Home > Russian Adventure > Archives > 2008 > June > 08 > Entry
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
Comments