cori's notes from russia: The Great Russian Heatwave of 2010

It is hot, folks. The temperature has been around 85 for the past two weeks, with little respite. I know it's just as hot along the east coast of the US, but everywhere you go, there's air conditioning. This is far from the case here: I have no AC, not even a fan. The classrooms have no AC. Many cars don't have AC. And even in nicer shopping centers that do have an air conditioner, the systems are not strong enough to provide the freezing cold temperature we're used to having indoors. So, the best you can get is about 75, not that luxurious 68 of the mall or your office. It is literally so hot, that I have come home and hopped into my ice cold shower (still no hot water!) a couple times. So what do you do when it's this hot? I never wear clothes when I'm at home: I have a robe that I got 9 years ago in Saratov that keeps me decent, but I live alone and often just sit around in my underwear. On the days that it's really unbearable, I take a shower (well, I bathe myself with pitchers of heated water) just before going to bed to open up my pores. The worst part of the heat for me, I've discovered in the past few days, is that all my windows face the sun. Opening the windows helps, but my balcony is winterized, meaning there are windows and walls on all sides. The result is that the balcony, facing south, is a greenhouse, and it is 90 degrees in there. So the room where I spend the most time, the living room, gets no fresh air, because the window opens into the greenhouse balcony. Maybe it's time to invest in a fan.

Aside from my own personal struggles with the heat, the students are also suffering. I was literally blamed for it yesterday (with a bit of sarcasm). I keep wanting to remind them that their American bodies are not experiencing it any differently than the local Russians, who also may not have appropriate clothing. Everyone is sleeping poorly, and tempers are starting to flare up. At least most of the group has found a place to go swimming. There don't seem to be any official city beaches, which I miss from Saratov. Yes, you had to pay, but it was somewhat maintained, and at least there was some notion of safety. Yesterday I found the reservoir I'd been told about, and saw that many people were swimming and sunning there. I might check out another lake, but I've been told that the water there has some bacteria in it, which would require washing off afterwards. Not really enticing. Then there's also the option of swimming in one's own bathtub: if I fill it up in the morning, the apartment is so hot that the water will be a nice 80 degrees by the evening.

The past 2 weeks have been particularly stressful and busy, aside from the heat, which is why it's taken me so long to write another post. I can't go into details, but I had a student who needed to go to Moscow for a doctor's visit, and then ended up leaving the program. The upshot of this is that I got to see Moscow. I took the student to Arbat, where I got my Starbucks fix, and the Red Square, where she got to see the sights. We went to visit Moscow's resident director, and I got a hint of where me and Jordan will be staying when he comes in August. The trip was just a day trip: we left at 9 am and got back after midnight, so I was exhausted. A week later, we hired a driver to take her to a hotel in Moscow. The car had no AC, so it was hot and windy from the windows being open. Because we were going to the center, I got to navigate with the map. It was amazing driving past the Kremlin and St. Basils, and recognizing other sights, like the House on the Embankment and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. On the way out of the city, we ended up going the wrong way on a one-way street (there is a lane for buses, which we took). I tried to warn the driver, and literally told him "it's your ticket", but he went and got pulled over. The fine was $10. The drive back was ill-timed, and so we ran into a ton of traffic. At one point it was so bad, the driver turned around onto the other side of the highway, and we drove backwards on the shoulder for a mile. Apparently, the shoulder can be used for a third lane of traffic. And if the rough shoulder is wide enough, that makes a fourth lane (sometimes trucks use the third lane as a place to rest). This is why one of my favorite things in America is the Eisenhower Interstate system. Also, this is why one of my favorite things in Russia is traveling by train.

Aside from trips to Moscow, I've also had a lot of visits to the clinic and hospital. Several of my students have had health problems, but thankfully nothing too serious (knock on wood...Russians are very superstitious!) I've learned my way around the clinics, and now the pharmacists and administrators know me. It's been a good learning experience for everyone. I'm learning a LOT of new words. Names of organs, names of diseases, names of treatments. Luckily enough of the discussion is in terms I understand (the Latin-based terminology), and if I'm lost, I restate things in simplified Russian to confirm with the doctor. At least I'm earning my keep here; I think the students would be pretty lost without a translator, since even I struggle to keep up sometimes! We go to private clinics, mostly, where they fee is between $15 and $2o to see a doctor. The doctor examines the patient, asks some questions, and starts writing out a treatment plan. Thankfully, they write out the exact medications needed, many of which are over-the-counter. There isn't a system of prescription here like in the States: the doctor writes out everything on one sheet of paper, and then stamps it to make it official. To get any medication, including aspirin or cold medicine, you have to tell the pharmacist what you want. The first week here, I had the students do a scavenger hunt that involved them asking a pharmacist to recommend a medication. Many have gone on their own to get something for any mild symptoms they have, and in fact going to the pharmacy can save you a doctor's visit! I've had a couple students need x-rays (the preferred method for diagnosing a sinus infection!!), and those have all been under $20. Another student needed some blood work and an ultrasound, and all of her lab fees were $35. I'm tempted to get some medical treatment done here just to save money!

The cheapest care by far was the after-hours visit to the hospital on a Sunday evening. It was a typical Russian experience: I tried to get some answers by phone, and was getting nowhere. I even talked to the doctor we ended up seeing who told us just to wait until Monday morning. I spoke to the director of the institution who told us to go to the hospital anyhow. The cab dropped us off, and it took some wandering around to find the right place (and asking a nice lady on the street of the hospital complex). We were given some flak for coming in, and went upstairs to the ENT office. As soon as we got up there, we were yelled at for not having a change of shoes or plastic shoe-covers. I explained that we're Americans, therefore we are ignorant of the rules of Russian hospitals. We

were excused for our barbaric behavior and seen by the doctor. The doctors here still use those mirrors on their heads to get light into the throat, nose and ears, rather than an instrument that has a small flashlight. It's kind of amusing. We got our diagnosis and a long list of instructions and medications. The nurse who yelled at me before gave me a packet of tea "to remember her by" and told me about how nice Siberians like her are. And since we were at the hospital, we were seen for free. Socialized medicine at its finest. The downside of being at the free hospital, of course, is that the technology is not modern. We also saw some scary looking people walking around the halls: a man with bandages all over his face, a woman who looked like she belonged on the set of a movie about a psych ward.

I've had a bit of free time to myself, which I mostly spend at home knitting and catching up on podcasts. I did take myself to the movies last weekend. I'd only been to a movie theater once in Russia, in 2005, where I saw a Russian movie about the 90s. There are two good movie theaters here, but one is bigger and shows more movies. It's about a 15 minute bus ride from my apartment. The tickets are around $5, and theoretically you can order them online through the theater's website. It didn't work for me, but it's nice to know that system exists. I saw Splice by myself, since no one is interested in silly horror movies but me. On the 4th of July, I invited the students who hadn't gone to Moscow to see Knight and Day. There's no McDonald's in Vladimir, so I couldn't celebrate America's independence in my usual way (Big Mac, please!), plus I eat there so rarely it doesn't sit well on my stomach anymore. So, I went with plan B: an American blockbuster. I never would have seen this movie in the US, but it was entertaining and hit the spot for the holiday. Unlike in Lithuania, foreign movies are dubbed here. So you see Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, but you hear a Russian actor. This makes the experience less fulfilling, but it's good practice for reading lips and judging translations. It's also nice to hear the colloquial, conversational Russian. And, there's popcorn. I've paced myself and only gotten a medium and a small. But, the large is only $5...so tempting. No butter, just salt. Or, if you don't enjoy deliciousness, you can get sweet, caramel popcorn. They also have nachos, but I'm scared of the Russian version of the dayglo cheese. They also have fountain sodas and cans of beer in addition to the usual bottled options of water and soda. I haven't checked, but I wouldn't be surprised if you can also get a drinkable yogurt. They love their dairy products here.

This has already been a long post, but I want to include some pictures. We had a trip to a couple museums yesterday, and to a few churches. First we saw the Golden Gates, which mark the historical boundary of the city. The gates were built in 1158, and used to be a fort. Now it's a museum about the history of Vladimir, including a 5 minute diorama display (of lights and voiceover) about the Mongol-Tatar invasion in the 13th century:

The museum features some artifacts from over the centuries, and displays about the 170+ "heroes of the Soviet Union" and "heroes of Russia" from the Vladimir region. They even had a cosmonaut!

Chain Mail and axe-like weapons

Our next stop was a former water tower that has been converted into a museum of Vladimir in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It's so interesting to be in a city that has been inhabited for over 1000 years, and to get some glimpses at what life was like. There was an old map, and I was able to find my street, which went to the brickyards 100 years ago. Now it's lined with apartment buildings and shops.

Old keys and locks

Old money

View of Vladimir from the tower

After lunch, we went to Bogolyubovo, a small town outside Vladimir whose name beens "God-loving". A prince of old Rus had a vision of the Virgin Mary there, and built a church. There's still an operating women's monastery on the site.

One of the church towers

One of the cathedrals

The original foundation of the church from the 12th century

Wall paintings inside the church

Icons at the alter

Bogolubovo is also famous for its large meadow. There's another church at the other side of the meadow. It's beautiful for its simplicity. It's really small inside, so I didn't take any pictures.