Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Sunday after a few hours of rest, Natalia and I accompany Maxim to Prospekt Kirova. This street used to run from approximately the SVRIA Sobornaya Campus all the magnificent covered Saratov market as a pedestrian highway. No cars except the occasional Novirusski and/or business owners/deliveries. When there is thin layer of ice on it, it can be a good place for watching some Russians(and the odd American professor) take spectacular falls. Anyway, it has now been extended as a pedestrian-only corridor east.....all the way to the Volga embankment. Apparently this was a huge undertaking with many citizens opposed---somehow it got done. Quite nice. I approve.
Maxim had a place in mind for pelmeni, the famous Russian pierogi style dumplings with assorted fillings. It was very nice inside, service was good. I had a superb bowl of borscht and a serving of Georgian pelmeni----spicy lamb filling. Delicious. Oh, and a nice refreshing beer. The TV in the restaurant was playing what seemed like an endless Victoria's Secret lingerie cat-walk sequence. This same scene is everywhere, on almost every TV, in almost every eatery in Russia.
After food, Maxim had arranged for me to meet with a group of his friends in a small coffee house where we would do some small oil painting, supervised by his friend, Alena(pronounced Alyona). She had canvas board, a wide assortment of colors, plastic aprons, hundreds of small postcards to imitate. Natalia excused herself (after we met up with Maxim's wife, Ana and their new baby further west on Kirova)----and went home to her family----who I am sure feel a bit neglected when I am in town. She spends hours upon hours making sure I am OK and I am pleased that they get to be with her this evening.
It was wonderful to see Ana and the new addition. Her name is Marika and she is a beautiful, happy baby. Please note the similarity with Marika and America. NOVA colleagues will remember that Ana accompanied Maxim to Loudoun in Fall 2015 when he was our esteemed Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence. There was no Marika at that time----but many of you will remember Maya, the adorable force of nature and first child in the Mokeev family. Marika is a beautiful, happy child. Her older sister adores her---as do all of us. I will see Maya soon later this week and I am looking forward to it.
Also in attendance is the esteemed Professor Kamil Kazamarov, Maxim's colleague and good friend. I get along very well with Kamil, a splendid fellow. Now he gives me a sublime cake from one of Saratov's specialty bake shops. Vikuzna. Delicious.
We paint for almost 3 hours. Pictures to follow. I forgo the postcard route and instead try to do a New Mexico landscape from memory with below average success. Maxim and Kamil drive me home to my dorm soon after. My first day in Saratov concludes.
Maxim had a place in mind for pelmeni, the famous Russian pierogi style dumplings with assorted fillings. It was very nice inside, service was good. I had a superb bowl of borscht and a serving of Georgian pelmeni----spicy lamb filling. Delicious. Oh, and a nice refreshing beer. The TV in the restaurant was playing what seemed like an endless Victoria's Secret lingerie cat-walk sequence. This same scene is everywhere, on almost every TV, in almost every eatery in Russia.
After food, Maxim had arranged for me to meet with a group of his friends in a small coffee house where we would do some small oil painting, supervised by his friend, Alena(pronounced Alyona). She had canvas board, a wide assortment of colors, plastic aprons, hundreds of small postcards to imitate. Natalia excused herself (after we met up with Maxim's wife, Ana and their new baby further west on Kirova)----and went home to her family----who I am sure feel a bit neglected when I am in town. She spends hours upon hours making sure I am OK and I am pleased that they get to be with her this evening.
It was wonderful to see Ana and the new addition. Her name is Marika and she is a beautiful, happy baby. Please note the similarity with Marika and America. NOVA colleagues will remember that Ana accompanied Maxim to Loudoun in Fall 2015 when he was our esteemed Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence. There was no Marika at that time----but many of you will remember Maya, the adorable force of nature and first child in the Mokeev family. Marika is a beautiful, happy child. Her older sister adores her---as do all of us. I will see Maya soon later this week and I am looking forward to it.
Also in attendance is the esteemed Professor Kamil Kazamarov, Maxim's colleague and good friend. I get along very well with Kamil, a splendid fellow. Now he gives me a sublime cake from one of Saratov's specialty bake shops. Vikuzna. Delicious.
We paint for almost 3 hours. Pictures to follow. I forgo the postcard route and instead try to do a New Mexico landscape from memory with below average success. Maxim and Kamil drive me home to my dorm soon after. My first day in Saratov concludes.
Yesterday, one of my students said something that I think I'll remember for a long time. We are writing a business plan for small business opportunities in the American market. Anyone who has had a class of mine knows how important the planning process can be for entrepreneurship. You must try to prepare for every contingency because surprise is what kills a business.
Sergey Sirotkin listened to this for a moment and said...."there is Russian proverb for this".
TO BE FOREWARNED IS TO BE FORE-ARMED.
So Russian. So perfect.
Sergey Sirotkin listened to this for a moment and said...."there is Russian proverb for this".
TO BE FOREWARNED IS TO BE FORE-ARMED.
So Russian. So perfect.
SHOS Model
On Monday I was invited to attend a conference on multicultural harmony in the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China. Very interesting. I saw my dear friend Vladimir Kulikov (to my left)for the first time in two years. The peerless, talented, and patient Olga Stupakova(from Natalia’s International Office) to my right translated for most of an hour and was wonderful. I’ll post pictures of some of the participants soon.
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