tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497879485759087552024-03-21T02:31:57.596-07:00The Traveling NightingaleSuzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-79670708012475216462016-03-15T16:31:00.000-07:002016-03-15T16:31:05.592-07:00The long trip home <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We slept in today until 7:00am, the latest on the entire trip. After breakfast, we loaded up the bush vehicle and headed toward Nairobi. We have not had air con since arrival to Africa and I don't miss it. We all keep our windows open with the breeze and dust blowing everywhere. The trip back took 5 hours with one stop for "proper facilities" (well...if you say so...). We met 100's of donkeys, sheep and goats on the road. The baboons rule one section of the road near the vegetable stands and can get aggressive and grab things from your vehicle if not careful.<br />
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Once arriving to Kenya, we did not see another Caucasian person except an American dentist staying at our camp and volunteering for a few weeks at the nearby dental clinic. The Kenyans have very dark skin and beautiful smiles.<br />
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When we returned to Nairobi it was bustling. I was amazed to see the level of security everywhere. I've been to South and Central America and know what high security looks like...but no comparison.<br />
Our hotel sat on the same block where the Embassy was bombed a some years back which has been converted to a park.<br />
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We had to exit the car entering the airport and walk through a metal detector. Two guards checked the vehicle with mirrors, etc., full pat downs inside with several more layers of checks. The airport itself was depressing. John said it reminded him of a Russian airport ( I thought worse).<br />
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The trip home will take 33 hours with no delays or missed connections. Reality is quickly settling in...<br />
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Thanks for joining along with this trip to the UAE and Kenya. I hope you have enjoyed my writings. It was so much more fun taking you along!<br />
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Until next time...<br />
<br /></div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-8877947927058353372016-03-14T18:40:00.003-07:002016-03-14T18:40:47.948-07:00Last day in the Mara<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We are to leave early. Our tent valet gives us a wake up "Jambo" and we stir. It will be an 8 plus hour game drive today. The 6 of us climb into the dusty vehicle and off we go. They say the African roads will shake the hell out of you so you can go straight to heaven. It's grueling, but ok, worth a shot.<br />
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We quickly see zebra, small herds of elephant, some elegant giraffes, and another cheetah keeping cool under a bush. We stop after a while at a local village. Our guide is of the same tribe and they will tell us alittle about how they live, culture, etc. The wealth of a man is based on the number of cows in his possession. The chief should have no less than 6 wives. The woman do the work around the camp, the men are warriors and hunt. You can always pick out a Massai warrior as his two bottom teeth would have been removed as a young man (ouch!), he will be wrapped in a red cloth (not much else) ,and carry a stick or club. It was fascinating.<br />
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We drove on in the bush finally stopping for a picnic on the banks of the Mara River. This is the river you often see of Africa during the great migration of wildebeests in June and July. They are leaving the grasslands of Kenya on to Tanzania for more food. The river was beautiful, with hippos and yes, a huge crock just waiting for something to cross. Made it alittle difficult when we had to "relieve" ourselves by the truck though and move on.<br />
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More elephant groups, everything but the elusive leopard. We searched the trees but none in sight. We returned back home dusty, tired and satisfied. What an experience to catch 4 of the big 5!<br />
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Dinner back at the camp with the baboons, and monkeys. We have heard hyenas, lion, and baboons at night. Magical...<br />
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We return to Nairobi tomorrow for the flight on to Dubai, then NYC, finally to Florida.<br />
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Hope to sign in once more, if not...thanks so much for joining us on the incredible journey!</div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-20892887049862323982016-03-13T08:57:00.000-07:002016-03-13T08:57:15.807-07:00Massai Mara<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's hard to know where to begin...<br />
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We left early for the 6 hour trip to Masai Mara. Four hours of regular road, one and a half of wash board gravel- at 60 mile speed (wide road but rough!) and the last 30 minutes to the camp completely off road through creeks, etc. Several times, it took us more than one attempt to get through.<br />
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We landed at our rustic camp during generators off time. Monkeys beat us to our tent and were sitting on top to harass us as we entered. We must stay zipped at all times to keep them out. They are a different kind here than what we saw yesterday. These look like long haired skunks with long legs.<br />
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The tents in the camp are "luxury tents" with toilets and hot water showers. Very nice! Let me put it this way...great for two nights, no longer. I am not a "happy camper". We have charcoal powered water and hot water bottles in the bed for warmth.<br />
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On our late afternoon drive we saw elephants, one cheeta, wildebeest, water buffalo, a huge rhino, jackel, a lion ( we heard and saw roar), giraffes, and many zebra!!!! Just incredible! The terrain however, is so rough it makes the ride grueling. I used my hot water bottles as heating pads!<br />
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We returned back to the lodge and had dinner by a campfire complete with guitar player from the local tribe. There are only 10 of us at the camp. The staff here is very small and lovely. For dinner I only ate the vegetables as I am suspect of the type meat.<br />
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The night sky was beautiful, and the monkeys playful and plentiful. We are required to have a "guard" walk us to our tent for safety. John goaded him in route saying " well it's not like there is anything around here that could hurt us!" The man (from the local tribe dressed in his typical red cloth and club, and gum boots) stopped dead in his tracks and said..."LEOPARD". Okay...well that's settled...the zippers will be tight tonight!<br />
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As the power went off, we could hear the animals of Africa get louder and louder throughout the night. Many, many sounds...and a hyena for sure. </div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-64742195647464887232016-03-11T10:24:00.005-08:002016-03-11T10:24:54.973-08:00Lake Niavsha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We sat out early for the trip to the Lake Naivasha. The scenery was breathtaking as we passed hundreds of sheep, goats, and donkeys beside the road. After about and hour or so, we spotted our first group of zebra. After taking my first pictures, I broke into tears of joy. I found the experience of seeing them in this magnificent backdrop overwhelming. I wasn't sure if was going to really happen!<br />
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We continued to drive and as we neared the lake we stopped for a ride in a narrow boat. Very quickly we saw a rogue bachelor hippo swimming near our boat. We scooted right away as not to get too close. As you know, hippos can be very aggressive and charge if you get too close to them. Our young guide gave them plenty of space as we cruised around and saw about 20 more. They are referred to as a kingdom of hippos, with only one male within a group of females.<br />
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We left the lake and returned to land in an area called Hell's Gate. As we drove we soon spotted a baboon with several wart hogs and their young. We kept driving seeing hundreds of zebra, and finally two young giraffes that had been left by their parents to find water. Soon we saw the parents that would later return. Under some trees, we saw several large water buffalo. They didn't seem to like our vehicle and acted as if they may charge. We crept away slowly. <br />
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Our lodge is lovely and on the banks of the lake. There were 6 large monkeys on the path this evening. They didn't act very scared of me. We were told we must have a guard walk us to the lodge and back to our rooms after dark. Hippos come up on our grounds. Four have been seen already tonight.<br />
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We head out again in the morning 6 hours southwest to the Masai Mari camp. They say we will get an "African massage" (very rough roads).<br />
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Stay tuned!</div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-84154577408985687402016-03-10T19:20:00.000-08:002016-03-10T19:20:28.752-08:00Arrival Nairobi!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another 4 or so hours and we have arrived to Nairobi! What beautiful scenery just flying in...<br />
A total contrast to Dubai. Expansive and lush.<br />
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We walked onto the tarmack and the airport is small and open air. Our 20 minute ride to the hotel downtown took 1 hour (we were told how lucky we were as it usually takes 2!). The roads in the city are dusty and congested with cows grazing about in the center grass. Colorful buses crept along filled with people and blaring music. Vendors sold everything along the way, water, fly shatters, etc for the sitting traffic. Many people are walking. We are told that the people ignore the traffic light signals so it requires traffic patrol. Police everywhere directing the slow moving traffic.<br />
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We arrived to our hotel through a cage, metal detector, and pat downs. Men with machine guns stand at the gate and we have a man walk our floor 24/7. JT thinks the maintenance crew quit 40 years ago.<br />
It still carries a real elegance, although a bit tired. I expect there have been many ambassadors stay here doing important business.<br />
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The outdoor bar and pool area is wonderful with good music, gas burners and blankets. The ready smiles of the staff can be seen everywhere.<br />
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Dinner will be under the stars of Nairobi tonight.<br />
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Off in the morning for a 6 hour drive to Lake Naivasha. One of the lakes on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. It is said to have the highest elevation of the Kenyan Great Valley. It is home to over 400 species of birds and a sizable hippo population.<br />
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Hope to check in again from there! </div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-7461060097129767612016-03-09T21:41:00.001-08:002016-03-09T21:41:50.164-08:00Departure from the UAE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Good morning all after another very short night. I will need to return from my holiday to get some r&r.<br />
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I have omitted to include a lot of the interesting information I've learned while here due to time constraints. I thought before flying out, I would share some observations and information gained from others. For fact checking check out the literature, lol.<br />
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Many of the women here wear the full abaya. This covers the face and hands. Evidently, first practical when in the desert in sand, etc. it was also helpful to prevent kidnapping of young women, could not easily tell them apart. This was a cultural practice, not so much religious practice as now.<br />
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The colors of the mans headscarf identifies where he is from. Red checks - Saudi Arabia, all white UAE, black checks - North Africa.<br />
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The locals of the UAE make up approx. 20%, expats the other 80%. About half of that 20% are millionaires. The majority of the workers here are expats from everywhere!<br />
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I have now enjoyed "veal bacon". Pork is hard to come by...</div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-12282014745266211142016-03-09T12:14:00.000-08:002016-03-09T12:14:05.571-08:00Abu Dhabi <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I think you call it "a day from hell". It started off okay, a van ride 90 kilometers away...<br />
We stopped at the worlds third largest mosque ( they are big on big around here), then off to see the city museum. The land is more fertile here in the capital of the UAE, with palaces built by the aqua Persian Gulf, and many embassies.<br />
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We had lunch, saw Ferrari world the worlds largest indoor amusement park( here we go again...it was big). Then started the leisurely drive back to Dubai.<br />
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The skies turned ominous quickly. The rain came and our driver pulled off the road. Puzzled, our tour guide said "it was for our safety". Next, trees everywhere began to snap like match sticks. Our tour director began to cry as she had never seen it rain like this before. She moved here 20 years ago from Egypt.<br />
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Our driver took our van with 7 of us toward Dubai when we hit the traffic on the highway. We waited 3 hours while the six lanes of traffic on our side sat. Before long it was pure chaos. Buses and cars taking off the road into the deser with no roads anywhere in sight. Our van driver ( who didn't speak English, never said a word...just inched our van forward. We finally made it to an intersection to Oman (120 kilometers away). We took it and rode approximately 10 minutes until we saw the snaking red lights ahead. For another 4 hours we sat on the highway. Now it is complete mayhem...<br />
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Throughout all of this we never saw a police person assisting or directing the traffic. It was every man, woman, and child for themselves! We had a great group that never whimpered (I might have cussed one or twice). Our trusty van driver crept along (yes sometimes in the sand) passing trucks and cars on the right side until we made it back to dazzling Dubai!<br />
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Early wake up call tomorrow as we are off to Kenya! Stay tuned 😉</div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-88579202341916351732016-03-09T11:23:00.000-08:002016-03-09T11:23:24.427-08:00Dazzling Dubai!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sorry about the delay in writing...internet connection is iffy and unavailable most places. I have written this post once in detail only to have it deleted. This will be an abbreviated version as it is now 11:00pm and we are just back to the hotel (OMG! for my next entry).<br />
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Dubai is indeed dazzling. We began yesterday after 5 hours sleep and the overnight flight. Breakfast here is even incredible. Thai, Indian, and European kitchens, complete with a French bakery. I was impressed by the Emerites airline staff that collectively spoke 22 languages...wow, what a melting pot.<br />
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We have taken in the sights including touring some of the impressive buildings here including the worlds tallest, and the history museum(learned much about the culture-hope to expand later).We went through the Dubai mall (crazy cool), walked the spice market (bought Iranian saffron) and gold Souks (indulged alittle).<br />
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Back to the hotel less than 15 minutes when we were picked up by our white land cruiser for a desert safari. Off we go with one stop before heading into the desert. A rest area for our last facilities for 5 hours. That basically meant two strips and a hole. Ok, I've seen worse...kinda.<br />
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We let the air down in the tires and zoom off up and down the hills of the desert throwing sand everywhere until you could not see front or back! We often thought we were going to flip over when he would turn the wheels into the sand. It was thrilling!<br />
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At sunset we pulled into an oasis where they had camels, Falcons, and entertainment. I rode the camel and held the falcon with full enthusiasm. JT refrained. We enjoyed a bbq, and the most awesome of belly dancers as we sat on carpets and pillows in the sand late into this magical evening...<br />
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Today was a trip to Abu Dhabi...<br />
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(Not able to load pictures due to incapablity)</div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-41300359095198870442016-03-07T12:05:00.003-08:002016-03-07T12:16:22.374-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Arrival Dubai.<br />
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The flight on Emerites was both luxurious and smooth as silk. Sitting by the window, I did not even feel take off.<br />
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After a day and night of flying...we arrived at 8 pm. We are staying in an absolutely insane hotel which is the "tallest in the world". We are on the 48th floor and it has a soaking tub, touch electronics for everything, and our own valet 24/7.<br />
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JT is so excited as a beautiful young woman tried to pick him up in the hotel. It is like a city, it's so large. He is walking to the bar for a bite to eat and a drink after arrival (fully electronic mini bar charges on the number of minutes door is open, yet has no alcohol). She says" are you going to the bar? Can I come along? I can't go alone and I won't cause you any problems". He told her when his wife arrived, she would cause the problems.<br />
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Off for a busy day tomorrow so I'll try and check in tomorrow night...off to sleep.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-46293595038622042822016-03-06T17:57:00.002-08:002016-03-07T11:28:24.888-08:00Traveling again!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Gee...I see that it has been since 2013 since I last blogged. Well, a lot has happened since then.<br />
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In the past, I have only written when traveling professionally, but some friends ask if they could join along on this trip so here we go!<br />
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Yesterday while pulling out the travel file, John asks "where are our Kenyan visas"? Hmmmm, visas I ask???? I spend the better part of the day on the Kenyan Embassy website, downloading phone apps to assist by the tens. By the end of the day, it looks like we are going to Kenya. Whew.<br />
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We are now sitting at the JFK airport awaiting our direct flight to Dubai. As we weaved through the hour long security line the man in front of me had his "call to prayer" recording blaring while the Hasidic Jewish man behind me wrapped his waist and started touching his head to the wall while reading a prayer on his phone. And the journey begins...<br />
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I'll touch base again from Dubai!</div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-48447796398998640882013-11-20T09:52:00.002-08:002013-11-20T09:52:55.017-08:00Goodbye Russia -with love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Again, the packing is almost complete and we are finishing up with last minute things prior to departure from Ufa.<br />
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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...<br />
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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.<br />
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.<br />
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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"?<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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Da svi-dan-ya...for now and I hope you will join us again on our next journey.<br />
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Best,<br />
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Suzanne<br />
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-92110475654870934882013-11-16T07:26:00.000-08:002013-11-16T07:26:00.455-08:00The end of this journey is nearing...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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...<br />
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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.<br />
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No utensils were recommended and double-dipping was obviously acceptable.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Oh well...we that won't let that dampen our enthusiasm for our trip home. <br />
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Hope you recognize us!?!<br />
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-78968966417013911072013-11-11T01:04:00.004-08:002013-11-11T01:04:59.246-08:00Russian Circus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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!<br />
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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.<span id="goog_2001390531"></span><span id="goog_1241065035"></span><span id="goog_1241065036"></span><br />
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The building was small and intimate. We were seated approximately 20 feet from the ring. It smelled like a circus...<br />
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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.<br />
(I have pictures this far, and once again I was tapped on the shoulder "HET"- so much for circus pictures). <br />
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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!<br />
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The clowns were great and easy to follow as they didn't speak.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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The jugglers were the most impressive ever, and the lady on the flying trapeze made our hearts skip a beat.<br />
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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.<br />
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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) <br />
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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.<br />
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The building lost its intimacy at that point... <br />
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-52925020680272869362013-11-07T09:12:00.000-08:002013-11-07T09:12:07.518-08:00Heat wave, pigeons, and cats<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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! <br />
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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!" <br />
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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!<br />
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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!<br />
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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. <br />
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And the best part is...the birds and cats understand our Russian!</div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-76076551140507886772013-11-04T10:47:00.000-08:002013-11-04T10:47:06.301-08:00Garderob (the coat check) and dinner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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. <br />
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. <br />
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.<br />
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. <br />
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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! <br />
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-91312826499670597262013-11-03T01:53:00.001-08:002013-11-03T01:53:54.879-08:00Halloween, Teaching & Russian Unity Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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. <br />
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 :)<br />
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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...<br />
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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!<br />
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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. <br />
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.<br />
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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! <br />
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-2279237696366822752013-10-31T08:16:00.000-07:002013-10-31T08:16:13.534-07:00Russian podiatry services, American obesity, and Halloween<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"!<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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...<br />
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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...<br />
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I will keep you posted!<br />
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-83183597570538734182013-10-29T06:24:00.002-07:002013-10-29T06:24:36.452-07:00 John's teaching<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
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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... <br />
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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. <br />
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He stumbled only once when they asked him if he liked " Eminem" (lol)?<br />
He said he preferred country music which seemed to throw them.<br />
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There were several questions on Halloween and how we celebrate. He punted that one to me, telling them how much I enjoy the holiday.<br />
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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... <br />
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He teaches 4 more classes this week.<br />
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-66135162454978017032013-10-27T05:41:00.001-07:002013-10-27T05:41:55.441-07:00What do you do in Russia on a really cold, gray, cloudy and miserable day?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Take a walk, of course!<br />
<br />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.<br />
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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!<br />
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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 :)<br />
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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.<br />
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Until next time...I am off to put my aching feet up. </div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-15424684688317820092013-10-24T08:12:00.000-07:002013-10-24T08:12:14.665-07:00Teaching, President Putin & cold weather<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
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. <br />
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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.<br />
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.<br />
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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!<br />
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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.<br />
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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...<br />
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-87322620829235023502013-10-22T08:04:00.000-07:002013-10-22T08:04:12.875-07:00Bashkir theater, more help, and Russian weather<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
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 :).<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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).<br />
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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!!!<br />
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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".<br />
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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!<br />
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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! </div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-72120564966106303752013-10-20T11:22:00.001-07:002013-10-20T11:22:44.353-07:00DIY hair<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was bound to happen. We have been gone now for 7 weeks so our hair is suffering.<br />
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!)<br />
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I cut John's hair and beard this morning with my thinners and small scissors. Not great, but better.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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.<br />
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! </div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-28967727235780962332013-10-18T10:46:00.001-07:002013-10-18T10:46:38.920-07:00The Russian Stare<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
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It's cold out so we are bundled up like everyone else in our black coats, hats, and boots, but it still it happens...<br />
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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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").<br />
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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. <br />
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! </div>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-91748663836759547192013-10-16T11:07:00.000-07:002013-10-16T11:07:06.948-07:00Home Sweet Ufa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
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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".<br />
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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!<br />
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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.<br />
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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.........<br />
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649787948575908755.post-43667709020691662362013-10-15T11:31:00.001-07:002013-10-15T11:31:35.367-07:00Fulbright, American Embassy, Russian Tsars & Russian Tragedy <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
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...<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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Just in the case that you may have forgotten...life is so very precious...enjoy it...<br />
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An early flight in the morning back to our city of Ufa for the last half of this unbelievable experience. <br />
Sleep tight...<br />
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16758979962223160049noreply@blogger.com1