Weeks 24-25: Taking responsibility, a lesson in grammar

In grammar class, we are learning about how using passive voice and impersonal expressions is a good thing. In the Russian language, you are supposed to put the blame on an invisible, mystical (neuter gendered) something. The Star Wars “Force,” if you will. (And no, it’s not God, for God is male in the Russian [...]

Weeks 14-15: Take two

I’ll blame my lack of posting on a few things. First, wrapping up finals season always comes with alternating bouts of productivity and extreme laziness, meaning that when I was working, I was burning the midnight oil, and when I wasn’t working, I really wasn’t. Second, Ryan got into Irkutsk two weeks ago, so between [...]

Week 4: Buryatia (Part 3 of 3)

The grand finale of 6 days in Buryatia, which unfortunately left a bad taste in my mouth. . . . Wednesday, Sep 30: Returning to Familiar Sights Our fears were confirmed, meaning that the strong west wind from the night before hadn’t let up and didn’t show any signs of stopping, our hike to the [...]

Week 4: Buryatia (Part 2 of 3)

And the saga continues (from Part 1). It might not be your ever-encapsulating expedition through Paris or African safari, but I can’t imagine you’ve read too many blog posts about this place. Monday, Sep 28: Through the Barguzin Valley Orientation: To give you a visual, think of Lake Baikal as being shaped like a crescent [...]

Week 4: Buryatia (Part 1 of 3)

My task here is to shrink down the 18 handwritten pages of everything I saw, experienced, etc. over the course of the past week into an equally exciting (well. . .), yet decidedly less lengthy update. So ready, set, read! Friday, Sep 25: Train Station I met my two Middlebury cohorts and our coordinator, Elizabeth, [...]

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 [...]