My Host Institution

My host institution is the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, also called Grodno State University. Yanka Kupala (1888–1942) was a Belarusian poet and writer. As the most famous Belarusian nationalist, he promoted the dying Belarusian language and attempted to shield it against further russification. If you want to read more about the university, look in “my links.” For more photos go to "my photos."

My First Week in Grodno

On Monday, September 10th, I was informed that a new law had just been passed which requires the university to hire me as an employee. This silly thing is that even if I wanted to accept the money, I can’t because I’m already being paid with a U.S. grant! This was a big change from the previous Fellows, so no one knew what to expect as we started yet another stack of paperwork. Just imagine having to fill out a job application in Russian! It took a team of five people two days to prepare everything as they had to translate my entire resume and a short autobiography, which I had to write then and there. As they were translating, I had to obtain a copy of my university diploma, and no my transcripts would not do! I also had to give them a passport photo, which I luckily had with me. To make matters worse, they had to do the same thing for another visiting instructor… from China! The good news is that by Wednesday morning everything was taken care of and we could finally relax. With the paperwork and registration issues behind me, I spent the rest of the week observing classes, settling into my apartment, and exploring the city with the help of several students.

My Registration

All foreigners must be registered with the local police, and this includes the address of your accommodations. When you are in Belarus on a tourist visa, your hotel does this for you. But as I’m here to work for 10 months, things were not so simple. After I met my landlord and agreed to take the flat, I wanted to move in right away. My registration at the hotel was set to expire at 8pm Friday, September 7. We hurried to the police station to transfer my paperwork to the apartment, but we ran into some problems. It seems as though we were missing a form or signature, I’m not really sure as the whole 30-minute debate was in Russian. After several phone calls and finally speaking to a supervisor, they gave me a temporary registration letter that allowed me to stay in the flat over the weekend, as long as we agreed to bring the missing information first thing on Monday. Talk about a cultural experience!

Мой Дом (My House)

As soon as I walked in, I fell in love with the place! It was built in the 1950s and has thick plaster walls, wood floors, a big living room, bedroom, sun patio, bathroom, a separate room for the toilet, and the coziest little kitchen I’ve ever seen! But the very, very best thing is the tiny washing machine “Candy!” Good-bye nightmares of doing my laundry by hand for the next 10 months! Also, it’s only 2 short blocks from the university, which will be heavenly once the winter gets here. I couldn’t ask for anything more! (but if you'd like to see more photos, go to "my photos")

Welcome to Grodno!

After spending the day exploring Minsk with another instructor from my host university, we made the 3.5 hour trip to Grodno. (If you need a map, look in "my links.") We left at 5:00pm so there was still plenty of daylight to illuminate the landscape, which looks very much like Nebraska but with more forests. I noticed right away that Belarusian drivers are a bit crazy! Our driver kept passing other cars and big trucks with only seconds to spare! Yikes! Rather than watching the road, I decided to chat with my colleague and look out the window. When we arrived in Grodno, we found Ludmila Sereda, “my keeper,” waiting for us at yet another hotel. We had a late dinner and a glass of wine to celebrate the beginning of my Fellowship. The next few days were filled with introductions, tours, and the most important task, finding my apartment.

My In-Country Orientation (Minsk)

After sleeping for almost 12 hours, I had my official in-country orientation on Wednesday, September 5. The Embassy driver picked me up and in a few minutes we arrived at the Public Affairs Section (PAS) building. It was great to finally meet the people I had been working with over the summer. I even got to chat with the U.S. Ambassador to Belarus! I had lunch at the Embassy café and then had my “security briefing” that afternoon. After filling out some paperwork, I was left to use the internet at the Information Resource Center. I chose to walk back to the Hotel Minsk (it's the last photo below) to get a better look at the city. I spent the rest of my evening relaxing and watching Russian television. BTW, the decorations were for Minsk's 940th birthday celebration.

My Flight and Arrival

I left San Antonio on Monday, September 3 at 11:55am and flew to Washington, DC, then Frankfurt, Germany, and finally to Minsk, Belarus. I arrived on Tuesday, September 4 at 2:00pm. Belarus is 8 hours ahead of Central Standard Time, which means my trip was 18 hours long! The airport in Minsk is quite small, with only 4 or 5 gates. I made it threw customs, immigration, and purchased my mandatory health insurance without a hitch ($85.00 for one year). To my surprise most of the people spoke English, although I did use my very first “spasiba” (thank you). Someone from the U.S. Embassy was there to greet me and all of my luggage, which also made it without any problems. So far so good!

My Last Few Days in the USA

Thanks to my family and friends who sent me off with love, and one final Tex-Mex feast at La Fonda! An extra special thanks to my Mom and Dad who let me, and all my stuff, take over their home as I prepared for my trip. And thanks to Néstor Alexis, Néstor Rafael, and Javi who sent me off with a surprise gift that I was not allowed to open until I was flying over the Atlantic. I waited until I was well on my way to Frankfurt and was very happy to find a photo album inside! Tears came to my eyes as I knew how special these pictures would be during my trip.