Celebrating Xmas in Samara: I'll get to the trains next blog- I promise!

So it's been a while and I apologize. Between Jeremy's surfing and working and my meandering about on the internet, I never took appropriate measures to spend some time explaining developments here in Samara. What a lazy bum I've been! Now is my chance for redemption or as a very poor student of mine in Korea says, "It's chance!"

So how was our merry making? Snowy, so an expected white Christmas took place. Christmas Eve was spent preparing for our ELc Russian friends. I made food and Jeremy and myself prepared Xmas games that were Russian friendly. The evening's events were fun, but too short for my blood, so I wondered what to think of the friends I have made so far. Was it obligation that had them come to our door or was it work obligations the next day that had them leave so early? One of the many enigmas to plague me I suppose...Anyway the following day was spent half in the kitchen (making cinnamon buns and spinach lasagna) and half enjoying myself with Jeremy and our American friend Dan who shared his insight about Russian friendships which sealed my thoughts that it's easier to make friends than in Japan but harder to get as intimate with them as Koreans. Anyway, I have a few New Years resolutions to help conquer such cultural maladies. I'll share them with you in future blogs- I promise. Expect a train trip blogstyle as well.

So all in all, we had Xmas music, a decorated tree, some good friends and a few presents. What else was needed on Christmas? The shock of James Brown's death will probably always resonate with our first (maybe last?) Christmas in Russia, but all in all we made it merry as best we could.

Short Stay in Suransk

(Suransk's Flag)

Have you been wondering what Jenevieve's been up to? I guess it depends on if you enjoy Jeremy's blog as mush as mine, but if you hate reading a computer monitor for so long, we had a little trip north in Suransk, which is about halfway between Moscow and Samara. Our train trips, which I'll explain in my next post, left much to be desired, but our time in Suransk was extremely pleasant albeit exhausting.
Like Tatarstan, Suransk is the capital of the "independent" republic of Mordovia which has a smaller but significant Muslim population. We arrived in Suransk around 5 am and promptly went to the university's guest house for a short but much needed nap before beginning the day. After a rather greasy breakfast where we learned Mordovia has their own special bliny pancake which tasted like a donut more than a pancake ( I told you it was greasy), Jeremy and I separated for most of the morning as he and Ludmilla, our good friend who will accompany us from time too time on future visits, went off for lectures and I was escorted to different classrooms for impromptu talks about whatever interested the students. Both classes that morning were on the small side,about 20 each, so this lent to an easy question and answer forum for both me and the girls (neither class had a male student). It was nice to see so many sparkling eyes that morning, since most of the students seemed to enjoy themselves and made my first experience in Mordovia quite positive.


Then after another large greasy meal and a meeting with the vice rector where we received some goodies, we toured a bit of the city with a young teacher named Olga who also took some pictures for us since we forgot our camera- thanks Olga! A recent addition to the downtown was this gigantic cathedral. We got a chance to go inside where we were assailed by an extremely large amount of shining gold. The icons though were a treat to see as they reached from the floor to the ceiling and Jeremy remarked as a priest opened the door to one to walk through, it was like a gigantic German advent calender. Sorry, like mosques, no pics could be taken. I also got to whimsically hold hands with Pushkin before heading back to the university for another discussion session and dinner. Then, with our main hostess, Natalya, we went for a final night stroll in the city where we ended up meeting her very sweet husband too before crashing for the night.

After a pretty good amount of sleep (the grease had gotten the better of Jeremy), we did a bit more of the same with lectures and discussions. After lunch though, I had a chance to take a rest while Jeremy presented to small lectures. I was glad for the respite since I finally got my hands on a copy of "The Master and Margarita" and I was itching to read it the last few days. Incidentally, although I haven't finished it quite yet, I believe it will definitely fit in my top ten list of all time best books to read. Go read it! You won't be disappointed. Plus, I'd like to talk to you about it. Ok, where was I? Yes, after lunch, Katya, a young teacher showed us the art museum in town. I especially liked meeting Katya because she found me some vanilla which had seemed to elude me since coming to Russia. Back to the museum though, We had a nice tour of their permanent collection of a native Mordovian/Russian named Stepan Erzya. Now unfortunately, I have been looking through out the internet to give you an idea of this man's genius because his work is quite astounding, but very few things can be found about the man. Supposedly he is well known in Europe, but I could only find info on him in Turkish and Russian. However, I did find one of his most fantastic works, Moses. You would gasp if you saw it in person, but this will have to do.




It was really a lovely way to end the two days in Suransk. After a light meal, we boarded a van and then a train, waving good-bye to Sergei and Natalya our new Suransk friends.

Sweatin in Samara

Guess what. It's warm here! I know my posts recently have been about the weather. Being American and all, it can't be helped, but it's such a wonderful sound hearing the snow slush under my feet this week instead of engineering my every move in most areas people walk because there is a sheet of ice below me and I can't predict how slippery it will be. Incidentally, I actually did trip last Friday right on my kiester. It was a pretty funny moment because before I could stop my feet the stepped right onto a large patch and then my brain said, "hey, my feet are moving up. Looks like you're going to fall, Jenevieve. Brace yourself! 3 2 1, boom!" Jeremy said the whole moment was in slow mo for him too which is funny how the brain works in such a situation. If only we could be that aware all the time. I really need to start meditating again! Anyway, I was just fine since I had on my very cozy and puffy winter coat and I have a sufficient amount of cushion anyway back there. In fact, I was surprised that it barely hurt. There wasn't even a bruise back there although my pulse was up for the next few minutes so I ended up being extra warm!

That same day, but earlier, Jeremy and I walked around downtown and found an area near the opera house that they had just plowed to make a nice ice rink. Some kids were trying out their skates and at that moment I wished I knew how to skate. Then the very next day Katya had us over to her place for dinner and she suggested we go. We've also been told we will definitely get a chance to ski, another sport Jeremy and I have never really partaken in, so I may get to finally learn some winter sports this year.

Icy Blue

It continues to linger around zero these days, but we are trying to adjust. Of course, having the right equipment helps too! This week Katya and I went to a market that reminded me of Dongdaemun a bit since it was just a big building with stall after stall of things to wear. Korea is still cheaper though. My main objective was to get a warmer coat, but I eyed some average looking corduroy pants and they wanted more than 50 bucks for them! At such markets, I never expect prices to be so high and they will barely haggle with you. I shake my head at how crummy it must have been to go from communism to capitalism here. I've read and been told people don't really understand the fundamentals of capitalism and so things are expensive. I am about to step on my soap box so let's change the subject.

While I was waiting for Katya outside, I'd been warned it was -4 F outside, but I wasn't so well prepared. My feet were starting to feel numb as well as my upper lip. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man walking toward me. Of course I could only identify half his face so I wasn't about to say anything but then he recognized me and came to give me a hug. It was pretty odd, but it turned out to be my buddy Dan who is a fullbrighter here. We had to just keep staring at each other for a minute to make sure we really knew one another since we were so wrapped up! But it sure made Samara feel a lot smaller to me, running into him and all.

Katya came soon after and as we said good-bye to Dan and walked toward the market, my legs felt like they had heavy blocks attached to them. Inside the market, I came to find that Katya and I shop alike. We look at everything; then hit our targets. She was super helpful not only with the language but with her opinion on what to get or not get. We had a little snack in between and had to share a table with two guys. One realized after a few minutes that I was not Russian and he was very intrigued. He said I was the first foreigner he had ever met. He wanted to buy me a second cup of tea, but I didn't really need it. I thought the whole experience though was something I needed. I have been noticing that people in Samara are becoming friendlier. Maybe it is just because I am adjusting to being in Russia, but I've seen a lot more smiles these days which is a great relief!

Lastly, although it has been egregiously cold, especially knowing Moscow has been above freezing, I am trying to appreciate all those parts of winter that make it unique and just plain gorgeous. Here are two examples. One, this week it snowed again and I think it was partly ice because now all the trees have snow on them but it sticks out a bit like little feathers. It's the acme of a winter wonderland these days. Also, Jeremy told me of a phenomena where it's too cold to snow, but somehow the air around freezes and if the sun is out, there is glitter everywhere. It happened twice this week and it felt like some awesome dream or a fantastic effect for a nightclub! Here's a view from our place.

Katya Time

I keep telling you I'll write about Katya, so I think now is a good time, don't you? Next time I can corner her, I will take her picture, I promise.

Last week I got a chance to know Katya a bit better. Besides her being my Russian teacher and Russian helper, we are quickly becoming friends too. Last week we had her and her boyfriend, Maxim, over for dinner. It was so funny because Maxim wasn't at all how I pictured him. He was a cross between Jeremy Chell and Adam Halbur, so he looks just like a friend to us. Unfortunately, he doesn't speak much English, but his listening skills were surprisingly good. It was a very pleasant evening!

Than a few days later I told Katya I was interested in looking for a fake fur coat. The temps have taken such a nose dive, as I mentioned previously, that I knew I needed to get serious about staying warm. She suggested we go to a coat market next week but she also had an old coat at her parent's place not far from the ELC, so we took a walk over for a look-see. The coat sadly, made me look like a boxed sheep, but it was neat to see where she grew up. While we had tea, her cat sat next to me and let me pet his head. He was a bit sick but some scratching on his forehead led to some loud purring! Later her grandmother who lives downstairs came up and the cat jumped onto her shoulder and sat there for the remainder of the visit! She also had a coveted jar of peanut butter! On the way back to the ELC, we talked about old people and that part of life. She had an amazing great grandmother who died a few years ago and she learned some great things from her. It was yet another pleasant time with Katya...


*****BIG NEWS! I have begun a new blog called www.Recipes-from-Russia-with-love.blogspot.com When I make something that turns out especially good, I'll share it with you. Look for my first post soon!

Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone!

Slipping in Samara

As you have probably heard, old man winter is now sitting on our coach with his feet on the coffee table feeling right at home. Although I had overestimated my new used coat could handle the job, I think we are quite fortunate to be stuck in Samara than almost anywhere else in Russia. Why? Well for one thing even if the high today is 15, if we are lucky, it's still warmer than most areas. Top that with the fact that the sun sticks around till 5, how can I complain? In Kazan it would be dark by 4 and that just felt troubling to me. By 3 you could sense night was just around the corner. Where did the day go?

I think though that if harsher winters are pretty much 50% of your year, you handle it a little differently. There is the obvious example of the sunbathers in January, but I was thinking more along the line of sliding to work, not sledding. I think the average Russian is more agile, not giving pause to their speed even if they slip a bit. I just take baby steps because I really don't want to end up with a broken limb. The sidewalks are still pretty treacherous even though it hasn't snowed for a good week.

The other "difference" is all the fur! Whenever I tell a Russian most Americans think fur is beautiful but despicable they can hardly believe it. Almost everyone has part of a dead animal sewn into their outer apparel here and I really can see the need for it in a way. That does not mean I will run out and get one. Besides the guilt, the price tag would definitely stop me! But it sure looks warm!

Last days in Kazan

After focusing on Tatar State for three days, a woman named Rezida and a guy named Dmitri looked after us. Jeremy had three presentations on that Saturday, two at T U and then another at an engineering school. We had been in constant motion for three days that by the time we returned to out Soviet style hotel room, we were absolutely beat. Here's a view from our window.



It reminds me a lot of views in Moscow. Way in the back if you look closely, you can see the Kul Sharif mosque which is within the Kremlin walls. On Sunday, Rezida and Demy (Dmitri) took us on a very lovely tour for the day. We headed straight for the Kremlin, which is gorgeous and free! Here is a much closer look of the mosque on the left and below that is part of the cathedral in the Kremlin.























Jeremy found the mosque to be very calming and the cathedral to be oppressive. The reason, I think is obvious, but unfortunately I can't use visuals to make my point since we couldn't take pictures inside either. The mosque was very open with colored glass and a large chandelier. The Cathedral was completely covered with icons or paintings depicting scenes from the bible and then some. It just seemed more "In-your-face" for lack of a better term.

We were quite lucky because Rezida used to be a tour guide for Kazan so she could recollect all the important dates and significant events from Kazan's history which we were delighted to learn about. We were also able to eat more authentic Kazan food. Oh, you want to know what they eat in Kazan? Well, one is this is a kind of chicken pot pie without the pan and another is a layered cake with rice, egg, raisins, and dough. On one occasion I got to try a dill soup that was also quite nice. Actually the food only slightly deviates from Russian fare and fortunately is all good in my tummy!

We also picked up a few souvenirs and toured the Tatar history museum which had a bit of archaeological find to a natural history sections with whale whiskers. Although it snowed most of the day, we were enjoying ourselves so much we barely noticed our cold noses.

The last day before we left, Jeremy and I went to public school 18 which is a language school. Jeremy gave a presentation on Total Physical Response in Japanese and the teachers really enjoyed it. Afterwards, they gave us a little tea party. One teacher asked me where I was from and I soon found out her daughter is an exchange student at a high school in Westminster!!!! In fact, she is the first Russian exchange student to come to my hometown! I just could not believe this coincidence. Could there have been a bigger sign that I was destined to be in Russia?

I know Jeremy wrote a bit about the train, but I may add more next posting, we'll see...

Kapow, Kazan! : Presentation time

So what were we doing in Kazan? Jeremy had important people to meet and I got to tag along. Actually the first place, Tatar State University, had arranged a three day conference featuring basically lectures by Jeremy but yours truly did one on Participatory Activities for Large Conversation Classrooms- woo! Jeremy's was mostly theoretical while mine was all movin. At times the very long room we used reached a capacity of over 100 participants! We could actually see the great need for native English teachers in Kazan and it was so cool how warm everyone was. They all just were into the presentations. At times you can get people in Russia that just have that look on their faces, the one that says "Yeah, just try to impress me!" This group was way more accepting, so we were already loving Kazan. One woman even gave me a hug on our last day there. It was my first hug from a Russian!

We felt like VIP too! They even had a press conference for us! I think like 5 or 6 journalists came. Of course, Jeremy was their focus, but I got to pipe in my two cents too! We also met the rector, which I think is the equivalent to Vic Farrell for all you Beloiters. He had a nice lunch for us and pressies too! We ate our lunch and din din the first 3 days in a secret room next to the main cafeteria. Wasn't there something like that at Commons? Anyway, at this point I am just bragging so I will stop now!

There are a few impressions though I had about this part of our trip. One was that I felt wooed, in fact, almost seduced by this university. They were so incredibly appreciative we had come and they were so professional. It seems like they would like to get some major plans accomplished and Jeremy is trying to guide them with the information he knows, so I really wish them the best! Another point was besides superficially kicking Samara's butt, the reaction we received all around the city was less stoic. I felt like I was in some sort of dream city! To demonstrate, let us move our attention to this dynamite theater where we saw a ballet performance

That's me in the center. We sat in a kind of balcony section rich people in the movies sit in! And all that red is velvet!

Please for give me for all these exclamation points. One of the professors at the university said you should take 9 days after going somewhere to reflect on the experience to have a more objective view because as you can see, I fell in love with Kazan!

Tomorrow, the gripping conclusion!

Kapow, Kazan! : Tatarstan 101

So it's been a week and we have safely returned from our journey to Tatarstan. By the way, I am doing a bit of restructuring with my blog, so now anyone who would like to make a comment can. You don't need to be a fellow blogger to do so. Try and and see if it works! And to Sarah and Nicole, thanks for the comments!


Before I embark on an exhausting account of our experience, let's get acquainted with the Republic of Tatarstan, shall we? As we can see, Tatarstan is the area
just north of Samara Oblast. You can also clearly see the Volga River runs through the republic and works its way into Samara too. Now you remember that the Volga River is the longest river in Europe, right? Yes, I knew you did!

Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan. And as a republic, it seems to get a different position in the country, if not politically than at least culturally. Unlike Samara there is a "President" in Tatarstan, but it's more like "you say potato" because his job may not hold more political clout than the governor of Samara, but its pseudo independence has helped it build strong relations with other countries which I will talk about it a moment.

Kazan's population is 1.1 or 1.2 depending on who you talk to and is the largest city in the republic. The city recently celebrated it 1,000th anniversary this year. Historically it was attacked three times by Ivan the Terrible who most Tatar's still hate to this day. Tatar's adopted Islam into their culture long before Peter the Great got the idea to rid his country of any religion besides his own, so he too isn't well liked. Nowadays, the ratio of Greek Orthodox believers and Muslims is about 50/50 and after perestroika there was a strong movement to tolerate both religions in the republic. In fact, at the city's Kremlin, a gorgeous Mosque and pristine cathedral are walking distance apart.

I found there were also some aesthetic differences between Samara and Kazan as well. Since there is a large Muslim population, some Middle Eastern countries have been only too glad to support the little land by donating gifts of money to the capital. I am not sure if this is the key reason for Kazan's beauty, but it sure makes sad Samara look like a dump! Okay, I am going on a little tangent, care to join? The reason I write this is because where Kazan's money has helped develop the infrastructure, it seems Samara's money has gone right into the pockets of shrewd businessmen. One can not help but compare the two when in Kazan you see light colored buildings in blue, green and pink with white ornamental decor outlining them and in Samara it's one concrete box after another. It's not that I hate Samara, it's just that they got a bum deal after communism. In fact, it was such bad luck that right before Yeltsin took office, Samara was next in line for some major reconstructing. Poor Samara!

Hopefully, I got all my facts straight. Check me out tomorrow when I explain our first few days in Kazan...

snow sprinkling in Samara

If you have been keeping up with Jeremy's blog, I think he may have mentioned that he would be going to Penza, which is an 8 hour train ride from Samara. He left last night and won't be back until tomorrow morning. On such occasions alone, I always treat myself, so I bought a frozen pizza and some grapefruit juice. I also just finished taking a lovely bath ahhhh...

Today my Russian teacher Katya, whom I intend on devoting a whole post to some day soon, went to a large grocery store with me to help me figure out those questions marks still looming about certain food items. Mostly I was curious about certain ingredients needed to cook goodies at Christmas and what sausage was a good quality. Sausage is pretty big here. Anyway, I found Turkish bread by accident and a great dumpling I gorged myself on in Turkey too, Mantu. So now I have to find a good sauce recipe for it. Hmm seems like my blog these days might be making you hungry, sorry!

Afterwards we bought a few Russian pastries and bought some tea and chatted. We sat in a booth with a large window and in the middle of our conversation we both saw bits of white from the corner's of our eyes- snow! It was just a sprinkle, but it has become quite cold here now, so it was only a matter of time. Katya said after the first snow fall people say that in 40 days it should blanket the ground and stay put for the winter, so I guess we are almost guaranteed a white Christmas!

Before closing, I hope all my readers will go vote! I wish I could, but if you read Jeremy's last post, we didn't meet the deadline. I for one believe the whole voting system needs a major revamping! Anyway, if I can't do it, will you go in my place instead?

Piroshki and other bits

So I made my second from scratch Russian meal in Samara, Piroshki. What are they? Well from the name, maybe you can guess they are in a species with pierogies from Poland. Instead of pasta surrounding the filling, you use bread. My Russian teacher, Katya has generously loaned me her Russian cookbook full of pics to get me in the mood to cook. Katya translated 3 for me to start. I'll probably make the other two when we return from Kazan next week, but I couldn't wait that long for the piroshki. I've only heard of two restaurants in Samara worth eating at for authentic Russian fare and even at these places, it's better to get certain foods because others aren't worth leaving your kitchen to eat. One such food is pelmeni, a drool inducing dumpling and I have a feeling another might be piroshki. I suppose if you look hard enough you could buy yourself one, but I've had only one opportunity so far to see them in plain sight in public. Of course that opportunity I took with delicious results! So about the filling, meats are good, but potato and such is fine. I may tray a dessert fruit filling in the future...

Let me tell you about the ones I made. The recipe called for ground beef and sauteed onions, but I tweaked it a bit, adding yellow peppers and some garlic seasoning. They were nice, but these days meat can just taste like dead animal to me. I also made some with ham and Gouda, plus the onion and pepper. After making 7, I thought I would just freeze the rest of the dough and beef and I added the rest of the cheese to one last one. My presentation needs work, but here are the results.



My mom said she wants the recipe, so look for a recipe blog in the near future. I might just make a complete new site where I add in new recipes now and then. Of course it won't be as frequent as this one, but maybe it will encourage you to try your hand at Russian cuisine?



Extra things. Seeing Saddam and the whole sentencing thing is almost sad, not only because it is more like an afterthought to the chaotic and failing war we've been suckered into, but I hate thinking about anyone having some sort of right to another's life even if he was a big jerk. The whole thing just smells of a diversion to me. Anything to get off the wrong track. Let's see if life changes for the better in a few days...


Another bit. I found this pic today. It makes me super excited about the prospects of going to Turkey which may happen sooner than later since Jeremy's schedule is basically full for the rest of the year. I better write my Baba Blue and good friend Ahmet...There's a bakery nearby that has like a dozen different types of baklava, but I will only look until Christmas. A holiday is good excuse to have butter and sugar soaked pastry, right?

What a good cry can do...

That last post, boy, was I cranky. My mood wasn't so much about being waffle iron deprived but more about fatigue and analyzing what's happening these days. I have always been susceptible to a cranky mood in the evenings too. I guess everything came to a head. But after crying, I got myself a good night's sleep and I'm back to being sunny Jen-jen again.

I can hardly believe that it was just this past Tuesday when Halloween arrived in Samara. For some reason, it seems so far away. Actually that Tuesday Jeremy and I went to Yuri's university to be special judges for a Halloween skit contest. It was quite interesting to watch future English teachers acting like ghouls. Here are some pics

Sveta and us
Yuri, Sveta, Jeremy and Ira scaring the crap out of Yulia!


I'll post a bit more so very soon. Why? Because come Wed night, Jeremy and I will be leaving for Kazan for a whole week. Jeremy will have loads of presentations, but I get to do a few too! To make up for my absence, I'll try and write a new post each day before we leave.

Sudden Mood Swings in Samara

While most of my posts have fortunately been on the sun shiny side of life abroad, it should be expected that days will surface when fog is all one can see. The obvious strange version of culture shock I sometimes suffer has slipped in again. It's different than the first bout a month ago, but it still makes my brain buzz in a somewhat maddening way. I am sorry for this more unpleasant post, but after some thought, I believe it is also good to write about the hard days as much as the fun days being here in Russia.

A few weeks back Jeremy and I had dinner with Alison and her roommate, another fulbrighter, Dan. Dan mentioned that extroverts are more likely to be missing adequate levels of serotonin, so to make up for it we generate extra by way of our socializing. Introverts usually have a nice stable amount of the lovely chemical, less likely to endure roller coaster symptoms. It definitely made sense to Jeremy and myself. I wonder if that is what I am sitting in, my very own Baba Yaga butter churn flying high and low. To tell you the truth, I can't quite put my finger on why. One part of me is saying,"When the hell are you going to stay put, Jenevieve? I would really like to have my own waffle iron and a nice tube to punch out sugar cookies for Christmas!" And I lament, I understand this funny domestic woman living inside me. She wants a nice place full of color. She wants to cook new delights, but that woman (maybe her clock is ticking louder than the baby one!) will have to be muffled eventually. I suppose this disgruntled cook in me should have a chance to vent now and again. Maybe then she can keep quiet for awhile. But I am afraid if I dwell on her thoughts too much, I won't enjoy my time here.

And I have been, enjoying my time. This turn of events isn't like our others. There is no set schedule, no boss listening in on lessons, no finals to create and then destroy before some one gets their hands on a copy and sends it out into the internet. Maybe too much free time has bound me more closely into this introspective mode. I am sure I will wiggle my way out of it. Buddha says "all things change" and it's very true. This always gives me hope. Whatever has wrapped itself around me will have to let go. Life can return to normal for awhile. Such movement is constant.

Unscary Halloween Samara style

It's funny because I am probably celebrating Halloween more here in Russia than I have as a full fledged adult in the states. On Saturday, Jeremy, Alison (a fulbright scholar here) and myself hosted a party through our American Club. We did our best to get the word out, but sadly, the numbers have been dwindling and only 4 people not actually associated with organizing the club came. Jeremy had made a website for it saying there would be prizes for costumes, but guess who dressed up? Only me and Jeremy! What were we? I was Baba Yaga.

You can learn more by clicking on her name.

Jeremy was a demon. I will get you a pic of both of us when we actually take some.

Although the turnout was small, I think everyone had a good time with the games I prepared. Plus, we had a buttload of candy we ended up bringing home! I need to get rid of it fast before my clothes don't fit!

Tomorrow we will get to be judges for a Halloween party at the pedagogical university where Sveta and Yuri go. Actually, they are in charge of the whole deal. A bunch of students will be putting on scary skits and we get to pick the best ones along with some of the faculty at the school. It's really nice to be included in something for a change. I hope they like my outfit!

One last note- Yesterday Yuri and Sveta came over for dinner and a game of pinochle. Sveta told me about a Russian novel that is a notable piece of Russian literature from the last century. It's called The Master and Margarita. I think I'll ask for it for Christmas from Jeremy. I'm only mentioning it to you because the devil plays a significant role in the book- yikes!




W

Seven Days later in Samara

Sorry I haven't been blogging recently. To make it up to you, here is a picture called Morning Prayer by Nicholas Roerich. Roerich is a well known modern Russian painter who was deeply affected by Buddhism and the Himalayas, hence the mountains in the back and the praying dude. The artist couldn't paint enough of those mountains. In fact, he painted some he had only seen through meditation and you can actually find them in Tibet! Yuri took us to a museum here in Samara some time ago. Maybe I wrote about it...Anyway, one section is dedicated to this painter. It's funny because the first place we stayed when we came to Samara had two of his paintings which I instantly loved. I was so happy when I found out I could get my own prints of his work right here in Samara. Some are just fantastic enough to help lead me in a good direction with my book, which, by the way, I have written over 50 pages! Yeah, I need to start meditating more myself. I just feel like adding I love you all! I know my blog entries are usually more controlled than this, but today I am a little too tired to work for order! :)

For being so loving and understanding, here are two more works of art by Mr. Roerich...

Top secret in Samara

Last night, we finally got Yulia to come over for dinner. We wanted to begin to show our appreciation for her hard work and eating my spaghetti is a good way to say thank you. It was such a pleasant dinner that she wants to do it again, so I am very glad to hear this since I too would like to cook more for her and share some time talking with her. Usually, with Yulia, conversations, as Jeremy has mentioned, are not very linear because she is so darn busy, but last night we learned some interesting facts about Samara now and then.

Jeremy explained some points about Samara being a closed city during the span of the USSR a few weeks ago and I would like to add to it. Yulia told us about a time when she was in college where she saw this little sign on an announcement board to go to England. Turns out she passed the first step because no one else was actually "Russian." I think she meant they were Tartar or of other ethnicities since there are many in the Volga region. Anyway, the second part of the process was an interview with, you guessed it, the KGB. Those guys had her so scared telling her to never talk to anyone if she went and to not go out at night and to always go places with someone. They made England seem so scary, staying in Samara sounded like a better idea.

Another time she went to an English exhibition in Moscow. She was so excited because it would be the first time she thought she would get a chance to speak with foreigners. Imagine studying and teaching a language and never having a chance to practice with a native speaker because they can't come to your town! Anyway, when she got there, she got up the nerve to talk to a foreigner. She said it was like a 15 minute basic conversation about each other, very innocent. Ten minutes later a young man approached her and said she should never try such an act again if she wanted to be "safe!" Only certain people that had been okayed by the government were alllowed to converse with the foreigners at the exhibit.

Of course, we've all heard stories and seen movies about the omnipresent and intimidating KGB, but when you hear personal stories about them in the city you are lving in, it's just shocking!

Yulia explained to us why the position Jeremy holds as an English Language Fellow is so fantastic to Samara. It wasn't until after the fall of communism that such a person could even set foot in the city. So having anyone come to help teach the people about teaching methods and life in other countries is a treat for many people here. Maybe the younger students are less aware of this since they have lived most of their lives under "democracy", but the older ones, I think, feel lucky.

We also talked about the current political situation in Samara. This weekend people will vote for a new mayor and just down the street there was a debate two nights ago. Turns out politicians here are no different than at home. The Russians have a saying, "Do you pick the bad one or the worse one?" Sounds like a few sayings we have in the states!

Our Apartment!

So it's time for you to see the apartment, yes? Beforehand, I would like to just say I am sorry about my last post. I think it could be due to a little culture shock (it comes and goes, you know) on my part. I am sure all those people in the Italian restaurant are very nice people, but if I feel uncomfortable it can't be stopped, no?
Sorry for the ranting...

Now onto the good stuff. Let's start with the view you will see after you get past out two bolted doors, yes two!



Very narrow? To the left is a little coat area and a place to take off your shoes. This seems to be a common custom in all the countries we've been to, but this one also has a fridge. There's no room for it in our tiny but quaint kitchen!























To the right is our living room, and it lives up to its name; we do a lot of living here. You can't tell from the picture, but the couch curves in the corner for tons of room and the brown thing to the right is the entertainment center full of places to put books and stuff. While we are on the subject, most Russian apartments are furnished, some austere but luckily for us ours is quite homey.



One extra point I would like to make about our lovely living room. Do you see that kind of balcony to the right of Jeremy. It's a great place to escape for most Samarans lucky enough to have one. They put out plants or dry their clothes there, but for us it ends up being a useless room right now. Maybe we'll use it when the weather is nicer. If you have any ideas for it, let us know. Our only request is that the decorations would require little money since we don't want to invest too much in a place we may not be living in in nine months!

In the hall on the first left is the dolphin room aka toilet closet. We had one in Japan too. It's nice for isolating stinky smells!











The next door on the left is the bathroom. I am so happy to have a bathtub! Ok we don't get a sick for the room, but it's not a problem for us. As you can see, it doubles as a laundry room.













Opposite the bathroom is our bedroom. I am not too crazy about all the pink, but the bed is quite nice and there is plenty of space for clothes. We both get a little side table and would you take a look at that vanity! I've never had it so good! The main problem with this room is the curtains. I used to think the bows were too much, but then Jeremy said they looked like Zorak from Spaceghost, so they bother me less. Since they don't keep much light out though, it's tough to sleep since we are facing a very busy intersection complete with television billboards. Luckily we found out the landlady has no problem fixing them especially after hearing I wear an eye mask to bed every night and it only partially helps! By Monday, I think I'll be sleeping a bit more deeply!



Lastly, directly opposite of our door is our kitchen which I really love even if it is tiny. There is a seat that bends around the table which makes me think of my Aunt Pat's house although I don't know why...


So that's it. Wanna come and see it in person?

Steppin in Samara

On Saturday, my Russian teacher Katya took me to her all female gym. She had invited me last week and when she showed me the gym's schedule, I thought a step class might be fun since I have a few yoga and pilates dvd's with me. I really wanted to go just to experience a Russian fitness club, but I ended up in hell! The class was super tough. I forgot how uncoordinated I am so I couldn't keep up. I remember a step class I took a while back and I think the teacher took a bit more time to go through new steps with us, but this teacher was too pumped I think to care. We also didn't stretch enough so my calves are killing me two days later. Still, I am glad I went especially since I got to hang out with Katya. We talked about teaching and our lives a bit, so it was nice to connect to someone new too.

That night I had Jeremy take me out for dinner. We go out about once a week. It's a weird experience sometimes to go out especially at this one Italian place we like. Everyone there thinks they're hot shit or something. Sorry, but it is just weird to me. Some people in Korea would be like that at the nicer restuarnts, but in Korea everyone goes out to eat. There is a wide range of eateries and prices and people party out, not at home. Here most people are too poor to go out to eat more than once a year. I think the standard of living must be higher in a city like Samara, but it feels so strange to feel pretty rich especially since I want to stay down to earth and I am no good at thinking I am the shiznit!

Lost but almost warm

Last night I heard one of the most beautiful sounds to come out of Russia, the puddling pipes in our bedroom. The sound is quite like going up the chromatic scale of a xylophone or as Jeremy describes, putting packing tape on a box. The sound only meant one thing when it woke us around 4 this morning, heat is on its way! Actually Jeremy went over to the vents and could feel warm air, but by the time we got up, they had been shut off already. Like other towns in Russia, you have to wait to get your heat. Some mysterious place decides which neighborhoods get to negate the cold and which ones have to really add on layers to their outfits during the fall. And theories about when and where abound. I've heard everyone will have heat by the 15th or after 3 consecutive days of it being less than 55F. The latter has been proven false, but maybe 15 will be our lucky number. Universities already have air pumping through their classrooms and if you are lucky enough to get a seat on the tram close to the window you are now gauranteed warm feet! Actually I am really not complaining since we have surrendered ourselves to spending most of our time home in the living room where our 12 inch heat/fan we bought is able to reach the circumfrance of the room. Last night was a tease, but a hotter fate lies in store for us!

About the Lost reference, Jeremy went off to another town which I have a feeling he will write about on his blog today, while I stayed home. For a bit I just sat to knit and thought I'd watch a little Russian TV. Lucky for me, Lost was on, of course sadly dubbed over in Russia and it was an episode from last season, but I could catch some bits here and there. Pathetically those bits were "I'm sorry?" and "Yeah, I know." besides question words, but I knew it was stimulating a few brain cells!

Independence, ho!

So this week has been exceptionally good as far as getting over my culture shock by venturing out a lot more alone. Yesterday I had to go downtown for a little class I am teaching. Right now I am taking a class with Katya at Yulia's school. In return I said I would teach. So while Jeremy was at his training class, I had to navigate myself around Samara. Usually I depend on Jeremy since he is a human compass. For some reason, the downtown area is a maze and I can't find the cheese! So I took a map with me and got there without losing my way. Then I went to a supermarket (oh how interesting) and walked home all by myself. I don't think I could have done it two weeks ago and here's why- those Russians are always asking questions! Maybe it was easier in Japan and Korea. Obviously I was a foreigner, but here everyone thinks I know where such and such a place is or what time it is! If my Russian was great, ask away, but since I am still learning, it's a dead give away I'm not Russian when I widdle out "Ya Ne Zna Yu"- I don't know. Although it's kind of funny that they take me for Russian. I thought I stood out with my bright orange coat, but maybe not.

So where was I? Yes, independence! Then today I had to go downtown again for my Russian lesson. Jeremy was still ill, so sans Jeremy. It was nice to have Katya all to myself. She invited me to go to her gym's aerobics class this Sat- fun! Aftrwards I thought I'd survey a larger area and try to get my barings which went well. Confidence, ho! I was also looking for a winter coat. Luckily in Russia, all the second hand stores say,"Second Hand" in English! I found one candidate, but Katya mentioned in class there was a store a few tram stops after our apartment, so I walked around my neighborhood too until I found it. I am winter coat-less, but by tomorrow I should be quite snug which is a good thing since it's forcasted to snow on Sunday- ya!