My First Family Part II: Life in Izhevsk - Journal Entry #6

Tuesday, August 8

Today was a day of relaxation. I woke at 10 – which seems to be my regular time now – and sleep at midnight – eat at 10:30 and am ready to leave the house @ 11. But today there was no plan with Nadezhda until 6 – when I had to meet her at her office downtown – or in the center of the city rather – there is no “downtown” per say. So I spent the day hanging out at home and reading Lolita – it’s an incredibly fascinating book – and it intrigues me that Nabokov wrote in both Russian and English – the former earlier in his life and the latter later (latter later – first time I’ve ever written than I think). I wonder which language he preferred.

After reading till 3:30 or so, I ate an early dinner (plof – a rice, meat and vegetable mixture with Turkish or Tatar origins – very good) and went with Tatiana to Andrey’s work where he let me use the internet for almost an hour – was able to get some financial stuff straightened out for which I was grateful – also checked my fantasy teams… Yahoo not doing so well… oh well. Then took the tram (alone for the first time!) to the center to meet Nadezhda and 2 of her students – Nikita who is 20 and Nadezhda’s daughter’s boyfriend – who recently began living with them also – and Olga, who apparently I will live with at the end of August.

Oh, yesterday evening I went with Tatiana and Andrey to the train station and they helped me get my ticket back to Moscow on the 6^th. They were buying tickets from Moscow back to Izhevsk for their trip to Italy later this month I believe. I’ll miss living with them. As Andrey said, “We are a strange family.” I told him I was from a strange family also, maybe that’s why I liked them so well.

After the class, Nikita accompanied me home on the bus – first he had to give a computer disc to some friends waiting at Nevsky – the main cathedral in town – haven’t gone inside yet – hope to someday. All his friends (2 guys, one girl) were probably 20 or so as well. So young seeming to me now. Closer to my own age than the 14 (or so) year olds I was with earlier this trip, but still not close enough.

Wednesday, August 9

Today was very quiet – read more of Lolita and talked a lot with Tatiana – she said she understood practically everything I said today which was a big improvement from a week ago. That made me glad. We discussed families, marriage, singledom, war, education, etc.

After dinner I walked with Tatiana and Andrey to the house where they get milk – the residents own 2 or maybe 3 cows. An interesting experience and was able to see a little more of the neighborhood (Tatar Bazaar) – the nearby forest (planted by former residents) and many large rebuilt brick houses – standing like giants next to the smaller, old wooden houses/huts/shacks.

Upon returning we watched “Gladiator” – with Russian dubbed on top of the English so both were audible – very interesting also. I know that movie so well that even had I not been able to hear the English I could have followed along fine – and did sometimes try to listen solely to the Russian. In the middle of the movie Dasha called – she is a young woman who is the daughter of one of the women who works at Nadezhda’s office – the Oxford books office. Dasha also works there (NOTE – she didn’t, I was mistaken – she only went there everyday to use the internet) and I met her during my first visit there on Monday with Nadezhda. When she called tonight though (to ask me to go to a museum with her and a friend tomorrow) I was so confused at receiving a call from someone – and during a movie I was involved in as well – that it took me forever to even comprehend who she was. I will have to apologize to her tomorrow.

Thursday, August 10

Today I met with Dasha and hung out with her for a few hours. It was amazing to me to realize how much I missed not only hanging out with someone closer to my age (she’s 21) but with someone who can speak English fluently (she’d lived in Cyprus for 3 years and only returned to Izhevsk about a month ago). I didn’t have to slow down my thinking or speaking around her and it was nice to have that break. We went to the arsenal museum – a building that has been around as long as Izhevsk and housed the military weapons, etc. We saw basically a history of the Udmurt people in the area as well as the history of Russians here. It was interesting even though I couldn’t read the placards and information in each exhibit. Dasha translated some – and it was probably enough – there’s always too much information to read in those kinds of museums anyway.

Friday, August 11

Today, after meeting with Tatiana (teacher) here at the house to discuss what we’ll be teaching next week, I went with Tatiana (my “mom”) to the post office and the Kalashnikov museum. The first post office (small and close) was no help – apparently not all services are available from all locations – a new concept. So we went to the main central branch – have I mentioned how impossible it is to find post cards in Izhevsk? I suppose postcards are mainly an American fascination and few Americans come here…?? I don’t know how else to explain it. Long story short (b/c it’s late and I’m tired) after about an hour at the main branch (and 30 min. at the smaller office) I got Heather’s b-day card mailed (it will take a month to get there but it’s guaranteed! Ooh aah), bought 6 flower postcards and had them stamped ready for mail and bought 5 postcards that had to be mailed in envelopes – so bought 5 envelopes and had them stamped ready to mail and bought 3 postcards that can’t be mailed at all (by accident) – basically they are just stock cards w/ info on them. I’m sure I’ll use them/give them to someone… Anyway, all in all it was a very interesting experience that made me thankful Tatiana was with me and made me more fully appreciate the US Postal Service. Through wind, rain, sleet or snow. Or whatever.

After that trying experience (the most frustrated I’ve been since arriving in Russia) we went to the gun museum. An interesting place – even w/o being able to understand a lot of Russian. Horribly disgusting and utterly sickening, but interesting. I guess the motivation behind the factory – WWII and Hitler’s invasion – is understandable – to “protect the motherland” – but knowing that these guns then were mass produced and used in bloody, fruitless slaughters (Afghanistan and Vietnam for example) is very upsetting.

I didn’t bring my camera today, which was a mistake – I think Dad and Leif would have liked to see some images inside the museum – but even more so when Kalashnikov himself appeared to cut the ribbon on a new exhibit within the museum. An old man (born 1919), very short but dignified – he spoke a little (among many others) and was filmed by the local TV cameras – a perfect time for some once-in-a-lifetime photos… oh well.

Tatiana said she really likes going places with me b/c she always sees something she’s never seen before. Later, when we picked up Andrey from work and went to the grocery store, he said, “See, I told you that you were lucky! I’VE never seen Kalashnikov!” I told him that these experiences have been very strange for me – back home in CA I’m very UNLUCKY. He said, “Well maybe this is the place for you!” Maybe…

Dinner was leftover frozen pelmini (Russian “fast food”) to which Andrey jokingly commented that it was nice to have slaves – Misha and Masha and Maya and me who prepared them all the other day (he did as well, I have to add). He really can be a funny guy. I’m leaving on Sunday at 2 to go to Tatiana’s. I’m sad but also looking forward to meeting new people. Tatiana and Andrey said they would like to have me back during the winter. I’d love to – it’s just a matter of $.

Last night also Andrey put about 1200 new songs on my iPod. It wasn’t easy to share the other way b/c of how the iPod is organized, but I’m very thankful to have this chance to experience so much new music. No Bee Gees or Barry Manilow though. Or Sparks. I had to draw the line somewhere. Oh and tonight’s movie was “Star Wars – Episode 3.” All in Russian. Totally cool. But I missed Hayden and Ewan’s voices. Especially Hayden’s final passionately angry scenes. The Russian guy dubbing it just didn’t cut it. It’s raining now and I think I will go to sleep.

Saturday, August 12

It’s very late – 12:30 (I’ve been staying up far too late – that will undoubtedly change next week) so I won’t write much. We visited a couple of jewelry shops today – didn’t see anything that jumped out at me – then went mushroom picking about an hour out of town (me, Tatiana, Andrey and Tatiana’s sister Elena). Interesting experience mushroom picking – would never dare do it with someone who didn’t KNOW which were OK to eat though.

Got home and rested a bit – Elena and Nastya came with us back home and stayed for dinner – BBQ pork, boiled potatoes and cucumber/tomato/onion/garlic salad. I told Tatiana it was very similar to a typical American meal – which it was – only a better kind of salad. Elena’s other daughter – Alexandra I think – joined us later w/ her boyfriend Ivan/Vanya – a cameraman with the local TV station who we actually saw yesterday at the Kalashnikov thing. All very nice people. Walked w/ them to the main road where they flagged a taxi down. Misty and cold – first time I’ve thought so since being here. Then back home watched “The In-Laws” w/ Albert Brooks and Michael Douglas. An amusing movie. Tomorrow I leave. I’m going to miss Frosia.