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My Russian Trip
October 8, 2006
After a breakfast of yogurt, blini (pancakes) with honey or caviar, and juice, we went on a Russian picnic. The teachers from Natasha’s foreign language school, and their families, gathered at nine on Sunday morning. I wore my warm pants that are so comfortable when it is cold outside, a ski cap, and my parka. It was about 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was wet outside. Interestingly, when talking about the weather, they rarely say “wet,” but rather say “damp.” They had hired a bus to take us to a camp in the country. Everyone was already waiting at the bus when Natasha and I arrived. When we got on the bus, she told everyone who I was and explained that they needed to speak slowly and simply in Russian for me so that I might understand. I sat next to Alla who doesn’t speak English. We talked about our families and I pulled out the scrapbook that Nick and his mother had made for my trip. It was wonderful. The words in the scrapbook, called an album in Russian, are very simple and explain life in a typical American family. It gave me a starting place to talk with Alla.
The purpose of this picnic was threefold: to celebrate Teacher’s Day, do some team building for the school faculty, and relax with family and friends. On Teacher’s Day, observed October 5, students give their teachers gifts, usually fresh flowers, to recognize all the work the teachers do for their students. Every teacher had a bouquet on their desk that day. It’s a nice tradition. Russians are crazy about fresh flowers and flower shops and kiosks are located on almost every corner.
I found traveling through the country to be very interesting. It is autumn and they call it Golden Autumn after something the famous Russian author, Pushkin, wrote. The numerous birch trees have already turned a golden color since it is cold outside during the evening. The spruce and pine trees found behind them are a nice dark contrast to the light color of the birch.
When we arrived at the camp, similar to a Boy Scout camp, we put our belongings in a rustic dorm room. Then we followed our trainers to a large hall on the far side of the camp. Along the way the Russian squirrels, called Byelkie, came to the hands of those holding sunflower seeds. I learned why there are different words for seeds. If it is edible like in a cucumber or sunflower seed it is one thing, but if inedible like in a plum or grape, it is something else. Someone gave me some seeds and the Byelka posed for a picture while eating from my hand.
There were about 40 teachers present. The trainers divided us into two teams and one of the trainers took her group upstairs to do some activities. We stayed in the large hall and did things like Boy Scouts or their leaders do to team build. I was even asked to share a Boy Scout activity. I taught “The Knot” where everyone gathers in a tight group and takes the hand of two different people. Then, working as a team, they “untie” the knot without letting go of their hands.
After team building, we walked around camp while waiting for lunch at 2:00. I was getting hungry and was glad when 2:00 came around. We ate a cabbage salad, bread, soup with potatoes, chicken, apricot nectar, and scalloped potatoes. Potatoes are a staple here and I’ve had them at almost every meal. I drink mostly juice or water. However, after the cold weather today I understand why Russians like to warm up with coffee, tea, or spirits. To me, hot chocolate is a treat, and one day Natasha’s mother made me some since I do not drink the other drinks many Russians use to warm themselves or which are just part of the culture here.
I did not remember that I needed my bathing suit today since there is a pool at the camp. Therefore, I did not go swimming after lunch like so many of the teachers and their families did. I couldn’t even go into the pool area since I did not have the proper slippers to change into and I do not think they have bleachers there such as we have at our public pools. Several teachers asked me to take a walk with them. We walked and talked about the squirrels, birds, trees, and other things common in nature there. Their chickadees are bigger than ours and their crows are black and white. Both are noisy like their cousins here in America. One man asked if I’d like to sing along with him—he loves Elvis Presley. He produced a guitar and we had a sing-a-long, at least the Russians did. They sang Russian songs and folk songs.
I was able to show a children’s book about Alabama, along with Nick’s scrapbook, to teach a non-English-speaking office worker about life in our state. She found it difficult to pronounce Alabama. I hope she doesn’t feel badly about that. I have a lot of trouble with some Russian words.
We ate apples and drank juice for appetizers while we waited for our shashlik to be ready. Shashlik is meat on a stick grilled over a fire. They eat it with bread and ketsup. This was a very typical Russian gathering—shashlik, hot off the grill, wine or juice, and bread around a picnic table with family and friends. Again, the guitar player strummed out several tunes and everyone sang along. He even dedicated one to me—probably because it was slow and easy to understandJ My camera battery got exhausted during this picnic. As the sun went down and the food was gone, we cleaned up and prepared to return to board the bus. I rode home with Natasha, her husband, Valery, and her son, Andrey. Her son and husband had brought all the food in their car after our classes so we brought back the equipment and leftovers.
We arrived back home and sat down to watch “Ice Dancing with the Stars.” Sound familiar? While Natasha watched the news on television, I typed up this account of my day with Russian family and my new friends. I am known for my funny sayings and taking notes about things I am trying to learn. Tomorrow, I will visit public school number 19, go shopping, and have dinner with a co-worker at her house.
Спокойной ночи!October 9-10
Public School Number 19
For the last two days I have been visiting Public School Number 19 here in Omsk. According to Mitya (short for Dmitri, my 15 year old interpreter) 1000 students from grades 1-11 attend here. It didn’t seem like it. Perhaps if they were all high school age the halls would seem more crowded.
School is different in Russia in many ways. They call grade levels “forms”; instead of being in the first grade one would be in the first form. They do not begin public school until they are seven year old. Running in the classroom and in the halls is allowed. Everyone wears a school uniform at school #19, which they ordered at the beginning of the school year. Students share a desk—it is made for a pair so students always have someone to check their work. Bells sound at the end of the class period. Elementary school is similar to high school in that every period is the same length of time.
This school was also similar to American schools. Raise your hand and wait to be called upon to answer a question, listen to the teacher to know what is going on, do your homework and classwork, keep your hands to yourself, speak politely, and so forth. They have home economics and shop; however, only boys take shop and girls take home economics.
Math Classes
On Monday I observed math lessons in second and fourth grades. In second grade they were practicing the commutative principle. Every math problem was broken down so the tens could be counted. If the teacher gave two problems for them to practice the student sitting on the left worked that problem and the person on the right worked the other. She had students show the answer on the board then asked who had it right. Then, they celebrated with applause for those students who correctly did the problem. Then, a student from the other side showed how to do the other problem with the same directions. There was lots of celebrating.
The fourth grade did many operations in math. They used the commutative principal in solving problems (I looked on their papers). They can divide 22,350 by 76 and also multiply long numbers. They are working with congruent figures and looking at more and less problems (3<x<10) and applying this knowledge in solving math problems. They had their desks pushed together and worked in groups of four.
History
I was led to their history room. It serves as a conference room and a research room because the history of the school is stored there. There are many showcases along the walls with pictures and artifacts telling of the school’s history. The historian in charge is an older gentleman, who is very knowledgeable about things. He explained what everything meant. There is even one showcase devoted to an exchange student from Maine. The Russians are very proud of their school, city, region, and country. I have learned a lot about their long history while here.
Several teachers gathered at the conference table and asked me to explain about our program for the gifted and talented. They asked me questions and we exchanged ideas. Mitya was our translator. I need to write down a typical school schedule for them and explain some other methods used for teaching the gifted and talented in America.
I have found that switching from English to Russian is difficult sometimes. My speech patterns are becoming more Russian since I am speaking it so often and when I write in English I can’t remember how to phrase things. It’s really interesting.
Lunch in the School Cafeteria
We ate in the school’s cafeteria called столовая. The room isn’t anywhere near as large as ours. There is a “duty class” of high school students who come in and serve as waiters for the younger students and for each other. They buy lunch for the little ones and bring it to their table. Later they will take the students’ dirty dishes to the kitchen where the cafeteria ladies wash it for the next group. The lunch tables are square and wooden. The chairs are wooden stools and there are four per table. Teachers have special tables in cubbies and they have chairs with backs. If I remember correctly, these tables are round.
At Work
After lunch I went with Natasha to her boss’s office since she had a meeting there. I was left on my own and I wandered around the building to see what was there. It consists of offices and shops. There is a souvenir shop at the entrance. Next to it in a little room is a computer store. Upstairs I found several book stores and across from Natasha’s boss’s office is another one. One store smelled interesting so I went to see what they sell. It is full of oriental things and they were burning incense. Quiet, oriental music played in the background. Mostly there are books about the orient, but I could buy jewelry with Chinese symbols such as “peace,” “harmony,” and “love.”
I went and sat on one of the couches in the hall near the meeting room where Natasha was and began looking through my dictionary for certain words. No less than five people came up and asked me directions to rooms or for other information. That happened to my husband when he and I traveled to Russia before. He was just standing with us in line at the train station and people would ask him things. Of course, he had that “deer in the headlight look” when someone asked him something and they learned he wasn’t RussianJ I know I have had that look when someone speaks too quickly to me or uses words I don’t know here.
When Natasha came out of her meeting, her husband showed up. They know each other’s schedule and call each other on the cell phone often to arrange pickups. She called him to tell him she was ready. He takes her around town in their new Kia. He is so proud of that car and babies it. I guess men are the same everywhere. The first time I closed the car door he told me it wasn’t an old refrigerator that needs to have the door slammed shut. I am trying to remember to be gentle and tell myself it is a new refrigerator. We laugh about this. Russian men always joke to communicate—at least all the men do with whom I have spoken. My husband would be very comfortable with them—perhaps that is what all men have in commonJ
We then went to Natasha’s office and I was able to use the computer to write my blog and check my email. Her office is located within the school where she teaches. Actually, Natasha loves to teach but doesn’t do it as often as the other teachers. She is the director/principal of not only the classes near her office but of seven other schools located around town. I’m not sure how many teachers work there all together. It is a foreign language school and about 2000 students from age 5 to adult come and take classes there. There are also regular classes for students age 5-7, like a pre-kindergarten. Parents line the benches in the hall waiting for their little boys and girls. Ah, life is similar here in so many ways.
After Work
Natasha had to go teach and I went home with Rimma. We rode in a marshrootka, a van which runs on a specific route around town. People stand at marshrootka stops waiting for their ride. The van holds about 14 people if they are all sitting down. Sometimes it gets crowded and people stoop over waiting for a free spot when someone exits. It is inexpensive to travel this way. Rimma paid my fare which was about 10 rubles (30 cents).
Rimma lives on the outskirts of town with her husband, Sasha, daughter, Katya, and son, Pavel. The children are 18 and 21. Both are studying English at J&S where Natasha and Rimma are teachers.
Photo Albums
Photo albums tell the story here. Everyone has photo albums and whip them out to proudly show off their families. Katya traveled around Europe with her dance troupe. They were mostly in Germany and she is fluent in German and English. Both German and English are popular second languages here and used a lot. I can hear the influence of German pronunciation in their English speech sometimes. However, mostly one hears a British accent when speaking with an English-speaking Russian.
Languages
I find that although many people speak and understand English, they are a bit afraid of using it with me for fear they will say the wrong thing. Boy, can I relate. I am always confusing certain words and they have to stop and think what I’m trying to say. However, Mitya says that I am fluent and speak Russian very well. If I don’t know the “correct” way of saying something, if my vocabulary doesn’t stretch that far, I will explain myself another way. I do this in English for my own students. I have to use other phrases and vocabulary to get the point across so I guess it’s natural for me to apply this technique in Russian. If I didn’t, I’d always be asking someone to translate for me or I’d have my nose in my dictionary (I still use it a lot). Katya and Rimma speak English very well. Sasha says a few words. Pavel spoke to me a bit in English but left to go to his English lesson.
The Collector
Sasha collects antiques. He spoke to me in Russian and explained about his collection of irons. He has a machine which was the first mechanical calculator and also some old wooden boards, like paddles with waves. These were precursors to the metal iron. You would wrap your clothes around a 1” dowel and run this paddle over it to press the wrinkles out of clothes. He explained this in Russian. Talk about some new words! We got a little help from Rimma once. He also had a very large comb used to get the threads out of the linen plant so they could make material from it in olden times.
Dinner
For dinner, Katya prepared two salads. Salads in Russia are not lettuce salads. I have eaten many types and can’t even begin to explain what makes a salad a salad. However, I have one with almost every lunch and dinner. She also had two types of olives—another staple in the Russian diet. There were three types of bread on the table, again a staple in their diet. They had water for me, but wine was served along with vodka. I thought dinner was over and they brought out more The salads were what I would consider main course since they had chicken in one and both were filling. However, fish and potatoes followed. Fish is yet another staple in the diet here. My salad at school was calamari (squid for those of you who have never been to Dauphin Island nor ever eaten it). I have had several types of fish and it is served both raw and cooked. I thought only the Japanese ate sushi.
They love to eat cake. However, cake to them means like a type of pound cake. The word for cake is торт (torte). This type of cake has cream in it somehow. When I say torte in English I do not necessarily think of it like theirs. I guess I need to research tortes hereJ I think of layers of different fillings with cake of some type in between. Katya served a cake but they weren’t sure what I would call it. It seemed like a torte to me and I told them that’s what I would call it in English.
Housing
Everyone I’ve visited so far lives in an apartment. I have yet to visit anyone on the first floor and they do not have elevators. I wonder if I’ve lost weight from walking around town and climbing so many stairs. Rimma lives on the 4th floor. Every apartment has an entryway where you hang your coat and leave your shoes. No one wears shoes at home—only slippers. Sometimes, the host even has slippers for guests but usually you just wear your socks around. I like to go barefoot at Natasha’s house. It is usually warm inside. Buildings have central heating using hot water in radiators. I’m sure the top apartments where I live and visit are the warmest. I noticed that everyone opens a window to regulate their temperature. It has been a cold autumn here and they turned on the heat before I arrived. I bought really warm pajamas since I expected it to be cold. Instead, I sleep in the livingroom on the couch which doubles as a guest bed. It is probably 80-85 degrees in here. Good thing I brought my light jammies, old doctor scrubs. Life in an apartment is not very private and everyone lounges in their pajamas and robes since it’s warm. Too funny. In Alabama, we turn the heat way down and lounge in warm clothes in the winter.
Anyplace one lives here is called a дом (home). I explained what we use different names for different types of dwellings: apartments, bungalows, townhouses, duplexes, and so on.
Weather
It rained all night Sunday and we awoke to HUGE puddles on the streets. I said they are like seas. These puddles are still here even after two days. Monday night when we left Rimma’s apartment, it was drizzling outside. It had snowed earlier in the day and when we were riding in the marshrootka I noticed that the farther we got from the center of the city the more snow was sticking to the ground. However, it had disappeared by the time we left Rimma’s.
Everyday Life
The washing machine takes over an hour to run. We get home after 10 or 11 at night usually and I haven’t had time to wash clothes in the washing machine. No one has a dryer so if you wash it you need to calculate how long it will take to dry if washed by hand. My socks take about 24 hours. I’m sure pants will be that long as well. My underwear takes about 18 hours. So, every evening I try to wash something in the bathtub so I’ll have clean clothes to wear.
Clothes
Russians usually wear black shoes, black pants or blue jeans, and almost everyone wears turtlenecks and sweaters. Outside, warm coats are a must along with scarves and hats. Many people wear gloves as well. Boots are right now more a style than a need. Perhaps by the time I leave I’ll need my snow bootsJ So far, I wear sneakers due to my bad feet. Good golly! If I tried to wear the stiletto heels and the pointy toes so many women wear here I’d be crippled. The women usually dress very fashionably and are a pleasure to look at. I tried to dress very practically for me and stick out like a sore thumb. My white sneakers are really out of place here and my jacket doesn’t have a fur collar or a hood. It’s a bit sporty to be fashionable.
Back at School
Tuesday I started the day in a first grade Russian class. They were reviewing the letter “Р” which sounds like R in English. If there is a vowel before it or after it what does it sound like? They reviewed the colors of the rainbow in order by naming the first sound of the colors on cards secured with magnets to the left side of the board. When the teacher turned the card over each card had a letter on it. All together they spelled America. The middle of the board had a world map. They reviewed other things on the right side of the board and each card had a letter on it. When she turned it over the cards spelled Russia. Then, she gave several students a turn with the pointer and had the student come to the board and say five complete sentences, each with a fact about Russia. I think my Russian in many ways is on a first grade levelJ I understood everything the kids said.
Cross Culture
My next class had the children draw conclusions. Groups of children were instructed to read a passage about the sun and make a poster to include positives and negatives about the sun’s influence. How does the sun influence our health? What are the effects of sunspots? There were six in all. The children had to come up with conclusions on their own. The teacher explained that some lessons are based on inductive thinking and other deductive thinking. The children completed their assignments and presented their conclusions all within the 40 minute lesson. Before class started, I happened to see what the students were doing—having a snack. I asked if they were having some candy. A girl gave me her Snickers bar. After class I gave her a bag of candy and asked her to share it with her class for being so generous with me.
English Class
My third lesson was third grade English. The children asked me questions in English before class started. I showed them my photo album and told them about my family. The teacher used a method to draw the students in. She introduced a toy fox and the children asked him questions in English. Later, she gave a student a fox mask. The students counted down from ten and turned the boy into a fox. Great way to teach counting. Then, the students could ask the fox questions and he had to answer them correctly. It was a good way to check to see not only if the boy understood the question, but if the other students could form a question.
Next was a high school English class. I explained about our system of education in Alabama and then they asked a few questions. After class, Mitya gave me a tour of the school. He missed his favorite class, Russian literature, to do this. I’ve already explained about a lot of the school already but I did get to pop in on the singing club. The teacher showed up and she introduced her son who does the technical part of their performances. Unfortunately, there will not be any shows while I am in Omsk. Mitya speaks very respectfully of his teachers and is grateful for all they have taught him.
After School
After lunch in the cafeteria, Valery took me home and I had time to wash out a few things and take a nap. Mitya picked me up exactly at 6:00 pm as arranged and I walked to his house for dinner.
What a dinner. Russians are extremely hospitable to guests and Mitya’s mother had prepared a wonderful meal of fish, chicken, a vegetable tray, potatoes, and so much more. Mitya’s dad runs a newspaper and he arrived just as we were sitting down at the table. He wasn’t hungry and took their dog, Archie, for a walk. Archie is a very active Labrador Retriever. He’s as big as Scully will be—about 40 Kg. After we had some wonderful desserts of chocolate-covered marshmallow cakes and strawberry jam made by Mitya’s grandmother, Mitya and I went to his computer for some English practice. He taught me a lotJ He is fluent in English and explained about the web page he helps manage, computer and video games, Russian history, and some of his thoughts about life in general.
Mitya has a hedgehog collection. He reads Harry Potter and is looking forward to the release of the next book. He also reads The Lord of the Rings. I had a very pleasant evening with Mitya and his family. Mitya’s father walked Natasha and me back to her apartment at about 11 PM. It was cold, blowing, and snowing—I loved it.October 11-13
In The Country
We were going to visit a school in the country. I learned that not all schools require uniforms. We stopped at one public school on the way and two administrators who are friends of Natasha’s accompanied us to a small village in the country to visit the school there.
Roads
Roads outside the city do not have names or numbers like ours do. I asked how anyone knows how to get anywhere. Roads are named by where they go. For example, if one is going to Tomsk from Omsk, you take the Omsk-Tomsk road. There are not a lot of roads in the country.
Talk about a roller coaster ride. The roads are very bumpy. The car was airborne a lot. I felt a bit sore later in the evening and took some ibuprophen. There were not many other vehicles on the road. Mostly it’s trucks and buses traveling along the road.
Monastery
We stopped at a monastery since it was on the way. Our two friends wanted to go in and offer prayers. I later asked Mitya about it since he is of the Orthodox denomination. He explained that people light candles to offer prayers for the living, the dead, and themselves. One places a candle in front of an icon (picture of, for example, the Virgin Mary) and says a prayer. If it’s on the left of the alter it means one thing and something else if on the right. Women wear a hat or head covering of some sort to show respect in the church and men uncover their heads. This place was in the middle of nowhere but there was a steady stream of people. There were probably ten people who visited in the five minutes we were there. If there is no big church nearby, worshippers may stop at a chapel type building to pray. I have seen several of these around town in Omsk.
The VIP
We arrived at the school at the prescribed time and walked in the front door. Talk about rolling out the red carpet. The administrators were there, the English teacher, a tour guide to take us around the school, and every eye in the building watching us. We hung our coats up in the director’s/principal’s office and started the tour. This school does not require students to wear a uniform either.
The school is not just a school but a cultural center for the village. Meetings, concerts, and many other activities are held there. The building is huge. The halls are wide and it is laid out nicely. However, everyone wanted to get a look at me. We went to the school’s museum. What a fabulous collection of artifacts and information they had there. I learned how the ancients cooked, dressed, worked, and so much more. English students accompanied us. One girl, Sasha, served as our guide around the school. Another got to read information about all the artifacts and explain the history. They all did an excellent job. I presented the director with a book about Alabama for their collection. I needed to sign it. You would have thought I was signing the Gettysburg Address. Everyone watched me write and we all laughed about it. I was told I was the first foreigner to visit the village so it was a big deal. I hope I made a good impression.
We went all through the school. They have an auditorium with a stage and lights for concerts and performances of all sorts. Sasha said that although they don’t have a school choir there are many talented students who sing or play instruments there. The cafeteria had long tables with straight-backed chairs for all. It was about half of the size of our school’s cafeteria which still means it was pretty large compared to school #19. This school has over 600 students in a school built for 1000.
Class
I spoke with the 11th grade English class. I told them a little about myself and then asked if they had any questions. They asked such things as, “How do you like Russian cuisine?” “What courses are compulsory in America?” “What do you think of our village?” “What is your favorite book, movie, song?” I knew from my own experience speaking Russian that it’s best to speak slowly and simply. We talked for about an hour and I explained about girls liking to talk with their friends and boys liking to play video games. Incidentally, everyone has a cell phone here. I think I was more photographed in my few hours there than Scully has been, and that’s just with the cell phones. It was an enjoyable stay.
Lunch
We went to Looba’s for lunch. She speaks English very well and teaches English to all the students in the school grade 5-11. Again, red carpet treatment. While Nikolai, our drivers, Alla, Looba, and Natalia all gathered lunch in the kitchen, Natasha and I sat like queens in the living room. It’s cultural. I explained to them I felt strange that as a friend I should help get lunch. However, I also realized that as an honored guest it was better for me at that time to be waited upon. After lunch I helped take dishes in to the kitchenJ
Looba was up late the night before our arrival cooking. She taught at school all day then tutored seven private English lessons. We ate two types of salad, one with crab and corn and the other with peas. There was bread with salmon, potatoes and meat, olives, juice from apple trees from Looba’s own garden at her dacha (a plot of land outside the village for gardening), and again, so much more. For dessert we had chocolate candies and a strawberry torte.
Museums
I went to several museums. Mitya accompanied me to the Museum of Natural History. We were scheduled for an hour but spent most of it in the room where the stuffed animals are. I looked at my watch and realized our time was about up so we hurried on to other rooms. We used a bird feather quill and ink to write on paper. I used chalk to write on the old blackboard. Mitya admired my penmanship and said it was difficult for him to write English so nicely. This museum had artifacts similar to ones at the village museum and that Sasha has but the museum’s collection wasn’t as nice as either of their collections, in my opinion.
Rimma and Sasha took me to a folk festival. Salesman were selling handmade items such as matroshka dolls, carvings, paintings, batiks, quilts, and many other interesting items. A dance troop danced to accordion and tambourine music dressed in folk costumes.
We left there and proceeded to the art museum. Going up the stairs I noticed many nice pictures on the wall. Rimma explained these were done by children. Wow!! Good artists over here. I was impressed and wondered what adult work would be likeJ
Upstairs was a special exhibit of Japanese items such as bowls, sake sets, and ceremonial kimonos. It was wonderful. There was also an exhibit of Madonnas from ancient times. Of course, there were rooms full of paintings by wonderful artists. My favorite was a birch forest in autumn with a little cottage in it. Another favorite was a man sitting in traditional Russian clothes. There were many by unknown artists. I think my preference in art is realism and impressionism.
The Library--The town library is named for Pushkin. Natasha and I had a guide there. It is a huge building with many exhibits about Russian life. One reading room has tapestries about Russian culture. Another area was devoted to the Great Patriotic War (WWII). There is also a room devoted to America. It has flags decorating it, posters, and books so one can learn about America. I donated a book about Alabama.
The library seems more like a museum to me than a library. Often, the books were not visible and I think often the librarians help patrons find things. They have both a manual card catalog and one on computer. Books are filed by author and title alphabetically. German is an important language and they had a large room devoted to German books. Our guide didn’t understand that I wanted to get a library card. It only costs about a dollar and would be a great souvenir.
Presentations
I spoke to Natasha’s faculty about the program for the gifted and talented. I later spoke to the owners of her company about it. Everyone was very interested in how they might implement something similar there. They do not feel it would work in a public school since the state sets the curriculum for everyone. However, it would work at a private school. I gave them J.E. Williams erasers. They all noticed that I pronounce erasers differently from them. The British pronounce it with a “z” sound rather than an “s” sound. I also handed out candy corn since Halloween was coming up.
Later I had lunch with Natasha’s bosses at a fancy restaurant. We discussed the program for the gifted and talented and some characteristics are of the gifted. I explained some of the methods we use to identify the gifted in Alabama.
I also was present at a pedagogical conference at Omsk State University and got to be a part of Natasha’s presentation. Teachers had gathered from around the world to share ideas on teaching foreign languages and explaining about their foreign language programs. Those who used power point presentations were the easiest for me to follow. One lady, a retired teacher, thought Natasha’s presentation was the best and she is interested in starting a program similar to Natasha’s in her town.
I spoke to a lady who helps students work and study abroad. When we go to the beach every summer there are students from Russia and other countries working in supermarkets, shops, restaurants, and tourist attractions. She spoke of a real problem they have. Exams are given at the end of June and students really need to get to their posts at the end of May. Many directors will allow students to delay exams until their return or take them in May. However, many do not, causing a problem for the students. Many of the positions will be filled already or the stay will be too short to be truly profitable for them. I plucked up my courage and spoke to her and one of the heads of the department in Russian. They understood meJ
Russian Men
I have found that the men here are very mannerly, at least to women they know. Many men hold the door for me, help me put on my coat, carry my bag. Even Mitya, a teenager, does this without thinking. It’s natural.
Men here have a great sense of humor. They are always joking. I don’t always understand their jokes but they do explain so I’ll get it. We laugh here a lot.
Food
I had dinner at Nina and Leonid’s house. Again, she prepared a huge spread for me. People here are so gracious and kind to their guests and always roll out the red carpet. She served a Greek salad, a Ukrainian onion cutlet, Plove (a rice dish with carrots, onions, and meat from Uzbekistan), mushrooms with onions and sour creams, water, juice, wine, and vodka. Leonid gathered the mushrooms 40 days ago. He got her out of bed at midnight when he returned and she cleaned and salted them since they take 40 days to process to be safe to eat. I explained that we do not have many edible mushrooms growing in the wild in America and are taught to never eat them except from the grocery store. Here, it is very common to gather and eat them. However, not all may be eaten raw.
Tvarog is cottage cheese Russian style. They make it by letting milk turn sour then heating it on the stovetop for about 5 minutes. The curds and whey separate and the curds are the tvarog. They were shocked that we do not have something similar. It is found in so many foods. My favorite food so far is sirok, a chocolate covered cottage cheese flavored with something. I don’t think it’s really a candy but it sure seems like one. My favorite so far is flavored with coconut.
Circus
I went to the circus with Zhenya, one of Natasha’s students who is now at the university, and Ksyenia, a co-worker who was married last month on my birthday, September 1. The circus is normally for children and the place was full of them with their parents. There was a laser show, an announcer who said, “Ladies and gentlemen,” in Russian, trained cats, dogs, pigs, and sea lions, a clown, jugglers, acrobats, and a magician. The magician resembled Wormtongue in the movie The Lord of the Rings.
14 October
Important Day
According to folk lore, today is a big day. If any snow that has fallen melts, there will not be any winter for two more weeks. Sounds a lot like Groundhog Day to me. It was very sunny in the morning so I thought it would be true. However, I hope to see another snowfall before I leave on Wednesday.Wash Day
I needed to have some clean clothes so Natasha said we’d run the washing machine. We did whites last night. I had no idea where we would hang our clothes. I had seen places in other apartments where people do this but had no clue in Natasha’s. However, after the clothes were done, they pulled out a clothes line and stretched it through the front hall. She said that’s why they only do clothes at night usually. I hung up the laundry and was glad I had a flashlight for my nightly trip to the facilities. I could avoid the things hanging in front of me. Natasha said the clothes would be dry by morning. They were.Shopping
We went shopping at the mall today. The mall is not exactly like ours. One store will have many small kiosks set up in it. There are clerks at each display case ready to show you their products. Some specialize in small gifts and others sell cards, furniture, or clothing. However, just like our mall there are many different types of things available.
After the mall we went to the post office to get stamps. The line for stamps was very long so we went and looked for envelopes and postcards. You don’t go to a stationary shop to buy birthday and Christmas cards. There are kiosks around town where you can buy them. They are also available in the post office and in book stores. They are a lot cheaper than they are in America. However, they sell envelopes separately and the size and shape you need is not always available.
I was interested in gdjel, a type of ceramics from Russia. It is blue and white. The first store had some but another customer said we could find it elsewhere. I bought a few little things and we left to go to “Child’s World” where they have everything for children. Not only did they have toys, but books, furniture, clothes, and so much more. I purchased some things for my treasure box in my classroom, especially gdjel. The kids will find some of these things interesting.The Hockey Game
After we finished shopping, we hurried home to eat a quick dinner and get ready for the hockey game. Pat, a teacher at Natasha’s school from Oklahoma, was meeting us at the sports center so we didn’t want to be late. The sports center is just a five minute walk from Natasha’s house. We hurried down the street and I said it seemed like it was snowing a bit. By the time we arrived at the hockey game, it was snowing a bit harder and I hoped we would have some snow on the ground when we left.
Pat was waiting for us at the entrance and we went in and found our seats. Katya and her friend Lena were there. Katya is a 14 year old student of Natasha’s. She sat next to me and explained that her brother was also there but in a seat in another section. He plays hockey but broke his leg.
The game we were to see was the Omsk Avangard—The Hawks. They were playing the Moscow team. Katya told me that the Omsk team is the best in all of Europe and on the level of the NHL.
Hockey is hockey. However, there are some differences from what I have seen at our hockey games. The announcers speak Russian and the score is in Russian. The players have long, interesting names on their shirts. The crowd is louder than our crowds and wear mostly black. I learned the hard way that I could not bring my bottle of water which I purchased after the second period. The guard blocked my way and said I couldn’t take my bottle in. Pat and I weren’t sure what he meant but it was clear we couldn’t take that bottle in. Katya came to our rescue. She learned that we needed to drink out of a cup so she quickly went to a drink stand and purchased two large cups for us. We put our water in the cup and the guards were happy.
Probably the biggest difference for me was they have cheerleaders called dancers. After each period the girls changed into a different skimpy costume. They were interesting to watch. They appeared to be as good of athletes as the hockey players—just wearing less clothing. The girls moved during the entire game, never standing still.
We won the game 6-5. It was a lot of fun, and Natasha had learned I wasn’t kidding when I said that I enjoy hockey.
Unfortunately, it was drizzling when we left the sports center. There were a few flakes of snow mixed in but it was sloppy outside. Maybe I’ll be lucky and there’ll be some snow falling in the morning.