Tales from Tolyatti: ...and three months later, she's back!!!

I have no excuse for my blog neglect….true, in the last few months I’ve been to the states in back, to Moscow, and to the historic Russian cities of Vladimir and Suzdal. But I also had about a week in January where I basically sat in my apartment and did nothing but contemplate life and get caught up on my BBC films…so really, I have no excuse.

So without further ado, let the anecdotes and life contemplations begin!

*Happy New Year…Russian style!: Christmas really isn’t too big of a deal in Russia. It’s celebrated on January 7th (the orthodox calendar) and is usually a small, family-style celebration. This makes sense if you think about the years that Orthodoxy was repressed during the Soviet times. So, because Christmas isn’t such a big thing, it’s alllll about New Years! There are New Years presents, New Years trees (pretty much the same as our Christmas trees), champagne and dancing (like us!), and Russian salads at midnight (not so much like us…) There is also a speech by the President at midnight and an annual viewing of the classic Russian film “The Irony of Fate,” which, incidentally, is one of the hands-down best romantic comedies I’ve ever seen…check it out if you ever get the chance!

The New Years Tree in "downtown" Tolyatti.

Another key part of the Russian tradition is something called годать (“godat”), which is fortune-telling! Every year, each Russian gathers with his friends and, through an intricate system involving some strange-looking picture cards and a LOT of reshuffling, hears his fortune. Not every Russian is qualified to do this, but I still haven’t figured out how one becomes a certified “godat-er”…I think maybe you just need to own the cards. My friend Lena has this qualification, and so in the Russian style I had my fortune told! I’m happy to inform you that I have both a blonde AND a brown-haired man in my future this year….yessss!

*Man, Russians realllly love their skiing. And skating. And frolicking the forrest. These are without a doubt the most popular winter activities. And...that's really all I have to say on the subject. Except that next time I go skiing, I'm not wearing my ginormous coat!

*Tea time: One of the absolute, hands-down, no-question best part about living in Russia is being invited to someone’s house for tea. Russians seem pretty big on hospitality to begin with, but if you hear the words “tea”, and “guest” directed at you, you know not only that you have a pleasant afternoon in store, but also that you don’t need to go to the grocery store that day. In America, you and a friend can meet for a 10-minute coffee break, grabbing your giant styrofoam cups from Starbucks and hustling off to your next destination. In Russia, this is unthinkable. Tea is not a beverage. Tea is an event. Tea time almost always, in my experience, includes the following: 1) bread with butter, meat, and cheese, 2) cake and/or cookies, 3) chocolate, 4) liquor. Now, this is not to say that you get your party on during tea time, but rather you will be offered a small glass of something delicate—like coignac. As to the tea itself, Russians have a low tolerance for the Lipton-bag-style-tea that I’ve known my whole life…Russian tea is GOOD, and if you’re really lucky, your host will even make it in a Samovar!

While traveling in Suzdal, our group befriended some local Russians, and we were generously invited for tea at the home of our new friend. Though this was about 10 pm, her mother pulled out all the stops…including a homemade cherry liqueur and CAVIAR! I’ve been craving caviar non-stop ever since.

So, in conclusion….I feel that in general it’s usually the Brits who always get credit for having the best Tea Times. I’ve never been to the UK to experience English tea for myself, but after living in Russia I’ve got just one thing to say to them: bring it on.

*Vladimir and Suzdal highlights: Since almost everyone reading this is on facebook, this may be a bit of a repeat but I wanted to share some of the highlights of our (me and five other Ruskie fulbrighters) adventure to Vladimir, and Suzdal...two cities that form the historic "Golden Ring" around Moscow. Here were some of the top moments:
(WARNING: I was having some issues posting pictures, so some of these are REALLY huge and/or slightly cut off...just don't be alarmed when you've suddenly got a giant version of my face staring at you...)
*Realllly cool old buildings! Coming from a city that was built in the Soviet times, it was such a lovely change to be around oh, you know, churches that were built at the dawn of Orthodox Christianity. A particularly beautiful moment was when we happened to catch an evening service in Vladimir...to witness a sacred tradition that has taken place for centuries, in the place that it's been happening for centuries...it was just breathtaking.

New friends and familiar faces While in Vladimir, we LITERALLY ran in to a fellow William and Mary Russian studies kid! Suzanne had been doing a study abroad program all this year! She introduced us to her lovely Russian friends, who took us under their wing and definitely showed us a good time!

Watch out Russia...Liz is crafting! That's right, folks..I met my nemesis head on in order to dive into some Russian folk art. Under the recommendation from our new friends, we took a "master class" in pottery! Though my finished product..called a "drunk pot" by one of our new friends...will not be winning any art contests any time soon, the experience was a whole lot of fun.

*Walkin' in a winter wonderland Even though it had it's "oh-my-gosh-what-were-we-thinking" moments, I was pumped that we did this trip in the freezing-cold dead-of-winter...definitely gave it a more authentic Russian feel! Plus, I learned that my boots have totally killer traction, as my fall-count was uncharacteristically lower than most of my travel companions.