A bit of this, a bit of that

Tonight I was walking home from the perekrestok (a grocery store chain) and I suddenly had this flashback to my first night in Russia, when I got lost walking this very route, wandered around knocking on random apartment building doors, cried (nay, sobbed) in public, and contemplated sleeping on a park bench next to a statue of Comrade Lenin before I finally made it back to 20/15 Sherbakova. This struck me as both embarassing and hilarious. Now I feel confident that you could blindfold me and I could still find my way back home. And that's another thing. Home.

I've subconsciously started thinking of my flat as home. After walking up five flights of stairs after a long day at work, my first thought is Ahh, it's good to be home. I hang up my coat and winter stuff in the hallway, drop off my book bag in my room, change out of my work clothes into pyjamas, then make my way into the kitchen to cook dinner and enjoy a cup of tea (creamy rooibos, if you're wondering. And how the hell do you pronounce "rooibos" anyway? It's like the "Bysshe" in Percy Bysshe Shelley. Something I've always wondered. Ladna/ANYWAYS)

It just made me think about how every new thing in life seems, at the time, to be so scary and different and AWFUL, and then, gradually, you start to get so used to it that next thing you know, you're walking around like you own the place. Speaking of owning the place, I found out today that my flat is actually NOT owned by Language Link, but rather rented from some guy named Genghis (yes, as in Khan) who lives in the Czech Republic and apparently has a really bad temper. Let's hope he stays there.

Other things on my mind/a bit of a recap:

- It's almost Rhea's birthday. Tomorrow we're going out for sushi at Tanuki, a popular sushi chain restaurant here. I'm so excited, I love sushi and I love Rhea so it should be an amazing night :)

- I just finished teaching a 30-hour conversational course the other day, and one of the women brought me a present! I was so touched. It's a wool scarf, done in a pattern called "Russian Gold", very pretty...I would post a pic of it here but...

- I'm starting to feel like I shouldn't own ANYTHING expensive. For some reason, my new camera (a graduation gift from my parents!) just won't turn on! I took a picture the other night, and everything was fine, and then the next day I went to use it and it wouldn't work. Tried plugging it in and charging it. Nada. What is going on??? First my ipod. Then my computer. Now my camera??? I think I'll try and take it to an electronic store and see if they can fix it, because there's no reason for it not to work. I've been thinking about the perks in getting an e-book of some sort, but based on my luck with technology, I think I should just content myself with the crappy paperback thrillers I found at the school. Sorry if I sound bitter and angry, but, well, I AM bitter and angry.

- Taught my first class of kids today. It's a good thing kids don't judge. At least, the really little ones don't. Should make singing dorky songs about Mrs. Star, Mr. Star, and Suzy, Stella, and Simon Star a little easier.* On a more positive note, the kids are absolutely adorable. I totally plan on making my own kids take foreign language lessons, it's just too cute.

- I'm recently ADDICTED to baked pumpkin. It's seriously so delicious. I sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top like this. The fact that my oven has no temperature gauge just adds to the fun.

- Oh, aaaaaaaaaaand...we're going to have hot water in our flat SOON! Well, hopefully. An electrician came yesterday morning (naturally, bright and early on the one weekday I can sleep in) and spent hours trying to fix our water heater, only to determine that its super old and is basically falling apart. So we need a new one. When this is going to happen, I'm not too sure. But its progress. And in Russia, that's always appreciated.

- Another thing that's appreciated? Today it was +2. Oh yeah.

xoxo
Katie

*The family in the kids' English textbook is actually eerily similar to my own family. Not only do we have the exact same last name, there are two sisters and one brother. Creepy. However, I am eternally grateful that my parents weren't as obnoxious when it came to naming us as the fictional Mr. and Mrs. Star were. I hate it when all the names alliterate.

Beckham won't be bending it in England in 2018

Team Russia at the 2008 Euro Cup

Last week, FIFA announced that Russia had won the hotly contested 2018 World Cup hosting bid. The news was greeted with an outpouring of excitement from my teenage students, and conversely, with a fair amount of trepidation and wariness from my adult students. Soccer (or football...is it a little too "American" to insist on calling something by a different name than that which the rest of the world uses? Kinda like still using the imperial system when everyone else uses metric) is really popular in Russia, I've noticed.

Personally, I'm a little meh about soccer. My Canadian upbringing pretty much guaranteed that I'd be partial to hockey (although, interestingly, my favourite team is Detroit, and during the Olympics and IIHF, I always cheer for Team Russia) and I'm also semi-interested in baseball (who doesn't love going to a Jays game at the Skydome?) and even American football and basketball, but for some reason I've never caught onto soccer. I won the Most Sportsmanlike Award playing soccer one year as a teen, but I think that was only due to the fact that I let everyone else have the ball. Not for altruistic reasons, I have to confess. I just basically had no talent, and I realized this early on, so I was content with playing midfield and trotting back and forth on the field while my teammates got the glory. As long as my dad still took me to Tim Hortons for a doughnut after, I was a happy camper...

So I'm not really invested in this whole World Cup hosting thing. As a Russophile, my first reaction upon hearing the news was to be pumped, like "Yeah! My country beat England's bid!" (Even though, sadly, the blood that runs through my veins is most likely more English than Russian...I'll keep insisting to my dying day though that there's some obscure Russian Starr(ov?) way back in our family tree). But then my pragmatism kicked in and overwhelmed my misguided patriotism. Just how smart a move is this on FIFA's part?

I'm not an expert on Russia, and I'm most definitely not an expert on the Russian economy. But even I know that hosting the 2014 Olympics in Sochi is already going to be a huge drain on the Russian economy (its been estimated that it may cost up to $33 billion, with the World Cup being an additional $10 billion!). Quite simply, Russia just does not have the infrastructure for such an undertaking. It doesn't have the facilities, the airports, all the little things that have to go into successfully hosting a world event like the Olympics. Now add in the World Cup a mere four years after Sochi, and you can see how this is going to have an enormous affect on the country's economy, and, vis-a-vis, on the average Russian taxpayer.

What are the good points, if any? Well, an increase in national pride, definitely. And I think its really cool that FIFA chose two nontraditional places to host the Cup - after Russia in 2018, Qatar will be the next host in 2022. Both Eastern Europe and the Middle East have never hosted the World Cup, so this will be great for fans in these regions. And yeah, it might spark a rise in tourism. Maybe. One of my private students, Eleysa, is a student in tourism at the university, and she was telling me the other day how difficult it is to get tourists into Russia. "Nobody wants to come here," she said bluntly. "They think Russia is scary and cold." Harsh, but there is some truth to that. Russia isn't exactly number one on people's bucket lists of places to see, unfortunately. I absolutely love this country, and in the three months I've been living here, I have been lucky enough to see some of the most beautiful sights in the world. From the awe-inspiring architecture of St. Basil's at the Kremlin to the simple beauty of snow-laden birch trees in the Mytishi park, Russia has captured my heart. Friendly, warm people (for the most part, but that's the same everywhere in the world) and delicious food just add to the stunning history and scenary. I want to convince everyone I know to come here, just once, because I'm confident that one trip here would be enough to make anyone fall in love with Russia. However, will the World Cup really attract that many tourists here? Its hard to say. The visa issue is something else to consider. I was lucky that my employer, Language Link, took care of the work visa for me, but it was still a hassle for me to take a day off work in the summer, drive to Toronto, and apply for a visa at the Russian Consulate, which is only open for a few hours in the morning. This process could definitely deter fans, even the most hard-core.

Either way, sinking big money into one-time events like the Olympics and the World Cup, where there's few long-term benefits besides the creation of a bunch of new stadiums and facilities, doesn't seem very wise. In a country that is rocked by corruption scandals, weak infrastructure, a generally negative image overseas, and issues over press freedom, this could be an opportunity for Russia to clean itself up. I might not be a soccer (or football, or whatever have you!) fan, but I will definitely be keeping an eye on World Cup developments over the next eight years, and who knows? Maybe I will even come back here, to my adopted home, to see a game or two in 2018. Maybe. If David Beckham's still playing. He's the only soccer player I know.

At the Movies

"Garry Potter and the Gifts of Death" aka "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"

A few days ago, I went to the movies for the first time here with my friend Masha.

On my way back from No-Man's-Land one night, I saw a poster for the new Harry Potter movie at Krasni Kit, the Red Whale shopping centre, which is across the street from the autovokzal, the bus station. I've been wanting to go to a movie at a Russian cinema for awhile, and Harry Potter seemed like the perfect choice. No, I'm not one of those huge Potter-heads, but I have read the books so I thought I'd at least have an idea of the general plotline and characters.

We went after I finished teaching at 7:30; Masha had already bought the tickets in advance, which apparently you need to do here. I thought this was kind of strange - the prices of the tickets depends on where you want to sit, and what time the viewing is at. So, for example, Masha bought us tickets for row 9, seats 14 and 15, and the movie started at 8:05pm. Each ticket was 270 roubles. BUT you can buy tickets for crappier seats (ie. the very front row) or even tickets for random odd times (9am!! Seriously!) and then the tickets will only be around 90 roubles. This is soooo different from the cinema in Canada; I can't decide if I like it or not. I guess on one hand its nice to know that you and your friends will get seats together, but what if you don't have time to get the tickets in advance? Or all the good seats are sold out? And um, who goes to the movies at 9 in the morning?? Thoughts, readers? Would you want to see this system adopted in Canada? Also, what do you prefer when it comes to foreign films - subtitles or dubbing?

Harry Potter itself was a pretty good movie; in fact, I don't think the franchise has ever really produced a bad film. It helps that they kept the same actors from the beginning, and that some really awesome British actors play the adult roles - I LOVE Alan Rickman! Even though this was only Part One of the final seventh movie, it was still over 2.5 hours long. Usually my butt is killing me by the end (Inglourious Basterds, anyone?) but the seats here were actually way more comfortable than ones back home! Or maybe I was just way too entranced with the novelty of watching a movie dubbed in Russian that I didn't notice my numb posterior...either way, it was a really neat experience and I'm so glad I went. The dubbing was great - nobody's lips kept moving after they stopped speaking, and they used different voices for the characters. It threw me off a bit though that "Harry" was pronounced "Garry" and "Hermione" became "Germonya" (there isn't really an "H" sound in the Russian alphabet)!

Masha whispered some translations to me whenever I would turn to look at her blankly, but luckily (and surprisingly!) that didn't happen too often. I actually understood a lot more than I was expecting to, and it was fun to teach each other new words too (for example, Harry has to dive into a pond to retrieve a myech', or sword, a word neither of us knew in the other's language).

After the movie was done, we walked back to our flats together and chatted about our favourite characters, the best scene, etc. It was beautiful outside, quiet and peaceful with softly falling snow, and about as far removed from the wizarding world of Hogwarts as possible, thank goodness!

P.S. I was telling Lebron about seeing Harry Potter over the weekend, and he came up with this "joke" that he thinks is hilarious...pronouncing Harry Potter as "helicopter"...I have no idea why he thinks this is so funny...but he would not stop laughing...I really hope my jokes/weak attempts at humour in Russian don't come across as this pathetic...

Surf, Skate, Snow Exhibit

Such a fun day today! One of the students in my upper-intermediate adults class, Tatiana (the one who got me a health certificate and with whom I've gone swimming a few times), invited me to go to a photography exhibit with her and her friends. She and her boyfriend picked me up at 12, then we picked up Katya, another student from my class, and the four of us headed into Moscow. We met up with three of their other friends at a former chocolate factory, which is where the photo exhibit was being held. Now the warehouse has been transformed into a trendy gallery/studio, with bare white walls, exposed ceilings, and bright lighting. Clubby music was playing (made sense, as we were definitely in the "hip" part of Moscow, and some of the most famous nightclubs were just around the corner) and there was a buzz of excitement in the air. We paid 250 roubles, then made our way into the exhibit. It was titled "Surf, Skate, Snow" (in English) and was sponsored by a bunch of snowboarding/surfing/skateboarding companies - Quiksilver, Roxy, Burton, and Etnies. The photos were taken by a variety of photographers and included snowboarding/surfing/skateboarding scenes from all over the world: Canada, Austria, Switzerland, the USA, Dubai, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine, Jordan, Greenland, Norway, etc.

I've never done any of these three extreme sports; truthfully, me and "extreme sports" don't really go together at all. I would LOVE to try surfing (a residual wish left over from when I was fifteen and watched Blue Crush for the first time), but I know that my inherent lack of grace would only end with me faceplanting in the water, the powder, or, worse, the concrete. However, this exhibit was absolutely amazing!!! The photos were incredible, managing to capture Mother Nature at her finest and the urban jungle at its grittiest. Some of the things these athletes can do are unbelievable, and just about every photo was gasp-inducing. Tatiana's going to Bali soon for winter holidays and is planning to try surfing while she's there. We found this one photo of an ENORMOUS wave - nay, a tsunami - with this one lone surfer just lost in the middle of it, and it had been taken in Bali. "That's going to be you!" we teased her. Tatiana is so petite, tiny and blonde that the thought of her tackling such a behemoth is hilarious!

Ladna (Russian for "anyways", one of my new words of the week I've learned!), the exhibit was really cool and I'm so glad I went. I wish I could take pictures like that! The ones where all you saw was one snowboarder making their way down the mountain were my favourites, I think. Perfect, untouched snow in the front, with just a single track trailing behind the snowboarder...and this huge, vast mountain...this is definitely a case where a picture would be worth a thousand words, because my words are not doing any justice! As we were leaving, there was a massive queue outside waiting to get in, and the gallery itself was packed with people. The exhibit was just on this weekend, and it must have been really popular.

We decided to go for food at a restaurant close by, which was literally only steps from the Pushkin Gallery. I'm starting to know my way around Moscow (at least the centre of Moscow) and it's a comforting feeling. The restaurant we went to was called Pelmeni, and is famous for its namesake - pelmeni are dumplings, kind of like the Polish pierogi (only with thinner dough and more stuffing than the pierogi), and are considered part of Russia's national cuisine. Have I mentioned they are also DELICIOUS!?! Seriously, I've already decided that if my parents come to visit me in May, I am taking them back to this resturant for pelmeni. The fact that its so close to a bunch of galleries, the famous Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Red Square, the Moskva River, and the Kremlin is just a bonus!

We all ordered pelmeni and tea and then the six Russians proceeded to interrogate me with questions about myself. This was kind of uncomfortable for me, as they were all hanging onto my every word and staring at me like I was a celebrity. Then it hit me - all my life, I've been complaining about being a boring Canadian and wanting to be "exotic," and now I finally am!! I should be living it up! :) But I just want to learn more about them, and to practice my Russian so I can sound more like a native and blend in here! It's pretty ironic. "Keh-TEE, what is your favourite music?" "Keh-TEE, what is your favourite movie?" "Keh-TEE, what is Canada's national dish?" (I had no answer to this one, except the weak fall-back to a stereotype - maple syrup - can any Canucks out there help me with this one? What IS our national dish?) "Keh-TEE, why is it you love Russia?" "Keh-TEE, what are the professions of your parents?" "Keh-TEE, is it true that Canada has the most beautiful air in the world?" And then..."Keh-TEE, who is more handsome, Russian men or Canadian men?"

Gulp. Playing the diplomatic card, I answered "Russian men, konechna - certainly." To which they all clapped and grinned and cheered. But honestly, I'm going to have to go with a strong affirmative CANADIAN MEN on this one!! Canadian men tend NOT to have mullets and rat tails, and their clothing choices are usually a little more encompassing than the ubiquitous Adidas tracksuit. I'm not saying ALL Russian men look like this, so if you're reading this and you're a Russian guy with a nice short hair cut and you're wearing a suit, please don't be offended. I'm just going on the majority of the guys I see around here!

After we finished eating, we walked around the centre for a bit, as it was a balmy -11 degrees, took some pictures, then went into the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (the same huge, beautiful church I've blogged about before!). It's the biggest Orthodox church in the world. We had to cover our hair before we went in, so I was glad I had brought a scarf. The cathedral is stunning on the outside, but man, the inside was just...again, no words can describe the absolute beauty. I have to fall back to the quote I used in describing the church at Alexandrov, the quote from the Russian delegates back in the 10th century - "We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth." Russian icons and paintings of Jesus, Mary, and the saints are otherworldly in their unique blending of simplicity and depth. The incense and singing adds to the senses that are being engaged. It was quite busy inside, with a Mass (are Orthodox services called Masses, or is that just a Catholic thing? I don't know :S) going on and many people just there to pray on their own or light candles for loved ones. We went down to the basement where there is supposedly a statue that at one point wept real tears, but that part was closed off for some reason. I picked up a paper with a prayer written on it in Russian, and Katya translated it for me. It was very beautiful and sounded just like something that would be at my church back home, the kind of daily prayer that asks God for guidance, for strength to get through the day's challenges, and for help in doing His will. It was a very solemn and beautiful ending to the night. As the seven of us left the cathedral, Tatiana brought some levity to our sombre mood by pointing out, "Today we can say was like the movie Eat, Pray, Love. We did some eating, we did some praying..."

Tatiana's boyfriend suggested some more sightseeing, but by this point we were all pretty tired so we headed back to Mytishi. On the way they all pointed out different things for me to look at, and I got more of a chance to speak Russian rather than English. Oh, we also got pulled over by a cop! I'm not sure why, exactly, but the cop tried to get Tatiana to give him a 500 rouble bribe. She told him all she had was 100 roubles, so he clearly decided it wasn't worth it and let us go. It was my first experience with the legendary corruption of the Russian police.

Everyone was so, so friendly and nice and just genuinely amazing today...I'm so lucky to have met such incredible, kind, and warm people in the three months I've been here. I know I've said it before but I'll keep saying it!!

P.S. Almost forgot to mention! We went into a fancy chocolate shop just for fun at one point today and they had this giant chocolate bust of Pushkin that was selling for $400 US!!

Jaws: the Russian Vendetta

Sounds like it could be the film title for a Russian version of the classic shark movie, doesn't it? But in this case, truth is stranger than fiction. One of my students told me today about how a shark is preying on Russian vacationers in Egypt, and then later on I saw this article in The Moscow Times. Its true! According to the Russian Embassy, three Russians and a Ukrainian were all mauled at separate times on Tuesday and Wednesday while swimming at Sharm el-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort. All four victims have been hospitalized in Cairo with serious injuries.

Egypt is a very popular tourist destination for Russians, something I didn't know until I came here and every Russian I met seemed to have been to the Land of the Pharoahs (although they all stick to the coastal resorts, rather than doing the pyramid thing, which I think is kind of a shame). One student described Egypt as being "Russia's," like "Canada's Dominicana," because, as she went on to explain, when she went to the Dominican Republic, all the tourists there were Canadian. I've personally never been to a resort, but I did go to a university where about 80% of the student population headed to the Dominican for a debaucherous Reading Week, so that seems about right. Anyways, maybe its just because the sheer number of Russians vacationing in Egypt increases the odds of shark victims being Russian, but it is somewhat curious that three of the four were Russian, and the other one was Ukrainian, don't you think? We joked in class today about how maybe the shark checks the passport of the swimmer first... :) (is it insensitive to joke about this when people have been critically injured? Well, yes, I suppose it is, and I do feel bad.)

Fortunately for future swimmers (if there's anyone left out there who still wants to brave the shark-infested beach - I know that I for one will be avoiding open water for the next little bit, although bearing in mind the current weather conditions here I don't think I need to worry), the Egyptian Environment Ministry reported today that they have caught two sharks that are suspects in the maulings - a 2.25m shark weighing 150kg, and a 2.5m one that was 250kg!! That's incredible - and so, so scary. Mohammed Salem, director of Sinai Conservation, reported that Egypt usually only sees 1-2 shark attacks a year, and this is four in two days!!

Ice, ice baby

As in ice cold water.

We've had no hot water in my flat since the weekend, when a bunch of electricity repairs to our building occurred. These "repairs" not only stole our hot water, which was only lukewarm at best to begin with, but also fried my laptop battery (I've since had to shell out 2,000 roubles for a new one, plus a power surge protector) and Stu's as well. My friend Oleg, who lives a floor below, told me that this time last year, the electricity repairs ruined his family's refrigerator. At first, I thought that was worse than a laptop battery...but then I reflected that, it being -30 out, the balcony could double for a nice fridge/freezer, so I think I would have rather had the fridge go.

I haven't showered since Tuesday night, when I went swimming at School No. 10 (where the showers are blissfully, deliciously scalding) and even small things like washing my face or the dishes have suddenly become a "brace-yourself" feat. We've talked to the administrators about this, but they don't seem in any real hurry to get the problem solved. I suppose this is all part of the experience, but I'm not sure how much longer the three of us can survive...

In an attempt to cheer myself up today, I splurged and bought some imported-from-Egypt strawberries at the supermarket. They were 86 roubles for about 10 of them (almost $3) but so, so worth it. At least I only have to worry about hypothermia now instead of scurvy on top of that...

*Yes, this post is melodramatic. But I never thought I'd yearn for a lukewarm shower so badly!!

The furs have come out...

As temperatures in the Moscow region have plummeted to -25 degrees Celsius (and that's not counting the brutal wind chill!), the furs have come out and I'm seeing women swathed in full-length fur coats everywhere. I am incredibly jealous - me, someone who has never pictured herself adopting the Cruella DeVil look because it just seemed so, well, Cruella. But if you want to be warm here, it's appearing that fur is the way to go. I've been walking around wearing two pairs of pants, at least three shirts and three pairs of socks, my winter jacket, two pairs of mitts, a hat, earmuffs, and a scarf wrapped around my head like the Michelin man, and I'm STILL freezing. My eyelashes are sticking to the skin underneath my eyes whenever I blink! It's not even like we have snow anymore to make things pretty, although the lack of ice when it comes to navigating the streets is nice, I must admit. I still haven't mastered the unique ability of Russian women to power over ice-coated sidewalks in stilettos...nor am I confident of my chances of that ever happening actually...

I skipped my usual run today because yesterday's run had left me in tears from the cold. Instead, I half-heartedly attempted to do some aerobics in my room, but I just felt stupid so when Iain rang up I stopped my workout with relief. We spent a very pleasant afternoon sipping tea and talking about everything from Ireland's recent EU-IMF bailout to his upcoming job interview. Then, too soon, it was already 3pm and I had to rush to the Wasteland for Lebron's class. I wish we could have class at a different time, as I think he's just too tired by 4:30. He spends most of our lesson yawning, which in turn makes me yawn...and we know how yawning just turns into a vicious cycle...

In other recent news, the Mytishi ESL teachers had another Thanksgiving over the weekend, this time being the American version (I'm not going to enter into a debate over which Thanksgiving came first, in case Rhea is reading this :). Even though there were only two Americans actually present at this celebration, it was a great, relaxed night full of delicious food and great company. The majority of our guests were Russian or fluent in Russian, so most of the conversation was in Russian (with a bit of Finnish and French thrown in there by our polyglots!). I definitely did not understand everything that was being said, but I did feel heartened by the amount I could pick up on. It's been three months (to the day!) since I moved here, and I'm starting to really notice an improvement in my Russian. Now I just need to start cracking down on my grammar...I brought my Russian grammar book from uni here with me, but as of now it's been sitting forlornly on my couch, unopened, for the past three months...

When its this cold out though, how am I expected to do anything besides shiver, layer on more clothes, and continue to eat more tvarog in the hopes to adding an insulating layer of fat to me???

The view out my kitchen window, a week ago when we still had snow.
The building you see is the Mytishi Arena, where our KHL team, Mytishi Atlant,
plays, and where the 2007 IIHF World Juniors Tournament was held.