Today's been all about getting my things in order and getting ready to say goodbye. I've been stressed all day, wondering if my bags are going to fit, wondering if my plane's going to be late, wondering if I'm getting sick or if it's just Piter's terrible air... Added to that, when I went to pay for my room this morning Natalya and I spent about an hour on the phone arguing with the credit card company and whatnot--my credit card wouldn't go through! And I only have so many roubles left here. Eventually it cleared, but not until I busted out my driver's license and social security number. Then I crossed my fingers and hoped it would work later.
I headed down the the Aleksandr Nevsky Lavra, which is basically like... well, I don't know the Catholic equivalent, but it's the higest rank an Eastern Orthodox church can attain, and the outside was gorgeous. In the complex there were 4 different graveyards--one for military, one for scholars and priests, and two for more famous chaps. I only paid to go in one, and again I was amazed by the intricacy of Russian grave markers. Some had full-on mini-mausoleums, there was one fountain, and the sculptures were just incredible. Saw Dostoevsky's grave, that was pretty cool--there were even fresh flowers there, which made me strangely happy. Do people leave flowers on Mark Twain's grave back home? I'd like to find out. Then I walked up to Ploshad Vosstaniya, but not before agonizing over teapots and teacups at a Lomonosov Imperial Porcelain store. Still questing for Aunt Chrissie's teapot, and furthermore, I wanted to buy Masha something nice for her wedding. I don't really know what to get for her, but mom had suggested maybe a pair of nice teacups--fine china and then I could buy an identical one too, and say that whenever we drink from our cups we should think of one another. Finally I decided on some pretty white and silver numbers and stepped up to the cashier--only to be rejected. Mom didn't get my text messages and I frantically texted Curtis to wake her up. Thanks to him we got the ball rolling on the credit card company, but I had to meet Masha for lunch and gylyating, so I headed up to Chainaya Lozhka.
She brought Vova! Immediately I clammed up, and it took a long time for me to relax enough to speak decent Russian. We talked about lots of different things while we ate, and then decided to head towards the Summer Garden. By the time we reached Gostiniy Dvor' it started raining pretty intensely, and Masha asked if I had time to go to the Zoological museum. I thought about it, knowing now that I would have to go back and buy my tea things, then find someplace to leave them for her (I was already thinking Gerzen), and I sad no. I almost started crying when we said goodbye, especially because Vova produced a small little box, and Masha told me it was because she'd remembered my birthday was coming up. The generosity and friendliness of this girl are incredible! Finally we parted ways and I dashed off to Gerzen, where somehow I sweet-talked my way into the hotel and up to the 3rd floor. Very rudely I barged in on the current ACTR Pete's director and outlined my sad story, begging him to take care of my teapot. I think ACTR only employs the coolest people, because he and his Russian partner were more than happy to oblige. So then I had to go back down to Ploshad Aleksandra Nevskovo and make my way back to the tea store. And, can you believe it! My Peruvian friends were in line, purchasing a zoo of miniature porcelain animals. What are the chances!? We hugged and cheek-kissed again, talked a bit and after my credit card went through, said "See you tomorrow!" Part of me would love to stay the extra day just to see if it could possibly happen.
Now I'm almost back home--I have no idea how I'm going to fit everything into my suitcases, whether I'm carry-oning it or checking things (hopefully all the way) through. I can't wait to go to the bathroom and take a nice shower--but I think I'm meeting Susan & Co. for sushi dinner tonight, and of course I have to see Marina before I leave. Tomorrow, breakfast at 8 am so I can get to Pulkovo airport super early, and then hopefully on to Moscow, then New York. I can't wait to get home and see everyone--especially after the running around and rain all day, I'm ready to go home, stop worrying about travel an my dirty clothes, and relax.
Phew. I'll definitely miss this place, though.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
July 17, 2008 || Meet-up With Masha
Well, today started off as early as in camp--I just couldn't sleep past 8 am, and I was waiting for Aria to come blasting over the speakers. I got up and ate a wonderful breakfast of blini with my host and the Russian pair, who raved about Valaam (sad that I'm not going to be able to go--there's just not enough time!), while the Americans headed off early to finalize some things. Their 10-day wait got waived, so they'll be leaving tonight for Moscow. Oh memories!
I met Susan early at Nevskii Prospekt metro, and we headed to the Hermitage from its opening at 10 am 'til about 1:45pm. I saw quite a few things that I'd never seen before (Egyptian sarcophagi, early Islamic art), and revisited some of my old favorites (giant golden peacock clock, halls of French art). I texted Luka but we didn't see him at all inside--however, the Peruvians I sat next to on the airplane to SPB found ME! The friendlier one tapped me on the shoulder, pulled me in for a hug, and asked how my trip was. We exchanged pleasantries and moved on, but I thought it was pretty cool to randomly run into people in Russia.
We ate at a great little pie shop, definitely a local joint, and then I left to find Masha. It was so good to see her! She looks great, dyed her hair darker and is smiling all the time. We talked about lots of things, both of us have had exciting years--me with boxing and scuba (Jaclyn, you do such frightening things!), and working in the camps here, and her finishing school and getting married. I didn't know it until tonight (probably she explained to me before but I didn't understand) but she and Vova met while working at a Russian children's camp! What are the chances... we walked towards the Lavra, all the way off the map, and even saw where her old school was (I don't want to look at it anymore! I graduated, I don't have to come back!). We reminisced lots, and went to see the beach festival outside of Peter & Paul Fortress. Judging will be tomorrow, so I think I'll go back after I visit the lavra and a banya ... in just a few hours. When we exited the metro, I tried so hard to get her to speak English--she never does and I really wanted to hear her practice. I mean, she reads Danielle Steele novels in English, so her grammar must be pretty good. But she was so afraid of making mistakes she completely clammed up. I felt almost like I was watching myself last year--nowadays I don't really care if I make mistakes anymore--the more confident you are, the better you speak. But when you don't feel comfortable in a language, so much of you is lost--your sense of humor, the complexity of your thoughts, your spontaneous feelings and snap connections to culture, that you inevitably seem like a 2-dimensional person (I'm sure this contributes to why we view foreigners as "other" all the time). We wandered around some more, then met Susan and some of her friends for dinner. What a fun group of people! A Katya, a Yulia, and twins: Masha and Dasha. We ate at a traditional Russian place and shared all sorts of stories, mostly camp ones. Their English was all very good, and again, I don't think Masha had a great time because she was very shy about speaking English. Her voice changes too! I think everyone's voice does, between Russian and any other language. Russian invariably makes your voice drop.
Wandering around with a paket makes me feel more Russian--I was even told that I'd picked up a Russian "bad habit." Oh well, I'll take that. Tomorrow both Marina and Susan talked about going to Petergof, but I don't really want to kill a whole day there. Like I said, I plan on chilling at the Nevsky Lavra, then visiting a banya and the beach sculpture contest. Hopefully I'll see Masha again (I've got to think of something great for a wedding present, I really miss just being able to talk to her whenever like we do, about films and literature and life and dreams and, really, it's amazing what you can end up communicating even when you don't speak the same language), and then I think I'll try to see both Marina and her friends and Susan and her friends again. Sushi for dinner, drinks somewhere else.
Oh, before I forget! Fidel is closed, and Dacha, because of their building undergoing remont--except they're gone for good. Too bad, really--they're the only 2 bars I might have gone to alone, since I know them and they're so close (not to mention always filled with Americans). Then again, I'm content having wine with dinner and heading home to a shower, book, and bed.
I'm really such a homebody, all this night life is completely wasted on me.
Home in just a few days! It's getting to be time--you know how when it's time to go, you start to get ready for it? Well, I've been preparing for awhile, sorting all my dirty clothes into "junk" and "keep" piles, relishing the thought of chucking all my dirty tapochki and toiletries, hoping I can squeeze everything into carry-on (but considering how many souvenirs I have, between all my new sweatshirts and jackets and notebooks and bric-a-brac and CDs, I doubt that'll happen).
I met Susan early at Nevskii Prospekt metro, and we headed to the Hermitage from its opening at 10 am 'til about 1:45pm. I saw quite a few things that I'd never seen before (Egyptian sarcophagi, early Islamic art), and revisited some of my old favorites (giant golden peacock clock, halls of French art). I texted Luka but we didn't see him at all inside--however, the Peruvians I sat next to on the airplane to SPB found ME! The friendlier one tapped me on the shoulder, pulled me in for a hug, and asked how my trip was. We exchanged pleasantries and moved on, but I thought it was pretty cool to randomly run into people in Russia.
We ate at a great little pie shop, definitely a local joint, and then I left to find Masha. It was so good to see her! She looks great, dyed her hair darker and is smiling all the time. We talked about lots of things, both of us have had exciting years--me with boxing and scuba (Jaclyn, you do such frightening things!), and working in the camps here, and her finishing school and getting married. I didn't know it until tonight (probably she explained to me before but I didn't understand) but she and Vova met while working at a Russian children's camp! What are the chances... we walked towards the Lavra, all the way off the map, and even saw where her old school was (I don't want to look at it anymore! I graduated, I don't have to come back!). We reminisced lots, and went to see the beach festival outside of Peter & Paul Fortress. Judging will be tomorrow, so I think I'll go back after I visit the lavra and a banya ... in just a few hours. When we exited the metro, I tried so hard to get her to speak English--she never does and I really wanted to hear her practice. I mean, she reads Danielle Steele novels in English, so her grammar must be pretty good. But she was so afraid of making mistakes she completely clammed up. I felt almost like I was watching myself last year--nowadays I don't really care if I make mistakes anymore--the more confident you are, the better you speak. But when you don't feel comfortable in a language, so much of you is lost--your sense of humor, the complexity of your thoughts, your spontaneous feelings and snap connections to culture, that you inevitably seem like a 2-dimensional person (I'm sure this contributes to why we view foreigners as "other" all the time). We wandered around some more, then met Susan and some of her friends for dinner. What a fun group of people! A Katya, a Yulia, and twins: Masha and Dasha. We ate at a traditional Russian place and shared all sorts of stories, mostly camp ones. Their English was all very good, and again, I don't think Masha had a great time because she was very shy about speaking English. Her voice changes too! I think everyone's voice does, between Russian and any other language. Russian invariably makes your voice drop.
Wandering around with a paket makes me feel more Russian--I was even told that I'd picked up a Russian "bad habit." Oh well, I'll take that. Tomorrow both Marina and Susan talked about going to Petergof, but I don't really want to kill a whole day there. Like I said, I plan on chilling at the Nevsky Lavra, then visiting a banya and the beach sculpture contest. Hopefully I'll see Masha again (I've got to think of something great for a wedding present, I really miss just being able to talk to her whenever like we do, about films and literature and life and dreams and, really, it's amazing what you can end up communicating even when you don't speak the same language), and then I think I'll try to see both Marina and her friends and Susan and her friends again. Sushi for dinner, drinks somewhere else.
Oh, before I forget! Fidel is closed, and Dacha, because of their building undergoing remont--except they're gone for good. Too bad, really--they're the only 2 bars I might have gone to alone, since I know them and they're so close (not to mention always filled with Americans). Then again, I'm content having wine with dinner and heading home to a shower, book, and bed.
I'm really such a homebody, all this night life is completely wasted on me.
Home in just a few days! It's getting to be time--you know how when it's time to go, you start to get ready for it? Well, I've been preparing for awhile, sorting all my dirty clothes into "junk" and "keep" piles, relishing the thought of chucking all my dirty tapochki and toiletries, hoping I can squeeze everything into carry-on (but considering how many souvenirs I have, between all my new sweatshirts and jackets and notebooks and bric-a-brac and CDs, I doubt that'll happen).
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
July 15th, 2008 || Back at CafeMax
It's amazing what's changed here--and what hasn't.
Il Patio and the ArbatParfumerie on Nevsky have closed; but a BoscoSport has opened up. The road to the Technologicheskii Instityt and one side of Anichkov Most are under construction--and the Hotel across from CafeMax (itself in remont) is still under construction from last year. Signing on to AIM when trying to post is still a bad idea, even though I can't help myelf from talking to friends real time.
I have converted to preferring the Moscow metro, that's a new change. It's just so much bigger and prettier and, in a way, makes more sense. I like walking St. Petersburg, and that's pretty much all I've done today, stopping in at the shops I want to stop in at and meandering here and there--which also means I didn't actually make it to Yusopov Palace before it closed. Tomorrow I'm seeing Masha, and I might go to the Hermitage with Susan and maybe even Luka's group in the morning, we'll see. Then, hopefully I can convince Masha to walk down the the Lavra with me--I'm not really sure if monasteries and famous cemeteries are her thing, but there's no harm in trying. I'm really surprised she's free tomorrow--what with her wedding being this Saturday, I figured she'd be going crazy all the time until then.
I can't remember what I said, but my apartment situation is great. I'm right behind Apraskin Dvor, and accidentally wandered to Samovar (the restaurant we would eat lunch at every day last year) while exploring. We're 5 minutes from Sennaya Ploshchad, 10 from Gostiniy Dvor, and maybe 15 from Kazanskii Sobor, Gerzen. Last night it rained prett hard--I'm used to it raining in Piter every day, or even every hour, but nothing heavy or lasting longer than 20 minutes. I sat in Zoom Cafe (a great little place that I'll probably go back to tonight to write in) for over an hour, waiting for it to clear up--then gave up and started walking in the rain anyway, since it was almost 11. The lightning was intense, cracking the sky in half right over the Admiralty spire,and the water in all the canals was constatntly being beaten, looking for all the world like crumpled aluminum. For dinner, since the kitchen was closed, I had apple pie and ice cream--a dead giveaway to my server that I was an American. It was alllllllllmost as good as Nana's--but for this side of the planet, that made it taste pretty fantastic.
Today I had breakfast with Natalya and the American couple staying with us. It was chilly, so I wore my new UGeorgia hoodie to breakfast, and the lady looks up and goes, "I went to Georgia for grad school!" What are the chances? They ate pretty sparsely, probably because they were nervous--today is their day in court. They're adopting a little boy from a Petersburg orphanage, and after finding that out, again we had plenty to talk about. I remember being amazed by all of the things they're now experiencing--the gift giving, the bureaucracy, the initial fear of the strange city, being amused at the way the caretakers call the kids "inmates..." I felt myself getting nervous and excited for them. Also, being from Boston and very proper they remind me of the smart couple from Idiocracy.
Looking for jeans and doing some souvenir shopping--afraid I'm going to strike out on the teapot this time, but jeans are looking up. I'm going to come home with a completely messed up sense of fashion and probably some bizarre clothes. Also, what's up with these sizes?? Apparently Americans do that different too? I can't figure out if Italian and French sizes are different, or if Russian ones are different from those, or if they use centimeters measurements or what... I could be anywhere from a 32 to a 50, depending on what tag I'm looking at.
Alright, I think I'm going to go gylyat' a little more, and if it's not too late, buy some flowers to take and see Marina Nikolaevna. I wonder if she's got another student this summer...
Il Patio and the ArbatParfumerie on Nevsky have closed; but a BoscoSport has opened up. The road to the Technologicheskii Instityt and one side of Anichkov Most are under construction--and the Hotel across from CafeMax (itself in remont) is still under construction from last year. Signing on to AIM when trying to post is still a bad idea, even though I can't help myelf from talking to friends real time.
I have converted to preferring the Moscow metro, that's a new change. It's just so much bigger and prettier and, in a way, makes more sense. I like walking St. Petersburg, and that's pretty much all I've done today, stopping in at the shops I want to stop in at and meandering here and there--which also means I didn't actually make it to Yusopov Palace before it closed. Tomorrow I'm seeing Masha, and I might go to the Hermitage with Susan and maybe even Luka's group in the morning, we'll see. Then, hopefully I can convince Masha to walk down the the Lavra with me--I'm not really sure if monasteries and famous cemeteries are her thing, but there's no harm in trying. I'm really surprised she's free tomorrow--what with her wedding being this Saturday, I figured she'd be going crazy all the time until then.
I can't remember what I said, but my apartment situation is great. I'm right behind Apraskin Dvor, and accidentally wandered to Samovar (the restaurant we would eat lunch at every day last year) while exploring. We're 5 minutes from Sennaya Ploshchad, 10 from Gostiniy Dvor, and maybe 15 from Kazanskii Sobor, Gerzen. Last night it rained prett hard--I'm used to it raining in Piter every day, or even every hour, but nothing heavy or lasting longer than 20 minutes. I sat in Zoom Cafe (a great little place that I'll probably go back to tonight to write in) for over an hour, waiting for it to clear up--then gave up and started walking in the rain anyway, since it was almost 11. The lightning was intense, cracking the sky in half right over the Admiralty spire,and the water in all the canals was constatntly being beaten, looking for all the world like crumpled aluminum. For dinner, since the kitchen was closed, I had apple pie and ice cream--a dead giveaway to my server that I was an American. It was alllllllllmost as good as Nana's--but for this side of the planet, that made it taste pretty fantastic.
Today I had breakfast with Natalya and the American couple staying with us. It was chilly, so I wore my new UGeorgia hoodie to breakfast, and the lady looks up and goes, "I went to Georgia for grad school!" What are the chances? They ate pretty sparsely, probably because they were nervous--today is their day in court. They're adopting a little boy from a Petersburg orphanage, and after finding that out, again we had plenty to talk about. I remember being amazed by all of the things they're now experiencing--the gift giving, the bureaucracy, the initial fear of the strange city, being amused at the way the caretakers call the kids "inmates..." I felt myself getting nervous and excited for them. Also, being from Boston and very proper they remind me of the smart couple from Idiocracy.
Looking for jeans and doing some souvenir shopping--afraid I'm going to strike out on the teapot this time, but jeans are looking up. I'm going to come home with a completely messed up sense of fashion and probably some bizarre clothes. Also, what's up with these sizes?? Apparently Americans do that different too? I can't figure out if Italian and French sizes are different, or if Russian ones are different from those, or if they use centimeters measurements or what... I could be anywhere from a 32 to a 50, depending on what tag I'm looking at.
Alright, I think I'm going to go gylyat' a little more, and if it's not too late, buy some flowers to take and see Marina Nikolaevna. I wonder if she's got another student this summer...
Monday, July 14, 2008
July 14, 2008 || First Day Back in Peter
Absolute bullocks. I had a super long post for today and apparently the website decides to be ultra lame and not auto save AT ALL while I'm writing? Bah.
Here's the short:
Last day at camp, last night at Olya's... gonna miss her and owe her so much.
CCUSA was great at taking us around Moscow--we did so much and the weather was great, I really actually started to like the fickle beast.
--> Tretyakov, Izmailovskii Rynok, Georgian food, Chris's apartment/wanting to BE Chris when I graduate, banya-searching, almost calling every friend at home at 4 am EST from CCUSA's phones 'cause I COULD, playground playing, staying up way too late every night, dyrak with friends, morning tour of VDNX, taking pictures with Thai tourists...
CCUSA rocked at getting us to our airports--Max sat and had coffee with me while waiting for my checkin to open, then went to double-check on Kirby. CCUSA pretty much rocks. Especially Xenia and Valery. My plane got delayed 5 hours. Made friends with some Russians, a Swede, an Italian tour guide (might be tagging along with his group to go see the Hermitage, maybe Gatchina or Petergof or something, as well as finding non-Il Patio Italian food). Finally arrived, love my 'mini-hotel.'
Plans: Up in the air, whatever I want. On my schedule: BIG WANTS Valaam, Nevsky Lavra, jazz boat cruise MUST SEE Marina Nikolaevna, Marina from Moscow, Susan, Masha. Anything else that comes my way, I'm game. And I'll be taking serious notes so I can actually send some kick ass info to the Rough Guide guys this time.
Missing the CCUSA kids (probably still in the air right now) terribly. It's one thing to think you won't see your camp kids ever again, but some of these guys became like best friends.
Need: SLEEP. Running on an average of 1.5 hours a night for the past few days. Poshla!
Here's the short:
Last day at camp, last night at Olya's... gonna miss her and owe her so much.
CCUSA was great at taking us around Moscow--we did so much and the weather was great, I really actually started to like the fickle beast.
--> Tretyakov, Izmailovskii Rynok, Georgian food, Chris's apartment/wanting to BE Chris when I graduate, banya-searching, almost calling every friend at home at 4 am EST from CCUSA's phones 'cause I COULD, playground playing, staying up way too late every night, dyrak with friends, morning tour of VDNX, taking pictures with Thai tourists...
CCUSA rocked at getting us to our airports--Max sat and had coffee with me while waiting for my checkin to open, then went to double-check on Kirby. CCUSA pretty much rocks. Especially Xenia and Valery. My plane got delayed 5 hours. Made friends with some Russians, a Swede, an Italian tour guide (might be tagging along with his group to go see the Hermitage, maybe Gatchina or Petergof or something, as well as finding non-Il Patio Italian food). Finally arrived, love my 'mini-hotel.'
Plans: Up in the air, whatever I want. On my schedule: BIG WANTS Valaam, Nevsky Lavra, jazz boat cruise MUST SEE Marina Nikolaevna, Marina from Moscow, Susan, Masha. Anything else that comes my way, I'm game. And I'll be taking serious notes so I can actually send some kick ass info to the Rough Guide guys this time.
Missing the CCUSA kids (probably still in the air right now) terribly. It's one thing to think you won't see your camp kids ever again, but some of these guys became like best friends.
Need: SLEEP. Running on an average of 1.5 hours a night for the past few days. Poshla!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
July 10, 2008 || Hedgehog Day, Second Smena
We're back at camp, and man, it feels different... all of our kids are gone (only 4 returned out of the whooooole bunch for this smena), a lot of the counselors are different, the instructors are different, and we leave on Friday.
It's been tough--we feel even more like we don't have a role here, and that we're only punching the clock until we leave. It's not easy to get involved when 1) you know you're leaving in less than a few days and 2) you don't want to get super close to the kids, since you know how much it might hurt when you leave them (and anyways, no matter how hard you try, chances are you won't be able to get that close to them in the end). I feel like we've been spending much more time with the staff and counselors, and even in the computer room--I've been tying up some lose ends on my trip to St. Petersburg instead of posting on here (then again, there's not that much to post).
The first day was just move-in. This time we're living in Carolina, on the highest floor, which is a bit like the attic. There's 6 of us there--me, Desiree, Olga our helper, Lera, Nastya (a new Nastya), and Vika. Vika has become probably our closest friend up there; she's a photographer and not a counselor this time around, so we look through her pictures and spend more free time with her.
The second day we performed our opening show (last time, for Japan we did a fan dance and tea ceremony). This time, I'm a mime and Desiree's a can-can dancer. The shows were kind of slapdash, and both Desiree and I aren't as good this time around, since no one's taking the time to translate everything into English for us (new dance leader, new theater instructor). Oh well. The make-up alone is worth seeing the pictures. Also, Lera made me wear a pair of her black pants instead of Olga's and my god, I didn't know I could even walk in pants that tight. Sally forth, carry on, all that rot. Yesterday was linyayka too, so I went to that and then got invited to watch Natasha's group practice their dance and go to their svechka, and after I stayed in Natasha's room and just talked with her and red Nadya, Katya, Leilya, and whoever else wandered in. When Desiree came we started Skip-Bo (Alyona, a girl who we had let borrow it, got it taken away from her for not sleeping), but planyorka got in the way and we went to bed.
Today was the most eventful day so far, and the real reason I'm on writing.
In the middle of the night, I heard what sounded like someone unpacking right next to my bed. I sat up and looked around--there rummaging through the clothes I had left on top of my duffel bag was a big dark shape, hunched low like a rat. I must have screamed a little, 'cause it ran off along the wall, snuffling all the way, and crawled into a long box lying a ways away. In there, it kept crawling around and rubbing its claws and body on the cardboard, so Desiree woke up, and I told her there was an animal in the room. She didn't quite understand, thought he was in the pipes, but when I finally got her to understand, we both jumped up and started with the "What do we dos?!" We ran all the way downstairs, and even outside, to see if anyone was up--I hadn't bothered to look at my watch, turns out it was around 5 am. When we got back upstairs, Lera heard the animal and looked at us--I tried to tell her there was an animal in the room, but she just rolled back over and went to bed after giving us a glare. Vika woke up too, and we explained to her what had happened. She understood and while we were moving our clothes off the floor she picked up her shoes too, but after we frantically tried to block the box with something heavy, she decided there was nothing we could do 'till morning and we should try to get back to sleep. We did try... well, I finished my book first, and then I lay coiled around my camera, afraid now that if the animal left during the night no one would believe me--I was the only one who had seen it. Everytime it moved, which was often, I would snap up and get ready for a picture, until it calmed down and seemed to go to sleep. I had some fitful dreams--one where it was the rat from "The Great Mouse Detective" and one where it was a tiger cub crawled into our room.
When it was time for lunch, we could still here it, but we went to breakfast. I really don't have all the words for explaining how a mouse or rat or something is in my room (but I do know the words for shooting range, sword-fighting, joint and belay... it's interesting how our vocabularies evolve), but between 2 Russians who could speak English, one American who can speak Russian, one Russian who understands gestures well, and one American who makes gestures well, we got the general idea across--and the verdict was, wait for Sveta or Taras to wake up and tell them.
We reluctantly returned to our room and pulled our feet up from the floor on our beds to wait, me writing a letter, Desiree reading her book. Katya brought breakfast for Olga, and excitedly our room related to her the story of our mouse/rat and how food might be a bad idea. She started laughing and asked where the rat was. We pointed to the box and she walked right over to it and looked inside. In Russian, she told us who she had caught a hedgehog yesterday and then decided to play a joke on us by letting it into our room--she shook the box until the little guy fell out, and sure enough, a scared little hedgehog started running across our floor.
Thank GOD is all I've got to say--for some reason, I'm much more okay with having a hedgehog relaxing on yesterday's jeans than a rat. He really was quite cute, too--of course we had to chase him around the room and catch him again.
Annnnd the whole shtab just started laughing as I told Katya all about how Desiree and I ran outside and how I slept with my camera all night.
Pretty damn good pratical joke, if you ask me (now that I've had a 2-hour nap and put away all my clothes).
As for the rest of today... our performance again, maybe attending a few Karolina lessons or Robin Hood lessons, and then going to bed, starting to pack up. We leave tomorrow evening (so late that we probably won't be able to see Marina do her fire show performance, as we'd been hoping), and probably after the disco has already begun--but we didn't bring any nice clothes whatsoever, so chances are Desiree and I won't be going to disco, one more night at Olga's house--hopefully with more laundry being done--and then back to the hotel on Saturday. Our plans with the group seem to be a river cruise (been there, done that) and then souvenir shopping at Izmailovsky. Marina and Anya told us about a free open-air concert at VDNX park, right near our hotel, so we're going to try to get the group to go to that Saturday night, and then who knows what we'll do on Sunday while they're river-cruising.
Then, well, off to St. Petersburg--I can't wait! Marina even said she'll try to get tickets and meet me up there with her friend (another Marina) so it could end up being even more fun than I originally thought, though I plan on logging some serious hours with a big cup of tea and my journal in some park or cafe somewhere.
It's been tough--we feel even more like we don't have a role here, and that we're only punching the clock until we leave. It's not easy to get involved when 1) you know you're leaving in less than a few days and 2) you don't want to get super close to the kids, since you know how much it might hurt when you leave them (and anyways, no matter how hard you try, chances are you won't be able to get that close to them in the end). I feel like we've been spending much more time with the staff and counselors, and even in the computer room--I've been tying up some lose ends on my trip to St. Petersburg instead of posting on here (then again, there's not that much to post).
The first day was just move-in. This time we're living in Carolina, on the highest floor, which is a bit like the attic. There's 6 of us there--me, Desiree, Olga our helper, Lera, Nastya (a new Nastya), and Vika. Vika has become probably our closest friend up there; she's a photographer and not a counselor this time around, so we look through her pictures and spend more free time with her.
The second day we performed our opening show (last time, for Japan we did a fan dance and tea ceremony). This time, I'm a mime and Desiree's a can-can dancer. The shows were kind of slapdash, and both Desiree and I aren't as good this time around, since no one's taking the time to translate everything into English for us (new dance leader, new theater instructor). Oh well. The make-up alone is worth seeing the pictures. Also, Lera made me wear a pair of her black pants instead of Olga's and my god, I didn't know I could even walk in pants that tight. Sally forth, carry on, all that rot. Yesterday was linyayka too, so I went to that and then got invited to watch Natasha's group practice their dance and go to their svechka, and after I stayed in Natasha's room and just talked with her and red Nadya, Katya, Leilya, and whoever else wandered in. When Desiree came we started Skip-Bo (Alyona, a girl who we had let borrow it, got it taken away from her for not sleeping), but planyorka got in the way and we went to bed.
Today was the most eventful day so far, and the real reason I'm on writing.
In the middle of the night, I heard what sounded like someone unpacking right next to my bed. I sat up and looked around--there rummaging through the clothes I had left on top of my duffel bag was a big dark shape, hunched low like a rat. I must have screamed a little, 'cause it ran off along the wall, snuffling all the way, and crawled into a long box lying a ways away. In there, it kept crawling around and rubbing its claws and body on the cardboard, so Desiree woke up, and I told her there was an animal in the room. She didn't quite understand, thought he was in the pipes, but when I finally got her to understand, we both jumped up and started with the "What do we dos?!" We ran all the way downstairs, and even outside, to see if anyone was up--I hadn't bothered to look at my watch, turns out it was around 5 am. When we got back upstairs, Lera heard the animal and looked at us--I tried to tell her there was an animal in the room, but she just rolled back over and went to bed after giving us a glare. Vika woke up too, and we explained to her what had happened. She understood and while we were moving our clothes off the floor she picked up her shoes too, but after we frantically tried to block the box with something heavy, she decided there was nothing we could do 'till morning and we should try to get back to sleep. We did try... well, I finished my book first, and then I lay coiled around my camera, afraid now that if the animal left during the night no one would believe me--I was the only one who had seen it. Everytime it moved, which was often, I would snap up and get ready for a picture, until it calmed down and seemed to go to sleep. I had some fitful dreams--one where it was the rat from "The Great Mouse Detective" and one where it was a tiger cub crawled into our room.
When it was time for lunch, we could still here it, but we went to breakfast. I really don't have all the words for explaining how a mouse or rat or something is in my room (but I do know the words for shooting range, sword-fighting, joint and belay... it's interesting how our vocabularies evolve), but between 2 Russians who could speak English, one American who can speak Russian, one Russian who understands gestures well, and one American who makes gestures well, we got the general idea across--and the verdict was, wait for Sveta or Taras to wake up and tell them.
We reluctantly returned to our room and pulled our feet up from the floor on our beds to wait, me writing a letter, Desiree reading her book. Katya brought breakfast for Olga, and excitedly our room related to her the story of our mouse/rat and how food might be a bad idea. She started laughing and asked where the rat was. We pointed to the box and she walked right over to it and looked inside. In Russian, she told us who she had caught a hedgehog yesterday and then decided to play a joke on us by letting it into our room--she shook the box until the little guy fell out, and sure enough, a scared little hedgehog started running across our floor.
Thank GOD is all I've got to say--for some reason, I'm much more okay with having a hedgehog relaxing on yesterday's jeans than a rat. He really was quite cute, too--of course we had to chase him around the room and catch him again.
Annnnd the whole shtab just started laughing as I told Katya all about how Desiree and I ran outside and how I slept with my camera all night.
Pretty damn good pratical joke, if you ask me (now that I've had a 2-hour nap and put away all my clothes).
As for the rest of today... our performance again, maybe attending a few Karolina lessons or Robin Hood lessons, and then going to bed, starting to pack up. We leave tomorrow evening (so late that we probably won't be able to see Marina do her fire show performance, as we'd been hoping), and probably after the disco has already begun--but we didn't bring any nice clothes whatsoever, so chances are Desiree and I won't be going to disco, one more night at Olga's house--hopefully with more laundry being done--and then back to the hotel on Saturday. Our plans with the group seem to be a river cruise (been there, done that) and then souvenir shopping at Izmailovsky. Marina and Anya told us about a free open-air concert at VDNX park, right near our hotel, so we're going to try to get the group to go to that Saturday night, and then who knows what we'll do on Sunday while they're river-cruising.
Then, well, off to St. Petersburg--I can't wait! Marina even said she'll try to get tickets and meet me up there with her friend (another Marina) so it could end up being even more fun than I originally thought, though I plan on logging some serious hours with a big cup of tea and my journal in some park or cafe somewhere.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
July 5th, 2008 Attempt the First || Saying Goodbye to Our Kids
This is what I saved the first time I was writing, while the buses full of kids were idling at the gates. I actually can't remember what was there and again have almost no time here (have to go practice miming) so I'll just paste and peace:
Well, today's the last day of camp.
Desiree and I have ended up in the staff headquarters, and just now I can hear the buses finally pulling away. It was getting a bit too painful.. the last 45 minutes we spent walking up and down the line of buses, helping small children lift their bags into the hold, saying Goodbyes in English, Russian, and Japanese, taking pictures, giving hugs, handing out our e-mail addresses, talking a bit where we could... Heck, I even signed some boy's arm (God help me, I will never be able to remember everyone's name).
I never like saying goodbye, but it's ten times harder when you know almost beyond a doubt that you're never going to see the person again. And even e-mail--what a fragile thread connecting two people across continents, oceans, cultures. I'll certainly never forget their faces or my memories, but I wish I could keep them constant in my life.
I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to write. I feel very full, but also strangely empty. My emotions have reached a stalemate with one another--happy to have met, sad to be leaving.
What did I write on my memory square in grade school? "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened." I'm going to try to do that. And instead of listening to my warbling ramblings, I'll tell you what we did last night.
In full, we prepared all day for our evening performance. I can't tell you how many times I sang "Old McDonald" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Around 5:30 everyone gathered in the hall and we gave out awards to the groups who had the best performances, the best dance, and so on. Some groups performed new skits--our group, Pervui Otryad, Dobrii Zhyk, reenacted our poxod on stage while Tolya played his guitar--right down to Natasha holding her wet jeans over the fire (she had fallen in the shallow water climbing out of a canoe). "The Beatles"--that is, Gleb, Pasha, and two other boys from the Tretii Otryad--performed "Yesterday" in both English and Russian. They dedicated it to their counselors and us, who were "very kind and... and... pretty!" That's a pretty darn sad song to begin with, and after that, Desi and I almost started crying. After the Beatles, Sveta announced that it was a big holiday in America, and the entire hall congratulated us, and we launched into "Old McDomald." We had ducks, pigs, goats, cats, and a breakdancing farmer. Next, "My Country 'Tis of Thee" with Vika, Alyona, and Anton, and then the American national anthem. They brought a big American flag on stage, and then when we sang "Rossiya--Maya Zvezda" and the national anthem it was joined by a Russian flag. Our "Lanterns of Friendship" song made another appearance and we all peaced to get ready for the campfire.
Out at the big meeting spot by the shooting range, we all sat together and sang a few songs, then eagerly awaited the arrival of Robin Hood. Misha was in his element--I swear, he's never slouched in his life and is made for the "I'm gazing out over you from a platitude of legendary righteousness" role. The kids had assembled a puzzle of a castle, and presented him with the gift of a new "home." Misha declined, saying his home was in the woods, but he would visit his friends often--and then! Trumpet fanfare, and Richard the Lionheart had returned, bringing with him his friends from war. In celebration, Misha took a flaming arrow and lit our giant bonfire. More singing, dancing, etc.
Then came my favorite part of the night--everyone was given a string necklace, and at the bottom of it was tied a bundle of yarn, loosely so you could pull out little threads of it. Each group had a different color. When it was time, you went around and found people who were special and important to you, and tied a little piece of your yarn on their necklace. While doing so, of course (in true Russian fashion), you wished them good things and told them what you thought of them. Luck, happiness, friendship, and health were the most common; I thought it was funny to get wishes for "feminine happiness--like mama, babies!" and really liked the "I wish... that I will see you again"s. By the end, everyone had a multi-colored necklace and high self-esteem,
.....and it was a really wonderful beautiful tradition. Maybe more on that later. Bye!
Well, today's the last day of camp.
Desiree and I have ended up in the staff headquarters, and just now I can hear the buses finally pulling away. It was getting a bit too painful.. the last 45 minutes we spent walking up and down the line of buses, helping small children lift their bags into the hold, saying Goodbyes in English, Russian, and Japanese, taking pictures, giving hugs, handing out our e-mail addresses, talking a bit where we could... Heck, I even signed some boy's arm (God help me, I will never be able to remember everyone's name).
I never like saying goodbye, but it's ten times harder when you know almost beyond a doubt that you're never going to see the person again. And even e-mail--what a fragile thread connecting two people across continents, oceans, cultures. I'll certainly never forget their faces or my memories, but I wish I could keep them constant in my life.
I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to write. I feel very full, but also strangely empty. My emotions have reached a stalemate with one another--happy to have met, sad to be leaving.
What did I write on my memory square in grade school? "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened." I'm going to try to do that. And instead of listening to my warbling ramblings, I'll tell you what we did last night.
In full, we prepared all day for our evening performance. I can't tell you how many times I sang "Old McDonald" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Around 5:30 everyone gathered in the hall and we gave out awards to the groups who had the best performances, the best dance, and so on. Some groups performed new skits--our group, Pervui Otryad, Dobrii Zhyk, reenacted our poxod on stage while Tolya played his guitar--right down to Natasha holding her wet jeans over the fire (she had fallen in the shallow water climbing out of a canoe). "The Beatles"--that is, Gleb, Pasha, and two other boys from the Tretii Otryad--performed "Yesterday" in both English and Russian. They dedicated it to their counselors and us, who were "very kind and... and... pretty!" That's a pretty darn sad song to begin with, and after that, Desi and I almost started crying. After the Beatles, Sveta announced that it was a big holiday in America, and the entire hall congratulated us, and we launched into "Old McDomald." We had ducks, pigs, goats, cats, and a breakdancing farmer. Next, "My Country 'Tis of Thee" with Vika, Alyona, and Anton, and then the American national anthem. They brought a big American flag on stage, and then when we sang "Rossiya--Maya Zvezda" and the national anthem it was joined by a Russian flag. Our "Lanterns of Friendship" song made another appearance and we all peaced to get ready for the campfire.
Out at the big meeting spot by the shooting range, we all sat together and sang a few songs, then eagerly awaited the arrival of Robin Hood. Misha was in his element--I swear, he's never slouched in his life and is made for the "I'm gazing out over you from a platitude of legendary righteousness" role. The kids had assembled a puzzle of a castle, and presented him with the gift of a new "home." Misha declined, saying his home was in the woods, but he would visit his friends often--and then! Trumpet fanfare, and Richard the Lionheart had returned, bringing with him his friends from war. In celebration, Misha took a flaming arrow and lit our giant bonfire. More singing, dancing, etc.
Then came my favorite part of the night--everyone was given a string necklace, and at the bottom of it was tied a bundle of yarn, loosely so you could pull out little threads of it. Each group had a different color. When it was time, you went around and found people who were special and important to you, and tied a little piece of your yarn on their necklace. While doing so, of course (in true Russian fashion), you wished them good things and told them what you thought of them. Luck, happiness, friendship, and health were the most common; I thought it was funny to get wishes for "feminine happiness--like mama, babies!" and really liked the "I wish... that I will see you again"s. By the end, everyone had a multi-colored necklace and high self-esteem,
.....and it was a really wonderful beautiful tradition. Maybe more on that later. Bye!
Monday, July 7, 2008
July 7, 2008 || Smena Break; Shopping
Just a quick note:
Our first night here was very relaxing; we slept and unpacked, and in the evening Lera, Olga, Desi and I split a bottle of red and some appetizers (some awesome cheeses and then, of course, black bread with cucumber) while watching Monsters, Inc. Kinda funny how much gets lost in translation--we watched the movie in English, and Lera and Olga kept occasionally asking questions like "What does 'Nuts!' mean? How about 'Give me a break?'" So many itty bitty phrases that never make it into a textbook... Anyway, in my opnion it was an absolutely perfect night (then again, I'm pretty easily contented).
Yesterday we went shopping with Lera and Olga (helper Olga from camp). Our quest was to find a pair of sweet Russian jeans; the norm here have gliter, jewels, huge embroidered designs, words all up and down the legs, etc. and we wanted a pair. We walkekd through all 3 floors of Passage (the underground mall outside of Red Square) and then we hit up another mall that was, no joke, 8 floors (counting floor 0, which was mainly a grocery store). We were beat by the time we finished, and Desiree walked away with a pair of purple pants instead of jeans. I got nothing--the only pairs I really liked were both upward of $80, and I just can't stomach the thought of paying that much, even for Moscow jeans (I know, I know, Moscow's uber expensive--and that's half of it; the Italian boutiques, Motivi and Oggi, that I would stop in all the time on Nevsky in Petersburg were just not as nice in Moscow).
That night we met up with Marina and went to an English-language movie theater (English!!!) at the Renaissance Hotel near metro Prospekt Mira. It was so cool just getting there--everyone in line was speaking English, the ticket guy harassed this one man about his Yankees hat, it was almost like home!
Okay, getting called to breakfast, said this would be fast!
Before I leave--we saw Most Wanted or whatever with Angelina Jolie, it had some cool scenes but overall it was a pretty weak movie.
Our first night here was very relaxing; we slept and unpacked, and in the evening Lera, Olga, Desi and I split a bottle of red and some appetizers (some awesome cheeses and then, of course, black bread with cucumber) while watching Monsters, Inc. Kinda funny how much gets lost in translation--we watched the movie in English, and Lera and Olga kept occasionally asking questions like "What does 'Nuts!' mean? How about 'Give me a break?'" So many itty bitty phrases that never make it into a textbook... Anyway, in my opnion it was an absolutely perfect night (then again, I'm pretty easily contented).
Yesterday we went shopping with Lera and Olga (helper Olga from camp). Our quest was to find a pair of sweet Russian jeans; the norm here have gliter, jewels, huge embroidered designs, words all up and down the legs, etc. and we wanted a pair. We walkekd through all 3 floors of Passage (the underground mall outside of Red Square) and then we hit up another mall that was, no joke, 8 floors (counting floor 0, which was mainly a grocery store). We were beat by the time we finished, and Desiree walked away with a pair of purple pants instead of jeans. I got nothing--the only pairs I really liked were both upward of $80, and I just can't stomach the thought of paying that much, even for Moscow jeans (I know, I know, Moscow's uber expensive--and that's half of it; the Italian boutiques, Motivi and Oggi, that I would stop in all the time on Nevsky in Petersburg were just not as nice in Moscow).
That night we met up with Marina and went to an English-language movie theater (English!!!) at the Renaissance Hotel near metro Prospekt Mira. It was so cool just getting there--everyone in line was speaking English, the ticket guy harassed this one man about his Yankees hat, it was almost like home!
Okay, getting called to breakfast, said this would be fast!
Before I leave--we saw Most Wanted or whatever with Angelina Jolie, it had some cool scenes but overall it was a pretty weak movie.
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