James Clost's Journal Excerpts

3 March 2001,
06h30
... David picked me up at the hotel at 07h00 and we made it to the airport in time for me to board a fine Georgian Airlines Boeing 737 to Moscow. After a pleasant flight of around two hours, I landed at Vnukovo and made my way to the Traveller's Guest House, where I relaxed until suppertime. This was a pretty quiet night overall, went to dinner with two Dutch people staying in the room with me, and continued reading "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Jules Verne, an excellent novel by any standard.

4 March
Slept in today, bought my train ticket to Izhevsk and drank a couple of beers with an American guy who showed up in the room, returning from South Sakhalin. He barely made it through one beer on account of a nine hour flight that day.... Russia really is a huge country.

5 March
I left for Izhevsk on the train at 18h00 this evening. The ride itself was uneventful, comfortable (as usual) and I got some valuable practice in Russian with my opposite number in the compartment.

6 March
Well, I am now exposed to the reality of Russia outside of the major centres. Winter in Izhevsk is much like Canada, only somewhat more harsh..... perhaps this is due to the feeling that Izhevsk is more remote than what I'm used to. I often had the same feeling driving in winter from my army base in Petawawa to visit my family in Peterborough.

I was met at the train station by V.M. Bykov, who proceeded to show me around town a bit and then we stopped off at his flat where we remained for the evening. Vladimir's flat is quite nice by any standard, and he has all the conveniences (microwave, satellite TV) that you might find in any western home.

7-9 March 2001
I started attending the classes right away and my first impression is that the evening classes are very interesting. They include everything from beginners to advanced speakers of English.

The lesson starts with some grammar and vocabulary practice, conducted by Vladimir, but in which I play a part when needed (demonstrations and explanations on the finer points). This part of the lesson lasts for approximately 45 minutes which is followed by 45 minutes of group discussion in English. During this period, Vladimir and I go from one group to another and engage them in any sort of English discussion, current events, their lives, my life and so on.

Some of the students are shy at first, while others are very direct and ask lots of questions. Up to this point most questions directed at me have to do with my personal life but gradually we'll begin to talk about other, more interesting things. This concludes the formal lesson. Following this, I take any students who want to remain behind to a neighboring class and we can spend up to 45 minutes more talking about whatever we want, including a few grammar points from my handbook. This process repeats itself two times each night, seven nights a week.

The 8th of March
is also Women's Day in Russia and it's a great holiday for Russian women. Lots of gifts, kisses, candy, food, and rest. It's an interesting event which isn't celebrated in Canada, as far as I know.

10-12 March
Much the same as the previous few days except now I'm being invited out by students to do various activities with them. I went skating on the outdoor oval on the night of the 10th with Natasha, one of the 18 year old university students. We stayed for an hour and it was a lot of fun.... particularly since it turned out to be the last night of skating before the weather turned the ice to slush.

Even managed to buy some decent clothes today so that I can actually go to class someday without looking like a traveler who hasn't washed his clothes in two months. Besides, most of the students here are well-dressed and I, as a typical North American, am not.

Further to the classes, most of these evening students are university students or young people with daytime jobs. Out of the estimated 70-80 of them, I gather that a handful (maybe 10-12) are in my age group (late 30s).

The weather is still quite cold here.... although I've just arrived in Izhevsk, I'm thinking of those beautiful, warm beaches in Turkey, which I might be laying on in the near future.

Some words about School No 27 on Karl Marx Street. It's old, not big enough for all the kids and quite run-down. As far as I remember, even the oldest school in Canada that I attended was in better condition. Of course, money (lack of it) is a big problem here and I admire the teachers for their hard work. They put in long hours and put up with what I think are poor working conditions for very little pay. Teachers in Canada don't know how easy they have it.

On the 12th of March I'll be attending a class of particularly ill-disciplined students with one of Volodya's students, Sasha, who is also a teacher at School No 27. I can't wait for the experience.... The girl (Julia) who takes care of Volodya's website thanked me for my proofreading of the text associated with it. The English was understandable but needed a bit of correction - both lexicon and syntax. Once those changes are made, the website will be much more professional looking, particularly in the eyes and minds of native English speakers. I hope to help out as much as I can during the short time that I plan to be here.

12-15 March
Looks like I'll be meeting up with Marc in Turkey after I leave Izhevsk. My plan at the moment is to stay here for five weeks (till mid-April), go to Turkey, Syria and maybe Lebanon, return to Izhevsk on an extended visa for part of their trip to the Far East in the summer, then who knows what.

As for the present, I'm becoming more familiar with the students now, both young and old and they with me. This week has been pretty busy and enjoyable, but I'll slow my pace down a bit next week.

As far as the younger students go, my favourite class is the 9th grade with Tatyana Makarovna. These kids are really intelligent, speak good English, are well-behaved and in general, just fun to be with.

Anya and Olya are really nice, young women, they should become English teachers. The class with which I assisted Sasha two days ago was a bit chaotic with too many unruly kids. I helped Sasha with the lesson but really spent most of my time trying to discipline two or three boys who wouldn't stop talking and fooling around. Couldn't do too much as I'm not sure what I can get away with here but it was an experience nonetheless, a good one for sure.

In the evening classes, we've started to discuss many different things, other than my life, and I've decided to inject some other subjects into our free discussions. For example, I read part of Chaucer's General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales the other night. No-one understood much but it was done more to show how the English language has changed over the last six centuries. Some more contemporary readings might be of more interest, or some items off of the Internet. I'll see what I can come up with.

15 March
Went for a workout at the gym with Sergei, Alexei, and Dennis. After one set of leg squats (with much less weight than usual) I could tell that I better take it easy or I won't be going up the stairs tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that. The gym was pretty good and I was glad to get in there and use it.

I've been getting some emails from Andrea (from my TESOL course) asking if I want to come to Korea to teach immediately, but I had to say no as I committed to being here for at least a month or more. Those Korean jobs seem to be a dime a dozen so I'm not worried about it.

The roads in Izhevsk deserve a paragraph or two here. They are really the worst I've seen yet (up close). It looks like the city was shelled and they never bothered to fix anything. As for the sidewalks, well, there's at least 8-10 inches of ice on them which makes for tricky walking.... many slip-ups and sprained ankles I can imagine. As the snow and ice has started to melt, huge puddles have been created (big enough to send divers into), and with no proper drainage system, passing cars have become something you really have to watch out for.

19 March
Didn't go to the day classes on the 16th nor to the lesson at the pool today. Also skipped the evening classes on Saturday. I was busy for much of the weekend visiting with students and walking and talking with them. I've been getting enough invitations for extra-curricular activities to keep 10 people busy. I never knew that I would be so popular here.

Last night at the home of Tatyana was very interesting. A group of us including Volodya, Tatyana, Irina, Lena, Helen, Nastya and I watched a video of one of Volodya's trips to Egypt, which was quite interesting. We also had food and some beer and just talked about life. Tatyana has a very nice flat, and apparently her husband doesn't live with her any longer.

I also went swimming on this day with Sergei. I still can't figure out the female locker attendant in the change room. I heard the Soviet anthem on the radio this morning at 7am sharp.... just like the good old days. Some strange things are happening around here right now. First, the hot water disappeared. Nothing new there. But then all of the TV stations stopped broadcasting, and I can only find one radio station where yesterday there were 20. Who can explain all of this to me? Which reminds me, I'm getting anxious again for those Turkish beaches.... my restlessness showing through again. I'll stay in Izhevsk for another three weeks and see how things develop. I enjoy it here in Izhevsk but for some reason I can't seem to stay in the same place very long. Well, when I finally do leave this place, if I can maintain some sort of relationship (contact) with a few of the friends I'll have here, then I'll be happy no matter what happens.

Sent three postcards in the mail today. One to Nathalie, my old girlfriend, one to Stephanie, and one to Professor DeBardeleben, to whom I owe more than a postcard after my hasty exit from graduate studies at Carleton last year. I also decided to send one to an old army friend of mine - Ted Lewis. Haven't seen him in many years but it would be nice to hear what he's up to these days. 14h30 - it took awhile but the radio and TV stations have returned to the air. Volodya told me this might have been for routine maintenance but that they shouldn't have all been gone at one.

20 March
I moved to my new accommodation after the evening classes. It was a bit unexpected and I felt awkward leaving Olga's family without letting them know previously, after all, her parents have been very nice. Plus I forgot all about Olga's birthday today. I'll try to return later with a cake and some drinks, perhaps this weekend. As for my new place, Masha and her parents have a nice flat, in a relatively new building.

Her father (Kostya) has done well in post-communist times. They're nice people (as could be expected) and have all the creature comforts of any western home, although I've just heard news that shatters me.... the hot water is gone! I can't believe this, everywhere I've been in the former Soviet Union outside of Moscow and Petersburg, there are serious problems with the water. Oh well, life goes on.

21 March
This evening I decided to cut out of the classes early so I could leave with Sasha, who asked me to go home on the tram with her. I think she's a really sweet woman and quite attractive as well. She tries hard in the English classes but needs to practice more outside of the class. She showed me a letter she received from an American guy through one of the internet agencies that connect western men with Russian women. It was interesting..... I've heard that lots of North American guys use these services, but how many of them actually speak Russian and how many would actually show up in this country? Anyway, she gave me some little sweets and walked me to Masha's flat, then she was on her way home.

22 March
This morning, Kostya took me on a guided tour around Izhevsk in his car (a Volga). First we, visited an area outside of town where some materials from his factory are being used in building new homes. These places are nice and the most expensive of them was only $60,000USD. Expensive by Russian standards but not by mine. The same home in Canada might cost a quarter of a million dollars in the city. Then we visited a small village where none of the homes has hot water and all the toilets are outside. This is rural Russia.... poor people who can survive on next to nothing. I suppose if I visited the inside of one of these homes I'd have a better idea of how these people live....

Maybe I'll get the chance at some point in the future. From the outside, these small villages don't seem much different than the homes on the native reserves back home in Canada. Kostya has told me that apparently these old homes (the sections of them still standing within the city limits) were to be bulldozed at one time but as often happens with these kinds of civic projects, the money dried up and probably ended up in some politician's pocket. This is a serious problem in Russia but is more evident once you leave Moscow and Petersburg.

Volodya has promised to see what he can do for me as far as meeting Mr. M.T. Kalashnikov, the originator of the famous Kalashnikov Design Bureau. He lives here in Izhevsk, not far from the centre. Now I need to wait, however I'm afraid I'll be leaving Russia before anything happens on this matter.

23 March
Space Station Mir came crashing into the ocean just a couple of hours ago (around 08h00 GMT), and I was able to see much of the coverage on CNN and Euronews courtesy of Kostya's satellite TV. I really enjoy Euronews but they don't seem to have any on-air presenters which would be nice to see every now and then. The situation in Macedonia is worsening also at this time. After remaining an exception to the violence in most of the former Yugoslavia for the past 10 years, Macedonia has finally succumbed to rebel Albanian guerillas.

Other news of the day: · my RSP is going downhill every day as profit warnings are issued; · only spending $10-15 per week in Izhevsk; · snow disappearing fast in Izhevsk (thank God); · school shooting in the US (again); and · former (and last) leader of the GDR, Egon Krenz, back in jail.

23 March
Was supposed to be at Vera's place for dinner an hour ago but I simply could not find the apartment block. There are masses of flats in Eastern Europe and sometimes the numbering system boggles your mind. I looked for an hour but just had to give up, I was freezing my rear end off in the wind. After phoning and explaining, we'll meet again in two days for dinner.

24 March
Went to School #44 with Masha this morning for two periods. The teacher was named Natasha (really sweet-looking woman) and she spoke very good English. The first class was incredibly shy and only two or three students would speak with me and ask me questions. Natasha told me that the students were afraid (shy) and rarely (if ever) had the chance to speak with foreigners. The second group (Masha's class) was much more talkative and I got a better response from them. Natasha was happy to see me and I think I'll go back at least one more time, maybe more and I'll bring along some postcards from home.

The weather yesterday was f****** cold with high wind. I think I'll find some Pushkin on the internet and read it to the students in the next class.

25 March
I knew that this was going to be a busy day.... skiing, banya, and then dinner with Vera and Igor. Not to mention that the clocks were advanced one hour overnight and I forgot all about it, cutting my rest from 12 to a mere 11 hours. Skiing. After meeting with Sasha at her place we walked to the Lizhnaya Baza and met Nadia there. We got our equipment from the rental office and set out on our way. I used to be a good cross-country skier but it's been more than 10 years since I've been on them. That, and the fact that I had rentals made my first time back more difficult. Sasha was actually pretty good, she surprised me for some reason. Nadia was not bad as well.

I have to admit that I did pretty well, only falling three times, however, one of those times nearly caused me to break my left hand. It seems that I only suffered a slight sprain of a couple of fingers though (my diagnosis). I won't need any more body pain right now. It was a beautiful day for skiing and ironically it was the last day of the season for the trails to be open. I'm glad we went.

After some tea and some cakes, we headed to Sasha's place for some more cake. She lives with her daughter, her brother and his wife and their two children, all in one small flat. Her photos are pretty interesting, especially the ones where she's swimming in the sea and the one where she and her school-friends are posing with a nice portrait of Lenin in the background. I guess all schoolchildren in the USSR have such a photo taken. After finishing my beer, I was off for my first experience in the Russian banya. The Banya.

The banya was on the south side of town, and Kostya and I went there in his car. I never knew quite what to expect.... but it was sure to prove interesting. The Russian banya is like a big sauna, in three compartments. In the first, you get undressed. Then you head straight into the third compartment, which is very hot.

At this point, Kostya told me to lay on the bench on my stomach, after which he proceeded to beat my body with a bunch of fresh-smelling tree branches. This went on for a couple of minutes, then I turned over and the process repeated itself. After this we went to the second compartment where we scrubbed down with soap, washed our hair and took turns scrubbing each other's back. The whole thing seems a bit strange, but hey, this is the banya!

All that is left at the end is to dump pails of warm water over your head and head back into the oven for one more round of extreme heat, then a final rinse, stand near the door to cool off.... then on with the housecoat and into the house for a nice refreshing drink of kvas.

This drink, like many delicacies in Russia is the exact opposite of what we might consider refreshing in the West. It's made by somehow mixing bread and water and just letting it sit and ferment for a period of time. It's got a sour taste.... reminds me of the episode of "The Simpsons" where Homer buys the crab juice from the East European vendor in NYC.

When we think of refreshment, it's usually something sweet, the Russian palate is definitely different. The whole experience was a lot of fun.... definitely not for the slightly homophobic, and I hope to do it again before I leave.

Dinner. I finally found the flat of Vera and Igor on Voroshilova Street. They have a really nice flat, particularly for two young people in their 20s. We had a dinner of mashed potatoes, pilmenny, salads, with pancakes and jam for dessert. Most of the four hours we spent together we looked at photos of Igor's expeditions to the Caucasus (Elbrus), some of Vera's photos, and a lot of questions about me and my life.

Russians find their security in family and friends, having a home to call their own and from what I can gather, could never imagine doing what I'm doing.... quitting a $44,000 a year job, selling most of my stuff, basically giving up my old life to start a completely new one. There were other guests at dinner as well, Natasha and her husband Slava, who are the parents of another of Voldoya's students, Anya, who incidentally is the spitting image of her parents! After seeing the photos of the Russian Caucasus, I have a stronger desire to go there now.

Right now the radio is playing "Losing my Mind" by Liza Minelli and the Pet Shop Boys, a song which brings back memories of Rotterdam in 1990 when I served with NATO forces in Europe. Back to the dinner conversation, Vera is really eager to improve her English, she tries very hard, but Igor is more reluctant to speak to me in English, but that's natural.

As usual, the barrage of questions kept us all busy but that's what this is really all about, some form of cultural exchange. I wish that all Canadians would do such a thing at least once in their lives.

Finally, by 22h30 I had to excuse myself because I was simply exhausted from the day's activities. Got back to Masha's place at 23h00 and read a few pages of my book before nodding off for the night. It's now been three days since I've checked my email... will have to check it tomorrow to see if Marc has already booked his flight to Turkey or not. Time is really flying here in Izhevsk, been here three weeks already. Unusual for me to stay in one place so long.

27 March

It was snowing again last night. The weather in Izhevsk is certainly not the reason anyone would come here. Last night we (Kostya, Lena and I) watched an old Soviet-era film, produced in the last days of the USSR called Zavtra bila Voina. Great propaganda film about the days leading up the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Will have to get some of these films sometime, watch them at home (wherever that'll be). Lots of KGB, Komsomolets and do on....

Looks like Volodya has arranged for me to move again, this time to the flat of Kolya and Lena. Kostya has invited me back anytime I like. He's really a friendly guy and a good friend. Incidentally, both Kostya and I have sore necks, he says it must be from the banya but since it felt so relaxing, I'm not so sure. At any rate, neither one of us can turn our heads very far.

I also met with some of the 9th graders during this week for some English practice. They're on holiday for the week and have decided to do a few things at the school this week. We met at the school and spoke for about an hour, about nothing in particular. I also gave them a small word game to play, nothing too difficult just something different. I'm used to seeing Tatyana Makarovna at school all the time, but even during the holidays? Apparently, the teachers come to school even during this period, which to me shows that they are very dedicated.

Although, I must say that it might be better if they took a week off to relax at home and forgot about the school for that short period of time. Everyone needs a break. At any rate, after we finished our short English lesson, the students and I walked around town, to Gorky Park and then along the bank of the lake for a short while. Then it was off to home for awhile. I met Dasha's older sister tonight, Anya, who asked to meet me. She's only 17 but very pretty and speaks good English.

Anya, Masha, Kostya and I drove to Kostya's factory for a short tour of the place. It was a typical factory, noisy and smells a little on the bad side. In this factory they produce (among other things) lots of plastic bottles, styrofoam building materials and other containers. There was even a portrait of Lenin on the wall of the first floor. When visiting Izhevsk, you'd swear the Soviet Union still existed.

28 March
It is Dad's birthday today. I should email him later on. Snowing again in Izhevsk.... Turkey in a few weeks is looking better than ever now. I've never seen this much snow and ice this late in the year before. Of course, there seems to be more snow here than back home, but in Canada we remove much of it throughout the winter, making it look like less snow has fallen.

Went to Nadia's place with Sasha and spent an interesting couple of hours drinking tea and talking with them. We even played a few games of cards.

29 March
Went to a museum this morning with the 9th grade class.... an exhibit of 3D art which was very interesting. I had Masha and Dasha with me as well. Cold as hell today, blowing snow and at least -10C with the wind. End of March? I don't think so. Afterwards, we went to the internet cafe and for 70 rubles we used two computers for nearly an hour. In the afternoon, I went to the technical university with Katya and told the group of 17 people about life in my country and I gave a comparison of life in Canada and Russia. Not afraid to talk about the negatives in Russia anymore as they're so apparent after nearly a month here. The students had some questions for me as well, the usual ones which I am now quite adept at answering.

The Concert. The concert was held at the Palace of Culture - Metallurgist. Quite a nice hall on the central square. While waiting inside the lobby to enter the hall, a camera crew approached me for an interview and asked me what I thought of the performing group "Era", I said "nothing" and thus, the interview was over. I wish I could have contributed more (anything for that matter) but I had never heard of this group before. The concert began with some dancers (ballet), very good lighting effects and so on. Next act was a group of eight women who sang as a choir.... sounded much like "Enigma." After the intermission, the singers and dancers reappeared, only this time with an orchestra of some 30 pieces (all strings and percussion). The second part of the concert was nothing short of fantastic! I never expected to have an opportunity to see such a performance in Izhevsk. It was simply an outstanding performance and combination of lighting, dancers, singers, and instruments..... sent a shiver down my spine at times. I don't know for sure, but I'm quite certain that this entire cast of performers is on a shoe-string budget. Whatever the case may be, they sure made good use of everything on hand. With luck I'll find their CD on sale in a shop somewhere. After the concert, Olga, Sergei, Igor and I went back to Sergei's studio where he designs webpages for a living. He had asked me how he could find customers in Canada, so I promised to try to help him find out, at least get him in the right direction. We drank some wine and then I was on my way home via tram.

30 March
Lena seemed to be rather cold towards me this morning.... maybe I'm imagining it. It could be something else though, but then again Lena seems a bit eccentric at times. The girls (Masha and Dasha) are now asking me to play with them but this is a day of no games and no visits with students, just rest and relaxation. My comprehension of Russian has really improved during my stay. I wish I had come here earlier. Nothing else to write at the moment.

2 April
This is my third day with Kolya and Lena. They're quite young but have their own flat, in spartan condition. As with my other hosts, they're very hospitable. Kolya has a salary of about $500USD which is a lot higher than the average in Russia, so it's no surprise that he has a car and his own flat. The weather today was warm and rainy.

I also booked a flight to Istanbul from Moscow, leaving Moscow on the 10th meaning that I'll have to leave Izhevsk on the 8th by train. I want to come back but I'm afraid that once I get a taste of that warm Turkish sun, I won't want to leave again. I've told Volodya that I might not return. I also found out that an American woman will be coming here to do what I've been doing and it would be nice to at least meet her but I don't know if I want to stay another three or four days waiting for her to arrive. My plane ticket ony cost $125USD.... I just pray that I'm on a good airline. I still remember the hijacking of a Vnukovo Airlines jet on its way to Moscow from Turkey a few weeks ago.

3 April
Well, I knew that it was too good to be true.... light snow falling again. Oh well, it's off to school to show kids how to cook Chili con Carne. The cooking class with the 9th grade girls went really well. We managed to get most of the ingredients and those we didn't have, were met with some improvisation. I never really had to do anything except give out a little bit of direction and the girls carried out the work quite well. Once we sat down to eat our tasty dish, I could see that most of the girls found it too spicy for them. I have to admit that we never even put any spices into it as we couldn't find the ones that were needed.

This tasty dish was very mild by North American standards. Overall, they were kind to me and said that they liked it and I'm sure they'll receive a good grade for their efforts. Next time we'll prepare California Pasta Salad and I won't forget the camera next time. The snow has stopped and it has become a bit warmer outside. My body has been/is aching and has been for some time now. This condition with my right foot has gotten much worse over the last two to three weeks, so I'll have to monitor it and if it gets any worse, I'll have to make up my mind what action to take.

I had a good chat with Volodya after the classes this evening. We should have had these more often, lots of good information passed between the two of us. The cat is now out of the bag.... everyone knows that I'm leaving Izhevsk for Turkey. In the past, I would have kept this to myself until the last minute, but I guess I've matured a little bit in that leaving in the middle of the night is not something I could do to these people (without some explanation).

4 April
Went to the East European University with Tatyana today to speak with a group of students. This is actually just a private high school whose students pay a monthly fee to attend. I'm told that the level of education is no better than the public schools. Apparently, the directors pocket most of the profits, which may or may not come as a surprise to anyone. We discussed science and they seemed quite knowledgeable and willing so speak English with me. I brought up the debate between evolutionists and creationists but they weren't well-informed on this topic (how many people really are?).

4 April
I've also been getting some news clippings from the Globe and Mail courtesy of one Harry McLauchlan and even an email from Nathalie (my old girlfriend). Still nothing from Professor DeBardeleben but then again I'm sure she wasn't too pleased with my exit strategy. After the class this evening, I went to the home of Nadia with Sasha and we played some card games till around 23h00. Afterwards, I went back to Sasha's place and I stayed there till 05h30 the next morning. It was tough staying up all night talking but someone had to do it.

5 April
I took it pretty easy for most of the day although I managed to fit in a swim at lunchtime. After the evening classes, I had dinner with Kolya, his wife Lena, and Lena (the doctor). Crashed out around midnight.

6 April
It was Sasha's birthday today so I'll go over with a cake either tonight or tomorrow. I haven't spoken to her in a couple of days now. I'll be leaving for Moscow on Monday.... I said that I'll be coming back to Izhevsk although it may be later than I had earlier planned. If this condition with my foot doesn't improve soon, I may well end up at home for the summer to get that sorted out. Traveling for the year the way it feels currently will just be too much for me to handle. Now both sides of the ankle (lateral and medial) are inflamed and painful. As this is my last weekend, I should look for some Russian music to play after I leave.... there's lot's of good music coming out of this country now.

In addition, I moved to the flat of Olya Simonova this evening after class. Her family had a really great dinner prepared for me and they seem to be really great people. After dinner and tea, we all went to our beds.

7 April
Today I went to Votkinsk with Kolya, Natasha, and Olya. The weather was beautiful and it was a great day for a drive in the country, sun was shining for the second day in a row and it was very warm. The ride to Votkinsk was almost an hour long and the road was quite good.

We went straight to the Tchaikovsky Museum which is right in town. Once inside, the museum is quite nice.... well-maintained and restored although some of it was still under repair. In this museum you can see many of the personal belongings of the composer himself, furniture, personal effects, musical instruments, photographs among other things. You almost get the sense that Tchaikovsky is right there with you. Luckily for us the museum was not busy on this day and we could linger for as long as we liked without feeling pressured to move on. They also have a gift shop with beautiful items for sale. I bought two wooden Easter eggs that were hand-painted which I'll probably give to my mother. We also took a few photos including one of Natasha in one of her sultry poses. After this, we returned home for some rest, arriving in Izhevsk around 16h00.

In the evening, I went to Sasha's place and met with her and Nadia. We ate, drank a bit and sang Happy Birthday to Sasha and just carried on in general. We ended up playing some different variants of checkers with me losing most of the early games. I began to win once we switched to the version more familiar to me but Sasha still insisted that an ordinary man in checkers can move back and forth all in the same move. I refused to accept this and it was my opinion that she and Nadia simply didn't want to lose. No hard feelings after it was all over but I had the feeling that the Cold War might have been warming up again.

In the morning, Nadia and I went home on the tram and as it turns out this is the last time I would see either one of them. Both of them are really nice women.

8 April
I went straight to the school almost as tired as the first night that I slept at Sasha's. Stayed for the first two morning classes and since they were my last ones before leaving this city, they went by too quickly. After classes, I went home to Olya's place where I ate lunch and rested for awhile. Late in the afternoon, a group of us (Olya, Nastya, Julia, Denis and I) went to the Eternal Flame to take some photos. On the way to the monument, we had to pass through a construction zone with many signs indicating "Opasnaya Zona" (Danger Zone) and Olya suggested that we not pass through there.... but then again in some people's minds, this whole country is a danger zone, so we cut right through it.

Anyway, once at the flame we took a few interesting photos. The flame and the monument above are typical examples of Soviet artwork, which my photos will indicate. After the photos, we were then on our way to the school for a meeting regarding the trip to the Russian Far East this summer. The meeting was all in Russian and being the only native English-speaker there I had no objection. There were approximately 20 of us there (mostly women, which was no surprise), and the meeting was full of interesting information about the upcoming adventure, none of which needs to be repeated here. Once it was over, Olya and I headed home for yet another delicious meal prepared by her mother.

9-12 April
The main events of this period: Olya's family surprised me with a nice birthday gift (two weeks early) and a small celebration. They really are a great family and wonderful hosts. Then on the day of my departure, Olya and Julia met me at the train station to see me off to Moscow. We chatted on the platform for a half-hour then I had to board and be on my way.... Olya had a little ritual that she liked to perform with me, we linked our pinkie fingers together and then said goodbye. It means something here but I'm not sure that it means the same thing in Russia.

13 April
My first flight on Aeroflot.... on an Ilyushin 62 no less. This is something I swore I'd never do (I'm a bit of a nervous flyer). It was a different flight, this plane seemed to fly a bit differently than a Boeing or an Airbus and the fact that I had Chechens on either side of me was not lost on me. All in all, the flight was pretty good and I was happy to be back in Istanbul one more time.

I'll include a short summary of this journey for my website which should be running in the next few weeks. So until the fall, I bid you Adieu. Oh, one final and much overdue note..... I never even mentioned the women working in the Svezhy Veter Travel Agency. Lena, Tanya and most of all, Alla, who helped me out whenever I needed it. All offices should be lucky enough to have such wonderful women working for them.