Wednesday, February 26, 2014
2/26
So last week, the International Office informs me that there is a student here, Stepan Orlov, studying public administration, who is up for a Presidential Scholarship from the Russian Federation. If he receives the award, he would be allowed to study in the United States, tuition and living expenses paid, for a year. Well, he wants to come to NOVA and take business management classes. I love it!
I'm already working on that with Loudoun's own Matt Niziol and Gert Heslin as well as our great folks in International Admissions.
He is such a sharp young man, he speaks excellent English, has already studied in Belgium in a business administration program. I have a short 30 minute conversation with him at the conclusion of which, he offers to spend Sunday afternoon with me in Saratov, also inviting me to his home in the evening. I of course accept.
Stepan picks me up at my apartment on Sunday around 2pm and we go for a walk down the Volga embankment in a southwesterly direction and then head up toward the center of the city. We stop at a café and spend a good hour talking about all kinds of stuff. The tea is excellent. Stepan treats which is very kind of him. We talk about how the great German dinosaurs of rock, the Scorpions, will be in Saratov at the end of March, and how it might be fun to attend.When we are done, Stepan shows me a Chainka---an awesome tea shop on Ulitza Kirova, a pedestrian only promenade in the center. For tea lovers this place is the bomb. It smells like heaven and I buy a couple of kinds of leaf tea--Earl Grey of course and a nice Darjeeling varietal. Before we meet up with his father, Dmitri(who is graciously picking us up), I ask if we can stop and get a bottle of wine to bring over---we can't find the right shop so we settle for a nice little bit of pastry goodness. Saratov and Russia in general is the place for superb sweet baked goods--it is the Adkins Diet Nightmare. No problem for me however.
We then meet up with Stepan's Dad, who drives us up slightly north to the family home. We park outside a formidable gate(everyone in Russia has a big metal gate) and enter the home where I meet his Mom, Anna, and his two brothers Egor and Arkhip. I have to say that the young people I've gotten to know in Russia, Natalia's Ksyusha, and now these two, are just absolutely awesome kids. Bright, inquisitive, friendly, talented, articulate. The children in this country are charming and formidable.
Egor proceeds to interview me for the rest of the evening with a variety of poised, thoughtful questions that put any of today's working journalists to shame. I could talk to him for hours. Sharp young man. Arkhip is shy and adorable and we get along fine.
Anna has put together quite a selection of food in my honor----fried lake fish, superb Borscht, roast meat, excellent little pancakes. pickles, mushrooms, mashed potatoes, cabbage salad. I eat like the 6'3" 200 ponder that I am. There is also homemade jam and this excellent cherry/apple juice, also homemade.It takes a while to eat because we are doing a lot of talking. Dmitri is a former aviator student and pilot who manages the family properties and Anna is an investment specialist at a bank. They both have multiple graduate degrees in Economics and so forth. Dmitri and I share some excellent "moon water" which is very tasty and helps loosen up our tongues. I have a blast talking with these people----Stepan deserves a lot of credit for being a translator at times, but both parents, especially Dmitri, have English skills which put my Russian to shame.
I then get a tour of the house which is absolutely magnificent---3 floors, multiple bedrooms, and an entire floor for office use, TV, and games. I am saving the best for last though. I've been told to bring my swimsuit, because this family has a Russian sauna and indoor swimming pool! We fellas spend the next 2-3 hours heating up and cooling down in these splendid facilities. Dmitiri and I have a lot to talk about. He is such a smart, intuitive, interesting fellow; I can tell where his son gets his intellect and kindness.
I don't do much jumping into cold water after the heat due to a cardiologists recommendations(I have a ticker that likes to speed up a bit when temps change a bunch quickly) but slow immersion in the pool after the heat of this bhannya feels so darn good. I feel cleansed and refreshed.Pictures of this pool to follow!
Around 9 oclock they call me a taxi and I am whisked home to my apartment. I have had a magnificent evening. Thank you Dmitir, Anna, Egor, Arkhip, and especially Stepan!
I'm already working on that with Loudoun's own Matt Niziol and Gert Heslin as well as our great folks in International Admissions.
He is such a sharp young man, he speaks excellent English, has already studied in Belgium in a business administration program. I have a short 30 minute conversation with him at the conclusion of which, he offers to spend Sunday afternoon with me in Saratov, also inviting me to his home in the evening. I of course accept.
Stepan picks me up at my apartment on Sunday around 2pm and we go for a walk down the Volga embankment in a southwesterly direction and then head up toward the center of the city. We stop at a café and spend a good hour talking about all kinds of stuff. The tea is excellent. Stepan treats which is very kind of him. We talk about how the great German dinosaurs of rock, the Scorpions, will be in Saratov at the end of March, and how it might be fun to attend.When we are done, Stepan shows me a Chainka---an awesome tea shop on Ulitza Kirova, a pedestrian only promenade in the center. For tea lovers this place is the bomb. It smells like heaven and I buy a couple of kinds of leaf tea--Earl Grey of course and a nice Darjeeling varietal. Before we meet up with his father, Dmitri(who is graciously picking us up), I ask if we can stop and get a bottle of wine to bring over---we can't find the right shop so we settle for a nice little bit of pastry goodness. Saratov and Russia in general is the place for superb sweet baked goods--it is the Adkins Diet Nightmare. No problem for me however.
We then meet up with Stepan's Dad, who drives us up slightly north to the family home. We park outside a formidable gate(everyone in Russia has a big metal gate) and enter the home where I meet his Mom, Anna, and his two brothers Egor and Arkhip. I have to say that the young people I've gotten to know in Russia, Natalia's Ksyusha, and now these two, are just absolutely awesome kids. Bright, inquisitive, friendly, talented, articulate. The children in this country are charming and formidable.
Egor proceeds to interview me for the rest of the evening with a variety of poised, thoughtful questions that put any of today's working journalists to shame. I could talk to him for hours. Sharp young man. Arkhip is shy and adorable and we get along fine.
Anna has put together quite a selection of food in my honor----fried lake fish, superb Borscht, roast meat, excellent little pancakes. pickles, mushrooms, mashed potatoes, cabbage salad. I eat like the 6'3" 200 ponder that I am. There is also homemade jam and this excellent cherry/apple juice, also homemade.It takes a while to eat because we are doing a lot of talking. Dmitri is a former aviator student and pilot who manages the family properties and Anna is an investment specialist at a bank. They both have multiple graduate degrees in Economics and so forth. Dmitri and I share some excellent "moon water" which is very tasty and helps loosen up our tongues. I have a blast talking with these people----Stepan deserves a lot of credit for being a translator at times, but both parents, especially Dmitri, have English skills which put my Russian to shame.
I then get a tour of the house which is absolutely magnificent---3 floors, multiple bedrooms, and an entire floor for office use, TV, and games. I am saving the best for last though. I've been told to bring my swimsuit, because this family has a Russian sauna and indoor swimming pool! We fellas spend the next 2-3 hours heating up and cooling down in these splendid facilities. Dmitiri and I have a lot to talk about. He is such a smart, intuitive, interesting fellow; I can tell where his son gets his intellect and kindness.
I don't do much jumping into cold water after the heat due to a cardiologists recommendations(I have a ticker that likes to speed up a bit when temps change a bunch quickly) but slow immersion in the pool after the heat of this bhannya feels so darn good. I feel cleansed and refreshed.Pictures of this pool to follow!
Around 9 oclock they call me a taxi and I am whisked home to my apartment. I have had a magnificent evening. Thank you Dmitir, Anna, Egor, Arkhip, and especially Stepan!
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