Volunteering

At this point in my blog, I'm sure you are wondering what I actually do in Russia.

On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, I go to two placements for about 2.5 hours each. Once I am at the placement, the volunteer presents the appropriate craft for the specific placement. For example at the Hospital for Women we made butterflies and then at the Hospital for Kids we made a volcano because of the Volcano that erupted in Iceland. For each placement the craft needs to be appropriate.

On Wednesday, I only go to the placement in the morning and then in the afternoon I go on a cultural excursion.

On Friday, again I only do a morning placement and then in the afternoon is a Workshop to plan the next weeks crafts.

During the week, I have two Russian lessons with Olga, a translator.

Also, at each placement there is at least one interrupter with us.

I'm sure you are wondering why I would be making crafts and playing games. In Russia, they believe that using your hands, which in turn keeps a person's mind active. As for the games, it provides social skills or creates an interaction with people who otherwise not have any.

Here are the Placements that I have been to so far:

• Hospital for Kids
• Hospital for Women
• Leninsky disabled
• Kirovsky City Camp
• Leninsky Disabled
• Frunzensky elderly
• School #45

After reading what I do at these various placements may seem useless and even boring, but to these people at the placements, volunteers are everything to them. When I walk into a room, these people know my name, want a hug, or just to say hello to them means the world to them. It's an eye opening experience to see how someone else lives or how a country's system works.

Russian Window

Here is a picture of a window that is found on a Russian Home. I haven't decided if I like it or not. I find it fascinating that Russians decorate their windows as such, but to paint it is a different story. I'm not a huge fan of the painted windows.

Yaroslavl Photos

When a couple gets married, the tradition is to create a Lock and put the lock on the bridge that overlooks the Kotorosl River. There are literally hundreds of locks on this bridge.

An outdoor track and tennis court.

Winter Garden

The Winter Garden Cafe.

This is where I get my coffee and internet. Hence, my poor upkeep of my blog.

Founder and Symbol

The Bear which represents Yaroslavl.

Me and Kathy

Yaroslavl the Wise. He founded the city in 1010.

The Kremlin

Another view of the Kotorosl River.

The Kotorosl River.

Yes, those are people still Ice fishing. If you can't tell, there is open water.

Ballet

At the Ballet.

(L-R) Kathy, Caroline, Jess, Sally, and ME

Volga River

Another view of the Volga

The Volga River which is used as a waterway for shipping.

Eternal Flame

The Eternal Flame, which represents The Great Patriotic War. (WWII)

General Observations

I’m sure some of you are curious about a few topics such as the food, the people, the city, etc… Well,…

Food:

• Before I left the USA, Dad and Mom kept asking me what type of food will be served. Of course I had no idea, and I can’t say I went out of my way to eat any type of Russian cuisine. In turn, Mom and Dad made fun of the fact that all I will be eating is boiled cabbage and boiled potatoes for the next three months. Well, haha to them, because the food is wonderful. However, Mom and Dad were correct in that I do eat a lot of cabbage. The cabbage is quite good. Larissa, my favorite cook, makes the best cabbage. I’m not exactly sure how she makes it, but she seems to saute the cabbage with carrots and onions. YUM!! She makes it everyday for lunch. The group just can’t get enough of it!! Before I leave, I have to learn the secret to the cabbage.

Meal Time

• Breakfast is comparable to an American breakfast such as eggs, toast, oatmeal, and fruit. As my per usual, eat oatmeal everyday. It’s a great way to start your day!
• Lunch is considered the biggest meal of the day; there are three courses. The first course is a small salad which is not comparable to the USA. The salad is a mayonnaise base with shredded lettuce and a vegetable of some variety. The second course is soup. And finally, a meat dish is served. The meat dish comes with potatoes or some vegetable. As I mentioned before, Larissa serves her amazing cabbage dish at lunch. Deliciousness!!
• Dinner is a smaller affair. For dinner, a meat is served with a side dish of some variety such as pasta, rice, or cabbage and then a vegetable.

People

• In general, I find the people of Russia to be both friendly and helpful to a foreigner.
  For example, people in the USA generally have a smile on their face when speaking to a customer or random person on the street. This is not true for Russians. I have noticed Russians walk with a purpose and have what Americans would consider a scowl on their face. However, from various cultural books I have read, a scowl is considered normal for Russians, but in fact, Russians are very inviting to their friends and family, and in turn do smile.
• Another example, myself and the other volunteers were at the post office trying to buy stamps. As you can imagine, neither the volunteers nor the postal workers spoke the same language. What to do, right? A young woman in her late twenties was kind enough to help us by interpreting for both us and the postal workers.
• Russian’s typically dress in darker colors. I call it “The Sea of Black.” Everywhere I look, all I see is black – black coats, black pants, black shirts, black shoes. Black everywhere. I haven’t really decided why Russians choose to wear darker colors. My yellow shirt, well, sticks out in the Sea of Black.
• Major observation: I have found it is easy to spot a Russian by just looking at their teeth. Their water does not contain fluoride and going to the dentist is almost considered a luxury therefore Russian teeth are stained yellow, missing, or a gold or silver filling. To be fair, a Russian can pick me out instantly as a foreigner because my teeth are “white” and I do smile at them!

My New Home

I finally arrived at Cross Cultural Solutions’s Home Base in Yaroslavl where I will be living for the next eleven weeks. Upon arrival, myself, Kathy and Caroline (Kathy and Caroline are also volunteers who arrived in Moscow with me) were greeted by two volunteers, Sally and Jess, who have been volunteering the past couple of weeks.

New Volunteers:

• Kathy is from New York City, Irish heritage, and is recently retired.
• Caroline is from Sweden, is in a gap year transition from high school to university.

Old Volunteers:

• Sally is from Washington and works in the medical field.
• Jess is from England and is also in a gap year transition from high school to university.

Staff:

• Natalia is the director of the Russian program.
• Olga, Katya, and Asya are translators who go to the placements with us.
• Larissa and Slytvanna are the cooks.
• Galina is the housekeeper.
• Anatolie is the bus driver.
• Sasha is the night guard.

This is my new Russian family.

Now to Yaroslavl

My plane landed in Moscow; however, my program is located in Yaroslavl (Ярославль, pronounced Ya-ro-sla-val) The city of Yaroslavl is located north of Moscow and east of St. Petersburg. During my four and a half bus ride from Moscow to Yaroslavl, I made the following observations (and assumptions):

• The countryside is rather desolate looking. However, the winters are harsh, especially this past winter.
• The rural communities are run-down or abandoned.
• The homes are deteriorating or out-right abandoned. However, I noticed Russians decorate their home’s windows with intricate carvings, which I find intriguing, because at one time, I’m assuming, the owners of these homes once took pride in their home’s appearance.
• The area is plagued with litter.
• No type of greenery
• No lawns with flowers
• No sprawling backyards
• The roads are filled with potholes.
• The driving, well I just shut my eyes after awhile and hope I’ll make it to my destination in one piece.

After my initial ride from Moscow to Yaroslavl, I thought what the hell did I get myself into! How can I live/survive in this environment (environment being Russia in general)? But in all situations, you have to give it a fair shake before making any type judgment. I can at least be impartial.

The Russian Adventure Begins

I have finally arrived in Russia!! After six months of preparation, I am finally HERE!! When I got off the plane, I initially felt a bit of anxiety. It finally hit me; I was in a whole other world as compared to the USA. In a way, to me, that is rather daunting. I truly did not know what to expect of Russia. Growing up, I was always conscious of the fact that American’s had a negative perception of Russia - Russia was the same old Communist country and not a progressive country in the new era.

Subsequently, due to this “American” mentality, I came to Russia with an “Open” mind without any type of expectations. I want to judge Russia for what it is, and not what Russia should be or what I thought Russia should be. At the end of my time in Russia, I then believe I can make a fair assessment of Russia.

Would you confirm or deny my characterization of America’s perception of Russia? Let me know!

Side Trip to Denmark

After a seven hour plane ride from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, a one hour flight to Copenhagen and then a five hour train trip to my final destination, Aarhus; not to mention the countless hours of in-between time, I had arrived! Hooray! I just could not take another plane or train!

My friend, Nicole, met me at the train station, which was a relief, but then again, she wouldn’t leave me stranded to find her apartment by myself!!

Technically speaking, I spent four full days in Denmark. Overall, I enjoyed my time in Denmark. I especially liked the cleanliness of the country. For example, the streets were without garbage and the appearance of the buildings and sidewalks were well kept. For me, this is a must have factor.

Day 1: Nicole and I bike around the city (Aarhus). During our bike ride:

• Visited Te Queen's place in Aarhus and saw the changing of the guard.
• Fed “Denmark’s” version of Deer
• Visited Nicole’s favorite Bakery, which was scrumptious!! (Fresh baked bread)
• Visited the resistance museum
• Visited the bank, which discovered the remains of a Viking. The remains of the Viking are on display for all to see.
• Visited Nicole’s school.

Day 2: Nicole, Mads (Nicole’s boyfriend) and I took a side trip to the countryside. I can’t say that I remember the names of the towns we visited.

• Toured a war ship that was converted for the use of the Danish King.
• Toured a typical manor home of a Danish Lord. However, the home is only used for touring now.
• Then, Mads made me a traditional Danish meal. However, I couldn't tell you what everything was, which in a sense is a good thing. My favorite “dish” was a Danish rye bread that consisted of herring with an egg salad topping and onion. Random, but Yum.

Day 3: Nicole and I then left for Copenhagen! If you look on a map, Aarhus is on a different land mass than Copenhagen. So, we took the ferry over.

• We pretty much walked around and explored Copenhagen.
• Visited the Crowned Prince’s renovated palace. Interesting! The Prince and his wife tried to make the palace modern using colors and drawings to fit in with the regality of the palace itself. Failure!!

Day 4: Explored more of Copenhagen.

• In Denmark, having Brunch on the weekends is a big deal. In a way it is like America’s Brunch, but obviously with different types of food. The brunch we had was quite good. However, the only difference is Denmark offers salmon or some sort of fish dish with the brunch as well.

Pictures from Denmark

Army barricks.

View from the Top

The Queen's residences. The four buildings that make up the square.

Another view of the City.

Picture from atop a church that overlooked the city. Nicole and I climbed up 276 stairs for this view! Amazing!

The famous street in Copenhagen with the colored houses on the left and the canal.

Traditional Danish selection of food. The harring dish is on the lower right hand side.

The trees in which I liked for their simplicity and beauty.

The manor home.

The Cannon which took 5 men to operate.

Nicole and Mads's with the prop.

Nicole and I with the anchor

Me, Nicole, and Mads with the Ship's anchor

The Danish Ship

Nicole Feeding the Deer. This is a full sized deer.

Denmark's Deer

A thatched roof house on the Queen's estate

The Queen's Palace in Aarhus