Day 29 ~ Last Day of History

31. July

Today was a fun day! School was good, during language class we use these flash cards that have different stories using the different cases. The main character of the cards is Anton, and there are about 32 cards. They were fun at first but got more difficult as more cases were introduced. We are having a final exam on Monday for language class and we have to memorize the sentences on the cards, or the situations and learn the correct cases and endings. Well, to make my studying easier I took pictures of each of the cards. Anton can’t give me a hard time then! Plus, they are helpful to learn when to use the cases and the endings as well. The teacher noticed me doing this and said I was smart to use them to study!

In history class Stas continued his lecture about the war from yesterday by including another story. I mentioned that I went to the antique store yesterday after class, well Stas said that Andrew the dealer had gotten some letters from a soviet soldier in the war and had asked Stas to read them and determine their value.
Stas said that as he read them they didn’t have much information that would help understand the war any better, however, they showed how much this person cared for his family. Stas determined that the man was an auto mechanic. He was writing letters to his 10 year old son. The letters were a tool for the son to learn to read and write for the Father was expecting the boy to write back. Furthermore, you learn that the man was a pheasant or farmer because in the letters he kept asking if they had gotten the hay ready for the cow, or done this or that to take care of the cow. Apparently the cow was a very important part of the family.

Stas finally said that he believes in people and diplomacy. Furthermore, that exchange programs such as the one I am currently on are as useful as strong missiles. If one person can learn about a country and pass it on to others to perhaps change false opinions or impressions it’s worth it.

Personally, I think that these types of things are a great tool. I know that some people gave me weird looks and “Why Russia?” when I told them I was coming here for 6 weeks. Russia still receives negative impressions. It certainly has quite a past.
I certainly hope that perhaps my journey will broaden or change opinions about the country. It certainly has its faults but overall it’s a great country filled with lots of beauty amidst chaos and recovery. The country as a whole still has a long ways to go to recover from its past, but it’s not as bad as it seems. There is a lot to be learned from the perseverance of the Russian people.

Stas’ last lecture talked about the divided nature of the people of Russia, the Kosaks, and a little about the USSR. It was again a very interesting lecture.
Stas began by saying that for centuries the Russian people have been oppressed by the State. The law was first connected to the Vikings and then the Mongols. The people in Russia never respected the law and were never a part of it creation. Therefore the best thing to do is to avoid the law.

The ruling class was well aware of this fact and compensated via cruelty. It was only during Perestroika that the State was finally given to the people. Currently people still feel that the officials in government are not part of the people and have distrust for the State.

From here Stas talked about the Kosaks, for millions of current Russians are descended from the Kosaks including Andrew the antique dealer. The term Kosak is Turkish and refers to those who prefer to live alone form their clan. Kosaks were frontiersmen who had no connection with the government. They lived freely in the forest zone and Asia. They were a male community that had no wives or family, no jobs, nothing that would tie them down. They were not an object of anyone’s interest. To get by they would hunt, steal, or fish. They did produce salt and would sell that to make small amounts of money. They were Christian and Slavonic so they robbed mostly from Muslims. They created their own republic and their leaders were called Ottomans. To become a Kosak a man would have to proclaim that he was a follower of Christ and make the sign of the cross.

The characteristics of the Kosaks have become part of Russian mythology. They are seen as strong, powerful, brave men. In the 18th century the Kosaks became connected to Government.

The last thing that Stas talked about was the set up of the USSR and Russia. Russia is divided into Republics, Regions, and City of Federal Submission. Those cities are Moscow and St. Petersburg. There is the Region of Novgorod which is inside a republic.

The last part of class was open to questions, and Masha asked if the Dacha’s that many Russians have are private or public land. The Dacha is on private land with a tax of less than 500 Rubles a year. That’s almost 20 dollars. In soviet times the land for Dacha’s was municipal corporate land. ½ of Russians use the Dacha as just a hobby for growing things; others use it for making a profit and selling the produce as part of their living. The Russians would be very prepared for a crisis if one arose.

Stas ended by saying that the Russians can survive without the State and don’t need the State or the economy. For centuries the Russians have been surviving despite being controlled and avoiding government.

I certainly can see that this is true. The families that I have come across and met here are always happy, always have enough to eat, and don’t seem to be struggling. I know that many people make way much less than Americans, and the cost of living is probably less as well, but most people that I have met are happy and surviving.
The perseverance and will to live that is apparent has been apparently in the Russian people through the centuries is certainly something that is still seen today. Russia may not be in the best boat financially but you would never be able to tell. The people stick together and know how to survive. There is a lot to learn from Russia.

America is great and has lots of nice things but it is a land of convince, fast food, and getting what we want quickly. There aren’t many people in my generation that know how to survive like our grandparents do. It seems that even people my age in Russiaare still be learning these things from thier grandparents and parents but are also willing to learn. In America where you can just buy everything frozen and stick it in a microwave, or drive to a fast food restaurant, not many young people know how to make things or preserve things. We would not be prepared for a crisis like the Russians would be.

Heck, we’re too concerned if our iPods run out of battery or we can’t get our internet to work. In an age of technology I personally fear that we’re becoming too attached and dependant. Personally being without internet and cell phones and such for extended periods of time like I am here has been very nice. Personally I don’t mind it, and prefer a life free of being tied to electronics. Mom, you might be shocked to hear me say that, because I know at times I am attached to my computer or my telephone.

I only wish I knew how to cook as well as Olga, how to can fruit and vegetables, or use plants to make herbs (as well as many other things). I realize I am still young and people such as my parents and Olga have learned through many years of experience. I see the people in Russia surviving as they do, and I know that I am ill prepared for any type of disaster!

Anyways, the lecture certainly got me thinking. Overall history class has been very good. Stas is a very knowledgeable man who loves to tell about his country, especially to foreigners. I appreciate his want to pass on his wealth of knowledge in a very balanced way.

After school a bunch of people went to the Army store in Novgorod where policeman and others get their uniforms and badges, apparently the public can come here and buy certain things like badges and such. Well I really didn’t feel like going, so Doug and I took the bus to main department stores, Rus and Vulna. Doug was looking for a book in one of the bookstores so I went along. I hadn’t been in Vulna before and only the first floor of Rus. The two big stores are what we would consider a mall. They have small shops in them that sell all different types of things. The bottom floor in Rus is a big bookstore, like a Borders store at home. Anyways, Doug found the book he wanted, and so we wandered around a bit more. The Rus has 6 floors I think with small hallways. Nothing like American malls where the walk ways are as wide as the stores themselves. There certainly isn’t enough room to leisurely stroll here and there with benches and trees and fountains here and there like in America. There was one small place in Rus to eat, but nothing like a food court.

Doug mentioned that this is probably because in America the malls are seen as a public space where people go to hang out when they are bored or spend an afternoon. However, in Russia the public spaces are things like the Kremlin and the various parks that are all over the place. Russia has a lot more open space and trees and open public areas. The department stores are there for just shopping. You go in and get what you want and leave. It is nothing in America where you spend a whole day shopping in the mall. Personally, I would prefer more open land and parks and trees in America and less malls, I don’t like shopping that much anyways.

After walking around I went to my internship and played with the kids. We colored and played on the playground. It was a normal day.

Don had invited a bunch of us to his host Sasha’s for a get together. If you remember Sasha was the person who cooked the food at the American Style cookout and whose house we went to that evening.

Lena (Francesca’s host) showed me how to get to Sasha’s house. On the way we ended up talking about Russian weddings and the American idea of engagements. Apparently in Russia there isn’t really an engagement period. It’s becoming a little bit popular since foreigners come to Russian and also from American movies. The idea traditionally is that people date and then get married. They set a date to sign papers and they can also do the whole Church thing if they want too. Russian tradition says that in the morning the couple goes and signs papers and then in the afternoon drives around the town and stops at various places of their choosing to take pictures. This would explain why there are always people walking around various places in Novgorod taking pictures at monuments and then a whole caravan of cars all decorated driving around in procession around the city.

On our walk I noticed a bunch of rice and coins on the ground in front of a restaurant. Lena said this is another tradition. Throwing money at the feet of the couple to wish them a prosperous marriage and rice also so they have a long and happy marriage.

I eventually met up with the group which included Don, Masha, Steve, Adrian, Jim, and Matt. The group went to get beer and Don and I waited for them on a park bench. We started talking about how many little children there are in Novgorod. Everywhere you turn you see someone pushing a stroller here and there or dragging a toddler behind them. There are little kids running around everywhere.

The children in Russia are all so adorable and really cute! Lucky for me, hopefully I have some cute Russian kids. Anyways, Don said that he asked Sasha why there seems to be so many little kids and Sasha says that the government is paying couples so much per child. Apparently the population rate is low and families were having only one or two children, so the government is promoting people to have more children by paying the parents. It was interesting.

Another interesting story from Don, the other day he was walking on his way home with his family when they noticed a bunch of police cars and when they got closer Don said he saw a tarp with a body of a women that had been hit by a car. Needless to say she was hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street and thrown 50 feet or so and did not make it. Don said he could see her limbs sticking out from the tarp. It was quite an interesting story. Living in Russia makes you quite a savy and smart street crosser that’s for sure. I am always nervous to cross the street, especially in front of the university and department stores. I usually just wait to cross with other people so I know the cars will defiantly stop. You definitely have to be paying attention!

Anyways, we all made it to Sasha’s and all had a good time. Sasha cooked sausage and served us some of the most amazing bread I’ve ever had. It reminded me of Italian bread from home, although it had quite an amazing crust. Check out the pictures!
We spent some time discussing some of the silly mistakes we’ve made in our speaking. Steve has had quite the mixups. Instead of saying “pretty square” he said “pretty horse” and instead of telling his host family he “I have a part later” he said “I have a vulgar later”. Sasha the other day called the Declaration of Independence the Declaration of Underpants. Weather trying to speak Russian or English it’s nice to know that we’re all having difficulties with each other’s languages.

It started raining when we were hanging out. I don’t know if I mentioned that our hang out spot is a pavilion in Sasha’s yard, although you could probably gather that from pictures. Anyways, one thing about rain in Russia, when it rains, it pours. That’s not a joke. It always pours, and for a good amount of time. It was pouring for about a half an hour or so and it was late too when it was raining so by the time we were on our way home at 12 am we called a taxi. Steve had a bit too much to drink so he stayed over because he might not have found his way back otherwise. Masha was going to spend the night anyways so she and Steve and I all bunked out in my room. It was quite the evening, but it was fun!

Tomorrow, Saturday, last weekend with the whole group so we’re going to find something to do!

Love,
Sasha

Day 28 ~ World War Two and Coffe Land Adventures

30. July

Today was fun! School was good and in history we learned about World War Two from the Russian perspective. It was interesting, considering how much attention is paid to this war in school. Let me start by pointing out some important dates..

June 22nd 1941 – Russia enters the War
December 7th 1941 – United States enters the War
May 8th 1945 – Victory Day US and Europe
May 9th 1945 – Victory Day Russia – Last big battle for Prague ends.
September 2nd 1945 – End of Russian campaign

The British and Americans had the most responsibility against Japan, Russia didn’t go after Japan until August of 1945. The impact over the allies victory over Germany and the axis of evil had a very different impact on Russia.

The material effect of the war in Russia was very extensive and grave. Novgorod was demolished, and currently is much smaller than before the war. Before the war Novgorod was not very industrial and had no role in the Soviet Union. A majority of those living in Novgorod left the city before the Germans came. A majority of elders currently in Novgorod were not born in Novgorod but migrated here from all over.
Here are some statistics on how much the Germans destroyed in Russia:
32, 000 factories, 4,000 railroad stations, 38,000 hospitals, 82,000 schools, 400 museums and 43,000 libraries.

Russia lost 1/3 of it’s National treasures, and the Soviet Union disintegrated. Ukraine and other countries became free.

Of course the most valuable loss was lives. There is no correct statistic of Soviet Union deaths. The officially recognized number is 27 million. Of that 11 million was military. To put things in perspective the United States lost 250,000 people in the war.

However no statistics were ever done on how many people were wounded, handicapped, orphaned, in german camps, or returning soldiers. It’s hard to know how many broken families there were, although every family was affected. Also, there was no special psychological help for those who returned. There is so much that is hard to know about the war and it’s impacts.

Of those 27 million that died, most of them were of reproductive age. 18 to 20 years later there was a large population gap for a long time. Presently the gap is still not all filled.

The National memory of the war is that it was not the biggest event of the 20th century. Although, I do not know what is. The war was more of a psychological shock. The Russians understood the intentions of the Germans, to kill everyone. It was known as a patriotic war and the question was over life and death, nothing else.
In the first year of the war no one was happy with the Germans but it wasn’t the worst situation. However, by the end of the war the Russian people understood this was a war for your life. Not a war for Communism, not a war for Stalin, but for your life. The Russians were fighting for their lives. The Germans at the time were the best military machine. In the eyes of the Russian people, the war was a horrible crime.

The second national memory of the war was that of involvement. All families were involved. Stas went onto give some personal stories of the war from his own family.
Stas’ father is Ukrainian and his mother Bela- Russian, from Belarus. His father was also half Jew. During the war Stas’ father was seven years old. Stas grandfather was a officer in the Red Army and worked as a medic. Stas father only survived by chance. The family who offered their hospitality to Stas father taught the children to jump in a hole under the house whenever they saw Germans at their house. They were told not to go outside the confines of the yard. Furthermore, the Germans never spent more than 2 or 3 nights in a village, and that was also to their advantage. In the village the only cruel thing that the Germans did was to kill a boy who had found the binoculars of a German officer. When the officer returned to get them and asked who had taken them he then shot the boy on the spot.

300 Jews were rounded up and killed 6km from the village. Stas grandfather, his father’s father, was a military doctor from 1932 to the end of the war. On paper he was with the motorized division but in actuality he was with the infantry. His group was attacked by the Germans, on the 1st day June 23 all the troops in the grandfathers division disappeared. The grandfather at the time was on holiday because his daughter was supposed to have surgery in St. Petersburg. He received a telegram to come home immediately, so he came home. The telegram was sent because the war had started. When he returned he didn’t find anyone because they had all disappeared by now. He ended up coming across other soldiers in other divisions. He became a commander of M.A.S.H.

Stas grandfather came back from the war without injury. From records that Stas received from him he learned that 60,000 people came through the hospital that his grandfather commanded. 2.5% of those died, but the rest were divided based on injuries and sent further. Stas says that his grandfather never talked about the war, and he wonders that as a historian why he never asked him questions.
The younger brother of Stas grandfather was a chemical engineer who volunteered himself to serve in the war because he wanted to stay with his friends. He was a lieutenant, a duty officer of a staff quarter. He eventually disappeared and no one knows what happened to him. Later people found out that some Finnish commanders attacked the staff quarter where this man was, but that’s only a speculation. This man has a daughter who was born in 1941 who now lives in Boston, she never knew her father.

It is also interesting to keep in mind that 80% of the Germans were destroyed by Russia. Only 20% were destroyed by the United States and the British.

Nowadays the war is part of National Mythology. People age 45 – 90+ have a personal link to the war. War is part of the national mythology. It is a story of suffering, loss, and a glorious victory over the Germans. The Russian people are proud. All Nations are united under this fact.

However, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia all question the role of Russia in the war. Russians are sure that they have paid any debts to these countries through all of the lives that were lost. Disputes of the historical past still influence relations and actions now.

If anyone is wondering why these countries question Russia during the War it is because Russian and Germany has a Non-Aggression pact before Russia entered the war. The war had already been going on before Russia and the United States had even entered the war.

Thanks to Doug, who is a Russian History major, for explaining to me this pact after class! Apparently, Russia and Germany had this pact with each other that neither country would harm or go after each other and in return Germany could go wherever it wanted and Russia wouldn’t do anything. So, when Germany went and took control over Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia Russia stood by and did nothing. Of course the pact was broken when Germany marched into Russia. Doug says that Germany’s biggest mistake was going into Russia, and perhaps they could have won the war if they did not go into Russia.

Overall, these four countries still hold this against Russia. Most if not all of these countries are currently members of the European Union and this spoils relations between Russia and the European Union.

The war is still a huge money and business maker. Stas says that his father still receives a small pension from Germany for any emotional damages the war had on him as a boy. Germany lost a lot of its country and is still paying for the war.
Overall this lecture was very interesting to listen to. Stas went onto mention that in schools children are not taught anything about the events of the war that happened before Russia got involved. Most of them are also not taught about American and British involvement, Normandy or much from the western front. Stas says this is unfortunate and not the correct teaching.

Although, from an American perspective not much attention is paid to the Russian involvement in the war or the amount of people lost. I was thinking a lot that so much information is spent on learning about the Holocaust, and even from such an early age. Now, I am not saying any of this to lessen the memory of those lost, or the horrific-ness of the events, but if you put things in perspective the Holocaust was not as big as compared to the Russian loss. Not to say that it wasn’t horrible and shouldn’t be remembered as it is, but there should be a more balanced focus on the events of the war. Personally I don’t ever remember learning about Russia’s involvement in the war in school.

Also, I really appreciated Stas telling us these personal stories. Stas said however that he believes that history should be taught on the basis of everyday life and through the eyes of the common people. The lives or Princes and Generals are exceptions.

Overall, this was a very good lecture. To top it off, Stas even brought in the metals that his grandfather had from serving in the war to show us. I took pictures!
After school we were all supposed to get a tour of the Archeological sites around Novgorod by the head of Archeology. Well, needless to say we all waited for about 30 minutes in the Kremlin but the guy never showed up! Liza decided to take us all out for some coffee or ice cream. We all ended up at Coffee Land!

Of course it was great fun as always! I ended up getting a coffee that had ice cream and almonds in it with strawberry sauce on top. It was quite amazing as always. On top of that I got a strawberry tar-tar with balsamic sauce and vanilla curds, according to the menu. Well, when it arrived it looked just liked cottage cheese with strawberries, chocolate sauce, a star fruit and a piece of mint. First of all, it was amazing and secondly, I had never heard of Star fruit before and when I first saw it I thought it was just pineapple shaped as a star. Haha, well, it all ended up being really good. Most of the group left after they ate their food but the main Coffee Land crew, Doug, Michelle, Steve and I, along with Adrian stuck around and hung out.

After a relaxing chat we went out separate ways. It was still a bit early so Michelle, Steve, and I decided to go walking around and we ended up at an antique shop down the street and around the corner. Stas’ friend runs the place. We were there for quite a while checking out all of the neat stuff the guy had. I ended up buying some really old Russian coins and a Matroshka doll for 100 rubles. I was pretty excited about that. I really prefer the more traditional looking Matroshka dolls and they are a bit more expensive, so 100 rubles was great! Other things in the antique store included German playing cards from the war. The owner of the store said that these were a real prize to have and Steve was really interested in them.
When I got home I spent the evening hanging out and watching some music show on TV with Olga after dinner and tea. The show seemed like the talent shows we have in the US. It was silly, but something to watch none the less. I had asked Olga a question about the Soviet Union and this led me to looking at a collection of books that Olga has, what looks like an encyclopedia set or something.

Anyways, Olga had a book all about the Soviet Union with lots of dates, pictures, and writings. All of the books in the series had a publication date of 1975. I obviously couldn’t understand it but looking at the pictures and things was really interesting. As I sat and looked, I wondered how much of the book on the Soviet Union was propaganda. Other books in the set included a book about Biology and one about general Anatomy. All together where are 9 books I think.

I had a ball with the Anatomy book and took a lot of the pictures of the figures because I could recognize them from my own Anatomy books. I figure, maybe I can learn some Russian names for human anatomy. How cool! (yes, I know I am a nerd). It was exciting for me.

For dinner we had Borsch again and I was pretty excited about that. After dinner Olga was organizing two big buckets of berries. I figured out later they were gooseberries. Anyways, when I went to bed she had a huge pot on the stove, as big as the stovetop itself it seemed, with berries cooking. Olga is making jam! It was cute, when Olga was cleaning and organizing the berries Shira was stealing some from the bucket and playing with them on the floor. Shira is so smart! Tomorrow is the last day of history classes, and the last Friday of language class! Yay!
Love,
Sasha


Photo Link: Russia ~ Day 28 ~ Coffee Land Adventure

Day 27 ~ Russian Cusine and Boat Rides

29. July

Today was another day of fun! We took a boat ride down the Volkhov River! In class Stas talked all about the history of Russian Cuisine. Without further ado let’s get onto the food shall we!? (Can you tell I am excited?)

So, we began class by listing factors that influence any cuisine. This includes climate and geography. Most of the fruits and berries in Russia are limited to being seasonal or imported. The growing season in Russia is very short remember.
The original menu of a Pheasant would have included apples, pears and prunes. Economy is another factor influencing cuisine. Historically Russia was originally occupied by farmers. There were not a lot of meat products because cattle were important for producing milk. Therefore meat would only be eaten on special occasions, usually once a year, like holidays.

Pheasants were known for eating a lot of milk products, which is an influence of Turkey. Sour cream and many creams are very influential in Russian cooking today. That’s usually what the white glob of stuff is in a lot of my food pictures. I know in a previous post I referred to sour cream as the white stuff that looks like mayonnaise but is a little different. At that time I didn’t realize it was sour cream. That is because it has a slightly different taste than American sour cream; it’s actually not as sour compared to its American counterpart.

Anyways, Pheasants did not have a grill or frying pans, only big ovens so many things were stewed! This is why so much of Russian cuisine consists of soups and porridges.

Bread in Russia traditionally is made from Rye. It is not made with bleached flower and even today you find mostly brown bread. Bread in itself was often considered a meal. An act of hospitality was giving someone bread and salt and presently it is still considered such.

Kvas is a drink that is made from fermented bread. I have tried Kvas from a plastic bottle, as Stas calls it, commercial Kvas and I hate it. Looks but does not at all taste like root beer. It’s one of those things that you either like or dislike. It is used for the base of many soups, eating with any vegetables and with bread.
Boiled grains are another part of Russian cuisine. It is known as porridge or kasha. I’ve only had it once in Russia but it is amazing. I really liked it. It looks similar to oatmeal, and tastes similar too .It is usually brown and made of buckwheat.

There is a saying, “You can’t make porridge with him” meaning that this person is not your friend.

Rice is an imported part of Russian cuisine used for special meals. It plays an important role in the ritual meal at a wake. The food made from it is similar to rice pudding.

Vodka, everyone’s favorite part of the lecture! The name Vodka is from the diminutive name for water, diminutive meaning a nickname. It means “little water”. It is traditionally made from rye . The grain is fermented and distilled. It is filtered two – three times. Nowadays it is filtered with natural spring water.
Vodka has had an impact on the history of Russia since very early on. In the 15th century Monks created the first vodka originally for medicinal use. You might wonder why monks, well they had free time, education, and extra bread! They originally used it for herbal type medicine and eventually started drinking it.

Princes came to understand the value of vodka economically and otherwise. The State claimed a monopoly of the production and selling of Vodka and it became 1/3 of the income of the State.

From the 15-20th century there was a 100% monopoly of vodka. It’s not unfair to say that the country was built on vodka.

After Perestroika the monopoly was broken and presently there is no longer a tax on vodka. However, apparently there is talk of it being reinstated. There is a joke about increasing vodka prices:

Son: “Dad if the prices of Vodka go up does that mean we’ll drink less?” Father: “No son, we eat less.”

Another interesting fact, in World War Two soldiers received 100g of Vodka a day in their rations. If a soldier died his ration would go to the remaining soldiers. Apparently this was protocol from the 18th century until 1945. Now the Navy is the only branch who is still served alcohol, dry wine.

All of the foods mentioned so far have one thing in common; they are all untied by grain. From here we go onto traditional forest products.

The first main products of the forest are mushrooms, my personal favorite! There are three categories of mushrooms, and one of them is poisonous. Novgorod is quite safe however the south has more poisonous mushrooms and more people die. However, one still has to be careful when picking because many poisonous mushrooms have mutated to look similar to good mushrooms.

Mushroom picking is known as “White Hunting” and is a common pastime for Russians. Many Russians spend days picking and really love doing it. I feel like I would love it too!

Mushrooms can be served in various ways, commonly in soup, fried, dried for soups and sauces, or salted and marinated.

Wild berries are another common forest product. Traditionally you can find cranberries and granberries. They are used for jelly, jams and as a sweetener. Traditionally many people place berries in water and let it slowly preserve. From here the water becomes sweet and you can drink it or use it to sweeten things. Berries are one of the only sources of vitamins.

Personally I remember one day when Olga’s mom was over, she brought a huge glass jar that was filled with water and cherries. She separated the water and the cherries and the cherries were still whole but the water was like a juice. It was interesting and very tasty!

Our next topic of discussion is vegetables. A common way to eat them is either salted or marinated. Salted cucumbers are prepared with salt, water, herbs, leaves of black currents and horseradish. In Europe most things are marinated.

Rasolnik is a soup that is made from salted cucumbers. I’ve never had it.

Cabbage is a common vegetable in traditional Russian meals .It is used as a base for soups. Salted cabbage can be found in soups such as Shi, and Borsch. I have had both, and they are pretty good. In fact, the soup that I ate in Pskov was Shi.
A common tongue twister is “Tisha kasha pisha nasha” – meaning, “Shi and porridge is our meal”.

The simplest soup traditionally consisted of onion, cabbage, and water.
Potatoes only became a part of the meal in the second half of the 18th century. Pheasants initially rejected it but were ordered by the military to grow. The potato took the place of the turnip.

It wasn’t until after the 18th century that meat was eaten in pieces. Normally meat was cooked and eaten as one whole piece; you must think back to the ovens that pheasants had.

Caviar is a traditional Russian meal also. Black caviar is typically Sturgeon, and red caviar is Salmon. Black caviar is quite expensive and you can’t even buy it in Novgorod. Historically pheasants ate caviar from all types of fish. White caviar is fairly inexpensive. Caviar itself is considered a meal and some people even fry it.
Yxa “Ooha” is a type of soup that is made from sweet water fish and vegetables. You use one fish for the preparation of the stock. Then you use a second fish as the meat of the soup. To my knowledge I have never had this. I did have fish soup in St. Petersburg and it was quite delicious.

A common traditional food that I’ve eaten a lot of here in Russia is Pelmeni. It’s basically meat with Pasta and originally a Finnish meal. It looks like tortellini with meat inside of it .It was a traditional way to freeze and preserve meat. Sausage was also made as a way to preserve meat.

All of these foods mentioned so far are part of traditional cuisine. Tea, salad, chocolate and ice cream are not traditionally part of the Russian meal.

Tea arrived in Russia in the 17th century and in Europe 100 years later. “Chai” as it’s pronounced is a derivative of the Chinese name for tea. Tea came to Russia from China via the Mongols. Not only is it a drink but it is considered a meal.

It is usually a brunch and served with tea is honey, jam, candy, dry fruit, bread, and Blini. Here in Russia I usually have tea many times a day after a main meal. After breakfast and dinner I have tea with chocolates, fruits, or bread.

Russian tea is prepared thick with boiling water. I’ve never had it, usually I just drink tea from the little tea packets. Sugar and tea are traditionally eaten separate; you don’t put the sugar in the tea but eat it alongside the tea. That may be why when you order tea in a restaurant you receive sugar in little cubes on the side.

During the 18th century contact with Europe increased and changed in cuisine included the introduction of sausage, chopped meat, macaroni, and sauces. German, British and French imported cookware allowed for different and new ways of food preparation.

Salad, to my surprise, was not traditionally a Russian part of the meal. With the exception of soup traditionally nothing was ever mixed together in a bowl. Salad originated in the houses of French Aristocrats. By the 19th century salad spread to the townspeople and by the 20th century everyone was eating salad! A common Russian salad is “Olivie” which is chopped up vegetables and mayonnaise. I’ve had that a lot, it’s good!

Ice cream originally was rare and only found in big cities. In soviet times there was a state program to bring cheap ice cream to all families. The soviet Ice cream recipe came from traditional ice cream of the 1930s. Stas said that one of his relatives was a major contributor to the soviet ice cream program.

The best ice cream is made with dairy cream and natural oils and butter. The ice cream that I have had here does taste a bit different then in the United States. It is creamier and it is a little bit better. I haven’t had a lot of ice cream here however, so I can’t compare too much.

Overall, what I’ve noticed about Russian food is that all the vegetables seems a lot more fresh and taste a lot better than in America. That can be said for some of the fruit too, like strawberries. Russians prepare meals with lots of creams and dairy products, including sour cream and mayonnaise. Those two things alone are put on most dishes, or at least offered to go with most dishes. Before coming to Russia I would have never thought of putting sour cream with soup or salads. I have had a lot of cucumbers and tomatoes just cut up with salt also, so that is a big thing here. Russian soups are pretty fantastic, although I eat most of those when I am eating out; Olga hasn’t prepared soup a lot.

Oh another thing, there pastries are also a little different. Pastries and pies are heavy on bread and dough and have less fruit than in America. However, the bread has a sweetness and moisture to it that I haven’t found in American food. It is different, but it is very good. The pies from that restaurant in St. Petersburg were very sweet and moist, not dry and crumbly.

Overall I really enjoy the cuisine of Russia; I know I am going to miss a lot. It is nice having lots of chocolates and tea as well as lots of vegetables. Meat isn’t a big part of the meals traditionally, but that’s ok I prefer vegetables and fruits. I feel that I could base my personal eating habits around fewer meats since I feel like I have done that here.

So, onto the rest of the day’s events. After class we took a boat ride. I love boat rides and this wasn’t as grand as a nighttime boat ride in St. Petersburg but it was still enjoyable. We basically went down the Volkhov a little ways and then came back. From the boat we could see the Wooden Architecture Museum that we went to a few days earlier as well as St. George Monastery, which we’ve never visited.
Overall there isn’t much more to be said about the boat ride, you can check out the pictures. Most of us spent the time just talking and enjoying American music from the 90s and earlier that was playing. It was relaxing and I didn’t have to go to work! A couple who had just gotten married shared their first dance on the boat to the song, I just Called to Say I love you. Haha, I thought it was weird, gives you an idea of what kind of music we listened to.

After the boat ride I went to the university to check my emails, came home and took a nap with Shira, and spent the night having dinner and tea with Olga. Olga was cooking a lot tonight so I watched her. With tea Olga had made some bread that she fried in the frying pan like you would French toast. However, she took the bread, dipped it in milk and had lots butter in the frying pan. The bread cooked until it was a golden color and then you sprinkle sugar on it. It was pretty good!
Olga had made me a salad for lunch today that had cucumbers, corn, cheese, dill, and liver all mixed with mayonnaise. After tea Olga made these tortilla wraps. First she took shredded lettuce and then cheese and liver which she also shredded. Add grated hard boiled eggs and then added mayonnaise and sour cream. You mix all that together and spread it on the tortillas and then roll it up like a burrito.
Interesting thing is that Olga called the tortilla shells bread. I tried to look up tortilla in the Russian English dictionary, but it’s not in there. Overall, it looked good. I assume it’s for lunch tomorrow.

Until then, Love,
Sasha


Photo Link: Russia ~ Day 27 ~ Boat Ride Along the Volkhov

Day 26 ~ Novgorod Convent

28. July
So, that verb test was hard! I knew what the sentences meant in English and understood them but mixed up when I should use the imperfect or perfective versions of the verbs. On top of that, I forgot what some of them were. Oh well. I tried. It’s hard to memorize 24 verbs and all of their conjugations in one night. Much of the rest of the class struggled too.

In history class we talked about the foundations of Moscow! I was very interested! Mosckovia became the cities that led the process of reunification of Russia from the Mongols. It was originally a settlement for Kievan princes. It was covered with very deep forest and a great place to hunt.

The city was destroyed twice by invaders including the Mongols. Finnish tribes originally lived here and the name Moskva is a Finnish word.

Moscow was comparatively secure from attack compared to the rest of Russia. The soil however was poorer than other lands but better than the North. Population was increasing and it has always been a favorable geographical position for travel.
The first Prince of Moscow was Daniel. He was the son of Novgorodian prince Alexander Nevsky. The next prince of Moscow was Ivan the First. He was known as moneybags. Although it is not known if this is because he tried to take peoles money or if it was because he tried giving it to the poor. There is a story that he used to have money bags around his waste from which he would give to the poor. Ivan has a close relationship with the Mongols and he was the tax collector for all of the Russian principalities. Furthermore, he had control over the Church.

The next princes of Moscow were successful and positive. At the same time the Black Death was spreading from the East to West into Europe and 1/3 of the population was lost. I assume that number was total Russian population, not just in Moscow. Two of Ivan the Firsts’ sons died.

Dimitry, the grandson of Ivan, is known as a hero to Russians. He used a profitable situation to defeat the Mongols. The Mongol ruler at the time, Mamai was not from the Mongol family directly. Therefore Dimitry refused to pay tribute because he felt Mamai was an imposter since he was not a descendent of the Kahns . Mamai therefore was building up an army against Russia and included some Italians and other Russian Princes who did not like Dimitry. Moscow was surrounded by enemies but Dimitry did not wait for enemy unification. He and his army went to meet Mamai themselves. The price was wounded when Mamai attacked but when the Mongols were surrounded and pushed back into the forests the best of Dimitry’s army was waiting and they defeated the Mongols. A year later Mamai was killed by Mongols.

Dimitry had given hope back to Russia. For a century more Russia would pay tribute to the real Mongol leaders. After Dimitry’ death there was a 25 year civil war over who gets the throne and at the same time the Mongols were becoming weaker and weaker. During these 25 years Moscow did not progress much.

The next prince was Ivan the Third. He created a huge territory and reconstructed Russia into 17th century Moskva. He gave the name Roccia to the country, and therefore is known as the grandfather of Russia. Ivan married the last princess of the Constantine Empire and it is said that, there were Two Romes, and Moscow would forever be the Third Rome. The term Czar came from the Russian form of Caesar.
The last part of class we talked about current relations between Russia and America. It was very interesting. Currently Stac says there is Anti-American feel In Russia, again American policy and the State. This has been ever since the turmoil of Serbia, Kosovo, and Yugoslavia. Stac says that he and Russia think that the actions against Yugoslavia were a huge and terrible mistake. Furthermore, opinion is that America missed a chance to better relations directly after 9/11 (Putin was the first foreign leader to call President Bush after the attacks).

The sentiment for our country in Russia after the attacks was that many Russians “Sorry for Americans, not for America”. As a people Russians could identify with a history of being attacked. As a state we’re an enemy state.
Russia was not happy with our actions in Iraq only because it showed the power of American and Russia being as powerful as it is does not like America showing off it’s power.

Currently if there is a conflict it would be due to the economy and economic issues. However, Stac believes that it would be a bloodless competition and bloodless conflict.

Stas went onto to say that Russia is very wary of the gap between the real intention of the American government and the ideal of democracy and often wonders how big it is. Basically meaning that America does a lot of things in the name of Democracy and freedom but how much of America’s actions are really intended for other purposes.
Lastly, Stac mentioned his own opinions of Obama. He began by saying that Obama’s success is everything opposite of Bush. Personally he would have voted for McCain only because McCain openly and directly claims his intentions.

Obama recently visited Russia in July and recharged American and Russian relations. However, then Biden goes to Yugoslavia and another former Soviet country and “slams Russia” as Stas put it. This caused a setback in any progress that Obama had made in Moscow.
Personally during all of this I was a little lost only because I do now know the history behind Kosovo and Yugoslavia/ Bosnia/ Serbia in the early 1990s. I basically don’t know a lot about foreign relations to begin with. If you’re at all interested search on the internet, that’s what I did.

So, this class was very interesting. I was very interested to learn how Russia views America. Stac said that he was shocked when Obama won. Furthermore, despite Anti-American views I have never felt such hostilities towards myself while being in this country. Anytime I had ever talked to any Russians its’ always been a positive experience and I am usually asked what my opinion is of Obama but it’s never been hostile or unfriendly. Russians are very interested in speaking with Americans. I have heard from some of the rest of the group the same things. So, there is some interesting things for you all to think about!

After class today we went to a local convent in Novgorod. It wasn’t as pretty as the monastery in Pskov, but the atmosphere was very similar to me. I enjoyed it a lot, and again really liked the atmosphere as a whole for similar reasons to why I was attracted to the monastery. As a religious person it’s always neat to see people who devote their lives as monks and nuns do. Furthermore, the grounds were beautiful and it felt very calming and peaceful. I loved it.

The convent is known for bringing miracles to those who come and pray and it attracts a lot of visitors. In the church is the burial place of Saint Varlam.
The convent is vey old and during ancient times Ivan the terrible even came here to pray. He wanted to open the tomb of a famous saint, the founder of the convent. When he went to do this the tomb caught on fire and he knew then that it was not the right thing to do.

Also buried here in a small chapel is a very famous Russian writer and his wife.
Currently all of the nuns that live here grow their own food and sustain themselves. They sell some of their produce to earn a small amount of money.

It was a nice sunny day and the flowers here were gorgeous! Be sure and look at the pictures! There were two really cute cats here too! One of them walked right up to me as we arrived and put his front paws on my legs like he wanted attention. I picked him up and held him for a few minutes, he was so cute. Later on another cat was walking around our legs as we were getting a tour from a nun.

We toured the church on the grounds and then went out to this hill. It is said that Saint Varlam made the hill himself and on top of it is a small chapel. Many people go up and pray. It is said that if you take up intentions for anyone who needs healing, including yourself, you should say a prayer and walk around the hill three times. Apparently people have received miracles.

After walking around the grounds we walked a little ways to a small well where it is said that the cleanest water in Novgorod is located. The water is also considered holy and to have brought upon miracles. We all went to it and had a small drink and washed our faces. It did taste pretty crisp and fresh!

Also located on the grounds of the convent are the burial grounds of the parents of the current Archbishop of Novgorod. Furthermore, I saw the first cemetery in Russia here.

I have wondered a lot recently where people are buried because cemeteries seem hidden and nonexistent. Like I said, I had yet to see one before this, and even this one could be left unnoticed unless you aren’t aware it is there. I have walked a lot around the city and have yet to see any. Perhaps I need to spend more time in the country.

However, the cemetery that I saw reminded me of the cemetery that I had seen in the hometown that my father grew up in. Overall today was a great day and I loved the convent.

When I got home for dinner Olga served me some borsch! It was great. I don’t remember if I mentioned before that she makes her borsch with meat in it and other vegetables in it other than just plain beets. It can be made a variety of ways as long as it has beets in it! I still love it!

Olga and I have spent lots of time talking about my family as well as Kevin and his brothers recently. Olga said she was very thankful for my mother adopting me from Russia and bringing me to America. Personally it was the most sincere thing anyone has ever said to me. She’s so sweet. I’ve made quite an impression on her she is aware of my background and is very impressed with where I am today. I love Olga!
Tomorrow in class we’re talking about food! I am quite excited!

Love,
Sasha!

Photo Link : Day 26 ~ Novgorod Convent

Day 25 ~ Last week of classes begins

27. July ~ Last week of School!

Nothing to eventful happened today. School came and went and in history class we talked about the Mongols. I don’t find the Mongols very interesting at all, I had a hard time focusing today.

Anyways, the Mongols attacked in 1223 and 1239 the Mongols led their strongest attack in Russia and destroyed many of the Russian principalities. It was a year long strike.

Every potential Russian prince had to visit the Elder Kahn and show respect and give offerings and prove that they are worthy enough to be a Prince. The prince has to travel to the steppe and then the Elder Kahn would choose which person is fit enough to be king.

Novgorod itself was never taken by Mongols. In 12th century Novgorod gained independence. It was private land and the prince had no right to buy land in the territory. The prince could not do anything that could gain the support of Novgorod in any way, this included not marrying a Novgorodian, all of the Princes men and relations could not buy land. The only role of the Prince is to come and rule then leave. Novgorod was the only republic in Russia that could choose it’s own prince.
You might wonder, why have a prince if he can’t do all of these things. Well the advantages of having a prince include good relations with other Principalities. Furthermore, the Prince was a military man and because he was neutral in the affairs of the people he was a good judge between the aristocrats. Novgorod Princes were paid double other princes and a Prince who ruled Novgorod was well respected, and prepared for moving on and going elsewhere. Lastly, the Prince got a share of all military spoils.

The Archbishop was the leader of the “House of St. Sophia” for the State of Novgorod. The archbishop is not appointed but elected and has his own domain. He is also the chief judge in family business, Church, and with moral questions. Civil authority and the seal of Novgorod are all in his hands. The archbishops are representatives of the Novgorod boyars (aristocrats) family. One member of each boyar family is chosen to go into the monastery. The family support those who become monks and eventually the archbishop is chosen from the monastery.

As for the political system at this period of time, there were a limited number of aristocrats at this period of time that would run all business. The Prime minister of the state or Posadnik is elected from the boyars family.

The local militia, Tys’atsky (The leader of the militia) is the mighties man who is also elected from the boyars family. He is the mayor of Novgorod.

The starosta or “older man” is elected from any group of free men (trade or craftsmen). He represents interests of all other social groups of the whole city. There was a starosta for every city, and every street.

Other members in the political system include Konets, Ulitsa, and Sotnia, although I do not remember any information about them, I hadn’t written anything.
Novgorod lost independence at the end of the 15th century when they then became related with the Moscow state.

Some other information we learned in that in the 13th century the level of Russian civilization was decreasing. Russia was starting it’s own development separate from Europe .

That was the basic topics of history class and after class I had work. Work was the same as usual, Francesca and I spent the day outside playing on the playground and coloring. Kids are tiring, I usually come home and want to sleep right away!
When I got home Olga had made me a chicken leg and vegetables! It was great, the vegetables were cooked in a spicy sauce, I can taste it still as I write this! Olga is so attentive of what my likes and dislikes are. Lucky for her my dislikes are few.

In school tomorrow we have a quiz on a list of about 12 verbs and we have to know their perfective and imperfective forms and their conjugations. Michelle and Steve wanted to come over to study. So they came over and most of the time we spent talking and laughing basically. We get together and we act so goofy. It’s a lot of fun. Needless to say we didn’t learn to much more about the verbs, but oh well. I can only imagine that once I get my test I will forget it a lot. I feel like I have text anxiety when I am here. I can spend soo much time studying and then get the thing in front of me and I just loose it all or confuse myself. It was a good night anyways, and we had a fun time making associations to try and remember the verbs.
Olga was so nice and made us all an apple/peach pie to go along with out tea. It has crumbs on top, it reminded me of deserts that we have at home. The pie was pretty fantastic and I was excited that there is a lot left which means more pie for the rest of the week!

So, all in all, a nice ending to the day. I love my friends and my host! Poka (Bye) Until I write again.

Love,
Sasha

Photo Link : Day 25 : An Album just for Pie!

Day 24 ~ American Style Barbecue

26. July ~ American Style Cookout

So, it was a late morning. Magda left at 7. The rest of us slept until like 10:30. Masha left, I had some tea and Jim joined me. Eventually he left and then I got ready. Masha ended up coming back because Lena had something to do so she had to get ready at my house.

Today everyone was invited to a barbecue at a man named Sean’s house. Don knows Sean because his hosts’ neighbor had done some remodeling on Sean’s house. Sean is an older man who has lived in Novgorod for about 10 years. He is originally from the US.

Sean works with relations between American and Russian universities and hosts people to stay at his house. He also has a website: US-Russiannurses.com

Anyways, Sean planned on having an American Barbecue for all of us and some of our hosts. We had told Steve to meet Masha and I at my house and then we would all go together. Well, we gave Steve direction to my house, but he got lost again, got off at the wrong bus stop. He ended up meeting everyone across the walking bridge near Yaraslov court. Anyways, this made Masha and I a bit late to the party because we were waiting around trying to find Steve, haha.

We joke that the moto of the trip is: Where is Adrian, Where is Steve? Ironically enough, their host parents are best friends and they live next to each other.
Anyways, Masha and I made our way to Yaraslov court. When we were walking through Kremlin park, there were people everywhere. You see small children playing here and there and many families enjoying themselves. I’ve noticed that on the weekends and at night many families are out together walking. Thinking about it, the long summer nights I am sure come and go quickly so people utilize it to the fullest extent. I wonder what people do in winter when it’s dark most of the day.

Another thing, there are so many small children and babies. Everywhere you go you look and see someone pushing a stroller or a small toddler rushing to keep up with their parents. Additionally, many kids are all out together playing on playgrounds or what have you without their parents around. I often see young kids, probably as young as 6 or 7 that will get on a bus by themselves, or riding their bikes up and down the street. It is certainly a big difference from here and home. Certainly this is not the norm, nor could it be.

Eventually Don met us so we could find out way from there to Sean’s house. He lives on the outskirts it seems, surrounded by small cottage like houses. His house was a really pretty blue cottage house. When I arrived a got a quick tour of the inside. It was the nicest house I’ve seen in Novgorod. There was wood floors, walls, and ceilings. Almost everything was made of exposed wood, seemed like a log cabin in a way. The bathroom was larger than most Russian bathrooms. The wall of the bathroom was all mirrors with big blue tiles on the floor. The bathroom and toilet were pretty modern and new looking compared to what I’ve seen elsewhere. You could definitely tell that the person living here was a foreigner or had a lot of money. I don’t know enough about Sean to make a judgment, but his house was very impressive. He has many traditional Russian decorations and items around the house that looked quite expensive. It was very nice.

Sean showed Masha and I a matroska doll that he has custom made in Moscow (the birthplace of Matroshka dolls). He has designed what he wanted it to look like and an artist made it for him. There was a doll for each of his parents and his brother, really neat!

Outside he had a deck and a small yard. A deck is something else that really isn’t popular in Russia. Sean had devised a tournament with 8 teams of two. Everyone drew numbers out of a hat to find their partner. Masha and I ended up being partners ironically. In the tournament we played darts, horseshoes, boggle, uno, and badminton. Sean had it all figured out and would determine the winners based on who won each round.

Along with our group there were a few other people there that we’d never seen before. This included the son of Don’s hosts, Valya, a young lady named Oskana, a young man named Yuriy, and Adrian’s host brother Zach. Fransesca’s host also joined the party. There were almost 20 people here!

It was a lot of fun, Masha and I didn’t win any rounds, so we got last place, but it was nice anyways. I haven’t played badminton since high school but after a little bit I was playing decent. It was a lot of fun to play that again. I am bad at darts, and not that great at horseshoes, but I actually got one right around the steak! Uno and boggle were also fun, I lost at Uno because I kept getting pick up four our two here and there so it really was impossible to win! I haven’t played boggle in ages and so I was rusty and that. Adrian kicked everyone’s butt and had some high scores in the 90s and 100s.

While waiting around I played some casual games of Badminton and together Yuriy and I played against Matt and Oksana and we lost 16-21, but 16 was a pretty good score in my opinion. Yuriy and I were really happy. Then we went and played against Masha and Steve and won 5-4 only because someone else had to play for the tournament so our game was ended abruptly. All in all, it was a lot of fun!

There was a lot of snack food and Don’s hosts brought a bunch of food and cooked. For dinner we had kebobs made of meat with onions with bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, and dill. It was very good! The meat was similar to steak, you can tell this was an American style cookout and get together. These kebobs in Russian are pronounced “Shoshleek”. They are a popular food here.

During the party I was talking to Yuriy quite a bit. He is 23 and speaks English and Russian and some Spanish as well. He is going to school to be a doctor and says he will be finished in two years. We spent some time talking about health care and such between Russia and America. Apparently doctors in Russia are paid less than Nurses and that people who don’t go to college at all and just have a random job and work their way up make more money than doctors in Russia. Yuriy says he isn’t sure if he wants to incorporate his language skills with his work for he would earn more money that way. It certainly was interesting.

It made me think about perhaps someday incorporating Russian language with my Nursing job, that is if I ever become fluent again. That would take a long time, but we’ll see. Sean mentioned that he works with US nurses that know Russian and hosts conferences for them to come to Russia and forge communication and relations between Russian and American Nurses. I felt as if it was ironic that this is what Sean does. I go to Russia and coincidentally meet someone who works with nursing and Russian language also. So, it has certainly got me thinking again about how many options there are for Nurses.

I was surprised to learn that Russian doctors do not earn a lot compared to nurses and other professions. Yuriy mentioned that in some ways going to the university isn’t the best option when you can make more money by just getting an office job and working your way up, or doing other things.

After the party at Sean’s, Don’s host Sasha and his wife and son invited us all over to their house to hang out some more. Not everyone went, but most of the guys along with Masha and I went. There is a small pavilion in their backyard and a small grill. Sasha grilled some hotdogs (which were more like kielbasa) and we had some chips and bread with it. The guys bought some beer and we were all sitting around talking.

It was fun. Sasha brought out small candles and three plastic balls that change colors. Yuriy and I spent a lot of time finding ways to take interesting pictures. It was fun! I am easily amused by colors and so these things were lots of fun. We were occupied with those for most of the evening. Yuriy is a pretty fun person, speaks good English and he and Steve even sang some songs in Spanish. Although, it was funny, Steve was speaking half Russian and Spanish, it was entertaining.
Overall it was a great night. We had to call another taxi to get home. Steve told the guy the wrong address to his place so it was an adventure. Eventually he just got out with Masha and then she told him how to get home. The driver wasn’t sure I knew where I was going, and when I told him I was fine he didn’t believe me. I quickly walked to the door and got inside because I could hear him behind me getting out of the car. I think he thought that I had a friend who lived here and I didn’t have a key myself and was concerned about me being able to get inside. Novgorod Taxi services sure are entertaining in some way or another.

It sure is nice to have casual get togethers and such! I almost forgot about American cookouts and get togethers in the summer. Plus, meeting new friends is always nice!

Last week of school coming up, yay!
Love,
Sasha



Photo Link : American Style Barbecue

Day 23 ~ Icons!

25. July
Today started out very rainy and gray. On top of that it was a Saturday and we had to go to school! Yuck. No one was very happy with that. I was really tired and almost fell asleep in class during the first hour. A three our class can really be difficult to get through at times.

Luckily in history class we went back to the Archeological Museum in the Kremlin and looked at many icons! They were collected from all around Novgorod, and I think the oldest ones dated back to the 13th century. I don’t know what to say about them, the best option for you is to look at the pictures.

Many of the icons are of St. Nicholas. Each city has its own saint. St. Nicholas and St. George are very popular saints in the Orthodox Church. I don’t remember who the saint of Novgorod is.

The icons were really pretty and I am surprised that they are in such good condition considering how old they are! Some of the oldest icons had to be in special temperature and pressure controlled cases so that their condition would not deteriorate. As the pictures go on the icons become more recent in age and you can see differences in style and such of the icons. There was one icon of brothers Boris and Gleb who were the first saints in the Orthodox Church. Apparently they became saints because they were martyrs.

Some of the icons had a main picture and then smaller pictures around them, and these usually depicted the life of a certain person. Many were depicting scenes from the life of Jesus, or a certain saint.

One icon was of St. Barlaam of Khutyn and scenes of his life. In the center is the main scene of St. Barlaam himself. In his one hand is a church, in his other a piece of writing. This means that he is a founder of a church, or monastery, and he was also was a great teacher of the people. So, icons can say a lot about the person depicted.

There were many icons that depicted “The Old Testament Trinity”. I don’t know if this is referring to something other than the trinity as I’ve always known it, I found it very interesting.

Another thing, in the Orthodox Church emphasis is places the life of Jesus and the many miracles that he performed. It does not place such large emphasis on the crucifixion of Jesus as the Catholic Church does, so it would be very odd to see a large icon of the crucifixion. There were a couple, but Stas said they are not popular.

So, overall the icons were very neat to see. I would never see anything like this in the United States or many other places so it was just really cool.
The museum had a nice gift shop so I bought a couple things, and then Steve, Magda, and I went on the search for internet. That brought us to a nice Italian restaurant right down the street from school, Napoli.

Steve and I felt we had to order something since we were using their internet services. They are expensive, Steve and I both ordered minestrone soup. I got a bottle of water and it cost 3 dollars! I don’t even remember how much the soup was, but much more than other places. It was very good, so it didn’t seem that bad. The bathroom in the restaurant is the nicest bathroom in Novgorod I think. There were terrycloth hand towels that you could use and then dispose of in this bin to be washed.

Overall it was a nice place to sit and upload pictures and check email! I don’t know if I would go there again only because it cost a lot. Steve and I joked we looked like typical Americans with our big laptops sitting in a restaurant for three hours borrowing internet.

While walking to my house I saw a cat in a tree. It’s a cat that I see almost every day around my building. She was just laying in the tree watching people go by.
When I got home I had dinner waiting for me. I assume Olga’s mom came and put it out for me. Masha came over and then we headed over to Greensleves, an Irish pub near the Kremlin. On our way out we saw a cat in a tree. It’s a cat that I see almost every day around my building. She was just lying in the tree watching people go by. Pretty cute.

We met Don, Matt, Magda, and Jim. Steve was supposed to join us but as we thought he got lost and couldn’t find his way so he apparently went back home and slept. It was a nice little pub that had a flat screen plasma television that was playing Eric Clapton in concert. A nice atmosphere for a pub really, I would prefer it over a bar and nightclub, it was a lot nicer. I had water, a sip of Michelle’s New England Ice tea or whatever it was. Basically it really isn’t ice tea, but tastes just like it. We sat and talked about random things for a while. Masha wanted to see what the pub was like; a bunch of the group had been there before and said good things about it. I figured I would go check it out too for something to do.

After the pub, Masha was coming back to stay the night and I invited Magda and Jim and Matt over too. We got out of the pub at 11:30 and walked to the nearest bus stop that would take us home. We waited for almost an hour and the bus never showed up. It was odd thought because there were other people waiting too, so it seemed like a bus would have shown up, oh well it didn’t. Matt went home and the rest of us decided to call a taxi. The taxi driver was playing really old Britney Spears on the radio. It’s always interesting hearing really old American Pop music in the taxi or the store.

Anyways, we were all up in the kitchen until 3am talking and eating and just hanging out really. Olga has prepared a lot of food for me for the weekend and I couldn’t have eaten it all myself so I figured I would share my space and food! It was a nice time. We ended up discussing religion, traveling, differences between Russia and the US, our families, and a bunch of other stuff. Late night discussion is always fun!
Tomorrow is more fun, American Barbecue!

Love,
Sasha

Photo Link: Icons Anyone!? Days 22 and 23

Day 22 ~ To Be continued.

So, I went to post day 22, and the word doument in blank, so I don't know what's up, I will fix this post soon!

Day 21 ~ Pskov: A Monastery, A Fortress and A Kremlin

23. July ~ Pskov

Today was a long day filled with bus riding and walking. I feel like I’ve spent most of my time here walking or eating. Anyways, we went to Pskov, which is the location of a Russian Orthodox monastery. Located near it are the oldest Russian stone fortress and the Pskov Kremlin.

The monastery is named: Pskov Pechorski Monastery. It is located near both Pskov and Pechorski and therefore, two names.

I thought that oh, Novgorod has a Kremlin, why would I need to really see another one they’ll be different. Haha, silly me. All of the places we saw were so beautiful.

The monastery is one of my favorite places ever, I know I keep saying that about lots of places in Russia, but I really loved it here.

The monastery was also one of the only, if not the only monastery not closed during the times of the Soviet Union. The government tried to close it, but it never happened.

The bus ride there was the most uncomfortable bus ride I’ve ever been on, and contrary to previous thought, it took about 4 and a half hours with one 15 minute stop to get to Pskov (pronounced scoff). The roads were filled with potholes, and I sat in the very back of the bus, so I felt every bump, ugh, not very good for sleeping at all. Some roads were only one way and I felt like at times I certainly was in the middle of nowhere.

To make things worse, the bus driver had Russian pop music videos playing, and they were cool for the first half an hour or so, but four hours of them was just soo annoying. If you muted them you might mistake them for American music videos. They’re basically the same as the music videos in America.

I was so relieved to arrive! At the monastery there are these caves made of limestone where monks are buried. In order to get into the caves you have to ask permission of the head monk. You can never know ahead of time if you’ll be allowed in. It’s really hit and miss. Sometimes they let you, other times they say no. Luckily, we were all allowed in!

Information on Pskov Monastery and Caves!

Due to the temperature and air and other conditions in the caves the bodies have become mummified. I thought we would get to see the actual bodies, but they are placed in coffins, so all we saw were some coffins that are placed behind the walls of the caves. There were be huge doors with Icons on them, and when you opened them you could see the coffins.

When you go into the caves you are given a candle and are accompanied by a monk. Can’t walk too fast or the candle goes out. The temperature in the caves was five degrees Celsius. There is just enough room for two lines of people to go along the paths. If you’re claustrophobic this isn’t the place for you. It would be a really good set for a horror movie. The walls of the caves were moist, and one person suggested the walls were limestone. It was a really neat experience to go in the caves. The icons that cover the doors are really pretty and just the whole thing is so cool.

After the caves we went into a small church on the premises. You could go in and light a candle, buy some books and icons. Three monks came into the church and got ready and started saying their prayers. If we stayed long enough we could have heard them chant, but we had other places to be and things to see.

The monastery felt like such a peaceful place and I could have spent so much more time there. I’ve always thought that monks and deeply religious people who devote their lives to God in such ways are extremely fascinating. I wish I could spend more time finding out about how they live their daily lives.. and wish I could have a deeper faith like they do. The monks’ dedication, focus and willingness is something that is truly inspiring. Being in their presence and visiting the monastery was just a very awesome experience.

Hopefully my pictures explain better how gorgeous this place is! It’s located in a valley and surrounded by its own little wall to protect it.

Overall I just really enjoyed being here; the four hour drive was worth it, even if I hadn’t gotten to see the caves. The domes on the church and the buildings were a very pretty blue, and some of the most pretty I have seen in Russia, I think.
Next was a trip to see the oldest stone fortress in Russia. Apparently there was another built close by or something, but it was not very efficient in doing its job, so it was replaced with the one I saw today. It is located on the State Historical Architectural Natural Landscape Museum – Reserve “Izborsk”. Within the reserve is a church, small stands where souvenirs were sold, as well as a nice little restaurant.

The group was really hungry so we all ate first. We had a very nice typical Russian meal. The first plate was a cabbage salad with peas, and the second a soup. The soup is called . As always, tea after the main meal, with Blini that was filled with an orange cream cheese with pieces of small orange liquorish. Again, Blini does not disappoint, neither did the whole meal.

There was a very nice church on the grounds that was filled with many icons, as most church’s are. It was very pretty. The fortress was cool, I really like the stone work and the big towers. In one of the towers you could take stairs and walk up to the top of it. A bunch of us went up and the view from the top was incredible. You could see lots of land, Dachas, a nice lake, endless amounts of huge puffy clouds and the Russian countryside at its best. On my way down, I was going slow and sideways because the stairs were steep and somewhat narrow. Somehow I overworked the muscles in my thighs, because they were extremely sore immediately after. Russia is really giving me a workout!

Russian countryside is so endless and extensive it seems. All the houses and Churches and villages have such an intimate cozy feeling, even just in passing through. There are miles at times that separate one village, or city from another. There is so much wide open space with so many trees and pieces of land. In between you don’t find much, you feel like you’re certainly in the middle of nowhere. It seems that there aren’t many places around where I live where there is at least a gas station, store, or some type of building within close driving distance even in the country.

The Kremlin in Pskov is also a very nice sight, and although the basic idea and architecture of the Kremlin is the same as the Novgorod Kremlin, it was still different and unique in its own way. The Kremlin was from the IX – XIX centuries according to a sign. The Kremlin was much smaller than the Novgorod Kremlin, and had a church on the inside.

When we arrived inside the Kremlin, it was around time for Church to being. The bells from the bell tower of the Church began to chime, and it was a lovely thing to hear and see. When inside the Church we soon realized something big was going on, there were many Orthodox priests in attendance, the Church was decorated very elaborately, and a red carpet was rolled out. The Archbishop of the area was coming, and so everything was in tip top shape. It was really neat to be here at the Church at this time especially to see the grand display for the Archbishop. Once the procession and greetings finished we left. The church was filled with it’s own special icons, chandeliers and lots of gold.

In one part of the Kremlin it looked like there were foundations from buildings that no longer existed but it looked like a really neat maze. If these stones were not foundations at one time, I don’t know what it was.

Apparently by the time we were on our way it was already 6pm! We arrived home right around 10 although the ride back was much better than the ride there. Masha, Steve, Adrian and I did not sit in the very back so the bumps and pot holes were hardly a problem. I slept for about an hour, and read a book the rest of the way

The book I am reading is called My Stroke Of Insight. I highly recommend it. It’s about a doctor who has a stroke and then writes about how she was able to recover from the stroke and how her life has changed. It’s written so that anyone can understand the terminology and medical aspects of it. I may write more about it once I finish it. You should google it or something and look into it!

Of course when I got home I had a nice meal waiting for me. Olga prepared a vegetable stir fry that had potatoes and chicken with it too, it was great! With tea I had some new apple pastry things which were pretty good.

Another thing I’ve noticed, there are so many varieties of flowers around everywhere. Many places that I see have wildflowers growing. There are also many pots and little flower beds all around. There is great effort and time spent caring for plants and flowers all over the city, it’s lovely. Perhaps I notice it because I see many types of flowers here that I do not see as frequently at home.

Overall, it was a very wonderful day. I really enjoyed it soo much. It’s been one of my favorite things that I have seen and done here!
Alrighty, hope all is well at home!

Love,
Sasha


Picture Links:
Russia ~ Day 21 ~ Pskov: A monestary, A fortress and A Kremlin

Russia ~ Day 21 ~ Pskov: Continued

Day 20 ~ Novgorod Archeology Museum

22. July

20 days down! Three weeks already!! Wow, feels like a whole lot longer. Anyways, this morning and during the afternoon my ankle swelling had gone down, but now that I look at my ankles again at 9pm they are swollen. Jeez, I don’t know what’s going on!

I tried to limit my walking; tomorrow we’re going to this place called Scoff. Lots more walking and a 6 hour ride there and back, oh yay… just kidding. At Scoff there is a monastery and catacombs. In the catacombs monks have been buried and their bodies somehow were preserved. If we’re allowed we will be able to see the mummified or preserved remains. It will be worth it if we are allowed, if not, there isn’t anything really spectacular to see. At least we don’t have school or internships!
Today it was really cold in the morning and cloudy. The sun came out later but there was still a cold wind. I was really tired again in the first hour of class but as the day went on I wasn’t as tired.

School was fine, for history class we went to the Novgorod Archeology/ Architecture Museum located inside the Kremlin. Located inside are various items that archeologists have found throughout various digs in the Novgorod.

Many of the items are centuries old, it’s pretty neat looking stuff. It’s best for me to just direct you to pictures of some of the items so you can see what’s been found!

On Saturday we have school because we do not have school tomorrow, so we are going back to the museum to see more things, we only checked out the main floor, but Saturday we’re going to look at icons.

After the museum Michelle and I walked around the city and ran some errands. We were tired of walking and went to another café, Café La Chocolate. Michelle got some really awesome coffee that had chocolate and ice cream in it. This place wasn’t very Russian; from the name and decorations I guess it’s French. There are various locations around the city, so we thought we would check it out.

The internship today was really fun! When I arrived they were watching Snow White in Russian. I’ve never see the full movie in English so it was interesting. While we’re watching, the movie got to the part where Snow White eats the apple, and the bad witch dies. Then a caption comes up and says something like the princess was so beautiful that the dwarfs could not bring themselves to burry her. Right after that the movie ended, and Francesca and I couldn’t figure out if the movie was just shut off or if that was the end of their tape. Francesca thinks that maybe in soviet times movies were cut short so that there would never be happy endings. Haha, interesting thought, but I just think the movie was stopped so we could go outside.
When we got outside we colored for a little bit and then played some ball. Usually a few of the children stand in a circle and we toss it around. Francesca was showing them some volleyball moves, Alla wanted me to keep throwing it to her so she could practice bumping the ball.

Anyways, it was a lot of fun today, I am glad we did more than just one thing for two hours, made the time go by fast.

The workers were also very interested in speaking with me today. They told me that the American banks failed, and I asked, now?!? (I haven’t seen the news in a while so I thought they may have recently). They laughed for quite a while and then said no, in the fall and winter. Then they asked me I or my parents worked and what we did. When I told them my parents did not work (I don’t know the word for retired) they thought I was rich. I had to tell them my parent’s age and then they understood.

I didn’t get home until 7 after a long wait for the bus and then slow traffic! The bus was very full too so it was uncomfortable. Oh well. I worked on homework until Olga came home; she made dinner and then went to say goodbye to her friend Ilena and daughter Masha, who came over last Wednesday. I’ve been doing homework and plan on going to bed early because I have to get up at 6am.

The bus to Pskov leaves at 7:45 because it takes 3 hours to get there! I plan on sleeping on the way there, and reading or more sleeping on the way home! It’s going to be a long day!

Sorry updates are taking me soo long to post lately. We’ve been busy after school every day and I’ve been trying to lighten my book bag this week, therefore I haven’t packed my computer.. I plan on going to the University on Friday to use the internet.
Love,
Sasha.

Picture links for the past three days: Russia ~ Day 18, 19, 20 ~ Wooden Architecture and Archeology

Day 19 ~ Wooden Architecture Museum

21. July ~
Today was similar to yesterday. Went to school, language was fine, but I was extremely tired and really hot. I had my jacket on so that may be why, but whenever I took it off I got really cold. Michelle said I felt warm, perhaps I am coming down with something!? Maybe Liza passed on her sickness. Although it seems that since yesterday I’ve been so exhausted. I probably have run myself down from walking a lot, being in the sun and not drinking as much water as I would at home.

Here in Russian the people don’t drink water, or milk, as much as we do in the states it seems. I have yet to see any large containers of either, just bottles. I may be a little dehydrated. My ankles are still sore and swollen during the day, however the swelling is starting to slowly go down. Walking makes me soo tired!
During history class we went to the Museum of Popular Wooden Architecture right outside of Novgorod. It was a short van ride. The museum was filled with various buildings made of, you guessed it, all wood. No nails at all. The architecture was very interesting and I was thinking, these were the original log homes. Apparently this style of architecture was used by Russian pagans and folk people. The museum was in the middle of the country side and surrounded by woods and open grass, surrounded by water on three sides, by a lake and a river.

Overall it was really neat to see how the houses were built so soundly with no nails. There was even a couple churches, a well, and some boats made of all wood, really cool. The only bad thing was all the mosquitoes. Nice trip, beats a lecture that would make me fall asleep. Although the walking was something I could have done without! I need to just lay around, perhaps this weekend!

After that Michelle, Doug, Steve, Jim, Matt and I all went back to Coffee land. I didn’t but anything but just sat and did all my homework until it was time for the internship. While at the coffee shop the owner came over with a globe and wated us to mark where we were from with tacs. Apparently they like to see where their visitors come from. No one had been there from Texas, or Illinois. It was neat to see where past visitors came from, I noticed a tac in Australia and India!

It was nicer weather so when I got to the internship Francesca and I colored again and tried to talk with the kids. They’re fun and soo cute to watch!

Since coming home I’ve tried to just lay around as much as I can. I watched Olga cook dinner and we talked about our jobs. I enjoy watching her cook, she’s so good at it!

Olga apparently works at some place and deals with computers legal clients. She enters data into the computers about clients. That’s what I could infer from our great efforts that included the help of the dictionary! I also found out that Olga is also a nurse, plays piano and another traditional Russian instrument, has been a teacher and a manager. I wonder, is there anything Olga can’t do!? She really is amazing in everything she’s accomplished.

As for dinner, she made a salad with the usual lettuce, dill, and some other leafy thing and cucumbers, chopped it all up and added tomatoes and then mayonnaise. The main dish was pasta mixed with cooked vegetables that you saute. The vegetables included were zucchini, bell peppers, garlic, carrots, onion and maybe others. She explained that you cook the pasta, and the vegetables separate then mix them, add a sauce that was made of egg, mayonnaise, and a spice that I don’t know the American equivalent of and then mix that all together and heat! Basically, it was amazing, and I whatever spices she made flavored it oh so well! The pasta dishes have been my favorite. I had three plates and overate. Drank lots of water and have noticed that my swelling has gone down a little bit on the outsides of both ankles. I told Olga about it, and she told me I should have said something last night; however I wanted to see if it would go away. The blister on top of the swelling, man my feet are in rough shape! I still feel a little bit under the weather and plan on going to bed a bit early, I feel really tired and hot again!

After dinner Olga had to go out and meet with a friend, and poor Beesha whined and pouted and paced around the house for quite a while. He even was howling a little bit! He finally calmed down and just fell asleep near the door. When she came home this afternoon he jumped all over her and licked her face incessantly. Oh, and according to Liza, Beesha is a Brussel Griffon. I’ve never heard of this breed of dog, apparently it’s very well bread and rare in the states.

Tomorrow is the same type of day it seems, we’re apparently going to another type of museum! I think it’s an early bed time for me! Hopefully my ankles won’t be as swollen tomorrow! Until then, goodnight.

Love,
Sasha

Day 18 ~ Back to daily routine

20. July
Back to school again, no fun! School was fine. History class was interesting. We talked about paganism and different Russian pagan traditions. I had never actually realized what the definition of paganism was so this was an interesting class.
Stac began by saying that paganism was in the historical past of every nation. He mentioned some major pagan gods; Swarog, Stribog, Dazhdbog, Perun, Domovio, Leshi, and Vodianoi.

Swarog was the god creator, Stribog the god of the upper world and winds, Dazhdbog the god of justice and the giver of sun and day. Perun was the god of storms, thunder and lighting and apparently the ruling class believed in him. Domovoi was the spirit of the home who was invisible and lived either under the stove, or in the attic. He was the protector of the home, brough tranquility, linked horses, cattle, milk, bread, and if you made him angry in any way he would leave your home. This was considered very bad! Leshi was the god of the forest and Vodianoi was the water spirit.

I also learned about many Russian Traditions which include the following:
The cat is the most spiritual creature so he must be the first to enter a new home. If you do not have a cat, you should borrow your neighbors and push him over the threshold.

If you meet or come across a lady with two empty baskets in her hand this is bad luck, if they’re full it’s a good omen. If you meet or come across a burial procession this is good for you. Basically for the fact that you’re still living. If you leave a key on the table or anywhere else it’s not supposed to be it’s bad luck because the key had a special place, a nail on the wall.

If you drop a knife that means you will have a quarrel in the future, drop a fork means you’ll have a male visitor, drop a spoon and you’ll have a female visitor. If your left hand itches you’ll receive money, if the tip of your nose itches you’re supposed to drink vodka.

When you’re traveling if you forgot something and go return to retrieve it this is bad luck. Whistling in the house is prohibited because you’ll lose money.

A sauna is considered a dirty place and women are supposed to give birth here and not in the home because the home is sacred and must not be placed in danger by evil, unclean spirits. A women who is giving birth, and soon after is an open door for good and evil spirits and therefore cannon enter the home.

The origins of some of these traditions are not known but they certainly were interesting to hear and I did not hear any of them before coming to Russia. I wonder how many American traditions could be related to paganism. Overall it was an interesting lecture despite the fact that I was extremely tired and fell asleep for a little bit.

After school I went to Francesca’s house and had some tea and vegetables. Similar to what I had the last time I was there, although I had never had white tea before. I am interested to know what type of leaves are used to make white tea?

After eating and tea we took a small nap before our internship. All those who are doing internships are starting them, so Francesca and I went back to the orphanage. Based on their daily schedule they eat around 4 and then go play outside until 6 or so. So usually when we get there we’re outside. It started pouring a few minutes after we got outside, and I mean a downpour for a good 10 – 15 minutes. The children were excited for the rain, and we all ran under these hut like buildings that had benches and tables. Basically we spent the whole time coloring as usual. However, unlike the last two times we were there, all of the children seemed to be interested in talking to us and many of the boys even came up to us and would talk with us. It’s still very difficult to communicate with them but its neat to just sit and listen. They are definitely not as reserved as they used to be when we were there.
Anyways, for dinner Olga said Liza was coming over. Liza and Olga have been friends for a long time. This meant Olga was preparing something fancy for dinner! She ended up making a salad with ham, other vegetables, and dill all chopped and diced. With it we had bread water, Kvas. So, it looked like a soup, and of course with it some mayonnaise like stuff. Kvas looked like root beer, but doesn’t taste like it at all. It’s carbonated and if you didn’t know any better you would think it’s some type of soda. I don’t like it at all, it’s got a weird taste to it. I tried it, but when I had seconds no Kvas for me!

Before Liza came I was watching Olga cook. I spend time occasionally watching her cook, its fun and I hope to take back some of what I’ve seen home with me! She was making Apple “perok”, or pie. However instead of a traditional pie crust Olga used tortillas. Inside were cut up chunks of apple, some type of cinnamon, sugar and egg sauce I think, and then something else that was more sugar and egg and other stuff that looked like frosting or cream cheese. She layered the sauce and cream cheese looking stuff and then wrapped it all up in tortilla shells and baked it

When it was finished and we ate it, you would never be able to tell that it was tortilla shells. It tasted amazing and I just couldn’t believe what it came out to look like. The tortilla could be mistaken for some type of traditional American pie shell and was very moist and flavored by the layers of sauce and filing.

Oh, Olga also bought a new flavor of tea, chamomile l and apple. It smells like apple and it’s even better than green tea in my opinion. Liza was sick today and had a fever and brought a whole bag of medicine!

Anyways, they spent the night talking, and I just sat and listened while doing homework. It’s nice to be back home, I missed Novgorod, Olga and the pets.
Oh, sometime this evening I’ve also noticed that my ankles are pretty swollen. I don’t know what caused it but I am thinking the walking over the weekend? My ankles are kind of sore and hurt and the bones in my feet and ankles hurt a little even walking today. I will have to keep an eye on it! Off to bed for me!

Love,
Sasha.

Day 17 ~ St. Petersburg: Final Day

19. July ~ Last day in St. Petersburg

Last day in St. Petersburg! Masha and I slept in, and it was really nice! We decided to spend the last day going to the Church of the Savior on Blood. The church was built over the spot where Alexander II was shot and murdered. In this spot there is a special structure. Anyways, I really liked this church the most of every one I’ve seen so far because everything inside the walls were all mosaics. It's gorgeous, my personal favorite.

Information on the Church here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Savior_on_Blood

Most mosaics, and artwork, in any church are of one saint or another. The artwork in this church was most impressive to me because it was mosaic. Masha and I did a little souvenir shopping and then walked in a park next to the church. It was a nice park, although it was just nice to find a bench to sit and watch the pigeons and people come and go.

In Russia there are pigeons everywhere. Oh, another thing, various places in St. Petersburg there are people who have random animals like monkeys, hawks, baby foxes, and a baby cub (maybe a lynx cub, I don’t know) in their captivity so that people can come and take pictures of them and such. I am pretty sure it’s illegal in the United States as it should be, but not here. I got a few pictures with a monkey, they turned out nice, but I feel bad for the animals. I was thinking, what happens to them when they aren’t wanted anymore, they can’t be released into the wild because they would surely die.

Masha, Steve and I also had lunch at the pie place again. I got salmon pie and then mushroom. Figured, my last time here, get as much as I can eat. Two pies is almost too much, they look smaller than they are. They were still delicious as ever, my favorite food in St. Petersburg!

Oh also, the Cathedral of the Spilled blood in my opinion is the most Russian looking church I’ve seen too, mainly because of its elaborately designed and colored domes. Typically what you’d expect of a Russian church, that’s the idea most people get in their heads when thinking of Russia (or at least the Churches). I must say, overall I’ve seen some very gorgeous looking domes, mostly in gold, gray and blue.
Before leaving Masha and I ate again at the Georgian 24 hour restaurant. I got something with meat in it and eggplant. It tasted good, a bit strange in texture and such, but good. The meat was ground, like taco meat would be, but I don’t think it was ground beef. I honestly don’t know what I was eating other than eggplant.
The metro ride back was so much better than the way there; leaving always seems to be like that. Seemed like the walk to the metro and then to the bus took much less time, and it was also a Sunday afternoon so it wasn’t that busy.

I will miss the city, but four days of it was enough. According to what I’ve heard the city only gets 60 days of bright clear sunny days a year, and every day we were there it seemed to be like that except the first night when it rained. We were lucky. Additionally, it seems anytime we’re outside for anything the weather turns out to be sunny and enjoyable.

I would certainly love to come back to this city someday! The ride home was spent sleeping and looking out the window at the countryside while listening to music. Dachas are here and there along the countryside. It’s hard for me sometime to figure out what house is Dacha, because sometimes it’s confusing.

Oh well, the houses or Dachas along the countryside are very cute. Lots of them come in such an array of colors with intricately detailed woodwork around the windows, doors, and eves. Cute houses, remind me of little cottages.
While driving aimlessly along the countryside I sat and thought this country really is soo huge and the city is only a few hours away from Novgorod yet it feels so different from Novgorod and the Russia I’ve become so used to.

The city is filled with so many people, and then you get into the countryside and it is just miles and miles of land as far as the eye can see. It’s really humbling in that I really get a sense of how small I am compared to the huge world around me. It’s harder to notice it at home in the US, but here I think about it a lot. It’s just strange to comprehend. Being in a foreign country and just seeing the differences among you and other people truly goes to show how small one person really is in the whole world. The big city and these countryside travels certainly are a good reminder that I am connected to something much bigger than I can really imagine.

A bunch of us were talking about the city and how it's really a city of Gold. A city where Peter the Great created and built up a Russian Navy, a great city that Russians take such pride in!

Of course when I got home Olga had food waiting for me. She cooked me noodles and put ketchup on them and then a chicken leg! I had told her my favorite part of the chicken was the leg! She’s so nice is always remembering what foods I like and trying to make them for me here and there.

We sat together on the couch, I talked about my trip, showed her some pictures and then went to bed! The trip was great, I love so much about this country.
Love,
Sasha

Picture Links: Russia ~ Day 17 ~ St. Petersburg: Final Day