Week 3: Settling in, and other observations

 I’d had two weeks of classes to figure out the work ethic, attention, layout of the building, teachers’ names and patronymics, and so on, here at the university; two weeks to make some friends; two weeks to start missing home and to get a steady Internet connection to stay on top of the news, social [...]

Baikal, by Igor Severyanin

Байкал Игорь Северянин Я с детства мечтал о Байкале, И вот – я увидел Байкал. Мы плыли, и гребни мелькали, И кедры смотрели со скал. Я множество разных историй И песен тогда вспоминал Про это озёрное море, Про этот священный Байкал. От пристани к пристани плыли. Был ветер. Был холод. Был май. Был поезд, – [...]

Week 2: Baikal’s big, snow’s small. . . ‘S all good

Admittedly, I felt the down-points of the “culture shock” wave more than I expected–the frustration of little inconveniences, getting on wrong busses, the language barrier, missing home and Middlebury–, but, I’m still reeling on how great of a week this turned out to be. Baikal adventure no. 1 Last Saturday, the Midd group, along with our [...]

Week 1: “Irkutsk is a lot like Detroit”

Moscow seems completely manageable compared to a week in Irkutsk. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great little spot on the map, which, needless to say, I never would have found or wanted to visit if it weren’t for this program. Not that there’s any American comparison, but still–think: a nice downtown with the character [...]

Doing Moscow: ASAP (As Short As Possible)

I think that I understand why Russian literature tends to be so lengthy: if I were to try to enumerate and explain everything that’s happened to me from moment one on the ground in Moscow to moment 3498523049857 sitting here in “my” room at “my” apartment here in Irkutsk typing a blog to post the [...]

Goodbye America

After a traditional American all-you-can-eat/stuff-yourself buffet dinner with the family, and then a pizza for lunch from the heartland–from Pizzeria Uno in it’s hometown, Chicago–at the airport, I find myself enjoying the last moments of watching international travelers struggle with currency and verbal communication around the British Airways gate here at O’Hare. No doubt my [...]