I just had my birthday on Saturday, and I have to say, it was one of the best birthdays of my life. I was up until midnight the night before just hanging out, so I got to ring in the first few seconds of the big day, which I have always wanted to do. Then I got a 7am skype call from my family after which I met Adam at the American Home for breakfast. There Boris, Artem and Sasha found me around 10:30 (the fact that Sasha was up before noon STILL amazes me) and presented me with the most glorious, absurd, humongous, beatiful over-the-top cake I will ever, ever get. I'm not kidding. This cake was a cake to weep over, a cake to put wedding cakes to shame. It was two layers and pink and white and green, it was covered in rice paper butterflies and swirls of frosting and edible pearls and glitter, 23 sugar roses adorned the sides and top and made the "i" of "Rosi". I stared in astonishment, shock even, while they sang a round of 'happy birzday' and the security guard looked on. I thanked them profusely, but only in English, having temporarily forgotten Russian. We busted that cake out that night and there is still some hanging around. It was a marvel of sugar and cream and butterscotch and crunchy stuff, really a unique experience.
So, then I hit the sauna at 11am and on the way back stopped at the local market. We picked up fresh vegetables and pickles and a pomegranate and basil and soy sauce and hauled all of our loot back to the American Home. Everyone was there cooking and prepping for Thanksgiving and listening to oldies but goodies, and I made stir fry while dancing the twist. The security guard even came in in his super quiet unassuming way and started helping peel potatoes.
Then, after we had the birthday cake experience, Emily and Adam brought me upstairs to give me THE CRISTAL WINE DECANTER FROM ST. PETERSBURG!!!!! It was the one that I saw in the market there, hand engraved with the rest of Queen Ekaterina, which looks so much like my parents' wedding present. I had even got back to visit in on our last day there, but couldn't quite bring myself to buy it for myself. I've been mourning it ever since. I really can't remember being happier getting a gift, it is exquisite. I'm terrified at the idea of taking it downstairs, much less getting it back to America. Pretty unbelievable...
THEN, around 5pm, me and Emily put on our fabulous dresses and put our hair up and headed to the theater with Adam and Alex to meet Adam's student. I had been REALLY excited about the play (Three sisters) because I had a long discussion with Nelli about it in my Friday class. It ended up being AMAZING, though the beginning was really strange. It wasn't traditional theater at all, there was dancing and aerial parts incorporated. The first half was extremely overacted, almost irritating at points, and then the second half SLAMMED into a really serious, dark ending. The imagery was amazing, we've been talking about it for a couple days now. (I also saw one of my older students there and she complimented me on being a serious girl, not out in some club for my birthday like she would have thought.)
So, of course, immediately after that we hit the bars. I got hilariously dorky birthday cards and chocolate from the gang here, and the Vladimir English teachers who invited us over last weekend couldn't make it, but one of them came and dropped off a rose and a birthday card for me while I was at the play. I finally got home around 1am, where I found a little birthday bear and roses from Kamila, and we had shots of vodka with her boyfriend until 3am.
On Sunday we had our big Thanksgiving dinner (which was AMAZING), and Galina Petrova gave me a really classy hand painted fillaq necklace (decorated with...roses) and everyone toasted me with champagne.
Sunday night Sasha, Artem, Kamila and Boris went to a restaurant with me and gave some Russian toasts in my honor, which is another unique experience. We had a blast talking about some silly stuff and some serious topics (Russians are obsessed with who did more in World War 2, Russia or America). Monday morning, I had class with Nelly and got a stone pendant made by a friend of hers, followed by an hour of talking about the play we saw. I finally dragged into my English class on Monday afternoon to find....my teenage students waiting with balloons and chocolate and two AMAZING handmade birthday posters covered in pictures of me and wishing me happiness, success, love and...welfare????
Then on Tuesday, I got birthday cards from my grandmas and in class my more advanced students gave me a postcard from 1971, a hand made scarf/shawl, more roses (the connection to my name is too good to pass up), a hand warmer (it's already 15 below), birthday cards, REALLY nice champagne, and some killer French chocolates. We talked about how Russians give lots of gifts for birthdays but expect the birthday person to organize all the activities and cook for everyone, and I pointed out that I had the best of both worlds since I have American friends here, and then we took pictures and ate chocolate while watching Forest Gump....it was quite the string of partying. I think the best thing is that, at every step, I thought, ok this has already been enough to call his a fantastic birthday, but the people around me kept doing more and more to make sure I had a good birthday in this country. And I haven't known any of them for more than 4 months!! Plus, I really like the number 23....
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Culture tips from Nelli...
My Russian classes have gotten really cool lately. Basically, my professor knows everything about everything cool that goes on in the cities of the area and she is always giving me tips on interesting places to go, museums, etc. I take that information and have my awesome Russian friends drive me to those places. It works like a dream :)
I'm also going to see a Russian play on my birthday, so I told Nelli about that and we are going to discuss it in class before I go so I have some cultural context for it. I'm really digging having these private lessons which can really take any direction that I want them too. In fact, about three days in a row I've delayed Ann's lesson for 15 minutes just because we get so into talking about stuff.
One really interesting thing she told me is that all Russian city streets used to end in churches. (That was the thing to do apparently). Anyway, now there is only one street in Vladimir that still does that (she told me where to find it, of course!).
On one of the Nelli-inspired outings, Artem took me and Emily to Suzdal where we saw this really cool church made out of wood, as well as other old fashioned buildings on display. We also picked up some AMAZING mead, which the city is famous for, and made fun of the Russian abhorrence for making change. Seriously, in America, would you ever hand someone a $20 bill for an $8 purchase and get a look that could kill? That is the norm here. People are always sighing, asking if you have less, even fricking shaking you down if they hear change jingling in your pocket!!!! A lot of times, there isn't change, but even when there is it is ALWAYS an issue. We have adapted a rap song to commemorate the frustration we feel for this sort of encounter. Some key lines include "Make some change, make some change, make some mother *****ing change (I see that money in your box) it's your JOB to make that change..." and so on :D Artem and Andrey found that pretty funny, too.
I also bullied Sasha into taking us on a wild adventure to Mstora, a city famous for making the elaborate lacquer boxes Russia is famous for. Artem decided to skip school and we just made a day of it, leaving Vladimir at 7:am in the dark. We got there to find this INCREDIBLY small, dingy, old fashioned Russian town. No famous museum, no glitz, no glamour. And yet, people travel from all over the world to get art made from that city. Anyway, we were an hour early for the museum, Sasha was totally sure that we were going to get robbed, but we made him get out and walk around for a while. We also decided to ask people for directions in English just because it was SUCH an out-of-the-way little town and we wanted to see what people would do, but Artem ruined it by jumping in in Russian, making us look like TOTAL jerks since he was obviously Russian lololol.
Anyway, the museum wasn't all that great, and they told us that we couldn't see the actual artists without calling first (which my director already had done), but luckily she is always willing to go to bat for us, so between me, Artem, Sasha, and Galina Petrova (via cell phone) we managed to bully our way into a tour of the
'factory'. It was really just a bunch of people working in various rooms of a big, dingy old house, but the art was amazing. We didn't see the most famous artists, because they wont show anyone their secrets. But, we did get to see the feathers and wolf teeth that are used in the polishing and dusting processes, and watch the artists paint with magnifying glasses and even ask some of the nicer ones questions. It was really the coolest thing ever, and I am SOOOOOO happy that I have such amazing students who are willing to show me parts of Russia I could never see on my own :D Sasha even saved us about $30 by accidentally telling our guide that we had already paid when we hadn't. They were so rude to us that no one really minded....
This next week we are doing progress reports and getting ready to cook a Thanksgiving dinner....I'm excited for my birthday and trying to come up with a good plan for the winter break....I've been playing ping pong with my students and we are hoping to make dinner together soon....all good things.
Love you all!
I'm also going to see a Russian play on my birthday, so I told Nelli about that and we are going to discuss it in class before I go so I have some cultural context for it. I'm really digging having these private lessons which can really take any direction that I want them too. In fact, about three days in a row I've delayed Ann's lesson for 15 minutes just because we get so into talking about stuff.
One really interesting thing she told me is that all Russian city streets used to end in churches. (That was the thing to do apparently). Anyway, now there is only one street in Vladimir that still does that (she told me where to find it, of course!).
On one of the Nelli-inspired outings, Artem took me and Emily to Suzdal where we saw this really cool church made out of wood, as well as other old fashioned buildings on display. We also picked up some AMAZING mead, which the city is famous for, and made fun of the Russian abhorrence for making change. Seriously, in America, would you ever hand someone a $20 bill for an $8 purchase and get a look that could kill? That is the norm here. People are always sighing, asking if you have less, even fricking shaking you down if they hear change jingling in your pocket!!!! A lot of times, there isn't change, but even when there is it is ALWAYS an issue. We have adapted a rap song to commemorate the frustration we feel for this sort of encounter. Some key lines include "Make some change, make some change, make some mother *****ing change (I see that money in your box) it's your JOB to make that change..." and so on :D Artem and Andrey found that pretty funny, too.
I also bullied Sasha into taking us on a wild adventure to Mstora, a city famous for making the elaborate lacquer boxes Russia is famous for. Artem decided to skip school and we just made a day of it, leaving Vladimir at 7:am in the dark. We got there to find this INCREDIBLY small, dingy, old fashioned Russian town. No famous museum, no glitz, no glamour. And yet, people travel from all over the world to get art made from that city. Anyway, we were an hour early for the museum, Sasha was totally sure that we were going to get robbed, but we made him get out and walk around for a while. We also decided to ask people for directions in English just because it was SUCH an out-of-the-way little town and we wanted to see what people would do, but Artem ruined it by jumping in in Russian, making us look like TOTAL jerks since he was obviously Russian lololol.
Anyway, the museum wasn't all that great, and they told us that we couldn't see the actual artists without calling first (which my director already had done), but luckily she is always willing to go to bat for us, so between me, Artem, Sasha, and Galina Petrova (via cell phone) we managed to bully our way into a tour of the
'factory'. It was really just a bunch of people working in various rooms of a big, dingy old house, but the art was amazing. We didn't see the most famous artists, because they wont show anyone their secrets. But, we did get to see the feathers and wolf teeth that are used in the polishing and dusting processes, and watch the artists paint with magnifying glasses and even ask some of the nicer ones questions. It was really the coolest thing ever, and I am SOOOOOO happy that I have such amazing students who are willing to show me parts of Russia I could never see on my own :D Sasha even saved us about $30 by accidentally telling our guide that we had already paid when we hadn't. They were so rude to us that no one really minded....
This next week we are doing progress reports and getting ready to cook a Thanksgiving dinner....I'm excited for my birthday and trying to come up with a good plan for the winter break....I've been playing ping pong with my students and we are hoping to make dinner together soon....all good things.
Love you all!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Northern City!
St. Petersburg was reeeeaaaally cool! The night train wasn't super fun on the way there, because I just slept the entire way, but everything about the city is cool. It is really, really pretty. It is very flat with a lot of open spaces, the architecture is very European and matches way more than anything in Moscow, and there is a lot of water around. (In fact, every night the drawbridges over the Neva go up, so you can't cross to the other side of the city from 1am to 6am or so! Apparently a big part of partying in that city is deciding between going home around midnight or staying out all night. Cool, right? Luckily we were on the happenin' side) :D
I got to see the Ermitage and the Peter-Paul fortress, along with souvenir markets, coffee shops, and the Winter Palace lit up on the river at night. The day we went to the Ermitage was fantastic, too, we happened to pick a national holiday so it was free, but we also got there right as it opened so we didn't have to wait for very long. I even got to see some masterpieces by my old Spanish favorites :D My favorite pieces was a sculpture, though, which Emily had really wanted to see. It was definitely worth the hunt :D
Our hostel was also really nice, and since there were eight of us, we had two rooms entirely to ourselves. We even got free yogurt, tea, and oranges in the morning. It was right on Nevskiy Prospect, the most famous street in St. Petersburg, and right across from this gigantic bookstore + coffeeshop. The weather was rainy and blustery and it even snowed a little once. It was just really nice to be up north with the days already getting short and Christmas stuff in the markets. Probably more of Christmas in the city feel than I'll get for the rest of the year, so I really reveled in it. I definitely felt more like a tourist than I have so far in Russia, but it was nice to take a break from cultural immersion, too. (And the people in St. Petersburg are much nicer than the people in Moscow or Vladimir...)
A final note on St. Petersburg. There are tons of little stalls on the street where people sell cheap wind up toys and so on, and a really popular one was Vinni Poo, a Russian knock off of Winnie the Pooh. Theirs looks very different and is more clever and sassier than our Winnie. Anyway, a lot of people spend all day sitting at tiny tables, letting Vinni go and grabbing him within three seconds before he lurches off the end of the table. Now, thinking back to being in Winnipeg, I remember learning where Winnie the Pooh actually started. The author and his son visited a baby bear (or maybe the statue?) which had been orphaned and became the darling of the city Winnipeg (hench, Winnie). What a bizarre chain of events it took to get from that baby bear to the countless people spending all day catching those plastic toys in the cultural capitol of Russia....
I also got some new red leather gloves today which I feel my mom especially would really appreciate <3 LOVE YOU ALL!
I got to see the Ermitage and the Peter-Paul fortress, along with souvenir markets, coffee shops, and the Winter Palace lit up on the river at night. The day we went to the Ermitage was fantastic, too, we happened to pick a national holiday so it was free, but we also got there right as it opened so we didn't have to wait for very long. I even got to see some masterpieces by my old Spanish favorites :D My favorite pieces was a sculpture, though, which Emily had really wanted to see. It was definitely worth the hunt :D
Our hostel was also really nice, and since there were eight of us, we had two rooms entirely to ourselves. We even got free yogurt, tea, and oranges in the morning. It was right on Nevskiy Prospect, the most famous street in St. Petersburg, and right across from this gigantic bookstore + coffeeshop. The weather was rainy and blustery and it even snowed a little once. It was just really nice to be up north with the days already getting short and Christmas stuff in the markets. Probably more of Christmas in the city feel than I'll get for the rest of the year, so I really reveled in it. I definitely felt more like a tourist than I have so far in Russia, but it was nice to take a break from cultural immersion, too. (And the people in St. Petersburg are much nicer than the people in Moscow or Vladimir...)
A final note on St. Petersburg. There are tons of little stalls on the street where people sell cheap wind up toys and so on, and a really popular one was Vinni Poo, a Russian knock off of Winnie the Pooh. Theirs looks very different and is more clever and sassier than our Winnie. Anyway, a lot of people spend all day sitting at tiny tables, letting Vinni go and grabbing him within three seconds before he lurches off the end of the table. Now, thinking back to being in Winnipeg, I remember learning where Winnie the Pooh actually started. The author and his son visited a baby bear (or maybe the statue?) which had been orphaned and became the darling of the city Winnipeg (hench, Winnie). What a bizarre chain of events it took to get from that baby bear to the countless people spending all day catching those plastic toys in the cultural capitol of Russia....
I also got some new red leather gloves today which I feel my mom especially would really appreciate <3 LOVE YOU ALL!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Halloween and Midterm break!
Happy Halloween, all!
We had our big Halloween party on Saturday and it was great. Everyone came in costume and was super excited to play limbo, wrap mummies and (of course) eat mad amounts of candy. Sasha, Boris and Artem were there, of course, and Artem took all the pictures that I posted on facebook. :) Plus I finally got an invitation to hang out from a girl! yes!!! In general, it was weird that there weren't more decorations on the street, but the first major holiday is over without too much homesickness!
Speaking of major holiday prep (and the exhaustion that comes with it), I'm actually pretty sure that our Thanksgiving celebration is going to fall smack on my birthday Saturday :( This is bad because it is our job to make the food for ALL the American home staff and all of our host families...so...cooking dinner for about 30 people all day on my birthday...hmmmm.....But at least I didn't have to give oral exams like Alli did. (And speaking of cooking, I'm FINALLY cooking for myself this month! Should be cheaper, healthier and easier!)
We also finished the seminar for Russian English teachers today. It was a huge group, about 30 people both days, and in general...I don't know. Awkward? Yes. Especially trying to get them to participate in discussions. It also seemed sort of hap hazard since everyone was trying to do Russian lessons, prep for classes, and pack for St. Petersburg as well as lead seminar activities. Also, mentioning the gay marriage movement in elections while talking about weddings...turns out to not be such a hit in front of a Russian audience. It is so weird to me how homophobic even my friends are...even mentioning the topic is weird here. Yay community service, though...
Next post will be all about St. Petersburg I'm sure! We'll be getting on the night train tonight :D Love you all!
We had our big Halloween party on Saturday and it was great. Everyone came in costume and was super excited to play limbo, wrap mummies and (of course) eat mad amounts of candy. Sasha, Boris and Artem were there, of course, and Artem took all the pictures that I posted on facebook. :) Plus I finally got an invitation to hang out from a girl! yes!!! In general, it was weird that there weren't more decorations on the street, but the first major holiday is over without too much homesickness!
Speaking of major holiday prep (and the exhaustion that comes with it), I'm actually pretty sure that our Thanksgiving celebration is going to fall smack on my birthday Saturday :( This is bad because it is our job to make the food for ALL the American home staff and all of our host families...so...cooking dinner for about 30 people all day on my birthday...hmmmm.....But at least I didn't have to give oral exams like Alli did. (And speaking of cooking, I'm FINALLY cooking for myself this month! Should be cheaper, healthier and easier!)
We also finished the seminar for Russian English teachers today. It was a huge group, about 30 people both days, and in general...I don't know. Awkward? Yes. Especially trying to get them to participate in discussions. It also seemed sort of hap hazard since everyone was trying to do Russian lessons, prep for classes, and pack for St. Petersburg as well as lead seminar activities. Also, mentioning the gay marriage movement in elections while talking about weddings...turns out to not be such a hit in front of a Russian audience. It is so weird to me how homophobic even my friends are...even mentioning the topic is weird here. Yay community service, though...
Next post will be all about St. Petersburg I'm sure! We'll be getting on the night train tonight :D Love you all!
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