Another summer, another trip to Russia. This year I have graduated from program participant to program leader. I have the great privilege of assisting with the Critical Languages Scholarship program in Vladimir, Russia. 27 students are studying at the KORA center of Russian language, so I will have my hands full. It's a lot of heads to count. The past week has been full of preparations for their arrival. A little recap:
Sunday: I left Chicago, leaving behind poor Jordan with a busy job and two schnockers. My flight to Moscow left Dulles on time, but had to return to the airport due to mechanical issues. Finally, six hours after the scheduled departure, we were back in the air.
Monday: I met my "escort" at the airport, a former exchange student to the US. We lugged all my bags to the Holiday Inn, where I had a lovely king size bed and a hot shower waiting for me. I had a meeting to pick up my supply of cell phones, and then had a lovely meal at a Tibetan restaurant around the corner.
Tuesday: Breakfast buffet at the Holiday Inn. Very expensive, but a nice spread, including an omelet bar and the only American-style bacon I've ever seen outside of the US. I wonder where they get it... At noon my new Russian friend comes to get me and help me get to the train station. I love the Moscow metro, but I hate the lack of ramps in Russia. Escalators in the metro are as good as it gets, and they're not everywhere. I grabbed some bliny (crepe-like pancakes that can come with all sorts of fillings: ham and cheese, condensed milk, caviar, etc.) for the road, and pulled out my knitting. On the train, I found that my ticket actually included a boxed lunch (a salami sandwich, yogurt, crackers, jam and a sweet). The lady sitting next to me was amazingly sweet and chatty. We had some pleasant conversation, and joked about the lunch being free while the tea cost 20 rubles. When my stop at Vladimir came, she helped me with my bags. We enlisted an older gentleman to help with the largest bag. Nothing like an entourage to make an arrival! I was met by one of the teachers who took me straight to my apartment. It turns out I'm staying where the resident director (my position) stays during the year, so it's fully equipped with a washing machine and a high-speed modem. It has a living room and a bedroom (this counts as two rooms in Russia), which is nice. I was anticipating a studio like I had before. It's not too far from the center, and close to some good shops. I first found the closest shopping center, which did not have a supermarket. But, it does have a Baskin Robbins. And a knock-off fast food joint called Mak King. Finally I found the supermarkets and got some frozen pelmeni ("Siberian dumplings") for an easy dinner.
Wednesday: Morning meeting with the staff at the institute. I got my registration taken care of, and we planned out the weekend for our students. I had lunch at the cafeteria (first buckwheat of the summer!), and spent my afternoon wandering around the city again. Oh, it had been raining since I got there, and the streets and sidewalks were full of puddles. I found more good stores and bought some cleaning supplies for my apartment. Even though I'm walking around for hours, I have trouble staying asleep. It's close to the solstice, and the sun stays up until 10:30, and comes up around 3 or 4.
Thursday: I managed to fall back asleep and stayed in bed until 1. I had a free day, so I went to check out the sites of the historic center (there is a cathedral from the end of the 12th century here, and recently historians have proposed that the city actually dates back to the 10th century!) and see what the market was like. When I lived in Russia in 2002, there weren't really supermarkets in small towns. And if there were, they were surely more expensive. So I always went to the market for everything. These days, the supermarkets are just as cheap, and so much more convenient. You get your cart or basket, fill it up, and take it to the cashier. No more telling the cashier what you want. And more and more rarely do the cashiers not have enough change. It's very neat to get to see the progress the country is making in these small ways. Life is getting a little bit more comfortable. Regardless, the market was calling to me. Of course, as soon as I came upon it, I saw a family of gypsies. (Or Roma, or whatever you want to call them. A group of ladies in long skirts who look like they want to tell your fortune. When I lived in Saratov, I once started talking to a group of such women, and a man came and dragged me away, calling me an idiot. I now try to keep my distance mostly to avoid embarrassment, and the potential that they would try to pick my pockets.) I managed to find the things I was looking for (buckwheat kasha, sausage), and one lady forced more sausage onto me than I wanted. But before I could say no, she'd put it in a bag and added it to my total. I also got some delicious cherries in the produce section. On the way home, I wandered through the city park. It's a little run down, but it has this adorable lane of benches painted with hearts. The bench is cut in half and the two sides tilt toward the center, so that a couple ends up being very close. There was a sign promising tennis courts, but I couldn't find them.
Friday: The students' flight was scheduled to come in, but was delayed by 3 hours. That did not stop our bus from leaving at the originally scheduled 6 am. We got to the airport right on time, so we had to wait for 3 hours there. Finally, the students started coming out of baggage claim and customs, and we got them onto our bus. Since we left later than planned, we hit more traffic, and it took six hours to get back to Vladimir. Everyone was exhausted, but it gave me more time to get to know them. Everyone is really excited, including me, and we're going to have a great summer.
Saturday: Orientation. I arranged to have the students led from the center to the institute, with important stops on the way (bank, post office, internet). I gave a 45-minute spiel on cultural differences, health, safety and some useful vocab. The students met their peer tutors, who are Russians that will meet with them for conversation and outings around town, and I passed out cell phones. I went home and passed out for a few hours.
Sunday: I finally managed to sleep in. Which is to say, I actually was free to sleep in. I spent a few hours downtown planning a scavenger hunt for the group, after a disappointing lunch at Mister Hamburger. I have finally learned my way all over town! I tried to visit the Georgian restaurant, but it has apparently shut down. Then I tried to get a manicure at the nail bar at the mall (mock me if you want, but it's only $6.50 to get your nails done!), but it was closed for the day.
Looking ahead to next week, I should be able to get into a routine of normal sleep, yoga, and writing. The rain has stopped, which is a huge relief. I still don't have hot water (hopefully by next Monday!), so a visit to the banya (Russian sauna) is definitely in order. I do have a great system for heating water, but I look forward to just standing under a shower head. But, this is what I get for spending my summers in Russia...
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