My First Family Part I: Votkinsk and the Daicha - Journal Entry #5
Slideshow of All First Family Photos

Saturday, August 5

I am now at the home of my first family – Andrey and Tatiana’s. They have 2 children – Ivan/Vanya who is 17 and Alona who is 15. They are all very into music – the two kids are very rock/punk looking with long (Vanya) or dyed (Alona) hair. The parents even too though. They have a home theatre system which is completely awesome – taking up an entire wall – probably 12 feet across. I watched part of a Bee Gee’s concert (Live By Request) with Andrey last night and then “The Langoliers” TV movie with Tatiana as well – God what an awful movie. Worst I’ve seen in a long time.

In the daytime Tatiana took me out to see some of the city and to shop for souvenirs. At the second shop we visited there was even a shop assistant who spoke English who definitely wanted to sell me everything in the store – she was very nice though. Unfortunately it was overcast and rainy the whole day so I didn’t get many pictures – I think I took 4. Oh, I also got my passport back from Svezhy Veter, but had to pay 900 rubles for the registration – seems like kind of a rip off, but whatever.

The drivers around Russia are extremely aggressive by American standards – I am not so bothered – since I am a fairly aggressive driver myself – but I can only imagine how Tirzah or Lafcadio or someone would react. There are haphazard lanes that people just sort of drift in and out of, pedestrians risk their lives when crossing streets because no one stops or even barely swerves, and cars are continually passing each other when there is barely enough room to do so.

The family also has a cat, Frosia, who is just under one year old – she is absolutely adorable, very small though – probably less than half Mathilda’s size. It’s nice to be around a cat again though – I really miss my own. Frosia even has a similar temperament to Mathilda. She can be incredibly sweet, purring, kneading and nuzzling up to you, but also has a feisty, nasty side and loves to play, chewing and clawing on your hands and feet. She is so cute and fluffy though. I think Tatiana is surprised I don’t mind her rough play and doesn’t understand how it reminds me of my own cat.

So far all the food at Tatiana’s has been excellent – chicken and pasta with a mushroom sauce, eggs, bread, homegrown cucumbers, tea and biscuits, and last night very thin “pancakes” (NOTE: blini) – closer to crepes – and smoked sausages – Andrey put them in a pan, doused them with vodka and lit them on fire – it was very interesting to watch, and something I’ll have to try sometime...

Today we’re going to a smaller nearby town where Andrey is from – will see the local sights and get some fresh fish which will be cooked tomorrow night. Andrey’s parents I believe still live out there and I may meet them. I met Tatiana’s mother the first night I was here – Vanya and Alona were going to spend a night with her before a weekend camping trip from which Alona came back last night b/c she realized she was the only girl among probably 15 other guys – so she was at the house to pick them up. She was a very nice older lady – and made some comment about how maybe they could find a husband for me while I’m here.

Another note – Russians really like cucumbers – they are for sale everywhere and they are eaten like apples – smaller than in America though.

So today we visited Votkinsk, a city of about 100,000 where Andrey was born and where his parents still live. It is also the childhood home of Tchaikovsky. As Andrey said, “I was born there. Me and Tchaikovsky.” Or something along those lines. He is a very funny man and really likes to laugh. He and Tatiana are obviously still very much in love and are very sweet together. Their house is a work in progress – they bought it cheap and are fixing it up – for the past 2 years – Andrey refers to Tatiana as his very good friend or partner when discussing the work on renovating the house.

Anyway, today we visited Tchaikovsky’s home (right) and had a very cute 12 or 13 year old boy as our guide – he spoke no English or course so Andrey and Tatiana translated. Andrei’s English is not as good, but I can understand him most of the time. With us today were Alona and her cousin (Tatiana’s niece) Nastya. They are very cute – as scared to speak English to me as I am of speaking Russian to them. Andrey says Americans speak very fast – I tried to explain that I think all foreign languages sound fast – but maybe it’s true. I do feel like I speak fast sometimes – but when I try and speak slow to them I find it harder to find the words. Strange.

At Tchaikovsky’s house there was a wedding ceremony (apparently a popular location for them) and another in the “queue” as Andrey said. We got to watch it – very interesting even though I didn’t understand much – and I was very lucky to see it. Andrey said I think that it was the first time he had seen such a traditional ceremony.

After that we went to a market to buy fish – 3 were purchased and remained in the car for the rest of the day until they were cooked in the evening – refrigeration is not as much of a concern here and I think it’s good I’m not a typical spoiled, paranoid American. I can accept seemingly less hygienic conditions easier than most. And I figure When in Rome – if they live this way and eat this way then there’s no reason I can’t as well.

Next we went to Andrey’s parent’s house/apartment/flat. A wonderful experience. The relationships Andrei had with his parents and they had with Alona and Tatiana were evidently very similar to at home – I could see my family in them and it was very comforting.

Andrey’s mother was a typical grandmother – very generous and wanting to fill everyone up with food – and what good food… a pie of sorts filled with meat and onions, a beetroot salad, a quiche of sorts topped with sort of mashed potatoes and a fabulous dessert of lady fingers covered with a sweetish sour cream mixture and bits of chocolate – absolutely delicious. I was stuffed when we left. There were also sweets and a candy made of sunflower seeds – very strange looking (a grey past clumped together, left) but very tasty.

I got to see photos of Andrey as a young boy/man and others in the family and Babulina gave me and Nastya each a loshka (spoon). A wonderful experience – did I say that already?

After that we went to the nearby very historic church (right) – about 16 km I think from Votkinsk – Andrey’s nanny apparently would walk from town to the church because she was such a “believer.” It was a very conservative Russian Orthodox Church – we had to wear veils over our heads (the women) and Nastya and I, who were wearing pants, had to wrap a “skirt” around our legs. We arrived right at the beginning of the afternoon mass – another stroke of luck – as Andrey said I got to see more in one day than he’s seen maybe ever. Another very interesting experience – listening to mass in Russian. We each then lit at least one candle, placed them in the holders and left. Alona and I each bought the same ring from the church before leaving – interesting for a church to have a “gift shop.” Selling icons, crosses, chains, books, etc.

Monday, August 7

Well yesterday I went with Tatiana and Andrey to see the oldest plant in Izhevsk (steel) and the gun factory next door. Only from the outside. The steel plant is 200-250 years old I think and the gun maybe from the early 1800s – it’s hard when your guides don’t speak English very well – I think I understand what they are saying, but then I’m not so sure. We walked down by the dam also (platina). The reservoir (they call it a pond or “prude”) of Izhevsk is apparently famous because of its size and there are ferries that take people out on tours.

After looking around the dam/plant area for a little while, we drove out to the summerhouse (daicha or "the garden," right) where Tatiana’s parents are living now. Another very interesting experience. I was shown the garden (very extensive) and the house. In the “attic” Andrey showed me his collection of records (LPs he insisted on calling them). He had MANY and many had Russian covers – i.e. with Russian language printed instead of English. Very cool. It was fascinating to me to see the Scorpions, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Pink Floyd albums with Russian print. Very very cool. Andrey is SO into music, it’s astonishing to me.

After the record collection we ate lunch – noodle soup with bread, tomatoes and raspberries (malina) with sweet sour cream (smetana) for dessert. Absolutely delicious, but one of the raspberry seeds got stuck in my tooth which caused me to rub my tongue raw trying to get it out. Very frustrating. We also walked down the lane and through the forest (starting to sound like a song) to a little swimming/fishing hole (left) where Vanya and Alona would swim when the water level was higher. A very picturesque little place.

After this visit we returned home – oh with a stop at the meat market – extraordinarily fascinating – people slopping meat around, poking, prodding and handling with ease. Tatiana would feel and examine the piece of interest to make sure it was good, it was put into a plastic bag and money was passed back and forth – no concern at all given to the meat covered hands – yet one more example of how removed we in the US are from our environment. Here they touch their food (oh – also when eating and rarely are napkins used) and pick berries and mushrooms from the forest. Everything isn’t sealed in plastic waiting for you beneath the fluorescent lights of a supermarket.

Anyway, at home we began to prepare the pelmini – basically raviolis – Andrey ground the pork and beef that Tatiana hand picked and she prepared the pasta dough. Their friends Misha and Maya and 4 year-old daughter Masha came over for dinner and helped to fill the pasta with the meat. A fun and very communal way of making dinner.

Before they arrived though, Andrey showed me his music collection here at the house – all MP3s on discs. Very impressive. He has a wide variety of musical tastes and I know thinks of my taste as too narrow and very inadequate – always saying, “You don’t know… You don’t know…” and sometimes shocked when I wouldn’t know an English band. All in good fun though. A lot of his music I would like to incorporate into my own small collection.

After dinner Tatiana played some on the piano and I took pictures of Masha with Alona (who came home while we were eating) – Masha was so cute – she kept talking to me expecting some kind of response, but I had no idea what she was saying. Tatiana tried to play some Beatles songs (which we also listened to while preparing and eating dinner – which also included 4 shots of vodka – since pelmini MUST be eaten with vodka – with Tatiana and Andrey).

After Misha and Maya left, Andrey played more music for me off his computer. Music is definitely his passion. We finally all retired around midnight.

I woke today at 10ish and met with Nadezhda (the teacher I corresponded with before coming to Russia) at 11. We took the tram into town, bought a map – with the public transportation routes indicated – and went to see her school and classroom. I feel much more comfortable with Izhevsk and the people here after today, but also a little more homesick and ready to see California again – especially after watching “Sideways” with Andrey and Tatiana this evening. Very strange to be watching a movie taking place in California while in Russia. I love my home though. Today I had to explain – or try to – why I (and many people) live in the Bay Area when it’s SO much more expensive than the rest of the country.