Regarding the mundane: a reminder that I study here, sort of

“When I am in the country,” he replied, “I never wish to leave it; and when I am in town, it is pretty much the same. They have each their advantages, and I can be equally happy in either.” Charles Bingley, Pride and Prejudice. 

This quote more or less sums up my time here--when I'm here in Irkutsk, I want to stay in Irkutsk, and when I'm back home, I don't really want to leave the house, get out of bed, or do anything productive what so ever. I can't believe that February is almost over and with that, that I'll be done with the in-country portion of my program within the span of approximately three months. As much as I'm looking forward to seeing my friends and family, my return to the US this time round will be bitter-sweet since this is probably the last time I'll be living abroad for the foreseeable future. This third time round out of the country has definitely been my favorite, all bumps in the road aside, and the thought that it will all be over in May already has me feeling nostalgic about the whole experience.

Spring semester always seems to go by so much faster than the Fall, so the feeling of relative freedom that I had last semester is quickly drawing to an end. I have a lot more to think about this semester--my grad thesis, going back to Middlebury, and worst of all, finding a job when I get back to justify all of the time, effort, and money that I've spent in the pursuit of a master's degree. I don't like putting it in terms like that since I really do enjoy learning for the sake of learning, exploring different countries, and meeting new people, but at the same time, there are material concerns like being able to feed and clothe myself that aren't really something I can completely ignore (as much as I would like to). My life would be much easier if I came into some money. Seeing as that's extremely unlikely, I have to concern myself with petty things like gainful employment and all of the hassle that comes with it.

At the moment, I'm focusing on my academics. As misleading as this blog and my facebook page may be, I do go to class sometimes in between jaunts on the Trans-Siberian, Baikal trips, and back alley adventuring around Irkutsk. Most of my classes this semester are at МИЭЛ, for all intents and purposes, the small, "Russian as a foreign language" university up the road from my apartment. As a grad student, I have the option of taking most of my classes with Russian students at the main campus, but I find that the Middlebury classes I can take at МИЭЛ are much more interesting and useful for me since a) they're geared towards non-native speakers and b) I have no more than one other person taking them with me at any given time which is AWESOME practice. It's also way less of a hassle since I don't have to get permission to take these classes, track down the professor to write out a syllabus/grade me, etc, etc. Russia is a walking bureaucracy and the universities are no better--we'll leave it at that. Last semester I had two individual classes at МИЭЛ, Siberian History and Advanced Russian grammar. I really enjoyed working with the two professors who taught them, Anna Mikhaelovna and Irina Miletievna, who, whereas are extremely different in both personality and approach to teaching, are similar in the fact that they're very passionate and talented educators. This semester they're working with the undergrads so I have a completely new group of professors.

My individual Russian stylistics class is with Lyudmila Semenovna, a very sweet, babushka-like lady who usually works with the Chinese and Korean students. You can definitely tell this is the case since she made a point of repeating her name to me about three times, very slowly and precisely during our first class together. So far I'm liking class with her. The stylistics class is sort of a smorgasbord of grammar/morphology/phonetics/slang/literature all wrapped into one. So far a lot of what we've been doing is breaking down Russian words by figuring out their prefixes, suffixes, and roots and using that information to figure out their meaning. It's actually really useful since if you understand how prefixes/suffixes work in Russian and have a decent working vocabulary, you can pretty much figure out about 90% of Russian words without having to consult a dictionary. Also, I really enjoy stuff like that so it's fun and interesting for me. So far...so far...

I'm also taking a modern Russian lit class. One of the undergrads, Sam, was also crazy enough to take this class with me, so I'm luckily not left completely to my own devices. Our professor, Aleksandr Genadievich, a young, enthusiastic, and ridiculously well read guy, can pretty much talk in depth about any subject that comes to mind, so it's nice to have someone else to help field questions. It's a really interesting class but can at times be a little challenging. Discussing postmodernist literature in English can at times be confusing so imagine trying to do the same--only in Russian. These are usually the times when I feel just how inadequate my Russian really is. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. There's a huge difference between my level of Russian when I'm just hanging out with my friends at Papa Johns (i.e. the place to be in Irkutsk) and when I'm discussing scholarly, academic type things, so it's good to be reminded that I have a lot to work on as I will occasionally find myself in slightly classier locations/situations. Today he read to us for a good forty minutes without pause out of this tome of a book and then proceeded to try to get us to discuss what he had read. My commentary was some muddled version of "Yeah...huh...what to say to that...uuuhhhh...interesting...I liked the...dialogue...there was dialogue, right? Sweet. Just as I suspected." I don't have a degree in Russian literature for nothing, people.

Aleksandr Genadievich is also my grad thesis advisor as of today. I had my first meeting with him this afternoon and my initial idea of studying folkloric icons in Russian literature was pretty much thrown right out the window within the first two minutes of our conversation. Basically the advice that I got was that I wouldn't be writing anything that hasn't been written 100xs over by people who know more than I do and with whom I'm not allowed to dispute the topic since their word is pretty much canon. So essentially that it would be boring and a waste of my time. At this point I pretty much just want to write a decent paper and know that I won't be making any new, eye opening discoveries in the span of 23 to 40 pages. Since I really only have about three months to get it done, practicality is the name of the game. That's not to say that I can't write something interesting and somewhat original but at the same time, I don't really have the time to do something completely off the beaten path. After discussing what I might be interested in, these are the current finalists: The role of blizzards (метель) in Russian literature; different takes on the Mozart/Salieri legend as interpreted by Russian authors; Russian dueling culture in Russian literature. In theory I could pick any one and run with it but chances are I'll go with door one or three for the sake of practicality. The second topic would be cool but there's very little written about it and I would have to conduct a lot of in depth research, which may or may not be possible in the time frame that I have. Aleksandr Genadievich wants me to get the paper done by the end of April since he has four other students he's advising (who probably won't start working until May--they're Russian) so that topic isn't all the feasible in such a short time frame. I have this weekend to make up my mind and then it's time to hit the books, start working, and begin my descent into paper writing hell. Blah.

That's more or less what my academic life is looking like these days. I have to start pretending to be a serious graduate student and conduct research. Such is my lot. Luckily I'm getting WiFi come next week (knock on wood) so I can do a lot of work from the comfort of my bed.

That may or may not be a good thing, come to think of it...что делать. I promise to make a much more entertaining post next time with lots of pictures and funny stories. As is my usual way of things. This was just a reminder that I am getting some sort of education on the side/am a very serious academic type in case there was any doubt. 

Out and About--Weekend Adventures in Irkutsk

Things have been picking up since my last update--classes have started, classes have been rearranged about five times over, and I'm more or less adapted back to life in Irkutsk. After our introductory week of classes at МИЭЛ, everyone was ready for some weekend adventuring around the city. My friends from the Czech Republic, Zuzana and Petra, as well as our German friend, Eva, recently returned from their trip to Vladivostok, which naturally meant that a trip to our favorite Uzbek restaurant was in order. Eating out in Irkutsk is actually pretty inexpensive if you know where to go. On average, I can eat a full meal for $6 and under (including tea and bread/appetizers). I've eaten as cheaply as $1, but that's more along the lines of grabbing a snack in the central market or something from the university dining hall/stolovaya. Finding new, cheap, and tasty holes in the wall is one of my favorite things to do here. It was in that spirit that I invited our new students (plus Phillip) to come join us at our favorite little hole in the wall. 

My favorite Czechs, Zuzana and Petra :-)

For the life of me, I can never remember the name of this restaurant, nor have I ever been able to properly explain to anyone how to find it. This isn't so much a commentary on my Russian skills so much as my ability to read maps, pay attention to street signs, and generally explain to other people how to find things. I usually orientate by getting lost one or fifteen times or so and then letting my natural honing skills kick in. It's easier for me to just show people where stuff is and then let them give concrete directions next time round. It's a win-win for everyone. The best way I could describe how to find this place is that it's somewhere in the back of the central market and involves weaving through a labyrinth of slapped together Chinese and Uzbek run stalls where people simultaneously try to get you to buy knock off goods and touch your butt as you pass by. It's the sort of place that someone has to take you to or you'll never find on your own, good directions or not. The place is run by a group of little Uzbek ladies, who, the first time we showed up, were somewhat confused as to what a group of foreigners were doing in their establishment, as the majority of their clientele are local traders and not twenty something year old university students. At this point, they more or less know what's up, but they were still a little taken aback when our horde blew in on Saturday for lunch. We had a very large, very lively group this weekend--six Americans, two Czechs, two Germans, and a new student at the university from England--all of whom were speaking Russian with varied fluency and accents. To say that we called a little bit of attention to ourselves might be a bit of an understatement. Luckily the people who run the restaurant are really nice and have a good sense of humor so we managed; we enjoyed their delicious food and they enjoyed our delicious money. Between eleven people, I'd venture to say that we ate quite a bit...

At the Uzbek restaurant enjoying some zharkoe, a mix of some sort of grilled meat (better not to ask/know/find out/think about), french fries, and veggies, all slathered in a savory sauce. It is all that is good in this world and costs $5. Mmmmm. 

One thing I like about typical Russian service (probably the only thing) is that waiters aren't checking in on you every two minutes trying to rush you out the door to turn over your table, so you can spend a couple hours in a restaurant without being hassled. It's especially easy to do that in said establishment as the booths are actually comfy couch-like platforms which you can stretch out on as you enjoy your meal. The only thing that kept us from staying longer was the lack of a bathroom and the overabundance of tea, a dangerous combination, to say the least. Our next stop of the day was the small ice-rink near МИЭЛ, where my friends and I have gone a couple times to practice for our future Lake Baikal skating ambitions. This time it was with Petra, Phillip, and three of the undergrads. My practice paid off a little bit. I was by no means graceful but I didn't fall this time, so that's something. The same can't be said for my fellow Southerners. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to post from the part of the outing as I was more concerned about not killing myself than I was about documenting it. 

Our final stop of the day was without a doubt the most interesting. Ever since my Russian friends found out that a group of American guys would be coming to Irkutsk they've been bugging me to bring them to Lingua Cafe. Lingua Cafe is a weekly meet and greet between some of the local Russian students and visiting foreigners, where people can meet up and practice foreign languages. Among other things. It also happens to meet at Most Cafe, which happens to be Irkutsk's one and only (to my knowledge) gay club. This is something that I happened to forget to mention when I made the invitation to my new friends--yes, I honestly did forget to mention it, probably because I've been there so many times now that I associate it more with being Lingua Cafe than with being a gay club. This is mostly due to the fact that we met there on Thursday nights last semester when the place was pretty empty. Saturday nights are a different story, as I found out. The night got off to a strange start. Most Cafe is located in a somewhat sketchy part of town down by the river. During the day, the naberezhnaya (think river walk) is one of the more scenic, pleasant parts of town to visit if you're looking for a nice place to get some fresh air and clear your head. For whatever reason, it becomes one of the sketchier parts of town the second the sun sets and is frequented by all sorts of hooligans (in the words of every babushka I know).  The fastest way to Most Cafe from the main bus stop is through an isolated, wooded path, then through an abandoned gas station parking lot, and then through a hole in a fenced off alley way. As I said, it's a little bit sketchy. Since I've done this a couple times, I have what can best be described as an "eh, it's Russia, what can you do?", sort of attitude towards this sort of thing. I remembered just how bizarre this  probably was once we got inside of the club and everyone was looking at me like I was on crack for taking them to such a degenerate place and questioning what exactly I do with my spare time outside of class. These expressions were only intensified once we made our way into the main room, which is filled with pictures of mostly naked dudes. It was then that I remembered to mention that it was a gay club. I'm happy to say that we've got a very chill, open minded group of guys who took that information in stride and barely even blinked when the resident drag queens showed up. Молодцы. It also helped that I had a group of my (female) Russian friends waiting there to meet us. 

Directions to Cafe Most: wild dogs not included on the map.

All in all, I'd say it was a fun and original way to kick off the semester and all of the sketchiness can be chalked up to a bonding experience. It was great catching up with my old friends, as well as indoctrinating my new ones into the east-meets-west enigma that is Irkutsk. We'll see if they ever trust me to make weekend plans again...only time will tell...

Return to Siberia

Aaaannndddd...I'm back! I had a nice, long (longer than I anticipated) winter break in the US but everything must come to an end. I've been back in Irkutsk for about a week now and it's gearing up to be a great Spring semester.

The thought of returning to bitterly cold Irkutsk wasn't so pleasant when I was lying in bed with the flu but now that I'm back and feeling better, I realize how much I enjoy it here. True, it's insanely cold, so cold that my face freezes from time to time and there have been a couple occasions in which I thought I might lose a finger or two, but it's also really sunny, which is pretty much the most important thing for me anywhere so it sort of evens out. Of course, the best thing about Irkutsk are the people who have made this my home away from home in Siberia. I've gotten such a warm welcome back from my friends here and even got a phone call from our head professor within a couple hours of my arrival to make sure that I was back in one piece. Of course, no one can compete with Ludmila Danilovna, who was up waiting for me with a hot breakfast when I flew in and has been consistently force-feeding me delicious food ever since. She decided that I lost weight while I was home and has made it her personal mission in life to fatten me up. This weekend I was fed about every two hours with portions that would put a hobbit to shame. I live a hard life.

The biggest change so far this semester is that I'm no longer the only Middlebury student in Irkutsk. We have a group of five undergrad guys whom I met this weekend during our first excursion of the semester to Lake Baikal. So far, it seems like we have a really fun group and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what this semester has in store. The only downside of having other Middlebury students around is that all of my classes are sort of squished together to accommodate other peoples' schedules since I'm a group of one person ...the plus side to this is that I get a four day weekend every week if I can find a mainstream class that works into my schedule so I can't really complain. Of course, said four day weekends are going to be used primarily for getting my grad thesis done but as long I focus on the "four day weekend--yaaay!" part of the deal, it sounds pretty great.

Our group at the Lake Baikal museum in Listvianka where we learned about the Baikal ecosystem, took a fake submarine ride, and watched a traditional seal fight. 

--Back to our excursion. As I may have mentioned in other posts, Lake Baikal is one of my favorite places in the world and by far makes up for anything that I don't like about Irkutsk (see: transport). Baikal in and of itself is a really interesting place. It's the world's largest fresh water lake and contains 20% of fresh water on planet earth. It's also the oldest lake in the world, about 25 million years old or so, and is roughly the size of a small ocean. It's also located about an hour away from where I live which makes it a perfect location for outdoorsy-type things, even in the dead of Siberian winter. The last time I saw the Lake was sometime in September when it was still warm enough outside for me to go cavorting about in the water in my underwear. Coming back in February is coming back to an entirely different Baikal. The Lake freezes over completely in January and I mean completely--none of this Hans Brinker nonsense of slipping through the ice and drowning. Walking across the lake is like walking across a pane of glass, a very cold, slippery pane of glass, and the water is so pristine that you can actually see to the bottom of the lake through the ice. It goes without saying that it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Some of my friends went dogsledding on it while I was away in America so I'm thinking that that's in order once it's slightly warmer outside. 

Out exploring on the ice. 

We had a pretty full day in Listvianka, the small town on Lake Baikal about an hour or so from Irkutsk. As it was everyone's first time on Baikal (excepting me and Phillip), we checked out the local Baikal museum and tooled around the town. Of course, any authentic trip to Lake Baikal means indulging in omul (омуль), an endemic of the lake, which is super tasty once it's been smoked and salted. As long as you can get past the shock of what it looks like, it's something I would recommend to anyone. That, along with shasklik (think various grilled meats), made for some pretty good eating as we thawed out in a local cafe. 

Eating omul, a Baikal delicacy. It looks terrifying but it's actually really tasty. Warning: your hands will smell like smoked fish until the end of days after eating it. Your breath too. 

In short, good times were had by all. I definitely want to get back to the Lake once it warms up a little and do some more exploring before the thaw. I'll try to keep this blog updated better than I did last semester with all sorts of interesting Siberian tidbits and stuff. Until next time. 

Привет из Байкала!