The countryside…
I know that I am eternally bad at keeping my blog updated, so I thought I’d surprise you all with another post in less than a month! (No, I’m perfectly healthy and myself… don’t worry about me!)
I took a little trip to the town of Kavalerovo. It took 8.5 hours by bus to get there. I slept the whole way, so it seemed like a short ride. While there, I gave a series of workshops, visited schools, talked to all kinds of creatures, as you can see:
These are some girls singing and dancing for us. They were so adorable…nervous about performing for me, but doing a great job!
These were some of the best students in the music class. The teacher is in the middle.
Ahh…the balalaika!
Here I am standing in front of the famous rock. Being here reminded me of the time my mother took us to the school reunion for the first school she taught in, in Landusky, MT. I remember a few things from that trip. Most importantly, anyone who had ever had anything to do with that school was invited to the reunion. Second, we exhausted all entertainment in the town after the reunion and before leaving that evening (seeing a rock was on the list). And finally, one student reminded my mother that she had flunked him. So, here’s the famous rock in Kavalerovo.
Here are the two-day-old chicks we met at the first farm. They still had their egg teeth. And, as you can see, this little guy was quite comfortable in my hand. In what seems to me a cruel twist of fate, these little guys are served grated hard-boiled eggs. (No, I don’t want to discuss the fact that eggs were their primary source of nutrition and are therefore the best food source for them; I still think it’s cruel…maybe on the part of Mother Nature, then!)
Quails! I held one for several minutes. It did try to mount a fecal attack, but luckily, I was not holding it close to my body or clothing at that particular moment. I got some of their eggs, which I have not yet cooked, but intend to. Yum Yum!
A traditional Russian furnace, which is used to heat the whole house.
In Ustinovka, the mayor came to see me and then invited me to his office. We discussed the problems in his town (typical small-town problems), and I decided to try to find a sister school for the local school. There are about 500 people in the town, so I’ll look for a town of approximately the same size. (Suggestions welcome!) I was happy to see that they’re interested in ecology and protecting their environment, including the Sea of Japan, as this is not a big concern in many Russian communities.
At another farm, there were lots of babies. I did wonder about why there were little ones so early in the year, but nonetheless, I was glad to see them. Here are calves and lambs:
And here is a little goat. I fell in love with him, and the farmer offered to give him to me, but I didn’t think he would fit beneath the seat in front of me… at least not in July.
I visited a little museum in a school in Zerkalnoye (pop. 350±). Here is some cool archaeological stuff.
And in this town, I talked to about a third of the students in the school. They started asking about President Obama, so I suggested that we write a message and take a picture, which I would then email to him, along with an invitation to visit the area. It will be interesting to see if President Obama answers!
I also visited a classroom that had an antique school desk in it. I sat in it and gave writing with a dip pen a try. The teacher inspected my work and gave me a 5 (in other words, an A).
I visited a karate class. The instructor was the driver/”security” for my stay there. Security from what, you ask… well, if you have any ideas, go ahead and post replies. I still haven’t figured it out.
And… a final picture from the trip. This is not even half of the souvenirs. The kids gave me tons of their artwork and little treasures. One little boy wanted to give me something, but didn’t have anything with him, so he gave me his pen (it’s lime green at the top of the picture)! A couple of ladies gave me cutting boards that they painted. You can see the matrioshka dolls that a teacher gave me. A shy girl approached me and presented me with the doily that she had made. There are also wood and straw housewares presented to me by a refreshingly honest and kind shop teacher. In the basket are the quail eggs. Alas, I carried more home than I took with me, and I take magazines, handouts, and other materials, so I felt loaded down when I went!
So… a couple of other notes about the trip. I almost got to the Sea of Japan, but instead I got to help push a car out of a snow drift. Ahh, life is grand! Also noteworthy is the return trip. The weather was horrible. We saw at least a dozen cars in the ditch from the safety (if not warmth and total comfort) of the bus. There were a few accidents, as well. When we got to Ussurisk, an hour to an hour and a half from Vladivostok, the bus was not allowed to continue. So, at that point, I followed my fellow passengers to a microbus that took us to the city. It took about two hours… all fourteen of us cozied up inside. All in all, the return trip took about twelve hours. But I still want to go back and am hoping to have the opportunity in the summer! What fresh air and lovely people!
Khabarovsk
At times, it seems like time goes sooo slowly, and at other times, I don’t know where it went. Since I have started receiving inquiries about being alive, I decided that it’s high time to write another post.
Back in December, I took a trip to a nearby city (12 hours by train… relatively nearby for the Russian Far East) called Khabarovsk. Of course, I presented workshops and met wonderful people. Here are a few pics:
These are some ice sculptures. There is an annual competition, although it ends at the end of January, and I was there in mid December, so I got to see many sculptures and many blocks of ice waiting to be sculpted. What I saw was incredible, though!
A view of the streets of Khabarovsk. I love the sign, which reads “I love Khabarovsk.” Why there is a hand in the sign, I do not know.
This is a sign that says “? ????? ?????!” or “S novim godom!” which translates to “Happy New Year!” And that is the Russian version of Santa Claus, ??? ????? or Ded Moroz, which is more closely related to Father Frost.
And here is a lovely Russian Orthodox church. I wanted to go inside and light a candle for a friend who had recently passed away, and I happened to attend part of a service. I love how the mystical is awakened when you can’t understand what is happening!
And here is the room I stayed in. There are dorms for teachers and visitors at many universities, although these are more like apartments. I don’t believe the students get such accommodations, with private kitchens and baths.
And this completes the tour of Khabarovsk. I had a wonderful, wonderful time there and I wish I could go back now to see the completed sculptures. But, alas, I’m off to new and different places. I have more pics to add, but I don’t want to tell you everything about my life!
Interesting article…
I found this article on BBC today. It makes me sick. It explains culture shock and gives me culture shock all at the same time.
Thirty times higher than in Europe?
When I drove to El Salvador, my friend Erin (see the wedding pictures) chastised me for honking, which is normal in Honduras. She said, “They shoot people for that here!”
Also, let me again make a distinction for those who haven’t heard me say this. Nicaragua has a reputation for violence. They have a powerful sense of solidarity when it comes to political matters, but in terms of day-to-day violence, I did not feel at all uncomfortable. In comparison, I felt very insecure in Honduras, where I had some close calls.
Still busy…
Happy Thanksgiving! This was an interesting one for me. Last week, I went to a Jewish town called Birobidzhan, where I presented workshops to teachers. This is the train station:
The train ride was about fifteen hours. I got on the train at about 10 p.m. and arrived at 1 p.m. the following day. When I first got on the train, I had the compartment (for 4 people) all to myself. I was sitting in there, writing and thinking, when a couple of young guys kept passing my open door and pausing. One of them was wearing a tank top tucked into belted jeans…woo, Russian fashion! Eventually, they worked up the nerve to talk to me. After that, they shared some beer with me (I hate beer, so I only had a bit) and taught me how to play backgammon. Chalk it up to beginners’ luck or the alcohol they were drinking, but I kicked some ass! Before our game even ended, a grandma named Lyuda joined my compartment. She was very grandma-ish and praised us for playing backgammon (I think this is opposed to having other pastimes). She told me about her family and showed me pictures, and later tried to feed everybody. I appreciated having her there. She should have arrived in Moscow today, and I wish her the best.
On Tuesday, I presented to a group of university students. They were shy at the beginning, but once the barrier was broken, they couldn’t control themselves. I think I need to have some tricks in mind to deal with this sort of thing! Then, I was supposed to have a discussion with professors in the English department, but instead, a newspaper reporter showed up and asked me questions for half an hour. Then, the photographer came. So, we ended up just going out to dinner.
On Wednesday, I gave three workshops to teachers at the retraining institute (like in the US, teachers must occasionally take some classes to maintain their teaching certification). They went fairly well. I was surprised by the feedback I got though - better than I had expected. It’s one of the major cultural issues for me - that I have to figure out how teachers work here and how I can help them. It’s a process and I don’t expect to do perfectly at the beginning, but I’m starting to get a feeling for what I can do. I went out for dinner again, and had a wonderful time.
On Thursday, Thanksgiving, I had asked to visit an elementary school. It was precious to visit the school. The students and teachers are clearly doing some very good things. The students also gave me a tour of the school. They have a doll museum. If any of you visit me, I might ask you to bring a doll to donate to the museum. They also make their own stuffed animals. They gave me an adorable little chick as a souvenir - it’s amazing that it was made by an elementary school student! There is a little “pet corner” with a snake (eek!), hamsters, birds, turtles, etc. It is clear that education is a priority for these people! After that, some of the university students gave me a tour of the city. What is a Russian town without a cathedral:
I also made a new friend:
And some other new friends. This picture represents only a small sample of the population that we fed. Poor little guys were so hungry and cold that they ran up to every person who walked through the park:
Again, I received some lovely gifts - a clock written in Hebrew, a photo album with pictures of Birobidzhan, and some chocolate. Yumm! I also bought myself some interesting varieties of vodka. On the left is one made in Birobidzhan called ‘Jewish Happiness’. On the right is one flavored with pine. Interesting, huh?
The trip home was rather appalling. I got on the train, only to find my compartment a disaster. It looked as if four bachelors had been partying it up in there for a month. They hadn’t cleaned anything up - not even the bedding, which they are supposed to do before getting off the train. I had a horrified look on my face when word got to the only person left in that compartment that there was a girl in the compartment. He came scrambling in and started cleaning. There were empty bottles everywhere, half-eaten dried fish and other things, lemon rinds on the floor and everywhere else. It was a disaster. So, I decided that I would take it all in good humor and joked with the attendant (an older woman) that there must have been four men in there. I also started downing some vodka (see above). After he did a decent job of cleaning, Vasya, my compartment-mate decided in his drunken state that he must hit on me. Ugh. I held my own. But, I didn’t sleep more than a touch here and there, as I was afraid that I would wake up in a bad situation. Perhaps the worst part of it, for me, was that he tried to give me money in the morning. I can handle sleazy drunk men, but I don’t appreciate being treated as if I can be bought.
Well, since coming back, I’ve been doing the regular things. On Friday morning, I had a video date with my family, as they celebrated Thanksgiving. They got together on Friday to accommodate all of the families. This is my experience of it:
I went to a concert on Saturday night. I managed to pick up a cold. I had a sore throat starting on Friday. The funny thing is that when I was sitting in that nasty train compartment, I told myself that I would catch something in there…and here I am!
Now, I’m listening to Christmas music. I’m so glad to have Christmas music, especially since I miss so many other aspects of Christmas. I guess I get Christmasy weather this year, at least! The music is reminding me of being in Korea and the elementary school kids. We sang Bing Crosby’s Jingle Bells - the kids thought I was crazy, but after we sang it, they wanted to sing it over and over and over. I also taught them how to Jitterbug to some Christmas carols. We had so much fun! I hope all of the kids are doing well now! I hope they love English and culture and things like that!
Miss you all!
Busy times
Well, I haven’t written for a bit. Its seems like a lot has happened. I had an interesting weekend, and then today was the opening of International Education Week.
First, though, I’d like to congratulate my friends Erin and Edwin on their wedding. I wish I could have been there, but El Salvador a bit far from Vladivostok!
Last week, the water went out for about 28 hours. I was not prepared, and did little but survive. However, I will be ready for the next time! I heard that there was some problem in the city lines, and the entire area was out of water. When it was finally turned back on, it was a bit brown, but I was still thrilled to have it!
There has been a jazz festival going on here. On Saturday night, David and I went to a club to see one of the bands (the American one) perform. There was a stiff cover charge (by local standards), so there weren’t many people there. We talked to the band members after they finished (another band followed them), and invited them to have a drink at my apartment. Two of them accepted, so we stopped at a grocery store and picked up some snacks and alcohol. Then, we had a good time hanging out!
On Sunday night, David and I went to the concert, which was sold out, so it was lucky that we had bought tickets early. I took some pics, but didn’t get any good ones.
On Monday, the ambassador and his wife came to Vladivostok. We are having International Education Week here, and they both spoke at the opening. I found one moment quite touching. While his wife was speaking, the ambassador inconspicuously reached over and picked up the little flags on the table. They were the small US and Russian flags together in a holder. He took the Russian flag out of the holder and slid the flag off of the pole. He turned it over, put it back on the pole, and back in the holder. Somebody had put the Russian flag upside down, and the American ambassador to Russia is the one who noticed it and fixed it. He and his wife were foreign exchange students to the USSR, and it’s obvious that he loves and respects this country.
Apartment Tour
Well, I don’t have any interesting news. I am having a pajama day. My goal is to not get out of my pajamas. But, that may be thwarted by my desire for another bottle of wine. I’ve been consuming my fair share (according to Russian standards), but when in Rome, right?
I took some pics of my apartment a while back. In lieu of any interesting recent activities, I will just show you my place.
When you walk in the door, this is what you see:
This is the main room. I have a bunch of supplies in the cabinet, a TV that I rarely turn on, and you can see the couch in the bottom right hand corner. And, yes, I have my very own photocopier! I’ve discovered that it’s very handy!
The door leads to the bedroom:
The room is rectangular, and I couldn’t get a pic of all of it, so here is the other side of the room:
There is a wardrobe across from the desk. It’s a cozy little space where I spend most of my time. I’m thinking that I should buy an office chair. As you can see, the one I have isn’t that comfortable.
The kitchen is attached to the main room, opposite the bedroom:
As you can see, the kitchen is cozy and might be challenging for any major cooking jobs, but it serves my purposes well.
There is a nice little bathroom, as well:
I have one of those small-sized washing machines - 3.5 kilo limit. But, that’s about how much space I have to hang clothes on the balcony, so the system is working out well.
I’m feeling very comfortable in this apartment, for now. There are always challenges - learning how to keep the whole system operational, organized, and clean. Currently, with the changing temperature, they have turned on the heat, so it gets overly warm in my apartment, although the outside air is nippy, so, for example, while I’m here at the computer, the radiator next to me is making me too hot. But, if I open the window, my legs stay hot and my upper body gets too cold. I’m working on some different options. Nothing is a big problem here; rather, it’s just a multitude of small things.
Today is pajama day, and I refuse to worry about it.
Election Day!
Well, my priority today is to photograph my ballot and email it in. Yes, photograph, as I do not have a scanner. In MT, you are allowed to do it all be email now. I filled out my ballot with a group of participants who attended a presentation I gave on the election. We voted and debated the issues before voting together. The debate was not the most successful, but I learned something from it! There was kind of a herd mentality; they all took the same side. It was most obvious (and frustrating to me) when we discussed the illegal immigrants. Virtually all of them thought that they should absolutely not be able to become citizens. Another interesting view expressed was that the US should be stricter with controlling its citizens (i.e. being more documented and having more red tape in matters of where you live, what you do, etc.). That was a bit of a shock for me, but I suppose it shouldn’t have been. It takes quite a bit of work to get a visa for Russia (HIV test, even) and also requires registering your location and having a guarantor. I have also always felt that Russians valued security over freedom. Going back to the topic of voting, it took several emails to get myself registered, but all is well, and I know the photograph method has high enough quality to work.
Last night, I returned home from a trip to Nakhodka, a city about 4 hours away. I went on Sunday afternoon, got a tour, and then finished preparing for the workshops.
Nakhodka
On Monday, it was truly a small conference that was arranged. There was a coffee break, book seller, welcome packets, and all! 85 people attended, although many left before the last workshop, which was the internet. I’m told that older teachers are very intimidated, and that’s why they left. Too bad!
Participants
So, I absolutely adore the city. It has 160,000 people, a city to a Montana girl! The people were wonderful! The organizer of the conference, Tanya, was absolutely amazing! I really hope to go back!
Most of the people were too nervous to stay; if only they knew that some of the stupid things I
Tanya and the teachers in Nakhodka gave me a lovely gift - a basket with a couple of books on Nakhodka, a huge jar of honey (which is not only delicious, but used as a folk remedy for many illnesses here), and big pine cones that have pine nuts in them! Tanya gave me instructions on how to get the shells off of the pine nuts, because they are very hard. Either using a nutcracker or soaking them in hot water to soften them a bit. Since I don’t have a nutcracker, i tried the hot water method. They were still rather firm, so I first squished one with a spoon. The result was a squished nail (and you know I like my nails!) and a squished pine nut, which I ate as much of as I could. Next was the multi-function tool. The first attempt with it yielded half a pine nut. But, after a few more attempts, refinement is coming. How delightful!
It
Okay, so that’s all I have for now. This is my first attempt at putting pics in this blog, and on my screen, the captions don’t look like what I put in the captions section. So, I might have to try something else.
Miss you all!
Happy voting!
Yay! A New Host!
For those of you who didn’t hear the full story, I was unable to save changes to my website, which is why there is nothing from Central America. I could enter the website and make changes, add updates, etc., but when I tried to save the changes, I only got error messages. The old hosting company said that nothing was wrong on their side of things, so it must be my computer. Well, that’s where I got stuck.
So, I finally decided to change my hosting company, and this one has been better so far. We shall see! At a later date, I hope to go back and make some changes and add pics and updates from Central America.
I’ve been rather stressed out these past two weeks - to the point of getting physically ill. My body has also been acting up, either from the change in environment or possibly still parasites. Looking back, I think I was on the verge of a breakdown. It seemed like everybody was pulling me in a different direction, and I didn’t have perspective on how it all went together. I wonder if I have it yet!
Well, I have to finish preparing for my little trip. Tomorrow, I am traveling to a nearby city (4 hours away). On Monday, I will present three workshops, and then return home in the evening. I would have liked to relax today, but I had to go to the university to greet a group of prospective students and then go to the HIV testing place to pick up my certificate. I think I’ll take a pic of the certificate before passing it on.
Miss you all!
Alcohol, swiffers, and nasal spray
17 October 2008
Oh, if I weren’t so drunk, I’d write an ode to my swiffer. You know, I buy a new one in every country I go to! They are a marvelous invention for those of us with allergies. As it is, I am sitting here with a glass of wine. When you’re in a new place, you’re not too picky about things, so I’m drinking wine from a small glass that would usually be used for water, juice, etc. So, I’m happily drunk in a clean and organized apartment. I have got a lot of this place figured out, but cleaning the floors is still an issue. I found the disposable cloths for the swiffer (generic ones) for about $.50 a piece! I have yet to find a swiffer itself. So, today I swept the old-fashioned way. Then, I got the mop out of the closet and discovered that it does not fit in my bucket, so I got down there and mopped the old-fashioned way. I can’t say that I care for either one, especially when the tools are less that par. Now, I’m sitting here with my self-congratulatory wine using my herbal nasal spray. And I am blaming the lack of a swiffer. Allergies to dust do not go well with pushing dust around! And for me… dust allergies + deviated septum = sinus infection. So, in trying to be good, I bought a bottle of natural sinus decongestant, so that I wouldn’t be over-using medications (either OTC nasal sprays or antibiotics for a sinus infection). Very thoughtful of me, right? Not contaminating our environment any more. Helping our children and their children stay healthy. You know the story. Obama knows the story. McCain…hrm… bomb, bomb, bomb… Back to the point, while this stuff works, if feels like intentionally getting swimming pool water to come out of your nose. I hope my children and your children appreciate it!
So, I’m doing better. Life is an adventure. I’ve had my share here, so far. I hope they continue. How boring if there is nothing new to upset it. In the beginning, it was difficult to acclimate. First and foremost, these **** hills! Well, now I’m not so angry at them, but in the beginning, I wasn’t used to them and I had to buy, and thus lug, so much stuff! Anybody want to visit and carry your suitcase up to the fouth floor?? And that’s assuming that you get a ride all the way to the building. Lucky for me, I did not have to haul two 50-pound suitcases plus a heavy carry-on and a bunch of duty-free crap all by myself. Chivalry is still alive!
See, here is several minutes after the nasal spray, and it still feels as if swimming pool water is draining from my sinuses.
I should have it repaired surgically. Oh, wait, I can’t. Insurance won’t pay for it. I hate…HATE….LOATHE…this aspect of the US. I can see how Americans would think they’ve got a good system, but those who have ever been in a less-than-perfect insurance situation in the States know the truth. I can also see how Americans would think that socialized insurance systems are not good, given the propaganda against them. But, it’s all propaganda. You can’t judge socialized medical systems based on a few examples of screwy systems. Doing that is saying that all Christians are the same as Jim Bakker or the Westboro Baptist Church. The problem is that people can never see the complete picture from the inside. Basically, I think people shouldn’t judge unless they Know what socialized medical systems are. And point number two, while I’m on the subject…these are institutions that are supposed to be helping people take care of their health, but in the US, they are businesses trying to make a buck, or a lot of bucks. These two sides don’t…can’t work together. Oil and water. We can’t ever have a good healthcare system, if people are trying to get rich by preventing us from having access to it. Logic!
A good day
2 Oct 2008
Well, today was another good day. I went to the university at 11. I led one class – a level 4 class. The students were able to give me a lot of information about how their education is going. I asked them what they thought was good and bad about it – good recon for me!
Because my apartment is so close to the university, I am able to go home for lunch. How nice! Today, for example, I put some clothes in the wash before leaving. The machine is loud, so I prefer to not be here when it’s going. I came home for lunch and they were finished. Unfortunately, it is rainy today, so the clothes I had hanging outside aren’t dry, and with the freshly washed ones, I’m a bit out of space. …just another problem that I must solve in my new life.
After lunch, I headed out to the consulate, where I met the Public Affairs Officer and went over several things. It seems that it is a huge problem that I don’t have internet. I need to start establishing connections with people in this region. And to do that, I need a good internet connection.
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