Monday, May 31, 2010

What I learnt in school (guest post)


Soviet poster against illiteracy and alcoholism: "The smart and the fool: one goes for the book, the other goes to the pub"


Russia’s literacy rate is close to 100 % higher than in France and in the US. Education in Russia is a big deal.

I came to Samara in November and have been teaching French in a Russian school ever since. Even though I know that this school does not represent every school in the country, I've made a lot of interesting discoveries about the Russian education culture.

I have discovered, for example, that the education system here is competitive and very elitist-- if you're not good enough, too bad! And it starts very early! When I was preparing for a New Year show, I told the teacher in charge of pre-school that not every child could say something in French (they had been learning it for 3 months). “Well, let the parents see that some of them are capable and some are not,” was her answer. We’re talking about six-year old children!

Arts and sports play a much greater role in school than they do in France. Students show what they can do during the many celebrations throughout the year: New Year, Spring Day, Women's day, Victory Day, Graduation Day (Russians like celebrating!) and the shows are always really impressive. If my camera hadn’t died from cold this winter, I would have posted pictures… you have to see it to believe it!

But what struck me the most is the way Russian teachers speak to their pupils like they are adults, even when they are only 5 or 6 years old. Children learn very early to be responsible and to respect their teachers. If they don’t, their parents are made responsible for that, so good behaviour in school becomes a matter of family honor. One day, I was teaching a song to preschool children and one of them was very noisy and made it impossible for the others to sing. I mentioned it to their Russian teacher who told this to the kid’s grandparents. At the next lesson, the boy’s grandmother came to me with a box of chocolate asking me to forgive THEM (!!) : I was speechless (but I took the chocolate!).

Something must also be said about Russian teachers; they are really devoted people who are often at the school from 8 am to 8 pm for a monthly salary of 300 dollars at best, which is difficult to survive on...even in Russia!

Those seven months have taught me one thing: teaching is never easy, particularly in a country where the education culture is different from everything you know. I'm glad I did it but I must admit: I'm also happy summer is coming!

Yeah, you made me feel shiny and new..

Within the Russian Federation, there are several republics. You've read about my trip to the Bashkort Republic when I went to Ufa. Last weekend, I took an eight hour ride on a bus just as comfortable as a Chinatown bus and found myself in the Tartar Republic in Kazan, the 8th largest city in the country.

Kazan is a beautiful, clean city. There are many churches and mosques because the dominant religions are Islam and Eastern Orthodoxy.

The Kremlin, a UNESCO World Heritage site.


At first glance, I thought this mosque was Cinderella's castle from Disneyland. It wasn't.


As usual on a weekend in Russia, there are many weddings taking place. Lucky for us, we came across a Muslim wedding.

I thought it was funny that there's a metal detector to get into the mosque. If anyone (women in particular) is planning a trip to Russia, I strongly recommend that you bring a pashmina or a shawl. I recently realized that it's very versatile as you can use it: to cover your head when you enter an Orthodox church or mosque, to use as a pillow when folded up on an uncomfortable bus ride, and as a light blanket when necessary.

Still in the Kremlin.

You can see a man fishing on the platform. This isn't a river, but I'm sure the fish you catch are just as tasty and healthy as catching a fish from the Hudson.

For a second, I felt a little lost. Russian cuisine with Spanish names in a Mexican-inspired building? WIN!

On Saturday, we took an excursion to a tiny island two hours away by boat. People actually inhabit this 1 km x 1.5 km island. Here, there were more churches and a monastery that transformed throughout history (i.e. psychiatric hospital, work-camp, etc.).






Thursday, May 27, 2010

The key to my heart

There's a different sense of security and safety in Russia. I'll expand on this topic another day. Today, I want to focus on security and homes.

Keys are ordinary items we use in our day-to-day lives and we barely pay any attention to them. I've noticed that keys are different in each country. To me, they look silly. I apologize to all of the keymakers now, I don't mean to scorn the art.

Below are my keys to two apartments. The one on the left looks like a screwdriver and is used to open the door to my apartment. The one in the two little keys in the middle are the same. They are used to open the door from the corridor to get to the door to my apartment. On the far right is a skeleton key. I only heard about skeleton keys in stories and fairy tales. I feel the magic every time I use it.



Look closely at the photo below. I know It's strange to take a photo of my door, but it's not really a door--it's an obstacle course. Coming into and getting out of my apartment is an adventure on its own...a physical challenge. The dark door in the back leads to the hallway and it requires me to use my body weight to turn the handle. I am not exaggerating. It is opened by the small keys (in the above picture). Locking and unlocking is just as difficult as turning the handle. I've broken the key...twice. The middle door requires me to push/pull with my body weight so that the lock aligns properly with its counterpart in the door frame. This recently broke, so I don't have to worry about that for awhile. The inside door requires a skeleton key. You just have to feel for it.


My Russian friends told me that here, they don't have home insurance to secure their investments like we have in the US. The explanation was simple enough and I accepted it as it was.

These doors have caused me a lot of heartbreak and anger, but I suppose they are my Russian guardians (since the police aren't).

Friday, May 21, 2010

Num nums

We admit the fact that in today's society, it's difficult to eat healthy. Between working, studying, and supporting a family, it's just easier to turn to fast food. Many foreigners like to attack me about McDonald's because I'm American (the connection and logic isn't quite clear to me, either). Okay, so McDonald's, Wendy's, White Castle, and Burger King are all fast food chains, but the concept isn't bound to their respective corporations. Fast food is merely food that is convenient and that serves its purpose in filling your stomach. While Americans have a bad reputation for being slaves to fast food, it's also a habit abroad.

What do street vendors do? They sell food. Fast. It's convenient. There are countless kiosks and stands where people can buy fast food here in Samara. I doubt that it's healthier compared to McDonald's.

This is not a post to encourage healthy eating nor am I trying to prevent you from eating fast food. Often times, these convenient delicacies are sinfully tasty and can be truly comforting.

Yesterday, I was walking down the street and passed one of the many fast food stands. I thought nothing of it, but after a few steps, I could smell the aroma of deep fried goodness. I took those few steps back and ordered something named nyam nyam (ням ням). The conditions were perfect for indulgence—the mouth-watering smell of grease, the cute little name, and my love for pocket foods.

Here stands the street vendor cart that entranced me with its delicious smell of grease.

I don't understand why I love pocket foods so much. I define 'pocket food' as a food with a filling that is relatively portable or convenient to prepare. To me, pocket foods are like presents that you unwrap as you eat (I'm pursuing a career in poetry, haven't you noticed?)

These are varenikis, which are basically like pelmeni but with a non-meat filling. I fried it because everything tastes better fried (especially guilt). In my pocket food list, I linked you to an older post where I explain these foods. Looking at this picture, I realize that these could also be Chinese dumplings.

Go out there and indulge (moderately)! Just remember to drink 20 gallons of water after to flush all the junk out of your body. It would probably be a good idea to do some sweat-breaking exercise, too.

Respect your food and it will respect you back.

Monday, May 17, 2010

If it's not baroque...

...then don't fix it. Go ahead, I can't hear your dry laughter over the Internet.

'Quality' takes a special definition in the Russian Federation. Perhaps it's so close to China (ouch).

In general, I find that Russians are pretty resourceful. Living in a new apartment complex in DC, I was pretty pampered. Whenever there was a problem (e.g. plumbing, ventilation, electrical, etc.), we just had to report it online and maintenance would resolve the issue within hours. That doesn't happen here so people act on their own. My friend, Oksana, has been living on her own for years and learned to tackle almost every household problem. Many people know what to do.

A few months back, another volunteer was preparing kidney beans from a new, sealed bag. It was labeled, 'high quality.' She was pleased when she thought that the beans were pre-spiced. Unfortunately, these 'spices' crawled up her arm.

In another friend's flat, the handle to her drawer was broken. It only required a simple tool to fix it--a screwdriver. How was it fixed? With tape.

Last week, the pipe (made of plastic) under my sink fell down (that was quite a mess). What was our temporary fix? Yep, tape. We knew it wouldn't last for more than a few days. And it didn't. It fell again, but I found a long(er)-term solution.

I put an inverted bucket underneath it for structural support. There's NO WAY that this could fail. Right??


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Note: If you haven't noticed, I put a counter on the bottom of my blog. It also shows me the location of my readers. Actually, it's a little scary how much information I can retrieve...I feel like a voyeur...ack.

I just want to say, THANK YOU for your support!!!!! Knowing that you read this gives me purpose to my posts. I'm aware that I don't personally know all of my readers, but that doesn't bother me at all. Thank you!!!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Happy Anniversary!

I'm quickly approaching my 8th month in Russia. In these eight months, I've gone through all four seasons: three weeks of fall, six months of winter, two and a half-ish weeks of spring, and summer.

I don't know what season I'm in right now...spring or summer. The transition period is so fast that the leaves all showed up on the trees overnight. Two weeks ago, it snowed. Just the other day, I got mosquito bites.

The problem?? It was like a bomb of pollen exploded. I can't be outside for more than ten minutes without sneezing my brains (and other matter) out. What's great (and bad) about non-US pharmacies? NO prescriptions needed!! Fortunately, I'm an extremely educated consumer in this field...so no worries. Going to the pharmacy skips the doctor as the middle man. I tell the 'pharmacist' my symptoms, and she gives me the 'best' available juice. Of course, I came home and googled my new candy. What was the best she had to offer me?? "A classical ("old" or first generation) antihistamine drug approved in some Eastern European countries."

Little by little, I can distinguish the differences between animals...horse/pony/mule/donkey, cow/goat/lamb, wolf/dog, boar/pig, moose/elk/deer, etc. It's not easy.

We had shashliki (Russian versions of shish kebabs...NOT BBQ) along the river. A plastic cup of cold not-so-great beer is refreshing in the heat.

Also interesting, the sun sets very quickly here. Last month, while the rest of Russia changed their time because of daylight savings, Samara didn't, so now we are in Moscow's time zone. It's STUPID. Now, the sun rises at 5am and goes down at 8ish. NO ONE is awake at 5am.

The water level in the volga is very high now. Take a look in the background, the basketball and football courts (EDIT- SOCCER COURTS...eww...foreign influence is disgusting) are under water.

In the distance, you can see a road sign underwater.


There are lots to do along the river embankment. Lots of people...lots of children.................................

Swimming in the Volga is a year-round activity. This guy (in the back) was warming up forever, I don't know if he ever dived in.

It's strange, but very convenient to have trees on the beach. It's easier than carrying a bulky umbrella to the shore.

Monday, May 10, 2010

V is for Victory

There was a closed parade in Kuibuishev Square yesterday morning. Following the parade, they served porridge to the veterans and eventually to the public. I also thought it was a random event, but it follows tradition. Notice the little girl's hair ribbons. These were part of girls' school uniforms back in the soviet times.

Yesterday was a huge celebration for all of Russia. Russians mark the 9th of May to celebrate the day they kicked the Axis Powers' butts...and they are quite proud of it. Yesterday, the entire city was outside celebrating (and many were drinking, of course). Consider the celebration as big as the American Independence Day and New Orlean's Bourbon Street (but local drunks, rather than drunk tourists). The feeling of pride and patriotism was contagious.

Square of Glory. It was an appropriate choice to hold celebratory events here.

At the Square of Glory, there's a biiiiiiig, steep hill where they had a show. They did a reenactment-esque performance of the war's affect on Russian society. At the end, the performers were dancing the stereotypical Russian dance. Stereotype confirmed! My friend said it's true, Russians do indeed dance like that...perhaps with less grace, but still...

Behind the Square of Glory was the performance. If you look closely, the soldiers' uniforms really look like those guys in Star Wars.

Below: Along the river embankment, there was a small concert.
A capoeira group in Samara. Seeing their flexibility and strength inspired me to go home and practice my headstands and backbends (yoga...not capoiera). The downstairs neighbors probably hate me (read: I was unsuccessful with the headstands).

How can you NOT have fun when there's a dancing babushka??

This, dear friends, is my goal in the pursuit of karoke perfection.

It's been illegal for children in the US to play with toys that realistically resemble guns and rifles. Not in Russia. Here, children can play with tanks. This guy just wasn't interested in entertaining children.


Below: Square of Glory
My friend, Lena, places a candle to remember the soldiers who risked their lives to save the country.

People putting flowers at the monument for war heroes.

A small exhibition of propoganda during the war.


Monday, May 3, 2010

Hooray for Victory Day!!!

Who won World War II?? The easier answer is that Germany and Japan lost, right? Here, May 9th is a BIG celebration to honor the soldiers who fought (successfully) in WWII. The weather is finally comfortable enough for casual strolls and to take blog-appropriate photos.

An outdoor photo exhibition in Kuibushev Square (yes, the BIGGEST square in all of Europe).

Severine (from France) and I finally headed out to a local museum after weeks of telling ourselves that we'd go. At Alabin's museum, there were two public exhibits with contemporary art to commemorate the war and another photo exhibition. In this shot, we're looking at letters and posts sent during the war.

We randomly ran into a brass band playing old-fashioned music (I'm being vague because I don't know) and I thought it was cute to see all these older couples dancing. The outdoor milongas in NYC and Washington can't even compare to this...

And how do we foreigners celebrate? We cook...and eat. Actually, we were making a care package for Riet's birthday/trip to Siberia.

As a result, our pieroshki was biracial. The shell tasted and had the texture of an Argentine empanada, whereas the filling was Russian. Tasty nevertheless. Be jealous that you didn't get your hands on these. Or be glad if I'm your good friend...



Saturday, May 1, 2010

Snail mail defined

´Twas the end of December when my momma sent me a package...

...and I got it in mid-March. There was no food, only new winter accessories (which I still use...in May). Customs shouldn´t have had problems with it, but it was still delayed. My friend´s parents are in the process of sending a package from Belgium to Ufa. It´s still stuck in Moscow in customs because there´s chocolate.

Turns out, the entire postal service is going through a change and there are thousands of packages that are lost and delayed. I am one of the lucky ones to get my package 'so soon.'

A postal truck. I tried getting a picture of the postal 'car' but it was going too fast.

The postal train. Efficiency at its best.