Presents to Send You

Dear readers, all eight of you who have stayed with me this far, this will be my last entry from Moscow, at least for this trip. I have no great epiphanies to share, no earth-shattering conclusions to present, and no secret truths to reveal. But, what I do have have is a belief that Russian hospitality is alive and doing very well in Moscow. My hostess has been wonderful throughout the entire trip, even during the three weeks when she was quite sick. She is truly a mensch.

Moscow is still Moscow. There are so many things to see here, and some of those things can make you just shake your head in wonder or frustration, and others can take your breath away with their beauty. Such was last night's performance of Swan Lake at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre. It was truly beautiful and I am not a ballet fan by any stretch of the imagination. The Italians sitting near me cheered wildly, as did the Russians, Germans, and Brits. Muscovites love the theatre and tickets are not nearly as expensive here as they are in the United States, at least from my limited experience. I was able to see an opera and a ballet, each performed by excellent artists, for under $35. But the thing that struck me greatly at each performance was the behavior of the Russians, who are normally very stoic when you encounter them on the street or the metro. At the theatre however, these same people were transformed into smiling, laughing, cheering extroverts who would freely converse with their neighbors, whether they know you or not. I guess there is something to be said for the power of art.

I learned a great deal about my project here too and a number of my suspicions have been confirmed. Soviet composers had an ongoing conversation about jazz throughout the 1950s and were aware of the differences between modern jazz and swing; they just preferred swing, as it was closer to the "highbrow" art that they sought to promote. If the large numbers of Russians present at the opera and the ballet and the lengthy explanation I received for Verdi's la Traviata from a dentist are any indication, it appears that those old Soviet composers were successful. Although, the strippers in La Traviata have to be taken into consideration too.

What have I learned these past 6 weeks that isn't related to my dissertation?  I learned that just as I have a difficult time pronouncing the word 'metropolis' in English, I have an equally difficult time pronouncing it in Russian. Repertoire is easier to spell in Russian. Blini, or crepes, are perfect sprinkled with fresh squeezed lemon juice and a little bit of sugar. Shredded zucchini mixed with a little egg, flour, milk, and nutmeg, makes wonderful little pancakes that are very good for breakfast. Music libraries are my favorite places to be. A career as a musician might have been a good choice. Even though I am in theory an adult, I still miss my mom when I am away. After 15 years together I am much better when Grant is with me. And lastly, the selection of beers that we have in the United States is very limited.

So I have packed all of my souvenirs, clothes, archival records, receipts, and all other necessary items and will soon be heading back to the states. Cheers and I hope to see you soon!

Englishman in New York

While I'm not an Englishman, nor am I in Moscow, Sting's song seems appropriate for this post and the question of how does one fit in or adapt to a culture or setting that is different from one's native culture? Is it even possible to fit in, or are your forever doomed to stand outside - obvious to everyone around you that you are somehow different? I don't have the answers, but I do think somehow I must be fitting in. After all, I ate an ice-cream bar on the way home from the library the other day and I had a Baltica #3 with my borscht. The Mormons in Dunkin' Donuts mistook me for a Russian and tried to speak to me about God/god in Russian, and I have had several people try and offer me coupons for the English language learning center 'Big Ben.' So at some level I must be at least blending in.

On the other hand, I will clearly never blend in completely, nor could I hope to only spending 6 weeks at a time in Moscow. Things are just different and you have to be comfortable being out of your comfort zone to handle living in another country for any significant amount of time. Now that I am at the point where I will soon be leaving I feel like I have adapted pretty well. Nevertheless, there are things that I miss about the United States, obviously. Have I mentioned air-conditioning yet? As a result of this homesickness, I did a completely American thing the other night - I went to Chili's. I had no plans to do this and in fact I was on my way to the book store to look at Russian language history books. But as I walked by I saw ceiling fans and large, cold beers. There was simply no way to avoid it, really. So the next thing I know I am sitting on the veranda at Chili's on Novyi Arbat drinking a large "Chili's brew" (that's what it was called on the menu) and eating a cheeseburger. Not exactly "Cheeseburger in Paradise," but it was damn close!

I also did a very Russian thing, and in a very Russian way. I went to the opera on Wednesday evening and saw Verdi's "La Traviata." The very act of going to the opera is a very Russian thing, but the negotiation of the ticket price with the cashier was also a very Russian experience. They charge different prices for foreigners than they do for native Russians and other people from former Soviet territories, but the lady that I was with would have none of this and "negotiated" my price down to the Russian rate. She also managed to accomplish the same feat for a ticket to Swan Lake, which I had no plans of seeing, but it seems I will be doing so on Saturday evening. The lady who did this for me is a friend of my hostess and I have never known anyone quite like her. She is in all senses of the word, a character.

Imagine hurtling through Moscow streets, at rush hour, with a 70 year old woman who apparently thinks she is Richard Petty, and who is simultaneously weaving in and out of traffic and talking on 2 different cell phones. Unfortunately the brakes on my side of the vehicle did not work, but I quickly understood why the other lady who was with us offered me the passenger seat. Did I mention that for Muscovites the lines on the road, which in theory would divide the traffic into lanes, seem to be completely optional, like advice you can choose to follow or not? I've never been so happy to get out of a car in my life.

The orchestra and the singers of the opera were very good and I truly enjoyed the evening out. The theater was beautiful and very comfortable. But the show itself was not what I expected. I should first state that I know nothing about opera and maybe this is the way that it is usually shown, but since it was written in the 1800s and is set outside of Paris, I was expecting the stage and sets to depict that time period. However, this was a modern portrayal and the men were dressed like Russian/Italian mafia and the women were......well let's just say at one point there were strippers on stage. But this is Moscow so there could not just be female strippers, we must have male strippers too. And so there were. Makes me curious about the upcoming Swan Lake ballet that I will see on Saturday evening.

On the library front everything is going very well and sadly tomorrow will be my last day there. With any luck I have accumulated enough research to finish my dissertation. I close with a view of the street where the music library is and a few other random shots from around the city. Until then remember as the songs says, "be yourself no matter what they say."

art-nouveau style building

monument to victims of repression at the Art Park

side street to the music library

I Feel Good

Since the news has been filled with so much sadness lately, I will try to make sure that this is a happy post and does not dwell on anything too depressing. I will stick with art, although that is not always the best way to avoid disturbing topics either. On Saturday I made it to Viktor Vasnetsov's house/museum but unfortunately I could not take any pictures of the inside. I thought I could sneak a few but a museum worker followed me around the entire time - maybe she was suspicious. I guess it is only fair since they charged me the student rate instead of the rate for foreigners.

I also made it to VDNKh or the Exhibition of the Achievements of the National Economy, which sounds very dull but is actually a very lively place. Think of it as a socialist Epcot Center (without the ridiculous ticket prices, expensive rides, and expensive cafes) with different areas dedicated to different nations/cultures. Or maybe we should think of Epcot as the capitalist version of VDNKh since the Soviet park was begun in 1935. There are pavilions dedicated to Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Karelia, etc., etc. Most of the pavilions are now filled with people selling everything from electronics to leather goods. Kind of a mini-mall setup.

The pavilions are pretty, especially the Ukrainian one, but the real draw of the park is the giant fountain. The center is a bushel of wheat, naturally, and it is surrounded by women in various national costumes, representing the different cultures of the Soviet Union. It is all very socialist realist, but also quite lovely. The whole thing is kind of strange from a post-socialist perspective though - a giant theme park with roller coasters and go-carts next to it, and speakers blaring James Brown's "I Feel Good" just beside the fountain. And to get to the fountain you have to walk past a statue of Lenin who is holding his hand in such a way that it appears he is showing you the way to the rides. Vladimir Lenin - theme park guide extraordinaire! I thought it was very funny, however I think most Muscovites are so used to it that they don't pay any attention to it or notice the paradox.

Today I wandered down to the Art Park, which is close to the river and has some of the most interesting statues I have ever seen. Some of them are pretty whimsical and others are very serious. The arrangement of the Stalin monument in front of statues and works representing victims of repression is extremely moving - especially for someone who wrote her master's thesis on labor camps. But just across the way is a collection of statues representing characters from different fairy tales, and then there is the juxtaposition of Pushkin and a group of naked, very round-hipped women.

notice the people in the fountain - it is very, very hot here!

Back in the U.S.S.R.

Yes, I know, the title of this post is predictable and it is most likely a surprise that I haven't used it yet, but today it seems especially appropriate. It's not Sir Paul's lyrics that I'm thinking of though, not that I have anything against Ukrainian girls and yes, Georgia (the republic) is on my mind. What is really evident is how much things have changed since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the way that those changes have played out. Or at least this is what I was thinking about as I walked passed the Lamborghini and Ferrari dealership on my way to a relatively expensive grocery store, located in an unbelievably expensive mall next to the Bolshoi Theatre. There is after all, a reason that Moscow is considered one of the most expensive cities on the planet.

Unlike in the Soviet days, as my hostess was telling me the other night over a plate of salted cucumbers with dill and garlic, there are many things to buy these days. The city is dotted with large malls offering everything from Levis to Guess, or from Giorgio Armani to Tiffany's. However, who is actually able to purchase items from these stores is a mystery to me. I have seen many Porches, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bentleys, Jaguars, and Audis racing through the streets, so evidently some people in Moscow are able to afford such expensive goods.....or possibly they were obtained by other, more creative, methods. But I was shocked when I made my way to the Sketchers store to purchase what I thought would be an inexpensive pair of tennis shoes, maybe $50 at most. It turns out that was a pure fantasy on my part and the cheapest pair they had were the equivalent of $120 - for Sketchers!

My hostess told me that most people who can purchase their clothing and shoes in other European countries since they are much more affordable elsewhere. When you look at the food purchases of average Russians, meaning people who do not race around in Italian sports cars whiled decked out in Gucci, they are much more modest too. The center section of the produce department in the grocery store is always filled with dill, green onions, cucumbers, white mushrooms, potatoes, cabbages, yellow onions, carrots, and beets and this is the section where you will find most people making their choices. These items are very reasonably priced and it is no wonder that traditional Russian dishes include some combination of these items. But if you are interested in bell peppers, corn, green beans, or possibly hot chile peppers or jalapeño peppers, be prepared to pay. I went to 4 different grocery stores looking for jalapeño peppers before I finally found them at an upscale place called Globus Gourmet, which is truly a beautiful store. Granted jalapeño peppers are not common in Russian cuisine, but really $25 seemed a bit much for a pack of three peppers.

So while there are things to buy here, as compared to earlier days, it is difficult for many people to afford more than the basics. According to my hostess in some ways the the old system was easier because while there weren't as many choices, the distance between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' did not seem so obvious. Sure, as she was telling me, people who belonged to the upper echelons of the Communist Party had access to things that average Russians did not, but during the Soviet period you did not have so many nouveau riche speeding along in outrageous cars, buying flashy designer goods simply to show that they have the means to do so. Ah, the vulgarity of conspicuous consumption.

I was finally able to make a pot of drunken pinto beans - minus the jalapeño peppers - and they were fabulous. At the gourmet market I found a bottle of Tabasco chipotle sauce and once I added half of the bottle the beans had enough flavor. I considered substituting the tequila that I normally use with vodka for a Russian version, but I had white wine so I used it instead. I also found a package of "Italianskii" tortilla shells that are pretty close to the Mexican tortilla shells we eat at home. So all in all it was a pretty good meal following a successful and productive week of research in the library. Tomorrow I will play tourist again as the music library is closed on weekends and I've already mined everything I can out of the main branch. I'm off to the museum of Viktor Vasnetsov who painted these very interesting, fairy-tale like paintings in the late 1800s.

My favorite purchases so far - Tobasco & the Italian version of chocolate chip cookies

These are pictures from the Hotel Metropol.  The building was built between 1899-1905 by William Walcot (Russian-British background) & Lev Kekushev.  It is done in the Russian version of art nouveau.  

The paintings at the top are by Mikhail Vrubel and are based on a French story La Princesse Lointaine, by Edmond Rostand, the author also of Cyrano de Bergerac.  The point of my rambling here is to remind everyone of Russia's connection with Europe.

The Thrill Is Gone

Not much to report lately except that I am craving Mexican food and an air-conditioner, and possibly a margarita or five. I'm not sure if the heat is getting to me or if it is the smog, but my attitude has taken a significant turn for the worse. Although, I think the smog and the debris in the air does make for very pretty sunsets. Things are going very well in the library and I have absolutely no complaints in the research department. The archive that I was working in even sent me a pdf of the documents that I requested copies of. This was especially nice considering that they had officially stopped pulling documents and files for researchers at the end of last week.

I haven't visited any other museums or parks yet because of my time in the library and the heat. I still have 2 more journals to go through and only 7 days left as the music department of the state library is now closed on weekends. Budgets are tight here too and the summer months are a good time to cut back on spending, but at least it doesn't appear as if the Russian government is headed towards a shutdown any time soon......

I did find the Russian/European version of Sam's today. Well, it wasn't exactly the same thing but it is more than a supermarket - it is a hypermarket, or gipermarket as it is called in Russian. The store is called Carousel and it is huge. And yet, despite the size of it, there were no hot peppers to be found, which means, alas, no salsa. They did have an incredible wine section though and I will be going back to buy Hungarian Tokaj. I am very excited about this since I've been reading about this Hungarian specialty for about 4 years now and I have yet to try it since Hungary does not export it to the United States. From what I have read it is slightly sweet and spicy. I will post my "tasting notes" after I have tried it. Maybe I'll have it with black beans and rice, if I can ever find hot peppers.

   

Havana Daydreamin'

After spending 5 hours in the library reading today I finally made my way to Novodevichy Convent, something I did not do the last time that I was in Moscow. It is a beautiful place with several churches, including the Cathedral of Our Lady of Smolensk. It was founded in the 1500s and at this point I realize that maybe I should have titled my blog "a tour of Moscow's churches and religious sights," since that seems to be what I do in addition to reading Soviet journals and documents. Its an interesting contrast.

While I was walking around the outside of the walls today along the river, a couple of what appeared to be professional photographers took my picture. At first I thought I was in their frame, so I moved. But then I realized that the camera was following me - it was pretty strange. When I got close to them and saw all of their equipment I questioned why they were taking my picture. After all, there were many beautiful Russian women walking around in nice dresses and 5 inch heels. I was told that I made for a very interesting shot considering my Rolling Stones t-shirt, sunglasses, holey jeans, and sandals - especially at a convent. It was odd for me considering the many random photos of people that I have taken. I'm not used to being the subject! But, they were very friendly and nice and it made for a good laugh.

It is very hot here and I can't help but think of the ocean, the Gulf, or really, any large body of saltwater. It feels like a Florida summer (without air-conditioning) - not something you expect to experience in Moscow. The high on Friday is 91, and I know it is hotter in Florida, but here when you are surrounded by so much concrete and pavement there seems to be no relief from the heat, except for escaping to parks outside the city and along the river.

That's all for now - below are pictures of the convent and a couple of views from my apartment as the sun was going down, if you can actually call it that. It is still light for quite a long time here, at least until 10:30 pm.

Wedding locks that couples leave on the bridge when they get married

   

People Are Strange

It has been an interesting few days for me here in Moscow. I went to the flea-market at Izmailovskii Park and picked up a few souvenirs. The place is huge and even though I've been there before, I am still surprised at the size of it and the sheer number of matryoshka dolls. Of course, they are there for the tourists to purchase and it is a must to haggle over prices for anything. I suppose if you are not accustomed to it the whole haggling business can be somewhat intimidating, but if you make just the slightest attempt it can be a blast. The vendors that I dealt with seemed to appreciate the game of it all.

After leaving Izmailovskii I went to the farmer's market near the Danilovskii Monastery, and was that ever an experience! The minute I walked into the market people were yelling at me "devushka, devushka, devushka!" But it wasn't that I had done anything wrong, they were just trying to get my attention so that I would purchase something from them. One guy practically dragged me over to his table to try his homemade juice. It is an entirely different cultural experience from the Muscovites and Russians that you encounter on the street or the metro. Most of the vendors at the larger farmer's markets are from the "stans" - Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, etc. and they do not maintain the same stoic composure that Russians usually do. I had a great time though just interacting with everyone and searching for peppers with any kind of heat. Sadly they were not to be found but I did find three different types of basil and nutmeg.

I tried to go into the courtyard of the Danilovskii monastery, but the police officer would not let me through the gate because I did not have a scarf to cover my hair with. I wasn't trying to be disrespectful or anything, I had just forgotten about the whole scarf deal. It is, however, perfectly acceptable to go into the monastery in a strapless mini-dress that even Heidi Klum would find too short, and wearing 5 inch platform heels, as long as you have your hair covered. That was how the woman in front of me was dressed.

I found my way to "Chistie Prudi" today, which means "clean ponds." It is a nice park, although the pond does not appear too clean to my eye. As I came out of the metro I noticed lots of flags, which is my mind is not usually a comforting sight. It was pretty ironic too considering I had recently been chatting with Rachel about how I haven't seen many flags at all since I've been in Moscow, at least not compared to what you see in Florida. Apparently there was a nationalist demonstration protesting pretty much everything that they think is wrong with the Russian government. The group is the Motherland Party of Russia.  They would most likely refer to themselves as patriots, but when the language is anti-immigrant, xenophobic, and about the importance of a strong military and the Russian Orthodox Church, in my opinion it is nationalistic. What was especially disturbing was the sign with the quotation by Henry Ford that monarchic governments are the best form of government known to man, or some approximation of that.  I'm not very familiar with Ford's written works, so I do not know if he actually said what the protestors seem to think he said.  However, I do know that among certain circles in Europe Ford is revered not only for the manufacturing process that he established, but also his anti-Semitic publications.   Therefore, seeing a sign with Ford's name so prominently displayed was very disturbing. I didn't stay near the demonstration for very long once I heard the speaker begin talking about the danger that immigrants posed to Russia. I'm obviously a foreigner and did not want to chance anything.

Fortunately the afternoon ended well - Alla made a plum tort and I am eating a piece of it now and having a cup of amaretto coffee. It is a fantastic treat on such a rainy afternoon. And, not a bad way to end my mini-vacation. Tomorrow it is back to Soviet musicological journals of the 1950s! I am actually excited about that too. Cheers.

Entrance to Izmailovskii park market

Small chapel near Danilovskii Monastery

Buildings & architecture near Chisty Prudy 

Motherland Party protestors at Chisty Prudy - the sign in the middle has a quotation attributed to Henry Ford