A foggy day in sunny village
The sun is shining above the dense fog veil that covers the village and the harbour:
A symbol of Canadian dollar takes off:
Just for reference if somebody doesn’t know how Canadian dollar or Loony looks like:
The terrible events in Paris return me to the subject of cultural values and national identity.
It became obvious for me that Russian Russians for whom “Crimea is ours” support terrorists. I am speaking not about abstract Russians (smelly horrible bears as Putin characterizes Russia and Russians), but about my former friends and colleagues that are well educated and, as they believe, are civilized human beings. Of course their “civilization” does not allow them to show openly gladness that Paris looked dangerous these couple of days, and of course they are not saying that terrorists were right. No, their first part of statement sounds as “terrorism is a crime”, and continues with the “but the cartoonists had to be…” For me this BUT means that they omit crime and approve what has been done. I still do not understand how it happened and my only explanation of this situation is their attempts to find at least some kind of justification of their miserable life in kleptocratic state. The word “miserable” is my adjective to the “their life” words. Oil rent gave them ability to have opinion about their life that is opposite to mine. And I am happy that I am here, in Canada, not in Russia. In previous days when people asked me where my accent is from, my answer was Russia, now I identify it as Eastern Europe, Ukraine in particular.
Okay, enough serious words. Let’s return to the subject of my cultural values that defines my cultural identity. I hope that my narration is humorous enough.
My life in Germany made a huge impact to my cultural values assessment and perception. For example I never drink beer in the morning since my first day in Germany. The story in Russian is presented here. But I will retell it shortly.
One early morning of July 1969 I arrived to the former Hitler's headquarters in Wünsdorf city by Moscow-Berlin train. My dad met me there. I loaded my suitcase and bike to GAZ-69, we took sits and started our way to Altenburg. Somewhere on the way passing through small village dad told our soldier driver: “See the Gaststätte? Stop there, we will have breakfast”.
The waitress, beautifully natural German girl of my age, asked: «Was wollen Sie trinken?» And I, liking this girl very much, knowing from my train companion that the German beer is the best in the world, trying to impress the girl blurted out: «Eine Flasche Bier bitte!». The girl’s reaction to my demand made a deep track in my memory. I understood that ordering beer in the morning is a mistake and serious one. I remembered well her face and expressions and, even if I want to drink beer in the morning, the girl image emerges in my memory and stops the desire. I drink coffee usually as a result of this.
There were other cultural values I assessed and accepted in Germany. Therefore this subject will be continued.
It’s time now to show more pics of our village and neighbourhood these days.
Grey harbour:
Waiting for better weather:
The bird is waiting for better weather too:
And it’s really better today:
Time for hunting mice:
And fish:
A symbol of Canadian dollar takes off:
Just for reference if somebody doesn’t know how Canadian dollar or Loony looks like:
The terrible events in Paris return me to the subject of cultural values and national identity.
It became obvious for me that Russian Russians for whom “Crimea is ours” support terrorists. I am speaking not about abstract Russians (smelly horrible bears as Putin characterizes Russia and Russians), but about my former friends and colleagues that are well educated and, as they believe, are civilized human beings. Of course their “civilization” does not allow them to show openly gladness that Paris looked dangerous these couple of days, and of course they are not saying that terrorists were right. No, their first part of statement sounds as “terrorism is a crime”, and continues with the “but the cartoonists had to be…” For me this BUT means that they omit crime and approve what has been done. I still do not understand how it happened and my only explanation of this situation is their attempts to find at least some kind of justification of their miserable life in kleptocratic state. The word “miserable” is my adjective to the “their life” words. Oil rent gave them ability to have opinion about their life that is opposite to mine. And I am happy that I am here, in Canada, not in Russia. In previous days when people asked me where my accent is from, my answer was Russia, now I identify it as Eastern Europe, Ukraine in particular.
Okay, enough serious words. Let’s return to the subject of my cultural values that defines my cultural identity. I hope that my narration is humorous enough.
My life in Germany made a huge impact to my cultural values assessment and perception. For example I never drink beer in the morning since my first day in Germany. The story in Russian is presented here. But I will retell it shortly.
One early morning of July 1969 I arrived to the former Hitler's headquarters in Wünsdorf city by Moscow-Berlin train. My dad met me there. I loaded my suitcase and bike to GAZ-69, we took sits and started our way to Altenburg. Somewhere on the way passing through small village dad told our soldier driver: “See the Gaststätte? Stop there, we will have breakfast”.
The waitress, beautifully natural German girl of my age, asked: «Was wollen Sie trinken?» And I, liking this girl very much, knowing from my train companion that the German beer is the best in the world, trying to impress the girl blurted out: «Eine Flasche Bier bitte!». The girl’s reaction to my demand made a deep track in my memory. I understood that ordering beer in the morning is a mistake and serious one. I remembered well her face and expressions and, even if I want to drink beer in the morning, the girl image emerges in my memory and stops the desire. I drink coffee usually as a result of this.
There were other cultural values I assessed and accepted in Germany. Therefore this subject will be continued.
It’s time now to show more pics of our village and neighbourhood these days.
Grey harbour:
Waiting for better weather:
The bird is waiting for better weather too:
And it’s really better today:
Time for hunting mice:
And fish: