Happy Halloween!

On October 30th and 31^st, I went to school dressed like a witch and carried my glowing jack-o-lantern through the hallways (that's me on the far right). Keep in mind that people don’t celebrate Halloween in Belarus, so you can image all the strange looks and stares! One energetic, creative class threw a Halloween Party and they invited me to join them! It sure felt nice being with other people in costumes, if only for an hour. After the party, I entertained several other classes by sharing what I know about the holiday’s ancient origins and its modern day celebration, including a slideshow with photos I had collected from my family and friends. The students loved seeing how we celebrate Halloween as it’s hard for them to get a grip on how big the holiday really is for us. I imagine it does sound quite strange to them: people dress up like dead people and monsters and decorate their homes, schools, and offices with skeletons, ghosts, witches, spiders, and black cats! I had a great time and was enjoying all the attention until I started to walk home. In addition to spooking countless unsuspecting people on the street, I managed to spook a stray dog who growled and barked at me all the way home. Luckily, I was able to cross the street and hide in a crowd of people who were walking my direction. I made it home in one piece, but it sure was a creepy Halloween experience! I’ll post more pictures under “My Photos.”

Get Off the Bus!

With highs in the 40s F, it was definitely time to buy my winter coat. I met my friend Света and we headed for Рынок Южный, which means “southern market.” It sounded like an easy enough task... but just getting to her apartment was an adventure! After my morning class I hopped on bus #8, punched my ticket, and found a seat near the window, just like any local would do. Or so I thought! After a few stops, everyone got off the bus and I was left alone. The bus driver kept repeating something in agitated Russian and somewhere around the third time I realized he was talking to me! I finally got the clue and got off the bus. The only problem was I had no idea where I was… as I reached for my phone to call my friend I saw another bus approaching with #8 attached to the front. “Close call!” I thought to myself as I hopped on the bus. “But wait a second? Am I on an aftobus or a trolley bus? Does it matter? Didn’t someone tell me that the aftobusses and trolley busses have the same route numbers? Yes, I’m sure they did… but wasn’t the bus supposed to turn left at that circle? Why don’t I recognize any of these buildings? Oh no… why I am the only person on the bus?” This time the driver only had to repeat himself two times before I realized I was at the end of the line and had to get off once again with my tail wedged firmly between my legs! I had really done it this time, I was at the edge of town and it was freezing cold. Thank God for cell phones! I called Света and in my broken Russian I was able to sound out one of the signs across the street. It only took me 10 minutes to walk back to the traffic circle I should have turned left at where I found my friend waiting for me. In a few minutes we were on yet another bus at which time she explained to me that I should always check the busses for a sign that says “To garage!” And that the trolley busses and aftobusses don’t have the same routes after all... Note to self!

At least my shopping experience was successful. It took awhile, but after trying on about 20 different coats I finally found “the one.” BTW, don’t tell PETA, but everyone still wears real fur here. You know the saying “When in Belarus, do as the Belarusians!” Besides, my fur zips off so I can hide it once I get back to the States.

A Slice of Life

Yes, this is a nice photo of Sovietska Plaza with the blue sky and cathedral in the background, but if you take a closer look it also reveals many interesting things about Belarusian culture.

First, this is a Catholic church, which is a big deal considering Belarus is 82% Russian Orthodox. Grodno, my city, is very interesting because it has belonged to many different countries throughout its long history, which began in 1128. In recent times, Grodno belonged to Lithuania which used to include Poland, until it was annexed by Russia, which later became the Soviet Union. Today it is finally part of an independent country, Belarus, which means White Russia. This tug-of-war has been going on for centuries as the territory marks the division between the East and the West. As for religion, the West means Catholic and the East means Orthodox. If you travel to Eastern Belarus, you won’t find many, if any, Catholic churches. But as Grodno was recently part of Catholic Lithuania/Poland, many people are of that faith today. Also, many people have family and friends across the border, which is only about 15 km from my flat. (For a map go to “My Links”)

Second, do you notice that the women are carrying shopping bags? They are a necessity here as most stores do not provide them, or if they do, you must pay for them. Also, many people shop at huge, open-air markets and they definitely don’t have shopping carts!

Third, it is very common for women to walk arm-in-arm, like the women to my right in the photo. It’s a symbol of friendship and is also a great way to stay warm.

Fourth, see the woman on the left edge of the photo? Take a look at those boots and skirt, and this was a cold, windy day. I’ll do my best to post more examples of Belarusian fashion and footwear…they really are in a class of their own!

Fifth, in the background there is a man sitting on the bench, he is wearing a brown jacket and is just to the right of the lady in boots. I don’t know if you can see this but he is pouring himself a beer! This is also very common in Grodno and it is quite legal. In the evening you will find many groups of friends hanging out in the plazas and parks drinking beer and listening to music. The police don’t seem to care as long as they don’t see bottles of hard liquor. Also, as far as I know Belarus doesn’t have a drinking age. And if they have one, they sure don’t enforce it.

Finally, Belarus is an extremely clean country. Aside from a few stray beer bottles, I hardly ever see any trash or leaves on the streets or smell anything yucky. I noticed the cleanliness my first morning in Minsk and found the same thing here in Grodno. I was very impressed to see people sweeping and raking leaves at the crack of dawn! I later learned that the government hires people to keep things tidy. Another interesting thing, I often see people using old-fashioned brooms made from small branches, just like a witches broom. Sometimes I can hear the scraping noises outside my flat in the early morning. Maybe I can borrow a broom for Halloween? :-)

Note: If you want a better look at this photo, just double click it.

Name This Fruit

Does anyone know the name of this fruit? I didn't until my landlord's father (Yevgeny) brought me a big bag of them. It is called a quince and is very common in jams and preserves. Yevgeny has a quince tree at his "dacha" and they are in season this month, hence the gift. A dacha is a small piece of land just outside of town where families have their own vegetable gardens. Most people also have a small cottage so they can spend the night, especially during planting and harvest times. The majority of my friends' families have a dacha, although many young people try to avoid digging in the dirt... much to their parents' dismay. There is a good chance I will visit my friend's dacha this weekend, as her parents are always looking for extra helpers :-) So I will post some dacha photos soon. About the jam, as most people have their own gardens many people still make their own preserves and can vegetables for the winter. My coworkers were quite surprised when I told them I had no clue how to make my own jam! Also, even though most people live in huge blocks of apartments, they still have root cellars in the basement where they can store veggies during the winter. If you want locally grown, natural, organic foods without paying Whole Foods' prices, then come to Belarus!

Back in Business

I have great news! At this very moment I'm connected to the Internet with DSL!! No more snail-up for me! And the best thing is that I can start to use Skype!! Now I just need my printer to arrive (it's in a box somewhere between here and Texas) and I'll really be back in business.

What a Surprise!!!

A few nights ago someone knocked on my door around 8pm, when I looked through the peep hole, I saw a man holding some flowers. "He must have the wrong apartment," I thought as I opened the door, "and how in the world will I explain this to him in Russian?" But when he said "Kelly" with his Russian accent and I saw my name on the form, I was in shock. "Who could've sent me these flowers?" And there was more, a box of Belarusian chocolate, which is quite good, and a bottle of champagne too!! I immediately opened the card and discovered that this awesome gift came all the way from Texas, from Néstor!! Too bad he wasn't here to enjoy the champagne with me, which I also opened immediately! It was Friday night you know... So all you men out there, just remember that you can send your lady flowers or chocolates or champagne anytime, for any reason, no matter how far apart or close the two of you are. I have proof right here...

The Heat Is On

The Belarusian government finally decided to turn on our heating system! They fired up the furnaces on Sunday, which are located on the outskirts of town, but the heat didn’t reach my flat until late Monday night. The system uses pipes filled with hot water, so it took awhile for the warmth to make the journey into the center of town. No, I didn’t make a mistake in the first sentence . . . the government has 100% control of our heaters. In fact, if you get too hot the only option is to open your windows! The whole thing is a little hard to comprehend for this American-bred girl, but as the overnight lows have been approaching freezing, I could care less who controls my heat as long as they keep it cranked up. Right now it’s a balmy 21.8 C in my room and I’m no longer tethered to my space heaters, which were a major nuisance as if I plugged in any other appliance at the same time my power went out. “Balshoy spasiba” (big thanks) to the people stoking those fires!

The American Corner

The American Corners project is a partnership between the U.S. Government and Belarusian libraries. The project was launched in 2001 by the U.S. Embassy to make information about the United States more readily accessible to Belarusian citizens. There are currently 12 corners in Belarus, including mine which is located in the Grodno Regional Scientific Library, just across the street from GSU university. Elize Ozheshko, a famous Polish writer, used to live in the house that was converted into this small library. GSU and the American Corner are located on Ozheshko Street, in her honor. An interesting fact, during WWII (or the Great Patriotic War around here) it was called Hitler Street. Every Sunday afternoon, I provide a free English Conversation Club to the local community. The club attracts a variety of people all of whom want to practice their English, learn more about the United States, and share their culture and life experiences. I really enjoy the people at the American Corner as we have developed an intercultural approach to our meetings, which means I am learning a lot of interesting things about Belarus too. Check out my photos under “American Corner.” I will add more as the year progresses.

Teachers' Day

The first Friday of October is Teacher’s Day in Belarus, and many people celebrate all weekend. I started the festivities on Friday night by having a late dinner with my friend Света and two of her friends, who just happen to be teachers. As we nibbled on our food, we shared a bottle of champagne, and exchanged stories about our lives and cultures. How nice to be invited into someone’s home and to share such great conversation! Around midnight we took a taxi to a local disco, and I got my first taste of Belarusian nightlife. Unfortunately cameras were not allowed, and they even searched our purses. Once we were inside I figured out why…every hour or so there was a striptease act! Now that’s not something you see at the clubs in Texas. The bars stay open until 6am here and they don’t have last call, they serve drinks all night! The music was awesome so we danced into the wee hours, and needless to say I slept until almost 1pm the next day. I managed to make it to my Russian lesson around 4:00pm, and on the way home the skies darkened and it started to pour. I spent the rest of the night relaxing and enjoying the sound of the rain.

The sun was shining Sunday afternoon as I met another group of teachers at the local pizza place called Рзтро (Retro). The pizza is quite good, different, but good. Also, wine is served by the gram here. One way around this is to order a beer, which is what I did. One funny comment made during the meal was that my English was quite good! Everyone started laughing as I am a native speaker! We had been talking about the differences between British and American English, and how some Americans slur their words. Anyway, it was nice to hear that I’m a good articulator. Toward the end of our meal, when I was politely trying to eat my last slice (doggie bags are an American thing), I was informed that it was Zhana’s birthday and we were going to her place to celebrate. I was more than willing to go…one more invitation to visit someone’s home and on such a special day! When we got to her flat, there was another huge spread of food! When the Belarusians start to eat, they don’t mess around. Of course we took a short break of about 1 hour, then we sat down and started eating and drinking once again. The food was delicious, we even had Belarusian-style taco salad! It was close to the real deal except for the missing tortilla chips, which they don’t sell here. Despite being full, I somehow managed to taste everything. Did I mention the desserts? And have you ever heard of this phrase “Two teas to 222”? Like if you were ordering room service? Everyone thought this was the funniest thing. I had to add that I thought the Russian word for “here” (тут) pronounced “toot” was pretty funny too! This is what happens when you mix a bunch of language teachers and few bottles of wine. Anyway, by the time I got home I could barely move…but what a great experience! Teacher’s Day, or weekend, is one holiday I plan to bring home with me.

My Field Trip

On Sunday, September 30, I went on my first field trip. We took a tour bus and visited three different places. The first was an Orthodox church that was celebrating its 600^th birthday. The crowd, which included some well-known priests from Poland and several camera crews, was so big that we never made it inside. But I was content to explore the fair-like exhibition surrounding the church and enjoy my first experience of traditional Belarusian culture. Next, we visited the monastery of Zhirovitchy, which was founded in the 15^th century, and is still one of the main centers of Orthodox education today. As it is still quite "orthodox," women are required to wear scarves over their hair and skirts, which must fall below the knees. Luckily, they had some extras we could borrow as you will see in the photos. Another highlight of this stop was the “holy water,” which was free for the taking provided you had your own bottle, or you could buy some for 50 cents. The monastery also has a small "gift shop" and several kiosks that sell religious icons and literature. I was impressed with the crowds of people waving their money and trying to push their way to the front of the lines. The Orthodox monks (and their wives as they must marry when they come of age) sure know how to make a buck, I mean ruble, or two! Our final stop of the day was a sacred spring-fed pool, only a few kilometers from the monastery, which is said “to cleanse you of your sins.” The pool is located inside a small wooden, roofless building, and once again there were crowds of people waiting to get inside. They took turns, men then women, as to get the full effect, it’s recommended that you bathe in the nude! (Hence, the lack of photos). Also, you’re supposed to submerge yourself three times while reciting a special prayer that is conveniently posted on the wall. It was getting late and rather chilly, and I had no intention of taking a bath, especially when I discovered that the water was quite pungent and cloudy to boot! Although in my best cross-cultural fashion, I did wash my hands and splash my face, you guessed it, three times each! There is one more thing, you have to let the water dry by itself, no towels allowed. What an adventure! See for yourself in "my photos" trip #1-3.

My First-Year Students

I started teaching the week of September 17^th and so far the students have been great! They stand up when I walk into the room and call me Ms. Graham, imagine that. For the most part they are quite expressive and many of them are very fluent in British English, even the first-year students! It is common for students to study English before they come to university, and some of them attended special language schools. All of my classes so far have been called the “Practice of English,” which is a fancy way of saying English Conversation. The good thing is that I don’t have to teach grammar, grade papers, or give exams. The bad thing is that each week I have new students and new topics, basically I just take over other teachers' classes. So I never get to learn all of their names, or get to know them very well. Although some of them are anxious to hang out with me and I’ve already made a few friends. My plan is to take a photo of each class, look under "my photos."