it’s only been three days?!?!?

Disclaimer 1: I am very sorry for the long entry.  I am determined to keep them as short and sweet as possible.

Disclaimer 2: I apologize for the thus far poor quality of pictures of Astrakhan.  I am quite possibly the only Westerner in this entire city.  Thus I am determined to stick out as little as possible.  I swear, more and better pictures will come as I further adjust.  And when I have friends.

it exists! and it’s SO YUMMY. they didn’t lie.

I’m not even sure where to start, as these past three days have been intensely packed with information, meeting new people, trying to figure out what I want from my life here in Astrakhan, and even more importantly how to get what I want and need without insulting others.

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my not fully unpacked belongings. in preparation to move, they are still in the same spots.

Upon arriving I was placed at the dormitory.  As I was being dropped off, my host, Lena was talking to the ‘babushka’ who controls entrance to the dorms.  This lady informed us that supposedly last year a bunch of Iranians lived in my room, but afterwords they did tons of renovations, etc.  As I walked it, I could definitely tell this babushka was a bit confused; renovations definitely did not take place here.

In the past few days, I’ve noticed the following:  a broken toilet seat; a pretty gross shower; a sink that comes off the wall; water that smells much different from the rest of Astrakhan; a huge nasty fly; ants; little spider webs.. with spiders… ; spots all over the bed covers; three TV’s – none of them work; every moment I’m afraid they’ll place someone else in my room with me, and thus I’m afraid of the safety of my belongings; an air conditioning unit in the window, but no outlet near by to plug it into; a handful of dogs and pups outside my window barking, fighting, and growling at various times throughout the night and early morning; men hanging out below my window at early hours of the morning and chit chatting; main doors that close at 11pm, and of course forbid entrance afterwords.. unless I beg; the kitchen is a real gem, with great resources (not! so far I have not heard or smelt anyone using it, and I don’t blame them); no washing machine – “you must wash them by hand” says the babushka (that explains the green bowl in my bathroom).  “When’s the last time you’ve washed clothes by hand?” asks Lena.

So, perhaps it was yesterday, Lena dropped me back off at my dorm and asked about a kitchen.  The babushka said that there was a kitchen in my hall, look let me show you, and we discovered this ‘gem’. It looks quite clean from the picture; however, I really would not trust the picture with its cleanliness.  In fact, the floor may be cleaner than the nice, Soviet appliances. There is nothing at all to cook with. Then Lena asked if there was anything else, or where could I get some pots and pans.  The babushka then divulged a little secret — there was another kitchen, in the other hallway.. here, I’ll show you that one!  It was at this time that I realized this corridor was completely renovated, everything from the floor, the doors, door mats, and then the kitchen.. it was gorgeous! There was everything there – pots, pans, utensils, dishes, everything-even a toaster! So Lena proceeds to ask if I can use it.  Well, the babushka replies, perhaps, but you have to ask the Komondantka, or the warden (shawshank anyone?) of the hostel.. общежитие really does translate to hostel. i understand why. (yipping dogs!!! STOP!)  Then the babushka further explained that there is was some sick man living in the dorms who uses that kitchen and his wife has to make everything for him, and he needs a strict diet, because he’s sick with this and that, and oh she can’t remember what he has; he was so sick..   We wait for the Komondantka, who then appears all stressed out because she’s so tired and her life is so hard-working with all these damn trouble-making students, just to inform me that no, you CANNOT use that kitchen, it’s for professors….  okay, says Lena, well then can she have some pots and pans to cook with?  She agrees and then sneaks in something about how I need to sign a contract for the hostel and it will be 700 rubles (25$) a night, and WAIT, WHAT? um hm. yes, I speak no Russian woman, continue your rant…

Outdoor kitchen

Lena leaves, and I immediately call Olga, a contact of mine from the states who is originally from Astrakhan, went to visit her family for the summer, and was leaving on Wednesday for the States.  She invited me over to her parents’ house along with her good friend from the university, both with a whole lot o’ information for me to take in.  Suddenly I found out that I should be very, very aware of my surroundings and what the university offered me, as there was a possible risk of extortion (they were not fond of the head of the department and had some personal experiences).  It turned out that Olga told her friend about myarrival; her friend then called the department asking about my arrangements, only to find out they still had not done a thing to prepare for me, two days before my arrival.  She then herself called the dorms and requested a room.  They then were quite upset about the conditions of my room, and this whole price thing.. “you’re American, they think you can just dish out all this money for everything; you have continuous flowing money that they want to get their hands on.”  okay. okay. makes sense. so, we sat there and made a plan.

First, they listed various contacts, and by contacts I mean high people in the university, including the dean, who they know personally.  They said if things didn’t straighten out, we would go directly to them.  And then, I need to write out everything to argue against this dorm contract and tell them all these things are wrong and here is what I need and am demanding.  sigh.

stress… streSS… stRESS… STRESS.

Dr. Chamberlain and Olga’s daughter

Olga invited me to stay the night at her parents.  I didn’t hesitate to accept.  As we were preparing dinner, tea, and sleeping necessities Olga called her nephew Sergei, to set up a meeting for Tuesday.  I don’t think I’ve ever felt more grateful and indebted to someone.. I owe her so much for all the help. (DOGS DOGS DOGS.)  Olga’s parent’s place is extremely Russian.  They built it in the 70′s, when Russians were first allowed to build their own houses.  However, it follows a strict format created by Khrushchev, and as Olga explained, most Russian houses look similar. It’s also located pretty far outside the city and only accessible by a 1/2 hour marshrutka ride. Olga’s parents are quite old. She bought them a new shower and sink; they were previously bathing in the tub in the backyard.

grapes grown in their backyard

Olga’s mother  gardening

their backyard/garden

Tuesday, I left Olga, while she departed for America.  I wanted to bawl.  My support group was leaving and I was so worried.  However, she, once again, was amazing and left me more of a support group than I even knew existed.  I first met Sergei; we walked for two hours, seeing the city, the REAL Astrakhan (pictures to come when I stop fearing weird looks and funny questions);  we then sat in a cafe, were joined by one of his friends, and yelled at the security guard to let me into the dorms after hours.  It turned out to be a great night.  He then called me today to make sure everything was alright, and so on. A later got a random phone call, and was for a while very confused.  Then I suddenly understood – another relative of Olga.  Words cannot express…

Today I met Katya, another contact of Olga’s who has invited me to live with her.  I went over to her house, where she insisted I take a good shower, eat, and wash my clothes.  I’m not quite sure if I’ll move in with her yet.. I’m fighting for independence, and not dependence upon someone who could possibly act as a housekeeper (she is sooo kind, I just need to do these things myself). I also went to a departmental party at the university, where I met all my “colleagues”.  That was a pretty interesting experience, and I’m not quite sure what to say about it or to even think about it.  Some seem nice; I suppose I’ll discover more as time progresses.

Later this evening Lena took me to see another apartment of her friends.  It was a cute little one bedroom (the living room acts as a bedroom) not far from the Volga.  However, he wanted like $625/month.  Nope. too much.  I get my registration on Friday, which legally will allow me to rent an apartment.  I hope to find something also by then and hopefully can move asap.

I will leave you at that for now.  Who knows what the next few days and the weekend will bring.. maybe at least some good photos of Astrakhan?  hopefully a lot more than that.

all those companies that advertise “comfortable and easy” traveling.. ha.

First and foremost, I’d like to post a disclaimer about my ‘travel complaints’. I’m sitting here in the Moscow airport, drinking a probably $10 Newcastle, and tracking hurricane Irene through the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/projects/hurricanes/?ref=nyregion#!/2011/Irene. I feel so… Selfish? Is that the right word? Perhaps guilty, as I sit comfortably enjoying my beer, while a nightmare plumages New York. My heart really hurts. I want to be there, and yet nothing can really be done except to wait and hope for the best. I really hate natural disasters; they’re so powerful and yet uncontrollable. Anyways, I wish the best for New York, and all of the East Coast, and I really, really hope the damage is minimal.

So, onto my bitching regarding this great thing they call ‘traveling’.

I spent two great nights in Saint Petersburg.

Yesterday (I think it was yesterday), I was nicely escorted in a taxi (much cheaper than the one for an accidental $100 that took me to my friend Sasha’s) to Pulkovo 1. This was my first experience there, as most international flights go out of Pulkovo 2. It was a mess. people everywhere. no set lines for kiosks. I stood for about an hour before the line even started moving. There was a huge group of asians that even further confused the process ( granted I love Asians – one lady near me made an origami figure on the plane and tried to use it to console a crying baby. it didn’t work, but i mean, how cute !). So, eventually I checked in my baggage. Previously, I was worried about accruing massive luggage fees, as the limit for S7 (my airline) was 20 kilos. I had close to 50.. (oops.. shoes, damn you!). HOWEVER, the lady charged me not ONE cent for my excessive baggage. urrraaa! so, i waited for my flight to Piter, quite happily, at that time. However, we ended up leaving Piter almost an hour late. What was my Moscow layover? Yup, one hour. Of course, we landed in Moscow and had to wait for a bus to pick us up from the plane, and ahhh I was yelling on the inside. I approach the lady at the transfer desk and, alas, the flight had already departed. I then spent one horrible hour walking though Domodedovo, carrying my 5 kilo overweight hand luggage looking for the so-called S7 Company desk, whatever that was. Here, this nice man (if I pick men, I can more easily get what I need; who woulda though?!) explained that the next flight wouldn’t be until tomorrow, at the same time, but my luggage could stay at the airport, and they have a hotel I will stay at, and here’s some free meals. Oh, not so bad after all; I figured I could take a nice walk on Red Square, etc.

one of the S7 buildings

Turns out, S7 has their own complex, located in the middle of nowhere. I sat on a bus for about a half hour (thank god I was with other Russians, or I would have been slightly worried) and we suddenly ended up at this complex. There was some nice lady there who explained everything, made us feel all at home and such. Meanwhile, all I could do was follow her instructions, well, because there was absolutely no where to go. Trying to accomplish this goal of learning how to be alone,

my room at the S7 complex.

I was making great headway at this place. Got into my room, a nice double bed, and thought I would read, maybe watch a few movies; however, after dinner I was quickly befriended by a Russian girl. She was great! She had relatives in Ohio, spoke a bit of English but didn’t even try with me. We chatted for quite a few hours and her companionship easily took up my night.Next thing I knew, I had a roommate and we continued to chat well into the night. So much for being alone! I was well grateful of their company and more so their kindness and hell, if I get stuck in places like that every weekend, my Russian will excel so quickly!

Moscow airport. good translation?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This afternoon I caught a free shuttle back to the Moscow airport and began my quest to re-check in. This was a process. This guy was super annoyed already, asked me maybe 10 times whether I had my previous baggage tags, I didn’t. asked me 5 times if I had collected my baggage, I hadn’t. Searched the computer system, couldn’t find it. Complained because I hadn’t previously paid for extra baggage, made me pay and return. Complained because my hand luggage was also overweight, I told him my computer and camera were in there. Oh well, that’s okay then. And on I went, phew. Interesting, yesterday the airport in Piter let me on with food. Today Moscow let me in with water. Safety – woohoo!  And I fully understood why there are so many plane crashes in Russia.. phones were going off before we took off, on the runway, AND before we even landed! that has to interfere with signal towers!! mind you, I was pulling my hair out.  They’re really bad with rules… getting up and going to the bathroom when the seat belt light is on and we are obviously descending.  getting out of their seats when on the runway after landing.. sheshh.

So I arrive in Astrakhan.  I wait almost an hour for my luggage.  I’m greeted by my host, Lena, and her boss, also Lena, whose entire family was there because her niece was just returning from a summer in Cambridge.  This great old man, Lena (#2′s) husband and her son helped me with my luggage and absolutely insisted on doing it himself.  He was quite a strong old man!  Lena has a car and was going to drop me off at the dormitory, which

Russians always call “hostel”.. not sure on that translation.  I suppose in most instances the dorms actually do resemble hostels.  However, Lena first informs me that we must stop by her in-laws to get her husband’s keys, and then the grocery store, then maybe to her husband, if he immediately needs the keys, then ultimately to the dorm.  So, we drive down this one lane dirt road with more potholes than Michigan roads and appear at a nice gated place, her in-laws.  This place was amazing.  They had a true Russian garden – apple trees, grapevines, rose bushes, mini-peach trees, and even pine trees!  They fed me some peaches and cut me a few roses. fresh fruit!  they were very nice, invited me over, etc.  next stop was the grocery store, where Lena bought my things for me while I insisted it was the only time she would, and she insisted it was not.  And now, I am sitting in the dorms.  To be continued…

Hello world!

I am still kicking myself for not returning to this blog in January, for the latter half of my time in Piter. Really, the last few months were sort of a blur and my friends and I feel into a routine expat life. I suppose it was, at the same time, a bit more boring and a bit more fun.

However, I am now back for the next leg of my journey. In April I received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Grant to Russia. I was definitely astounded to have received this opportunity and since April its been quite the process both mentally and physically.

In May, I found out I will be teaching in Astrakhan, Russia at Astrakhan State University. My love for this location is steadily growing, and increasing my excitement to visit. Astrakhan is located in the southern part of Russia, on the bank of the Volga River, near where it meets the Caspian Sea. Situated between Kazakhstan and the Caucasus, its locations is quite interesting. I’m very excited to do some (safe!) traveling to these areas and really get to know the people. Furthermore, being so close to Kazakhstan is great, as I will dive into Central Asia next year at Georgetown. Really, I must thank Fulbright for placing me here, as I think it will most beneficial to my studies and fits my general interests.

In July I attended orientation in Washington D.C. We were put up in this great hotel near Chinatown, and spent most of our time there. The ETA’s arrived on Monday, and were there three days earlier than the Students and Scholars. For three days we were essentially taught how to teach English by this really energetic woman. In reflection the program was decently interesting and stimulating, a lot of which was facilitated by participation. However, we also learned that we really shouldn’t prepare to much, in terms of school work, and rather prepare for random changes and uncertainties prevalent in the Russian educational system. While this was a bit nerve-racking, we were also quite relieved that no real planning was necessary.

Spending this summer in Bloomington, IN also really helped. Not only did I really enjoy the company of others also studying languages, but it helped me stay active in Russian. Furthermore, I was able to write a paper and create a presentation on Astrakhan, which made me even more excited to live there! Astrakhan is famous for its black caviar and watermelons.

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My time in the states is running out — I have received my visa and depart on the 24th. I’ll spend two days in St. Petersburg seeing some great friends before heading to Astrakhan. I’m extremely lucky, as Dr. Chamberlain’s wife (he’s head of the Honors College at GVSU) is actually from Astrakhan and has family there. Even better – she’s currently in Astrakhan with her daughter and will be meeting me at the airport. It will be great to see a friendly face!