Vladimir
I don't have time to update last week because I'm in Vladimir right now. It's a medium size town, but I only got half an hour of internet. So in the next few days I will add some things. We'll be in the Big City (Moscow) on Wednesday. I'm so excited.
Just so you don't worry, I passed all my classes.
Last week was awesome. I saw DDT (famous Russian rock band) and Korni (my favorite Russian pop band) and went to a banya. And today I almost got mobbed by gypsy children.
Tourism Part II
Today I skipped class and went touring (hey, at least I didn't sleep the whole day!) On Monday I have a take home test due, on Tuesday I have a presentation, on Wednesday we're going to the Baltika Beer factory, and Thursday and Friday I have three exams.
This past Tuesday I went to Ploschad Lenina with Robyn and took pictures like a tourist. On Wednesday I went to Smolniy with Robyn and Julia. We found a sign and figured out what it said in Russian, but apparently we missed the main part--a statue of Lenin. Maybe it was covered up, because the whole place was being fixed up (in Russian, it's called ремонт/remont = repair, half the buildings here are covered with scaffolding.)
Yesterday I went to Alexander Nevsky Monastery with my tutor. The highlight of that was seeing the graves of Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Glinka, and lots of other people I didn't know. Who knew you could make cemetaries tourist attractions? Later Robyn and I went out to Coffee House, where this group of Spanish people were eating ice cream (that they didn't even finish). So I was talking to Robyn, and I saw a red light out of the corner of my eye. I turn and one of them is holding this huge camera pointed straight at me. I gave her a dirty look and then turned away.
Today I went to Isaac Cathedral and the Rumantsev Mansion, like a tourist but with student discounts. I didn't actually go in the cathedral: I went to the colonnade at the top for a great view of the city. Plus they were playing a recording (in Russian) of the sights, most of which I had gone to or at least recognized. Then I went to this mansion, which had three main exhibits. The first was about the Blockade, and it was even bigger than the Blockade Museum (and much better). The second part was portraits of dead people, all from the tsarist times. They were dressed all pretty and looked bored. Coming from rooms full of Communist patriotism, I could sympathize with Lenin's desire for the overthrow of the wealthy. The last part was St. Petersburg in the 20s and 30s, right at the beginning of Communism. You could see how the Communist ideals were implemented and how the people at that time made the transition. It was very interesting. Artists, scientists, and teachers made a lot more money than average workers. It all made me want to start my own idealistic nation. Red would not be the main color though. It would be purple.
Today I'm going to see "Pirates of the Caribbean" in Russian. I don't think it'll be hard to understand--Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom are cute in any language!
The End is Near
I just spent too much money uploading my pictures, and I don't even get to look at them! Well, $6 is not a lot, but still, somewhere I could have done it for free. On Monday I went shopping and bought two really nice looking shirts for $20. Then I realized how cheap the CDs and DVDs here really are, so I'm going to go shopping for those sometime this week. Monday we also went to the Blockade Museum--during World War II St. Petersburg was surrounded by German forces for 900 days. It got pretty bad. An interesting thing about the museum was how it tried to tone down the Communist patriotism while at the same time recognizing that it was a victory for the Communist regime--the city never surrendered.
Then we went to the Mariinsky Theater and saw Swan Lake. It was great. Some of the greatest ballet dancers in the world have danced at the Mariinsky. This performance was probably students because the ballet season is over. Who knows, I could have been watching the next Anna Pavlova. Well, I'll never know because I didn't want to spend 20 rubles (=$0.70) on a program. Converting these numbers really makes me realize how cheap everything is here.
Class has been terrible. I have either not done my homework or turned it in late this week. Next Thursday and Friday are final exams. We all get one unexcused absence, so I think I'm going to take mine this Friday and have a long weekend. It sounds like a lot of other people are going to do that too. I have been very tired and fed up with my classes, especially Grammar.
I haven't heard from many people about postcards or souvenirs! Don't you want something? Postcards? Books? A Snickers wrapper in Russian?
Just Another Week in Russia
There's no funny way to preface this post: I've just had a strange week. First review, then two or three stories:
Monday 7-10: I was bored to death in my grammar class. At home I had this wierd conversation with my host grandmother. Then I met my host sister's friend, who looks like a hippy.
Tuesday 7-11: I went to the Dostoevsky Museum with my (real) sister's friend Catherine. Catherine goes to Agnes Scott with Christy, and apparently I've met her once before. Anyway, it was really nice to meet her (again) and we're probably going to do something together again. The Dostoevsky Museum/Apartment was okay. He was actually a pretty good engineering student, but I think his heart was in writing about crazy people. I went with Robyn to this place called Mexx, a clothing store also found in the US. The people kept watching me (as if I would steal something) and I ironically thought,
feels like home. Later we went to restaurant and I ordered a coffee drink called Africa Mombata.
Wednesday 7-12: A crazy day. First I went to the Pushkin Museum Apartment, which was only creepy because they had everything looking like on the day he died. In Russia, Pushkin is like god. But he's a poet, and his poems don't translate well. After that I went to the Marble Palace, where I had a very interesting encouter--more later.
Thursday 7-13: I was so homesick. It started because the Russian news is hopelessly ethnocentric, so I was feeling desperate for some US news. Especially because Israel has started a war with Lebanon, and we're supporting it! What is going on?
Friday 7-14: President Bush arrived this day for the G8. I usually see a few militsia around the city, but this weekend they were everywhere. And in big groups. On the one hand, you feel safe, but on the other, we've all heard the stories about how corrupt Russian police can be. That night I went to a bar with a few people to see a band called Multfilmi (Cartoons). Apparently they are very popular in Russia, and they were really good. Fred made friends with a birthday party sitting beside us, and after the concert they bought us drinks (the bar had no vodka at all, so I drank juice).
Saturday 7-15: I went to the Kirov Museum/Apartment. Kirov was a really important Communist boss until Stalin had him killed in 1934. The place was creepy because he loved hunting, and besides the stuffed animals and skins there were dozens of portraits of Stalin and Lenin. Upstairs was an exhibit about Soviet childhood. The exhibit did a good job showing how bright and happy it seemed on the outside, but in reality it was pretty sad. Then we went to a McDonalds, which had a McCafe inside. We didn't try the coffee, so I'm not sure if it's worth paying $4 a cup. That night about half of the group met for a "Beach Party" on Vasilevsky Island. There's a coast and sand, but not much of a beach. We sat for a while, until the cold wind forced us inside. We saw the sunset (between 1 and 3am) and it was very beautiful. (The sun rose about an hour later). We went to this place called Artica, first to the cafe, then the club. My last story will be about my second club experience. We left around 4am. Most of us had decided to stay out the whole night (the metro closes at 12, so if you're not close to home at that time you have to wait til 6am), so we went to a cafe nearby the metro stop until said metro opened.
I slept until 2 in the afternoon, then had fun figuring out how to wash my hair with no hot water. In SPb, they turn off the hot water for a few weeks in the summer. My family heats up water in a big pot and takes it into the bathroom, which is fine for regular washing. But for hair, apparently you need the big pot, a big red bucket, and a little bench in the tub. My host grandmother explained everything, but I didn't know any of the verbs, so she laughed and let me alone to figure it out. In conclusion, I have clean hair.
The G8 is this weekend. They are meeting somewhere south of here, but as I said the atmosphere is different. The news is hard to understand, but they make it look like Putin is getting his way. Bush always looks lost. I can't hear the English under the translation, but I'm sure he's saying the same empty phrases about freedom and terrorism. BTW, Russia killed their number one terrorist last week. Putin may be autocratic, but his country knows a lot more about terror than we do.
On to the crazy stories. Here's the conversation with my host grandmother:
Babushka (=grandmother in Russian): Where are your parents from?
Me: America.
B: Where were they born?
Me: (a
little confused) America.
B: And your grandparents?
Me: (
getting the point now) They were born in America. But I think my grandmother's grandmother was a slave.
B: (
because I didn't put the word in the right case) A slave?
Me: Yes, and she was probably born in Africa.
B: Probably/Certainly
(Apparently the word has both meanings). Have you ever been to Africa?
Me: No. (
then, to be nice) But I want to go.
B: Of course.
You can't imagine how uncomfortable that was! Russians are in no way politically correct. I don't know about other black people, but African culture is just as foreign to me as Russian culture! On the other hand, it got me thinking about the things I do miss about black culture. I saw a group of black men I was sure were American the other day, but I haven't talked to anyone as dark as me in weeks.
So I went to the Marble Palace, which is a part of the Russian Museum. As soon as I walked in, this middle aged guy says hi to me. I smelled alcohol, so I wanted to avoid him. When I walked to the cashier to buy a ticket, he pulled me by the arm and led me into the beginning of the exhibit with a nod to the control lady who takes tickets. He told me a little about the palace, and then led me upstairs to the next floor of paintings. Eventually I asked, "Do you work here?" He said yes and showed me his ID card. He kind of explained what he did, but I didn't understand. Something about organizing. We walked around the entire palace, not saying a lot, but he wanted to know if I liked the paintings. All of the room monitors knew him. They seemed used to his strangeness, so I felt like, if I disappeared today, they would know it was him. He kept leaving to do some work, but always returned to ask if I liked it. Eventually he asked if I wanted tea. I said yes, so we went behind an exhibit to his office, which looked more like a storage closet. He poured me tea, gave me some cookies, and wrote down his phone number for me. He also gave me a little charm and this book about Soviet art. I didn't know what to say. He said, "I like you! Call me tomorrow. Come back to the museum!" I said, of course I will. Finally he led me to this exhibit that wasn't even open yet. It was some really nice paintings, and he asked if I had a camera. So we took pictures! He also showed me a room that didn't have anything in it--it was decorated in marble, and really pretty. So I took some pictures, then pretended I had to meet someone and left.
It was really bewildering. On the one hand, he was very nice to take me around for free and give me tea, but on the other I didn't know his intentions! He was very friendly and kissed my cheek when I left. I felt relatively safe in the museum, but there's no way I'm going to call him. But I feel a little guilty because I took his book and charm. Maybe I'll get Neil to take it back to him. Oh, Russia!
Finally, the second Russian club I went to was amusing. I stand by my earlier observations, with some additions. They dance like high schoolers because they probably are all pretty young. 16 seems to be the age where you can start going out. The birthday girl we met on Friday was only 18! Russians have no rhythm, but they don't put a lot of energy into dancing because they dance the whole night. Russians like to dance by themselves, especially the boys with their NSync moves. Of course, half the club was not dancing at all, just sitting or standing and watching. This club was a lot bigger, but half the floor space was covered in tables and chairs. The dance floor never got crowded. The club started out with a good, familiar American club mix, but then it turned to all techno, which for me was hard to dance to. And not a single Russian song was played! Unless it was a Russian techno artist doing the words in English.
Another thing Russians don't seem to do in clubs in meet people. I am so used to getting approached in US clubs, but here there was just this one strange guy who approached our whole group. I think he was a prostitute, but maybe he was just strange. He started by joining our dancing circle, grabbing me and Joanna by the hand, and doing kind of a Rockettes kicking dance. Greta helped us get away, but he still kind of hung around. He started talking to Nick and Fred, who tried to ignore him. Later he kissed my hand and would not let go, even when I walked five feet away. We left soon after that, but it was because of the following incident:
So twice they stopped the music for a little game. The first game was "Get the most watches from people in the club," but the second game was "Take off the most jewelry and articles of clothing for this bottle of champagne." There were three girls, but two of them got down to their underwear. They got caught in a deadlock where it was either cut off large pieces of their hair or take off the underwear. So the winner eventually took off her bra, but it was obviously very embarrasing for her. We were horrified, but the Russians cheered. Yes, I know Banana Joes in Columbia had wet t-shirt contests, but this was just something different. After that none of us felt like dancing to the techno, so we left for the cafe.
Like I said: just another week in Russia.
Requests
I will write about my interesting week later. For now, if you want a postcard from Russia, send me your mailing address (I guess you could put it as a comment). Also, I'm going souvenir shopping next week, so also tell me your souvenir requests. Please note that the amounts of vodka, caviar, and cheap DVDs I can bring back are limited by the size of my suitcase and US Customs.
Fsyo Karasho!
I can't find the Russian keyboard switcher here. Anyway, as Russians say, everything is (or will be) all right. I had a terrible day going out to an old palace, but first a review.
Monday 7-3: I went to Spas Na Krovi, a church-museum where every surface is covered with mosaics. It was really beautiful. I decided I would like living in Russia (though today I'm not so sure).
Tuesday 7-4: We went to Kronshtadt, a fortress out in the sea. The whole island was closed to visitors until 1996. It was nice--an old church, ships, a monument to this great sailor. I learned some ocean related words, which seemed to be helpful this week. We ate at a Georgian restaurant, which was good. I had shashlik.
Wednesday 7-5: I had a test in Grammar. I'm still not sure how I did because i don't understand the teacher's grading. It seemed that I really messed up on two (out of ten or so) of the verbs, so I'm not worried. My tutor Katya took me to the planetarium, which turned out to be really interesting (though Katya didn't think so). It was about the earth and the moon, and then they showed the constellations. If only it actually got dark enough to see the stars at night. When we were walking to the planetarium, this guy walked up and gave me the finger. I also met two of Katya's friends, who asked me about cars and phones in America.
Thursday 7-6: I went with Neil and Natasha to visit my new host family. They seemed very nice, so I agreed to move in with them.
Friday 7-7: I had my midterm review with Neil, and I told him what I thought of my classes. He said he would ask the Grammar teacher to try to challenge me more, if I would agree to be more active in class. In that class and Mass Media, the teachers said I needed to talk more. I met Katya and one of her friends. They asked why I was always bored, because I never talk! I tried to explain that that was just my nature. Then we talked about movies and music. Then I moved into my new family's home. They live right on Nevsky. I got into a conversation with the grandmother and daughter about politics. The G8 summit is only a week away! The grandmother compared George Bush to Hitler. So for the first time in my life I was defending George Bush. The grandmother lived through the Blockade during World World II--St. Petersburg/Leningrad was under siege for 900 days. Her whole family died.
Saturday 7-8: We went to Peterhof, a palace out in the suburbs. There were a lot of fountains. Overall, it wasn't too bad. But coupled with the other two places i had to go this week (Kronshtadt and today Gatchina) I've concluded that I don't like the St. Petersburg suburbs. While I was walking in the fountains these guys asked if they could take a picture with me. I got them to take one with my camera too. On the way home I met this graduate student. He was Muslim and from the Caucauses, and he spoke both English and Russian. We talked about Russia and politics. Then we had a cultural moment: there was a wreck on this tiny road out in the middle of the country, and traffic was really backed up. So the mashrutka stopped and everybody got off. Some other cars decided to make their own detour and drove (in perfect lines) through the fields. Eventually we got moving again. That night I met Robyn at a cafe, then we went to a bar called Fidel. This guy started talking to Robyn because he wanted to improve his English. This band there was playing soundtrack rock music--rocky, but with no lyrics and no real direction. Then they did the rock version of "You Can't Touch This" along with some Red Hot Chili Peppers and the theme from Mission Impossible. Only in Russia.
Sunday 7-9: I'm not allergic to the Russian country. That's the only positive. I had to go to Gatchina, another palace, for this report. I couldn't get anyone to go with me, so I braved it on my own. Finding a mashrutka there was not hard--knowing when to get off was. Eventually I got off in the town of Gatchina, but nowhere near the palace. So I ask a few people for directions and set off. I'm in the middle of this (Russian) park. It's basically a hilly open area by a lake. Russians were sunbathing. In a little valley was this red and white building. It turns out to be the Priory Palace, a very insignificant little building. However, I paid to see the museum. Apparently it's claim to fame is that is was built out of rammed-earth, and I'm not positive what that means. The lady insisted there were no buildings like it in America. Inside it basically looked like a small Protestant church. There were several models and architectural drawings.
Eventually I set off to find the actual palace. By the time I got there I decided I hated Gatchina. The palace did nothing more to persuade me. It was occupied by a lot of tsars and family, but most famously by Paul I. He was so afraid of getting assasinated that he made the palace into a fortress. I saw his room, which had a secret door beside the bed. Anyway, all the rooms were small and only half of the place was restored. The highlight was this underground tunnel from the palace to a small lake. It was very cool down there, and you could hear your echo if you spoke at one end. Then I found a mashrutka stop and eventually got home. At the stop, everyone was looking at me. It was like being in the most backward town you can imagine. This guy walked by me and said something about Zimbabwe to his friend. I was more than ready to leave!
A little about my host family. The mom is a musician and has that spacy kind of air. She has a good since of humor, though. Her daughter is younger than me and is a really good artist. She paints and takes pictures. Her photo lab is in our bathroom. The grandmother is nice and is the only one in the family who eats meat. She seems to relish the fact that I do too, probably because she can cook it more often. Then there's a cat called Lucik, who just looks at me. I have a nice room with a TV and two big plants. The food is great. Overall, it's much better. I have failed to talk to the family a lot this weekend because I've been so tired, but I will make an effort this week.
Sorry if I haven't responded to anyone's emails--I've been thinking about home a lot. I miss you guys, and the US. You don't realize how much we take for granted.
My New Home
So now I'm living in the dormitory. I'll get to the whole story in a moment (it's really not very dramatic). First, some pictures and a quick summary of the week. This is St. Issac's Cathedral and a playground. One is a tourist attraction, the other is a resident thing. They're very close to each other physically.
This is Sennaya Ploschad or Hay Square. In Crime and Punishment, it was called the Haymarket, where Raskolnikov walked around a lot. It's very busy with kiosks and stuff. Notice these people are eating outside McDonalds. The only thing Russian about the McDonalds here is that the menus are in Cyrillic. If you went in and ordered in English with a Russian accent, you would get your Happy Meal. The fries taste exactly the same, but my McFlurry was tiny. The "Big Tasty" was huge but the meat was sketchy. And it was super crowded.
Overview:
Monday 6-26: Russian TV is great--they have the People's Court, except it's real court cases (I don't understand what's going on, but Neil said he saw a murder trial). They also have Deal or No Deal (?!Sdelka!?), and the Nanny (both the Fran version and the supernanny version). My favorite show is on MTV Russia, and it's called Club. It's a series about these people who go to this club and their glamourous lives. In other words, nothing like real Russian life.
Tuesday 6-27: My tutor Katya took me to the zoo, which I told not to go to. It is really terrible. The cages are tiny, and they have asphalt bottoms (instead of dirt or grass). Animal rights activists would die. Then I went with Robyn and her tutor Misha to see a Czech movie with Russian subtitles. Czech sounds a lot like Russian. It was still hard to understand even with the subtitles, plus the plot was very odd.
Wednesday 6-28: We had an excursion to the Russian Museum. I didn't say anything about it in my journal, but it was okay. I like it better than the Hermitage. Then we went to see Dream of the Ridiculous Man, which was a play staged in an apartment. It's a short story by Dostoevsky about this crazy student (aren't they all?) But he has a dream where he's taken to a planet where everything is perfect, and he realizes the key to life--love everyone as yourself. I really liked the idealism of the story. The apartment was made up like the 19th century, so it was lit only by candles and really small. The actor basically did a monologue while moving about the room, mostly ignoring us as we sat along the walls. It is one of my favorite things about Russia now. Really great literature, and a really creative way to present it. I wonder if they have shows like that in the US. Then we went to a jazz club to see a "post-folk" band. It was everything you think of when you hear "post-folk"--yes, strange. But entertaining.
Thursday 6-29: We had a shortened third class because of the holiday (Ivan Kupala). Our teachers dressed up like fairy tale characters and made us do little challenges. My team won, and we got chocolate. It was strange. Then I talked to Neil and moved out of my host family's apartment (more later). Then I went to McDonalds and had a Биг Тейсти (Big Tasty), fries, and a McFlurry. I haven't had that much fat, sugar, and salt since I got to Russia. It felt like home.
Friday 6-30: I'll get to what happened in class that afternoon. Robyn and I went to an Indonesian restaurant. We were sitting beside this big window, and a Mini was parked outside. Then this group of people with a photographer came out and started taking pictures around the car. We have no idea who owned the car, because no one ever opened the door or anything. They just posed with it. Then they went away and the photographer came back with an entirely new group. Just another day in Russia. Then I went out with some people to a Russian bar and had my first drink in Russia. It was vodka and peach juice. The juice here is so good because it is usually 100% and no preservatives. The only thing is it goes sour easily. The bar was fun and I didn't go home until 2. I walked with Robyn, so we were okay.
Saturday 7-1: I went to the Hermitage with Robyn, Julia, and Robyn's tutor Misha. That place is huge. I realized how uninterested in art I am. Then Robyn and I went to the Museum of (Orthodox) Religion. They dedicated a room each to ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian religions, Protestantism, and Buddhism/Hinduism. The rest was icons and saints. Robyn and I cooked since her host family was gone. Then we found Juila again at a club. I drank my second drink in Russia, also vodka and peach juice, but the vodka was a lot stronger and I didn't even finish it. This was a bar, not a club, but people danced a little. It still felt like high school--white kids just kind of moving their arms and hips, but it was fun. We left earlier.
Sunday 7-2: Went to a church my former host mother talked about. They are Baptist missionaries and very conservative. The only bright point was that the sermon was in English and simultaneously translated into Russian, so I understood it and was able to pick up a few Russian religious terms. Then I went to the ACTR picnic, which was a Russian/American gathering. The Russians were cool. One guy really liked rap music and sung some of his favorite raps to me. He thinks Russian rap is terrible, though. I told him I thought it was funny. He wanted to see me again, so I gave him Robyn's number. Then Robyn and I went to the World of Water museum. It looks more American than Russian.
Sorry if that seems really short. I have to dedicate most of the blog to what happened Thursday and Friday. So I wrote about how my host mom was never at home. I saw Galina about 3 hours total last week. Thursday after I class I sat down with Neil and he basically said it's time to go. At 7pm he and I took the bus to my apartment. I packed, and we took a cab back to the dorm. No one was home, of course, and Natasha (the home stay coordinator) dictated a note for Neil to leave for Galina. It basically said I'm going to live in the dorm now and that he or Natasha would give her keys back. I'm not sure if they got in touch with her that afternoon or not. She was at the dacha and she has a cell phone. Anyway, I was expecting to never see her again.
I was wrong. Friday morning I get up and go to class--the only thing that's different is I don't have an hour commute. I went to Дикси (Diksi) and bought some bread, meat, cheese, and juice to last me a few days. So we were in my second class when Galina knocks on the door and pokes her head in. I was shocked, but figured she had called Neil and he sent her to get the keys from me. I had them in my bookbag and gave them to her. Then class ends and we leave for lunch. Galina is waiting out in the hall! Almost two hours had passed! She asks me if I have Natasha's cell phone number. I do and give it to her. She says a few more things, and the one thing I caught was that she wanted me to call her. She was acting as cheerful and bright as she usually is. I was freaked out. Then Robyn and I hung back in the hall, and she left the building. After a few minutes we walked out, and she was in the courtyard! Apparently she had called Natasha. She said as we walked to the hotel lobby, "I'm going to the dacha now." Robyn asks, and the sarcasm is completely lost in Russian: "Is it a good dacha?" Galina raved about how she loves it. She finally left for good and I found Neil in the lobby. He had no idea she had been there, so I told him the whole story. So he and Natasha got together, and I'm not sure what happened.
It was really strange for her to come all the way to the university like that. I have a feeling she won't be hosting again. When Natasha first wrote about her, she said she was one of the best families. I'm sure she is when she's at home because she cooks well and she likes to talk. I think she's hosted a black person before because she told me how she was really excited to have me. In that same conversation she talked about how strange and bad Chechens (who they call "black people") are. In conclusion, Galina is a little prejudice, but not in a mean way. It just made me more willing to leave.
That's another thing. Most of the American students do not bring up race. I've only talked to two people about how I felt being black in Russia. However, Russians and Americans who live in Russia are not politically correct. They will point it out. It's always in a nice way--oh, you should be careful because there are a lot of skinheads--but I'm not used to being singled out that way. Yes, I'm aware that I'm the only black person in the room, but people usually do not bring it up in conversation. So far people have stared at me, tried to take a picture of me (whether I know it or not), or talked to me about Africa or skinheads. Fun times.
In conclusion (as Russians say, конце концов--konsay konsof) I am fine, not feeling sick, just a little tired, and very amused by Russia.
