My heart lies bleeding (just a little bit).. Маша, суперзвезда учителя

Just had my last lesson, and really after two weeks, I still feel that I can hardly utter a word, let alone hit the right cases and inflections. Pus to eavery rule there is like an exception rate of probably 1000%! However, none of this is Mascha's fault, who really is a great and very patient teacher. Thanks Mascha so much for all your efforts! She knows how to cut down the lessons into manageable and enjoyable entities, using (word) games, children's games (though by no means childish), and whenever she saw that my focus was slipping, she changed to something a bit easier for the time being.

This having been my last lesson here in St. Petersburg, I decided to move into a hotel in the center tomorrow, so that I might even actually go to the Hermitage and the Russian Museum after all, and not having to worry about catching the le dernier Metro.

Somehow, I have really always been much more interested in alternative views, and did not feel like joining in to mass tourism (those buses spitting out masses of Chinese tourists just won't stop). Obviously, Hermitage & Cie are representative of  posh society, who ultimately always seem to write history, and that is not really where I would search for the "Russian Soul". I would expect to get a glimpse in the Metro, a hospital maybe, families, any people in fact who are not directly involved with tourists and/or foreigners, the prison, the parks, the bars, the underground movements and arts. (And I was so happy finding in Vivi and Timo friends who seem to share some of my views). I find it actually a good thing that people are generally a bit restrained and/or shy towards foreigners and strangers. If you enjoy being approached - let's say - like in Egypt, by everybody and their uncle wanting to sell you something - don't come here. If, however, you like to take your time, and you respect the reservations of others, then you will probably do all right after a while. And this is certainly one of the reasons I have started learning Russian. I am getting quite bored of European over-regulation and repetitive art, talent shows and Big Brother spin-offs. Truth be told, the few soaps I happened to see (not watch, obviously, my Russian is quite far from actually understanding more than a few words), were not exactly sophisticated, but then again they probably aren't any worse than our Swiss TV junk food. Still, as I have noticed working with artists from Poland before, I have great hopes for a new generation in the East, who has not yet been "regulated", domesticated, commercialized and subsidized ad nauseam. It was therefore a stroke of luck, having met Timo and his underground photography. I have just about had it with all those streamlined, brainwashed, boring, dying old though Neopuritans and Health-Fascists.

This said and duly vociferated, I shall still consider going to an established museum. If it rains, possibly. And then maybe rather the Russian Museum, and not the Hermitage. Well, I'll play it by ear.

Oh and even though the statistic hits to this blog are not really what I had expected or hoped for (decreasing hits - so sad), I do appreciate the comments I've had so far. Especially Miguel, who asked if I was a journalist. That really was a much appreciated chicken soup for my starved soul ;-)

Wednesday - Land of the Pink Smurfs! Среда - страна розовый Смэрфс

Met with some friends and we decided to go and experience a traditional Russian Bathhouse. Good thing too we had our Russian friend Nikolay with us, to explain how things work. Thus, first there's a little shop where you can buy everything you need for the sauna, shampoo, oil, and most importantly, bundles of birch and juniper branches, to "flagellate" yourself or others with, in order to intensify the heat and give you that lovely piggy colour. Then there are those funny felt hats. I asked Niki what these were for - thinking maybe they have Sauna fan clubs just like for the Zenit football club (which by the by have great blue coloured fan stuff - caps etc.). I He said those hats were for keeping your head from overheating, and I figured "Fair enough, a stupid question begs for a stupid answer". But bought one anyway, as a souvenir. Of course I then realized that most men were really wearing these in the sauna, and what with the flagellation and all going on, everybody looked eerily smurfy. Also at the entrance,  there's the little kiosk, where you can buy your beer, vodka, and dried fish snacks (tastes exactly like those snacks for cats - and yes, I have tried those too.

It is a huge bath house, not quite up to Swiss hygiene standards, but that's quite ok with me, as it made the place look and feel more homey. So you go up the wide stairs, (second floor is the men's baths, third floor the womens'). Here you hand in your valuables to another guy and get a number. So get naked and put your stuff into a small wooden "closet", no locks. I was a bit apprehensive walking around with no towel at first, but it seems that is so normal that nobody really seems bothered so you just do as when in Rome. Then there's the big shower room, full of benches with plastic buckets, which you fill with hot water and then put your branches in. And off you go into the sauna room, which is somewhat in between a Turkish bath (steamy) and a dry sauna. Very hot! And as mentioned before, a lot of self-flagellation. Let me tell you that whipping sure feels great though. You get all tingly feeling. Nobody really lasts very long. Next step, stand under a a bucket with a chain, which upon jerking on releases ice water. Before you know what hit you, the shock is over. Then you venture into the somewhat muddy coloured cold bath tub, to further cool down a bit. THEN you come out all squeeky pink and happy to have survived it all. Then you go to the entrance room and sit on one of those wood benches and start drinking and eating. Lots of eating and drinking going on all over the place. And I mean serious eating and drinking, not just nibbling. Plates of fresh salmon, dry fish, salads, and the almost ubiquitous bottle of voddie, and the beers. As i said before, when in Rome... And you try and listen into some of the (drunken) conversation. As people under the influence are bound to repeat themselves and to talk rather slowly (before getting to the point of slurring and making no sense at all), I was actually able to pick up quite a bit.

We did three runs of the hot-cold routine, then obviously got quite hungry and ready to go for dinner at a Georgian restaurant. Somewhere near Nevskii Prospekt, so not exactly cheap but nice, pleasant service though they did not speak "foreign", but we had Niki to interpret for us. The Italian guests at the next table weren't quite so lucky and struggled with their menu and ordering process, so we helped them out a bit.

After that we went clubbing. Timo, our friend from Finland, is an artistic photographer and he took pictures from quite some unusual angles, which got me interested, as I love it when people look at the world with their own eyes, not just trying to shoot the next postcard. I also had a look at his website and as I think he really captures atmospheres, I am adding his website link here (with Timo's permission, of course):

Timo's Art

I will also ask Timo if I may publish some of his St. Petersburg pictures here. I saw some on his facebook and was not disappointed. Funny that he took a photo of a graffiti I had seen before, and actually had meant to take a picture, but hadn't my iPhone with me.

After dinner, we went to a club, and the rest, as they say, is history. Got a bit, well - rather quite drunk, and after the others had taken off to their hotel, just went on partying, home late and possibly not on my best behaviour. Next thing I know it's morning and I have half the school banging on my door. Tried to ignore it for a while, (thinking: what the f... are those guys banging on doors in the middle of the night?!), but of course it was already morning and I had missed class. Good thing I finally opened the door as they had gotten worried and were considering kicking it in. Not really what you need for a good old hang-over in the morning. Sorry though, guys!

Flashback to last Sunday

As mentioned before, the weather last Sunday was glorious. Thus after our short visit in prison, we took the Metro to Petrogradskaya (I think?), and from there issued to a rich-looking neighbourhood and a big park, with a luna park. Perfect venue for people-watching. Relaxed, animated atmosphere. A whole different world to Primorskaya. After strolling through the park and checking out the rides of the luna park, we sat down in a somewhat pricey but ever so pleasant "Biergarten". Accompanied by a band playing Spanish songs quite well, we had a Weissbier, salad and desert with coffee, and I guess one payed a bit for the atmosphere and the music as well, as really prices were quite something else.

Afterwards, on our way back to the metro, we listened to band playing Russian rock music. Quite energetic, and Vivi became their instant groupie.

Quite a lot of women promenading on high heels again, though we caught one getting out of the park secretly changing slipping into more comfortable footwear after parading. So they are human after all. Though the woman are generally less "dolled-up" than in Poland. More discretely, for certain.

The men, even if the look fit enough from the back, almost always juggle around more or less prominent bellies, Must be the voddie and the food, which, like Polish food, tends to be on the "nutritious side." Probably a heritage of former times and Siberian living conditions, when fat was a prerequisite for survival. Which reminds me of the story I've heard about former camps and prisons in Siberia, where "common or normal criminals" would "groom" political criminals, who would be more gullible, to flee with them. On their way through winter, when food got scarce, the political criminals, serving as life food stock, would be killed and eaten by their "mates". Lovely story!

Men here also tend to wear their hair calmed forward, Not much gel seems to be used as yet. I remember that style from where I grew up in a country village in the seventies. Not many fat people though. These some of our observations from people watching in the park.

The following pictures are all by Vivi. Thanks again.

Prison - в тюрьме

Крестах

Super weekend, not quite as planned but wonderful and interesting in quite other ways...

Vivi and I took the Metro to Финляндского вокзала and were greeted yet again by a spotless sky and warm weather. We had some small doubts that the "Prison Museum" might not really work out as it says on the Internet, but decided to give it a go anyway. Upon arrival in front of the building, we just followed some people with big plastic bags, and obviously just happened to drop in during visiting hours. We decided to lay low a bit and try not to look to conspicuous, but of course again we must have stuck out like sore thumbs. There was nobody at the numerous reception desks, but a friendly woman told us they would open so, so we just hung around at the reception hall. The visitors stoically started unpacking all the contents of their plastic bags - loads of cigarettes, food, t-shirts, onions, chocolate, coffee, tea... and not just unpacked them but took everything out of the original packages and put it all into transparent littel plastic bags. First, Vivi thought it was just people selling stuff - but then we realized that they would have to hand in everything to be checked before being handed out to the inmates.

When the desks opened, we let the visitors queue first, waiting until one was free, then asked about the museum, which seems to be closed. Pity, especially as we wanted to see the tattoo gallery and other art produced by the inmates. Vivi asked her teacher to find out if a guided tour to the prison museum can be arranged. I must say that the experience of actually seeing visitors preparing their Sunday visit was way more interesting to me - especially as I worked in a Swiss prison years ago, and in some ways the atmosphere was very different, in other ways not that much.

And another link, though considering what might go on inside, they may romanticize: Крестах
Крестах

Смоленское-православное-кладбище - Smolensk Orthodox Semitary

Smolensk Orthodox Semitary

Here some photos I promised in my previous blog: (Thanks Vivi for sharing yours - of which I will post some along with mine.)

"It is unusual"

Something I hear rather often here, when suggesting something. For example, I really would have liked to show my appreciation of the play to the actors by buying a round after the performance, but fortunately I asked my friend first, and he subtly let me know that this would be "unusual". I understood that it might thus be a bit offensive or weird, and so the usual or normal thing to do whenever you leave a table at a bistro or restaurant, you just go and pay for whatever you consumated. Though Artiom secretly paid for my bred sticks, (thanks by the way!).

There seem to small differences of behavior that might make you stranger or a stranger in the eyes of people here. Thus here's some detail that especially Americans, who often find even European behavior unfriendly, might take into account when visiting: Upon entering a restaurant, do not expect to get seated or greeted. You will also not find a waiter or waitress bouncing up to your table smiling at you and introducing themselves as their waiter for the evening. You order your food, they bring it, you pay- voilà! Same thing in a supermarket. It's just the way things are done. Its' neither personal nor unfriendly.

Also, there seems to be a certain amount of shyness or waryness, and the whole way of behaving towards strangers obviously still needs to be appreciated in hindsight to the iron curtain. Though it may have been lifted over twenty years ago, the shadows remain to some extent.

I've  had some interesting feedback and questions to my blog, but generally, and for now, all I can say really is: take your time, take it all in, the atmosphere, the way people do things. So far, I have had lovely and less pleasant encounters in equal measure, as I usually have wherever I go, so I'll just go along with those people I feel happy with. Once you get acquainted, it is great to get introduced to friends. And of course, a few drinks (at least in my case) always help overcome communication barriers. Once people sing for you, you're in a good place. I should restrain from evaluating, because one week in St. Petersburg is really not even the tip of the tip of the iceberg. Bear with me.

Also, often I have heard directly or through other students, that if you come late or miss an appointment, this is considered very rude, and you will be accused of "waisting my time"! Being Swiss, I do my best to be on time, though considering the distances here, this has not always been possible. As mentioned in the school's information letter, by all means send a text message if you can't make it in time, albeit just a few minutes, and plan ahead of time. This really is important! As a matter of fact, if you are a future student of http://russianinpetersburg.com, do read that instruction letter, it will save you trouble, and frustration. (I had to learn the hard way, as I am one of those people who usually break a new device or appliance before bothering to read the manual.)

Readers who are from St. Petersburg or have been to Russia before, please do send me your reactions and correct  me whenever I am not to the point. Remember, these are just short-time impressions, there is no way I could ever make well-researched and "true" statements at this point, but I also believe that other newcomers might run into similar situations and recognize themselves in specific circumstances, which is why I chose to include such menial observations here.

Curious Savage - Странная миссис Сэвидж

"Театр Дождей"- St. Petersburg

Thank you so much Артем for showing me a different - off-the-beaten-track St. Petersburg. From the stroll through the wonderful, magic semitary (I will go back to take pictures and find out the name again later) through the old, original streets of Vasilii Island to your theatre, where I was invited to watch you as Hannibal in this play. It really bugs me that I had not taken my camera to take a picture of the "monument of the invisible man" - that would have been funny!

Anyhow, I loved tha African Art Cafe - and enjoyed the friendly atmosphere there, then of course felt so priviledged that the theatre made an extra space in the booked-out audience to let me watch! I certainly was the only foreigner, and trust me even though it was in Russian and I only understood the odd word of phrase, I was totally taken in after a little while. What an exquisite performance. At first I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive that I would not last for over two hours sitting on one buttock only, somehow keeping a balance to keep me from falling into the corridor, but after a few minutes I got so involved and entranced by the performance and the lovable characters that I totally forgot the precarious sitting arrangement.

I really can't compliment all of you enough for playing so intensively (how do you do it - the company playing the same repertoire for a whole season - yet never once getting out of character or losing focus? So if one cannot really understand (besides what you told me about the story before) not being bored for one moment really means you guys know how to do magic on scene.

Afterwards of course I was very happy to see most of the actors in the Art Cafe - and again felt very welcome and this must be exceptionable, as I have heard from other students here that this it is not always easy to be accepted. And lovely that you actually all sang for me
some traditional Russian songs!

Please thank everybody again from me - (can i adopt Mrs Savage!?)


 The funny thing was that after so many almost perfect sunny days, the very moment we arrived at the "Театр Дождей" (Rain Theatre), it started to rain - how did you manage that special effect? Then ass soon as we left to take one of the last Metros, it had cleared up again, and the Trinity Cathedral looked eerie and right out of a fairy tail with the moon behind in the near darkness.


And another compliment today goes to Mascha, my teacher, who realized that I had quite a late night last night and when my concentration got dodgy, she brought out the fun games and we had a good laugh.

Already one week of classes - time does fly. Making plans for the weekend. Vivi wants to visit the St. Petersburg prison - strange, strange woman, but what's new? - and since I am game for all things strange anyway  (it can hardly be a coincidence that my first ever play in Russian here was Странная миссис Сэвидж!) I will go with her - if she does all the necessary arrangements and we find a spot in hour busy schedules to visit it together. (Be warned though, Vivi: If we get in trouble and things get hot - I might have to sell you and leave you behind to buy my way out, sorry about that, but you being Italian I am sure you have some Mafia connections to figure a way of getting you out - and then you get to write a book about your experience in a Russian jail - I'll write a racy script and Hollywood here we come - right?)

Bart ( the study coordinator) came by today and it we had a nice chat. (And no, Bart! I did not want to show off my Dutch whilst speaking with Vivi on the phone - she really does speak Dutch as well, which you will have found out for yourself by now.)

No pics today am afraid, as I am a bit wary carrying my iPhone with me - as I never really know where I end up during a day.