Unity Day?

Nov. 4 is Unity Day in Russia!

Unfortunately, not many Russians even know what the Nov. 4 holiday is for. It was recently reinstated in 2005 to celebrate the Russians kicking the Polish out of Moscow in 1612.

But mostly it was created because there used to be a holiday on Nov. 7 which celebrated the October Revolution. But you can't celebrate communist holidays in a non-communist Russia!

They actually had to make a movie to tell people what this holiday was about because no one knew what the holiday was supposed to be for.

The holiday is on a Tuesday this year. But Russians love long weekends. So instead of moving the holiday to Monday (because no one actually even knows what the holiday is for), I have to go to school on Saturday and people have to work on Saturday and there will be no classes on Monday or Tuesday. The Russian way of doing things.

The Same Meal for One Month

The food I have been eating here has been less than delicious and delightful. Sometimes it is tasty, but usually it is not tasty to eat the same meal for one month.

Lately, I have been eating a combination of vegetables and beans with every meal. Yesterday, I realized I had had the last plate of beans. The beans aren't even good to begin with. They are mashed up and hard. I don't quite even understand how a bean can be hard if it has been cooked, but these beans are hard.


So I decided I needed to get rid of these beans without eating them. So I looked out the window and decided that the window is a great place to throw the beans out. However, the window is too small to fit the plate through. So I attempt to fork the beans out the window. While doing so, the beans fell all over the plants in the window sill. I decide to look out the window to make sure that there are no traces of the beans when I realize that the beans had been falling into the window sill! In plain sight, all the beans are plopped out on the ledge. And there is no way to get to them.

So in a panic, I run to the toilet and try to flush the rest of the beans down the toilet. But then it gets a little slow and I decide to wait to flush some more beans down. Then five minutes later Irina Victorevna walks in and goes into the bathroom with all the beans sitting in the toilet.

We haven't discussed this situation yet, but I have not been served beans again (yet).

Estonia

Over the weekend I went to Tallinn, Estonia. I really loved Estonia.

Tallinn is a very small city, but that does not mean it is small in charm! The city dates back to the middle ages (I believe). The streets were small and cobbled and the buildings were made of colorful stones.

There was also a fair amount of modern architecture. The Kumu Art Museum was built by the Finnish architect Pekka Vapaavuori and is built into a limestone bank.

The Estonian people were so kind to me. Everyone could speak fluent English, Russian, Estonian and probably many more languages. They smiled, gave me directions, and no one tried to rob me. It is great not being in Russia.

Tallinn is also a very wired city. There was wireless in our hotel and wireless hotspots throughout the city in cafes. I believe the creator of Skype is from Estonia.

Coming from Russia, Estonia is a great treat. The internet is everywhere, bathrooms are clean and available, and the food was delicious and fresh.

I wish I could go back!

Balalaika Lessons

I am now taking balalaika lessons! The balalaika is a Russian folk instrument. The picture is to the right. It is similar to a guitar, but there are only three strings and is traingular shaped.

It does not sound like a guitar, though. The sound is a little mellow and creates interesting harmonies.

My teacher's name is Alla and does not speak any English, so I will be learning two things at once. Tomorrow she will go with me and help me buy a balalaika.

U.S. Politics Abroad

Despite the fact that not many people speak English in Russia, everyone knows about U.S. politics and has opinions about the upcoming U.S. election. Most people in the U.S. hardly could tell you the name of the head of state of other nations, or even know about upcoming elections and the candidates! But people in Russia are very aware of our elections and what's going on right now.

All of the Russians I have talked to would like Barack Obama to be the next president of America. They think that his policies are more European and that he is different from President Bush. Of course almost everyone abroad hates George Bush.

However, my host mother must think that Americans are racist. She said that she wants Barack Obama to be president, but she doesn't think he will because he is black and Americans would not elect a black president.

The Ambitious Amber Room

Last weekend I went to Tsarskoye Selo, or Pushkin. It is outside of St. Petersburg and is where Cahterine has her summer palace.

Inside of Catherine's Palace is the famous Amber Room. Three walls are covered entirely of amber, as thin as a bar of chocolate.

I am very forunate to be able to see it; the Nazis destroyed almost the entire palace including the amber room during World War II. The amber room was only recently restored about two years ago.

For as famous as the amber room is, I was a little disappointed that the ceiling and the fourth wall weren't covered with amber. But it was still very beautiful.

Also, it is prohibited to take photos in the amber room. But I got a picture!

Where to See My Pictures

In celebration of my camera working, I have decided to put my pictures online! So you may see the photos I have taken.

It does take me a while to get to an internet cafe with wi-fi (and plugs), but I am working on getting my photos online.

The link is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/harpsnhorses/

The Man at the Front Desk

The man at the front desk is named Gennagee Borisavich. I had a feeling he liked me but it was confirmed earlier today.

I was practicing piano in an old classroom when I heard the door creak open. There is a chalkboard in the way of the door, so I peeked under and I saw Gennagee Borisavich walk in. I thought he was going to yell at me and tell me I had been in this room too long and he needed the key.

But he walked over, smiled, and gave me a piece of sheet music. It is from a USSR movie from the 1930s. It is a children's movie that was the first movie ever to have puppets and live actors together.

The tune itself is a little mournful, a little pretty, and a little nostalgic. You can hear the song in the beginning of the movie. Here is the movie in entirety:

http://teramult.org.ua/mult/1939_su_film_zolotoj.kluchik/

Gennagee Borisavich wants me to play the song and sing it at the same time. I hope this will turn into a big songbook project and he will bring me more songs.

Leaf Wreathes

The Russian people seem to really enjoy fall. Whenever I go to parks, I always see people picking up leaves and making wreathes of them. When asked why, a Russian boy responded "because it is beautiful!".

I think it is beautiful too and tried to make a leaf wreath. The result was less than ideal.


After a hard attempt and a belief that I had made it correctly, it flopped apart in my hands. I saw some Russian woman making one later and went up to them and asked how to make it. They just looked at mine and started laughing really loudly. The end.

Museum of Curiosities

I went to the Museum of Curiosities/Kunstkammer Museum the other day. It can be considered the first museum of St. Petersburg.

Peter the Great opened it and called it the Museum of Curiosities. It is said that he was walking down the street and saw two trees intertwined. He thought this was so peculiar that he would house a museum of curiosities in that very spot.

However, the things that are curious to Peter the Great are rather strange. Mostly, it was abnormal baby fetuses. In order not to scare the visitor, he placed bonnets on top of the baby's heads and over the limbs that were floating in jars. However, this didn't work and people were still scared to come. So finally to entice visitors he made the admission price free and offered a shot of vodka at the entrance.

I did not receive a shot of vodka at the entrance and had to pay, and I slightly regret going. It was very frightening, but interesting to see what Peter the Great liked ...