The Countdown

This may be our last blog from the great country of Russia!!! I think I can speak for us all when I say this has been an amazing and wonderful experience. We have all experienced the ups and downs of such a trip but as we near the end we are both excited to get home to our loved ones and sad that it has come to an end! On one hand it has gone by so fast but on the other we feel like we have been away forever. We have been told that Russia is the land of contradictions and I am beginning to feel that this sentiment may be rubbing off on us as well.
We have our final presentation this evening at the District Conference here in St. Petersburg and then we will are finally going to get our boat ride. Sarah is especially excited about the trip on the river. I look forward to seeing everyone and can't wait to tell you all about the trip and beware I have over a thousand pictures!!! I'll try to post once more, who knows if we will even sleep tonight!!!! Have I told you that it is only dark for a few hours??? Craziness!! :)

Impressions of Russia

For the past month we have been guests of Rotarians in Ivanovo, Vladimir, Moscow, Cherepovets, and Saint Petersburg, while Rotarians in Massachusetts and Rhode Island hosted a team of Russians. At Rotary meetings we talked about ourselves, our homes, families, and work places. Here’s a list of some of the people I’d like to thank and some of my impressions of Russia after this exchange. This was a special dream of our District Governor Steve Silverman and his wife Amy-Jo, both of whom are of Russian heritage, and who worked with Russian District Governor Vladimir Vasilkov for overcome obstacles to make this dream come true.

I remember how welcome it was to connect with Thomas Kaufman at Domodoevo Airport when we landed, who treated us to pizza, and helped with getting us off to Ivanovo.

The first place I stayed was with Viktor and Nadezhda Dormidontova’s. At their beautiful home we experienced the Russian banya for the first time, and sat for hours around a fire, eating, drinking, and enjoying the company of a circle of friends. We had a very interesting visit to the old village of Plyos where I think someone tried to marry us in an izba. Her son Alexei gave us a memorable night time tour of Ivanovo’s monuments and night clubs.

In Vladimir we toured the city and nearby Suzdal, seeing many recently restored churches and monasteries. I am especially grateful to Colonel Viktor Lebedev who made sure we got a close up view of the Victory Day celebration in the main square. The size and solemnity of the occasion reminded us the great sacrifices Russia made to defeat fascism. By restoring its monuments and remembering its dead, Russia showed me it is a nation that remembers its past to build a better future. I also will never forget a five minute visit to the cottage of Sergey Nikonorev’s aunt which turned into dinner with three shots of vodka. The vodka bottle didn’t have a label, but it was very good.

In Moscow we saw the famous Red Square and made use of its very impressive transit system. In museums I saw many ornate treasures, clothes, and coaches from a ruling class which may have taken more than its fair share of society’s resources, and was swept away. I am grateful for the two days Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Aaron Blomme spent with us, showing us the graveyard by Novoe Dorimdetovo Monastery, where writers, composers, and artists are given equal honor to politicians and generals in death. Aaron is Russian Orthodox and he took us to Mass where we saw firsthand a spiritual revival in Russia.

In Cherepovets no effort was spared to make our trip interesting and full of activity. They were a hard working club with many members and their friends feeding, housing and entertaining us. We got to tour the Severstal steel mill, through the efforts of incoming president Svetlana Chelnokova and her husband Pavel. It is quite honestly not a particularly beautiful place, but our modern life such requires such places and those who work there. They also hosted a fishing trip at their nearby dacha. We were no threat to the fish, but again there was a circle of friends, lots of food and drink, and good conversation. At the end of our stay president Sergey Murshkin and I agreed to start a book exchange program of English and Russian books with his Rotary club and mine, because there are a lot of people there who want to improve their English language skills, and I will look for opportunities to get Russian language courses in my town.

Here in St. Petersburg we had the pleasure of meeting President D. K. Lee’s representative Dan Moores and his wife Shirley. We have been guests of the White Nights Rotary Club and the International Rotary Club. Rotarians Natalya Nikolaeva, Irina Zavolokina, and Marina Drobysheva have taken us to every major tourist attraction in the city. Igor Gorshkov arranged a very interesting tour for John and I of a business incubator for applied science affiliated with the local polytechnic university. For me, the moving thing was the opportunity to see the ballet Swan Lake in Russia. I just lost my mother last summer, and Tchaikovsky was her favorite composer. Listening to the solo violin and harp while Odette twirled by the lake brought a tear to my eye.

I really appreciate GSE chair Eugenia Lebedeva for her efforts in the overall co-ordination of the program and in Ivanovo. I hope we have been good guests. Just as this city bears the stamp of Peter the First, this country bears the stamp of the years of communism, years of obligatory collective action under central control. Americans were frightened of the USSR, because we didn’t want this system imposed on us. Today, thankfully Russia is changing and for us those fears no longer exist. Our mission is to maintain the contacts we have made this month, return to America and say that Rotary is active in Russia, and that the idea of voluntary collective action initiated by local clubs, the best way to make dreams real, is alive and well.

Final Stop... St. Petersburg

We arrived in St. Petersburg Monday morning on an overnight train from Cherepovets. I am really going to miss my host family, it was such a good match and we had a great time together. We are staying at the St. Petersburg Hotel and we are thankful for these accomodations during our last week in Russia. We have two rooms with the girls in one and the boys in the other.
It is Wednesday and so far we have toured quite a bit of the city. Yesterday we visited Petergof, which according to Robin greatly resembles Versaille. Everything is big and grand. There were many statues and fountains to see and the weather was beautiful. Last night after our Rotary meeting we went on a city excursion in search of something to eat and drink. It was fun walking around the city but I do believe we were a bit lost. Sarah volunteered to ask a bus driver where we could find a bar and with five words of Russian got us pointed in the right direction. "Itvinitz, gdye horosho bar, spasiba." (Excuse me, where good bar, thanks.) It worked and using hand signals we were pointed to a main street. At the same time John was texting someone who lives here in hopes of finding the street. Needless to say we finally found a cafe that we decided looked good and we stopped. The menu was in Russian but we had been walking for so long that we decided we would figure it out. The waiter took pitty on us and found a waitress that spoke a little English. We ordered an appetizer of garlic bread and cheese and a few drinks... piva and vina (beer and wine). I ordered a BLT because even though we had eaten dinner I was still hungry. NO surprise there. Sarah wanted fries and it was really funny because she was pointing to the picture and the waitress kept saying what sounded like "free", and we thought, "Wow, why are they free". We finally realized that she was saying "frite" which is the word for "fries" but without the 't' sound. Anyway, we did not get free fries but we did get free champagne. Come to find out there is a little dance floor inside and free champagne for the ladies until midnight!!! It was a good trip out and only just starting to get dark on our way back. It is only dark for a few hours here this time of year which is strange for us but I do not think it has really bothered any of us all that much.
I am really looking forward to getting home. Only a few days left and it has really been a trip of a lifetime but it has been a long trip and we have done so much. I have really tried to do everything because I do not want to miss anything but I am starting to feel tired and will need to sleep for about a week when we return!!! I will also have to detox from all of the caffeine.

Fun in Cherepovets!

The past day here has been great. As a result of the bad weather, I was taken to both a History and Cultural Museum in town. Afterwards, we toured a bit more, and Robin got to take a peek inside a pharmacy--and even take a picture!

After our tour, we went home and I made a traditional dinner with Olga and her friends Anne and Julia before heading out to the local nightclub. I must admit, Olga and Anne are incredible dancers who put us all to shame!

Me and Julia making dinner.

At the nightclub with Jen and Olga.

Olga and Anne dancing--the best in the club!









Tonight we are on the train to St. Pete!
xoxo,
Sarah

Hash House Harriers Adventure

This all happened on Sunday, May 17th after attending a Russian Orthodox Mass in the morning and getting right with God.

My Rotary guide for my professional day was Gordon, the secretary of the Moscow International Rotary Club, a financial consultant in Moscow who had worked for many years with the World Bank, and at the end of the day he invited me and anyone from the team who wanted to come with me to the regular weekly meeting of the “Hash House Harriers”. There would be about a six kilometer run and a barbeque afterwards, with beer, with a contribution of 250 rubles (or somewhere between $8 and $9). I felt confident I could get my money’s worth of the grub and grog, and I hadn’t had a chance to run since I left the sanitarium on the outskirts of Vladimir. Plus, I had nothing better to do in Moscow on a Sunday afternoon. I met Gordon in front of one of the seven Stalin skyscrapers on the Garden Ring.

John and Jen decided to come along, but as they were delayed we agreed to meet at the Yugo Zapadny Metro stop.

We rode the Metro to Yugo Zapadny station where about 30 English speaking expatriates and their significant others were gathering. We had to take a short bus trip to Ul’yanskovy Park where the run was being held; Gordon and I hung back a bit to wait for John and Jen, who made excellent time across the city and found us with no problem.

Gordon explained to me that the “Hash House Harriers”, was started by British troops in Malaya in the 1930s who after some long term drinking decided to do some long distance running to cure their hangovers … and then have a few beers. It had absolulely no formal organization, but they do have a presence in most major cities in the world now and a presence on the World Wide Web. They have been called “a drinking club with a running problem”. I was excited to join them because I hadn’t had a chance to do much drinking in Russia.

On the bus ride we Gordon pointed out the Russian Pentagon, and some former missile sites.

We got off the bus at the sign of the car on a pole.

Ul’yanskovy Park is a large, heavily wooded tract of land by the outer ring of apartment blocks. We walked by horse stables (during the run the trail of horses was easy to find) and into a soggy field.

There the rules were laid out by the “Mismanager” of the contest who was wearing a large funny hat. A trail of flour had been laid in the forest, fields,, and pathways of the park by the “hares”. Two strapping young Marines were carrying backpacks full of beer. When runners came upon a spot of flour, they were to yell “On On”. That made them sound something like a pack of hounds. From time to time the trail would lead to a circle sign. At the circle the pack had to fan out to find the trail. Whoever found the trail had to yell “All On” and the pack would follow. Sometimes a trail would end in a dead end marked with three X’s. Then it was back to the circle to find the right trail. This was actually an old English schoolboys’ game called “the Paper Chase” and I thought it was thoroughly fun.

We ran up and down hills, over streams and along pathways yelling “on on” to the astonished looks of the local Moscow citizenry, old folks, young lovers, mothers pushing baby carriages. We came upon a band of teenaged beer drinkers by a brook who began singing raucous songs and hooting at us. Since we outnumbered them greatly, peace prevailed. At one point we got to the monument of the 158th Cavalry where they assembled for the march on Berlin during the Great Patriotic War from 1941 to 1945. There we stopped and shared the beer from the Marines’ backpacks. Then it was on to the barbeque.

At the barbeque everyone was introduced by their nicknames, or the case of me and other first timers “Just” plus their first name (so I was “Just Mike”).


We were then brought into the middle of the circle for the initiation. The mismanager was their in his funny big hat, joined by the chefs (and hares) who were wearing pink bunny ears. There we were asked embarrassing questions. My answer was “the Missionary position because I had converted a lot of women”, which drew derisive hoots and jeers. John and Jen hadn’t shown up, and I was about to get Gordon to call them on their cellphones when they arrived somewhat bedraggled with wet feet. We discovered this group without rules had actually a lot of silly rules (like saying the T (thinking) word, or pointing. These infractions had to be dealt with by drinking a “pot” of beer down and putting the cup upside down on your head.

We had our fill of food, and John and Jen were finally happy.

We snuck out of the party with Gordon about 9 PM. We thanked him for a wonderful time and went our separate ways on the Metro. Back at the hostel we met up with Robin, Sarah, and Aaron, and had a pleasant evening together until just past 3 AM.

Slavic Games

This is a short couple minute video showing our group excursion to the town of Sizma and playing the ancient Slavic games. Anyone interested in seeing more games that we played let me know.

Pictures from our Latest Excursions in Cherepovets

Visiting a local museum in Sizma




The group at our official welcome at the city government building. We were given gifts and shown a video of the town!




Jen sitting on a rock that is suppose to promote fertility. I was just being a good sport!!!




Touring the city of Cherepovets




Sarah Robin and I in a Russian Izba

Laryngitis in Russia

This morning at the breakfast table my host father realized that something was wrong when I was not answering his questions. I was beginning to lose my voice the night before and by morning it was gone. He pointed to his throat and said something along the lines of I know what will help you. He told me what it was but with my little Russian I did not understand and just kept saying yes and okay in Russian of course. I figured he was going to give me some cough drops. Silly me, I forgot I was not in the United States and the standard treatment for a sore throat here is honey. Well not just honey from a jar…… Once I said yes my host father got up from the table and went into the other room, okay nothing weird there until he came back with a huge vacuum cleaner box. My first thought was it was a vapor machine and I was going to get my sinus steamed and cleaned. Then I realized that it was a vacuum cleaner box and was puzzled until he opened it and I looked inside. I was looking at what I thought was a honey comb bee hive and my guess was verified when I looked at my host father and he started making buzzing noises. I thought oh my goodness what did I just get myself into (not the first time I have done this to myself on the trip). I just smiled and said da (yes) while at the same time trying to figure out what in the world I was to do with it and hoping that I was not suppose to eat it! (See picture of honeycomb)
Looking back now he must have seen the puzzled look on my face so he pulled it out of the box and began cutting off a huge chunk. He then cut it into smaller squares and I could see the honey dripping out from the comb part of it. Funny thing is I was still waiting for the bees to start coming out, I had no idea what was going on. He pointed to the square and then his mouth and then me. I thought oh well here goes nothing and picked up a piece and put it in my mouth. It had the consistency of chewing tobacco (not that I have ever chewed tobacco but if I did I have a feeling that is what it would feel like) and tasted awesome because of all the honey. After chewing it for awhile and sucking all of the honey out I was unsure of what to do so I thought about it while I kept stuffing more in my mouth on the command of my host father. (He meant well of course). When I could no longer fit anymore in I decided to swallow the comb part, low and behold as soon as I did my host father got up went to the cabinet and pulled out a plastic container and spit his into it and pointed to me to do the same. A little too late I had already swallowed it. Oh well a sweet lesson learned!!!

Sizma and Vologda

The past two days have been very busy for our team.

Yesterday, we went to a traditional city in the region, called Sizma. Here we had the opportunity to see some very old icons in St. Nikolay's Cathedral and ring the bells, as well as visit St. Xenia's Chapel (left) and the holy well of St. George the Victorious by a river (below). I think after this trip we can all expect good luck, as we wrote notes and wishes to St. Xenia and drank from the holy spring. It was such a peaceful place and I feel fortunate to have experienced it.

We also had the opportunity to play some Slavic games, which I am not even going to try to explain in intense detail. Let's just say it included climbing under peoples' legs and running around like crazy people. Hopefully Jen will be able to post video--it's a must see! :)

Today we went to Vologda, where we visited the Cathedral of St. Sophia, climbed the bell tower of the Vologda Kremlin, visited a lace museum (one of the local handicrafts), and visited a home visited by Peter the Great. We had a great time! My host sister was with us (Olga and I to the left at the top of the bell tower) and I can only say that she is the best! I am so lucky to be living with her! Thank you, Olga!

Robin's host family was so concerned that Flat Peter haв not changed his wardrobe yet in Russia, so they made him a traditional Russia outfit. He was sporting it today! Looking good, Peter (with a view of St. Sophia's in the background)!

Well, tomorrow we are scheduled to have a picnic and go fishing! Wish me luck!

All my love to my family and friends! I miss you tons!

Cherepovets.. Local Culture and Making Friends

Getting ready to go rollerblading with my host sister and her friends.





Rock climbing in the scaladrome and holding an exit sign that they wanted me to take home as a souvenir.





We arrived in Cherepovets by an overnight train from Moscow on Tuesday May 19th. There was a group of people there to welcome us at the train station. It was a great feeling having them welcome us and even better that they helped me move my luggage because I was exhausted from the trip.
We were brought to our accommodations and each of us are staying with a different family. The family I am staying with has a 22 year old daughter in college and we became fast friends even though her English is about as good as my Russian!!!
Back at our place I was given a hearty breakfast and shown the shower. Oh my goodness after being in a hostel in Moscow I thought I had died and gone to heaven. They had in their bathroom the deepest tub I have ever seen in my life. I did not get my hopes up until I saw there was no shower curtain and I am sure my eyes grew quite big as I drooled over myself and asked how high I could fill the tub. My host sister pointed to the top and I am pretty sure I let out the longest sigh ever. Needless to say she began laughing and filled it for me as I got my clothes. I stayed in that tub until it turned cold and every inch of my body felt clean again.
We then ate again and on that note I will never complain again about not eating enough as I did in Moscow. I was then brought out to meet with the group and we were given a tour of downtown Cherepovets. There is quite a bit of history here and for you history buffs worth looking up!!! We had our presentation to the rotary club here and it went well. They were a small group but are doing big things in the community and are a very nice group of people. On top of that they gave me a schedule for the week so they are #1 in my book!!!! After the presentation we were given tea and sweets which were so good I brought one home and am eating it now!!! My host sister then came to pick me up and off we went down the streets of Russia. It is really so cool just looking around and seeing all there is to see and how many things are the same as in the United States but look so different because of the language. It is strange and hard to explain!
After we arrived back I changed clothes and was brought to an indoor rock climbing gym. I had an awesome time and the people there were so friendly!!!! We spent the rest of the night with them and we talked and explored the city and they showed me what they did for fun and we talked about cultural differences and similarities, and of course we laughed because of the language barrier but we figured out that the game charades seems to be universally known and all went well. They were so great it was definitely one of the most interesting, informative, and fun nights I have had so far in Russia. On top of that I did not even have a sip of alcohol and that was a good change!!! FYI I have lost my voice from all of the talking, laughing, and fun!!!!
We were home early and in bed because my host family wanted to make sure I got enough sleep. They are really great and kind. Here is an example. I lost my glasses/sunglasses during our stay in Ivanovo (sorry Mike this is probably the first you are hearing of this) and I have been trying to buy a pair of sunglasses since the first week here but have been unable to for a number of reasons. My host dad saw that I was squinting as we were driving and low and behold he pulled out a pair of sunglasses and you would never believe what color they were ... orange my favorite!!! I tried to put them back when I got out but he told me to keep them and use them while I was here!
So far that is Cherepovets and it is only the first day. My hoist dad saw pictures of me rafting and this coming Sunday is a host family day and knows I enjoy the outdoors so they are planning some sort of outdoor activity for me and I am so excited!!!! The following is our schedule for our time in Cherepovets! We do not have as much access to internet here but I will post when I can!!! Hope you enjoyed the videos and when I return or get to St. Petersburg I will post more!!

Wednesday May 20th – Tour of steel factory which is what the town is well known for. Visit to the local hospital. Visit to a private English school. Visit with the local administration (not sure how that translates for us).

Thursday May 21st – Trip to Sizma Village and tour. Russian stove lunch???? Slavic games and activities??? Vistit to Russian culture and household museum.
Friday May 22nd – Visit to Vologda and tour of town
Saturday May 23rd – Day of fishing and picnicking by the river and we are going out on the town that evening to a place called Barracuda- name is perfect considering our day of fishing!
Sunday May 24th – Host family day????

Goodbye Moscow... Hello Cherepovets!

Well, after a midnight train from Moscow, we are now in Cherepovets. It is a nice city situated on a river. It is know as one of the industrial cities in Russia.

My final days in Moscow were great, with the exception of having all my bank information comprimised :(

An Ambassadorial Scholar, Aaron, took us around and we were able to see so much--St. Basil's and GUM at night (right), a Cemetary where many famous people have been buried, a monastery, the Eurovision final, AND I even saw the light show at Gorkey Park and went on a ride! THANK YOU AARON! Picture at left with Robin--he doesn't usually look this crazy, I promise :) I guess I need to get some better photos!

My accomodations in Cherepovets are great. We went on a brief historial tour of the central part of the city, and went to a childrens theater where we heard a few musical performances. The owneк of this theater is a Rotarian, and has done some work with special needs youth. Tomorrow we are going to the steel factory, which is apprently an exclusive tour! I am excited!

Interviews at the Airport

What we were thinking then ...

Jennifer Interview



Sarah Interview



Mike Interview




Robin Interview



... and what will we be thinking? Tune-in in 2 weeks!!!

Moscow, On My Own.....

Tonight was Museum Night in Moscow. On Museum Night all of the city’s museums are free and stay open until 2 in the morning. Yulia, from the University we had visited the prior day, invited me to join her and some friends for a tour the museums. Although I was running on fumes from a couple hours sleep the night before, I couln't refuse. So after much prodding, Mike agreed to let me go off on my own. So with my passport and map of the Metro system I was off to meet Yulia and friends. Between Museum night and EuroVision (American Idol for the rest of the world taking place in Moscow) the Metro Stations were packed. I had to transfer trains twice to get to my destination. After three transfers and a lot of help from the locals I made it. Men, here’s a tip if you’re lost in the Metro, find a woman, go up to her with map in hand, smile then start speaking English. After they stop giggling they will go out of their way to help you find the right train.

So I met my new friends and we were off to the museum. As it turns out this museum was actually an old house and we weren’t there to see any exhibits. We were attending a short performance given by some local drama students. Packed like sardines in a café/theater we watched the performance which of course was all in Russian. At the end they asked me how I liked the show, in turn; I asked them what the show was about. Although I didn’t understand much of what was being said at the performance it was a really cool experience.

After the performance we walked all over Moscow. Yulia showed me all the theaters and cathedrals off the beaten path. After a night tour of Red Square we finished the night off at a café with double espressos, which would explain why I’m up writing this at 3:30 in the morning.

To be honest, I was overwhelmed and unimpressed with Moscow upon arrival. But now that I’ve been here for a few days and had a chance to meet some Muscovites, see the city and learn more about the history my perception has completely changed. Thanks to everyone for sharing your city with me.

The city that never sleeps ... and Jenshina

This picture was at dinner. I was so in my element. The gentlman with the gutiar sings in an Irish Rock Band, has an awesome accentt hat all the ladies loved and he played the guitar for us while we sang Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks!!! Diana I know you wish you were here for that one!



At the nightclub "Poncho Villa" with the group and some students we met at Moscow State University during our professional day. From left to right following along the back row: Judith (my newsouthern friend from Alabama who is studying here to be an astronaut), Sarah, John, Jen, Ana and Ana.



This is also from the club and we had no ide we were given bunny ears!!! Left to right: Judith, Yulia, and Jen.



Sarah and I being silly on her birthday!



The whole group of young professionals and students at dinner before "Poncho Villa" and the curse of cuervo!



The young girl looks wide eyed around at the magical place called "Moscow". There are so many sights to see, places to go and wonders to explore and she wonders where to go first. Everyone seems so fast and everything seems to be happening at a speed foreign to even this young girl who has been repeatedly told to slow down. It is very overwhelming but exciting and she begins to slowly awaken to and embrace the new speed ... On day four she wakes up at noon in the clothes she wore the day before and a splitting headache and decides that "The City that Never Sleeps" is not for her and she is looking forward to moving on to Chevepovets and the country not at all caring that for fun she may be tipping cows. :)

We all went out last night and I personally had a great time. I have a feeling that it will be the only time in my life I choose to stay up all night. I thought it might be nice to experience the feeling once and the perfect opportunity presented itself laast night when we realized we had stayed out to late and the metro was closed until 5:30 a.m. and it was only 1:30a.m. Check out the pictures of our fun and exciting evening last night at "Poncho Villa" a Mexican nightclub in the heart of the city. How we found a Mexican bar in the middle of Russia I will never know becuase I am following instead of leading for a change.

The trip is wonderful I am having a blast. It has been two weeks now but I feel like I have been away forever because we have done so much. I'd like to take this opportunity to say hello to Mike whom I finally got the chance to webcam and see for the first time in two weeks. Hi to my mom, little Nikki, Colin, Shane, Abby and Ryan and all the rest fo my faithful followers! I hope you are all enjoying reading about the trip. If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail them!

Congrats to one of our followers Ashleigh Chaves. She is graduating from High School in about a week and will be attending Bridgewater State College in the fall to become an elementary school teacher!!! Congrats, teaching is an awesome profession and I am sure you will love it as much as your mom and I do!

Well we are off to a house party where we will be watching the Euro Vision competition taking place right down the road! Another sleepless night!!! I cannot believe I have not crashed yet!!! To be continued!!! Enjoy the pics.

Moscow - May 14th

So, it's our third day here in Moscow and I must say it has been quite the adventure, to put it lightly. Our accomodations have already been described previously by Jen, and the clientel has been consistent since our arrival. Yesterday morning I thought I was finally adjusting, and was then told that we were moving to a new room--all five of us. Good thing I am "adaptable."

We hopped on the metro to Christ the Saviour Cathedral. I had been warned about the aggressive babushkas, but it wasn't until one elbowed me at full force in the ribs for absolutely no reason that I truly understood how aggressive these women could be! Don't worry... the bruise will heal in a few days.

The Cathedral was great, and one of the Ambassadorial Scholars, Judith, was touring us around. She then took us to the Pushkin Museum and for a stroll on Arbat Street. We again headed to the metro to our next Rotary presentation. If you have ever been on the subway in New York, picture that experience twenty times more intense. It is so packed you can hardly breathe, and in order to get on the train, pushing is required. The conditions are unsafe and you need to watch your wallet/belongings at all times. We have learned this the hard way.

Well, I will post photos when I can! Off to our professional day...

Robin posting about Moscow May 16

Our whole team experienced a rough 24 hours.

Yesterday we woke up very early in Vladimir to catch the early train to Moscow. We arrived there at about 10 am. We were going to stay in another place, but there was a plumbing problem there so we were taken to a youth hostel. Some of the characters are a little sketchy, but we agreed to stick together for safety in the common areas.

Jen, Sarah and I were in one room and the guys in another. There is two bathrooms (a toilet only) and two showers with a sink. Another sink is in the hallway. I am SOOOO glad I brought my shower shoes. We had about 30 min to change our clothes and get ready to leave to a tour of St. Basil's cathederal, the Kremlin, and Red Square. We also saw numerous churches. I will say that was very impressive. The tour guide was wonderful, but it was a 5 hour straight tour.
While we were at one of the museums which was so amazing, Jen broke one of her heels on her shoes. The girls were laughing and the guys were so concerned with what Jen was going to do.
Well, being the trooper she is, she had Mike break off the other heel and was able to walk for the next 5 hours because we could not go back to the hostel.

All we could do was laugh because it was so awful. We had nothing to eat since about 5:30 am. We went to the Moscow International Rotary Club which has to have some of the highest movers and shakers in the world (seriously). We sat in the corner b/c we got there a bit early and ate every hor d'ourve we could possibly eat beacause that was our lunch and dinner. The presentation went very well. There are several German members and one of them went
to the same Gymnasium (high school) I visited with Evelyn. What a small world.


This morning we were informed that we now all have to stay in the same room (guys and girls). We had to leave by 10:30 and were unable to move our luggage. We had to trust the people running the place to move everything. We left our room and started our day. Our guide was Judith, a Rotary ambassadorial scholar from Auburn, Alabama, studying engineering here.
She plans to be an astronaut some day. We saw another beautiful church and then the Pushkin museum. It has one of the best examples of Egyptian artifacts in the world.

We did get to eat lunch today and went to another Rotary Club meeting.
On the way, we had to use the subway. We were warned about how dangerous it is. The door opens and you are literally shoved into the car and packed body to body. It was rush hour and we had to really try to hurry to get to the meeting. When we got on our connecting train, a group of men tried to surround Sarah and John and were successful with Mike. They stole his wallet. He started to yell at them and they of course acted like they didn't know what was happening. He wanted to call out for the police, but our guide said not to because he would be taken to a police station and have to stay there for hours and still not get his wallet back.

As a group we have had a bonding experience. We are trying to take in all of the good things and are now getting ready to drink to forget the fact that we are getting ready to sleep together.
The group just played cards and now it is midnight and so Mike said as group leader, it is a new day and we have to drink to it.

Robin Lee

Moscow ... Very Interesting Place

Yesterday we arrived in Moscow. Lets hit upon the positives first! After we checked into our Hostel we went to tour Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, The Kremlin and the Armory. Being a history teacher I have come across many photo's of these places in books but I cannot even describe the awe inspiring feeling that overcame me when I walk through the gates and into Red Suare and saw this colorful, towering piece of architecture called St. Basil's Cathedral. I have included a picture but to be honest you really have to see it for yourself. I cannot remember a time when I felt to overcome with such emotion and those of you that know me know this is rare. :)
The tours were wonderful and I enjoyed every minute of them even though I had only gotten 3 hours of sleep, we had ridden a few hours by train that morning, checked into our hostel and oh wait my shoes were broken.......
Th train ride was good and when we got here we were met by Tom our American contact here. He told us that the place we were staying in had flooded and he had to find us last minute accommodations. We got to our accommodations and were met by Brad the scab who was a British guest and began talking to us about everything and nothing. I thought he was just a friendly guy and began talking back while the rest of the team ignored him and kept giving me looks. I was obviously missing something. I finally extracted myself from the conversation and went into our room where Sarah was panicking. Come to find out our accommodations are not quite what we had in the last town and Brad the scab looked like he had seen better days. How I missed this I am not sure. I am sure you will here much more about this from the others so lets just say this story is to be continued........ because we are still here for 4 more nights. Last night we decided to drink in order to fall asleep, I am sure that says a lot. ON the other hand Tom worked very hard to get our accommodations and we trust his judgement it is just not what we expected. We also appreciate the fact that he found us accommodations at such a late hour considering Euro vision is going on all this week!
Just a quick story about he armory. I decided to where my boots which I actually borrowed from my friend Amanda who was nice enough to part with them for the month. Amanda you may not want to read on.......The boots have heals and I wanted look like the Russian women who always have boots on... well I no longer have heels. While touring the armory I tripped and broke off one of the heels. They were pretty high heels. The girls began laughing hysterically and the men were like what in the world are you going to do. I told them I saw a movie once where this happened and the girl just broke off the other one so after some time of walking funny and Sarah and Robin breaking out into the giggles I sat down and muscle man Mike broke off the other one for me. I felt so much better but had to go to our presentation that evening with my toes pointing up in the air because I did not have time to change, and yes people noticed but I am sure it did not look half as bad as it would have if I have left one heel on and one off. Sorry Amanda I owe you a pair of boots!!!!
We are off to breakfast so more to come later.

Jen











Subway on the way home











Presentation at Moscow Rotary Club











Kremlin











St. Basil's

Tuesday May 12th - Professional Day

Today was our professional day. We visited a drug company called Chiratrade which exports drugs to different pharmacies throughout the country. As Robin is a pharmacist this was more her cup of tea and I am sure she will talk about it. Next we went the "American Home". It was a home built in the American style by Americans who were flown over here. All the materials except the stone were brought in from America as well. You can check out the following websites if you would like to learn more about it. They have opportunities for American teachers to teach English here and it has a very interesting history. I have included a picture in this blog and you can compare it to the one found on the second website.

Teach English in Russia

American Home

Next we went to a school that went from grades 1-12. I have video of the school and will post at a later date but here are the basics:

1. Students go to school in two shifts. The younger students go from 8-1 and the older from 1-5.

2. Many students wore formal dress and I did not see many in pajama's or sweats. On the other hand like the other schools we have visited the schools are quite run down and look like they really need some work. But the students do not seem to notice. They were all very polite and respectful and again as with all of the other schools we visited they stood up when we entered.

3. As in the other schools many of the students spoke basic American English and were very excited to see us. They had many of the same questions that the students from other schools asked like what do we like to do for fun in America, what is our favorite music and movies. They talked about sports and asked us what we have done in Russia and what we liked. They were very talkative and we enjoyed our time there a lot. The younger kids were a lot more interested in us than the older ones though.

We next visited a vodka factory..........not sure what to say here because I am unsure if I remember most of it. I remember touring the facility but was a tad bored by the vats and discussion on how it was made and how it worked and all that stuff. We then went in to talk to the director and in his office he had a spread out for us for lunch of meats, cheeses, veggies, and bread. That was not all though. At one end of the table he had at least twenty bottles of vodka, cognac, and gin. In front of each of our place settings were three glasses. One for taste testing, one for water, and I have no idea what the other was for but am sure I used it at some point. Here it gets a little fuzzy!
We began taste testing and the technician that had given us the tour began walking around and giving each of us a "sample" in our glasses. I did not want to be rude and for the first few I drank all of it until the director who was sitting next to me pointed to the huge vat in the middle and everyone began laughing because none of us new we could just take a sip and dump the rest out. This was very difficult for some of us because we hated wasting it but by the 5th bottle when we realized that we were going to be tasting them all we really lost all choice in the matter! I really can't say more except see the pictures I have attached.
Lastly at about 3 p.m. we went to a University which I do not recall the name of... surprising after the visit to the vodka factory. I have no words that can accurately describe what we did at the University. I do believe I captured it on film but have yet to watch it because from there I am unsure what we did until I woke up at 9 p.m. and realizing I still needed to pack for our train at 6:30a.m. to Moscow!
Enjoy the pictures and I will talk to you in Moscow!

Early morning at the drug facility. As you can see there were many cups of coffee to go around.


The American Home- from left to right (Sarah Phillips, Jennifer Vincent, Robin Lee, John Bentley and Mike Maholchic)


The school we visited that included students from grades 1-12. This young class was the most talkative and every time they asked a question they stood up!!


The vodka factory along with our tour guides for the day. This picture was taken about half way through the taste testing.


The next two pictures were taken towards the end!! The first one is of the whole group and the second is of Sarah Robin and Myself.

Rich the "Sexy Dog"

Here he is! <3