Chag Sameach Pessach 2008
Happy Passover, everyone! I need to squeeze in this update before we go to Sochi but I have very little time now. I need to finish the paper I’m to present at Nick’s conference on Thursday - it’s now Monday afternoon - and I need to write a short paper for history. I’m trying to get the paper done for Nick by tonight then do history tomorrow. I’m only giving myself 20 minutes right now so in all likelihood this entry will be finished and posted on Wednesday or Thursday night… I just really need it up before I leave for Sochi or else it’ll never get done!
Anyhow, I’ve been doing okay - had a good rest of last week and a nice weekend. Wednesday we had music class - we discussed Rimsky-Korsakov a little bit, (not enough at all!) and then started to discuss Rachmaninov. Then we had Razvetie Rechi, where we began a new topic - about money and ethics. We got our tests back from the previous Monday and I got a 5! The teacher wrote on my paper that though I still had some grammar mistakes they didn’t get in the way of understanding my “big” story. Yay for Anyalia Tennapeh!
At lunch I sat with Daniel and randomly with Mark M. from my class. I was in a bad mood about the previous day’s meeting and they helped me to feel better. And since then I’ve been feeling pretty good.
After lunch we had phonetics, which is quickly becoming another literature class, I think, although I don’t mind that at all. We read more of Sobache Sertse, then a few paragraphs from Master and Margarita. Apparently, Galina Mikhailovna not only lives on that street off of Tverskaya, but Bulgakov lived in her building! So, if you go to the Bulgakov museum in Moscow you will go to the same building as my phonetic teacher’s apartment. Samantha and I were wondering what the likelihood of running into her there at home if we went some weekend. She would probably invite us in for tea, we thought, and … then probably make us read texts, LOL.
Seriously, she is a lovely person, but I can’t possibly imagine spending time with her outside of class. Supposedly she is going to come to Sochi with us and I can’t imagine just socializing with her. I need to get over this, I know, but… still!
After school Samantha and I went to her apartment together, where we got juice and rested for a bit. I left my backpack there because Samantha convinced me not to take it to the show that night and she oh-so-kindly offered to bring it to school for me the next day, which is just so nice!!! *Hugs Samantha.* At 5:30 we met Makiko at Teatralnaya metro and after a quick dinner at Sbarro - I think the same Sbarro as I ate in with Catherine-student when I was in Moscow last time - we went to our show.
We were to see the ballet “Sleeping Beauty” at the Kremlin Palace. The ballet itself was beautiful - quite a show, with incredible dancing and similarly incredible costumes and sets. I liked especially five ballerinas in different color tutus who did solo dances and each of their color tutus corresponded seemingly perfectly with their dance, so that the pink one danced fairly lyrically while the orange and yellow ones had very energetic dances. The music was gorgeous.
The venue was so-so, what can you expect for such a fancy, well-established place? I mean to say, the building itself was very pretty in a sort of Soviet way, with marble staircases and bronze hammer and sickles everywhere. The staff, though, were pretty strict - the salesclerks at the concessions tables were hassled and once the show was over we had to leave the theatre right away, we couldn’t wait around in the lobby, where we’d wanted to, and take photos of ourselves with said bronze hammers and sickles. Well, whatever. I guess that since the venue was inside the Kremlin they felt a need to be strict about security. As it was, there were long lines to get past the metal detectors at the entrance.
After the show we went home - it was pretty late. I was planning to take the grey line up to Saveolovskaya and take the marshrutka home, but Makiko seemed unsure how to get home, back to Belorusskaya, and so I accompanied her and got off at Dinamo to take my usual marshrutka, which was actually really convenient. So now I’m almost exclusively using the marshrutka 19 to get home.
Thursday was also nice. Classes were fine - we had history, then grammar - at lunch I sat with Nick, Jack, Daniel and Mark W. - we got a big table for once over in the corner and we mostly talked about Nick’s conference. Also discussed social conservatism, because this was to be the topic for American club and Mark wanted ideas of what to talk about.
After lunch I had SME, where we watched a very depressing video about a guy who, as a child, survived the concentration camps only to wind up in Soviet gulags for 30-some years upon his liberation. Then, in literature, we read almost to the end of “Buhara’s Daughter,” which I still love.
So after that I had coffee with Daniel for about an hour. He had to leave early to go home and work on his paper - which is due tomorrow, now - ! (Today being Tuesday.) We had a nice time, anyhow - he showed me an Eddie Izzard sketch on his computer about learning French which was really funny, so we reminisced about high school French classes. Then I randomly told him some stories about Béné and I “faisais ma propagande” for Corsica… :p I also showed him the Romanian/English bilingual book I was reading which he found pretty interesting. He told me he knew a Romanian guy who taught him a prayer in Romanian.
He left at about 4, 4:15, so I spent the rest of the time waiting with Jack and Mark W. We randomly got to talking about abortion - more preparation for American club, I guess. Although, as it turned out all of our preparations were in vain because within ten minutes of American club starting the subject somehow shifted from social conservatism - which nobody really knew how to define - to a comparison of Russian and American news and what is published and how much blood and gore should we really be seeing in the news anyway. Well it was an interesting and unexpected topic, I guess!
After American club we went out to the usual bar. Samantha came along with us and it was fun. Actually some Russians gave us a ride there - me and Samantha and Nick. Traffic was so bad, though, that we got to the restaurant after everyone else. Anyhow, we had a fun time there. I took lots of pictures. At one point Samantha, Jack, and I were telling each other really awful jokes. We left at ten and, thanks to the marshrutka 19 from Dinamo I got home before 11.
This weekend I did not go on any of the excursions that we were supposed to do. I mean, we weren’t supposed to do anything, but the excursions that ACTR arranges, I guess. Instead, Samantha and I had our own excursions! It was very nice.
On Friday Samantha and I were hoping to go to the zoo and take a picnic lunch there, but it was cold and rainy there, so that wasn’t happening! Instead we got lunch in an ok Caucasian place that my guidebook recommended in that area, then we went to the Glinka museum of musical culture. This museum was really very interesting. We got to see lots of folk instruments from around the world - and the funny thing is many of them look the same - I guess there are only so many ways to make a sound-producing instrument, huh!
They also had a collection of more familiar instruments, including a Stradivarius violin in a special case. On the second floor there was a collection of paraphernalia of Russian musical history, including original sheet music and opera costumes from some of the most famous composers’ works - Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, etc…, and then some original playbills for the Red Army Choir’s performances back in the 40s and 50s! It was very cool. I’m so glad to have been able to go.
After that we went home. I was planning to go to services at Marom but the weather was quite bad so I just stayed home. Lit candles at home and sat for a while talking to Galya. In the evening I talked to some people online and I attempted to get some work done.
On Saturday Samantha and I went to Ismailovsky again where I got more souvenirs and all of the rest of my presents, except one. I also got myself a sarafan, which looks nice. I at first thought I wouldn’t wear it in Russia but I’m bringing the dress part to Sochi. I asked Galina Mikhailovna and she said that nobody would think it strange if I wore it there. I’ll ask Jon, too, just to be safe, but I don’t see why it should be a problem.
After Ismailovsky we went to Arbat, where we had a lovely lunch in a middle eastern place and then walked down the street, looking in the shops. I got for myself a funny t-shirt, it’s like a mock Che shirt - it has Chuberashka, this Russian cartoon monkey, wearing a Che-style beret and it says “Che Burashka.” LOL LOL. I really don’t know who will find it funny - everyone knows Che but I don’t know how many know chuberashka, but I found it quite clever so I had to get one, LOL.
I went home after that. Nobody was having a seder for the first night of Pesach so I had dinner with my host family. I talked to some people online - Ruxi and Nicolas. I was explaining to Ruxi a bit about Passover. I was sad but it seems that fate would not allow me to stay sad! When I was called in to eat dinner with my host family I was quiet and subdued, and when Galya asked me what was wrong I had trouble holding it together when I told her that it was hard to be alone for a holiday. But she assured me that I wasn’t alone and that we could celebrate together! So, she brought out her little shot glasses - they’re not really shot glasses, they’re these little crystal… well, shot glasses with a stem. I honestly think they only exist in Eastern Europe. Anyway, and into them she poured her lingenberry liquer and we toasted to Passover.
Anya and Masha were there and Masha really wanted to toast too! The poor thing, she was like to throw a fit when nobody would let her have a glass! So, somebody took an empty glass and poured water into it, as well as a bit of tea to give it some color, and they let Masha drink that. We taught her how to toast. It was so cute, this little baby giggling every time she hit her glass against mine. She totally understood, too, that she had to drink from the glass before she could toast again!
I didn’t get any pictures. It all happened so fast!
After this I played some Passover music for Galya and tried to explain our rituals. I realize how disorganized we are, LOL, as a religion. And I think that’s the best way to be, LOL. I think I shocked her, though, by telling her that we are supposed to drink 4 glasses of wine at the seder!
Sunday was a lot of fun. I spent the day over at Sveta’s. She lives in a little town about 1 hour from Moscow on the elecktrichka, (regional train) at a stop called Elektroroyl. She lives in a huge, gorgeous house that her family built 5 years ago. We had a nice day together - talking and looking at photos. We had lunch with her family.
In the evening I went to Marom’s seder at the Israeli Cultural Center, which I wish I had known existed before now! Apparently they have concerts and meetings and things! I’ll have to get their May schedule once I get back from Sochi. Anyway, the seder was okay. It was short and not really a proper seder, in my opinion, but I did meet some nice people, these 2 Russian girls, Lena and Sonya, who speak French! Lena makes me think of Tsveti, both in her looks and her accent in French. Ah, I miss Tsveti!
This week - I’ll try to write quickly, was not all that exciting. I finished papers - the revision of the comp lit paper on Coast of Utopia for Nick’s conference - which was today! It was actually a lot of fun. I can’t believe I presented a paper. People seemed to like it, though! I also finished my history paper. Had classes, which weren’t that serious - Isolda Dmitrievna, our grammar teacher, says that we are already “sitting on our suitcases.” I.E. our minds are already in Sochi.
Watched half of Fried Green Tomatoes with Dasha yesterday. She liked it and we hope to finish it once I’m back from Sochi. We just didn’t have time to watch it all yesterday. Also yesterday Sveta came over and we looked at pictures and things.
I finished reading the 3 Romanian Fantastic Tales, which were fantastic in more ways than one, I tell you! And also Barbara Kingsolver’s collection of stories, Homeland and other stories. Now I am going to start reading Doctor Zhivago.
Well, I should go. I need to go to bed soon and I should edit some photos so as to make room for more Sochi photos on my camera! I doubt I’ll have internet in Sochi, but I’ll post again once I’m back, around May 4th. J