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!