So soon we say goodbye

I will keep it simple and short.

Thank you to everyone who has made my experience at AAS a wonderful experience.

To those at home, I have a few requests upon returning:
Taco Bell, Meijer, and quiet streets.

The Iron Fist

As a last hurrah of sight-seeing I went to Red Square again today. What a hassle to even get in during Lenin-viewing hours. Waiting and more waiting and then metal detectors. They don't take the metal detectors lightly. The guns come out if they suspect you're sneaking a dental filling. After much hassle and a little arguing with a lady who told me I had to wait twice (which I did NOT), I finally turned over my camera and viewed Lenin's body in the mausoleum. Guards are posted every ten feet to be sure you don't accidentally want to stop and actually take a look. I can say I saw him now, I guess. Along the way I also viewed Stalin's burial place, which is among many of the Soviet leaders'. I also videotaped a portion of my visit to the grocery store to show you what it's like. In English, the store is called Azbuka Vkusa, and it's a little posh - kinda like if Panera, Starbucks, and your favorite aisle in Meijer teamed up. For one aisle it has a lot: fresh bread, meats, dairy, produce, a separate wine section, a small coffee shop, a bakery, and toiletries. At the beginning I introduce you to the best buy in the store: smoked cheese. I liked that an American Christmas song was playing ("Chestnuts Roasting"). When I got to the end of the store the bakery woman got ticked that I would dare videotape her cakes. Heaven forbid it gets out that Moscow has cake and that I knew about it.

A Peek At Church

Here are a couple snippets of the international church I've been attending while in Moscow. The first is a worship song most of you will recognize. The second is the offertory (three Filipino women did a tambourine presentation). Every week is a different culture presenting, it seems. There is a large representation of Filipino, Nigerian, and Malaysian attendees.

Dry Water?

Day 3

Today I walked around the top of St. Isaac's colonnade, walked to the Peter the Great statue (you're welcome, Grant), and shopped within the large shopping district, Gostiny Dvor. I actually met some people from Ohio where I took the picture of the bride. After I saw the opera Carmen (where I tried caviar for the first time) this evening I met a mother and daughter from Wisconsin. I have also included a video of my neighbors in the hostel. I thought it was awesome that they were next door. Since you asked, I found out the name of the Russian instrument that I didn't recognize. My roommate says it's called a balalaika, and obviously it is of the larger kind; I'm glad he clarified that. Heaven forbid there be a LARGER balalaika than this one. Sorry that the video is sideways.

St. Petersburg

What a difference: Western, small, touristy.
Needless to say, St. Petersburg is much more enjoyable for an American than is Moscow. And if you come to St. Pete, you will be lathered - smothered - with historical sites. Yesterday I walked around the city, and the weather was gorgeous. I visited the Peter and Paul Fortress, which houses a cathedral that contains most of the Romanov line, including Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and the remains of the last royal family (the source of the Anastasia myth). Today I visited the Church on Spilled Blood, which was built over the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated (it was the fifth attempt). The church's interior is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. In size, the entirety of the interior can be seen from one vantage point... but I stayed for an hour and a half taking picture after picture, looking for specific Bible stories on the walls. Everything is a mosaic - every piece about the size of a fingernail - and knowing that makes it even more beautiful. The church is an ironic story of restoration. It was built over the site of a death, left to rot, turned into a potato storehouse by the Soviets, bombed by the Germans, and later restored. The bombing was actually unsuccessful - thank God. The shell lodged itself in the largest of the domes during an air raid and rested within the church without exploding. What a testimony this church has. Built over the site of an assassination it has survived time, human neglect, atheism, and Hitler, and yet - and YET - it has been restored to display the power and glory and beauty of Christ.

I also visited the Hermitage. Thanks to Ron, the principal of the Anglo-American School of St. Petersburg, I was able to use a card that allowed me to skip the ticket line (picture below) and see a monstrous collection of world history and culture. Most notable are paintings by Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Monet, and so on. And that's only the paintings in a couple of hallways. Simply, the collection is overwhelming and exhausting.

Pictures: Interior of Church on Spilled Blood. 1) Left edge=Ten Commandments, Center=Christ as child?, Right edge=beginning of Resurrection scene. 2) The Immaculate Conception 4) The first receiving of the Holy Spirit (notice the tongues of fire on each apostle) 6) Horse outside Winter Palace/Hermitage ("I hate my job.") 7) Line to the Hermitage, as seen from inside. In both the cathedral in which the Romanovs rest and the Church on Spilled Blood I took video just walking around and looking at everything, if you'd like to see that sometime later.

Passin' and Putin

I noticed the street get quiet again this morning, so I decided to get out the camera and tape it to show you what it's like when the president or prime minister passes through. Notice the motorcade chooses to use both sides of the road. There's always a black limo in the center, and it appears around 1:41. (This happened three times throughout the day.)

I will be taking a train to St. Petersburg at 11:30 tonight (3:30 US time). The train arrives in St. Pete at 7:40 AM, and I will be there until Friday night. Here is the website of the hostel in which I will be staying.
http://www.graffitihostel.ru/en

The City of Contrasts

Today I experienced the city... and it felt like perhaps the first time. I dressed again in my Moscovite fashion so as not to be conspicuous, and I brought my camera along. I walked first to the Fallen Monument, or Statue, Park. This is a plot of land where the remaining Communist and Soviet statues of Lenin, Stalin, and the like were tossed after the system fell. It's an eerie reminder of Russia's past, but it sure makes for good pictures. If you're familiar with James Bond, the park is featured in the Goldeneye movie and Nintendo game, although both state it is in St. Petersburg. Along the way I came across Gorky Park, a small theme park in the middle of Moscow. The carousel below was outside the park, and to be honest, it kinda freaked me out, as it was nonworking and almost in the middle of the street in a highly industrialized part of the city. Within the park were many photo opportunities. The following picture is a view of the cathedral that was blown up by the Soviets in 1931 to make way for atheism... and a humungous open swimming pool. It was built again in the 1990s. Included below are also pictures of statues of Lenin. The picture with stone heads is a wall made of iron bars, barbed wire, and concrete. It houses the heads as a representative of the victims of Stalin's purge. The sunset was beautiful tonight, and I included a couple pictures of that as well.


Throughout my little journey today I realized just how diverse Moscow is - so diverse, in fact, that it begs a passerby to shout, "Make up your freaking mind, Russia!" Communism or capitalism? Tsar, dictator, or president? Industrialism or conservatism? Orthodoxy or atheism? Within one frame you can capture all of these, and it takes only a few seconds to distinguish just which parts of the city are from which era of its past. Picture yourself on a bridge over the Moscow River. You see a glass walkway to a mall. Behind it boasts one of the Seven Sisters (large, nearly identical buildings built during Stalin's reign, one of which is included in the last two pictures), and next to it stand smokestacks that spew pollution into the sky all day, and in front of it all are Christmas lights that are hung from the phone lines and apparently stay up all year round. Directly opposite this view is the cathedral, a monument of Peter the Great, riverboats, casinos, Gorky Park to your right... What a riddle, what a mystery... heck, what an enigma, Mr. Churchill.

Neither ice, nor skate, nor metro...

On Saturday I attended an international ice skating competition with a few teacher friends, and not only was the competition interesting, but so was the Metro. I've been experiencing the Metro every weekend, but I finally got the nerve to bring my camera with me this time. The Metro is fascinating, ornate, complex, and intimidating. Each of the 177 stations is decorated differently, and I happen to live near one of the finest. Interestingly, a man asked the group I was in if we were tourists, and American at that. However, he never turned to me. I have been making the intentional point of wearing contacts and wearing my black shoes in public, as I believe anything else would set me apart. He asked one of the teachers "Where are your glasses?" as if to imply all Americans wear glasses. I felt it a personal triumph that I went unnoticed during this episode in the Metro and during grocery shopping this weekend. My theory about glasses was correct, and it was confirmed by a Moscovite. From now on, I'm wearing contacts in public places; it feels much less intimidating, and I get fewer cold stares. Below is a picture from two of the stations, the first being mine. The middle picture was taken across the street from where I am living, overlooking a statue of a soldier and the newer, business section of Moscow in the background. Also included are two pictures from the ice skating competition. At the competition was Plushenko, the 2006 Olympics male gold medalist and several big names.

Mayor Promises No Snow... READ

READ ARTICLE HERE

The mayor of Moscow proposes that he pay Russia's Air Force to guarantee a no-snow-winter for Moscow. I found this absurd but extremely interesting.

Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

1. If you're foreign, Moscovites will know at a glance... and will stare coldly.

2. Only Westerners wear stylish glasses or shoes that are not dark.

3. Moscovites spit... a lot. Anywhere outdoors is a free-for-all minefield of green mucus.

4. Rush hour is every hour.

5. The rich are extremely rich.

6. The Soviet generational gap is obvious.

7. There are no lines - only herds. This may play out in many ways. For instance, it will not matter if you arrived at a waiting spot (bus stop, McDonald's, Metro, even the grocery) first; you will be cut.

8. Like 7, there is a generally unorganized feel. For instance, besides the Metro, every bridge or street or building seems haphazardly thrown together. Everyday I pass the construction of a bridge. There are scrap heaps of wood and beams and scaffolding everywhere, and every section of the bridge is at a different stage of completion. It seems as though a few workers simply show up everyday and choose what to weld when they feel like it.

9. Anything concrete is also a favorite spot for graffiti.

10. There is a general mistrust everywhere. Many places like the Metro and even street corners post a guard to simply watch for "mischief," which is usually targeted at dark skinned and homeless people. Even grocery stores hire guards to walk around and just watch people shop.

Below is a picture of Tchaikovsky's house (and statue). It was the last residency at which Tchaikovsky lived, and he wrote his last piece at this location four days before leaving the house for the last time. It is also said to be the only residency of Tchaikovsky's that is still in existence.

Sunday Sundae

Today I attended church with a few colleague friends at an international church, and it was very interesting and upbeat. It took an hour to get there, and we were early, so we stopped at McDonald's for breakfast (which doesn't exist... so I got a chicken sandwich and a coffee). I experienced the metro system, which is fascinating and diverse. There's marble everywhere, mosaics everywhere, chandeliers, pillars... And one station we used was designated as Stalin's wartime headquarters. I asked again and again: So Stalin stood right here? Right here on this marble? Apparently it served as an air raid shelter as well as a banquet hall during those times. Pictures will do more justice below.

Also... Putin passing through is a daily occurrence. Everyday the traffic stops, the road clears, and a motorcade traveling twice the speed limit clears both lanes with a black limo in the center.

Under the street and through the park, to the Макдоналд'c we go...

This morning I took a walk through the local park to go to the market and the closest McDonald's for lunch. Although I wouldn't call the McDonald's stop a major success due to language difficulties, the outing was a nice escape from the flat. I also wouldn't call the public atmosphere warm and welcoming, but amidst the cold and dogmatic demeanor I find things that remind me that we're all human: we all enjoy the sun, fresh air, love. I see old women arm-in-arm, children playing on swing sets, old men walking their dogs. An interesting quirk of Moscovites is the way they wait for buses and trams. Not unlike the way Americans enter an elevator and immediately turn to face the door in silence is the way Moscovites wait for buses. They stop, they turn, and as a group longingly and stoically stare down a lane of oncoming traffic to eagerly (and anticlimactically) wait for the tram.

Picture Day (and sorry, it's still messy)

St. Basil's Cathedral and Moscow River, Kremlin

As you enter... Turn to the right...

















Follow the open door to bedroom on left... follow the opposite and find kitchen

Look out window in kitchen (notice Activia sign in Cyrillic)... turn around in kitchen to hallway of toilet and bathroom doors

On an anecdotal note, I was stuck in traffic for half an hour yesterday because Putin was passing through. Apparently he lives just down the road.

Bags...

I just received word that my bags have been delivered to the school. I will have them in the morning! Praise God!

I Have Friends In Moscow Places

I have arrived.
My bags are yet to be "found," but I have faith (along with the entire staff) that they will show up within a couple days. Yes, everything I need was in the bags (which explains no pictures yet), but I have been blessed with several wonderful teachers who are making me feel at home. I have a flat with a living room, kitchen, bathroom, dining area, and bedroom. I have free laundry. I have a cell phone that I can use in Russia. I have food. I have clothes, thanks to Joe. I have toiletries, thanks to Karen and Jess. I had an Americano coffee and spaghetti today, along with great conversation, thanks to my awesome supervising teacher, Mike.

Today was the 60th anniversary of the Anglo-American School, and there was much celebration throughout the day: balloons, cupcakes, an outdoors celebration with the entire school... What an introduction.

In short, I have been blessed with direction, peace, and amenities, and I look forward to receiving my camera so that I can take pictures. Pictures will take fewer words.

I've Been Detroi-ed

Northwest Airlines has delayed my flight enough to help me miss my Paris connection. I have been given a Best Western room in Detroit and will be flying out at the same time as the previous flight but a day later. For anyone in the US, that means I'll be leaving Detroit at 9:35 Saturday night and arriving in Moscow at 10:30 in the morning on Sunday. I'd take a picture of exotic Detroit for you, but I don't have my bags. See you in Moscow!