Masslenitsa

Hello everyone!!  I'm sorry it's been so long - so much has happened, it's been impossible to find time to write.  Pictures at the end of this entry!

Happy Lent for those of you who are celebrating as we prepare for Easter. Here, it is "post," meaning "fast," the Orthodox equivalent of Lent, lasting 36 not 40 days, wherein all adherents to the religion must temporarily eat vegan, not have sex, and maybe some other requirements about prayer, I don't know all the details.  But all the popular cafes have been advertising their "fasting" menus, meaning there are enough people who really do keep the fast in this country that that is warranted.  Interesting!  Most Russians I talk to say that religion is a big hoax, all orthodox priests are phonies and that there are very few genuine believers in Russia.  I don't know if I believe that last part.  Many Russians wear an orthodox cross as a necklace.  Many, many go to church as well, but only on Easter and Christmas - "official" or "cultural" practicers of the religion but not letting it affect their daily lives in any way.  However, I do know several who really believe and go to church regularly.

As in many now Christian countries, in order to ease the transition, bringers of Christianity did not try to obliterate previous beliefs, but rather to "integrate" them - Easter, in a religious sense Christ's resurrection, has been melded with pagan holidays. When we think of Easter, we think of rabbits and eggs, signs of fertility,  and spring, the celebration of the return of warm weather.  Russians still celebrate the pagan holiday called Masslenitsa (stress on first syllable) - the death of winter and unofficial first day of spring.  They have a big doll that represents winter and they burn it.  They play fun games outside (in the snow and freezing cold - it's not like they wait til April!  It's in the end of February!!).  They fight with wooden sticks held in both hands, they try to climb up a greased pole with prizes at the top, one of which is a bottle of vodka and another a live rooster!  They have maypoles I guess they're called - a pole with multi-colored ribbons hanging from the top - children each take one and dance around in a circle.  And they play leapfrog, tug of war and other games.  They eat blini, Russian crepes, which are associated with the sun.  It's a general good time.

I celebrated this year by going again to Gorky park with Marie Helene and Pasha.  It was so fun!  There were ice sculptures and snowmen and women of all sorts.  We created our own - see pics.  We heard concerts and saw a fire show.  There was rock music and folk music.  We ate blini.  It was a great time.  But we were freezing.  Supposedly, after Masslenitsa there will be no more frosts - not true!!

 zhzhzhzhzhzhzhzhzhzhzhzhoooop!  You can see where i slid along....

Cold and happy

Hello one and all!  Sorry it's been almost all of February and I haven't written a thing.  As per request, at the end of this entry are plenty of new pics of many things, including my neighborhood in the cold.

I am very glad to be writing to you once again.  A lot has happened.  It got cold, and I mean really cold, then lightened up a bit.  It's still cold, but man ... it was bad!  Look at the picture at the top of the blog.  Does it look cold?  IT IS!

But enough about the weather.  I went ice skating again, this time at Park of Culture, formerly Park of Maxim Gorky, and that open air skating rink is the best in Europe.  It was awesome!  Finally I had a great time.  Pasha and I bought thick wool socks off a babushka standing on the street just before going, and no more bruised ankles.  It was cold, but not freezing.  If you keep moving, you'll be o.k.  We got there a little earlier.  We skated from 5 to 8, with a break in between for hot chocolate or tea.  There are pathways there; it's not just one big open field to skate on.  There are many pathways, wide enough for four or five people across, and each with a controlled one-way direction.  I fell many, many times, in painful and scary and comical and joyful ways, because of myself and because of others.  But it was so worth it.

Fur and dressing for the cold

I wear at least 3 layers on bottom and four on top when I go outside - stockings, stretch pants, pajama pants, jeans, etc., and undershirt, shirt, sweater, coat, plus scarves, shawls, hats, more scarves, and gloves.  Dressing and undressing for outside/inside is a bit of a time-consumer.  When we dress the children at work to go outside (on days when we can - sometimes it's too cold) - it takes 15-20 minutes depending on how many kids and how quickly and effectively we all work.  And then we go outside for 15, lol.  You want to of course, little by little let them start doing it themselves, but sometimes you just want to get it over with.  Sometimes they want to do it themselves and that is good.  But it means you have to wait while they try and then try to get them to let you do it.

Russians wear fur.  And heals.  I wear whatever's warmest and most comfortable.  Pasha's mom today said I look like a gnome all dressed up to go outside.  Yes, I usually look funny, I said.  Oh, you did it on purpose? No, no, it's just my style.  Hmm.  You have a "gnome style."  .... Wow.  Guess I have a "gnome style."

About Russians wearing fur, it's true.  I watch them go by in the metro and about one in every three women is wearing it.  A good fur coat, or shuba, costs about $3000, and of course you can always find them for more expensive if you like.  They are made of wild animals of all sorts, including fox, mink and beaver, and Pasha said they are sometimes made from rabbit and died to look like some wild animal, then sold for more.  When I see Russian ladies walking around in this, I think they look like walking beasts, especially the large ones, especially from behind.  There go some big bears, people in wolf's clothing. It's kind of strange.  I just wonder how they keep warm in those things!  They kind of blouse out, letting air in underneath (it seems to me,) and the crazies wear skirts and stockings in this weather.  How do they do that???

We've recently celebrated a non-Russian holiday, St. Valentine's Day, and a Russian one right after it on the 23rd, men's day.  International women's day is March 8th, a much bigger deal, but Russians also celebrate men's day.  Some younger Russians don't like this holiday because it started as honoring those who serve, all the military, although there are women who serve as well.  But it ended up as men's day, by changing times and changing politics.  It's customary to congratulate the men in your life, wish them happy men's day and tell them what they mean to you, and give a little gift or two.  I gave Pasha opera tickets and made him dinner :)

Here are some pics!!  Enjoy

At the New Tretyakovskaya Gallery:

 On the bridge at Park Cultury

Over the Moscow River

 Riding in a marshrutka home - views of the streets

 My neighborhood - right in front of my building.  Winter view.

 I am pointing to my building.  The little store right next door.

 My entrance to the house

 First I press the round key and it beeps...

 Then I take the elevator...

 Then I use the heavy key....

 And then I use the key to our apartment, one out of four behind this big heavy door.  But we didn't photograph that for some reason.  You guys have already seen the apartment inside.  Best wishes to all of you, can't wait til I come back this summer.  Only 4 months left!  My Russian is getting better, however slowly.  Love and prayers,
-Beth

Tula, dancing, and private lessons

It's been a great couple of weeks and I'm very much back into the Russia routine and loving it.  I went to Tula last weekend with Pasha.  He was to take his driver's test and I to hang out and meet his grandmother.  Tula is a small but historical town about 1.5 hours south of Moscow.  Peter the Great built it specially, as he did Petersburg to be the capital, to be a center of arms production in the new, modern Russia.  The problem was, there were no women.  So he took all the most beautiful women from all over the country and settled them down in Tula.  So they say that to this day, people from Tula, the descendants, should be beautiful.  However, Pasha remarked that the best and brightest have probably already up and moved from there to Moscow. ;)

It is not uncommon for adults to take driver's tests.  In the states our family teaches us, then we get our license when we are 16.  But here, especially in a city where cars are not necessary, few people have their license.  In Moscow, as in New York, a car is a luxury.  It's an expense and because of traffic jams, not realistic to use it during the week.  It would be just for groceries and weekend trips.  If people want to get a driver's license here, they have to study in "auto-school," and this of course only happens sometimes and when they are all grown up, rather than while teenagers and almost as a matter of course in the U.S.  He did well by the way - passed the theory without a single mistake, passed the course-driving, but failed the on-road city driving.  He'll get it next time.  Is he planning to buy a car when he gets it?  No, just considering it.

Pasha's grandmother, Galina Semyonovna, is a retired soviet teacher.  She told me some stories about different pupils she'd taught over the years and the way they reflected soviet culture.  There was a Jehovah's Witness girl who was made to watch a film with the rest of the class.... she covered her face and sat there like that.  It's not good to be different here, even now.  One time she was called into court to testify against someone in who's house they had found forbidden literature... whether it was something religious or what I forget.  Anyway, the visit was overall a success.  I was left with the distinct impression that she doesn't like me.... or doesn't trust me anyway.

So we came back to Moscow by marshrutka, a van that picks up passengers and goes either around the city quicker than a bus, or inter-city like this one.  I was to begin a new job the next Monday, teaching one of the little girls at school a private lesson in her home, but I was too sick!  I had to cancel!  I'm convinced it was something I ate in Tula.  Perhaps the water I drank had not been boiled long enough.  In any case, the bug only lasted 24 hours and I was able to go to work on Tuesday (I don't work on Mondays anyway, so I didn't end up missing any at P'tit Cref.)

I had that lesson only a week later, yesterday.  It went well!  How rich these people are!  I could surmise that they are rich before this because they attend our school at all.  Our prices are outrageous, which automatically filters the clientele to "new Russians" and rich ex-pats only.  I also could have surmised how wealthy they are by the fact that they live in the center of town.  Who lives in the center?  Nobody!  But I didn't really think about it, and when I walked in the door I was still shocked.  The nanny greeted me, told me to wash my hands and led me to where I could take my coat and stuff off and gave me some slippers to put on.  The slippers are standard Russian practice, but the hand washing, and the marble floors I walked on and fancy sink I washed in are far from normal.

The lesson went well.  I was surprised to see how sterile the child's environment was.  She's a baby!  But there were toys, and we put them to good use.  They had a coi pond in the middle of their house, by the way!!  I wondered if she had ever fallen in.

In other news, I's started dance classes twice a week, Mondays and Wendesdays, and I like it.  God bless y'all!!! Peace.  -Beth

Ice Skating! Snow! Cold! Russian winter...

Greetings, one and all!  I have had a whole week back at work after vacation in the U.S. and I'm getting slowly used to the routine.  I do still enjoy making fun, artistic toddler activities and finding ways to carry them out. Our themes nowadays are winter and dinosaurs.  :)

I went ice skating outside for the first time in my life.  I was assured by a Russian that skating in a rink is a completely different sensation; I needed to experience the real thing.  I have red sore spots and bruises around my ankles from it.  Why do they make skates so tight around the top, around your leg?  If you loosen them up enough, they don't provide sideways ankle support.  Am I the only one who has trouble with this?  Every pair I've ever tried on, it's been the same thing.  Other people seem to do just fine.  What am I doing wrong?

Despite the pain, the actual skating was fun.  Although we (a group of my Russian friends and I) only skated for half an hour because there was snow on the ground and the ice was very bad for skating.  Then it was time to go home, but it was a long walk back to the metro, and by then it was freezing out.  I was like, "I'm gunna die.  I'm going to freeze to death right now."  Here is a girl who's lived in Florida for the past year and a  half before moving to Moscow.  What was I thinking??

So, all things considered, it wasn't TOO successful a first skating trip... but I have my own skates now and am determined to try again.  I saw my Russian friends ice skating at it was cool (no pun intended) because they really seemed "in their element."  They've been doing this all their lives.

In other news, I took on my first private English lessons.  Others have requested, but I was too busy and just not mentally ready yet.  Now, one of the mothers and I have arranged that I will work with her little girl, a baby from the baby group, for an hour on Mondays (otherwise I don't work on Mondays) in their home in the center of town.  I'm proud of myself.  It's extra money, and I'm going outside my comfort zone, and really using my skills to the fullest.  She said I have a talent for performance, and her daughter adores that.  I was flattered.  I do love singing and reading to kids!  Wish me luck.

Love and blessings,
Beth

Back... IN THE USSR!

Hello darlings,
MERRY CHRISTMAS ORTHODOX STYLE!!  January 7th is Russia's Christmas.  So God bless you all over again.

The title is just a joke.  No, it's not the USSR; it's been Russia again for 20 years now... but they're still getting the hang of a lot of things.  For those of you interested in politics, I didn't write anything about the meeting that took place Saturday, Dec. 25th.  They were protesting against widespread falsification of November's parliamentary election results.  The Kremlin party faked their huge lead, and didn't even bother to do a good job with it.  The results are fishy to say the least, absurd to say the most.  For example, in some precincts, add up all the percents every party got, and it comes out to 150% of the vote.  Hmmm...  So, they organized a meeting - a demonstration in the streets - to voice their displeasure.  I was very proud of them.  I myself was of course in the US that day (our Christmas.)  But it went down well.
First off, no one got hurt.  My friend Pasha went to the meeting, which was officially government sanctioned, and said it was exciting and interesting to be there.  There was a good turnout, several thousand people, although I'm not sure exactly how many.  It was like a rally or a concert in the street.  There were stages and musical performances going on.  Many people were carrying signs.  What did they say?  Well, the protesters weren't too sure of themselves.  I mean, pretty much no one there (mostly young people) had ever done anything like this before.  They'd never had the chance!  Many carried signs saying "we're FOR honest elections."  Some had banners against a certain person, such as "get out Putin" and other politicians.  Still others had other agendas, but the fact that they were there, doing this at all, is a huge step forward.  Pasha said he really didn't know what to yell out or chant, and there were many like him, who showed up, but then stood around not really knowing what to do.  It's like,  "o.k., our government blatantly committed fraud while claiming to be a democracy, and we don't like it.  But we're not sure how to go about correcting the situation.  (Who would be?)  However, we realize we have a voice, and we want a better Russia!"  He said there was an amazing sense of freedom and freedom of expression, of potential for the future, of empowerment.  I was very, very glad to hear it.

I have made it, thank God, back to Russia, and am trying to get over jet lag.  It's a lot harder to go West to East.  I went to bed at 7:30pm, woke up at 3:30am, then couldn't get back to sleep until maybe 5:30, then slept til 11:30 and couldn't fall asleep the next night.  But it's slowly working itself out.  I'm giving all the gifts I brought from the U.S., unpacking, cleaning, working, preparing to go back to work on Tuesday.  There will be a FULL load of kids, so get ready!  The weather here is unusually warm for Russia in January and rainy.  Yuck.  After returning to Russia, I went to see the musical on ice "Sleeping Beauty" the next day.  It was quite delightful. We also got rid of our now faded Christmas tree today.

That's all the news for now... still wishing you blessings, love, and success in the new year. Peace!
-Beth