Tuesday 4/4

I will catch up a bit regarding activities at the institute yesterday. I arrived rather early at the International Studies office and there was a great deal of activity. Apparently the office was dealing with a couple of rather important events. I was under the impression that the hustlle and bustle last week and over the weekend coincided with the arrival of the international Business Administration Students. Many of these people will be in my class--International Business. These young people arrived over the weekend from China and Slovakia and Dr. Bobarykina, Masha, Valia, and Yulia were very busy with installing them in dorms, dealing with documentation protocol, and setting up class schedules. This schedule is somewhat dynamic at the moment---for example, I am not teaching today due to some last minute changes on the part of other professors---my first class is now on Thursday and is basically two 1.5 hour concurrent classes.
The students seem very upbeat and resilient. I've met my Chinese contingent and a couple of the Slovakians and they seem very nice.

так( everyone says this ALL the time, basically "so...."), not only were there a bunch of new students arriving who needed care, but a contingent of European Union expert professors( 6 of them) to sign a cooperation agreement with our institution AND conduct an important series of lectures on European Union topics. These guys needed to be given the VIP treatment, and implementation of seminar logistics done----all handled by our group of women in the International office. They all work very hard on hospitality, arrangements, scheduling, translating, protocol, etc., etc. On top of this, the helpless American professor is always lurking around needing questions answered and so forth. More on this EU visit. I am going to post this so I don't lose it!

Monday 2/3/2014

Hi Folks!


So, yesterday it was -10 F, Superbowl Sunday, but in Russia I am 9 hours ahead of the buttkicking. Not a soul in this country cares about our big game and I've kinda got the same attitude for some reason. I would ordinarily be quite excited at the prospect of lazing around on the couch with my dearest Janet and watchin' some FB....even though I have no dog in the fight.


Anyway, I decide I'm going to take a good brisk -10 F walk. here's what you do for this kind of endeavor: 2 sets of longjohns, one pair of LL Bean flannel lined jeans. Extra thick synthetic fleece socks, hiking boots. t-shirt, underarmour, turtle neck, heavy fleece pullover, down jacket, BIG Russian overcoat lent to me by dr. Bobarykina, scarf, fleece hat, Carhart cap with ear muffs and face warmer. Out the door. Down to the Volga. I decide I'm going to head north. There are dozens of intrepid ice-fishermen out there---the river is so big it is sorta like a frozen ocean. They've all got the real equipment, drills/awls etc. I head toward the bridge that spans the Volga toward Engels, the town on the other side. I pass a few bundled up and very vigilant police officers---I think they are watching the bridge, etc. The path along the Volga at the bridge sort of peters out onto a small dirt road. There is a lady playing with 2 Dobermans. I do not get close. German dogs. No thank you.
About 50 yards ahead look like some shacks near the river---the road looks like it going to them. I see several German Shepard-like dogs, cobaki, in my path, watching me intently. I turn around. Walk up to the road. Continue on my journey. There is now a 12 foot high fence so that you cannot see the Volga----some sort of dwellings inside, and some construction. There are also high rises on the left being built--apartments----nice ones. No work going on in this cold. I go another mile or so and thins start to get a little shabby. Wooden homes, yards, looks a little like where I grew up in New Mexico. Woodpiles, barking puppies, junked cars. I'm getting warmed up but I turn around, angle back toward where I think my apartment is, and I arrive right to it, I'm starting to get a sense of things I guess.


Today when I tell where I went yesterday, everyone says: "Don't go North past the bridge".


Most of Sunday I work on my agenda for classes. Trying to make this more of an interactive, discussion oriented class with less crushing research and paper-writing. Apparently these students will not have a lot of actual computer access to do research. This should be more enjoyable and less stressful for them and will necessitate some well needed creativity on my part. But it won't really be difficult. Those of you who have been my students know that it is not usually hard to talk about things for the whole class, but that I always usually have to get down to business---which means torturous work product---biz plans and such. Not so much here I think.


No classes this morning for me, but I know the office has been very busy preparing for the international students from China and Slovakia to arrive. Unbeknownst to me, there is also a delegation of Slovenian, Italian, and Romanian Professors arriving---EU experts and working on an agreement with Stolypin Institute for a multi-institutional program on contemporary European studies. More on this later.


As I leave in the morning, my key to the second door(I have 3 doors--outside, middle, my apt.) does not go in----someone has broken the lock somehow. As I am pondering what to do, my neighbor lady comes out of Apt 76----I am in 75---we share the middle door. She is non-plussed. I tell her I am the neighbor---she says she has to get to work and that when I get home I should ring their Apt from the outside box and that someone will let me in the middle door. I mention this to Dr. Bobarykina at work, but realizing that they are very busy tell her it is not really an emergency. We agree we'll let the Landlord know but there is no emergency implied. I arrive home about 5:30pm. Let my self in the outside door. Middle door does not take my key. I go out to the outside communication box, call APT 76---get what sounds like a young girl---explain to her that I am the American neighbor in 75---to please open the door----all in what I think is serviceable Russian. I've been practicing this all the way home. She says something that sounds like an affirmation, I come in. I wait. Nothing. I knock on the middle door. Nothing. I really hate to do this, but I text Natalia now. The neighbors won't let me in, what is my next move? I'm there outside the middle door near the elevator. People start to come home, nobody bats an eye. Just as my phone begins to ring, (poor Natalia, still babysitting the helpless American "scholar"), the door opens. The girl is about 12 years old, Her mother HAD NOT filled her in---she had to call her mother and then things were explained(while I was waiting). She was apologetic but I am sure a bit scared of me. People batten down the hatches here. So I'm in, not going back out till tomorrow. the office will put some pressure on the LL to fix things. Things are fine. Mondays.