Hello, All.

 I will soon mark my third month in Russia. The days are growing darker and  colder, and the Neva River is now covered in ice. Our first snow came on 24  October, but it melted by evening, and since then, we’ve only had flurries.  Needless to say, the days are passing quickly, and within a matter of weeks,  the exam session will begin. Already I am planning my  schedule for the  spring semester. I want to spend less time in class and concentrate on an independent research project, interviewing local non-profit groups and  non-governmental organizations in the city.

 In early October, my Russian language professor and friend Anna Vassilieva  from MIIS traveled St. Petersburg and we were able to meet during her visit.  That same weekend, Susie Bowers, one of my mom’s friends, arrived in St. Petersburg for a week’s vacation. Susie brought a jar of peanut butter for  my host family and me. And, Susie ferried a large box of chocolates back to  my mom-a present from my host parents. A couple of weeks ago, Fred Wehling, one of my advisors from the Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey,  was in St. Petersburg. We met for dinner and talked about the American  presidential election. (I had voted by absentee ballot, and Sasha and Valentina (my host parents) witnessed and signed the back of the envelope.  Valentina called the kids into the kitchen, saying ‘come quickly it’s  history in the making…’)

 Returning to Petrozavodsk:

 I did a bit of traveling myself. On 19 October, I took the overnight train  from St. Petersburg to Petrozavodsk, where I had studied almost six years  ago. My friend Stefan met me at the station at 7.00 am, and we walked to his  apartment. It somehow felt appropriate that I marked the first moments of my  return half-dazed, walking along dark, quiet streets. It was like a dream. I started remembering places-the feel of certain areas of town, the way to the university-almost immediately. These were everyday sights from my life years  ago, and I was amazed that I had forgotten certain streets, certain parts of  town. I thought that I had a good memory for such things, simply because I  am fairly nostalgic. The University renovated its main building: fresh coats  of paint, new flooring, a couple of computer labs. I climbed up to the  fourth floor of the building because, Stefan told me, they hadn’t had the  time to renovate the history department before the start of the new academic  year. It was how I remembered the University: a thin layer of dust on the  floors, walls in need of new sheet rock, dimly lit long corridors.

 Stefan had organized our itinerary for the entire weekend; he got in touch  with our former professors and our common acquaintances.   We spent our  first day walking around the town. Prospekt Lenina now  seemed very small in  comparison to Nevskiy Prospekt, St. Petersburg’s equivalent to Main Street.  Petrozavodsk is much cleaner than St. Petersburg, and it’s much smaller.  Thick pine trees, birch trees, old wooden houses scattered throughout the city center…Stefan equated Petrozavodsk as one big village. I think that he  meant it nicely. We walked to Lake Onega, which isn’t far from the city center. On Saturday, I stayed with my former host mom, who teaches history at the university. I woke up in the same bed, in the same room where I woke up every morning almost six years ago. It was an odd experience-I felt as  though I were completing a circle of sorts. Sunday afternoon, I had dinner with my former music professor and her family. I really enjoyed the weekend, and I already plan to return to Petrozavodsk at least once more during my time in Russia.

 Girl in a Changing Whirl:

The day after I returned to St. Petersburg from Petrozavodsk, I attended a conference at the Tavricheskiy palace, which houses the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Valentina had procured me an invitation to the 7th annual international conference, Women in a Changing World. St. Petersburg’s Governor Vladimir Yakovlev spoke, as did a couple of deputies from the Russian Duma. However, in comparison with the Sociology  Congress that took place in late September, I wouldn’t classify this conference as very academic. Unlike the Congress, there was no round table discussion and no questions after the presenters spoke; we just sat in a very impressive hall and listened politely. The reports ranged from unemployment among women to the double burden of housework and fulltime employment. I left after about three hours and went to class. When I returned home that evening, Valentina asked my impression of the conference, and I shared my opinion with her. She didn’t seem surprised, and in fact, she admitted that she didn’t expect much discussion to take place at this particular conference because it wasn’t an academic get together. All in all, though, it wasn’t a bad way to spend a Tuesday morning-I got to peek into one of the Petersburg palaces that isn’t open to the public and I appreciated the fact that Valentina was able to include my name on the guest list.

 Navigating the Russian library and other academic adventures:

 School is picking up. I initially thought that the majority of my time in Russia would be spent volunteering, however, I am spending quite a bit of time in class and in the library, attempting to find books and articles for the final papers for my classes. The Russian system is much different than its US counterpart, and I feel mildly triumphant whenever I am able to find what I need. First of all, students and professors (actually, any library patron) are not allowed to search through the library shelves. Instead, they--or, more accurately, we--go to either the systematic catalog, which lists books according to the subject matter-or the alphabet catalog, which lists books alphabetically according to the author’s last name, the subject matter, or the title of the work. Then, we complete what’s known as a trebovanie, or a request form in duplicate, take the trebovanie to the librarian and wait as long as a couple of hours or a couple of  days for the book to be found. The book stays in the library; you can’t take it home. So, I return to read the book in the library, which opens at either 9.00 am or 10.00 am (depending on the library), closes for thirty minutes to an hour  for lunch at 2.00, closes again for about fifteen minutes for provetirovanie (airing out), and closes altogether at 7.00 pm. The libraries at the Academy of Sciences and the University are closed altogether on Sunday. So, I feel very accomplished when I have managed to read through an entire book. 

 In addition, there’s something called the monthly sanitary day, during which the library is closed, cleaned,  organized, etc. At the Russian National Library, it’s the first Tuesday of the month. At the Academy of Sciences Library, it’s the first Monday. At the University’s main library, it’s the last Friday of the month, and to this day, I can’t remember when the library at Sociology Department is closed. 

 One final note about the Russian reading adventure. Most Russian libraries have developed their own system for making photocopies, and it is not as simple as buying a copy card and using the machine yourself. Rather, requests to make photocopies are received from 9.00 am to 2.00 pm, and you can pick up the photocopies after 2.00 pm. To be honest, I actually prefer to sit in the library to read through materials rather than photocopying them to read at home. I like the atmosphere in the library, the tall ceilings, the large windows, and the feel of being surrounding by books. I am able to concentrate better at the library, and when I get a little tired, I do a little bit of people watching. 

 I finished writing my first 20-page paper about a week ago. I still have two  more to write, so I will be spending quite a bit of time in the library during this next month, trying to get everything completed before Bryce arrives on  Christmas Eve.

 Just enough candles:

 I celebrated my birthday on Thursday, 2 November. My host family asked me to reserve the evening for them. I went to class as usual, and I also had a telephone interview with the director of the Women’s Crisis Center to set up a volunteer position with them. Not long after I returned home, Valentina,  Sasha, Gresha, and Masha appeared with the largest yellow Chrysanthemum I’ve ever seen, and a beautiful teacup and saucer. Masha gave me a stuff animal, and Gresha gave me a tape of Russian folk songs. They sang happy birthday in English and in Russia, and where as we give birthday spankings, Russians tug  on the ears. So, in accordance with tradition, four people times 27 years  equals very red ears. They had ordered a cake that looked like a book, and the inscription read ‘To our nice Sallichka [Masha’s nickname for me], Happy  Birthday from Your Russian Family.’ When they opened the box of candles-the same candles that we used for Masha’s birthday in September-there were 27, no more, no less. This was also a big day for the family. The final contract  on the new apartment was signed, and on 2 November they became the owners of  the apartment that they’ve been looking at for the last two months. We are now in the process of moving, and thank goodness, the apartment is located  just a few houses down from us. We are gradually carrying books and other  nonessential items to the place.

 Volunteering:

 One of the major requirements of the IREX Young Leaders Program is public service, and admittedly, trying to set up a volunteer affiliation with a local charity or a local non-governmental organization has proven to be the most challenging part of my stay in St. Petersburg. Initially, I had met with a woman from Big Petersburg Family (BPF), an organization that provides material and financial support to low-income families with three or more children. We met several times, we talked on the phone, and Nina Timofeyevna, my contact at BPF, also wrote a letter of support for me that I faxed to IREX. According to the letter, I would help organize children’s festivals, take part in the distribution of clothing and other materials, and work at BPF during the reception days, when families registered for rent waivers, etc. However, reality proved to be a bit different. I attended a few children’s days, but I basically was a passive observer. Attempts to get involved, to find out from other BPF staffers what I could do didn’t yield much of a result. Nina and I would agree to meet, and inevitably, something would come up that would prevent our meeting. It was an awkward experience-Valentina and Nina have known each other several years, and I felt as though I ran the risk of offending one or the other. After two weeks of missed appointments, I began looking for another volunteer position. Just last week, Valentina reported that she and Nina had a little conversation, during which Nina explained that she didn’t want me to volunteer at BPF because it would detract from my studies. Nina told Valentina that I should spend my free time exploring St. Petersburg and getting to know students at the University. I appreciate the thought, but I wish that Nina had been more frank with me when I first approached her about volunteering. I am still  loosely affiliated with Nina and BPF, and probably once a month, I will attend the children’s receptions or the parliamentary hearings on family policies in St. Petersburg. They have asked me to collect signatures for a petition that will be submitted to the Municipal Committee on Family and Youth. However, until Nina or Valentina can explain what the petition is for  (so that I understand it well enough to explain it to others), I will wait to circulate it among my classmates at school. 

 On 2 November, a representative from the St. Petersburg Crisis Center for  Women came to the Sociology Department, and she gave a lecture on a very  grim topic: the trafficking of women from Russia for work in the   international sex trade. Valentina had canceled her class on the sociology  of the family and invited Svetlana from the Center to talk about her work. I  sat beside a couple of the girls with whom I have struck up a friendship;  they were silent during most of the presentation, which included a video filmed using a secret camera and interviews with pimps, false employment agencies, and girls that had been forced into prostitution. After the presentation, I approached Sveta and introduced myself. I explained that I was interested in volunteering at the Center, and I am now marking my third week there. I have agreed to help them organize their library and their  archives. On Monday, I began leading an English conversation group. And,  although I was a little reluctant to start tutoring English, I really enjoyed the first meeting. Only two of the eight staff members were able to  come to the group, and they warned me that they are the weakest English language speakers. So, I think that we will have two conversation groups: one for those who are fluent and another for those who just want to learn to talk about their work and a little bit about themselves. I lack the judicial or psychological training to meet directly with the Centers clients, most of whom are women that are victims of domestic violence or rape, and to be honest, I don’t know that I am prepared to deal with these women one on one.

 However, I am slowly learning more about the Center, its projects, some of its frustrations and its relationship with the law enforcement community.  This Friday, they are holding a press conference to announce the launch of a new cooperative project between three cities and regional law enforcement agencies to combat the trafficking of women.  I feel as though the Center is more in sync with my interests, and at MIIS, I had done some research into
 the problem of human trafficking from the former Soviet Union.

 Nizhny Novgorod:

 On Saturday 4 November, my friend Elizabeth King, who is here on Fulbright studying public health, and I took the overnight train to Nizhny Novgorod.  We did a lot of walking: through the old Kremlin, to the writer Maxim Gorky’s apartment, to a monastery that overlooked the Volga River. We also took the bus to the outskirts of the city and toured Andrei Sakharov’s apartment, where he spent six years in internal exile. We stayed in Nizhny Novgorod until Monday evening and took the overnight train back to St. Petersburg. The University was closed to celebrate the public holiday that once marked the Great October Socialist Revolution. I think it was in 1996, then President Yeltsin renamed the holiday to the Day of National Reconciliation. Because our train was late, we missed the parade led by old and young communists alike; Nevskiy Prospekt was blocked off. There were several interesting debates on the radio and in the editorial section of the paper. Most people aren’t sure what the holiday is supposed to  commemorate.   Just one example: Masha asked her parents what the October Revolution was, prompting Valentina to look at me and remark about just how much Russia had changed in the last ten years.

 The Parliament:

On Tuesday 14 November, I went to the city parliament where Nina Timofeyevna (from Big Petersburg Family, my first attempt at volunteering) and Valentina were speaking before the municipal committee on family and youth. They spoke against the decision to construct a new orphanage in the city, arguing that the funds could be better used if they money went to support low-income families. For the most part, however, I think their arguments fell on deaf ears. If I understood correctly, the number of state-run orphanages operating in St. Petersburg is just as high as in 1945, after the siege of  Leningrad had ended.

 Similar Topic, Different Forum:

 From Tuesday 21 through Friday 24 November, St. Petersburg University hosted the conference “Christianity and Charity.” One of Valentina’s colleagues at the Sociology Department along with the Russian Orthodox Church organized the conference. I only attended the Wednesday section, which focused on street children, juvenile delinquency among orphans and children that lacked parental supervision, and teen pregnancy in Russia. I attended an Orthodox Mass held in the University’s church, which also serves as history museum.

 Than-ski-giving:

 I spent my Thanksgiving at the residence of the US Consulate General. My  friend Elizabeth was there as were other Fulbright and IREX scholars. I didn’t realize that I missed sweet potatoes. I talked with some interesting folks, some of whom are working at the Embassy in Moscow. I have to admit that spent a good deal of time with the Consulate General’s two cats and his dog…If I lived on my own, I would most likely be the proud owner of a Russian cat.

 Concerts:

 I have attended three concerts in three very different genres this month. On 1 November, I went to my first rock concert in Russia-DDT; the metro was absolutely packed with fans traveling to the coliseum. The 17th of November, I went to a folk music concert. Four groups sang and danced. Lots of accordion music, the stomping of boots, and whistling. The next night, I went to a soprano & piano concert at the Philharmonic.

 Moving:

 After one month of looking at different apartments, two months of paperwork, and countless hours spent with fingers crossed, my host family is finally moving into a ‘new’ apartment. It is literally just down the street from our current place, and so over the past week, we have been gradually taking books, dishes and similar small items to the new apartment. On Sunday the 26th, we carted tubs, rags, bleach, brooms, and the vacuum cleaner down the block and spent the entire day cleaning. Two families lived in this communal apartment, and I think that this is the first time a single family has lived in the place in over 70 years. The building was constructed around 1870; we are on the top floor with two balconies and a wonderful view of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. It’s a good neighborhood: the police are across the street as is a 200-year old church and a kindergarten. The apartment isn’t in the best of shape, but it has high ceiling and receives a lot of sunlight. Sasha and Valentina had to install a new toilet and refinish the bathtub, and it’s  probably fair to say that it’s been years since the apartment has received so much attention. Masha has already started researching what kind of flowers we will plant in the window boxes that are on the balconies. My room has two large windows, several different patches of wallpaper, creaky floors, and a ceramic tile fireplace. We hope to be settled into the new place by this Sunday. 

 The First Guest:

 Bryce will be in St. Petersburg for Christmas. He’s arriving on Christmas Eve and will stay here until 8 January. My good friend Christine is working in Moscow, and Bryce and I have plans to spent a long weekend with her (and kitty) there. At this moment, I think that we will stay with the host family.  However, my friend Marjo will be spending Christmas with her parents in Finland, and she has offered her apartment to Bryce and if the need should arrive. I think that my host family is just as excited as I am about Bryce’s visit. I think that I will end my latest update with this bit of news: Bryce proposed on 24 October and I accepted. We haven’t finalized a date, and we haven’t decided where we will get married.

 All in all, I’d say that I am doing well. There are some frustrating moments as well as some nice surprises. There are days when I can’t quite seem to fit in, and there are days when I feel as though I will never quite grasp Russian or speak it as beautifully as I would like. But, there are day-to-day improvements. I am meeting more folks at school and I have a few acquaintances with which I can chat during the break between classes. I just  returned from the crisis center a few hours ago. I like the women that work there, and I am gradually getting to know them. St. Petersburg is an amazing city with countless museums, theatres, and symphonies. This is the first time that I have lived in such a place. There are constantly new exhibits and new performances, and I need to get out and see more of what the city has to offer. I am looking forward to going around the city with Bryce. Admittedly, many of the sights will be new for him as well as me.

 Take care,
 love-Sarah
 

Sarah Stevenson
2/01