Lesson from Cucumbers

Sorry I've been lax on my promise to keep this blog updated. I've been busy at home, getting packed up so I can move back to Columbus. For now, I want to share one of the lessons I learned while in Russia.

When I first saw whole cucumbers (orguzi in Russian) in a Moscow grocery store, I was rather taken aback. I knew that Russians are kinda big on cucumbers; however, these looked strange to me. They were short and quite bumpy, not like the long, smooth vegetables I'm accustomed to. Several thoughts went through my head. Are these really cucumbers? Do I eat them the same way? Will they taste funny? Despite my love for cucumbers in general, my uncertainty kept me from buying these odd specimens for weeks upon weeks.

The last week we were in Moscow, we had a picnic with Russian students, and the mysterious orguzi appeared as part of the meal. I tried a few slices, and they tasted fine. That Friday, I finally purchased a pack of five little cucumbers at the store, treating them just like I would an American cucumber. They were, in fact, delicious. I berated the fact that I had been too scared of the unknown to enjoy these vegetables sooner, especially since that Friday we suddenly had to pack and evacuate Moscow, leaving all our "fridge food" behind--including orguzi.

What I did with the Russian cucumbers is something I think we do a lot with people. We meet someone on the street that doesn't look like us, doesn't act like us, maybe doesn't even smell like us. Let's be honest about what we think. Is he really from the same planet? Can she think like me? Can he have anything in common with me and my friends? The fact is that people, like cucumbers, come in many varieties. That doesn't change the fact that we still share the same kind of struggles, desires, and needs. The packaging may be different, but we find, perhaps after a bit of digging under the skin (not literally!), that there is in every person something that we can understand and relate to.

(P.S. Russians classify the cucumber as--believe it or not--a berry, and sometimes use it in jams. So I was told.)

HOME!

"I like to be in America
Okay by me in America..." (West Side Story)

The week in St. Petersburg was great, a good chance to relax and be actual tourists before heading home. We flew back on Saturday. We flew from St P to Moscow through Aeroflot Russian Airline, then switched to Delta and went from Moscow to New York, then to Columbus. Three airplanes in one day--a little much, but I survived. Unfortunately, my luggage moved a little slower and didn't arrive till yesterday, when it was delivered to our house around 6. So now I"m mostly unpacked and starting to reflect. Here's a few things that I'm getting used to again.

--Humidity
--Tap water
--Air conditioning (a little too much)
--A room full of possessions, instead of just a suitcase
--Overly cheerful TV commercials :D
--Being in the same time zone as my sister, even if we're in different places
--American currency

I'm also getting used to the changes--a tree in our yard is gone, my dog's having back problems and moving slower, some of my friends have changed their life plans in ways I don't know yet, and I'm still figuring out what American news I've missed.

I miss the beauty of St Petersburg and the freedom of walking or metro-ing around the city, visiting different places (and having money to explore new eateries!), but it's really good to be back with my family. I had a good weekend in Columbus and got to see a few friends and visit my church there, and now I"m chilling a lot and enjoying Mom's home cooking. Soon I'll need to start preparing to move to an apartment in Columbus. Back to life...

I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of reflecting over the summer, and I would like to continue this blog by sharing some of what I've learned from it. So stay tuned, if you'd like.

Unexpected Turn of Events

I'm in St. Petersburg.

The heat and smog got so bad in Moscow (it was like being by a campfire all the time), that our group leaders decided to move us out of the city and go to St. Petersburg. We took a night train Friday night/Saturday morning, and arrived at 2:30 on Saturday. It took about 12 hours. We're staying at a hostel, and I think we're taking a bus tour of the city today. The train and the hostel are interesting experiences--a lesson in communal living. I'm realizing how much I value personal space, but I'm hoping I can develop the patience to adapt to the situation. St. Petersburg is a lovely city with a lot of history. We will probably visit the Hermitage, which people say is as good as the Louvre, and also other sites and possibly an imperial palace (I hope).

What I miss, what I like

Miss: Peanut butter
Like: Fresh, flavorful bread

Miss: Air-conditioning
Like: Roadside stands, especially the one that sells blini (!)

Miss: Barbecue
Like: Borscht

Miss: Home church and college friends
Like: Experiencing a new type of church and meeting people there

Miss: my laptop
Like: Doing more reading (partly in Russian)

Miss: coffee
Like: new flavors of tea, like Keemun and rosehips

Miss: Room to just ramble around
Like: The metro

Pictures...

...are on Facebook--finally!

It's been an intellectually stimulating week. I got soem Russian books that I'm working through on my own, and I've developed a decent method for getting through them. I'm enjoying that. I'm reading a short story by Chekhov, a famous author, and also the Gospel of Matthew. I was surprised to find that the books of my Russian New Testament aren't in the same order as the books in my English Bible.

Each week we have a lecture in Russian on part of Russian history. They've been really tough to understand, and I though this week's was going to be awful because it was on WWII and tanks. But it was great. The professor talked about tanks to illustrate the differing mentalities of the Germans and Russians durning the war. He went at an easy pace, and I actually followed it and understood the main points! Yay! Understanding is such a great feeling.

Russian superstitions and customs

It's bad luck to leave an empty bottle standing up.

If you see a wedding, it's good luck.

Don't hold a conversation or give something to someone over a threshold; it suggests the severing of the relationship (Maria reminds me of this everytime she drops something off at my room)

If you leave home and have to come back for something, glance in the mirror.

If a knife falls, a man will soon come; if a fork falls, a woman will come.

Don't give flowers in even numbers and don't give yellow flowers--these are only used for funerals.

If you find a coin lying face down (with the value not showing), pick it up for good luck.

Living the Moscow High Life (for a weekend)

Well! I had what I would call a rather classy weekend this past week. Saturday evening we dressed up and went to the Bolshoi Theater, a very renowned theater in Moscow, and saw three ballet performances. I was rather unclassy and bought 7-Up instead of champagne (but it came in a glass bottle). The ballets were very nice, although I don't think I'll remember much detail from them. I did get pictures of the theater, which is lovely.

On Sunday I ventured out on the metro by myself for the first time and made my way to St. Andrew's, an international Anglican church. I stayed for the worship service and was warmly welcomed by people afterwards--at one point I had several Americans around me giving me their phone numbers "in case I ever need anything." It was so good to be back at church--I felt almost like I was home. Afterwards a British lady that works at the embassy invited me out to lunch and an American lady joined us. We went to a rather expensive place where I had beef stroganoff. I learned a lot from the two women about life in Moscow. I'm looking forward to going back to St Andrew's.

Sunday evening the OSU group went on a boat ride on the Moskva River. We had dinner, paid for by our program fees. I had salmon shashlik with baked potato and vegetables, borscht, and fresh apple juice. Fresh, frothy, expensive, and incredible apple juice. I felt rich. I also took some very nice pictures from the boat. I'll try to put them on Facebook at some point.

This weekend we're going outside Moscow to Vladimir and Suzdal, two ancient Russian towns. Should be interesting.

What's new in your life?