| Date: March 1, 2002 | Volume: 4 | Issue: 3 |
Issue Editors: Josh Brown, Kristin Esbensen, |
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We're Painting This Town Red As usual, the American students are always looking for something
fun and interesting. It seems as if being "out and about" is part
of our nature. In the past few weeks we have experienced many different
things that have increased our knowledge of the Russian culture.
Of course our exciting endeavors would not be possible without
the great friendships we have made with the Russian students. On a brisk Sunday night we ventured to the walls of the Kremlin.
Our destination was the ever-popular Kremlin Theatre. We waited
in line anxiously to see what lies inside the large circular building.
As we entered, its beauty struck us all. From the marble pillars
to the marble floors, the architecture was amazing. After checking
our coats, a bell chimed and we scurried to our seats. That night's
feature, Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake". Some of us had never been to
a ballet, so the performance was very much anticipated. After about
two and a half hours the show ended. We left the theatre discussing
the many aspects of the ballet. As expected, there were mixed feelings
among everyone. Above all, the ballet was greatly enjoyed.
Who Are These Good Loooking People Dr. Susan Fritz, our instructor from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
is always thinking of new and exciting ways for us to appreciate
and enjoy Moscow. She decided one day that we should visit a place
she had read about called Koskova Palace. Via metro and bus number
33, the American and Russian students traveled to the palace. To
welcome the guests, there were three guards at the entrance that
led to a long, muddy path. We showed our students ID's and entered
the path. The place was large and beautiful and we all agreed that
it must be a breath taking sight in the spring and summer. In front
of the palace there was a lake that had been frozen over. Many
trees, although leafless, lined the path and the river and inside
the palace were many interesting objects. In order to walk around,
one is required to wear leather slipper-like things over their
shoes. There were many buildings to explore and a shop to buy pottery
and art. The trip turned out to be rather exciting and eventful. Dancing is a large part of the Russian culture. We had the great
opportunity to witness some of the best, as we saw it, folk dancers.
The recital was held at Tchaikovsky Theatre. A number of us have
never seen anything even remotely close to folk dancing before.
So the performance came as some what of a surprise to us. We sat
in our seats and the show began. Immediately we knew that this
was going to be exceptional. Children from the ages of about four
to sixteen began to take the stage and express themselves through
dance. It was simply amazing. We watched in awe at the great talent
of such young people. There were thirty-three performances in all.
Each had us on the edge of our seats, wanting to know what would
come next. Many of us agreed that this was definitely one of our
favorite things to do in Russia Who would think of coming to Russia and not visiting Lenin's Tomb?
This was an adventure we were all waiting for. We had attempted
the excursion many times previously, but the tomb is only open
during certain hours on certain days. We were finally able to enter
the mysterious building. After passing a security checkpoint (cameras
are strictly prohibited) we, one by one, filed into the small,
square tomb. All hats must be removed and you are not allowed to
utter a word. Silence was golden. As we walked around the tomb,
all eyes are on the deceased body. One student could not bear to
look and instead, watched the wall behind her. Our visit to Lenin's
tomb was an experience that will live in our minds forever. "Lions and tigers and bears, Oh my." Except there weren't any
lions. Yes, once again we enhanced our enjoyment with another trip
the circus. Only this one is referred to as the "new" circus. We
found this to be a bit ironic because the building looked older
than the building that housed the "old" circus. "Bolshoy Moskovsky
Cerk", or in English, The Big Moscow Circus was the title of this
event. The circus had many, many interesting acts. As oppose to
the old circus, the new circus had a lot more people-oriented performances.
From amazing magic tricks to incredible acts of balance, the show
held our attention more than ever. For the animal part, we saw
lions, bears, dogs, oxen, and goats. Of course they were not ordinary
animals. The bears walked on two feet like humans, and sometimes
on their hands with their feet in the air. This was very humorous.
And what would a circus be without clowns? The clowns, at various
times in the show, involved the audience in their act. The crowd
laughed at the different things the clowns would do. We have all
discussed going to the circus again. Living in a foreign country introduces many obstacles that must
be faced and tackled. For us American students, we find many ways
to do this. We take pride in our ability to make fun out of any
situation. With the help of our Russian friends we are able to
participate in many activities and eliminate a great deal of "down
time." We look forward to what our future here in Moscow has in
store
The Great Teacher Swap Having been here nearly two months, we've gotten rather used to
seeing each other sitting across the room during class. So it came
as a bit of surprise to see one of our own standing in the front
of the room, all dressed up, looking like a teacher. Which, in
fact he was. Matt Rutt, a senior from the University of Nebraska, was the teaching
assistant for our Leadership in Small Groups and Teams course.
He had taken the same class during his freshman year, and spoke
with Dr. Susan Fritz, the course instructor, before coming to Russia
about helping teach. Matt is majoring in Ag. Education - Teaching
option, with minors in Leadership, International Agriculture, and
a Biology Endorsement. He was a student teacher at a Nebraska high
school in the fall, and thought that it would be interesting to
try teaching college students.
Matt Teaching Us the Fundamentals of Leadership Matt worked with Dr. Fritz before leaving the States, helping
develop a lesson plan. He taught two of the classes, and assisted
with the others as well as helping to grade papers and tests. He
said that one of the things that he had to do was try to remain
fair and impartial, which can be difficult when you're teaching
the same people that you have to live with. But he really did not
think this teaching assistant position was any more difficult than
one in a regular college setting. Matt will graduate in the spring, and already has a job lined
up at a high school, in Mead, Nebraska. He will be teaching mainly
9th through 12th grades, as well as a 7th grade science class.
He is thinking about getting his Masters in Education, and hasn't
ruled out the possibility of someday receiving his Ph.D. He has
also expressed a desire to possibly return to Russia in the future. Matt has stated that he hopes everyone comes away from the class
with a greater appreciation of how leadership concepts can be applied,
in groups and also in future jobs. He also said that this experience
has given him an appreciation for cross-cultural leadership. Due
to this opportunity, Matt has a greater understanding of the different
cultural views of leadership and power structure held by Russian
and American students.
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Men's Day On February 23, the Russian nation takes a pause to recognize
a special, often under-appreciated portion of the population, the
men. The national holiday of Muzhskoy Dien (Men's Day) began as
a celebration of the Soviet Army's Foundation and has expanded
over the years to include males of all positions and social status.
The official name of the holiday translates into Day of the Defender
of the State, a reminder of its original intent. Schools and businesses
often close during the day (this year for the first time the government
recognized Monday the 25th for this purpose) and military parades
and other festivities mark the occasion. It is customary for men
to receive small gifts or tokens of appreciation from women closest
to them, although it is also acceptable for men to present other
men with gifts.
The Victims of Man's Day.... What are the traditional presents for Men's Day? Ksenia Zhilko
laments that it is very difficult to choose for her father. "This
year I didn't get him anything because he never uses the things
I give him." Other students suggested that cologne, socks, or just
a nice card and a hug make suitable gifts. For the male American students, this Russian tradition was a memorable event. After much scheming, the ladies of the group, both American and Russian, devised a few games to make us earn our Men's Day gifts. They required us to perform great feats of physical exertion - we had to pass an apple from one lap to another without hands - and perfect our rear/eye coordination - can you lower a pencil tied to your rear belt loop into the top of a narrow neck bottle? After completing our tasks we were rewarded with food, drinks, and gifts such as picture albums, key chains, and chocolates to help us remember our time in Russia. What then is the catch to such a terrific holiday? On March 8, Russia honors the nation's women with a similar holiday - the men of the MSAU group will be ready.
Changes in Russian Agriculture Recently, we had the opportunity to listen to a few presentations
from some incredible people. Four presenters came to our class
to share information on Russia agriculture and ideas of what the
future may hold for this country. There were two representatives
from ACDI-VOCA, (Agriculture Corporate Development International-Volunteers
Overseas in Cooperative Assistance), the Country Representative,
and the Deputy Project Director. We also heard from two representatives
of a Russian publication, the "Farmer's News," who held the position
of Deputy Chief Editor, and the Director of the Agency. Both presentations
were very informative and gave American students a better understanding
of what is happening with agriculture in Russia and what changes
are being made. From the presentations, it seemed that agriculture in Russia is
struggling to make it on the market. Since the change from Communism
to the Russian Federation in 1991, the agriculture industry has
gone through some major changes. Many of the farms are no longer
state owned. They are either owned by large companies or by individuals.
Just recently the government has started programs to help farmers
with production. This program has helped agriculture enterprises
become more profitable. Last year Russia produced 85 million tons of grain and 15 million
tons were lost. This production loss is due to bad processing and
lack of machinery. Russia as a whole has only 54% of the necessary
machinery for production. The two presentations gave us a prosepective on American and Russian
agricultural issues. This was very informative for us, giving us
a better idea of how agriculture is developing and working in other
parts of the world.
An Early
Spring in Moscow With the temperatures going up we are seeing less fur coats and lighter jackets, which makes it easier for us (Americans) to blend in. Usual February temperatures average around 17 to 21 degrees, but the warm winter continues with temperatures in the thirties. The cold weather isn't over yet, and we have been getting snow now and then. It hasn't been as icy as before, so it looks like three of the nine of us might make it through the semester without slipping and falling. High and Low Temperatures for February 10 - 25. High (F) Low (F)
The Beginnings of What May be Dirt Under that Snow
Questions? Comments? E-mail Us! Pictures courtesy of: Ron Westover Reviewers Kristin Esbensen, Maria Warnick |
