!
A press conference was held in the back yard and we discussed the role of the press in Russia today. A radio station and a TV station were represented. (We heard later that we made the news in Vladimir, although we never saw ourselves on TV). We ate lunch at the next door Traktir, filled out our evaluation forms. Downstairs, Alexei had organized a slide show of all of us as we trekked through Russia the last two weeks! Lots of pictures! We toasted with vodka and boarded the bus to Murom.
I met Irena Tolkachova and walked to her flat, a five minute walk. She and her older sister, Elena, served dinner with salads, bread, meat, potatoes, tea, cake. Elena played the piano extremely well - she had taught piano for 30 years!! Irena sang along on some songs. I hummed along a little, but most songs were not familiar. The TV is on all the time here. In two weeks in Vladimir, the TV was only on for 2 hours! I shared pictures of my family and trips around the US with map. I presented gifts, brochures, pens and was in bed by 11:00.
Filling in the holes!
Events of July 10th:
It rained all night and rained all day! There was a CRASH sound near midnight which sounded like a car had crashed nearby. There were excited voices and other vehicles approaching quickly, but I could not see it. (The next day there was auto glass broken all over a walkway - another day there was a report of a stolen vehicle. ???)
No running this morning in the rain. Zaftrak was tea, strawberries, cheese, kleb.
We had a class on food and words dealing with things around the table.
We visited a dentist's office that has been a private dentist and has been open for 11 years. Since they offer better service than the state-run dentists, people are willing to pay for that better service! They have thrived! Private Medical Enterprise in Russia!
We visited an open air market with all kinds of fresh cut meats some cut with a BROAD AXE!! All the red meat, chicken, pork, and fish you could imagine. Some of the sights and smells were a bit on the not-so-pleasant side of things. In another building, there was another open air market filled with fruits, spices, nuts, veggies. Great smells here!
We also visited a photography studio, specializing in portraits for special people and for those who could afford it - the wealthy and the connected!
To eat lunch today, we had to buy our own food on a scavenger hunt with the goal to build an American style sandwich for all to eat. Dierdre, Audrey, Katia, and I took off and tried to figure just what kind of sandwich we were going to be able to build. We finally decided on a ham and cheese sandwich. I used a little of my Russian language skills to buy ham, cheese, mustard, lettuce, Dierdre bought the bread. We were one of the first teams to return to the American Home and construct our sandwiches. We won a bottle of champagne for our efforts!
Percy came back for another fascinting talk and discussion on recent Russian Politics!
This was to be our last night in Vladimir. My host family took me out to dinner at a fine restaurant that was close to the American Home. Dinner was very nice! Chicken Salad, wine, water, Chicken wrapped in bacon with rice. Green tea. We went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream - I'm in the US here - Jamocha with almonds covered in hot fudge sauce! YES!
At home we exchanged more gifts and coins of the old Soviet Union.
It rained all night and rained all day! There was a CRASH sound near midnight which sounded like a car had crashed nearby. There were excited voices and other vehicles approaching quickly, but I could not see it. (The next day there was auto glass broken all over a walkway - another day there was a report of a stolen vehicle. ???)
No running this morning in the rain. Zaftrak was tea, strawberries, cheese, kleb.
We had a class on food and words dealing with things around the table.
We visited a dentist's office that has been a private dentist and has been open for 11 years. Since they offer better service than the state-run dentists, people are willing to pay for that better service! They have thrived! Private Medical Enterprise in Russia!
We visited an open air market with all kinds of fresh cut meats some cut with a BROAD AXE!! All the red meat, chicken, pork, and fish you could imagine. Some of the sights and smells were a bit on the not-so-pleasant side of things. In another building, there was another open air market filled with fruits, spices, nuts, veggies. Great smells here!
We also visited a photography studio, specializing in portraits for special people and for those who could afford it - the wealthy and the connected!
To eat lunch today, we had to buy our own food on a scavenger hunt with the goal to build an American style sandwich for all to eat. Dierdre, Audrey, Katia, and I took off and tried to figure just what kind of sandwich we were going to be able to build. We finally decided on a ham and cheese sandwich. I used a little of my Russian language skills to buy ham, cheese, mustard, lettuce, Dierdre bought the bread. We were one of the first teams to return to the American Home and construct our sandwiches. We won a bottle of champagne for our efforts!
Percy came back for another fascinting talk and discussion on recent Russian Politics!
This was to be our last night in Vladimir. My host family took me out to dinner at a fine restaurant that was close to the American Home. Dinner was very nice! Chicken Salad, wine, water, Chicken wrapped in bacon with rice. Green tea. We went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream - I'm in the US here - Jamocha with almonds covered in hot fudge sauce! YES!
At home we exchanged more gifts and coins of the old Soviet Union.
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