Goodbye Russia -with love

Again, the packing is almost complete and we are finishing up with last minute things prior to departure from Ufa.

What once seemed like "forever" passed very quickly toward the end. We have most of the clothes that we brought placed in bags for friends, and their friends.  After 3 months of wearing the same few things, we are sick of seeing them and will give someone else a chance. My bag is now filled with Russian trinkets that I hope don't get ripped off or lost on the trip home.  Ufa has not been the best place to purchase souvenirs-sorry friends and family, it is mostly known for it's honey and mares milk.  Not too transferable...

My last 30 minute walk in the dark (at 9:30 am) in 27 degree was this morning.  As much as I have complained, I have actually enjoyed it and will miss those interesting morning walks.
My "less than 10 minutes" of fame occurred this afternoon when I was interviewed on Bashkortostan TV.  It will air tonight and you can tune at 8:30 pm, Russia Channel 24, lol.

Hopefully, we will leave Ufa with a more positive view of Americans.  Often people have been curious and candid with questions.  "Do Americans hate us" or "how are we viewed by Americans"?

I can genuinely say that we have enjoyed the people of Bashkortostan and Ufa as a city.  It has been a more than interesting 3 months living in this part of Russia.  It is not what I expected, and have been surprised by things on almost a daily basis.  We are more like the Russian people than different.

For each of you that have followed Mr. John & I on this journey...thank you for your interest and support.  Your comments and emails have been especially appreciated and helped us through when we were missing our family and friends, and when days were long.  I hope that you have found our experience worthwhile to follow and have joined us for a laugh or two.

Da svi-dan-ya...for now and I hope you will join us again on our next journey.

Best,

Suzanne

The end of this journey is nearing...

Well, we will be leaving Russia in less than a week.  We fly from Ufa-Moscow-New York(JFK)-Orlando on Friday.  All of a sudden we have a million things to do and our social/work calendar is full until then.

Next week I am lecturing at the university, presenting at a national Neurology conference, presenting at an international Oncology conference, and joining some of my colleagues in a TV interview. Due to the various subject matter, I am scrambling as usual this weekend.

The last few evenings have been jam packed.  We attended a Russian/Bashkir adult birthday party on Wednesday.  It was really fun.  The restaurant, like so many here in Ufa was underground and we had a terrible time locating it-even with specific directions.  The door at the surface level was located in a side parking lot of a bank!?!  The food, conversation (mostly Russian- but someone next to me spoke some English), music and evening was wonderful.  The main course was beef tongue and a few dishes of salmon.  John and I were lucky enough to snag the fish. The toasting routine was like many others we have experienced here.  The toasts can last 10 minutes or more, and almost always end with "to women & mothers".  Everyone is expected to give a toast and ours are always too short.

Last night we had some colleagues over for dinner.  As usual, we moved our table into the living room next to the bed for dinner. Believe it or not, we do this to "add" ambiance...

The couple brought the food as they wanted us to experience a traditional family type Bashkir meal.  Upon arriving and realizing we that we didn't have an oven, we had to improvise alittle.  We nuked the handmade pastry pockets filled with meat (beef, I asked) and potatoes. They were so good and I'm sure would have even been better if slowly heated in a conventional oven.  Next were pastries filled with dried raisins, dried apricots and brown (yes, they said brown) cottage cheese.  Again, delicious.  We finished with pancakes smothered with fresh Bashkir honey and small pastries filled with apples & berries.

No utensils were recommended and double-dipping was obviously acceptable.

Today concludes our last wash day here in Ufa-thank goodness.  I can't believe how nice it will be to use a washer & dryer in the near future.

This morning, we also cut each others hair.  We have only one small mounted mirror in the apartment and it is in the dark entry hallway(none in the bathroom).  We were both getting very shaggy.

Not too bad... but the results could look quite different once we get a good look at ourselves in a larger mirror and in full light.

Oh well...we that won't let that dampen our enthusiasm for our trip home. 

Hope you recognize us!?!


  

Russian Circus

We missed the circus in both September and October in Ufa.  I was hoping to see it as it came through town in November but thought we were going to miss it.  As it turned out, I misinterpreted the advertisement and found out it was on today!

We took the bus out to the circus building (an actual permanent structure for holding the circus) and purchased our tickets.  The place was buzzing with horses and ponies outside for kiddy-rides.  Inside, they were selling white cotton candy and popcorn, and there were several exhibits with animals for picture opportunities.

The building was small and intimate.  We were seated approximately 20 feet from the ring.  It smelled like a circus...

It all began with two beautiful horses and riders doing tricks.  They spurred the horses and made them prance and kick their legs high in the air and bow to the crowd.  I could have done without that part.
(I have pictures this far, and once again I was tapped on the shoulder "HET"- so much for circus pictures).

Next were the cats.  Yes...cats.  They had about 12 cats in these little cages that came out one at a time and did tricks-and they were good tricks!

The clowns were great and easy to follow as they didn't speak.

Now was time for the acrobatics. Unbelievable.  A man and woman who we both swore had to be former Olympians. They were fabulous. The performance was stunning and the Russian music beautiful. 

Next were the dogs.  Not just any dogs, they were basset hounds for goodness sake.  They jumped and rolled over and barked.  Not nearly as talented as the cats if you ask me.

The jugglers were the most impressive ever,  and the lady on the flying trapeze made our hearts skip a beat.

The chimpanzee dressed as Elvis was kind of creepy.  He was big and the trainer seemed alittle fearful of him.  They were selling photo ops where you could sit next to him too, in his glass box-no thanks.

The main attraction advertised for October were bears riding water buffalo. I was hoping for something as exotic this month.  Instead it was 7 white tigers! (Bengal, not Siberian I learned) 

We had a 20 minute intermission while they put up a cage around the ring and when we returned, the tigers entered the ring.  They were huge, surly, beautiful and threatening.  The one near us seemed uninterested in what was happening in the ring and kept staring out at the crowd and leaning on the wire fence.  John said he was "deciding on which kid to eat for dinner".  They had to poke him a few times from outside of the fence, and throw some meat at him in the cage to get him back in his game.

The building lost its intimacy at that point...       

   

Heat wave, pigeons, and cats

The warmest night in history for Moscow last night!  Today in Ufa it was 10 C  (50 degrees) all day and the SUN came out in the afternoon! 

John was up and out early for his first class starting at 9:30.  Well, it seems early in that the days are getting shorter by the minute and it now doesn't get light until close to 10:00am.  As a result, we are staying up later and later-until around 1:00 - 2:00am) and then sleeping later in the morning.  He came rushing in at noon and said "We gotta go out, it is warm and the SUN is shining!" 

Unfortunately, I was working on presentations for classes tomorrow and the weekend.  Did I mention that university classes run Monday through Saturday???  Several hours later, and after I finished my last "master class" preparation for nursing faculty, not students...I got an email and was told my classes for Saturday would be cancelled. That did it, we're out of here!

We walked and walked looking for scenery we haven't seen before in Ufa.  It was a beautiful day and everyone was out and about.  I can't believe what blue skies (that we hadn't seen in more than a week) can do for the attitude.  We even saw a crescent moon tonight, the very first time we have seen a moon since arriving to Russia!




Before the warm front came through, we had started carrying stale bread with us when we walk.  It's a typical thing to do here, like other cities...feed the pigeons as you cross through the park.  In addition to this, we have started purchasing and carrying cat food with us.  We had noticed a full section of little packages of cat food in the markets.  I thought that this seemed like an extravagant way to purchase cat food, especially when things are often in such short supply.  Now I realize that people purchase the little ones to feed the strays.  We have two cats that we are feeding on a regular basis now that hang out in the park and a nearby alley. 

And the best part is...the birds and cats understand our Russian!

Garderob (the coat check) and dinner

While in Russia you will notice a national custom.  When you enter a restaurant, theater, museum, movie, university, etc. etc. etc. you will need to check your coat. 
The garderob - or coat check room is attended by a matron and it is expected that EVERYONE check their coat.  I had difficulty with this at first...wonder if it's cold in there (it won't be), I have things in my pockets, it's not that big...then I realized that it probably appeared as "uncouth" to keep my coat while indoors. 
Russians actually view the practice of walking into an establishment wearing your coat (hat, gloves, scarf) as uncivilized.  Now we just hand it all over.
Frequently, the matrons will not accept a tip and you just hand her back the coat tag and watch her gather up all of your belongings and she gives them back.

  

It was a new restaurant tonight.  We tried it because they have a back-up English menu.  I went for the Devil's toast (black bread, peppers & cheese), John had the "Schnitel".  Passed on the poultry liver in cream, offal in a pot, Czech Krakovitsa (we asked...pork neck), horse meat in cream, and turkey breast with buckwheat noodles.  I'm holding out for my turkey with dressing on November 28th, in southwest Florida!  

Halloween, Teaching & Russian Unity Day

OK, so Halloween was a bust.  As usual, I tend to overestimate activities for Halloween.  In Ufa, it was basically a "non event".  I did notice though that a coffee shop in town had a few spiders and ghosts in their window so I suggested that we meet there after our classes.  I brought along a few of my Halloween things and gave them to the girl at the counter to use if they wanted. 
As we drank our coffees and talked about our day, the young girl from behind the counter brought us out some cookies.  My Halloween treat :)

I gave up on the candy distribution at the apartment.  It started to get dark, and was raining with no kids coming in or out.  If there had been, the parents would have probably thought it strange - me pushing candy on their kids.  Next year has to be better...

John's teaching is going well.  He has been asked to teach more and more.  He likes it and has been asked some very interesting questions. "Who is your favorite author?", What is the most significant event from your perspective in the USA?", "What do you see as the major differences between the USA and Russia?" "Do all Americans think we have bears in the streets here?"...and these questions are from 18-23 year students!

Monday is a national holiday in Russia.  It is Unification Day.  It is the newest of the Russian holidays and calls for tolerance between various ethnic and religious groups in the Russian Federation.  There are still some tensions associated with the day and we have been officially warned by our consulate to basically stay away from any area where there are protests or groups of people. 
I have plenty of prep work to do for lectures next week so it will likely be another day spent at our kitchen table with our computers.

Our time is winding down here in Ufa as we have entered our last month.  I must say as the time nears for our departure home to the USA, it is sounding awfully good.  By now, we are missing so many things especially our families, home, cat, seafood, washing machine (it never showed), clothes dryer, oven, dishwasher, TV in English, cars, sandals, and a suntan! 

Russian podiatry services, American obesity, and Halloween

I have to believe that Podiatry must be an excellent profession here in Russia.  I continue to be amazed at the number of women I see in high heels.  These women in shoes, boots, 3, 4, 5, 6 inches and higher walking everywhere.  The women 15-70 years of age priss along the sidewalks day and night in this incredibly beautiful footwear.  That's gotta hurt after a while though...right?  Well, they are sure "steppin out"!

Adding to the fact that many of the women are tall and thin also helps the image of a stylish Russian woman, often with long thin legs. They are obviously proud of their beauty with full right.  When we were in Moscow for the Fulbright meeting, the guys all debated one evening that their city had the best looking women.  John gave a big "shout out" for the well deserved Ufa contingent.

On the other hand...I have just given up on any shopping here in Ufa.  Almost all of the stylish shops (or magazins- as they are called) carry only sizes 0-4.  Now and then you might find a 6...but an 8...well forget it. No need for those around here.

In my classes, the subject of "American obesity" has come up on several occasions.  One of the faculty members that had been to America was appalled at our sizes and the amount of obese people.  She commented to the students that it was disgusting and "maybe your President should do something about it".  I skipped lunch that day...

Well as I write, Mr. John is lecturing on HALLOWEEN!  I brought along this and that for the holiday but he wasn't interested in taking any "props".  I plan to wear my sparkly Halloween shirt (right side out) later today out and about and take my trick or treat bag full of candy to give to some kids at the apartment.  John says to "forget it, the parents will all just think you are some kind of pervert" but the plan is on...

I will keep you posted!

John's teaching

Mr. John's teaching started today.  I was not lecturing so he invited me along to attend his class.  We were met by an escort from the International Office and taken to the School of Foreign Languages at the University.  They were excited to meet John.

The class was a small one of approximately 15 first year students.  They were very shy and quiet.  The teacher asked him to introduce and tell alittle about himself to start.  He was a natural...

It wasn't long and they were asking him many questions.  "What are your hobbies"? "What do American's think of Russians"? "Do you miss your home"?, etc. etc.

He stumbled only once when they asked him if he liked " Eminem" (lol)?
He said he preferred country music which seemed to throw them.

There were several questions on Halloween and how we celebrate.  He punted that one to me, telling them how much I enjoy the holiday.

One girl commented that she had once before had an American tutor and that he had sat on the desk just like Mr. John, they all thought that this was so interesting.  The Russian teacher said she would NEVER sit on a desk...

He teaches 4 more classes this week.

What do you do in Russia on a really cold, gray, cloudy and miserable day?

Take a walk, of course!

We have "cabin (apartment) fever".  The past several days have been cold, dreary and yes...miserable.  The adjustment of coming to Russia from the Sunshine state is wearing alittle.  We decided we had to get out of the apartment today so we planned a walk to one of Ufa's many parks by the river.  We ran into someone we know early on (who speaks very little English/combined with our very little Russian) and off we went.  We walked through rain & sleet (thank goodness, no snow today)!  We walked, and walked and walked.  After 4 hours of walking, we finally begged off and now have returned to our warm apartment with a better attitude.

Adding to our isolation here is our constant language barrier.  We invited my translators over for dinner this weekend with their girlfriends/boyfriends.  It was the first time we had entertained or even had anyone over for a meal at our place.  We make due daily with the basics but this added to our challenge for entertaining. In preparation for my dinner party, I realized we had 6 of everything except forks.  John said "just tell them to bring their own forks (BYOF)". Luckily, I had spotted some blue plastic forks at the market so all was well.  I used the jar from the tomato sauce as a vase for flowers on the table...yes, I know we must sound like rednecks to you!

Not much room in our small refrigerator, but our porch is a great back-up.  No oven...but the two burners on our stove allowed me to whip up a mean spaghetti bolognese.  We had a lovely evening :)

Mr. John  (that is what they call him :) begins teaching this week.  He has been approached by the International Studies program to lecture in some of the English speaking courses.  He has been assigned topics like "meals", "housing", "sports & leisure", "Halloween", "animals".  What a gig, I don't think that this is going to require much in the area of preparation on his part, lol.  He is looking forward to it.

Until next time...I am off to put my aching feet up.

Teaching, President Putin & cold weather

My teaching schedule has been heavy this week.  Since I am given assigned times and subjects for year 1,2,3 4 & 5 medical students it requires a great deal of preparation for lecturing.  I also need to finish the powerpoints well in advance so that I can get them to my new translator to review prior to each lecture.
The classrooms are large and the student numbers run from about 50 to 200 per lecture. As usual, there are many questions and the students are attentive and intelligent.


Walking to the university the day before yesterday, I started seeing policemen just outside of our apartment and stationed on each corner of every street.  John and I have often remarked that we have not seen policemen in Ufa (Moscow yes, due to recent riots, Ufa no), except to direct traffic after a vehicle accident. This seemed really strange.
I walked by the city center and went past a man leaving the hotel which was dressed in traditional attire with a tall leopard fur hat.  Once I got onto campus there were numerous policemen on campus too.  They were all dressed with their gray fur hats like what we saw on Red Square and you see in many pictures of Russia. I asked my translator what was up with all the security and she said she hadn't noticed, "maybe a special dignitary is in town".  We went on to our classes.

Later that evening when John and I were watching the national news (that we cannot understand, by the way...I don't know why we bother) and Ufa comes on.  President Putin was in Ufa!  On the TV it shows him meeting with various governors of the Republics in southern Russia including the man in the leopard hat!

Sadly, earlier this week a suicide bomber was on public transport in Volgograd and set off a bomb that killed and injured many people.   I am sure that this was a concern for President Putin and a scary situation for all of us in Russia.

The weather gets colder by the day.  Standing water is now frozen along the sides of the streets, and everyone is bundled up and wearing big coats, hats and gloves. I keep looking the lovely fur hats in the stores, only to hear a male voice saying "you live in Florida, what are you going to do with a fur hat?".  Oh well...

 

Bashkir theater, more help, and Russian weather

We were given tickets to attend the Bashkir Theater Sunday evening.  I was all excited and John was well...alittle less so. The weather was cold with the wind blowing and pouring rain.  We were uncertain of the location of the theater (no address on the tickets) but thought it was near the university.  We walked for 5 blocks with my umbrella now turning into a black tulip instead of a mushroom.  We stopped someone and asked directions to the theater (actually we said "g-dya" and flashed them the tickets).  They pointed to the direction from which we just came, waving their arms.  We walk the 5 blocks back again pulling out our tickets and showing them to strangers on the street.  They all do the same... point east and wave their hands to keep walking.
We arrive at the theater wet and cold.  John's shoes have leaked as he stepped in a deep puddle of water on the way because the streets were flooding... my trusty back Russian boots are still dry :).

We are welcomed to the theater by a young woman who asks where we are from (!?!).  We check in our coats downstairs and then the young woman delivers us to our exact seats and gives us earphones.  The earphones are used to translate the Bashkir language to Russian.  Hmmm, this only added to our confusion so we opted to listen the play in Bashkir.

The play was delightful.  It was funny and the music was lovely.  The music was much likeTurkish music but with alittle more Russian pep added to it.  The Bashkir language is spoken in a "lispy" kind of way.
Just as the play was about to end, I pulled out my camera and shot a few pictures (without a flash of course) of the beautiful traditional Bashkir costumes.  About this time...a very stern woman's voice from behind my head says "HET!".  OMG, I immediately put my camera down thinking they were going to confiscate it at any moment and haul me out of the theater.  After a few more minutes, (and dirty looks from John) we exited.  I had to walk right by the stern woman so I stated in my best Russian that "I was sorry" (gulp).

As we walked on downstairs to pick up our coats, I feel someone grabbing my arm, oh no (!?!) it was the woman! She pointed to my coat token and took it, pushed through the hundreds of people ahead of us to get our coats and broken umbrella.  She brings them back and actually puts our coats on us.  As we meekly make our way up and out the door...she is there and says "return, pa-schalz-ta (please)" and smiles.  These folks never cease to amaze me!!!

Yesterday, I did lecture prep until after noon.  The sun was shining so we decided to take a trolly ride somewhere we hadn't been previously.  John mapped it all out and we walked the 6-7 blocks to board the trolly.  We pay our 12 rubles and sit back to see the sights.  We ride through neighborhoods, and places in the city we have never seen.  The trolly comes to a stop and the last of the people disembark.  We just sit, waiting for it to make the return back to our initial stop.  The driver gets off,  has a cigarette and questions us in Russian about what we are doing?  The money keeper joins in and tries to help us.  John shows them the map and says we are fine, just sitting and want to return back to our beginning destination.  They shake their heads at us and we understand "were are you from" in Russian so we tell them "America".

After about 5-10 minutes, we start up again and start picking up people along the route.  Soon a very well dressed woman walks up to us and says in very clear English "can I help you?". Puzzled, we say that we are just riding the trollies and are going back to where we started.  She then explains to the woman money keeper and driver.  They all smile at us...probably thinking those silly  Americans!

The sunny day ended with snow in Ufa.  Our weather forecast is for 3 to -5 C all week and it's not yet Halloween, right??? Oh well, what I say is...it's all downhill from here, lol!    

DIY hair

It was bound to happen.  We have been gone now for 7 weeks so our hair is suffering.
A small child on the public bus told his dad that " Santa Claus" was sitting next to him yesterday.  The man explained to John that his little boy thought he was Santa, lol! (or ho, ho, ho!)

I cut John's hair and beard this morning with my thinners and small scissors. Not great, but better.

I had big plans to have my hair done in Moscow at a really posh salon, but couldn't find the time or the salon.  My mother gave me strict instructions prior to leaving for Russia to "not come home as a redhead, all the Russians are redheads". Well...not really mom, but OK.

Unlike John's, my hair requires color and cutting.  For those of you that know me, yes...my hair is short, but I have ALOT of hair. I have been whacking away at it for the past week or so until it now sits on my head. We have had rain for the last few days so that doesn't help the situation.  To make matters worse, the flat iron I brought along will not work with the adapter so its been totally blow dry and go since arrival.
I purchased some color at the grocery store this week and have applied it.  The instructions were in Russian  and the pictures and ingredients didn't add up.  We both reviewed the instructions and packets within the box and were perplexed.  I decided to half everything and see how it would go.
Hmmmmm, the application was very blue and John laughed and teased me about becoming a "blue haired  lady" during my processing. I washed it out and yes, it's alittle on the "cool" side, but it's that time of the year when we all wear hats in Russia!  

The Russian Stare

It's not mean or intimidating. It's not rude or even that direct...but it's always there. Anytime we are out and about, we get it...the "Russian Stare".  We have made a point to not talk when we meet people on the street as a small boy on a bicycle fell off when he turned to watch us as we spoke one day.

It's cold out so we are bundled up like everyone else in our black coats, hats, and boots, but it still it happens...
We cannot figure out how we can still stand out as "different".  Every place we are, they stare.  In Ufa especially, but also in Kazan, although Moscow was less so.

As an example, in Ufa while walking up the street we met two groups of people on the sidewalk. They tried not to be obvious, but they stared as we walked past.  We kept walking and we met a dog on the sidewalk.  We had watched this dog as the other people walked by worried he might be aggressive, but he didn't seem to notice them. As he gets close to us... I couldn't believe it, that darn dog stared us down with the "Russian Stare"!  We laughed all the way back to the apartment. 

Lecturing today was to over 100 medical students.  A large assembly of eager students with many questions and great debate.  The topic was Legal & Ethical Implications of Health Care Practices. My calendar expands each week with requests for more lectures.

We continue to be amazed at how helpful and friendly people are here.  It is not how I imagined Russia and I am so pleased that we have had this experience to discover this. We went for dinner tonight at a new little restaurant and as we entered (without saying ONE word... the hostess said "Please come in, but I am sorry that we do not have an English menu").

As we sat down in the wonderful warm ambiance, we were handed the menus and we pulled out the translators as usual.  A group of young people next to us, asked if they could help.  They shared in broken English that they had been to New York on their honeymoon recently and loved America and it's people.  They thought Americans were so nice to them.
They assisted us with meats ..."chicken"...you want a "whole chicken"?  HET, I say... (this is ridiculous, but I point to my breast!?!)  No chicken breasts they say,  "only duck breast", moving on...."pasta"?  DA, we both order pasta again tonight...and it was delish!

Home Sweet Ufa

We arrived back to our humble abode here in Ufa late this afternoon. As much as we enjoyed the hustle & bustle of Moscow our trip south and east to the Urals was nice. We were up at 6:00 am to take a cab to the Vnukovo airport.  Traffic is very heavy in Moscow and this is just one of their 3 international airports.  We had to schedule 1.5 hours to make the 17 miles by 8:30 for the 10:30 am flight.

It was a pretty hair-raising ride.  As they told us at our Russian briefing..."Russia is the only place in the world where you can drive on the wrong side of the road-and get rear-ended".

John and I were both pleased to see that our plane today back to Ufa did not have props.  We boarded the bus that took us out on the tarmac again and I kept my eyes closed hoping when I opened them there would be a jet this time in front of me.  Bingo, there sat a 737 warmed up and ready to fly, and the two hour flight home was smooth as silk!

Tomorrow is a prep day as I have lectures scheduled for Friday and again next week.  I have also been asked to co-author a section of a manual for physicians here (psychosocial aspects of care) so I have alot of work ahead of me.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new washing machine. We have been told it should be here in "October".  No sight of it so far, so it looks like it is back to the bathtub tomorrow.  I could almost get in the  Christmas spirit around here with the cold temperatures and all stringing, draping and hanging of socks, shirts, pants, undergarments, etc. around the apartment and up on the porches.  Or...I could just be loosing it.........

Fulbright, American Embassy, Russian Tsars & Russian Tragedy

What an incredible time we have had here in Moscow.  Our Fulbright meetings were filled with interesting people and even more interesting discussions. Every scholar except one has been in Russia before and some more than 10 times.  What a wonderful program this program is and how it brings together such fascinating people is  beyond me.
We had the opportunity to visit the American Embassy in Moscow today and even meet our dynamic US Ambassador to Russia.  He is a former Fulbrighter (!) which was especially nice to hear.  I feel as if I am traveling in pretty important circles here...

We managed to make it back to the Kremlin to visit the armory.  I had always wanted to see the Faberge' eggs and finally saw several.  They were so awesome and more beautiful than I could have imagined.  The overall exhibits in the armory were the most extravagant and impressive that I have ever witnessed anywhere.  Catherine the Great's carriages, the clothing, jewelry, crowns, armor, etc., etc. was unbelievable.  We blew out of Red Square in a hurry due to the number of riot police and equipment heading our way with various riots taking place in the past few days in other parts of Moscow.

Unfortunately, while in Moscow we received some sad news.  We were hoping to catch up with Slava, another former exchange student that had lived with John many years ago.  We had seen he and his wife last in St. Louis in 2006 when they visited us, but we had not been able to contact him for several years afterward.  A couple of months prior to leaving for Russia, we sent 2 letters by snail mail hoping he would contact us.  On our 3rd day in Moscow, we received an email from his nephew.  He wrote to tell us that Slava, Larissa & his small daughter Kusha were all killed in a tragic car accident in 2007 when a drunk driver fell asleep and drove a lorry truck into them.  The young man came to our hotel for a cup of coffee with us to share this difficult bit of news.  

Just in the case that you may have forgotten...life is so very precious...enjoy it...

An early flight in the morning back to our city of Ufa for the last half of this unbelievable experience.
Sleep tight...
  

Moscow

We arrived to Moscow, without too much incident via the overnight train from Kazan.  Yes, we were rolled in the night, but our bad for not being more careful. We had our Kupe locked, but someone snuck in and was able to steal our loot right off of us. Creepy...
We are alive and well however to report this good news, just alittle lighter on cash to spend in the big city.

After visiting St. Petersburg several years ago, I couldn't imagine another Russian city in comparison.  I underestimated Moscow.  It too, is just gorgeous with it's many gold domed churches, beautiful architecture and bustling  atmosphere.  We toured the Kremlin, Red Square and many of the cathedrals today.  A special exhibit of the tsars from 1500-1700 was taking place in one of the museums and it was incredible.  It had their clothing, jewel incrusted scepters, mink and gold crowns,  dinning settings, jewelry, etc. 
I was all set to see some of the Faberge eggs (finally mom! -sorry an inside joke between us) but the armory was inaccessible today.  We plan to return tomorrow to try and score the tour.


We have loved traveling on the Moscow metro.  It is well organized, clean, beautiful and FAST!  I made it on initially along with my straps but my bag was still outside when the doors closed.  Frantic, I began pulling on the bag thinking the doors would open.  No luck, finally a young Russian man pried the doors open enough to get my bag into the car.  What a scene, we all laughed afterward but it could have been ugly.

We meet up with fellow scholars starting tomorrow.  I must say we have enjoyed the luxury of the hotel and living large here in Moscow.  I was even able to catch some retail therapy today which was long overdue.            

Kazan

Our short flight to Kazan was in the dark and on a relatively small  (and vintage) prop plane. It was raining as we walked out onto the tarmac and to the plane.  I boarded, put in my earplugs to drown out the noise, and tried to sleep to prevent any panic.The flight was brief and smooth...whew.  We arrived to beautiful blue skies in Kazan and lost two hours via the numerous (there are 9!) Russian zones. We are now on Moscow time.

Kazan is about 150 years older than Moscow and is the capital city of the Tatarstan Republic. Tatars are Russia's largest minority and have descended from the Mongol-Tartar armies of Genghis Khaan and his successors on the middle Volga. Tatars are mostly Muslim and there are more than 2 million living in Tatarstan. While Tatar nationalism is very evident here, it is not known to be radical with the local version of Islam recognized as super moderate. With the addition of the Slavic Russian influence here, the cultural mix makes Kazan especially interesting with magnificent mosques and ancient Russian Orthodox churches sitting side by side. 

Once we settled in our quaint and funky little hotel (thanks tripadvisor.com), we headed out to see the famous Kremlin of Kazan. The Kremlin is the focal point of the city's historic center and was walkable from our place.  From the fort, we could see meeting of the Volga and Kazan rivers below. 

For lunch we opted out of the recommended Tatar cuisine and  itt was instead at a pub of a place off the city square.  Even there, horse, rabbit, tongue and ears were prominent on the menu.  

After more touring, and a short nap, we headed out for dinner to the # 1 recommended restaurant in the city.  It was quite difficult to find and we were forced to ask people on the street twice (basically "pa-zhal-sta" please..."gyde" where is) the place.  It was located on a side street down a  darkish stairwell.  Once you walked in however, it was a contemporary underground all white, beautiful place with white couches, tablecloths, flowers, etc. etc.  It was romantic, warm, cozy, vibrant, and  the best food I have eaten since arriving to Russia.

Walking home we saw a little place called Cuba Libre and had a stop.  Within minutes it was filled with young people Latin dancing, drinking tea & coffee and smoking from large hooka pipes-all to wonderful Cuban music.What a lively and fun little place.  

Arriving back late to our little hotel, the smiling staff were waiting for us to lock the doors for the night.  zzzzzzzzzz

Getting out of Dodge

What a hectic and wonderful day or two! 
My teaching responsibilities for the second group of medical students ended after Tuesday's lecture.  I left as usual to pick up my coat and bag in a nearby office when I was summoned back to the lecture hall.  As I walked in , the students stood in their usual dress of white lab coats and I was presented with a beautiful bouquet of red roses from the director of the hospital/university chair for my teaching.  What a special gesture.
I rushed home on the bus with my big bunch of flowers to work on the the article I promised for publication- which was due at midnight. I had a pick up at 3:20pm to do the welcome speech at the University for those (1,400) incoming freshman and was really feeling the pressure once there.  The auditorium at the university was not large enough to hold this number of students so it was held at a municipal building in Ufa.  I gave a brief welcome along with several other local and international speakers.  The students then presented something like a "variety show".  The different faculties of students presented different skits which were fun with some incredible talent demonstrated.
While on stage,  I was presented with the largest bouquet of flowers I have ever received.  WOW, these Russians really love to give flowers and I love being on the receiving end!
Afterwards, we were invited for a lovely reception and then joined friends out for dinner.

John fell to the pressure to join in on the Russian vodka routine.  From what I have observed (observations only!) vodka is drunk here in shots with little glasses.  Frequently they serve orange/tomato/cranberry juice in a little jug along side but it is just poured and guzzled in one drink. Then they order another, and another, and another...
Thankfully, I got him out of there before too much damage could be had with my publication deadline approaching. He was thanking me over and over as we hit the door saying "get me outta here"!
I made the 12:00am deadline and he made the 4:00 am wake up this morning for our flight to Kazan.  He needed aspirin, I didn't.           

Recovery

Thanks for all the well wishes and we have recovered!

We were invited to the country today by my sponsor and joined she and her family to their dacha or country home in a nearby village.  The weather for the past few days has remained gray, cold and bleak but even the dusting of snow didn't keep folks inside and you could see people along the roads fishing in small lakes and picking carrots in the fields.  We had a lovely traditional meal made from many of the vegetables taken from their garden.
It was nice for us to get out after spending so much time indoors.

Now it's crunch time though...I have a paper due this week for a Russian medical publication, tomorrow I lecture at the hospital, Tuesday I've been asked to deliver a brief welcome speech to the incoming freshman class at the university, and we fly early Wednesday morning to Kazan.
We will be leaving the Urals region of Bashkortostan and then be in the Volga region of Tatarstan. It is about a one-hour flight north and west of Ufa.  Kazan with over 1 million people is known as "the Istanbul of the Volga".

Later tonight we slipped across the street to a restaurant where we have been once before.  There was a young man working before that was able to assist us with the menu when we ordered "snacks" which were sausages for John and some chicken pieces for me.  Tonight, we were thinking of something alittle more filling but the young guy wasn't working. As we sat down, they immediately sent another young man over that spoke some English who offered to help.  He couldn't however, translate the menu.  He took our drink order and returned to say "They say your usual order is chicken and sausage, will that be OK tonight?"  Gotta love it, and yes...we had chicken and sausage :)      
  

Russian Revenge-funny tummy

I was struck early Thursday just ready to leave for work.  I was dressed and became ill so quickly that I laid back down fully dressed in bed thinking it would pass...
After contacting my supervisor that I would be unable to lecture, I undressed and crashed.  Within the hour, John was feeling the same.  He took the couch in one room, me in bed in the other.  We moaned and groaned all day and night.  Multiple trips to the bathroom, nothing would stay down. We are up and around today, but still "iffy".

We contribute the diagnosis to some ground beef/lettuce/tomatoes (???) that I pulled together to make tacos the night before.  It seemed like such a good idea and they were enjoyable at the time.  We had purchased our first "unpackaged" meat and maybe it was that or the lettuce/tomatoes, who knows...whatever it was, it did a number on us.

The temperatures have plummeted here in Ufa.  It was 1 degrees C today (around 34 F) and we see snowflakes now and then.  The past few days have been gray but dry.

We must leave the apartment today to pick up supplies.   Yesterday we discussed "flipping a coin" to see who would have to make the trip out to buy more toilet paper if we ran short- but were spared.

Sunny Florida is sounding pretty good to us about now in our compromised state on a dreary cold day...I realize why we call it home.

One down, one to go

My first teaching cohort  finished today. They were such an enjoyable group of young people and so bright. I have no doubt that the Russian health service will benefit from their good work in the future.  A designated student came to the stage at the end of class and presented me with a framed picture of us in our lab coats taken last week. They then stood and clapped in unison, what a very thoughtful and humbling gesture.  One down, one to go...I start the next cohort tomorrow.
The next assignment will be abbreviated as we fly to Kazan on Wednesday for 2 days and then take the overnight train in to Moscow for several more days before flying back to Ufa the following Wednesday.  Shortly after return,  a new project focused on public health begins.

While I am away, John continues to keep busy with various activities.  First off, the apartment has been upgraded by his domestic-engineering skills.  With a borrowed wrench, a purchased screw driver and super-glue, he has fixed everything that was broken.  The baseboards have been replaced in the bathroom, the kitchen/bath faucets have been removed & cleaned, the kitchen chair seat tightened, the toilet seat lid flipped (the screws were put in upside down), and the TV repaired.

The weather continues to get colder.  The mornings still often bring rain, but clear and sunny afternoons.  We think we saw sleet as we were walking home late from dinner last night (the same restaurant where they handed us the phone to order before...same thing last night, lol!)
Let me clarify, the weather feels cold to us...the Russians consider this "jacket weather". While I am now wearing a ski hat when out, men are out in black leather jackets with black leather or wool hats. Mostly berets or "working hats" that are black wool flat billed baseball looking hats.  The women on the other hand, still dressed to the nines...have brought out the black boots in all possible styles and have graduated to fur.  Not full fur coats, just fur vests so far.  These vests are quite beautiful, stylish and interesting made from different animals... in a "Wilma Flintstone" kinda way...   
  

Russian Hockey

Well, if you like hockey (and even if you don't) attending a Russian hockey game is a REAL event!
We were invited as guests tonight to see the Ufa team, the Salavat Yalaev which are 3 time Russian Hockey champions. What an experience, as they were awesome on the ice tonight!  They played the Tractors a rival team from Bashkortostan, that came in second to Ufa for the last national championship. Quite different from American hockey...they were all about the skill on the ice and not the brawn. NO throwing of elbows, NO cross-checks, just aggressive, forceful, and skillful skating.  
The arena, built 5 years ago via International standards was the cleanest sports facility I have ever visited.  They had policemen & dogs outside screening for alcohol, a huge paddy-wagon parked out front (probably for intimidation...which I figure works), and a metal detector/wand as you enter.  All food (and they had plenty!) was offered at tables all around the arena prior to and during the game.  No alcohol is served.  No food or drink is served inside the arena.  Therefore, it's all about the hockey once inside.  They had cheerleaders, a fabulous sound system, 30 videos, fan clubs, bands, etc. The best part was once the game was over and when the teams line up to shake hands...the Ufa bear mascots joined the team for the congratulatory handshake...so sweet :)

The crowd was the most respectful of any that I have ever experienced at a professional sport. It was almost as if we we had attended an opera or play.  Almost 8,000 fans were there tonight and we departed the arena in less than 5 minutes!
Ufa won 3-1. 

Daily life

We are getting somewhat of a routine to our life here in Ufa.  I work mornings then we typically meet up to make some type of trip out in the afternoon or evening to explore, shop for groceries, or whatever.  Grocery shopping can be cumbersome due to our specific likes & wants along with our requirement of public transportation.  While there are many little markets within blocks of our apartment, it frequently requires trips to at least 3 to pull together the required products for a meal. One little market has lovely fresh bread, another has nice meat, another a large selection of cheese. I remain cautious and continue to struggle with the packaging and appearance of many of the grocery items.  It is not as simple as pork, beef or even milk (remember, mares milk is a Bashkortostan favorite). While checking the translation for the filling in many of the dumplings you see frozen in the store, it said " meets". I am guessing that means "meats"...but couldn't be sure.

At dinner last night we went to a restaurant that John selected due to their lovely ambiance and English menu. I settled on the smoked salmon and potatoes which was an excellent choice.  The "sweet cooked corn cobs" threw me alittle but am thinking it was surely "corn on the cob"...right?
The weather is steadily getting cooler and we heard there was snow in Kazan today.  Our apartment is toasty as they have turned on the registers.  With no controls, when we get too hot we just walk onto the tiled and unheated terrace and open the windows for a bit.
I have downloaded some free movies and documentaries to my computer.  John purchased a cord and has hooked the computer to the TV for us to watch a movie tonight.
I wonder which of the groceries has popcorn???      

Weather update & Bashkortostan critters

Daylight savings time continues all year long in Russia.  At this time of year, it means that nights are light until almost 10:00pm and mornings are dark until close to 8:00am. Although we are well inland the daily weather patterns are very changeable.  Our mornings are often cloudy and foggy, by mid afternoon skies clear up and the sun shines, and by evening there is often a shower. No frosts yet but the leaves are starting to turn yellow and daily temperatures are running around 50.
After classes today, John and I decided to tour the Bashkortostan History Museum. The museum is housed in a lovely old building in the center of the city. There is much information about Bashkir history and Bashkortan's inhabitants but only in Russian.  Included were mounted bears, elk, moose, huge wolves, gigantic snow owls, etc. from the region. Definitely a hardy looking group of critters living here including a strange little squirrel with furry ears. He made me laugh as he looked like he was wearing a Russia shapka (man's fur hat). 

We had just read about and seen pictures in the Moscow Times (only English newspaper in Russia & not available in Ufa) today about a golden eagle that was filmed taking down a deer in Siberia. The photographers were there to photograph Siberian tigers and caught the scene on camera. The first time ever seen...yikes!?!  Makes me alittle nervous about that hiking trip we were planning...

Teaching, etc.

The real work has begun.  I have been assigned to teach 5th year medical students located at a hospital here in Ufa.  Per previous discussions, I was expecting to teach 20-30 students but not twice that which showed up Monday morning for class. I was unsure of what to expect upon arrival, but had prepared a lecture and ultimately delivered it in a two hour time slot.  The students were respectful, funny, interested, and eager for the information. My schedule for theory/lecture continues every day this week, with hospital based clinicals to follow.
It was dark and raining yesterday when I left for class, and the buses were over crowded. I finally caught a private mini-van (they compete with the public transit for 5 rubles more per route and go fast) and off we went.  The windows on the mini-van were fogged solid, people were sitting and standing, Tar Tar music was blaring, and me feeling alittle uncertain of my stop. I edged to the door and yelled "pazhalsta" (that means please, and not the proper word to stop the van, but it worked).  When I got off, I couldn't see the hospital.  I had gotten off too early so now must walk the last half mile in my high-heeled boots.
After class, I meet up with John and we headed out to purchase light bulbs, 2 more towels, groceries, etc.  We have heard of a center with a K-Mart/Walmart type store so we take the bus that drops us off "near" the center and take a dirt path down the center. Bingo! We find a store with almost everything in ONE stop!?! We spend almost an hour looking at everything.  Once we finish we walk into a mall area that even has an ice rink.  There, I notice a woman with a badge standing near a long line of shopping carts.  She is guarding them. How cool, once you finish your shopping and want to ice skate, eat, or whatever...you just turn your shopping cart over to the woman with the badge, pay her and life is good.

Back at the apartment, John is hooked on Russian TV.  We have about 6 channels, and he watches comedies, drama, military, history, and Russian CSI.  He says he understands the "general idea" of most things and is "working on his Russian".  In bed last night, I heard him laughing in the other room...The Hang Over, Part 1 was playing and it must have translated pretty well.
  

Bus etiquette

Coming from the Midwest and now living in Florida, I have had little exposure to public transport systems in large cities.  Therefore, maneuvering through Ufa on the buses, trams and trollies has been challenging, interesting and pleasant.  While we are able to walk to most any necessary shop or restaurant, we enjoy getting out and about to see and experience more of the city.
On days like today when the weather is cloudy and gray with a biting wind, the buses are a nice way to get to and fro. The buses/vans/trollies/trams are regular, organized and usually heated. You pay as you exit the bus, sometimes just pitching your change in a small wooded box in the front by the driver. People are so polite and thoughtful on public transportation.  I have yet to see a babushka board a bus and not see someone give up their seat. Not only give it up, they insist that the babushka sit and they stand.  Today a young mother and daughter moved out of their seats for John and I, seeing that we were carrying a bag of groceries. It's so civilized and humbling...

For those of you wondering, the "fried pizza" was excellent.  We are eating at home more now, as the whole challenge of restaurant ordering and communication gets so difficult that we prefer "our place".  We discovered a "Blues Bar" quite near our apartment recently though, and have enjoyed the music there a time or two.  This place, like many others here is underground.  It is under another building and is cozy, warm and quaint.  They serve food, drinks, have good music, and the people there are friendly.  It's also not like a bar.  You see lots of folks (even the band on breaks) having pots of tea and coffee.  On Friday night, the blues was played now and then but it was Billy Ray Cyrus's "Achy Breaky Heart" that really brought the Russians to the dance floor. What fun!  

Ballet, weddings and food

The ballet last night was brilliant! The production was "Spartacus" and the entire event was breathtaking.  John stayed awake and was enthusiastic about the performance so this pretty well validates my opinion.  Ufa is the birthplace of the famous Rudolf Nureyev so ballet has a very rich history here.  I cannot wait until the next production. 
After lecture preparation this morning, we headed out for a walk through the city.  The sun was partly shining so we hated to stay in the apartment and miss the 50 degree weather.  We made it up to one of the landmarks of the city, a beautiful statue where many wedding parties were gathered today. There was accordion music, laughing, champagne, and pictures.  We sat in the sun and enjoyed the activities.

Next, we decided on lunch.  Meals continue to be a challenge for us with our poor language skills and unfamiliar food selections.  We decided to return to the park where they BBQ on most days.
Today's selection was somewhat puzzling.  We could only identify the chicken wings. Previously, we had guessed and were happy with our selection of pork.  We asked the young man if he was grilling pork? (in Russian it sounds alittle like swine).  We couldn't understand him..."Is that pork?" He happily responds again and we don't understand.  I finally "oinked" (yes, I know it's shameful) and he smiles brightly and says "Da" and oinks back at me. Our lunch outside in the sun was lovely.
Now it's dinner time and we are tired of cheese sandwiches and pasta. I found and purchased a frozen pepperoni pizza this evening at the grocery. Sounds simple enough except that we don't have an oven.  Our apartment is equipped with a small 2 burner cooktop stove. I have just thawed it and added a fresh tomato, dried mystery spices and have it all ready to "fry"...bon appetit!       

Street crossings

The last few days have been filled with meetings at the university (schedule preparations) topic review, and more Ufa exploration. My course assignments begin Monday so the weekend will likely include a great deal of prep work. All of my lectures will require conversion to Russian and I have been told will be done by an assigned doctoral student. Specifics due at any time...
When not working, we continue to walk and take public transportation to see more of the city. Yesterday, I had a letter to mail (birthday card/October/son). We went to the main post office where there were many people working in cubicles.  We waited in line to be told it was the wrong line for stamps.  We waited in another line to be told to go downstairs. We creeped through the 3rd line where  I pointed to the USA and to the corner of the envelope.  "Da", a stamp was attached and off it went into the pouch. The experience wasn't too unlike the postal process at home, if only we could read the language alittle better.
Walking on the sidewalks here is fun.  Crossing the street is another issue altogether. There are clear crosswalks and signs indicating when to walk. The trouble begins however, when a car is turning. Cars rule here...and they are BIG cars.  They often pull up to the crosswalk and wait, if you hesitate...they move.  We try to join packs when crossing the street, thinking that the cars are less likely to take us all out when crossing.  There are many new SUVs driving fast through the wide streets. Nice, new and big cars are definitely a status symbol here. We have seen an accident a day since arriving.  
Ufa's Indian Summer is a thing of the past.  Like a flash it is gone. The past two days have been quite chilly and gray including a heavy fog this morning (I will now use my new tee shirts for sleeping).  While out and around, we have discovered several lovely churches and mosques in the area.
Ufa is the capital city (1.2 million people) of the Bashkortostan Republic, home of the Bashkirs, TarTars, and many other ethnic people here in the southern Ural Mountains.
Tonight we have tickets for the ballet.  My sponsor has given us the tickets as a gift and she and her mother will be joining us for the evening.  I am really looking forward to this (will tell you all about it Meghan!). 
Luckily we are going in a car and don't have to cross the street to get there...

  

Almost famous

It's been an action packed few days in Ufa.  Yesterday was the first ever "Breast Cancer Awareness Ride" for the city and it appears to have been a great success.  The 5 k bike ride included at least 350-400 people riding bikes through the city in support of this important cause. The event started at the Oncology Hospital and finished in the park at the center of the city.  The weather was beautiful, the mood was upbeat, the the crowd was enthusiastic!
John and I joined a team from the Bashkir State Medical University and though the gracious support of the dean, we were provided bicycles for the event. We made the ride without a hitch and enjoyed new sites of the city that we had not previously seen.  People on the sidewalks cheered in support as well as cars honking along the route. It was well orchestrated and supported by the local police.
Once we finished, there was a grandstand and various speakers thanked the community, sponsors, etc. for their support.  I was then asked to say a few words as a visiting scholar and participant.  Hesitant, I walked on stage and spoke of the importance of breast cancer awareness, the global impact, and the importance of self screening & routine mammograms for women. I also thanked the city for organizing the event and the warm welcome.  Next was a demonstration from a Russian cyclist that could do the most phenomenal tricks on a bicycle that I have ever seen. He had all of us on edge with his skill and preciseness.
Today, I attended a follow up meeting today with several administrators from the school of medicine to explore options for teaching and to prepare a schedule for course load, topics, and objectives. I should have my schedule for teaching on Friday and will begin on Monday.   
John's goal for the day was to locate and purchase a TV antenna. The TV in the apartment was reported to be broken but John has discovered it works. He borrowed an antenna and had success with a few channels on the TV, so he purchased a new antenna.
When I left for the university, he was watching a Russian soap opera, reciting the words in Russian...
Upon return,  still in front of the TV he was excited and showed me a picture from the TV.  OMG!?! It's me speaking about the event.

It is such a nice evening, we decide to take a walk through the city center and stop off at our favorite park for a coffee/drink.  While there...a woman walks by and points to me and starts speaking to us in Russian. She points to me and to the TV...almost famous.     

Weather

The temperatures in Ufa have remained considerably warm since arriving.  Most days have been around 70 degrees F and nights closer to 55-60 F.  Today we made a point to spend as much time outside as possible.  First off, we made a trip up the street to find a laundry.  We were told of a dry cleaning business several blocks away that might do laundry.  We first walked up the street, found it and attempted to ask if they did laundry, including the charge. No luck.  We then walked back to the apartment and took the clothes to the dry cleaners to discuss the proposition. After a great deal of writing and motioning, we determined that it would be almost $50.00 for the bag of laundry so we decided against it. We walked the clothes back to the apartment.
Russian women and men look stylish as they walk.  Many, many people are out walking at all hours of the day and night.  Families with babies in strollers, couples, groups of university students, etc. Blue jeans are common for all ages although many women dress up wearing skirts or dresses and men can be seen dressed smartly in black pants and shirts. The sloppy look is not "in" here in Ufa. The young women often wear stiletto heels and short skirts or tight jeans.  "Muffin top" would not be found in the vocabulary here.  You see very few fat people.
I, on the other hand, am feeling pretty frumpy.  Misjudging the warm weather, I brought along only long sleeved shirts and wool sweaters.  When walking the city, it gets very hot so I decided to "improvise" today.  I wore the only tee shirt I brought, which says "Happy Halloween" on the front and and turned it inside out.  I cut off the tags in the back, it is black and the remaining white tag didn't look that bad...right?  I mean, as one often says while traveling..."I don't know anyone", and it can't be that obvious.
As we are out in the beautiful weather,  we catch a trolly to another part of the city to see the vegetable markets, etc. Riding along in the sunshine, I feel a tap on my back and a woman points to my shirt and starts speaking to me.  She is motioning that my shirt is inside out.  Embarrassed, I thank her in Russian. As the trolly moves through the city, we stay on while several people get on and off.  Shortly, I feel someone nudging me from behind.  I turn to see an elderly woman saying something to me.  She is pointing to my shirt and pulling on my tag.  I thank the woman in Russian for her observation, as she tells the man next to her "vodka, vodka, vodka" laughing and shaking her head.  The next stop was ours and where I purchased two new tee shirts, one white, one black.  I'm feeling more stylish already.      

The Russian way

What a beautiful day in Ufa! I had not expected warm temperatures and sunshine so today was a bonus.  We spent the morning completing tasks around the apartment, emails, research preparation, etc. We still needed some basic supplies, so decided to test the local transit system. Ufa, unlike St. Petersburg or Moscow does not have a subway, instead it has trams, trollies, vans and buses.  We decided to take our map and walk to the main bus stop near the university and ask someone for help.  It worked.  After just a few minutes we found two young girls to assist.  Their English was very limited but they were willing and helpful. We caught a van to take us to another part of the city to the new IKEA store, and once on the van we crossed our fingers that we could get there and back.  As we left the city center on the full van, not a word was spoken...no chit-chat, little eye contact and I believe you could have heard a pin drop.

We were dropped off on the side of the road near the shopping complex and walked down a dirt path to the parking lot near the store.  What a store, and it is said to have had more interest than any other when it opened in Russia! We made all of our purchases in one stop and managed then to catch another van back into the city center with the overall price of 40 rubles (just over $1.00 each). Another interesting system-you pay as you exit the van, not as you enter.  Although Ufa is a city of over 1 million people, it often feels like a big town.
The Russian way is to ALWAYS take your shoes off as you enter a home (and even some other places-thanks Courtney :).  You are expected to wear "slippers" when at home or at the home of others.  I am quite comfortable in the Birkenstocks I brought along, but John insisted on purchasing himself Russian "fuzzy slippers" today at IKEA. Once home, he realized he had purchased the wrong size so now I get to wear the new slippers and I love them. Everyone should had a pair. The Russian way feels good.
*Tonight's Dinner story...we decided to repeat a restaurant as John didn't feel like "negotiating for dinner"in Russian. We decided on a restaurant where the staff now recognized us and were able to provide an  English menu. As we entered we give our best Russian greeting and were escorted to our table and handed two English menus.  After having  a reasonable time to review the menu, the waitress returned to our table with a troubled look and handed me a cell phone.  I panicked...WHO would be calling me at this restaurant...was it my mom, kids, state department, sponsor??? As I weakly said hello...a man on the other end said "may I take your order" in English?  LOL, now THAT is service!