Dasvidanya Russia!

This will be my last post from Russia.... I'm leaving for the Moscow airport in half an hour and from there to Dublin, after a quick stop in Copenhagen.

It's been a wonderful, amazing, eye-opening, life-changing experience. Once that I will never forget....

The Blink of an Eye

It's getting to be about that time.... in less than 24 hours I will be leaving Yaroslavl for Moscow and tomorrow afternoon, will get on a plane that will take me out of Russia. It's really difficult to grasp that my time here is over. I've spent so much time thinking about and preparing for this trip and now, it's all over. Time to go home ... and back to reality. I have been trying not to think about what awaits me when I get home... finding a new job, apartment, health insurance, everything... in order to enjoy my last few days in Europe, I know that it will hit me that first morning I wake up in Chicago. Back to real life. However, there is not a doubt in my mind that coming here, was worth what I had to give up.

The things that I learned, people that I met and experiences I had have been worth so much to me - a lifetime of unforgettable memories - that I cannot be anything but happy that I had this experience. I never in a million years thought that I would live and work in RUSSIA! Russia? Who goes to Russia?? Well.... I guess I do.

Without a doubt, the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences I've had obviously came during my time volunteering. Being able to see how these disadvantaged people lived, how they spent their days and what I could do to help... it was an incredibly rewarding experience. One that I will cherish forever. I only wish that I could do more! It is great to come here and help them, spend your day with them, give them the love and attention that they do not always receive; It was the reason I came here and has become the part of this trip which will mean the most to me. However, I also feel that while I maybe made their day a little better .... I still have to leave, going back to my comfortable life in America... and they are still here. Still struggling, still needing help, still needing someone's love and attention. I wish so much there was more I can do. The people I've volunteered with here have really given me a new perspective and I really hope I can carry the things I've learned and seen here, back to my everyday life in the U.S..

I have to admit that when I first arrived, I was a little (ok more than a little) hesitant at the thought of being here until August - it felt like such a long time! While I was getting anxious about what I'd committed myself to for the summer, my mother reminded me, ever so correctly, that really.... 6 weeks is just the blink of an eye; it'd be over before I knew it. (I didn't realize how right she would be :) This may have been only a blink in my life but I have been given a lifetime of memories to hold on to.

Russia on Fire!

For the past week there has been a huge amount of smoke in Yaroslavl. The translators here told us it was from underground fires and when the temperature gets really hot the smoke rises to the surface of the ground. It's so bad that sometimes you can't even see a mile away. I think the hot weather, in addition to lack of rain has contributed to the problem... and by the CNN article I attached, it's obviously not just a problem in this part of Russia...

Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- Wildfires in Russia, among the worst ever there, have killed 25 people, destroyed more than 1,000 homes, and prompted the prime minister to call on local officials to resign, response officials and Russian news agencies reported Friday.

The fires have been raging in five regions as Russia endures dry weather and one of the hottest months on record. Thursday saw Moscow reach 102 Fahrenheit (39 Celsius), the highest temperature since records began in 1879.

The fires are the worst ever to hit the European part of Russia, the region west of the Ural Mountains, the RIA-Novosti news agency said.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said there have been 21,690 fires so far this summer, 10 percent more than last year, the news agency reported.

President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the Defense Ministry on Friday to use the military to help tackle the fires, the president's spokeswoman, Natalya Timakova, told the Interfax news agency.

Video: Record Russia heat wave brings wildfires

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• Russia
• Dmitry Medvedev
• Wildfires

The government has already dispatched additional firefighting units, along with 16 aircraft and helicopters, to fight the fires, RIA-Novosti said.

Putin and Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu flew Friday to one of the affected regions, Nizhny Novgorod, where Putin called on local officials to step down.

"I recommend the resignation of the heads of regions (devastated by fire) who have, to a significant degree, lost the trust of citizens," Putin said, according to RIA-Novosti.

Many residents who lost their homes in Nizhny Novgorod had complained to Putin that local authorities' actions were "chaotic and uncoordinated," RIA-Novosti reported.

The fires have so far killed 25 people, including two firefighters, according to an official at the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. Across the 14 fire-striken regions of central Russia, 1,257 homes have burned, and some 2,000 people have been left without housing. Sixty homes were burned in the region of Moscow.

"I don't know what to do," one Voronezh woman told state TV. "Haven't got any bed linen, cups, spoons, forks left. We're left with nothing. Everything was burned down. We couldn't salvage anything."

Putin said the families of those who died will receive 1 million rubles ($33,000) each in compensation, and the government will pay around 3 million rubles ($100,000) for the reconstruction of each destroyed house, RIA-Novosti said.

Putin also said the government will compensate people for the loss of property, the news agency said.

Temperatures across much of western and central Russia have topped 95 Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) during the past five weeks, RIA-Novosti said.

Thursday's temperature in Moscow broke the previous record high of 99.5 Fahrenheit (37.5 Celsius), set just three days earlier. The month of July is expected to break the record for the hottest month ever recorded in Moscow.

High temperatures in Moscow dropped to between 82 and 86 Fahrenheit (28 to 30 Celsius) Friday because of a breeze, but weekend temperatures were forecast to rise again.

The threat of more fires breaking out will remain high in the Central and Volga Federal Districts next week, given the abnormal heart wave and the lack of rain, the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia has reported on its web site.

The hot, dry weather is believed to have dried out large parts of land, making it easier for flames to spread. Central Russia also has large areas of peat bogs that often catch on fire in dry and hot weather.

Russian Observations

- For reasons beyond my understanding, mullets are still very popular here... despite being told by every Russian girl I've asked that Russian women do NOT like the style

-There are a disproportionate amount of Range Rovers in Yaroslavl... This leads me to believe the following:

a) Range Rovers are significantly less expensive in Russia

b) The majority of the people of Yaroslavl are VERY well off

c) Many people are living beyond their means to obtain the material possessions that were previously denied to them for so long.

From my knowledge of the Russian social system, I believe the answer to be C. One of the first things I learned here is that people still seem to be "getting used to" Capitalism....the things women wear to the grocery store and McDonalds, wouldn't be seen on anyone outside of a nightclub in the US, incredibly fancy cars, designer clothes... all while they're living in run down flats.

-Russians like to stare. Especially when you're speaking english (which I do the majority of the time)

-They LOVE ice cream!! There are probably 2-3 ice cream stands on every street.

-While the Soviets built lots of big buildings, they didn't so much think about maintaining them. Most of the places I've been to (volunteer placements, stores, shops) are somewhat "falling apart"

-Russian roads are BAD. Really bad. This coming from someone used to Chicago potholes. Chicago doesn't have anything on Russia.

-Going along with the bad roads, Russia doesn't have very good drivers either (again, coming from someone from Chicago). From the 6 weeks I've been here, I think I understand the rules of the road ... you just go. There are no lanes, you just move past people and hope they don't hit you.

-(This particular one was told to me by an actual Russian, so I'm not saying this to be mean....) "Russian's are lazy". They aren't really interested in doing anything out of their way to assist you - if whatever your asking causes extra work for them, then forget it. (I understand that this goes back to Communism where everyone had to look after themselves, but it's still difficult to get used to)

-This last one is probably my favorite... Russians are superstitious.... On Monday I went to School 45 and as always, wore my "work clothes" (an old t shirt and shorts). For whatever reason, I wore my shirt inside out. When we got to the school, one of the teachers commented on it and Katya (the translator) told me that it was a Russian superstition that "if you wear your shirt inside out it means you will be beaten... usually by your husband."

Good thing I don't have a husband :)

The Beginning of the End...

My last week in Russia has began and now I only have 2 more days of volunteering and 3 more days in Russia then it's time to head back home- with a quick stop in Ireland first ;-)

Today was my last day at the Women's hospital and I was very sad to have to say good bye to those women. They have been nothing but warm and welcoming ever since I first arrived - even singing to me on my birthday and giving me gifts. I have to say, the part that makes me the saddest is the fact that I get to go back to my nice, comfortable life back in America... while they stay in this hospital. They have to remain in this place (which would never pass any kind of U.S. health or building codes) and spend their days wandering the halls, sleeping and sitting out by the ; knowing that this is what their life will be like absolutely breaks my heart. I really hope that any hospitals in the U.S. are better than the one I've seen here; while I know that Russia's facilities are overall not up to American or Western European the standards, thinking of them in that facility, day after day with potentially no hope of release... that isn't any kind of life. I feel like while I am there, working with them and spending time with them I am doing some good... but then I leave and I wish so much that I could do more. I hope, hope, hope that my time spent with them has made their days a little better; that they look forward to my visits as much as I do. I know I can't change the system that's in place but hopefully at least, I can maybe make a small difference in the day of of one of those women.

The children's shelter will be my final placement here in Russia Friday morning - and I think its a very fitting place to end my time here. Every single time my group arrives, these children are nothing but smiles and excitement; you would never be able to guess they've been removed from their families and are living in a sort of limbo - not exactly part of a family and not an orphan yet either. As I've mentioned before in one of my previous posts, I've learned here that no matter where you go in the world, there is one thing that is constant.... kids will be kids. While a majority of the time they're perfectly sweet, loving children, there are of course times that they don't want to share, they're jealous of something another child has and they want to get attention in any way they can. I have to say I can't blame them; being part of a large group of children, not having anything that's just your own - I would probably do the same things.
I just hope that these kids stay the nice, sweet, loving children that I know as they grow in to adolescence. None of these kids will have an easy life - education, a job, family - nothing. I just pray that they will be able to work past the disadvantages they've been given and have a successful life. I so wish that there was more I could do - I wish I could "keep an eye" on them, make sure that they know that someone is thinkging about them and caring about them. While I know that's not possible I will try to make my last day with them fun - helping them enjoy being a kid. Maybe at least they'll remember that fun summer when they had those Americans come and play with them... that's all that I can hope for.

Banya!

Below are some pictures from the banya!! Below is the whole group feeling very relaxed after our "3 hour spa"... Oscar, Sarah, Bri, myself, John, Helen and Flo!

The steam room (the banya)
Our own private pool!
On Saturday a group of other volunteers and myself decided to partake in the Russian tradition of the banya. The banya is basically a Russian steam room... where you sit in the steam room and (traditionally) jump into a cold river or the snow when you can't take the heat of the steam anymore. However, I of course wasn't exactly roughing it and we went to a banya that was in a hotel, with our own private pool and banya room :)

The group I was with consisted of myself, two other volunteers Bri and Sarah and the British family (John, Helen, Flo and Oscar). After searching for the location for about 30 min, we found our destination and were promptly lead into our own little "banya room" - with a main room with a large table to hang out/eat our snacks at (apparently you get hungry when you're banya-ing), the steam room off to one side and our own little pool in the corner.

The basic jist of the banya is that you go into the steam room for "as long as you can stand it" and then jump in the cold water (the poool). It's supposed to be exfoliating and very cleansing. You basically do a rotation... steam room, pool, sit at the table and drink tea, repeat. We were in there for 3 hours, which I thought would be too much time but in actuality 3 hours was just about enough time.

I could only spend about 10 minutes in the banya until I was dying from the heat (I couldn't breath through my mouth it was so hot!) but once you jump in the cold water of the pool it feels SO good! Sitting at the table drinking tea, I felt like I would fall asleep! It is supposed to be a very relaxing and cleansing process.
While it wasn't exactly the "traditional" way Russians do the banya - in a wooden hut behind the dacha - I have to say it was a very interesting cultural experience and one that I will always remember from my time in Russia!

My New Russian Friends!

Friday evening I went to dinner with two of the other volunteers (Jen and Sarah) and we had made plans to meet at a traditional Russian restaurant with Sveta, one of our Russian translators. Sveta has become one of my good "Russian friends" and I was excited to hang out with her - to not just go around Yaroslavl with a bunch of Americans but to see it's like for people who actually live here.

We went to a very traditional Russian restaurant, right on the Volga River embankment. She recommended the dishes that are cooked in a traditional Russian oven and come out in a little pot. I have to say, I tried my best to be adventurous but I opted for a little mushroom pie (a small loaf of bread with mushrooms in it) and a "vegetable mosaic with chicken grill" (a veggie salad with chicken) - sorry! I wasn't that hungry either!! However, I did try Sveta's dish of kasha with pumpkin and honey (literally looked like she was eating oatmeal) and Jen's dish of roast beef with vegetables. They were good but glad I got my salad :)

After dinner we were waiting to meet up with a few of Sveta's friends and we decided to get some Russian champagne to enjoy along the embankment. Just sitting next to the river, enjoying a glass of champagne and talking was probably my favorite part of the night. Sveta is also 24 years old and learned English in school, so she is very good at conversation but of course enjoys talking with us to improve her grammar. I never realized how difficult it is for people - especially Russian women - to come into the United States, even just to visit! Sveta's tried TWICE to obtain a visa to visit the US over her Christmas break and each time she's been denied; apparently it's very difficult for a young, unmarried Russian woman to come to the US - they want to see that you have something that will bring you back to Russia (like a husband) and I had no idea that it was that difficult for them. Sure it was annoying to fill out all the paperwork to get my Russian visa but I never had any doubt that I wouldn't get it. And it's not only to the US, she said that for ANY country she'd like to visit, she has to obtain a visa...except for I think the Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan lol.

After a while Sveta's friends met us - Anya and Natasha. Natasha spoke some English and Anya spoke none but it didn't matter, we had a great time hanging out regardless. Once again, I am completely surprised by the friendliness and warmth I have experienced by Russians. The girls were as friendly as could be and were so excited to show us around the town and talk to us. We spent the rest of the evening talking and walking around the embankment - watching the fireworks from a wedding and the lightening from the rain on the other side of the river.

of the most important things I've learned while I've been here is the fact that while you might think that someone on the other side of the world will be completely different than you, really we have more similarities than differences. We all have the same problems with school, work, significant others, families... it's really no different. While it's interesting to understand what is different - obviously them growing up in a Soviet country and being more limited in what they could do - it's the things that are the same that are the most striking. To be honest, we are not that different at all.