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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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