A Petersburg Tragedy

This post is brought to you by the word скандал (skan-DAHL), meaning “scandal.”

On Tuesday, I went to a СКА game (aka SKA – Piter’s local hockey team). It was a big rivalry match between glorious Piter and crummy old Moscow. If you’re the discerning type, you’ve figured out by now that СКА didn’t do so well. Lost, in fact. 5-4, Moscow. Though a disappointing end, it was an exciting game, since СКА came back from behind to tie the game in the 3^rd period, surviving overtime but eventually losing in a shoot-out. Hence, the tragedy.

However, several cool things happened to me before and during the game that were good enough to be blog fodder. The first involves dinner. Deciding to eat out before the match, I figured a suitable restaurant was Papa John’s. (In case I haven’t mentioned about the ambience of pizza joints here in Piter, please take note that places like Papa John’s and Pizza Hut are sit-down restaurants that play soft jazz, have coat trees and serve wine.) The pizza I had was called a “Mexican Pizza,” which only deserved its title thanks to its stingy sprinkling of jalapenos. The waitress, hearing the order, looked moderately worried and said, “It’s very spicy.” To which I wanted to say, “That’s kinda the point.” Instead, I grinned behind her back and decided that Russians are wimps when it comes to spiciness. And, indeed, I don’t think they had a single packet of crushed red pepper in the entire restaurant. It would probably burn the Russians’ tongues out of their faces…

After pizza, I decided to order dessert and bought a carrot cake. Yes, at the same Papa John’s. I thought it funny to be eating carrot cake at a Papa John’s in Russia, so I took this picture:

After dinner, I went to the game and sat in beside the СКА cheering section. Indeed, at both СКА games I’ve been to, there has been an entire portion of the stands devoted to a mass of well-organized СКА fans. I’m pretty sure you have to audition and prove your loyalty to СКА by getting a tattoo or a brand to be able to sit there. They have two gigantic flags in bold СКА colors (white, blue and red), they cheer in perfect unison and they even have a marching band drummer. It’s intense. It was fun sitting next to them, but I think I had more fun last time, when I was sitting beside the Moscow cheering section. (A section, by the way, thronged with militsia men and security officers. In my assessment, they’re there to prevent СКА fans from committing murder.)

The beginning of the game was awful. I was about 70% convinced that the СКА players had shown up drunk, because they kept missing passes, slipping and generally reacting really slowly. They managed to clean up their skating in the 2^nd and 3^rd periods, but Moscow already had momentum. Before the game ended, I went out and bought an official СКА baseball cap (in Russian, бэйсболный кап, which is hilarious if you read Cyrillic) partially because I didn’t feel like enough of a fan without brandishing their colors and partially because I hoped my purchase would magically help them play better, which I like to think it did. They scored three times after I started wearing my hat. Maybe if I had also bought a scarf or something, they would have won.

My hat is more than just a fan item – it’s a St. Petersburg icon. Indeed, on the brim is the St. Petersburg skyline, with the most famous landmarks in the city center. I have been to every location pictured. Here is the glory that is my СКА cap:

From left to right: The Admiralty, The Bronze Horseman, an opening bridge, Peter and Paul Fortress in the middle of the bridge, the Horse Tamers of the Anichkov Bridge on the Fontanka River and St. Isaac’s Cathedral.

There and Back Again: A Tale of Two (Actually Three) Cities. Part 3.

Quick Stats: VIENNA

(Russian: Вена. German: Wien)

Capital of Austria.

Population: About 2 million.

Famous sights: Hofsburg Palace, Albertina Art Museum, Mozart’s House…and everything else in the city.

Opinion of sights: Spectacular.

Opinion of city: Good, but not for me.

While Poland is an EU country, it is a poor one, and a very Eastern one. Austria, on the other hand, struck me as being extremely Western and “upperclass EU,” if you will: wealthy, stable, friendly, clean and pretty. However, all the things that made it remarkable also made me uncomfortable.

Vienna is a beautiful Central European city with almost no bad side – which is I think why I didn’t quite like it, there. It seemed to me that everything went a little too smoothly for me not to remain suspicious. Maybe it’s simply because I’ve been living in a country that I affectionately describe as “functionally dysfunctional,” but when there is a seamless transition from walking on the street to getting into the subway system, and when transportation tickets are on the honor system, and when every building in the center of town looks like it’s still drying from a fresh layer of paint, and when there is absolutely no trash on the streets, and when strangers SMILE at you just because you are in their line of sight, I feel weird. I kept waiting for the other shoe to fall and all of Vienna’s misfortunes to come crashing down on my head, but nothing happened. Even the weather was perfect – more than perfect, actually, since the Saturday before I left, it was on the verge of being hot.

If you know me at all, you know that “things running smoothly” and “Kelsey” rarely hang out with each other in the same sentence. If there is something abnormal, uncommon and/or bizarre that can happen, it will usually happen when I am involved. I know, after two decades of experience, that “perfect” is not a viable descriptive word for reality. Apparently, however, Vienna did not get that memo. This weirds me out.

My feelings of “this city can’t be this nice” aside, I definitely enjoyed my time in Vienna. I particularly liked the Hofsburg palace, in which I saw the crown jewels collection, as well as the library of my dreams (think Beauty and the Beast library and Swan Princess library morphed together, and add a tasteful flair of 18^th century artistic expression).* I also thoroughly enjoyed the Noshmarkt, a half-mile strip of outdoor food/assorted merchandise booths. It was like a gigantic farmer’s market-flea market hybrid, with gorgeous colors, pleasing aromas and neat tchatchkes everywhere.

I do regret not eating sponge cake (invented by the Viennese) or strudel while I was there, but using the euro hurt both my wallet and my pride, and I was happy to save some for an airport lunch. I did have coffee, chocolate and cake, though, which is a definite must-try for anyone with Austrian travel plans. I can’t particularly say that I enjoyed Austrian food (which is basically German food) more than Russian food, but schnitzel is quite good, as is this bratwurst called a Bosner. I am rather biased, though, since I adore Russian food, Russian culture, the Russian language and Russia in general…

And speaking of my beloved Russia, I knew I was heading back to Piter when I got on the airplane in the Viennese airport. About 80% of the passengers were Russian, and this was evident not by their language, but by the totally inefficient and haphazard way they boarded the plane. There were people walking into each other trying to shove bags in overhead compartments 7 rows away from where they were sitting, people trying to change seats, people trying to find seats, people stopping in the middle of the aisle to take off their jackets, causing a pileup and general confused mayhem…it was so Russian. I was smiling (behind my magazine) the entire time. Also, half the men smelled like smoke. Again, very Russian.

Finally, I knew I had left Vienna behind when, as I got back into Piter and made my way from the airport to the closest metro, I discovered that the station was closed for repair, necessitating a 15 minute walk to the next stop.

Ah, Russia. How I missed you.

Favorite shot of the trip: Statue of Athena and other Greek gods in front of Parliament. (Nice, but our Athena in Nashville is better. Take that, Perfect Vienna!)

*Yes, Disney and Warner Brothers gave me unrealistic expectations of personal libraries. Sorry if their images don’t flood into your mind like they do, mine.

There and Back Again: A Tale of Two (Actually Three) Cities. Part 2.

Quick Stats: WARSAW

(Russian: Варшава. Polish: Warzsawa)

Capital of Poland.

Population: About 2 million.

Famous sights: Palace, Old Town, Warsaw Uprising Museum, Jewish Ghettos

Opinion of sights: Awesome.

Opinion of city: Awesome.

Warsaw really surprised me with how cool it was. The city was completely leveled (twice) during WW2, but they have rebuilt it (many thanks to the EU for the funding) and now it looks fantastic. The Old Town was rebuilt to look like 17^th-18^th century Warsaw did, with cobblestone streets, colorful cramped buildings and castle fortifications. The New Town was done in a more modern architectural style, but still has a very Polish reminiscent flavor to it, mostly because of the churches and monuments that abound throughout the city.

Like Russia, Poland very much remembers its past. Unlike Russia, it does not dwell on it. Monuments to Jewish persecution/execution almost litter Warsaw, but you don’t get the sense that the Poles feel like the wound is fresh. They honor their dead and the blood spilled to keep Poland free, but they are looking to the future in a way Russians don’t. But this is an entirely different blog topic…

I loved Warsaw because it had a delightful Eastern European flair, but it was Western enough that people were actually friendly, cars actually stopped when you were crossing the road, and you could get by with English. Yes, there was a lot more English in Piter than I expected (and in Moscow, as well), but if you sit down in a small restaurant in Piter and you don’t know Russian, ordering might be a challenge. In Warsaw, there were menus in English everywhere. The waiters mostly spoke some English, too, which was nice. (Polish, although a Slavic language, is very different from Russian. It doesn’t use Cyrillic, first of all – rather, the Latin alphabet. Many words are the same in both Russian and Polish, but unless you happen to catch them in conversation or decipher them on the menu, you’ll miss the cross-over.) And speaking of restaurants, the food I had in Poland was all very good. The first day we were there, we decided to eat at a place called “la Cantina,” which played ‘40s American music, was decorated like an Italian place and served me a pizza with bamboo and sesame seed toppings. In other words, it was a very Polish dining experience. Lol No, I did eat some more traditional Polish food, like pirogi, and was duly satisfied with my choices.

My favorite attraction in Warsaw was the Uprising Museum. In 1944, the Poles decided to fight the German occupation and take back their city. The uprising wasn’t really successful, but it was more of the principle of the matter, toward the end. In any case, the museum was possibly (no,definitely) the coolest place of learning and history I have ever been to. First of all, it was a three-storey building made to resemble a ghetto. The interior was lit more like a club than a museum – dark, with artistic, sporadic lighting. There was a steady thumping sound, which was simulated bombing runs. The exhibits were very well done, being both aesthetically pleasing and informational without being overbearing. Instead of having a bunch of dioramas or photographs, there were 3-D displays everywhere, including a full-sized replica of a B-17 bomber. Also, everything in the museum was in both Polish and English. Win.

Favorite picture of trip: Exhibit in Warsaw Uprising Museum. The lighting made it look like the old man was overseeing the execution.

There and Back Again: A Tale of Two (Actually Three) Cities. Part 1.

This post is brought to you by the word путешествие (poot-ee-SHESS-vee-eh), meaning “travel.”

Three months ago, I had never been outside of the U.S. Now, I have been to four countries and have delightful visa stampage to prove it. My latest excursions have been to Warsaw, Poland and Vienna, Austria. Before my travel week, however, I spent a few nights in Moscow. Thus begins my breakdown of each city:

Quick Stats: MOSCOW

(Russian: Москва)

Capital of Russia.

Population: About 12 million people.

Most famous sights (достопримечательности): Kremlin, Lenin’s Mausoleum, St. Basil’s Cathedral ( = Red Square).

Opinion of sights: Cool.

Opinion of city as a whole: ...It’s nice. To visit. If you aren’t going to St. Petersburg.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve been living in Piter for three months (there is a rivalry between the two cities), but Moscow is not better than St. Petersburg, in my opinion. Red Square was definitely cool, as was Arbat, a street quite unlike any other I’ve seen (think a ton of cool shops, street performers, curious attractions and art displays crammed into a tiny space), but other than that and a far superior metro system, Moscow doesn’t have much on Piter. The city sprawls out very far, so while there is a lot to do, you have to go a ways in order to do it. In Piter, everything is within a 10 minute walk from Nevksy Prospekt. That being said, Moscow, though it has twice as many people in it, does not feel as crowded as Piter does. Personally, though, I prefer cramming a lot of cool architecture, museums, attractions, stores and people into a smaller place. It makes everything more accessible. Also, Moscow does not have as many Teremoks as does Piter. This is a travesty. In addition, Moscow is the most expensive city in Europe. And it’s dirty. And Muscovites have funny accents. And it’s not PITER! Having been to a Piter-Moscow hockey game, my loyalty is forever set with СКА (pronounced “Ska”) – ТОЛЬКО СКА И ТОЛЬКО ПОБЕДА! *ahem*

I definitely enjoyed my time in Moscow, though. I was saddened to learn that Lenin’s Mausoleum was closed while I was there (they do that every once in a while to fix Lenin’s face…his corpse is about 90, so he can be rather high maintenance), but other than that, nothing was particularly disappointing. My favorite part was walking along Staryi Arbat and listening to all the guitarists. Actually, I bought two CDs from street musicians. One was playing a sitar. Very Middle Eastern sounding instrument. I like his music, and he was nice. I spoke with him in Russian, of course, and received the compliment of my dreams: “Where are you from? Oh, America? Your Russian is good; you sound like a Latvian.”

Favorite picture of trip: Orthodox church bathed in heavenly light.

I Got Me Some Religion

This post is brought to you by the word голгофа (gal-GOH-fa), meaning “Calvary.” (Comes from the word Golgotha, the name of the hill on which Christ was crucified…)

I haven’t mentioned this on my blog yet, but one of the biggest adjustments I’ve had to make this semester has been church – or, the lack of it. When I’m at school, I have church on Sundays, Phi Lamb chapter (my Christian sorority) on Mondays, E.58 (college Bible study now apparently renamed “The Point”...thanks for changing the name on me while I’m away, guys! :-P) on Thursdays, and a few other small group meetings throughout the week. God/church/fellowshipping with Christians is a big part of my life that has been sadly absent, the past couple months. To make up for not going to church every week, I have been listening to some podcasts that my pastors put on iTunes. (Don’t you love modern technology? I can listen to sermons preached in Nashville, TN while I’m chilling out in my soviet-chic St. Petersburg apartment.) For a long time, I thought I was the only practicing Christian in my study abroad program. (I ran into a couple believers, but they aren’t the worry-about-what-to-do-for-church-in-Russia kind.) Fortunately, however, I learned that one of my classmates was also looking for a church to attend, and I no longer felt like I was alone in a sea of religiously indifferent peers.

A couple of weeks ago, I remembered that my college campus minister had some contacts that could get me in touch with missionaries in St. Petersburg. I asked him to pass along my info through the proper channels, and the next week I received an email from a missionary who wanted to meet me. Turns out he and his family live across the street from me. Also turns out that there are a bunch of other missionaries living in my neighborhood. Круто (cool), as the Russians would say.

The family that lives across the street had my friend and me over for dinner one night, chatted with us and told us about different churches on our island that we could try. (Also, their adorable 5-year-old daughter drew me a picture of a pink castle with a moat and a karate-man and pirate as guards. That’s one well-guarded castle.) Church buddy and I went to one of the recommended churches this past Sunday and were very happy with it. It was a Calvary Chapel (one of 3 in the city, apparently) and it was taught in both Russian and English. The pastor was Russian, and after every phrase or so he would stop to let the translator interpret for us. The songs during worship were completely in Russian, with the lyrics on a screen, but were translations of songs I knew in English. I really liked the Russian-English mix, because I could work on my comprehension while still understanding everything that was going on. It was good for my tongue, ears and soul. ;-)

Aside from the translation, which was cool enough as it was, the text of the sermon was the book of Numbers. Yes, you read that right. The entire book. In case you don’t usually go to church, most pastors will either preach sermons on a theme (like Forgiveness, Giving, etc.) and reference Bible verses pertaining to the theme, or they will read through a passage of scripture verse-by-verse and talk about modern-day applications of principles learned. This Russian pastor did a bit of both and a bit of neither. He basically presented the entire book of Numbers by talking about important themes and stories in the book and relating it to real life. We’d read a few verses in a particular chapter, then skip over a few chapters to the next big part in the story. It was Numbers, but the Cliff’s Notes version. This style of teaching enables people to get a good gist of what the book is about, and it also means that the church can get through the entire Bible relatively quickly. (My church back at home is sort of doing the same thing, but we’re going verse-by-verse, so it’s much slower. We’ve been in the book of John for 2 years, almost.)

I liked the whole book overview, though I think I prefer the in-depth exposition of my home church. Nevertheless, I’m happy with Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg and I plan to go back there for the rest of the semester.

Speaking of religion in general, as you know, Russia is nationally Eastern Orthodox. This means that there are a ton of churches, cathedrals and monasteries everywhere, and plenty of people frequent them. The thing is that religion here is more cultural than personal. After the fall of the Soviet Union, an entire nation lost its identity. In seeking that identity, they turned to the one thing that had defined Russia for thousands of years: Orthodoxy. That didn’t mean that Russia experienced a massive wave of Enlightenment-esque evangelization, however. It simply meant that people went to church because it was a label they could give themselves and it was inherently Russian. (Anecdote: My host mom said that “many years ago,” people would go to church simply because the church could give them bread and other material things. I don’t know how long ago she meant, but I’m guessing she meant the Soviet period, maybe during the stagnation of the 70’s.) I think the church still plays a part in modern Russian culture, but not really in politics. Unlike in America, where grassroots Christian organizations and the Religious Right lobby for political changes, the Orthodox Church mostly stays out of the Kremlin’s business, or so my professor once told me.

As a point of interest, President Medvedev’s wife is apparently a very religious woman. She constantly sponsors projects to restore cathedrals and is seen going to church often. She is known for her faith, and is seemingly well-regarded, according to my Grammar professor and my host mom – two opinions I know I can believe in. *wink*

Until next time,

Katya