May Day

Today is May Day, which is a widely celebrated holiday here in Russia with workers taking 2 days off, enjoying time at their dachas, having barbecues, parades, and generally enjoying their official beginning of Spring after a long winter.  In addition to Spring, it is their Labor Day.

Naturally being in Russia, there was at least one small political demonstration going on.  We took the kids and walked toward the square thinking we were going to see a parade, but soon realized we were way early.  There were at least  hundred police officers (seriously) surrounding the main square and very few people.  The only reason they let us in the square was because we were with children, so said the guard.  Russians favor children, which is a good thing.  At the end of the square (all Russian cities have huge squares), there was a communist rally.  The kids quickly became bored with that and probably with us telling them to be quiet and not to speak loudly in English, but we found it very interesting.  There was a man holding up a picture of Lenin and one holding a picture of Stalin.  They were shouting chants of returning back to Socialism and booing capitalism and wishing for times when their apartments were given to them, and they didn't have to pay for their own electricity.  Most of the small crowd appeared over the age of 65.

It was a strange experience, yet thankfully this was only the beginning of our day.  After feeling completely paranoid at being surrounded by the watching eyes of the police officers, we decided to grab the kids' bikes and go bike riding in the park.  At this point we also saw the parade from the bottom of the hill and realized we had just missed it.  The park painted a completely different picture of May Day.  People were sitting around park benches with their juice, beer, and sandwiches visiting.  Parents were walking around with kids buying ice cream and balloons, playing in the park, and generally enjoying themselves.  Even though jackets and coats can still be seen, Spring arrived today in the minds of the Russians.

watching the soldiers walk through park

Fall in the Air

In America, it is Labor Day and summer weather is still upon you.  Here it is the beginning of Fall.  The past 2 days have been nothing but windy and rainy with cooler temps.  The Russians say there will be a "Baba Leta", like our Indian summer.  One of Scott's fellow coworkers says that this is the season for Russians to be depressed as they think about the winter encroaching.  He also called it "Jarring season" as all the Russians busily take the harvest from their summer dacha and can their vegetables so they will have food for winter.  It is in many ways a very agrarian society still.  Even though many or most people live in the cities now, they still depend heavily on their dachas to provide their produce.  It is hard to find good fresh produce in the supermarkets here.   Even at the market, I hear ladies telling the sellers that they don't need the parsley, carrots, cucumbers, whatever, because they have enough at their dacha.  We have been fortunate in that several folks have shared their abundance with us.  Also there is a man who has been coming weekly to Scott's office to bring fresh produce from his dacha for sale.  I have never seen such large zucchini and squash before coming here.  Scott says it is because of the long sunlight hours during the short summers. 

All the zucchini are this large. 

C3 lining up all the tomatoes.

 September 1, also known as the Day of Knowledge, in Russia is a large celebration for all Russian schoolchildren as it is the first day of school.  1st grade or 1st class as they call it here begins at age 7.  Students graduate after the 11th class and either go to work, the army, trade school, or university. In addition to the usual school supply frenzy and new clothes shopping that accompanies this season in America, the Russian kids take this up to the next level in dressing up in suits for boys and fancy shirts and skirts for girls sometimes with large white bows.  They are expected to bring flowers to their teacher.  The first day of school is a big photographic opportunity for parents along with balloon releases, speeches, and general celebrations.  We were planning to walk across the street to view the festivities but because of the rain we watched from our window.  Our American friends, who are missionaries here, allowed me to post a couple of their kids' first day of school pictures so you could see what it looks like.

Cultural Rules in Russia

1. Do take your shoes off inside someone's house.
2. Don't smile on the street.
3. Don't be friendly to a customer in a store, restaurant, post office, etc.
4. Do tell children to be quiet in public (if you are a stranger to them).
5. Do yell at said children in buses and on streets for doing things they aren't supposed to be doing (and aren't even aware they aren't supposed to be doing them).
6. Do allow your children to go to the bathroom wherever they please as long is it outside.
7. Don't open the windows even if it is 90 degrees outside. The breeze might make children sick.
8. Don't drink while you are eating.  Only drink before you eat.  It is bad for your health.
9. Do allow children to run around outside in just their underwear at preschool in the summer heat, including girls.
10. Do not smile when getting your picture made.

Just a few from my own observations to share :)

Another cross-cultural experience

Did I mention in my last post that the Korean people are friendly? It wasn't just in the hotel but everywhere on the streets. They always smiled, acknowledged the children, even wanted to take pictures with our daughter. If Korea is super-friendly, Russia is the antithesis. No one smiles at us (unless they know us). Hardly anyone greets us on the street except in a situation that follows. Instead of cute looks at the children, we get stares and then without fail the question comes. "Are these ALL yours?" "U vas detski sad!" (You have a kindergarten!) Yesterday I was with the kids eating an ice cream on the street. This lady approached me and asked me from where we came. She then proceeded to look at each of the children and ask "Are they all yours?" Then more looks. Then "You have four?!" Then she walked away talking to her friend.

Today we all went to the Wal-mart size grocery store to stock up on food supplies for the week. Hubby was waiting outside with 3 of the kids, and I was in line with C4. First, I should say that Russia is mainly a cash society. We have used cash almost exclusively since arriving until last week. Hubby was given an ATM card last week and has just begun using it. I do not have one, and have never used his. Since I did not have enough cash, he gave me the card and quickly told me the pin. Of course, by the time I got to the checkout, the pin had slipped my mind. So when I handed the lady the card, she handed me the pin code pad and asked me to plug the pin in. I replied that it was my husband's card, and I forgot the code. Couldn't I just sign it? (like you can do in the States - either use it like a credit card or ATM card) She replied that no, I had to sign it. I then told her again that I forgot the pin and needed to find my husband who was outside. I told her I would quickly go find him. She replied why can't you just call him? To which I replied that I do not have a phone with me. At this point the checkout lady and the lady behind me became very impatient and rude with me. They were both yelling at me in Russian and told me to hurry up. There was absolutely no grace extended to me whatsoever. The lady behind the checkout acted like she was there for me to serve her own needs. Customer service? A novel concept. What was I to do? I ran off to find hubby and did not return. I took 2 of the children and ran off in tears. At this point I was visibly upset and in front of the children as well. The children were wondering why Mommy was crying, and there was nothing I could do. It is really a helpless feeling. I was immediately reminded of the foreigners in our own country and how we treat them. Do they receive similar treatment, especially those that don't speak English well who don't know all the customs and cultural rules? It was a good opportunity to remind the children of how we should treat foreigners in America. I sincerely hope that this lesson will not be forgotten by me for one. It is really a horrible feeling. And unfortunately in Russia it has been one of several times when I have been treated this way. Americans are not perfect of course. But I do think, that at least in the South, generally we are more hospitable to outsiders. I know it was the case in South Korea.

"Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be a foreigner, because you were foreigners in Egypt." Exodus 23:8-10

"The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:33-35

Getting Adjusted

It has been a while since my last post.  As we are adjusting to life here, the days rush forward.  While the US is having a heat wave, we are experiencing what the locals describe as a very unusual June.  There have been 2 days in June that I might describe as hot.  The high was probably in the high 70s.  The other days have been wet and rainy or cool,  but mostly very pleasant.  When I say "cool", think mild Southern Alabama winter day.  Last week it rained every day. I was beginning to think we weren't going to see the sun again, but it made an appearance today.  Along with the sun came the children playing in the playground.  For people who are accustomed to harsh winters, you might think that a little rain or damp weather wouldn't prevent them from playing outside.  Quite the opposite, the children all but disappeared last week while the rain and cool weather came through.  Yesterday we were wearing coats and hats.  Today the kids are back in shorts, t-shirts, and light jackets.  It really is quite a contrast from muggy, hot Alabama summers.   I fully realize we will pay a price for such pleasant weather when winter weather arrives in the Fall.

Since my last post, we have been slowly making friends.  Unfortunately, C8 had found a good friend in a little boy named Roma.  Then one day he & his Mom did not come out to play.  That was a week ago, but we think that he might have gone on vacation to their Dacha for the month of June.  Russians are very fond of their "dachas" or summer houses.  This is where they grow their vegetables and escape from city life when the harshness of winter has past.  The kids spent yesterday with an American missionary family with 4 small children.  They had a blast!  Their Mom & I enjoyed a long English conversation.  We even share the same anniversary day & year!  Today at the park I met a Russian lady named Victoria who has 4 children.  This is very rare here in Russia.  Not only does she have 4 children, but she was trained as an English teacher in their university system.  Her English is out of practice but very good.  She lives in our courtyard, although for some reason it was the first time I have seen her.   I met another woman named Marina today with a precious 10 month old boy.  Her Russian is very understandable, and she told me about a Russian friend of hers who lived in Alabama several years ago.  So she knew exactly where Alabama was! 

Russians are culturally wary of foreigners.  I suspect this might particularly be true in parts of Russia where there are few foreigners.  The good thing about being a European American is that we blend in with the people around us walking down the street.   I say this because not everyone is friendly once they know you are not a native Russian speaker (which doesn't take long in our case!). 

If you think of us, pray that the kids & I will both be able to make significant friendships here in our neighborhood.

First impressions

I haven't written because it has just been so busy, and because blogger was down for 2 days for posting. When Scott first came back from Russia he alluded to feeling like he had walked through the wardrobe from Narnia. It does feel a bit like "Narnia". It is just so different from our life in the States. People are still people, and so in that regard things are the same. I will attempt to give you a glimpse in somewhat of a list format

What do I see?
People walking everywhere
Children playing in the courtyard
Tall apartment buildings
City lights
Grass-lined boulevards
Entry gates to every courtyard
Young mothers pushing baby strollers
Large potholes sometimes 10 feet deep in the streets
People sometimes staring at us with our 4 small children

What do I hear?
Cars all through the night
Buses
Car alarms
Squeals of children playing
Russian speakers everywhere

Yesterday we decided to meet one of Scott's coworkers and his Russian wife, Tanya, at one of the largest department stores in the city. There is a large grocery store on the bottom floor. We put on our jackets and hats, walked several blocks, caught a bus, rode for a while, and then walked a couple more blocks to the store. I did some grocery shopping while Daddy took the kids to the top floor for an ice-cream treat. The kids love all the treats. In every grocery store, there are rows of candies, fresh cookies, pastries, breads, and all sorts of yummy delicacies most that you will not find in the States.

Labor Day in Russia

Today is a very important holiday in Russia.  Russians celebrate Spring & Labor Day on May 1.  Actually they celebrate it May 1, 2, & 3rd which explains why it takes 7 working days for a 5 day visa to be processed.  The government will be on holiday Monday & Tuesday. 

In Soviet times May 1 was celebrated in Russia as International Workers' Day and saw massive Communist Party rallies. In 1992, the name was changed to Spring and Labor Day but it still remains a national holiday.
About 1.7 million people are expected to take part in holiday events across the country, including demonstrations by the ruling United Russia party, the Communists and trade unions, the ultranationalist LDPR Party and the liberal Yabloko party. ( excerpt from en.rian.ru)