Turning 21 in the Motherland

Written by Annie Mesavage, Junior at Penn State

A few days after my 21st Birthday I got an e-mail from a neighbor back in the U.S. It said, “Happy Birthday! Your Mom sent me a picture with you and your gifts.” Now where is the one after the cake got cut?”

True, both Aaron and I turned 21 years old several weeks after coming to Moscow. Yet, both of us received more traditional celebration and hospitality than just partying.

I had known the Russian students not even ten days the weekend before my birthday. Yet, when I came in that day they not only helped me for two hours with my Russian homework but brought gifts. I received an entire box of chocolates, a stuffed animal, and more candy.

Steve and I on My 21st

Later that weekend, my fellow American students came knocking on my door with more presents. It was so neat that people I had just met were giving me all these awesome gifts. Later that night, they even took me to dinner at a nice little café where we ate a great meal topped off my some extraordinary chocolate and strawberry ice cream.

Aaron at 21 with his cake!

We celebrated Aaron’s birthday by going out for pizza after spending a day at Kolomenskoe Park, an old country estate of the tsars. We had a tour led by two of our Russian students (in English of course!) that described each of the attractions we saw. Among them was the spot where Peter the Greats’ father had once built an entire wooden palace described as the eighth wonder of the world. Another was a forest of oak trees as old as 600 years!

How could things get much better? Celebrating our twenty first’s in a huge, expensive city almost 5,000 miles from home. Yet, our friends still had one additional surprise. Both Aaron and I received a surprise party in our dormitory classroom that always included the two basic food groups: ice cream and cake! And of course sang Happy Birthday. Thanks again guys!

 

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to go to another planet that has humans and attempt to interact with them? That is how I felt upon arriving in Moscow Russia on January 16th. Being unable to communicate is such a limiting factor that we often take for granted when we (Americans) travel to other countries.

When we do travel we often go to places like South America. We have heard some Spanish so we have an idea of what they are talking about since that was the language we were taught in school or have heard it on the TV or radio. If we were to travel to Western Europe many of the people would speak English due to the amount of tourism or if they spoke a second language it is English since it is the international business language. This is not the case in Eastern Europe, with only a small number of the population speaking English and even a smaller amount speaking it outside of the tourist areas. After being in Russia for a week I began Russian language class to help minimize this barrier. The class started with the alphabet which sounds like an easy task but was not the case.

The language has different signs for letters as well as using some of the English letters but switches which letter they actually represent like the letter C is actually S and H is N. Once the class got a feel of what the alphabet was we moved onto small words and some simple vocabulary.

After having Russian language for nine days I was ready to move onto the agriculture class but now I am wishing that we had Russian language more than just one day a week. I feel extremely rusty when we come to class on Monday morning and by the time we refresh about what we review what we learned in the previous lesson the period is up and the teacher has to go to another class. Interacting with the other students has helped with the language barrier but I am still wishing that I knew more words to make it easier when going to the market or to the bank to exchange money.

When the four months are complete I am sure that I will still feel like I barely know any Russian but I should at least be able to communicate with the merchants and not have to sign or attempt to sign what I want.

Living in Moscow raises the immediate thought that, ‘It’s really cold,’ but the weather here has proven more than bearable. Before stepping onto the soil of Mother Russia, I had always imagined her one color in January, white, blanketed in winter snows. However, when we arrived in Moscow no snow covered the gray streets and sidewalks.

A few days after our arrival, the snow came and covered us with several inches, and I was convinced we were in the right country.

Over the past four weeks of living in Moscow the weather has been quite pleasant. In addition to several snows, there have been sunny days and blue skies. The wind is sharp and cuts at your face to no avail, and always watching where you step is imperative. It’s either cold enough that all the puddles are frozen over and slick, or the snow retreats into a grimy, slushy mess that will drown your sneakers. When departing for an outing midday, taking an extra hat or scarf isn’t such a bad idea.

Making excursions across the city tend to end up being long and often Father Frost picks up speed, and that extra scarf can come in handy.If you’re coming to Russia for the first time a regular winter coat is sufficient, and layering can usually keep you comfortable. Despite the often frigid temperatures of this city, Moscow is a busy place with people always on the move for work, school, etc.

Even the stray dogs here don’t sit around too much. For the dogs it would be too cold to do so. Several days ago I observed a group of dogs that were finally resting, each dog asleep in the midday sun.

Each new day brings its own energy to Moscow, where citizens bustle about the frozen streets, clad in dark coats and warm hats, and look forward to what tomorrow may bring. As the semester progresses I expect the weather to also progressively get warmer after a few months. However, at present the Russian Winter has its joys and surprises, and being part of it is a wonderful experience.

Of all the different aspects that are encompassed with the word “culture” food is by far my favorite.  I have been fortunate enough to experience quite a different array of dishes, soups, and beverages since I have landed here in Moscow, Russia and I am yet to be dissatisfied.  Many of the ingredients are the same as back at home in the United States but the preparation that goes into the cooking brings out interesting flavors and smells every time a hot meal is served. And hot is what we are looking for.

Moscow and all of Russia is notorious for their winter blizzards, strong winds and bone-chilling temperatures which makes a hot soup or “Суп” especially enjoyable after a long day outside in the streets.  The most common “Суп” is borsch, which is primarily composed of beets, cabbage, and carrots.  Throw some potatoes in there and you have a wonderful dish that warms you up the moment the first spoonful hits your mouth.  If the borsch is too hot then one can enjoy a fresh salad or “Салаты” to cool down the pallet.  The “Салаты” are a lot different then they are back home because most of the vegetables used are cabbage and carrots and many of the “Салаты” are vinegar based or made with mayonnaise.  Mayonnaise does not strike a particular fancy of mine but it is very common here in Moscow.

Russian agriculture is on the rise now which has not always been the case. Farmers are integrating new technologies with help from the government and enough food is being produced to feed the hungry mouths of Russia.  I have heard an old proverb from time to time that “it is better to kill than to feed.” 

This might sound very displeasing but when looking back on how insufficiently supplied this country was with essential and healthy nutrients, this proverb does not surprise me.  I much rather eat then have to worry about doing the latter.

Breakfast, also known as “zaftrak” is the first meal of the day which primarily contains bread and butter with tea or coffee. Our idea of lunch is the Russian “dinner” and this meal is also the largest of the day, taking place in early to mid-afternoon. Most of these meals consist of soup, usually followed with another dish being rice or fish or some kind of salad. Yet the most essential part of the meal is bread. 

It is customary in Russia to serve bread with every meal.  One of our fellow Russian students named Sergey said that “a meal without bread is not a meal.”  The evening meal does not consist of bread but mostly vegetables or salads, chicken if desired, or a dish derived from wheat. 

So far my favorite dish has been “plov” which is a dish made with seasoned rice, carrots, chopped onions, and beef chunks.  I along with the other students have been using the kitchen to the best of our abilities to help cut down on spending.  I brought some Zatarain’s Gumbo Mix from home and made the dish to celebrate Mardi Gras but unfortunately I was not able to serve this to any of my Russian classmates.  Aaron and I went across the street the other night to one of the local vendors and had a fried dough wrap stuffed with shaved chicken, sour cream, peppers, salsa, and onions. It was amazing! Unfortunately I can see us eating more than our health’s share of those while we are here. Yet, I know I can’t find something of that quality within a 5 minute walk at home.  Overall I have been very impressed, pleased and full from all the food here in Moscow. I can not wait to sample more of the local cuisine and hopefully learn how to prepare some of these delicious meals.  Bon appetite!