A Night in the Bolshoi
Activities
By Lisa Kalpowsky

On Thursday, February 5, 2004 we were given our first chance to visit the famous Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, where we saw a ballet performance of Romeo and Juliet with some of our fellow Russian students. After checking our coats and picking up a few programs, we went to our seats on the lower balcony to watch the curtain open.

The excitement is evenident in our eyes

Expecting a traditional ballet, we were surprised to find this was a modern dance. Talk about this more. However, the story line was the same and since our programs were in Russian and English, we were easily able to follow along.

I was surprised to find that the ornate décor of the Bolshoi impressed me more than the production. When you enter, you pass through metal detectors into a great hall of bronze fountains and white and pink marble-and this is the place where coats are checked, so you can imagine the crescendo of decorations to the auditorium. We crossed elaborate parquet floors to wide curving staircases adorned with sparkling crystal chandeliers to marble hallways lined with photographs of graceful dancers. When you walk through the doors into the auditorium, you are struck with the vastness of the theater. Actually, the auditorium is not very large, but the openness of the room makes it feel bigger than it appears. Two wide balconies encircle an open center where an enormous crystal chandelier and several smaller chandeliers hang. These bright fixtures shed light on the intricately painted ceiling, which is brightly decorated with depictions of dancers from throughout the world. After precariously walking across narrow aisles lined with polished brass rails you are faced with plush turquoise seats set close together, providing the opportunity for those who would like to get snuggly with their neighbors. For some of us part of the view of the stage was blocked due to the curvature of the balconies, but this small inconvenience can be overcome by leaning forward. In fact wire netting is provided to catch anything that might tumble down from the balconies.

The ballet was about two hours long and was Russian in style: powerful and dramatic. The dancers performed gracefully and kept us interested throughout the whole ballet. Music from the small orchestra in the pit seemed to flow in perfect harmony with the dancers movements. It was at times powerful and moving or soft and delicate as the performance wore on. There were times when the orchestra stopped playing and the deafening silence of the auditorium was broken only by the dancers' toes on the floor.

Unfortunately this dramatic evening had to eventually come to an end. However, we may all look forward to seeing more performances at this grand theater. An experience like visiting the famous Bolshoi Theater is an opportunity not to be wasted.

When I first told my friends and family I was going to Russia, I received a look of astonishment, then a comment like "You're gonna' freeze." I spent months preparing for my trip to the so called, "Arctic." When asked what I wanted for Christmas, my list was short: anything warm.

I was amazed that a Moscow winter is not that different from a harsh one in Pennsylvania. Last week I received many emails from my family and friends explaining about the snow and ice storms that had hit Pennsylvania. My peers and I talked of the irony of the whole situation. We come to Russia, and the snow and ice goes to Pennsylvania. However, our current professor, Dr. Marta Hartmann who is from the University of Florida had a much different viewpoint. Having been originally from Latin America and now a resident of Florida, she has not been exposed to a lot of snow and cold weather. She described the weather one day as like, "Walking on top of a cake with creamy white frosting."

Here, the daily average of sunshine for February is about two hours per day and next month it will double to about four hours per day. (Eyewitness Travel Guides Moscow) It is easy to be fooled by a sunny day in Moscow. These clear sunny days bring higher humidity which makes it much colder here.

Snow, slush, people: Welcome to traveling in Moscow!

We have come to adapt to the change in sunlight and are still trying to learn how to carefully navigate the icy sidewalks to avoid any quick crashes to the ground. Most of us have found refuge in several nice warm places. Snuggly jackets and sleeping bags seem to be the hot items, and a great place to look for Meg when she cannot be found. The metro is another toasty warm place to escape from the cold on the way to and from our destinations.

With cold weather comes a few of my favorite things such as snowboarding, ice cream, ice skating, and snowball fights. All and all we are learning to adapt and enjoy all that Moscow's weather has to offer.

During the first three weeks here in Moscow, Russian language was our only class. Our Russian language teachers are Ludmila and Vera. It was a nice change of pace when Dr. Marta Hartmann, our first professor from America arrived. She teaches "Agriculture, Resources, People, and the Environment: A Global Perspective." Dr Hartmann is from the University of Florida and she does teaching and extension work for the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication.

Experiencing a different culture is nothing new for Dr Hartmann. She is originally from Bogotá, Colombia and she moved to the United States at the young age of 17. She also spent 5 years in Cameroon, Africa, doing community development. There she developed informal education programs for village women. Her programs provided training to give women skills that would make them employable and also taught about nutrition. She is fluent in three languages: Spanish, French, and English.

This week in our class we discussed the emergence of the modern world in order to develop a context for us to understand and discuss current global issues. We also discussed the interconnectedness of systems in the world today. We learned how environmental and agricultural issues have a worldwide impact as well as an impact at the local level.

One afternoon in Dr. Hartmann's class, we divided up into groups and did research on the internet about intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We researched the United Nations, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Save the Children, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. I think the experience of using the internet in class was a new one for the Russian students and it was neat to see them being exposed to a different style of teaching and learning.

I really enjoyed the way that Dr. Hartmann allowed for a bit of an open forum when a topic came up in the lesson. We were able to share our perspectives and opinions on the topics and Dr. Hartmann encouraged an open dialogue. It is also interesting being in a class setting where not everyone in the room speaks English as their first language. Don't get me wrong, the Russian students speak English well, but whenever Dr. Hartmann uses an unfamiliar term, a wave of conversations sweep across the room as our Russian classmates ask us to explain the word.

Dr. Hartmann also spends time with us outside of class. She eats meals with us, and even cooked us wonderful Italian dinner. One day a week we have access to the gym at MSAU; Dr. Hartmann took this opportunity, with much enthusiasm from the group, to teach (or at least try to teach) us a few steps of Merengue. She was even open to Sam teaching her some break dance moves. It has been enriching to interact with our professor on such a personal level. Our relationship with Dr. Hartmann is much more than professor-to-students, and we have been able to develop a friendship.

A Piece of the Culture Cloth
Culture
By Tara Cornmesser

The culture in Mother Russia is indeed different from ours. This fact alone can make any stay in this wonderful country an interesting and enlightening experience. For a glimpse of the difference between two thriving cultures, I would like to give a brief summary of the fashion here in Russia.

Fashion, it can be said, has its place. In a particular country, fashion is defined by the culture. Take the Russia culture and the roles of women for example. From my observations it seems as though women are expected to be young and beautiful, find a husband, and raise a family. For that reason, the girls here are always dressed to the nines and, as the boys in our group say, look great everyday.

Granted, there are a few exceptions. Outside influences from other countries can be seen in fashion around the globe. For example, in Moscow more and more teenagers can be seen sporting the "American jeans" look. Up until a few years ago, jeans were extremely uncommon in this culture. Do not misunderstand me, they still are not prevalent; however, there may very well be a growing market for jeans among the younger generations. For another example, take shoes. It is often said that you can tell a lot about a person and where they have been just by looking at their shoes. In America, we tend to characterize persons as "sporty" or "preppy" depending on whether they wear Nikes or Sketchers. In Moscow, our shoes are American, through and through. Many people tend to think of two things when they are buying shoes, comfort and affordability. It appears the only prerogative here is looks. The women of Russia, as well as a good deal of the men, wear shoes that our mothers would characterize as "impractical" considering the weather conditions. Most of the "fashionable shoes" have uncharacteristically high heels and toes that come to a point so sharp you could sew with it. However, this is the normal footwear, and the overall population manages to make them work.

Russia is known for her cold winters and harsh climate. For this reason, a good coat is a must. Taking a walk around any college campus, America's standards for a "good" coat are a Columbia jacket with zip-in liners. Many people do not bother to invest in expensive furs because they figure PETA extremists will just come along and throw red paint on them if they do. However, in Russia, it seems as though a coat is not fit to wear unless it was once living. Rarely do I see a person that does not have at least a fur lining around their hood. The coats that I personally find most interesting look as though a tanned hide was draped over the shoulders of the wearer. In general, most of the women wear fur and most of the men wear leather coats.

Then come the shapkas! A shapka is what we traditionally envision when we think of Russian hats: the fur, the earflaps, and the whole nine yards. Nearly every grown man and many of the women sport shapkas on the metro, on the streets, and around the campus. The oddest thing about the shapkas is that I have never seen one with the earflaps down. Growing up, we were always admonished to "keep our ears covered"! Clearly, that is not an issue here.

Doesn't she look marvelous?!

Now, before we came to Russia, we were told that in this culture, the people commonly "dress-up." I, for one, have never found a truer statement than this when I stepped off the plane in Moscow. It was like walking onto a photo shoot for Vogue magazine. I had assumed that dressing up meant that I should wear turtleneck sweaters instead of hooded sweatshirts. However, I was struck by the fact that everyday the people here look as if they are going to give a major presentation that day! Dress pants and NICE sweaters seem to be standard for the average Russian. I suddenly felt slovenly for wearing my jeans and sneakers with a fleece.

Fashion is "different" in our eyes everywhere we look. These differences help to strengthen, enliven, and enrich a culture just as any other tradition might. Fashion does indeed have its place in Russian culture. Due to the differences we find here, the stay is made more enjoyable with each quality we recognize and choose accept.

Moscow State Agro-Engineering University (MSAU), is our new home for the next 4 months. Most of us knew nothing about the school that we were going to attend, other than it is name. During our first seminar we learned a brief history of the school and the programs that are offered here.

The school was founded over 70 years ago to provide the Soviet Union with individuals skilled in designing agricultural equipment. After the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990's the school made additions to its curriculum. These additions were made so that graduates of MSAU would be better prepared to enter a free market economy from the former planned economy that had existed under communism.

The school consists of 8 different colleges and over 40 different departments allowing students to choose from 25 different specialties. There are around 5000 students that attend MSAU. One of the newest colleges added to the university system was the College of Agricultural Economics. I found this very fascinating because I am working on my bachelors in Agricultural Business Management and Economics. Economics is a standard course taught at universities in the United States, but it is an all new addition to student's education here. Under the former Soviet planned economy, students at MSAU did not need to worry about these courses. Now, these courses are seen as essential to succeed in Russia's emerging free market economy.

As we are getting to know our student counterparts from Russia, we are learning more about the university here every day. Each day of class with the Russian students is a new experience in their culture and I am looking forward to leaning more about MSAU as I continue my studies here.

Questions? Comments? E-mail Us!

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Writers:
Tara Cornmesser
Lynn Ressler
Lisa Kalpowsky
Gabbriel Frigm
Shane Leland

Reviewer:
Samu Dupont

Pictures courtesy of:
Mary Honablew

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Group activities bring excitement bring smiles from everyone

Dr. Hartmann spends time with the students outside of class