train

My train left Saratov on Friday morning at around 10:50 am. The Institute kindly arranged a car and driver for me, and Valentina texted me that she and the car woul gather me at my apartment at 9:30. They were right on time I was organized so we were off quickly. Train station was uneventful, except the driver was able to drop me off in a very convenient, secured, prohibited parking area.
We entered the station and quickly determined that my train was at track 4. One has to find  the correct train car....the number is usually on a card in a window. When you find your car, you wait for the providnitsa...the lady who works your car....she takes your ticket and confirms your passport. As we were waiting for her, there was an older woman waiting withwhat looked like her grandson and a little dog...a chihuahua. Valia emarked jokingly that she hoped they were not in my berth. We found my compartment, I said goodbye to Valia, and started to settle in. The young man from outside soon entered my berth be with a lot of bags and what  looked to be a dog carrier. The grandmother soon showed up with thelittle dog, the kid brusquely said "poka"...goodbye....and it dawned on who my neighborsin close qquarters would be for the next 26 hours. I had been told in many guidebooks, the ticket website, and by Russians themselves, that berths are usually gender segregated. Apparently not if is a babushka and a dog.

Arrived safely in St. Petersburg yesterday around 12:30. Saw my wife for the first time since mid January. We both almost cried. Janet is here with her friend, Laura, who lives in Vermont.. We are staying in a nice suite at the M hotel near the center. After I arrived, we all alked to the Russian Ethnographic museum. Absoltely fabulous. Wonderful, well maintained exhibit of Armenian, Azerbaijan,  Moldova, Turmen, Russian jewish, Siberian, Bylorus, etc. Cultures.I aplogize for typos and brevity, I am on a tablet, but will try to blog nevertheless.We also dropped by the Church of th Sacred Blood. Went to dinner at a wonderful Indian restaurant, Tandoor, near the Hermitage. More on that and my Very intersting 26 hour tain ride soon.

WED 4/2

Last night I had dinner with a couple of acquaintances from the business community in Saratov---their invitation. They are entrepreneurial and wanted to pick my brain about a few things. I try to encourage these discussions every chance I get. For one thing, I find other people's ideas fascinating and exciting. The other is that while I have not been a rousing success at business, I feel like I have a lot to share regarding the planning process and so forth.
Anyway, as is usual if you know me, this discussion starts to get philosophical. I am always very curious about how Russians look at the world and at Russia. One of my friends didn't speak English well, but his friend did. Whenever I am around, some poor soul has to work real hard at translating back and forth. I am however, beginning to be able to understand some things and also speak a bit.
The conversation revolved around my curiosity about the tectonic political/economic/cultural shift that occurred here when the iron curtain fell. I am beginning to feel that there are a great deal of Russians---many of them younger than I---many of them relatively successful----bankers, teachers, etc---have a sense that somehow things were BETTER for the society as a whole during communist times. We in America have this sense that people here must be so happy that they are free of this yoke---but I have a sense that in Russia this is a more complicated scenario. One of these people at dinner has a nice middle class job; he is highly educated; he is entrepreneurial; he drives a new Subaru; he has two great little kids. He turned to me last night and said----"I would go back to the way it was, people were more secure, worked HARDER, it seems to me like it was just better".He was considering the fact that Russia took care of ALL its citizens in those days. The lack of this "net" now, very much concerned him! Now, I don't think he is old enough to remember much, but my jaw just dropped. Wrapping my brain around this is going to take a while----and I get this vibe from many others. This is a complicated, nuanced, thoughtful culture that goes much deeper than the talking points on capitalism and socialism. I can't get enough of these kinds of conversations.


I had red wine, a good salad, and river perch on a bed of mashed potatoes. Very tasty. Restaurant was called Soho....down near the water. English feel to it. Huge sort of photo painting of the Rolling Stones on the wall. All in all very pleasant. I was home by 10pm but I have been thinking about this all day today.


I visited a wonderful secondary/high school today called the Lyceum. Spoke to about 100 students in two classes----9th graders and seniors. Sharp, argumentative(which I love), ambitious kids. Really great back and forth on Crimea and Russian interests. Many of them speak very good English. Somehow when I get back, I have to try to communicate to my students how critical it is to learn other languages. When and if these Russians hit the job market they are going to have advantages. They ALL know that English is critical for their success. I wish our young people felt the same about Russian---or Chinese---or Hindi.Where I might ask, is foreign language represented in the idiotic "common core" , "race to the top" crap?


St. Petersburg in two days.

The faces of Russia.

 

faces

 

faces

So…the creative side of me takes portraits of people. I photographed a whole bunch of faces in India. That was easy.

In Russia you should ask first! So here are some portraits of people in Russia.

This vehicle is so tough. I want it. They have sidewalk plows here.