A week and a half ago, Dr. Bobarykina(Natalia) asked me if I had any interest in swimming while in Saratov. I replied, certainly---then went home and realized I had not packed a swimsuit. As this journey began, I had to really try to pare down clothing choices in the interest of having warm clothes and somehow swimming trunks got cut. I had horrifying visions of having to wear a stereotypical Euro swimsuit and put off shopping for one.
At the Stolypin Volga Region of Administration, there is a group of faculty who, lead by a union rep, Boris, reserve an aquatic center for an hour on Saturday. You hear that Virginia? Your little "right to work" state and it's posturing basically prevents teachers from swimming together---saving the Commonwealth from the terrifying specter of socialist organizing.(while swimming of course)
Anyway, I miss the first week of swimming because I don't have a suit. So I set my sights on the second week. I am whisked off to the mall mid-week by the office and buy a suit in the Russian version of Modell's--along with a pair of shower shoes.
Saturday arrives and I am supposed to meet Boris at the pool at 12:30 pm. I walk about 1.5 miles to the pool, have a difficult time finding it, but with a little help, manage to figure out the location.
I am going to describe to you now the slightly militaristic set of steps one goes through to swim in Russia. Our Institute's Union swims from 12:45-1:45 every Saturday.
You arrive and place your coat in the cloakroom. You should also remove your now very muddy shoes, place them in a plastic bag, and place them under your coat. Your coat is in a specific place with a number. You take the little tag with the number, go through a turnstile, and you come to a window. There is woman there. You give her your special pool ID(your socialist badge), with your picture, and also your cloakroom number tag. She takes it and gives you a key with another number. This is your locker. Boris takes me upstairs. (He speaks no English and I speak virtually no conversational Russian)Points out two doors. I can read some Russian but I'm not paying attention and I try to go in the second door----there is a bit of consternation and raised voices----I've tried to go into the women's locker room. I follow him into the men's locker room. In Russia before you go into the pool, you must take a REAL shower beforehand. This is explained to me by people in the office and also by Boris in Russian. So I undress, follow the fellas into the shower, take a shower, go back into the locker room and wait for further instructions---still holding my locker key.
Nobody familiar comes back into the locker room. I am confused. Where is Boris? I put my suit on, go back into the shower area---lots of stares, amble through there to a door around a corner, go around another corner---and I'm into the pool area. Boris is there to explain to me in undecipherable Russian that I should wrap my locker key in my towel, put it in a cubbyhole, then I can swim. It is a nice pool--maybe 9 lanes--with about 15 faculty swimming laps in a leisurely fashion. I get in and swim laps for about 50 minutes---a good workout for me. Boris asks me if I am OK and nobody speaks to me again. I get out about 10 minutes early, people act as if I am wasting some of my money(it costs about $15 a month). I shower again, dress, reverse my steps, get my ID and cloakroom number back in return for my locker key. I retrieve my coat and shoes, and in a few minutes am back out into the 10 degree weather, also snowing, for the hike back to my apartment. This walking is not unpleasant---it is good exercise---and I am somehow exhilarated that I have actually been able to do this. Things are not easy to figure out here and I appreciate the kind and generous Russian colleagues who help me.
I get invited to go skiing the next morning. Another adventure. Narrative to follow.
At the Stolypin Volga Region of Administration, there is a group of faculty who, lead by a union rep, Boris, reserve an aquatic center for an hour on Saturday. You hear that Virginia? Your little "right to work" state and it's posturing basically prevents teachers from swimming together---saving the Commonwealth from the terrifying specter of socialist organizing.(while swimming of course)
Anyway, I miss the first week of swimming because I don't have a suit. So I set my sights on the second week. I am whisked off to the mall mid-week by the office and buy a suit in the Russian version of Modell's--along with a pair of shower shoes.
Saturday arrives and I am supposed to meet Boris at the pool at 12:30 pm. I walk about 1.5 miles to the pool, have a difficult time finding it, but with a little help, manage to figure out the location.
I am going to describe to you now the slightly militaristic set of steps one goes through to swim in Russia. Our Institute's Union swims from 12:45-1:45 every Saturday.
You arrive and place your coat in the cloakroom. You should also remove your now very muddy shoes, place them in a plastic bag, and place them under your coat. Your coat is in a specific place with a number. You take the little tag with the number, go through a turnstile, and you come to a window. There is woman there. You give her your special pool ID(your socialist badge), with your picture, and also your cloakroom number tag. She takes it and gives you a key with another number. This is your locker. Boris takes me upstairs. (He speaks no English and I speak virtually no conversational Russian)Points out two doors. I can read some Russian but I'm not paying attention and I try to go in the second door----there is a bit of consternation and raised voices----I've tried to go into the women's locker room. I follow him into the men's locker room. In Russia before you go into the pool, you must take a REAL shower beforehand. This is explained to me by people in the office and also by Boris in Russian. So I undress, follow the fellas into the shower, take a shower, go back into the locker room and wait for further instructions---still holding my locker key.
Nobody familiar comes back into the locker room. I am confused. Where is Boris? I put my suit on, go back into the shower area---lots of stares, amble through there to a door around a corner, go around another corner---and I'm into the pool area. Boris is there to explain to me in undecipherable Russian that I should wrap my locker key in my towel, put it in a cubbyhole, then I can swim. It is a nice pool--maybe 9 lanes--with about 15 faculty swimming laps in a leisurely fashion. I get in and swim laps for about 50 minutes---a good workout for me. Boris asks me if I am OK and nobody speaks to me again. I get out about 10 minutes early, people act as if I am wasting some of my money(it costs about $15 a month). I shower again, dress, reverse my steps, get my ID and cloakroom number back in return for my locker key. I retrieve my coat and shoes, and in a few minutes am back out into the 10 degree weather, also snowing, for the hike back to my apartment. This walking is not unpleasant---it is good exercise---and I am somehow exhilarated that I have actually been able to do this. Things are not easy to figure out here and I appreciate the kind and generous Russian colleagues who help me.
I get invited to go skiing the next morning. Another adventure. Narrative to follow.
