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."