Greetings from Vladimir, Russia which is just over 100 miles from Moscow. Vladimir is pronounced: Vladeemur with the accent on the "dee." The Vladimir Hotel room has hot water and lace on the pillow cases. Both the phone and TV work.
We've been touring around today to the various historical sights. The churches here date back to1150. There are no pews in the churches. People stand in the middle of the floor for the entire ceremony. The churches I saw were mostly filled with older women wearing scarves. What is the word for grandmothers? Babushkas. I was scolded for taking a picture inside the church.
We visited a summer camp about 20 minutes from Vladimir located in a wooded area. The children lived in large dormitory type rooms. Everything looked spotless. We watched a presentation with music, dancing and singing. The kids stared at us and seemed genuinely interested in the "visitors." The mosquitoes were supersized, and the food and people delightful. And I've had huge, colorful caviar both days! The camp director hosted a private dinner party for us with tasty food. I wonder what the children ate that night? No vodka yet, but I'm not in a hurry.
Will someone who lives close to us please call Tom and ask if he is making Dan change his clothes everyday? I haven't been able to sleep much since I've been here, just can't get settled down to fall asleep.
We visited the historical town of Suzdal yesterday, full of wooden churches from the12th century made without nails...because nails were too expensive. Visited a working monastery and it was fascinating to see how hard the nuns worked at such a basic life. They cut and raked the hay by hand. Makes you think about how complicated we make our lives.
Today we biked around Vladimir with some older Russian teenagers. What is so clear is the transition the country is going through from the Soviet system to Capitalism. There are plenty of stores, supermarkets, and shops. We had our focus group meeting with kids and adults today about recreation/park opportunities in the city. Took notes so I can write a paper about it later.
The bikers took us out for ice cream and cake afterwards. The food continues to be tasty. There are many courses beginning with soup, appetizers, salad, and then a meat dish with some kind of starch. Then dessert. I also like the beer a lot, but the caviar has slowed down (maybe we'll have some tomorrow since it will be our last day before going to Moscow).
Our young 25 year old guide (as well as our colleague from ISU) explains that there are few work opportunities for kids in the summer. Everyone is looking for work, and parents seem to trump their kids when it comes to employment. So there's nothing to do but hang around, smoke, drink beer and get into trouble. That's why we are here to see what leisure opportunities exist...or don't.
We came to Moscow today. We'll be here for the rest of the trip. Walked everywhere - to the Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, Gorky Park. Arriving at Red Square was emotional. After reading The Russians and The New Russians by H. Smith, it's so hard to imagine how resilient the Russian people are to go from one extreme to the other (Communism to Capitalism).
Our Moscow guide is probably in her mid- to late 50s so she has really felt the effects of the transition more so than our 25 year old guide in Vladimir. Although, Yelena, the 25 yr old talked about how her parents (who are my age) were just settling into their working years with everything changed. She told me how her mom really appreciated women's fashion with the arrival of capitalism. The older guide says that many of her generation and older wish the old system were back in place where jobs and salaries could be expected. But she also enjoyed the more openness of the culture.
Tomorrow we'll tour the Kremlin, and Karen Hasara (former mayor of Springfield) has asked if we can tour the Parliament. Dad and Mom, Karen all attend the jazz festival in Hilton Head every year with her husband, Gerry. She says he organizes the Jazz Sunday Breakfast in Springfield...they live in Savanah during the winter. They even know jazz cornetist Eddie Polcer! And our Russian guide from Vladimir, Yelena, worked at a camp in NE PA and spent her evenings in Hancock. Such a small world.
Made it home last night at 11 pm. Had 3 good flights. It was a wonderful trip. Russia gets a bad rap in the media what with Yuko and the recent murder of the American journalist. Russia seems safe and welcoming to foreigners, especially Americans. While still in the midst of the transition to capitalism and there are definite economic challenges. Still, there's lots of road construction, sidewalk/painting projects, and building construction going on everywhere. The parks we visited have little money. Before perestroika (or "reform") in the early 90s, the Soviet system had parks with many amenities. They were a great source of pride. Today parks receive little funding from local governments so they must be creative in finding ways to raise money for their park employees. Vandalism is a real problem. Good news is that the majority of park directors and sports directors we met love their jobs and are enthusiastic about everything from skateparks to disc golf, and anything else. They love providing citizens with opportunities to enjoy their family/friends in outdoor and sport environments.
There was plenty of alcohol available. Open container prevails, with teenage boys walking around or riding a bus with a pint bottle of beer. From what I read, Gorbachev disliked alcohol and encouraged beer over vodka back in his day...maybe he thought the lesser of 2 evils? Still, it is a problem that Russians themselves discuss. The life expectancy of men is 58 years (largely due to alcoholism and smoking), and for women it's 70.
Marta and I concluded long before we left Russia that Yelena "made" the trip for us. This young woman is a skilled translator who knows how to navigate the bureaucracies of government. As we found ourselves in large meetings with TV cameras and reporters, Yelena handled it all with skill and finesse. Beyond the many appointments she made and the translations she did for us, she took us in and shared with us her life, her culture, and her dreams.
It's nice to be home!
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