Winter Retreat

Even though we’ve had a mild winter, it has been cold, dark, and dreary since the end of October. To help cheer us up, the Cultural Affairs Officer in Minsk organized a weekend retreat (2/15–2/17) for all the visiting Americans. We spent two nights at “Homestead Above the Neyman River,” a bed & breakfast located outside a small town called Berezovka. I made the 2-hour trip alone and waited for the rest of the group who were traveling from Minsk. They were caught in Friday afternoon traffic and then a nasty snow storm. When they finally arrived, we had a nice, Belarusian-style dinner and stayed up late talking and drinking wine.

On Saturday we visited the Neman glass factory in Berezovka. When Belarus was part of the U.S.S.R., this factory was the second largest in the country. I’ve seen a lot of Soviet-style factories, but this was my first experience seeing what was hidden inside. The factory is 125 years old, and once we entered its belly, it felt like we had traveled back in time. I was amazed that the majority of the products are still made by hand and that they let us get so close to the work stations. After our tour, we stopped at a small cottage to visit a local wood worker who, like most people in the area, used to work at the glass factory. I bought a small wooden vase made from local drift wood.

After a rest and another tasty meal, we drove to Lida, which is about 30 minutes from Berezovka. We tried to visit the Lida Fortress, but the gates were locked so we visited an Orthodox bazaar at the local community center. It was really crowded so we didn’t stay long, although I did manage to buy a scarf and listen as a few monks tested some new church bells. Next, we wandered around Lida and ended up at the Лидское (Lid-ska-ya) Brewery. I was happy as this beer is very popular in Grodno, and over the past few months I've come to know it well. Unfortunately, it was too late for a tour, but the bar was still open so we went inside to warm up. After a few beers, we walked back across town and returned to the bed & breakfast.

Later that evening, I had my first баня (banya/sauna) experience. It didn’t take long for someone to grab a bunch of wet birch leaves. The idea is to beat yourself, and each other, with the leaves to improve the circulation. It doesn’t hurt at all, but it sounds awful and leaves red patches all over your skin. I drank plenty of water and herbal tea, and when it got too hot I stepped outside to cool off. It was fun to watch the steam come off my body, but I don’t think it was very smart as I started to get dizzy from the extreme temperature change. I was saved by the dinner bell, and after a quick shower we all sat down for yet another big meal. Everyone was so relaxed from the sauna, and tired from the day's excursions, that right after dinner we called it a night.

When I woke up Sunday morning it was snowing, but after a few cups of coffee we decided to go for a walk. No one wanted to waste our last few hours trapped inside the house. We walked through a small neighborhood and then along the banks of the Neyman River. After our walk, we asked the owner, Valery, to play his гусли (goos-lee). This instrument is about 1,000 years old and sounds like a cross between a harp and a guitar. He was trained to play in St. Petersburg during Soviet times, and then traveled across Europe giving concerts. He saved his money, bought some land in his hometown, and eventually built the bed & breakfast with his wife Oksana.

After lunch, it was time for us to go. I took the bus back to Grodno and everyone else headed back to Minsk. The snow continued all afternoon and when I finally got home, everything was covered with a soft white blanket of snow. (Look under "Winter Retreat" for more photos.)

My Belarusian-style Birthday

I should start out by saying that I had a wonderful, cross-cultural birthday. Let me explain. In Belarus the birthday person is responsible for throwing his or her own party, which is the exact opposite of the American tradition. I’m just glad that I had almost 6 months to observe the customs, or I would've freaked out.

The festivities began at 1:00pm at the office. Zhanna met me at 12:30 to help me choose a cake, actually 2 cakes, one for the office and one for my dinner party. I had already purchased some caramel tea bags, plates, forks, and napkins, so I was ready to go. No one sang me happy birthday, but they did pinch my ears! The tradition is to pinch both ears one time for every year, ouch! My co-workers gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and then we sat down and enjoyed the cake.

After the office celebration, I went home to relax for a few hours. I was more than ready as I had been preparing for several days: cleaning the flat and then making several trips to the store. Remember that I do all my shopping on foot. I had to make one trip just to buy the wine and juice! To make my life easier I prepared the pasta sauce the night before, so all I had to do was boil the pasta, make a salad, and then slice some fruit, cheese, and bread.

My guests started to arrive at 7:00pm, and I promptly got my ears pinched 36 times! I only had one pinch at the office, so my ears were ready for the attack. This pinching is more for kids than grown-ups…they think the stimulation helps them grow…but it’s still a fun tradition. Everyone managed to squeeze into the living room around my small coffee table. I don’t have a dining room table and the kitchen is way too small for 9 people: me, Cbeta, Zhanna, Alena, Vasya, Irina, Olga, Anya, and Nadya. Everyone seemed to like my pasta dinner and we managed to finish 4 bottles of wine. And then there was the second cake…

I opened my gifts toward the end of the night, and everyone went home by 11:00pm. It was a school and work night after all. Looking back, it was a great experience, even all those trips to the store. I did miss blowing out my candles, but hey, there’s always next year. (Look under "My Birthday" for more photos.)

Mid-Year Conference: Kiev, Ukraine

My journey to Kiev began on January 30^th at 6:10am and included a 10-minute walk to the train station, a 6-hour train ride from Grodno to Minsk, a ride across Minsk on the metro, another 10-minute walk to the bus station, a 45-minute bus ride to the airport, a 1-hour plane ride from Minsk to Kiev, and finally a 20-minute taxi ride. Whew! It was almost 9:30pm when I arrived at the Hotel Ukraine and I was starving. Luckily, I spotted some colleagues and joined them for a late dinner.

The Mid-Year Conference began the next morning around 9:30, after everyone had made it past the U.S. Embassy security. We spent all day talking about how we could make our projects more sustainable, trouble-shooting common problems, and learning about other U.S.-sponsored programs. That evening the Public Affairs Officer and her husband had a reception for us at their flat. It was nice, but I didn’t get enough to eat so afterward a few of us went looking for a café. Kiev is a big, urban city and I assumed it would have a healthy nightlife, but every place we found had already closed at 10:30pm or was getting ready to close at 11:00pm! Once again luck was on my side as I had bought a few bananas and some water at the market earlier, or I would’ve gone to bed hungry.

On Friday morning the sun came out but we missed it as we were trapped inside the embassy all day. They even closed the thick curtains so we wouldn’t be distracted… no fair! At least the second day of the conference was more intriguing. We all had a chance to talk about our projects and several people gave formal presentations. It was really interesting as there were Fellows from the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine visited with us for about an hour in the afternoon, and then we wrapped things up.

Later that night a bunch of us went to see the ballet version of “Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov. My friends in Grodno had told me about this book, which was banned during Soviet times, so I was very curious. To the best of my knowledge, it’s a satire based on the devil’s visit to the atheist USSR and is full of cultural innuendo. Not knowing the story didn’t bother me one bit as the costumes, music, and sets were incredible. It was definitely not your traditional ballet!

Saturday was our only free day and of course it was cold and cloudy. A few of us decided to hang out together and do some sightseeing. We visited the Lavra, which is a Ukrainian Orthodox monastery founded in 1051. Many people call it a “city in the city” because there are several streets circling the old churches and monastery buildings. The highlight was going underground to visit the two “cave churches.” The monks used to meditate in these caves and many of their mummified remains are now on display. The bodies are wrapped in fabric but they are in glass coffins, and each has an oil burning candle hanging over it. My friends saw a few finger bones poking out, but I hadn’t looked that closely.

After a late lunch we went to St. Sophia’s Cathedral, which is the oldest surviving church in Kiev (1037). Nowadays, the church is a museum so we were able to walk around and explore. The inside is gorgeous as there are original mosaics and frescos that date back to the 11^th century. And I instantly fell in love with the color palette and patterns: rich terra cotta with deep blue and green accents. It felt so warm and cozy, and the golden altars and mosaics really stood out. Too bad cameras were not allowed, although I did buy a guidebook for $3 so I could remember the color combinations.

After a quick shower, it was back to the opera house for “Madame Butterfly.” We couldn’t resist as the tickets were so affordable ($10-15 USD), and just being inside the opera house was a treat. I wasn’t as impressed with the opera, but it was still a nice, cultural experience.

On Sunday, February 3^rd, it was time for another travel day. I managed to ride on even more vehicles on my way back to Grodno, which means I set a new personal record! Check it out and remember that I had my luggage with me the entire time: I walked a few blocks from the Hotel Ukraine to the metro, I took the metro to the train station, then a bus to the airport, then flew back to Minsk. Then I took the bus from the airport to the bus station, walked 10 minutes to the metro station, took the metro across town to the train station, waited around for 2 hours, took the 6-hour train from Minsk to Grodno, then finished the night with a 10-minute walk to my flat. I didn’t even have the energy to go to the store for milk, but went right to sleep.

Overall the trip was enjoyable, although I never had any free, alone time to walk around and take pictures. Everyone kept saying “You must come back in the springtime, it is so beautiful!” I wouldn’t mind going back as Kiev is a wonderful, ancient city. There are so many places to visit and I just scratched the surface. (Go to "My Trip to Kiev" under My Photos.)

A Puerto Rican in Belarus - Part 2

Once we decided to stay in Grodno, the fun began! We started the week off by throwing a party for my friends from the American Corner. Néstor and I spent all day Sunday preparing and our guests arrived at 6pm. Everyone seemed to enjoy the pasta with tomato and meat sauce that we prepared, and of course we had plenty of champagne and sweets, so everyone was happy. It was really nice to discuss life from three different cultural perspectives: Belarusian, Puerto Rican, and American. Highlights of the night included Néstor and me each singing a solo with the videotape rolling! We had no choice as the girls sang a nice Russian song for us and then promptly told us it was our turn! We tried to get out of it, but they wouldn’t have it. In case you are wondering, I sang "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer." And Néstor sang "He Renuciado a Ti" ("I Have Renounced You") by Jose Jose, to the delight of all the ladies! Around 10pm, everyone got bundled up to go outside. The snow was really coming down and we had a nice snowball fight: boys versus girls. Then Néstor and I made snow angels; this was another first for him. We were surprised that no one joined us, I guess it’s an American thing?

The rest of the week we spent visiting local cafes and restaurants, sightseeing, and hanging out with my friends. We slept in and stayed up late, after all we were on vacation! On Monday night, we visited a café called Несцерка (Nyé-stir-ka), which means little Néstor. Russian speakers love to use the diminutive forms of nouns, just like the Spanish ita and ito. How cool that Néstor’s name has a Russian equivalent. As far as we know it's a Greek name, so it must have migrated both East and West! Tuesday afternoon Néstor managed to get a photo of some local military men. We were walking down Lenin Street and we saw some young Belarusian soldiers. He asked Света to ask them for a photo, as fellow military men, and they agreed. BTW, all men, with very few exceptions, are required to serve for a short time (approximately 1 year). On Wednesday night, Néstor and I had a pizza at Ретро (Re-tro) and then went to my favorite disco and danced for several hours. It’s hard to find good house music in the States, so we soaked up all we could. On Thursday night we hung out with Irina, my Russian teacher, and visited two cafes. Our favorite place was Кронон (Kro-non). It only has 8 small tables, but it's cozy and the food is tasty, not to mention they have a nice selection of beer and wine. We fell in love with the sign hanging over the bar that says in Latin, “Truth in Wine.” On Friday night, we had a fabulous dinner with Света and her family, and Néstor really connected with her dad, Vladimir. Too bad his trip was so short, or the two of them would've gone ice fishing together. Maybe next time? On Saturday night, Néstor and I treated my friends to a night at the disco. We went the whole nine yards and reserved a table and ordered a nice dinner and drinks too. On Sunday evening my boss, Lyudmila, treated us to a home-cooked meal. It was fantastic! Monday night we had one last meal at Карчма (Karch-ma), and ate our favorite stuffed pork rolls with roasted potatoes, вкусный (f-koos-nih) yummy!

Time flew by and before we knew it Tuesday morning had arrived; time to head back to Minsk so Néstor could catch his flight back to Texas. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, so much so that Néstor wanted to say with me. He fell in love with all the Russian salads (I’m currently learning how to make them) and the Belarusian hospitality, or maybe it was that fur hat? ;-) If it wasn’t for his job with the U. S. Air Force, he’d still be here with me today…

(For more photos, go to "A Puerto Rican in Belarus - Part 2" under My Photos)