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Return to the Motherland
By SHARON TEMPLEMAN
I’ve now been back in Nacogdoches for a week and must say it’s wonderful to be home. I enjoyed my fourth visit to Russia immensely and feel like Russia is my second home, but nothing can take the place of being in my own home with my beloved Don, Boomerang, Maggie, and Sebastian…or of my own pillow at night. It is always sad to leave my Russian friends while having no idea when we will be together again…if ever. But I am the eternal optimist who believes they will all accept our invitation and honor us with a visit to Texas and that, following their visits, I will once again return to feel the warmth and hospitality of the Russian people.
The experiences and feelings of my time in Russia are still swirling in my mind. I have so many memories, photos, and so much data to organize into meaningful narratives and reports. But for now I’m enjoying savoring it all as I spend time gardening, swimming, and reuniting with my friends and family here at home.
One of the questions asked by the Fulbright Program in my final report was especially thought provoking: “What did you learn from this short-term Senior Specialist experience?” I had spent so much time considering what I could offer that I hadn’t asked myself what I could learn. Now as I ponder this question, a number of things stand out. First, I learned about some of the changes that have taken place in the social environment since my first visit in 2000. I have mentioned some of those changes in previous entries: slightly more emphasis on serving people with disabilities, increased evidence of empowerment on the part of parents for their children, greater professionalization in the field of social work and social work education (the designation of National Social Work Day, for example), and increased efforts to address the declining population through incentives for families having a second child. Meanwhile, there are also efforts to place parentless children in foster homes rather than in orphanages.
Economically I learned/observed that since 2000, there is slight growth in the Russian middle class, but clearly the gap between lower and upper class is enormous. While housing standards have not progressed significantly except for the wealthy, people seem to have more money to spend. Salaries have improved to some extent for public service providers. Corruption in the form of under-the-table payment for services and privileges is more openly acknowledged and accepted. There are newer and more imported automobiles on the street with far fewer “clunkers.” It is said that in the US, for the first time in many generations children cannot count on faring better than their parents. In Russia, it is obvious that most children will fare better than their parents. Still, there is debate among Russians about whether and how democratization is better than Communism - especially among older Russians. Likewise, there are varying attitudes about Putin’s performance as President as well as opinions about his role as Prime Minister since President Dmitry Medvedev took office on May 7th.
Where religion is concerned, communities are focused on reconstructing Orthodox churches that were destroyed during Communist rule and returning to religious purposes those that were converted to cinemas, museums, and businesses. Protestant churches are cropping up, but are not readily visible. I met members of the Mormon, Baptist, and Assembly of God faiths.
In addition to learning about changes that have occurred between 2000 to the present I began to learn about subgroups of Russians, especially the Udmurts. Until now, Russians were Russians in my eyes. How naïve this is, as if all Americans are just Americans with no cultural uniqueness. Being in Udmurtia, a constituent republic of Russia, I was introduced to their Finno-Ugric language, history, and customs and became aware of the similarities between the Udmurts in Russia and the Native Americans with whom I work in Texas. Like Native Americans, Udmurts are very spiritual people with distinct clans. Their language is a melding of Finnish, Estonian, and Hungarian. And also like Native Americans, the Udmurt language and culture, as well as the population itself, are at risk of extinction. As with our focus on educational success for Native American youth at SFA, efforts are underway to promote educational success for Udmurt youth.
An especially meaningful aspect of my introduction to the Udmurt people was the parallel process that I experienced through my work at Udmurtia State University. While teaching and providing consultation with faculty on skills for effective multicultural communication (awareness, understanding and action through curriculum development, activities, and hiring diverse faculty) in the university classroom, I was personally becoming more culturally aware of and competent with this population. I compare parallel process to “learning in stereo” where learning and doing occur simultaneously. This differs from “on the job training” in that my expertise in multicultural communication was already established, but as I taught others about my specialty, they taught me about their culture…their specialty.
Overall this latest visit to Russia was extraordinarily successful for me. I hope you have enjoyed hearing of my adventures as much as I enjoyed living them. By all means, explore the beauty, history, excitement, and hospitality of Russia for yourself. What an education is in store for you!!
Das vidanya y shesliva! Sharon
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The good and strange times
by SHARON TEMPLEMAN
My introduction to the Udmurt people has continued over the past several days with visits to a village (including 2 schools and an Orthodox Church); a feast at a dacha where we ate native cuisine, danced and sang songs together; and a tour of an ethnographic museum where I learned much more about Udmurt village life and history. My last evening I was invited to a “dance house” to see and participate in lively and poignant folk dancing. The choreographer was my new friend Andrey; I was accompanied by another new friend, Anatoly. Both have agreed to join me in writing a comparative article on my work with Native Americans and their work with Udmurts. They also presented me with numerous indigenous gifts.
My last few days in Izhevsk and at the university were a whirlwind of final appearances and farewells. On my next- to-last day I conducted a skills-based workshop for English-speaking faculty from numerous departments. After hearing repeatedly in various faculty forums that the Russian curriculum is mostly theoretical and lacking in practical application, I led this workshop and received excellent feedback.
Although my work at Udmurtia State University has ended, my Russian adventure continues. Following a 6-hour auto ride from Izhevsk to Kazan I enjoyed a wonderful Turkish meal and quick walk about the Kazan city center before boarding a train for the 17 hour ride to Saratov to visit friends and former colleagues from my previous Fulbright experience. The trip via train was dreadful, but could have been worse had I not had such nice cabin mates. Anya and Costa were a delightful young married couple and Irini was a friendly young woman; all were headed for Volgograd but were not acquainted prior to boarding. Anya spoke a little English, so served as the facilitator for the evening and morning. Costa was generous enough to help me with my ever-so-heavy baggage. We shared some stories and food, slept through the night, and bid farewell in the morning when I arrived at my destination in Saratov. Aside from the cramped and public conditions, the worst part of the trip was waking in the morning to find a strange man (Costa) sleeping across from me.
This train excursion truly made me appreciate the Americans with Disabilities Act in the US. NOTHING was accessible. When leaving the train it was necessary to carry all (3 bags) of my luggage up and down many flights of stairs, several times. This was also the case when boarding the train…which took numerous trips to various buildings to handle parts of the boarding process. There are steps with no ramps to enter each building.
Allow me to backtrack for a moment. One day in Izhevsk I became excited when I thought I saw a wheelchair ramp. My excitement was dashed when I learned that it was a ramp for child strollers and not suitable for wheelchairs. Alas. I must say, however, that I was encouraged to visit several schools for children with disabilities, saw a few more people with visible disabilities than in the past, and watched a TV program on people in wheelchairs in Russia. This was most encouraging and, according to my research, connotes progress in the world of disabilities, but there is so much more to be done. This progress is only in the cities and has not been introduced in the villages.
Now back to my arrival in Saratov…I was greeted in my train cabin by my friend and host, Irene. We headed straight to her flat where I quickly showered and caught a second wind and then just as quickly headed to the sandy beaches of Ingles, on the Volga River, for her end-of-school picnic where we feasted on shashliki, danced, sang, strolled along the shore, and went boating. After a harrowing mashrutka (mini-bus) ride back to the city, I crashed for the night. The next several days included visiting friends, feasting, walking along the embankment, time at several dachas, meeting with colleagues and my former students, shopping, and catching up with friends. More on the finale of my adventure in my next and last entry. Das vi danya, SBT
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Glimpses of Russian Life
by SHARON TEMPLEMAN
The past few days have been focused on an international conference here at the university. I presented my paper on multicultural education yesterday. I was lucky to get it in; when academicians talk about their research and interests, it is hard to stop us. I was the last to present on that day; four either were delayed until today or did not present their work. The conference is focused on saving indigenous language and culture here in the Udmurt Republic. There were some very interesting presentations. Two researchers who are involved in the collaborative project (which is now ending after 2 years) presented the findings and recommendations from the overall project. My paper compared the collaboration that Dr. Emmerentie Oliphant and I have with the Native American tribe in East Texas to the work here and gave suggestions for promoting cultural competence in the classroom as a means of social justice. It was well received and has been accepted for publication.
Wednesday before the conference I also repeated my lecture on Interdisciplinary Communication to a second group - this time to English-speaking students and faculty…about 75 people. Again it was well received; I got lots of positive feedback. I have met some very interesting and nice new colleagues in the Institute of Foreign Languages and the American Studies Center who were the sponsors of this lecture and a meeting held earlier in the week, one of whom was previously a Fulbright Scholar in Kansas. We have plans for lunch next week.
Yesterday I visited a preschool for children with speech and hearing disabilities. Again the staff were eager for me to see every aspect of the program and allowed me to observe their direct work with children. What a joy this was. The environment was bright and cheerful, with many windows and art on the walls. The children were precious and eager to engage with a foreigner. This program, like others I have visited, was developed in response to pleas by parents. It is refreshing to see that parents are being empowered to receive services for their children rather than placing them in orphanages. This theme of empowerment is also visible through initiatives the government has initiated to empower families to take children into foster care rather than placing them in orphanages…including providing training and financial incentives to do so. This is extremely exciting!
My small studio flat is right on campus, so I can walk to almost everything I need. This also gives me an opportunity to explore the city on my own. Around the city of Izhevsk I have noticed the following. The architecture here is much the same as other Russian cities: a combination of Soviet and modern genres. Most housing is in high-rise Soviet style with much need for repair. There are also some small, single-family homes which resemble the outbuildings we have on farms. More elaborate housing for dignitaries and, I am told for Mafia, are situated outside the city. I have seen some of these homes; they resemble small castles. Izhevsk seems to be a safer and friendlier city than others I have visited in Russia. It seems more family-oriented than other cities I have visited; I see families with children enjoying the parks, shops, and museums. Multigenerational living is still prominent here.
The dreaded day has arrived! Every spring as the weather begins to warm, the heat and hot water are turned off across the city as there is a central system for both. So, we now have no heat and no hot water in our flats; this typically lasts several days “while maintenance is performed on the pipes.” Yikes! Unfortunately, also, the weather is not consistently warm. Two days ago was very cold, windy, and rainy…with a sudden hail storm. A few minutes later the sun was shining again, but it was still blustery…it changes like Texas weather.
Back to no hot water…I learned from a colleague that my many mothers at the hostel have a secret shower that always has hot water, so this morning they rescued me again…I had a warm shower.
I am learning much more about the endangered Udmurt culture through the conference, my colleagues and the international researchers from Finland and the UK. Two colleagues shared with me the work they are doing with the Urdmurt villagers through music and dance where they (the villagers) demonstrate “Veme,” traditions of mutual support through difficult times, past and present. I still hope to visit the village to see this first hand. Tomorrow I will accompany the conference organizers to one of these villages. I’m looking forward to this adventure.
More later, Sharon
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Summer heat and busy days in Izevsk
by SHARON TEMPLEMAN
Hello again,
Isn’t technology great…except when it malfunctions? My time in Izevsk is almost ½ over and I am just able to send the second blog entry. I do not have internet in my flat, so correspond from my office which is not always available or reliable.
I am living in a small studio flat in the hostel where international guests and students stay. It is clean and functional. It is right on campus, so I can walk to almost everything I need. Otherwise I have been driven by new friends…for example when I had dinner last Sunday with a family and when I went to the Opera House for a concert Tuesday evening. Yesterday I did my laundry; it took 2 hrs just to wash. I have since learned that this is typical. Russian and US machines look alike, but don’t quite act alike. I had to leave before it was finished so one of the ladies (guards/I will now begin to call them my many mothers because they take such good care of me) hung it to dry for me; they are very nice and helpful and seem to enjoy my broken Russian. I brought her chocolates which went a long way toward international relations.
The dreaded day has arrived! Every spring as the weather begins to warm, the heat and hot water are turned off across the city as there is a central system for both. So, we now have no heat and no hot water in our flats; this typically lasts several days “while maintenance is performed on the pipes.” Yikes! Unfortunately, also, the weather is not consistently warm. Two days ago was very cold, windy, and rainy…with a sudden hail storm. A few minutes later the sun was shining again, but it was still blustery…it changes like Texas weather
Back to no hot water…I learned from a colleague that my many mothers at the hostel have a secret shower that always has hot water, so this morning they rescued me again…I had a warm shower.
Life has been very busy her for the past week. I find myself taking on the frenetic pace of my Russian colleagues…they don’t walk from one meeting to the next; they run. I have visited several municipal social agencies to compare Russian service delivery with US social work. First I visited a rehab center for children with disabilities due to cerebral palsy. Their approach is holistic, with many different kinds of equipment and treatment. The children come for a month-long program and then are served as outpatients. The staff is extremely dedicated to their work and proud of their successful program. The facility is very Russian…very old, large 2-story building with small rooms and minimal furnishings…but brightly decorated and cheerful.
Yesterday I visited “Warm Home,” a shelter for victims of domestic violence. The building was much like the rehab center. The services at this center include a “crisis helpline,” short-term shelter (typically 2 weeks), counseling, prevention and publicity. When asked about their greatest challenge in this center, the staff replied, “salaries” and compared it to volunteer work because they have to work other jobs to survive. This seems to be unchanged since my research in 2000. But services are definitely more sophisticated. In 2000 the struggle was in getting the government to support social services. Now, though resources are very limited, workers believe they are better able to meet the need. At this center I was reminded about what a small world we live in as I discovered the Director and I have a common friend in Saratov, Russia where I lived in 2005.
Another phenomenon that seems to be changing here in Russia is the issue of volunteerism. When last in Russia I heard no one speak of volunteerism; everyone was simply working too much at many jobs to consider volunteering time. Here in Izevsk I have heard on several occasions of people volunteering. In one instance, as I was meeting with the faculty of foreign languages and The American Center, I was asked in what ways I believe that faculty (all English speakers) can assist people with disabilities through volunteerism. We had a lively brainstorming session.
Finally, I’ll share with you my visit to Tchaikovsky’s birthplace in Watkins last Saturday. I was accompanied by my dear colleague Oksana (who is my angel) and we were driven by our personal driver who is provided by the university…(sometimes I feel almost important!!). After hearing Tchaikovsky’s 6th symphony at the concert last week, I was ready to see his home and hear about his life, which is quite interesting. I am always fascinated by remnants of Soviet times and certainly found them here. For example as we first entered the home, we were instructed to put on some unusual spat-like covers over our shoes; they were one-size-fits-all and tied around our ankles so we shuffled from room to room. While Tchaikovsky’s family was not wealthy, their home is lovely, with many stately rooms and outbuildings for summer, winter, and other purposes. Some of the furnishings were original to the family. (By the way, this area of Russia was far from the scenes of battle in WWII). Watkins is a small city with a pretty lake as the central focus. I hope to learn how to download pictures from my new camera so that I can include them in my next entry.
For now, Paka (goodbye)
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Welcome to Russian Adventure
by DR. SHARON TEMPLEMAN
I am a social work educator from SFA in Izhevsk, Russia (arrived 5/6/08) in a short-term Fulbright Senior Specialist’s position to collaborate on multicultural issues in higher education. I will be lecturing, speaking in the community, developing the project, and presenting a paper at an international conference. My final week I will travel to a different city to visit friends and colleagues from my first Fulbright experience.
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Dr.Templeman,
I miss you and am thinking about you often. Thank you for posting entries about your experience in Russia. It was fascinating to read. I can’t wait until you return with more stories and pictures to share with us social work
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