December 11, 2009
Hello and goodbye from Russian dear ones,
My from Russian with love ramblings will cease to exist after I sign off this e-mail. Someone asked me what I would remember most about this adventure and there really is so much. I think if I had to choose only one fond memory it would be of all the people I have met here both Russian, non-Russian, young and old. Everyone has their own story, their own lives, their own joys and sorrows but their friendliness, open hearts, and laughter made my stay here such a lasting blessing in my life. They will remain in my heart forever.
I learned that I can live simply with few things, have meaningful work and be appreciative of each new moment. I have found being present in the here and now brings true happiness. I learned that I need to walk more in my daily life. I found that my walks to and from school most days, plus my journeys around town were reflective, prayerful times for me. I learned that I can be silent and not have NPR on constantly (sorry KTOO!). I learned that I love writing and reading even more and filled my evenings with good books before I nodded off to sleep. I learned to value much more all the blessings in my life that I often take for granted. I brought along to Russia my gratitude stone that a friend gave me and tucked it in the pocket of my coat. On my walks I often rubbed the smoothness of the stone and reflected on each day's gifts. So, my Russian exile has been very contemplative, almost retreat like, for me. My everyday distractions were few which
allowed me to BREATHE. My students of course were the highlight and I could write at length about each one but I'll spare you that for now. And YES, I learned that I can still teach and really do love this profession!
Lindsey and Kat surprised me Saturday night by taking me for a walk and then into a beautiful hotel that was all decorated for Christmas, though they call it New Year's here. As we entered the candlelit lobby we were seated at a table and offered mulled wine and Christmas cookies while a children's choir performed. It was magical. There was a young boy of about 7 who sang several solos who had such an angelic voice and had such composure. He looked like a young Andrea Bocelli. After the concert we went up to the top floor of the hotel which overlooks the whole city and sipped champagne. A lovely evening!
I attended one last ballet on Sunday afternoon which was lovely. Who knows if I'll ever grace the Mariinsky Theater again. It was wonderful to seep in all the culture while I was here. As Peggy said, "It's back to the Grumsickle for you!" (A little Juneau humor!) The stop by a nearby bakery for quiche and hot chocolate on my way home as a light snow fell capped off a lovely Sunday afternoon.
I endured one last metro ride on my way to the porcelain factory to look for a tea cup for my Mom. You have to look at a map and count the stops until your exit since the signs and announcements are in Russian. The problem is that the speed and jostling of the metro lulls you off to sleep. As I was nodding off I glanced up and the man standing in front of me was sketching this sleeping babushka (me!) I only had a glimpse of my portrait as I exited the car at the right stop. Thank God! It's so sweet to see men and women give up their seats and stand for older people. Hmmm! That must be why I got a seat!
A few funnies from this week:
Isabella my six your old grand daughter told Amy Jo that I am not allowed to go on anymore trips. It will be so wonderful to spend lots of time with those three urchins to make up for all my time away. I'm looking forward to that.
One of my students shared that he would miss me "like a bucket of beans!' I think it was a compliment but it somehow got lost in translation.
Another student, that little red-haired American girl, told me ,"Mrs. Hanna, you are the best grandma I NEVER had!" Such treasures these children!!!
My last three days of teaching this week went by in a blur. The staff presented me with a beautiful plate and a bouquet of flowers at the staff meeting. I read Miss Rumphius to my class on my last day and when I got to the part that says, "You will always remain in my heart", I teared up as did the kids. We promised to be e-mail pals and write and I told them we will meet again and they know where to find me. Eventually, everyone makes it to Alaska don't they? One boy was worried I might be dead by the time he made it up there. There are no guarantees. As one little girl said, "But, you'll be in the sky so you'll still be with us!" You betcha!!! The last day with the kids was on Wednesday and was bitter sweet. They were so sweet making me goodbye cards, giving me hugs etc. The REAL teacher will return tomorrow so we made her a welcome back sign. At the end of the day they surprised me with a farewell party. I couldn't hold back my emotions. The families presented me with a book of letters and drawings and photos from my class and a photo book of St. Petersburg. My last walk home from school was refreshing and now it's time to do some laundry and begin to pack for home.
I spent the past three days talking long walks around the city absorbing the cityscape and canals that have etched their mark upon me these past 2 1/2 months. The streets are always bustling with people walking, work men going about their construction work on the old buildings, cars honking as the traffic stalls and the church bells ringing every hour. It's such a stark contrast to where I call home where I can take a walk and not see another soul, or car, and may only hear geese honking, eagles screeching etc. The air quality here is very different as well. I look forward to taking a breath of fresh Alaskan air. I managed to find a lovely Russian porcelain tea set that I'll be carrying on the plane. I'd ship it back but the shipping costs more than all the tea in China!
Snow is now falling and I just returned from another long walk. As I sipped my latte at Garcon, my favorite French Bakery, they were playing in French, "These boots were made for walking" and "I Want to go Home." How timely! I lit a candle for my Mom at the Kazan Cathedral. She's in the hospital with flu like symptoms. Fortunately, my sister Theresa is there to take care of her and handle this crisis. Tom is now back in Juneau and happy to be home. Soon, it will be my turn! Tonight I'm going to the British Consulate for a Christmas Program with friends from school and then to bed for my last sleep here.
I'm wondering if there's a 12 step support group called Substitutes Anonymous since disconnecting with those 15 children is going to take time. Such a wonderful experience for me. Thanks to all of you who encouraged me and said ," Yes you can!" Especially a heartfelt thanks to you Laurie who let me know they were looking for someone to do this. The last lesson learned: Never pass up an opportunity to broaden your world. It can be life changing!
Until I ramble again from who knows where...
Love and thanks for reading all these missives!
Kathy (Katya!)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Russian Ramblings
December 7, 2009
Tis the season isn't it?
I'm REALLY looking forward to coming HOME and celebrating the holidays with family and friends. We just found out our daughter Suzanne will be joining us for Christmas so it will be double the pleasure and double the fun. I'll leave St. Petersburg on December 12 ,ovenighting in Amsterdam, and will be in Juneau the night of December 13. Yahoo!!! Meanwhile, the long winter days are settling in here. By the time the children go out to recess at 10 it's getting light but when I walk home at 3:30 it's getting dark...so much like Juneau in December. I need my SAD lamp!
Tom's now in Gilroy traveling between his Dad in the rehab. facility and his Mom in the hospital. He doesn't have access to a computer so I try to Skype him every other day or so to stay abreast of their progress. Right now they may be doing surgery on his Mom since she appears to be having heart problems. They may end up going up to Stanford to do this. His Dad seems to be improving with his kidney infection but is still running a fever. Tom and his brother Roy are talking to the doctors and dealing with all of this. It's so important to have advocates for elderly parents in these situations. I'm glad he is able to be there.
Some wisdom from the week:
I was out on yard duty before school one morning and always have a brief chat with Nina one of the guards. She speaks a little English so we can visit. We were commenting on the rain while standing under our umbrellas when she said, "Nature makes no bad weather. It's all a gift from God." Lovely! I'll need to remember her wisdom and positive attitude when I return home to Juneau!
For teachers only (or maybe not):
I have been taking the students through the writing process and have been writing a short story myself in front of the class focusing on all the elements of a good story: characters, setting, problem, solution, beginning, middle, and ending. I worked through the beginning and middle of the story and put it aside for a couple of weeks helping them in turn with their stories. Yesterday one of the boys said, "What about your story Mrs. Hanna? You know you only have a few days left with us. You'd better finish." So I did. Talk about pressure! It was a fun process since I gathered their input along the way and wove their ideas into the story. I did finish it and typed it up and now they are each going to get their own copy and illustrate it themselves. I dedicated the story to the class and they were thrilled. One girl said, "I can't believe we have a story dedicated to us!!!" They were and are my muses for sure!
Our class went to a Children's Puppet Theatre this week which we all enjoyed. Fortunately, Marina, the Kindergarten teacher, is Russian so she came into my class to tell the story so that when we went to the puppet show we would have some idea as to what was happening. It was a version of "The Magic Fish" but was called "Emeylia and the Pike." I had never seen a dog puppet humping a donkey puppet before in a children's puppet show ,or anywhere else for that matter, but hey this is Russia!!! I had to take my glasses off to make sure I wasn't seeing things but the kids didn't seem to notice. It didn't last long!
On the way back on the bus I happened to be sitting next to one of my American students who said when she came to Russia she had her smile and now she's lost it. She seems very homesick for her life back in Michigan. It was interesting to hear her ideas as our bus traveled through the city back to school. She pointed out packs of wild dogs on the streets dodging traffic and eating garbage, people wearing only dark colors, graffiti on the buildings. I tried to point out all the happy things I noticed like a few people wearing bright colors, Christmas decorations going up, beautiful architecture. It's hard to believe someone so young could be so negative about her life already. A real lesson on looking on the bright side for me!
We had parent conferences this week. I arrived the morning of parent conferences to find a bouquet of yellow tulips by my computer with no note. Do I have a parent conference fairy? Anyway, I thought of what I used to do to get ready for conferences and set a conference table (thanks Karen Allen!) with the tulips and a table cloth of pink construction paper with a lacy pink scarf over it. Ambience! It was so delightful to talk to the parents and they all showed up! A couple had interpretors with them. It was a very lovely way to finalize my teaching here and the parents were most appreciative.
I have made some very special friends here. Kat is the 4th Grade teacher and is so much fun and makes me laugh. Her name is also Kathleen AND she's Italian! She's fiesty and full of energy and her curls remind me of my daughter Suzanne.She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes immediately: walking to school with me the first day, showing me where to use a safe ATM machine , where the nearby markets are, where to eat, how to ride a bus and the metro etc. etc. She's been an angel and will be returning to New Jersey when school ends. She's been here for four years and is more than ready to fly home. She's single and wants to start a life back home with the goal of meeting an American man.
Lindsey teaches 5th grade and this is her first year here at the school though she's lived in St. Petersburg and studied Russian here. She can read and speak the language. She's a tall beautiful blonde who is also single. She taught me how to buy do-nuts in a Russian Bakery, shared her bread recipe and cumin from the states with me. She and Kat are both wonderful teachers. She'll be here at least another year since they sign two year contracts. She's from Minnesota. They're both young enough to be my daughters and have been so wonderful including me in their after school lives here. Such a blessing! I don't know what I would have done without them. Tonight we're going out for dinner and then making chocolate chip cookies and watching movies at Kat's apartment. Girl time!
Of course there's Ron my principal who has become a dear friend. He opened up his spare room in his apartment for me to use and shared his dog Marlo with me as well. Nothing like a warm,furry white friend (Marlo, not Ron!) He was more than welcoming in so many ways : teaching me to grocery shop here, driving me places, helping me get Tom here, letting me take over his refrigerator and kitchen, sharing his bathroom with me etc. We've had some great educational talks as well as many laughs. He loves Juneau and wants to return. He'll be a friend for life.I don't think I've ever met a more generous, giving, dedicated administrator and person. He stands outside the school building and greets every child by name with a handshake. Once I heard him singing "Oh What a Beautiful Morning." He makes everyday beautiful for the students here in his care.
I have one week left here and only three teaching days to go. I'll probably write one more "Russian Ramblings" before I leave. Seems like they get lengthier and lengthier.
Have a great week! With much love,
Katya (that's what the Russian people call me!)
Tis the season isn't it?
I'm REALLY looking forward to coming HOME and celebrating the holidays with family and friends. We just found out our daughter Suzanne will be joining us for Christmas so it will be double the pleasure and double the fun. I'll leave St. Petersburg on December 12 ,ovenighting in Amsterdam, and will be in Juneau the night of December 13. Yahoo!!! Meanwhile, the long winter days are settling in here. By the time the children go out to recess at 10 it's getting light but when I walk home at 3:30 it's getting dark...so much like Juneau in December. I need my SAD lamp!
Tom's now in Gilroy traveling between his Dad in the rehab. facility and his Mom in the hospital. He doesn't have access to a computer so I try to Skype him every other day or so to stay abreast of their progress. Right now they may be doing surgery on his Mom since she appears to be having heart problems. They may end up going up to Stanford to do this. His Dad seems to be improving with his kidney infection but is still running a fever. Tom and his brother Roy are talking to the doctors and dealing with all of this. It's so important to have advocates for elderly parents in these situations. I'm glad he is able to be there.
Some wisdom from the week:
I was out on yard duty before school one morning and always have a brief chat with Nina one of the guards. She speaks a little English so we can visit. We were commenting on the rain while standing under our umbrellas when she said, "Nature makes no bad weather. It's all a gift from God." Lovely! I'll need to remember her wisdom and positive attitude when I return home to Juneau!
For teachers only (or maybe not):
I have been taking the students through the writing process and have been writing a short story myself in front of the class focusing on all the elements of a good story: characters, setting, problem, solution, beginning, middle, and ending. I worked through the beginning and middle of the story and put it aside for a couple of weeks helping them in turn with their stories. Yesterday one of the boys said, "What about your story Mrs. Hanna? You know you only have a few days left with us. You'd better finish." So I did. Talk about pressure! It was a fun process since I gathered their input along the way and wove their ideas into the story. I did finish it and typed it up and now they are each going to get their own copy and illustrate it themselves. I dedicated the story to the class and they were thrilled. One girl said, "I can't believe we have a story dedicated to us!!!" They were and are my muses for sure!
Our class went to a Children's Puppet Theatre this week which we all enjoyed. Fortunately, Marina, the Kindergarten teacher, is Russian so she came into my class to tell the story so that when we went to the puppet show we would have some idea as to what was happening. It was a version of "The Magic Fish" but was called "Emeylia and the Pike." I had never seen a dog puppet humping a donkey puppet before in a children's puppet show ,or anywhere else for that matter, but hey this is Russia!!! I had to take my glasses off to make sure I wasn't seeing things but the kids didn't seem to notice. It didn't last long!
On the way back on the bus I happened to be sitting next to one of my American students who said when she came to Russia she had her smile and now she's lost it. She seems very homesick for her life back in Michigan. It was interesting to hear her ideas as our bus traveled through the city back to school. She pointed out packs of wild dogs on the streets dodging traffic and eating garbage, people wearing only dark colors, graffiti on the buildings. I tried to point out all the happy things I noticed like a few people wearing bright colors, Christmas decorations going up, beautiful architecture. It's hard to believe someone so young could be so negative about her life already. A real lesson on looking on the bright side for me!
We had parent conferences this week. I arrived the morning of parent conferences to find a bouquet of yellow tulips by my computer with no note. Do I have a parent conference fairy? Anyway, I thought of what I used to do to get ready for conferences and set a conference table (thanks Karen Allen!) with the tulips and a table cloth of pink construction paper with a lacy pink scarf over it. Ambience! It was so delightful to talk to the parents and they all showed up! A couple had interpretors with them. It was a very lovely way to finalize my teaching here and the parents were most appreciative.
I have made some very special friends here. Kat is the 4th Grade teacher and is so much fun and makes me laugh. Her name is also Kathleen AND she's Italian! She's fiesty and full of energy and her curls remind me of my daughter Suzanne.She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes immediately: walking to school with me the first day, showing me where to use a safe ATM machine , where the nearby markets are, where to eat, how to ride a bus and the metro etc. etc. She's been an angel and will be returning to New Jersey when school ends. She's been here for four years and is more than ready to fly home. She's single and wants to start a life back home with the goal of meeting an American man.
Lindsey teaches 5th grade and this is her first year here at the school though she's lived in St. Petersburg and studied Russian here. She can read and speak the language. She's a tall beautiful blonde who is also single. She taught me how to buy do-nuts in a Russian Bakery, shared her bread recipe and cumin from the states with me. She and Kat are both wonderful teachers. She'll be here at least another year since they sign two year contracts. She's from Minnesota. They're both young enough to be my daughters and have been so wonderful including me in their after school lives here. Such a blessing! I don't know what I would have done without them. Tonight we're going out for dinner and then making chocolate chip cookies and watching movies at Kat's apartment. Girl time!
Of course there's Ron my principal who has become a dear friend. He opened up his spare room in his apartment for me to use and shared his dog Marlo with me as well. Nothing like a warm,furry white friend (Marlo, not Ron!) He was more than welcoming in so many ways : teaching me to grocery shop here, driving me places, helping me get Tom here, letting me take over his refrigerator and kitchen, sharing his bathroom with me etc. We've had some great educational talks as well as many laughs. He loves Juneau and wants to return. He'll be a friend for life.I don't think I've ever met a more generous, giving, dedicated administrator and person. He stands outside the school building and greets every child by name with a handshake. Once I heard him singing "Oh What a Beautiful Morning." He makes everyday beautiful for the students here in his care.
I have one week left here and only three teaching days to go. I'll probably write one more "Russian Ramblings" before I leave. Seems like they get lengthier and lengthier.
Have a great week! With much love,
Katya (that's what the Russian people call me!)
Monday, November 30, 2009
Russian Ramblings
November 30, 2009
Hello dear ones,
It's hard to believe it will be December 1st tomorrow. Tom leaves tonight and I will surely miss him. I guess it's back to the nunnery for me. I have two single beds in my room, which is sparsely furnished, and really does resemble a convent. He's on his way to California to be with his Mom and brother Roy. His Dad is in a rehab facility so there's so much for him to deal with there. Now we have word that his Mom who is 96 has pneumonia and is in the hospital as well. This was a great respite for him and he had a wonderful time. His brother Bill's memorial service is yet to be planned so hopefully he'll be able to assist with that.
We had a wonderful first Russian Thanksgiving with our new friends here. We climbed our Rapunzali-like staircase of 120 steps to our friend Kat's apartment carrying all our Thanksgiving offerings: turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce, apple crisp, gravy, wine and ice. We are thankful we lived to the top!! It was a fun evening with 8 other Americans and Lexi who is a 6 year old Russian orphan girl who was adopted recently by Kate, the teacher I'm subbing for. Kat (whose apartment it was at) had the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on and broadcast it on the brick wall of her living room. Of course this was Lexi's first Thanksgivng so she was thrilled with the balloon characters in the parade, but mostly with watching her giant shadow. That was a highlight for us! She's a beautiful child! We corrupted her by showing her how Americans put olives on their fingers to eat on Thanksgiving. You DO do that don't you??? It's a tradition in our family.
On our last weekend together here we spent Saturday touring the Peter and Paul Fortress and bought a couple of prints for our home in Juneau that remind me of where I live here. We toured the prison where they housed all the dissidents. They made it sound like a hotel but lit sure didn't look like any I've stayed in except for one in Sardinia. So many young people were hung because of their political beliefs. Hopefully, we will continue to respect people with opposing views in our democracy. On Sunday we went to the Smolny Cathedral which looks like a huge blue and white wedding cake and then took a long walk home by the Neva River. It was in the low 40's out so Tom took his coat off and was wearing a short-sleeved shirt. He received many stares from the Russian people out walking and a few smiles. At least now we know how to get them to smile! In the afternoon we went back to the Hermitage to gaze once again at the art work of Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse, Monet, Cezanne, Leonardo da Vinci and all those important folks. The evening was spent seeing the opera "Aida" and then off to bed since Monday is a work day for me and Tom has to pack to leave for California. He was so happy to have come and experience St. Petersburg for ten days.
Tom and I experienced our first Russian traffic accident together. Ron was driving us and my two teaching friends Kat and Lindsey to our school play that the high schoolers were putting on. We were stalled in traffic and literally not moving when we were hit by a SUV. Nobody was injured and all we knew to do was pretend we couldn't speak Russian when the police showed up, which wasn't a stretch for us. Lindsey did speak the language but was told never to in these situations. An electric tram bus was coming into the intersection when the SUV guy decided he could race it. It hooked on his back bumper and pulled him into us. Fortunately, we are all fine but the car will need a little makeover. The funny thing is that on Friday we had school colors day so Ron sprayed his hair blue and white for the festivities. Can you imagine him at a Russian police station with blue and white hair trying to explain in English what happened? Talk about
credibility! Fortunately the American Consulate intervenes in these situations so they were there as well. Ron is not at fault and all is good. It truly is a wonderful world.
There are so many interesting characters in my daily life here. As I enter my apartment building I have to punch in a code and am greeted (in Russian of course) by the concierge on duty that day. We always have a conversation in our native languages but still are able to communicate a little. Elsa always wears a beige beret and loves Russian mystery novels, Elsa knits and watches Russian soap operas, and Tatiana sorts through old black and white family photos. I would love to know more about their lives but the language is a barrier for sure. They love Marlo, Ron's dog, who I walk everyday after school and always have milkbones to give her. Sweet ladies!
Not to be forgotten is my Russian alarm clock that goes off at unpredictable times from midnight to 6 a.m. Here's how it works. The men here (well some of them anyway) seem to go out to the clubs and pubs and other sudsy establishments to socialize every night of the week and stumble their way back to wherever they go laughing, yelling, sometimes fighting and setting off firecrackers. I wake up wondering where I am. Don't these people have jobs? Probably not, unfortunately! Somehow they enter the courtyard below my apartment to serenade each other (or maybe it's me!). Rude awakening! I'm tempted to get a dozen eggs and pelt them out the window! One night I awoke to someone singing "Ave Maria" in a beautiful tenor voice. At first I thought I had expired in the night. It was just my drunken angel. He hasn't returned since then. Meanwhile my battery alarm clock continues to wake me at 5:30 a.m. For variety sake firecrackers are lit off as well though I prefer to call them fire devils!
Then there's the Music teacher who is Iranian and is quite an accomplished composer and pianist here but teaches elementary music to make ends meet. If the children misbehave they have to sing the musical scale in front of the class. I have to leave the room to save my sanity and my ears! He teaches with an Iranian accent which is very difficult to understand. They kids are now learning Holiday songs to sing at a Winter Concert....mostly American tunes like Frosty the Snowman, All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, Deck The Halls, and Auld Lang Syne. The children's accents are so adorable as they sing. And they do LOVE to sing inspite of the scale torture!
Tom and I took nightly walks around the city after dinner while he was here. Every building is lit up with lights which accent the architecture which is amazing and on a very grand scale. New Year's is the big winter holiday here so the decorations and lights are starting to go up. We navigate ourselves around the city by the canals and church steeples. They act as lighthouses for us guiding our walks.
A few funnies from the week:
Heidi, a red-haired, freckled faced American girl was trying to comfort a boy who was crying because he didn't want to go to gym because he had a runny nose. She said in her matter of fact American accent, " Oh, just suck it up and deal with it. You'll survive!" He did!!!
We've been making lots of paper quilts and reading wonderful quilt books. Most of the kids didn't know what a quilt was so I showed them some of my quilts I've made on my Facebook page. Bringing in REAL things is a bit difficult here so we make do. The math involved and visual problem solving has been a fun way to integrate the curriculum with the wonderful quilt books I brought along. I wish I had a sewing machine here so we could make a real classroom quilt, but OH WELL! As everyone reminds me, "You're not in Kansas anymore!" Or Alaska!!
Love to all!
Kathy
Hello dear ones,
It's hard to believe it will be December 1st tomorrow. Tom leaves tonight and I will surely miss him. I guess it's back to the nunnery for me. I have two single beds in my room, which is sparsely furnished, and really does resemble a convent. He's on his way to California to be with his Mom and brother Roy. His Dad is in a rehab facility so there's so much for him to deal with there. Now we have word that his Mom who is 96 has pneumonia and is in the hospital as well. This was a great respite for him and he had a wonderful time. His brother Bill's memorial service is yet to be planned so hopefully he'll be able to assist with that.
We had a wonderful first Russian Thanksgiving with our new friends here. We climbed our Rapunzali-like staircase of 120 steps to our friend Kat's apartment carrying all our Thanksgiving offerings: turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce, apple crisp, gravy, wine and ice. We are thankful we lived to the top!! It was a fun evening with 8 other Americans and Lexi who is a 6 year old Russian orphan girl who was adopted recently by Kate, the teacher I'm subbing for. Kat (whose apartment it was at) had the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on and broadcast it on the brick wall of her living room. Of course this was Lexi's first Thanksgivng so she was thrilled with the balloon characters in the parade, but mostly with watching her giant shadow. That was a highlight for us! She's a beautiful child! We corrupted her by showing her how Americans put olives on their fingers to eat on Thanksgiving. You DO do that don't you??? It's a tradition in our family.
On our last weekend together here we spent Saturday touring the Peter and Paul Fortress and bought a couple of prints for our home in Juneau that remind me of where I live here. We toured the prison where they housed all the dissidents. They made it sound like a hotel but lit sure didn't look like any I've stayed in except for one in Sardinia. So many young people were hung because of their political beliefs. Hopefully, we will continue to respect people with opposing views in our democracy. On Sunday we went to the Smolny Cathedral which looks like a huge blue and white wedding cake and then took a long walk home by the Neva River. It was in the low 40's out so Tom took his coat off and was wearing a short-sleeved shirt. He received many stares from the Russian people out walking and a few smiles. At least now we know how to get them to smile! In the afternoon we went back to the Hermitage to gaze once again at the art work of Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse, Monet, Cezanne, Leonardo da Vinci and all those important folks. The evening was spent seeing the opera "Aida" and then off to bed since Monday is a work day for me and Tom has to pack to leave for California. He was so happy to have come and experience St. Petersburg for ten days.
Tom and I experienced our first Russian traffic accident together. Ron was driving us and my two teaching friends Kat and Lindsey to our school play that the high schoolers were putting on. We were stalled in traffic and literally not moving when we were hit by a SUV. Nobody was injured and all we knew to do was pretend we couldn't speak Russian when the police showed up, which wasn't a stretch for us. Lindsey did speak the language but was told never to in these situations. An electric tram bus was coming into the intersection when the SUV guy decided he could race it. It hooked on his back bumper and pulled him into us. Fortunately, we are all fine but the car will need a little makeover. The funny thing is that on Friday we had school colors day so Ron sprayed his hair blue and white for the festivities. Can you imagine him at a Russian police station with blue and white hair trying to explain in English what happened? Talk about
credibility! Fortunately the American Consulate intervenes in these situations so they were there as well. Ron is not at fault and all is good. It truly is a wonderful world.
There are so many interesting characters in my daily life here. As I enter my apartment building I have to punch in a code and am greeted (in Russian of course) by the concierge on duty that day. We always have a conversation in our native languages but still are able to communicate a little. Elsa always wears a beige beret and loves Russian mystery novels, Elsa knits and watches Russian soap operas, and Tatiana sorts through old black and white family photos. I would love to know more about their lives but the language is a barrier for sure. They love Marlo, Ron's dog, who I walk everyday after school and always have milkbones to give her. Sweet ladies!
Not to be forgotten is my Russian alarm clock that goes off at unpredictable times from midnight to 6 a.m. Here's how it works. The men here (well some of them anyway) seem to go out to the clubs and pubs and other sudsy establishments to socialize every night of the week and stumble their way back to wherever they go laughing, yelling, sometimes fighting and setting off firecrackers. I wake up wondering where I am. Don't these people have jobs? Probably not, unfortunately! Somehow they enter the courtyard below my apartment to serenade each other (or maybe it's me!). Rude awakening! I'm tempted to get a dozen eggs and pelt them out the window! One night I awoke to someone singing "Ave Maria" in a beautiful tenor voice. At first I thought I had expired in the night. It was just my drunken angel. He hasn't returned since then. Meanwhile my battery alarm clock continues to wake me at 5:30 a.m. For variety sake firecrackers are lit off as well though I prefer to call them fire devils!
Then there's the Music teacher who is Iranian and is quite an accomplished composer and pianist here but teaches elementary music to make ends meet. If the children misbehave they have to sing the musical scale in front of the class. I have to leave the room to save my sanity and my ears! He teaches with an Iranian accent which is very difficult to understand. They kids are now learning Holiday songs to sing at a Winter Concert....mostly American tunes like Frosty the Snowman, All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, Deck The Halls, and Auld Lang Syne. The children's accents are so adorable as they sing. And they do LOVE to sing inspite of the scale torture!
Tom and I took nightly walks around the city after dinner while he was here. Every building is lit up with lights which accent the architecture which is amazing and on a very grand scale. New Year's is the big winter holiday here so the decorations and lights are starting to go up. We navigate ourselves around the city by the canals and church steeples. They act as lighthouses for us guiding our walks.
A few funnies from the week:
Heidi, a red-haired, freckled faced American girl was trying to comfort a boy who was crying because he didn't want to go to gym because he had a runny nose. She said in her matter of fact American accent, " Oh, just suck it up and deal with it. You'll survive!" He did!!!
We've been making lots of paper quilts and reading wonderful quilt books. Most of the kids didn't know what a quilt was so I showed them some of my quilts I've made on my Facebook page. Bringing in REAL things is a bit difficult here so we make do. The math involved and visual problem solving has been a fun way to integrate the curriculum with the wonderful quilt books I brought along. I wish I had a sewing machine here so we could make a real classroom quilt, but OH WELL! As everyone reminds me, "You're not in Kansas anymore!" Or Alaska!!
Love to all!
Kathy
Monday, November 23, 2009
Ramblings from Russia
November 23, 2009
Hello once again,
I imagine you are all getting ready for Thanksgiving. I wish you all a warm, blessing filled day with family and friends. I have to teach on Thanksgiving but Tom and I are gathering together to celebrate with other American teachers at the school after work. I'm in charge of mashed potatoes, gravy and apple crisp. Tom is in charge of hauling four chairs up 120 steps to the teacher's apartment who's hosting the gathering. Ron is in charge of the turkey and dressing. Should be fun!!! I can smell the turkey already. Ron had to travel quite a distance to pick up a turkey that had to be special ordered. All the stores have are turkey drumsticks, which would do in a pinch for sure. There would be no fighting over who got the drumsticks.
Yes! Tom arrived and we've been busy exploring the sights. I am so lucky to be living in the center of the city so navigating to the main attractions is pretty easy. We went on a drizzly rain walk with umbrellas on Saturday, his first day here, with a pit stop at the French Bakery for a cappuccino and treat, and then out to dinner at a wonderful Georgian Russian Restaurant close by and then on to the ballet. We saw a performance of La Sylphide which has a Scottish theme, a witch and a spirit. Evil winning over good is basically the theme. It was wonderful and the best part was that it was only 2 hours long instead of the usual 3-4 hours long. I only had to jab Tom once with my elbow when he started to nod off. I would have thought looking at those ballerinas with the binoculars would have kept his focus. Today we did our weekly grocery shopping. Tom and Ron had to drive to another store to find soy milk since Tom is off of dairy products. They
were successful. I think he enjoyed looking around a Russian store. He was impressed with the freshness and quality of the produce. We spent the rest of the day exploring a couple of churches with Tom talking many photos along the way. He's now down for a bit of a snooze to prepare him for coming to school with me tomorrow. The kids are very excited to meet him. One little boy refers to him as "your man Thomas!" Cute!!! I am so glad he's here to share this experience with me. He'll leave on Nov. 30 and fly to
It's already Monday afternoon so I'd better finish this missive and send it on soon before the kids get back from recess. Tom came into school this morning and talked to the kids about rocks and let them each choose 3 specimens to keep. One little boy said he wanted to be like Tom when he grows up and look for rocks. Tom brought me some Heritage coffee which I'm relishing. The Russian coffee tastes like hot brown water. Tom is at the Mineral and
I got to experience the metro here which was a real adventure. I felt like a sheep being herded through narrow gates and fast moving escalators descending way under ground. I had visions of Dante's Inferno. The doors on the metro shut so fast that people push to get in and then I was sandwiched between two men with raised armpits in my face. No need to go any further! I'd rather walk next time! Laurie got to experience this with me so we had some chuckles over it. Laurie and I also did a bit of Christmas shopping at a man named Ivar's apartment. It was interesting to see how small a Russian apartment really is. The housing for the teachers here is luxurious compared to a typical Russian dwelling. I sometimes feel like I'm really living in a bubble.
It's time to sign off. Happy Thanksgiving one and all!
Love,
Kathy
Thursday, November 19, 2009
November 2009 Meeting
Hi! Well it appears we have a few changes to make after our meeting last night. It was sure good to be back. I have to say I sure miss all of you.
Linda made the fare for the night and, as it was a very cool fall evening, the dinner was perfect, Baked Potato Soup with all the trimmings of a baked potato to put into it. It was fabulous. Randi complimented the meal with her carrot cake cupcakes which were frosted with the helping hands of Helen and topped with mini chocolate chips, also very delicious and to top it all off we had lemonade for drinks just to remind us summer has left. Many thanks to the chefs.
I was on line the other day and went to our blog. I was blown away by the notes from
Well for starters our meeting for December will be on the 14th. No mistake, December 14th at Helen's. In JANUARY it will change. Our meetings will now be on the 4th (FOURTH) Tuesday, that's TUESDAY of each month from then on.
Also December’s meeting means our challenge quilts no matter how big, small or how far done, must be in ok? Also we have a list of who is bringing what and if you weren't there for some reason just bring what you like. Here goes:
Helen - bread, entrée
Linda - dessert
Peggy & Trish - entrée & dessert
Margie – jello salad
Carol - something from "Julia's" book entrée
Randi - (I missed it :( )
Rita - drinks
Dawn – green salad
Don't forget our gift exchange $10.00 gift. Rules for the exchange: gifts can only exchange 3x - no steal backs immediately after it is taken away and you can't take your own.
We received a letter from Donna and she said she will be coming back, but after she has had sometime to get life on track again. She and Corky are doing better. Glad to hear, we look forward to your return.
Quilt Show at the DeYoung museum in
Show n Tell - I (Carol) finally got a few things done and
brought them in for show n 
tell.
Dawn brought in a quilt she was doing for a little girl, then changed her mind and kept it but... she made another one for the little girl. I really liked her dancer one, I guess it was the colors. The other is perfect for a child the colors were bright and happy.
Helen showed a beautiful vest she made, child's sundress and a table quilt for a very long table, beautiful though.
Linda did a beautiful vintage apron for her daughter from a
vintage tablecloth her mom had used. It turned out adorable, with a chicken on the front of the bib and a cow on the reverse side of the bib all quilted.
Rita brought homework for us, something to do with color charts. I think I'm supposed to know what I'm doing but I don't think I do. I guess I need to read it all. We can fill in the color circles with fabric if you like. Not due till January meeting. Remember when? That's the 4th Tuesday, January 26th 2010. Can't believe another year is almost gone. Wow! a lot has happened this year.
Dawn did a great demonstration for us, showing how to make rag rugs from quilt scraps. She cuts a generous amount when squaring up her fabric and tosses the strip into a bag. When she squares up her quilt top she does the same, saving the excess backing fabric to crochet into her rug. We were dazzled by her colorful rugs and want more!!! Maybe we can even have a rag rug meeting, with everyone working on a project with Dawn right there, on hand to help us out is we get stuck. Thank you Dawn!
Don't forget next meeting December 14th at Helen's. Bring your QUILT challenge, your GIFT, and your FOOD.
Meeting adjourned 7:50PM.
See you next meeting - keep B-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-,
Carol
PS Linda is to put a link here so we can have that Baked Potato Soup Recipe. Please? Enjoy this recipe, adjust as you wish for as Rachael told me, it's just a blueprint. http://theslowcookedsentence.blogspot.com/search?q=potato+soup
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Ramblings from Russia
November 16, 2009
Hello one and all,
A month from now and I'll be home putting up the Christmas tree and back in tune with my real life and routine. It will be good to be home and I 'll certainly return with a fresh appreciation for all I have taken for granted in our country.
The theme for the week has been " I heard it through the grapevine". That song has followed me around this week as I shopped at the grocery store, ate at a restaurant, and browsed in a bookstore. It must mean something. Maybe I'll figure it out later. I hope I won't be losing my mind. ( got to know the lyrics to appreciate this!) It seems so strange to hear western music blaring out from passing cars, on street corners and in cafes. I wonder if it sounds as foreign to Russian ears as their language does to mine.
School continues to be a blast for me. This week we experimented with flying objects and invented things that could fly from found objects: helicopters, airplanes, gliders, parachutes etc. We had trial runs of our inventions out on the playground to the count of 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 BLAST OFF! I wonder what the military academy was thinking as we launched out gliders towards their building. No relatiation as yet. Hands on learning bridges the language gap for sure as children construct their ideas and try them out.
We have had a few snowy days which softens the already muted pastel colors of the buildings here. The Church of Spilled Blood has snow on its five onion domes and snowmen and snowbears decorate the parks around town. Some people are actually smiling as they watch people throwing snowballs at each other in the park I walk through each day on my way home from school. Those rigid Russian faces are softening too.
On the cultural scence this week I went to see the ballet of "Romeo and Juliet" which is my favorite thus far. There were school children there and it was perfect for them with all the action of sword fights, blood and gore with a little passion and romance thrown in for us older folks. The dancing was spirited and intense and the music of Procofiev was spellbinding. Last night I went to see "The Kings of Dance" which is a troop of international male ballet dancers performing more bizarre, modern choreography and it was dazzling. There were eight dancers and some could leap as high as their height. Talk about eight lords a leaping...there they were. Tonight we're going to see the Irish dance troop "River Dance" which I'm really looking forward to seeing. It'll be a nice change from my menu of ballet and opera.
Some funnies from the kids this week:
Darren who makes me laugh all day long was playing a game of Sorry with three other kids and he was in charge of deciding who would go first. Here's the chant I overheard him say:
Soldier, soldier in the grass,
Stuck a finger up his ass,
In, out, in, out
You are not it!
I guess it's time to teach other turn taking chants. In their innocence they didn't have a clue what it meant and the game began. Eeenie, Meanie, Miney , Moe is on my lesson plans for next week!
Ron Gleason, our principal, had hernia surgery this week so the kids wrote him Get Well notes. One of the kids said he was a great tropical (meaning principal!) I love the language funnies here.
We've been doing so much writing in here. Writer's Workshop is our favorite time of the day. I'm writing along with them and I read my story to them and ask for feed back. They parrot back all I say to them in their writing conferences, "More details! More details!" The room is a buzz with writers sharing their work. It's amazing what they can do when you allow them the time to get involved with their writing.
Laurie Schoenberger made it here and we've spent the weekend seeing a few sights, going to the ballet and River Dance, out for dinner and taking long walks. She'll be here for four more days working in our school with the 3-6th grade teachers. It's so nice to have her here! Tom will arrive on Nov. 20 so I am getting very excited to see him!
I hope you all have a healthy, safe week. Stay warm and know that I think of you all often with gladness in my heart.
Love,
Kathy
Hello one and all,
A month from now and I'll be home putting up the Christmas tree and back in tune with my real life and routine. It will be good to be home and I 'll certainly return with a fresh appreciation for all I have taken for granted in our country.
The theme for the week has been " I heard it through the grapevine". That song has followed me around this week as I shopped at the grocery store, ate at a restaurant, and browsed in a bookstore. It must mean something. Maybe I'll figure it out later. I hope I won't be losing my mind. ( got to know the lyrics to appreciate this!) It seems so strange to hear western music blaring out from passing cars, on street corners and in cafes. I wonder if it sounds as foreign to Russian ears as their language does to mine.
School continues to be a blast for me. This week we experimented with flying objects and invented things that could fly from found objects: helicopters, airplanes, gliders, parachutes etc. We had trial runs of our inventions out on the playground to the count of 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 BLAST OFF! I wonder what the military academy was thinking as we launched out gliders towards their building. No relatiation as yet. Hands on learning bridges the language gap for sure as children construct their ideas and try them out.
We have had a few snowy days which softens the already muted pastel colors of the buildings here. The Church of Spilled Blood has snow on its five onion domes and snowmen and snowbears decorate the parks around town. Some people are actually smiling as they watch people throwing snowballs at each other in the park I walk through each day on my way home from school. Those rigid Russian faces are softening too.
On the cultural scence this week I went to see the ballet of "Romeo and Juliet" which is my favorite thus far. There were school children there and it was perfect for them with all the action of sword fights, blood and gore with a little passion and romance thrown in for us older folks. The dancing was spirited and intense and the music of Procofiev was spellbinding. Last night I went to see "The Kings of Dance" which is a troop of international male ballet dancers performing more bizarre, modern choreography and it was dazzling. There were eight dancers and some could leap as high as their height. Talk about eight lords a leaping...there they were. Tonight we're going to see the Irish dance troop "River Dance" which I'm really looking forward to seeing. It'll be a nice change from my menu of ballet and opera.
Some funnies from the kids this week:
Darren who makes me laugh all day long was playing a game of Sorry with three other kids and he was in charge of deciding who would go first. Here's the chant I overheard him say:
Soldier, soldier in the grass,
Stuck a finger up his ass,
In, out, in, out
You are not it!
I guess it's time to teach other turn taking chants. In their innocence they didn't have a clue what it meant and the game began. Eeenie, Meanie, Miney , Moe is on my lesson plans for next week!
Ron Gleason, our principal, had hernia surgery this week so the kids wrote him Get Well notes. One of the kids said he was a great tropical (meaning principal!) I love the language funnies here.
We've been doing so much writing in here. Writer's Workshop is our favorite time of the day. I'm writing along with them and I read my story to them and ask for feed back. They parrot back all I say to them in their writing conferences, "More details! More details!" The room is a buzz with writers sharing their work. It's amazing what they can do when you allow them the time to get involved with their writing.
Laurie Schoenberger made it here and we've spent the weekend seeing a few sights, going to the ballet and River Dance, out for dinner and taking long walks. She'll be here for four more days working in our school with the 3-6th grade teachers. It's so nice to have her here! Tom will arrive on Nov. 20 so I am getting very excited to see him!
I hope you all have a healthy, safe week. Stay warm and know that I think of you all often with gladness in my heart.
Love,
Kathy
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Ramblings from Russia
November 8, 2009
Greetings one and all,
My walking shoes are taking on a scuffed, well used look as I spent hours each day walking around on my week off checking out the sights of St. Petersburg. I certainly hit all the highlights and mapped out each day's adventure by neighborhoods. There's so much to see and do here but I only scratched the surface. I attempted to visit one museum, one palace and one church each day. Some of my favorite walks are following the canals that thread their way through the city. The architecture here is amazing and each building has its own charm. The colors are soft pastels yet warm and muted. I appreciate the fact that older buildings are not razed but renovated. There are very few modern looking structures at least in the heart of the city.
Some of the museums I visited this week are:
The Russian Museum which is housed in four separate buildings (ex-palaces).
The Ethnographic Museum where costumes, crafts, tools, weapons, art work , photos from the different people that make up Russia are exhibited. It was very interesting to see how similar native Alaskan people's clothing, boats, tools etc. are to their Russian neighbors.
Kunsthammer Museum where Peter the Great housed all this anthropoligical expedition finds from different countries. There was a whole section on Alaska native people which I found quite interesting. We did belong to Russia at one time in history.
The Pushkin Museum where the famous poet lived and wrote. It's only two doors down from where I live. He died in a duel defending his wife's honor.
Today I tried in vain to find the Dostoevsky apartment Museum. I walked at least an hour trying to find it but since the signs are written in Russian it eluded me. I am determined to find it on a less rainy day. By the time I returned home from my search I settled down with a cup of hot tea . I'll save Crime and Punishment for another day.
My favorite church is The Church of Spilled Blood which is the most colorful, onion domed Disneyland looking church here. The inside is so amazing with hundreds of mosaics which seem to glow from within. I was so glad I had rented an audio guide. It took 24 years to build the church and 27 years to restore it after the war where it was used as a food storage facility and later a morgue. I learned that the reason for the onion dome architecture is that the snow falls off easily and also that the domes resemble candles pointing towards heaven. I visited several other churches as well but this one takes the cake.
I saw an exhibit of the Canadian artist, Robert Bateman, at The Mikhailovsky Castle. Most of the palaces and castles are now used as museums or art galleries.
Fortunately most of the week I had lovely cold, and crisp weather with snow flurries off and on. On a full moon evening I went to the top floor of my apartment building and up on the roof to take some night time photos of the moon and the skyline.
I attended a performance of the opera "Carmen" which was 41/2 hours long. The music, drama, costumes, scenery etc. made the time go by so fast. The champagne at intermission helped too. I though of you Michele when the torreador sang his song. I remember you at our college apartment listening to Carmen.
I am so tickled that Tom is coming to see me in my Russian exile. He'll arrive on Nov. 19 for 10 days. My friend Laurie Schoenberger is also coming on Nov. 13 for a week. It will be such fun to show both of them the sights.
I feel I am museumed, churched and palaced out for now and ready to get back to The Cathedral of the Classroom with my 15 living icons tomorrow.
Wishing you well. Until next week....
Love,
Kathy
Greetings one and all,
My walking shoes are taking on a scuffed, well used look as I spent hours each day walking around on my week off checking out the sights of St. Petersburg. I certainly hit all the highlights and mapped out each day's adventure by neighborhoods. There's so much to see and do here but I only scratched the surface. I attempted to visit one museum, one palace and one church each day. Some of my favorite walks are following the canals that thread their way through the city. The architecture here is amazing and each building has its own charm. The colors are soft pastels yet warm and muted. I appreciate the fact that older buildings are not razed but renovated. There are very few modern looking structures at least in the heart of the city.
Some of the museums I visited this week are:
The Russian Museum which is housed in four separate buildings (ex-palaces).
The Ethnographic Museum where costumes, crafts, tools, weapons, art work , photos from the different people that make up Russia are exhibited. It was very interesting to see how similar native Alaskan people's clothing, boats, tools etc. are to their Russian neighbors.
Kunsthammer Museum where Peter the Great housed all this anthropoligical expedition finds from different countries. There was a whole section on Alaska native people which I found quite interesting. We did belong to Russia at one time in history.
The Pushkin Museum where the famous poet lived and wrote. It's only two doors down from where I live. He died in a duel defending his wife's honor.
Today I tried in vain to find the Dostoevsky apartment Museum. I walked at least an hour trying to find it but since the signs are written in Russian it eluded me. I am determined to find it on a less rainy day. By the time I returned home from my search I settled down with a cup of hot tea . I'll save Crime and Punishment for another day.
My favorite church is The Church of Spilled Blood which is the most colorful, onion domed Disneyland looking church here. The inside is so amazing with hundreds of mosaics which seem to glow from within. I was so glad I had rented an audio guide. It took 24 years to build the church and 27 years to restore it after the war where it was used as a food storage facility and later a morgue. I learned that the reason for the onion dome architecture is that the snow falls off easily and also that the domes resemble candles pointing towards heaven. I visited several other churches as well but this one takes the cake.
I saw an exhibit of the Canadian artist, Robert Bateman, at The Mikhailovsky Castle. Most of the palaces and castles are now used as museums or art galleries.
Fortunately most of the week I had lovely cold, and crisp weather with snow flurries off and on. On a full moon evening I went to the top floor of my apartment building and up on the roof to take some night time photos of the moon and the skyline.
I attended a performance of the opera "Carmen" which was 41/2 hours long. The music, drama, costumes, scenery etc. made the time go by so fast. The champagne at intermission helped too. I though of you Michele when the torreador sang his song. I remember you at our college apartment listening to Carmen.
I am so tickled that Tom is coming to see me in my Russian exile. He'll arrive on Nov. 19 for 10 days. My friend Laurie Schoenberger is also coming on Nov. 13 for a week. It will be such fun to show both of them the sights.
I feel I am museumed, churched and palaced out for now and ready to get back to The Cathedral of the Classroom with my 15 living icons tomorrow.
Wishing you well. Until next week....
Love,
Kathy
Monday, November 2, 2009
October Meeting 2009
It was a blustery, cloudy night, and the wind whistled through the chimneys of the house on the moor. Woops, wait a minute. It was a blustery night, but Helen’s warm and cheery soups weren’t scary at all! Linda, Dawn, Rita, Margie, Katherine, and Randy with an eye (actually make that an I and two eyes) all gathered around the dining table, enjoying potato leek soup, hamburger vegetable chowder, apple spice muffins, pear pecan salad, and a chocolate cream cheese torte. And that was just the socializing segment.
Randy called us all together to settle down and get to business. Yes, Mistress Chairwoman (we never use the word Madam in
Several members attended the Shop Hop the end of September and reported that money was spent, fun was had, and tires were worn out! Helen and Katherine did all of the shops together. Dawn, Randy and Linda each did the Fallon stores on their own, but got together to do the rest of the Hop. The miles logged far exceeded a trip to the moon, but the rewards were much better than a load of rocks. However, the trekkers reported that We R Sew N Sew is going out of business.
We discussed some different methods of sandwiching quilts. Actually the methods are quite nearly the same, just the order is different. You may want to do the guts of the sandwich, then put on the front, then the back, or you may want to start with the back, then the guts, then the front. Or, you may want to try deviled ham in which case the order doesn’t matter.
Dawn brought a Show and Tell. She made a lovely and sophisticated table runner and placemats from fabric she purchased at the 2008 Shop Hop. A close look at the fabric, and you will see that the subject is quite Halloweeny.
Dawn and Randy will be attending a quilters reception in Yerington for
And as for our absent members, we very much missed Carol, Trish, Lacey, Ellie, Tricia, and Peggy. Happy Autumn to all of you and if we’re VERY lucky maybe we can all be together in November.
Now for upcoming events: The Christmas party will be on the 21st. Bring a wrapped gift, $10 limit. Also, bring a bit of canned food for the holiday food drives. And, in case you haven’t heard, our Two of a Kind quilts are due at the December meeting. In January, Linda will teach us paper piecing.
That just about does it for the October meeting of the QBees. If anyone thinks of something I missed, that’s what the Comments button is for. Quite happily and sincerely, Margie!
Ramblings from Russia
November 2, 2009
Hello everyone,
Greetings on this cold November morning from St. Pete's. It's a crisp, clear ,sparkling frosty day. The temp is in the low 30's and as I gaze out my apartment window I see people are decked out in warm coats, hats, gloves and scarves. Yesterday I really did try to dress like a Russian with my overcoat etc. but I still get looks like I'm either a CIA agent or someone from faraway ...a walking imposter for sure. Maybe it's the camera around my neck. Hmmm!
A few observations from school last week:
I had the kids bring in materials to build boats and do float and sink experiments adding plastic bears and cubes for weights. Now this is very tricky since there are no sinks in the room and I had to haul water and borrow tubs etc. They were quite thrilled to do something messy and fun which I don't think they're used to. One boy had counted up to 200 bears on his boat when it sank! He yelled, "Rescue, rescue! The Titantic sank." We revived the bears and proceeded. The kids make me smile everyday with their accents and use of the language.
The custodian who cleans my room is about my age and her name is Svetla and for some reason we have become soul mates though each of us can't speak the other's language. She loves looking at my photo of album of Juneau scenes and my family. I use a lot of sign language and we hug. She borrowed the album to show her family. On my birthday she brought me a small Matrushka doll and gave me a tearful speech in Russian. I grabbed another teacher to translate and this is what this simple woman who cleans for a living said, " I wish all people of the world could be like you and me . Forget the politicians and governments and remember the smiles, and hugs and laughter as we try to communicate what is important. I wish you and your family peace and good health on your journey through life." I started to cry as the teacher translated Svetla's powerful words. Such wisdom! These are the moments here that mean the most to me.
Then there's wisdom from the children...Gabriella brought in a leaf that had frozen in a puddle and declared that she had rescued the leaf. We had been exploring leaves for a bit so the kids know a lot about the life expectancy of a leaf. We observed the ice melting and at last the leaf was free from its icy grave and Gabriella tenderly wrapped it up in a paper towel to take it home and keep it warm and safe as she said.
Ms. Alexandra is our art teacher. Now picture a woman in her late 60's with a long white pony tale, sparkling blue eyes who dresses like a Russian hippie from the Salvation Army and wears sneakers and speaks limited English. She came bustling into the classroom this week for her lesson and started throwing garlic, onions, tomatoes, shells, flowers, pottery vases on the children's desks. She gives little direction other than "Just draw like Cezanne!" And the trick is they do. You should see their shadowing and concentration . Then they proceed to water color their sketches producing amazing results. Meanwhile she flits around the room from student to student heaping praise and constructive suggestions. She's amazing! She's not a trained teacher but is so skilled in having the children believe they are artists. And they are!
On the cultural front I attended another ballet, The Scotch Symphony, that was choreographed by George Ballenchine. I loved it because it was more modern and interpretive.
Our 9 day Fall Break started this weekend so I have planned some excursions everyday. I am learning to do things alone since my two companion teachers have taken off to Croatia for the week. I visited the Yusupov Palace where Rasputin was murdered. They do have English audio guides which are quite useful. It's so nice to hear someone speak English to me. I almost started to carry on a conversation with the audio man. No wonder people look at me!
I am learning to read maps quite well and am constantly scouting the sky for church steeples which guide me when I'm lost. I'm constantly calling on help from my guardian angels. Ron Gleason took me to a Russian Orthodox Monastary where we happened to enter during a service. It was so beautiful with Gregorian chanting from the all male choir, and the priest circling the church with insense. People were lighting candles and writing intentions out to leave on the tables under the icons The bell was ringing constantly in the steeple. I looked up and a priest was physically pulling on the heavy ropes and using a treadmill like wheel with his leg to ring the bell. Quite a work out. I wonder if he was doing penance. We visited the graves of Dostoyevsky, Tschaikovsky and Rimsy Korsocov who are all buried along with other famous artists, musicians and writers. They really do play tribute to their famous people. There were even fresh flowers on their
monuments to honor them. I visited the Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral where all the Romanov dynasty are enshrined.
On my way home I saw a man skinny dipping in the Neva River which I'm told they do for health reasons. He proceeded to exit the very cold and polluted river and did a series of jumping jacks to warm up. Time to move on home across the bridge with a smile on my face!
So much for my week. On a sad note...Tom's dear older brother Bill passed away yesterday from liver cancer. Tom had just spent 3 weeks with him and had just returned home to Juneau when he got the call. He'll probably head back down soon once arrangements are made. Obviously his trip here is on hold for now.
Love to all of you!
Kathy
Hello everyone,
Greetings on this cold November morning from St. Pete's. It's a crisp, clear ,sparkling frosty day. The temp is in the low 30's and as I gaze out my apartment window I see people are decked out in warm coats, hats, gloves and scarves. Yesterday I really did try to dress like a Russian with my overcoat etc. but I still get looks like I'm either a CIA agent or someone from faraway ...a walking imposter for sure. Maybe it's the camera around my neck. Hmmm!
A few observations from school last week:
I had the kids bring in materials to build boats and do float and sink experiments adding plastic bears and cubes for weights. Now this is very tricky since there are no sinks in the room and I had to haul water and borrow tubs etc. They were quite thrilled to do something messy and fun which I don't think they're used to. One boy had counted up to 200 bears on his boat when it sank! He yelled, "Rescue, rescue! The Titantic sank." We revived the bears and proceeded. The kids make me smile everyday with their accents and use of the language.
The custodian who cleans my room is about my age and her name is Svetla and for some reason we have become soul mates though each of us can't speak the other's language. She loves looking at my photo of album of Juneau scenes and my family. I use a lot of sign language and we hug. She borrowed the album to show her family. On my birthday she brought me a small Matrushka doll and gave me a tearful speech in Russian. I grabbed another teacher to translate and this is what this simple woman who cleans for a living said, " I wish all people of the world could be like you and me . Forget the politicians and governments and remember the smiles, and hugs and laughter as we try to communicate what is important. I wish you and your family peace and good health on your journey through life." I started to cry as the teacher translated Svetla's powerful words. Such wisdom! These are the moments here that mean the most to me.
Then there's wisdom from the children...Gabriella brought in a leaf that had frozen in a puddle and declared that she had rescued the leaf. We had been exploring leaves for a bit so the kids know a lot about the life expectancy of a leaf. We observed the ice melting and at last the leaf was free from its icy grave and Gabriella tenderly wrapped it up in a paper towel to take it home and keep it warm and safe as she said.
Ms. Alexandra is our art teacher. Now picture a woman in her late 60's with a long white pony tale, sparkling blue eyes who dresses like a Russian hippie from the Salvation Army and wears sneakers and speaks limited English. She came bustling into the classroom this week for her lesson and started throwing garlic, onions, tomatoes, shells, flowers, pottery vases on the children's desks. She gives little direction other than "Just draw like Cezanne!" And the trick is they do. You should see their shadowing and concentration . Then they proceed to water color their sketches producing amazing results. Meanwhile she flits around the room from student to student heaping praise and constructive suggestions. She's amazing! She's not a trained teacher but is so skilled in having the children believe they are artists. And they are!
On the cultural front I attended another ballet, The Scotch Symphony, that was choreographed by George Ballenchine. I loved it because it was more modern and interpretive.
Our 9 day Fall Break started this weekend so I have planned some excursions everyday. I am learning to do things alone since my two companion teachers have taken off to Croatia for the week. I visited the Yusupov Palace where Rasputin was murdered. They do have English audio guides which are quite useful. It's so nice to hear someone speak English to me. I almost started to carry on a conversation with the audio man. No wonder people look at me!
I am learning to read maps quite well and am constantly scouting the sky for church steeples which guide me when I'm lost. I'm constantly calling on help from my guardian angels. Ron Gleason took me to a Russian Orthodox Monastary where we happened to enter during a service. It was so beautiful with Gregorian chanting from the all male choir, and the priest circling the church with insense. People were lighting candles and writing intentions out to leave on the tables under the icons The bell was ringing constantly in the steeple. I looked up and a priest was physically pulling on the heavy ropes and using a treadmill like wheel with his leg to ring the bell. Quite a work out. I wonder if he was doing penance. We visited the graves of Dostoyevsky, Tschaikovsky and Rimsy Korsocov who are all buried along with other famous artists, musicians and writers. They really do play tribute to their famous people. There were even fresh flowers on their
monuments to honor them. I visited the Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral where all the Romanov dynasty are enshrined.
On my way home I saw a man skinny dipping in the Neva River which I'm told they do for health reasons. He proceeded to exit the very cold and polluted river and did a series of jumping jacks to warm up. Time to move on home across the bridge with a smile on my face!
So much for my week. On a sad note...Tom's dear older brother Bill passed away yesterday from liver cancer. Tom had just spent 3 weeks with him and had just returned home to Juneau when he got the call. He'll probably head back down soon once arrangements are made. Obviously his trip here is on hold for now.
Love to all of you!
Kathy
Monday, October 26, 2009
Ramblings from Russia
October 26, 2009
Where does the time go? The month of October is speeding by and another Russian Ramblings is at hand.
A few observations on the streets as I walk around to and from work:
I think I mentioned how someone (mostly Babushkas or older women) are always sweeping the night's debris away or raking leaves in the parks. I noticed that many of their brooms are hand made out of tree twigs tied together with string. I've seen a few people begging on the streets but not many homeless people, though I was informed that the police bus them away to who knows where. One night I was walking to a friend's apartment five minutes from mine when a man jumped out in front of me and started yelling something in Russian in my face. I was told if this ever happened to look them straight in the eye and act a bit "off" which I did and he ran away. It worked! I saw a small bear on a leash that a man was peddling for photographs. The poor bear was very submissive and the man had a club in his hand to use if necessary. Poor bear. What a contrast to our wild, mostly healthy Juneau bears.
I was to meet my friend Kat at a wonderful French Bakery that we discovered a week ago. I was sure I could find it but somehow ended up at the wrong place and without a cell phone couldn't get in touch. I did discover many new restaurants : Indian, Turkish etc. to try by accident. My poor friend was worred but we finally connected once I made it home and my poor host drew me a map to find the place. I must say the latte and cinnamon roll were very comforting .
I tried to buy some yarn for a project with my class and was told where a yarn shop was. I entered and the yarn sat behind a counter and you couldn't touch it. The clerk was very frustrated with this non-Russian speaking woman pointing to yarn, touching it and having her put it back on the shelf until I found the one I wanted.
Halloween was celebrated here on the 23rd. I taught the kids the American game of tying a donut on a string and eating it with your hands behind your back. They were thrilled. I told them the story of Georgie Ghost that my mother used to tell when she was teaching and I've told every year since I've been a teacher. As most stories go I change it every time but to see the light in their eyes is a magical connection when a story is told. All the elementary classes had a costume parade through the other classrooms and the kids shared trays of cookies and candies wishing us all a Happy Halloween as they marched through our room. Very sweet! After school the Trunk or Treating began on the playground. The parents decorated the trunks of their cars and served treats as the kids went from car trunk to car trunk. Jars with candles surrounded the playground to add to the festivities.
On the weekend Ron, my principal, hosted a dinner threatre in his apartment where the high schoolers could perform poetry, music, singing or any other talent. It was wonderful. Their parents came and the kids prepared salad, lasagna, and dessert which they served. They even cleaned up. A wonderful, community building event.
My birthday was this weekend so I went to dinner with friends and then to a production of Swan Lake with a prima ballerina. Lovely! Today at school the children made me cards and sang Happy Birthday to me in all their languages plus Russian. It brought tears to my eyes.
Tom is in California helping to care for his brother Bill who is in the final stages of liver cancer, so at this point he's where he needs to be. He may have to postpone or cancel his trip here depending on how things progress. I was so looking forward to sharing this experience with him but I know he's doing the right thing. Time will tell.
Much love to all of you and I love hearing your news.
Kathy
Where does the time go? The month of October is speeding by and another Russian Ramblings is at hand.
A few observations on the streets as I walk around to and from work:
I think I mentioned how someone (mostly Babushkas or older women) are always sweeping the night's debris away or raking leaves in the parks. I noticed that many of their brooms are hand made out of tree twigs tied together with string. I've seen a few people begging on the streets but not many homeless people, though I was informed that the police bus them away to who knows where. One night I was walking to a friend's apartment five minutes from mine when a man jumped out in front of me and started yelling something in Russian in my face. I was told if this ever happened to look them straight in the eye and act a bit "off" which I did and he ran away. It worked! I saw a small bear on a leash that a man was peddling for photographs. The poor bear was very submissive and the man had a club in his hand to use if necessary. Poor bear. What a contrast to our wild, mostly healthy Juneau bears.
I was to meet my friend Kat at a wonderful French Bakery that we discovered a week ago. I was sure I could find it but somehow ended up at the wrong place and without a cell phone couldn't get in touch. I did discover many new restaurants : Indian, Turkish etc. to try by accident. My poor friend was worred but we finally connected once I made it home and my poor host drew me a map to find the place. I must say the latte and cinnamon roll were very comforting .
I tried to buy some yarn for a project with my class and was told where a yarn shop was. I entered and the yarn sat behind a counter and you couldn't touch it. The clerk was very frustrated with this non-Russian speaking woman pointing to yarn, touching it and having her put it back on the shelf until I found the one I wanted.
Halloween was celebrated here on the 23rd. I taught the kids the American game of tying a donut on a string and eating it with your hands behind your back. They were thrilled. I told them the story of Georgie Ghost that my mother used to tell when she was teaching and I've told every year since I've been a teacher. As most stories go I change it every time but to see the light in their eyes is a magical connection when a story is told. All the elementary classes had a costume parade through the other classrooms and the kids shared trays of cookies and candies wishing us all a Happy Halloween as they marched through our room. Very sweet! After school the Trunk or Treating began on the playground. The parents decorated the trunks of their cars and served treats as the kids went from car trunk to car trunk. Jars with candles surrounded the playground to add to the festivities.
On the weekend Ron, my principal, hosted a dinner threatre in his apartment where the high schoolers could perform poetry, music, singing or any other talent. It was wonderful. Their parents came and the kids prepared salad, lasagna, and dessert which they served. They even cleaned up. A wonderful, community building event.
My birthday was this weekend so I went to dinner with friends and then to a production of Swan Lake with a prima ballerina. Lovely! Today at school the children made me cards and sang Happy Birthday to me in all their languages plus Russian. It brought tears to my eyes.
Tom is in California helping to care for his brother Bill who is in the final stages of liver cancer, so at this point he's where he needs to be. He may have to postpone or cancel his trip here depending on how things progress. I was so looking forward to sharing this experience with him but I know he's doing the right thing. Time will tell.
Much love to all of you and I love hearing your news.
Kathy
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Ramblings from Russia
October 19
Hello Friends and Family,
I hope you are all well and enjoying the excitement of Halloween approaching. It's hard to believe I've been here for 3 weeks. Here's a few observations and news of this past week:
Our school is right next to a Russian Navy Academy so we start our day in the classroom doing yoga while outside we hear the cadets chanting and marching in formation. Today they actually were accompanied by a marching band. Nothing like yoga set to military marches . Lots of contradictions here!
My students are like a mini United Nations representing the following countries:Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Lithuania, Germany, Holland, South Korea and The United States. It's really interesting to have them try to interpret and translate to each other when I don't understand their ideas. Today they were trying to figure out what you call your second mother and it went translating around the room until I finally understood they meant "Godmother." There are many "lost in translation" moments!
One humorous note this week: One boy told me he wanted to be a banker when he grows up because they make a lot of celery. The kids wanted to know what celery was and I described the vegetable. After several amused faces I finally figured out he meant "salary!"
I told them the apple story about the little red house with no windows and no doors and a star inside and had them create a
story map to re-tell the story to me and a friend. That gave me so much insight into their comprehension and use of language. It really is a challenge to meet all their needs in language arts especially. We've been playing games like telephone and Simon Says etc. to increase their understanding. We made applesauce this week which they loved. The supplies are so limited. I ended up making it in the mircrowave and they really loved it.
We had a fun Friday where the children from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade are divided into colors and rotate between the classrooms all day for fall crafts. I did pumpkin paper weavings. I got a little tired of hearing myself say "over, under, over, under, push it to the side!" They hadn't done weaving before so it was fun to see their attempts. The older kids naturally offer to help the little ones and even thanked me for the activity. Their sweet politeness is a blessing.
I was invited to the American Consulate for wine and cheese on Friday evening with ten other American women living here. The Consulate was in a Duke's home and was quite lovely. I was given a tour and even got to see where Tricky Dick rested his head. (Richard Nixon!)
A Russian film crew has been filming a movie on our apartment roof so we've been watching the filming off and on. It's suppose to be a comedy. One of my fellow teachers has a skylight over her shower which opens to the roof and she caught a peeping Ivar looking in at her one evening so had to come over to my apartment to take a shower. Maybe she'll be in the film!
The Russian Museum was my Saturday cultural nudge and I really enjoyed seeing the works of Russian artists through the ages. I topped if off with hot chocolate at a cafe with a teaching friend. The hot chocolate here is more like hot, thick, pudding and you eat it with a spoon. Yum! I celebrated a friend's birthday at a restaurant later that night. On Sunday I attended a symphony of Russian Fairy Tale music which was lovely. The acoustics in the concert hall resonated the sound so well.
I have been venturing out exploring streets further away from my apartment bit by bit and enjoyed a lovely two hour labyrinth of a walk on Sunday afternoon getting myself lost and then realizing I really could find my way back.
Much love and missing all of you!
Kathy
Photos of Kathy's school in Juneau, AK - Linda
Hello Friends and Family,
I hope you are all well and enjoying the excitement of Halloween approaching. It's hard to believe I've been here for 3 weeks. Here's a few observations and news of this past week:
Our school is right next to a Russian Navy Academy so we start our day in the classroom doing yoga while outside we hear the cadets chanting and marching in formation. Today they actually were accompanied by a marching band. Nothing like yoga set to military marches . Lots of contradictions here!
My students are like a mini United Nations representing the following countries:Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Lithuania, Germany, Holland, South Korea and The United States. It's really interesting to have them try to interpret and translate to each other when I don't understand their ideas. Today they were trying to figure out what you call your second mother and it went translating around the room until I finally understood they meant "Godmother." There are many "lost in translation" moments!
One humorous note this week: One boy told me he wanted to be a banker when he grows up because they make a lot of celery. The kids wanted to know what celery was and I described the vegetable. After several amused faces I finally figured out he meant "salary!"I told them the apple story about the little red house with no windows and no doors and a star inside and had them create a
story map to re-tell the story to me and a friend. That gave me so much insight into their comprehension and use of language. It really is a challenge to meet all their needs in language arts especially. We've been playing games like telephone and Simon Says etc. to increase their understanding. We made applesauce this week which they loved. The supplies are so limited. I ended up making it in the mircrowave and they really loved it.We had a fun Friday where the children from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade are divided into colors and rotate between the classrooms all day for fall crafts. I did pumpkin paper weavings. I got a little tired of hearing myself say "over, under, over, under, push it to the side!" They hadn't done weaving before so it was fun to see their attempts. The older kids naturally offer to help the little ones and even thanked me for the activity. Their sweet politeness is a blessing.
I was invited to the American Consulate for wine and cheese on Friday evening with ten other American women living here. The Consulate was in a Duke's home and was quite lovely. I was given a tour and even got to see where Tricky Dick rested his head. (Richard Nixon!)
A Russian film crew has been filming a movie on our apartment roof so we've been watching the filming off and on. It's suppose to be a comedy. One of my fellow teachers has a skylight over her shower which opens to the roof and she caught a peeping Ivar looking in at her one evening so had to come over to my apartment to take a shower. Maybe she'll be in the film!
The Russian Museum was my Saturday cultural nudge and I really enjoyed seeing the works of Russian artists through the ages. I topped if off with hot chocolate at a cafe with a teaching friend. The hot chocolate here is more like hot, thick, pudding and you eat it with a spoon. Yum! I celebrated a friend's birthday at a restaurant later that night. On Sunday I attended a symphony of Russian Fairy Tale music which was lovely. The acoustics in the concert hall resonated the sound so well.
I have been venturing out exploring streets further away from my apartment bit by bit and enjoyed a lovely two hour labyrinth of a walk on Sunday afternoon getting myself lost and then realizing I really could find my way back.
Much love and missing all of you!
Kathy
Photos of Kathy's school in Juneau, AK - Linda
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Silver Springs Entertainment and Arts Quilt and Fiber Arts Show
We did a great job, showcasing the talent and creativity of the Quilting Bees. The annual SSEA Quilt and Fiber Arts Show transformed the Silver Springs Senior Center into a wonderland of quilts and fiber artwork. The pictures say what my words can only attempt to describe.
Linda
Ramblings from Russia
Cousins Linda and Kathy in Juneau, AlaskaHello Everyone,
It's been a beautiful fall weekend here with our first frost of the year making its arrival this morning. The fall colors are beautiful. I enjoyed walking around the town with my camera as my companion on Saturday.Lots of great photo opportunities which I will have to post when I return home. Walking is a necessity here and everyone seems to be out and about all hours of the day. The children are all bundled up in snowgear, hats and mittens even though it really isn't that cold yet. Women, especially young women ,wear very high heeled shoes or boots and stroll more than power walk. Older women seem a little more sensibly dress and I would include myself in this catagory for sure. Dark colors seem to be the style so I know I must really shout out "American!" in my bright fuschia Juneau parka. Dodging traffic a daily adventure and so far I am still standing.
I went with my class to their gym this week which is a 15 minute bus ride away. They use a public gym and reserve time there for their PE classes. It's a riot to watch avid athletic adults work out and then go outside to chain smoke. A slight contradiction. As I was helping kids tie shoes after gym I glanced up at the video screen and there was a naked woman advertising something. It didn't phase the kids at all. I wonder what she was advertising? Must have been sunscreen since she was at the beach.
School is going well and I am absolutely loving teaching once again. I asked one very precocious American girl in my class how she thought things were going. This is what she said:
"Well, Mrs. Hanna, number one, you know you are a Grandma and they are always nice. Number 2, You are very funny and a little silly but we're learning SO I think you're a good fit." Guess I got the thumbs up. I am having a ball with Science Notebooks. (Thanks Chris!) We have been exploring leaves and apples and I noticed today that the rose hips out in front of the school need some investigating. They love doing plays so we've been acting out stories we've read. Simple games like "Mother May I" they love. I'm finding that surrounding them with language is my role at this point.
This week I went to two ballets: Swan Lake and Don Quixote. I really do feel I am in the center of an amazing cultural scene here. I went back to the Hermitage Museum again on Saturday for a look at the Dutch and Flemish paintings. During the war they took all the art work out of the museum and hid it. They barely had firewood to stay warm during the 900 day seige by the Germans but they found a way to preserve their artifacts and cultural history. Amazing sense of perspective.
I went over to a friend's apartment last night for brownies, tea and a chick flick which was fun. Ann and John Symonds from Juneau who are now living in Moscow arrived last night by train so it was fun catching up with their lives. They've been in Moscow for four years now. Ann brought us canned pumpkin, cranberry sauce and two turkey roasting pans for our Thanksgiving. All the American teachers get together to celebrate.
Tom is working on his visa to come and visit and I am so looking forward to having him here. There's so much to see and do. All for now. Have a wonderful week.
Love,
Kathy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)