Living Abroad in Miass Russia | Жизнь в Миассе

Blog Overview

2010-02-19T08:28:00.018+05:00

Hi, and welcome to our blog chronicling our stay in the small city of Миасс (Miass) in the Ural Mountains of Russia during the summer of 2009.

You can explore the city a bit with the map below. It's a highlight of the interesting stuff in Miass that I made for co-workers, and it's in English. If you know some Russian, you can really get a tour of the place at the Miass wikimapia page.

View Tour of Miass, Russia (Миасс, Россия) in a larger map

You can find a full list of entries on the right side under Blog Archive or you can have a look at the entire archive on a single page, in reverse chronological order.

Some of our favorite entries
(In mostly chronological order)

Lake Turgoyak, Silver Sands Beach, and a trip to the Banya

Bridging two worlds with S'Mores

The Goat that Ruined Everything

A Visit to a Russian Vegetable Garden

Yekaterinburg, Ganina Yama Monastery and a Russian Cemetery

Supreme, Ahoy!!!

Mushroom Hunting

2009-09-13T22:00:00.007+06:00

(Here are a few final posts which never made it to teh interwebs before I left for the US)

On my last weekend in Миасс I had the great opportunity to go mushroom hunting with my friends and dear hosts Артем and Марина. After maybe 1 hour of riding a bus and walking we arrived to birch forest on the outskirts of town. It would be here that we would start stalking our prey.

We walk silently through beautiful larch and birch forests. This process of finding mushrooms is very peaceful, almost a meditation. You slowly comb the floor of the forest looking for the right type of mushrooms.

These are not edible. I am no mushroom expert but I knew it right away because if they were edible then there would not be any left! Mushroom hunting is a huge part of Russian culture and many people take part in it every year. The knowledge is passed down from generation to generation. I heard more than a few stories of people hunting as a child with their parents.

Our first few edible ones!

These mushrooms grow in pairs and live under the moss and grass. (Скажите мне, пожалуйста, имя этого гриба)

Examine the stem to see if the mushroom is healthy.
If it is brown or has holes (not good) then cut away at the stem to see how far the decay goes.

Finally we walked far enough away from the town to find some real quality mushrooms in this beautiful, lush grove of trees. I fully expected a hobit or gnome to appear and tell us to get off his lawn.

Now to the really fun part: eating! First wash the mushrooms.

Then fry in a pan with oil. For these small mushrooms the preparation is pretty simple. The big mushrooms which grow in pairs must be soaked in water for a few months before they are ready to eat!

Russian Billards

2009-09-07T04:44:00.001+06:00

(Here are a few final posts which never made it to teh interwebs before I left for the US)

I had the opportunity to play Russian pool a few times before I left and I have the following to report:

Russian billards are waaaaaay harder than American billards.

No matter, I had a great time anyways. Thanks to all my friends in the Miass office for showing me a good time!

A Russian Cemetery

2009-09-06T23:10:00.005+06:00

(Here are a few final posts which never made it to teh interwebs before I left for the US)

On one of my weekend jaunts around Миасс and Тургаяк I stumbled upon something that I had wanted to visit before I left, a local cemetery. No, I'm not a goth or a grave robber, I just think that cemeteries are really interesting places and can sometimes give you an insight into a culture or community that you might not get elsewhere.

The first difference you notice between American and Russian cemeteries is that our cemeteries are more like parks. Well manicured lawns, perfect little foot paths, immaculate headstones.

Each plot has it's own area surrounded by a small fence. There will usually be a table and a stool for family members to bring food and drink.

There were also a lot of fake flowers, which is really a great idea because they look good a long time after you "plant" them.

All of the headstones also had a picture, usually in color, of the person. This is also a stark contrast with what you will find in the US where only the very wealthy people get their portrait engraved into the stone.
Above, the more typical type of portrait, a small round photo.

Hiking in Таганай

2009-09-03T18:01:00.004+06:00

Артём and I went hiking the other day to Taganay national park. It situated near the neighboring town of Златоуст (which happens to be in Europe, BTW!). We had a long and fun day.

We meet at 7:20AM to catch the 8AM train. The whole town was covered in thick fog. Pretty creepy.

The ants in Russian are on steroids, this is a standard ant "hill".

The "stone river" caused by glaciers.

Magic mushrooms (not edible).

Magic Rocks (also not edible).

Stairway to Heaven.

Heaven. Ok, really it's just a great view of the stone river and surrounding mountains. The Ural Mountains the are oldest in the world so they are a bit wore down by weather and time. It's still beautiful landscape though.

Here are some rock slabs thrown down by Zeus himself when he found out how much fun I'm still having in Russia (he's always been the jealous type).

Ahoy!!!

2009-08-24T17:41:00.001+06:00

On Caitlin's final weekend we got the chance to go sailing in a handmade sailboat on Lake Turg. Our new friends Ольга and Артур who run a private school program invited us onto their friends boat to sail to a mysterious island.

Our captain, Эдвард (Edward) and his boat "supreme".

Vera Island, our destination.

An Orthodox Cross on the highest point on the island.

The couple, inside some ancient caves. There are places like this all over the island and also remnants of actual dwellings as well.

On the ride home we had a beautiful susnset, but no wind and no engine. So, what else to do but sing Russian folk songs a cappella!

Ганина Яма Monastery

2009-08-18T19:40:00.000+06:00

After the Tsar and family were killed, their bodies were buried outside of Ekaterinburg in a well in the middle of the forest. Today this site has been turned into a monastery by the Russian Orthodox Church. It's name is Ganina Yama. The site is very serene and peaceful and all sound is lost in the middle of the birch forest.

Camping at Lake Turg

2009-08-17T22:23:00.010+06:00

Last week I went camping at our local gem of a lake, озеро Тургояк (Lake Turgoyak). I finally took up the invitation from our friend Михайл (Michael). He spends his summer camping at the lake alongside other families and friends from in town.

With Caitlin still sick at home, I set out on my bike. I got a good workout riding for an hour to get the campsite. The food tasted even better after that.

A traditional Russian soup: potato, bologna-like meat, onions, carrot, dill (essential) and a chicken broth. The cook also added some spice which made this soup out of this world.

A marshmellow like thing filled with caramel, which is not as sweet or liquid as the caramel sauce we have in the US.

Another essential for any Russian gathering: чай (tea). It's actually not as exciting as the pic above, we are just boiling water :) but I really do enjoy the tradition. It seems when ever we go someplace with Russians, you must at least have чай.

After being stuffed with delicious food and meeting some of the people camping with Михайл, we went "next door" and meet up with another set of campers who traveled to the Urals from the Moscow region. By this time it was getting dark, so the fire was kicked up a notch and guitars were brought out. Then begins hours of singing Russian folk songs around the campfire.

Morning mist over the lake

Turgayak Town

Екатеринбург

2009-08-17T18:13:00.003+06:00

A few weekends ago (see post date), we went to visit the beautiful city of Ekaterinburg. It is 5 hours north of Миасс by bus. We were on a mission: celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary and delivery some gifts from America to some mutual friends.

When people in Ekat heard that it was our anniversary they decided to through a huge party for us!! Russians are so wonderful!

Ok, fine, it was actually the birthday of the city that weekend. The main street Улица Ленина (Lenin Street) was closed to traffic. There were people everyone, food stands, balloons and tons of music, both new and old.

On the bridge crossing река Исеть (Iset River), newly weds place locks with their names engraved on them.

Traditional Russian music from ethnic minorities (I think). This was great stuff! The women have jingly things sown into their clothes so their bodies become an instrument when they dance.

Does it mean that I am not cool if I think accordian is one of the best instruments ever?

And of course, no Russian city would be complete without Lenin watching over the residents.

Later on we went to a Serbian restaurant. Caitlin is preparing to devour this plate o' meat. It was a bit too much for us, but really delicious none the less.

The owner was a great guy, a Serb who has lived most of his life in Russia and who recently moved to Ekat. Yours truely with a traditional Serbian hat and jug of alchohol.

An American style mall with an interesting facade.

This church was built on the site of the execution of the last Russian Tsar and his family in 1918.

Our new friends: Olga and Stas. One of the wonderful Russian ladies (Hello Anna!) who I practiced Russian with in Newton is from Ekat originally. She was so execited to learn we would be near her birthplace and her long time friend Olga. We got in touch with them and they took us around town and out for lunch. They were wonderful hosts!

We had a great anniversary weekend in this wonderful city, happy 1 year anniversary to us!

My Daily Routine

2009-08-09T21:14:00.010+06:00

Walk by an old лада. I want to drive this car.

Walk by Пиво из кег ("beer from keg"). I'm told it has tasty beer. I like the unintended environmental aspect: you bring your own bottles and they fill 'em.

Then ключ на дверь, open door number #1.

Open door #2.

Take off my shoes. This is a very common practice in Russian homes and offices - the use of what are essentially slippers. They are not as soft and fluffy like the bedroom variety you know of in the US.

The Russian variety is more along the lines of sandals but for indoor use only. Our office has storage just for this purpose. Using slippers keeps the place very clean by cutting down on tracking mud and dirt around. And nowadays there is plenty of mud here thanks to several days of rain.

Yes, I know, I have a sharp fashion sense.

Here are some window shots. Above is towards our apartment.

Out the front of our building.

A bit to the right, the open market and the super market.

A Visit to a Russian Vegetable Garden

2009-08-09T19:52:00.000+06:00

On a dreary Saturday afternoon I had my day brightened with a visit to a traditional Russian veggie garden, called a дача (dacha). Each one consists of a small plot of land with a perhaps a small hand-made house, for storing supplies or providing shelter after a long day. It is common for a family to own one of these gardens and to reap it's harvest all summer long.

There are clusters of these gardens on the edges of the city. From our hike on Перевал, we could see these places all around Миасс. The photo above shows one such cluster.

On this trip my friend Артем took me to the дача of his wife's parents, Владимир Петрович and Любовь Викторовна. We walked from my apartment for about 30 minutes, following a dirt road that runs parallel to the big above-ground pipes which carry heat and hot water.

There are entire neighborhoods of дачи, we are walking down the "street" where our дача is located.

Our destination

Their дача was hand made by Владимир, who is a quite skilled with his hands. He used to make traditional ovens when he was younger so I'm sure he made short work of building this two floor abode. Артем didn't have the key to open up the house so those pics will have to wait until Caitlin and I return in a few weeks.

Владимир and Любовь have constructed several green houses over some of their veggies, here Артем is watering the tomatoes. Almost everything here is hand made, using good ol' Russian ingenuity. They are cultivating everything from veggies like tomatoes, cukes, cabbage, apples, pears to flowers and herbs.

I've come to realize that sometimes the most boring places or activities for a Russian can be the most exciting for a foreigner like Caitlin or I. Артем spent many long hours at a дача when he was a kid, so visiting this place to water some plants is a chore or an excuse to get into the woods. But for me it was a pleasure and a privilege because I can see first hand an intimate part of Russian life here in the Urals. The same also held true when we were in Ethiopia. Our most favorite trip was when we spent 1 hour with the grandmother of our friend, Maha. We sat in her home, we drank tea with her, we saw her farm and her work animals. We were able to glimpse what daily life for her family is like.

Chelyabinsk 8/3-8/5

2009-08-08T04:50:00.000+06:00

R to L: Tatyana, Jon, Natalia

Chelyabinsk was such a modern city, I felt like someone moving from Vermont to Boston. Our home for 3 days 8/3-8/5, Hotel Victoria was top notch, very classy. Our first stop was to work. The office here is much bigger, multiple floors and so modern. We went out for business lunch where I had traditional soup and modern pizza, it was awesome, accept Jon is annoyed that instead of saying lunch in Russian on the menu it is transliterated to say “business lunch” биснис лунч.

We had met the classy, brilliant and beautiful Natalia and Tatyana at the company picnic, the two women Jon would be training the next few days who are now our friends. They are amazing and took us out to a classy traditional restaurant where we sat on the patio. It was located in this one very pretty part of the city that reminds me of Faneuil Hall. It is a stone walkway shut down to traffic with plenty of shopping, music and souvenir vendors.

The women took us around on a tour. I made sure I hit it up the next day for a shopping extravaganza, treating myself to some cute clothes for my birthday. We also walked through a park to see their former alma mater. We learned how competitive it is for a job and how rigorous the interview process is. We also learned how smart and talented these women are: Tatyana being a math scholar and former mathematics teacher; Natalia being a Information Technologies major. Both can program even thought their job position is software tester, both studied English at university as well. Not only are they brilliant, they are certainly the best tour guides!

Natalia's University (A Technology and Engineering School)

Cool Chelyabinsk Church now an Organ Concert Hall

On Wednesday, we went out for Chinese food at an amazing restaurant: Dragon. Again, we were completely impressed.

But the kicker for me was the fancy grocery store that blew trader Joes and whole foods out of the water with their array of gourmet naturals and savory prepared foods section. I ate my foot as all the food products I had told legends about thinking were only found in the US abounded the aisles. I’m talkin’ lobster tails, orange marmalade, maple syrup, fresh mozzerela, and basil. I was so excited, I got in trouble for taking pictures of the store. I spent over an hour here with my jaw open, muttering in awe in English (scaring many, I’m sure). There was a drawback though: the basil cost I kid you not $20 USD! Right there, it was a luxury store, but some items were out of reach, unlike at Trader Joes. ALSO- they were missing chocolate chips and peanut butter. I asked for them and they brought me over to the chocolate covered potato chips! My day ended for a cool 1000 rubles with only 6 treasures: fresh sunflower seed bread, pasta sauce, hot sauce (burritos here we come), sweet and sour Chinese pomegranate sauce, birch tree juice, and marmalade and chocolates for friends.

Note the Traditional Wedding Swan Bread!
Hot Russian Delights- Mmmm!

We had a great time in Chelyabinsk, but I am glad we are in Miass because of the nature here. It’s more different from home and therefore exciting for us. Plus, the bus system is so easy here because really there is one main road. In Chelly, I ended up riding buses in the wrong direction until they would turn around and bring me back to where I was trying to go. One bus ride was over an hour. Oy vey.

Met Gorbechev while out shopping.

Company Picnic

2009-08-02T01:00:00.000+06:00

On Friday we went to the company picnic with two offices, Chelyabinsk and Miass. It was such a perfect summer BBQ party. I felt like I was 8 again, running around in my bathing suit playing sports all day and drinking juice.

Shashlik

Large Meat Pie

The Russian style BBQ is called Shashlik. You skewer meat, in this case pork, and grill it on a Mangal. They don’t do grilled peppers, onions and mushrooms like we do at home, but maybe a tomato or two. This was the main course, and stretched out on huge picnic cloths were tons of cut up tomatoes and cucumbers, apples, cold meat and potato pie, deli meats, cheese and bread. There was beer, wine and tons of juice. Not a coke bottle in site. No chips! And, here’s the shocker Americans, NO SUGAR. There was no desert. It was actually a healthy BBQ! Plus, most people were playing games: Frisbee, soccer, badminton, and new for most: American football. Someone had brought it to toss, and Jon and I gave lessons on how to throw! This was a hoot, but we weren’t bad.

For a fun treat, we brought a jar of the famous Marshmellow Fluff - made right in Lynn, MA in order to introduce the sugary famous excuse for lunch- “The Fluffernutter!” We figured that we’d have no problem finding peanut butter, but that proved otherwise. We had two Russian friends Sasha and Tatyana on a mission that they accomplished. Each returned with a jar- Sasha’s a natural sugar free version and Tatyana’s a typical American type packed chock full ‘o partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Lots of Russians were able to savor this treat (although, I’ll admit I was nervous someone would have an allergy, but no one did).

We made lots of new friends with the Chelyabinsk office, including Natalia, Tatyana, Dmitry, Ivan, Valery, and Maxim. They are going to show us around after work. The fun continues!

Clockwise starting with Mr. Ghost: Sasha, Alexander, Natalia, Tatyana, Dmitry, Ivan, and Caitlin aka Катя.

The Goat that Ruined Everything

2009-07-30T11:00:00.000+06:00

Normally, were I am from we do not have farm life roaming free at the beach so this is very humorous to me. After being dropped off by the shuttle van, on the road down to the beach, there is usually a family of cows taking up half the road. Arriving at the beach, I finally settled down on my towel when I heard cries of upset. I looked up to see a goat ruining everyone's day. First of all, this goats bag was draggin’- it hadn’t been milked in days, and it was a little perturbed, so it decided to cause trouble. First, it hooved across some sunbather’s towel. Next, it trampled on someone’s picnic, eating a few snacks on the way. Finally, it stomped onto some poor child’s sand castle. The boy cried in protest, but the goat took it one step further and decided to pee all over what was left of the castle. Crowds of people were laughing.

It was so funny I wished I had taken a photo, and I didn’t expect to get lucky when I returned to the beach a week later with Jon and the goat was back! More trouble for the happy beachgoers of Miass. After stomping across some towels, she then insisted on trying to snatch lunch away from a family. She wore out her welcome.

Towel Stomping

Innocent bystanders being persued for food (click to enlarge and see her facial expression)

First attempting to drink from a capped water bottle

Rudely taking a dump while asking for food

More Beach info:
OK, here are the rules of the beach. If you are a hot sexy person, you stand up for a while. Also, you will wedge your bikini bottom for a better tan if it is not already a thong. Your hair will be perfect and you will unlikely get it wet if you go in the water so as not to ruin it. By the way, everyone at the beach is gorgeous. It is like a magazine here.

At the beach they sell popcorn, cotton candy, ice cream, drinks and chips. There are also some ladies selling hand crocheted beach hats and cones stuffed with caramel and peanuts. Also, there is shashlik man who basically he grills chicken kebabs and give it to you with sliced onion, bread and bbq sauce.

Hot People Standing Up with Wedged Bottoms

Mineral Museum

2009-07-30T04:00:00.000+06:00

Geological map of the Ural Mountains- made out of minerals!

On Wednesday, Jon, Olga, Marina, Artem and I went to the Mineral Museum that proudly displays the incredible wealth of minerals that exist in the Ural Mountain area. The Mineral Museum was a science teacher’s dream. (I am a science teacher for those of you who don’t know.) I frolicked through the rock displays like a kid in a candy shop. My favorite was Chariote. They wouldn’t let us take pics on the first floor, which was the best. There were more minerals on the second floor and a taxidermy animal display on the third floor with some great nature photography and woodcarvings.

Mineral Sample

Another Nature lover carved this!

Ikebana with Sensei Marina

2009-07-25T23:00:00.000+06:00

Marina did a special Japanese class on Ikebana and invited us to participate! Considering I didn't know Japanese or Russian, it was amazing how much I could understand based on demonstration alone.

In Kimono

Marina assists students

Leeza (in middle) and friends work on their arrangement

New friend Olga proudly showing our arrangement

Our class and finished products!

Camping at Lake Zuratkul

2009-07-21T00:15:00.000+06:00

The day after the plane ride, we left for a camping trip at Lake Zuratkul (озеро зюраткуль).

View Larger Map

There were 8 of us who went on the trip, Artem and Marina (main characters in our blog), Co-worker Svetlana and her hysterical husband Yegor, and their fun friends Ulliana and Anatoli.

We arrived at camp just before sunset, which in the Urals is about 11:00 pm. The lakeside camping area we selected did not include the typical American set up of a fire ring, picnic table, and specific tent area, but it was free! The way it should be. Everything was done from scratch including gathering our own firewood from the forest. We were up till 3 but managed to get a fire-cooked meal of traditional Russian soup of meat,onion,potato and macaroni a clear broth complete with a salad of chopped cuke and tomatoes.

The next day, we awoke around 10. Feeling lazy, here are some ways we passed the time.

lounging and eating,

sharpening your ax,

translating a technical document from Japanese to English to Russian,

Or geeking out on your PDA.

We brought several American treats to share: Necco wafers, Fig Newtons, s'mores, and we roasted red peppers. The red peppers were a failure, as most russians perfer them crispy and cold instead of warm and sweet. Marshmellow roasting turned out to be a popular sport, for desert and even breakfast!

Marshmellows (humorously referred to as "marshmellons")

Other past times included swimming, chopping down dead trees, and teaching the card game "Spit".

On Sunday we went to see a Russian version of Story Land, made by hand from wood.

Check out more photos from this trip.

Biplane Ride

2009-07-18T00:00:00.000+06:00

At 6:30 we met at the usual place to travel about an hour away to an airport. Well, really it was someones house. He had 3 planes. Two of them were missing propellers, so we took the one that did have one. Not to worry, this guy was a confident and skilled pilot. Our tiny tin can biplane was big enough for us to all fit on metal seats with no seatbelts. You simply hold on to bars on the wall. We took off in a field, the sound alone was an awesome roar. Before you knew it we were in the air. The pilot beckoned for people to come up to the co-pilot seat for a turn at flying the plane! The controls were dual, so he always had us, but, if you gave the steering handles a good yank, you could make the plane dip violently up, down or to the side. Everyone got a turn and everyone would scream like we were aboard a roller coaster. We were green by the end of the half hour ride. The view was amazing! We flew over the city and several lakes. It ruled!

Russian Banya (Sauna)

2009-07-16T22:00:00.000+06:00

This might be the most exciting week ever, never mind the most exciting week in Russia. Wednesday night we had the amazing opportunity to go to a Russian Banya (or Sauna). We went by car with a large group of mostly the Flare Fitness community to Golden Sand Beach at Lake Turgoyak. There, we set up a picnic table laden with food, and entered a wooden cabin. Inside there is a wood fueled fire that heats the sauna stones to an unbelievable 100 degrees Celsius. I was amazed that this equates 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Shouldn’t we be dead? You go in, roast and sweat and purify your pores, then, run out to the beach and jump in the lake. Then repeat for as many times as you can before your skin becomes blotchy. It is truly exhilarating and I could’t stop smiling! If you want, they will beat you with branches. At first this seems abusive, but, upon trying it, I highly recommend it. They soak two kinds of fragrant branches (pine and birch perhaps?) and whack your skin, it actually feels good because of the moisture and it is said to increase circulation. It is like an aromatherapy massage.

Next we all gathered round for okroshka окрошка a cold chopped vegetable soup with kvass (basically a homemade O’Doules). Fruits, breads, other healthy snacks, and of course, tea! After food, then the music begins. Local talent Tania again was there. Her friend Natasha is a Russian teacher in Moscow who is here for the summer and brought with her 2 Moscow University Engineering students from Burma. They also wooed us all with their romantic singing.

Singing, food, swimming and the outdoors: this was seriously my calling. We had such a nice time and I was pleased to hang out with the Flare fitness people again, like Natalia, Liza, Mikhail, as well as Tania and Natasha. Thanks to friendships with the Burmese students, we were invited on another adventure the next day- a biplane ride!

A Day Hike in Miass

2009-07-15T09:19:00.000+06:00

Every time I meet someone or learn something about Miass it is like receiving a gift. I could not be more grateful. Today, Artem took the office crew plus significant others on a hike. There were 10 of us. The day was an absolutely perfect summer day. We hiked a very steep trail straight up the mountain and were rewarded within an hour with a spectacular view. You might assume we drove there, nope. We simply walked to the base of the mountain. A mountain hike right outside your door. It reminds me of living in Boulder, CO or Anchorage, AK and even there people drive to the base of the trail. Notice the full bodied lake view from the top!

The employees from Artem’s office are all young and energetic. There was a great turn out for the hike, and people were pretty social. There is a balance between those that speak English well, and not much at all. Hopefully with this diversity, Jon will be able to practice more conversational Russian.
At the top, we bushwacked to two other spots that had great lookouts. We could see the end of town, two other lakes besides Turgoyak, and many small community gardens with дача “Dachas” or temporary shelters. People will stay in these houses for enjoyment and to tend to their garden, it represents self-sufficiency in being able to grow their own food, and also it is an inexpensive summer pastime.
View of Dachas

Teaching at Flare Fitness Center

2009-07-14T12:50:00.000+06:00

It happened! I taught a yoga class in Russia and it was the best day ever! I had 9 participants and taught for an hour and a half.
It all started because Marina is friends with Liza (sounds like: Leeza) who is a yoga instructor at a newly opened fitness studio down the street from me called Flare. It is a cozy and charming studio just like ones back at home. It has one big room with 2 walls of mirrors, one wall of windows and one wall that is a tropical ocean mural. The added touch is the Asian style tea corner, perfectly placed because tea drinking is an important part of Russian culture.
On Friday, I did laundry at Marina’s house and Liza came over. She is tall gorgeous blonde and totally hooked on yoga. We have both been teaching for about the same amount of time. We had a great discussion only because Marina was a great translator about Iyengar, Jivamukti, Yogafit and YogaJournal. Liza told me “You will teach a master class on Saturday at 9:00 for two hours.” I felt a little pressure, but was excited to rise to this perfect challenge. My goal as a yoga teacher is to blend my 10+ years of experience into my Yogafit teacher training in order to share more of what I know.
Saturday was fantastic! Marina translated for me. I spent extra time at the beginning focusing on breath, taught a mixed level class and did a special tense and release relaxation at the end. The class applauded me and gave me roses and chocolate. They were so kind; it was incredibly touching. Then, the whole class stayed for tea and yoga discussion. We have ideas to teach a class on the beach at Lake Turgoyak. My studio, Zen Muscular Therapy and Wellness Center will be proud to have representation here in Russia!

Sign Reads: Flare Fitness Center

Silver Sands Beach with Mikhail

2009-07-14T11:00:00.000+06:00

One of my fascinating yoga students was Mikhail. We instantly got along and it was easy to speak to him in English because he used to live in New Zealand with his daughters. He is in extremely good shape as he was formerly a competitive runner. He lives at the Silver Sands Campground this summer in a tent and for fun does things like make rafts to go whitewater rafting. Mikhail offered to bring Jon and I to a folk concert at the campground and we gladly seized the opportunity to check out the simple life. It was impressive.

Russian campers are quite communal. They all share food and cooking with the tents in the surrounding area. Mikhail was a celebrity; he knew everyone there as he gave us a tour. The campers shared food like cucumber and tomato salad with dill and a chicken veggie spread on bread. Then, I got a chance to take a spin in his inflatable Kayak.

After that, we spent a while talking and trying to figure out where this informal concert starring a Miass folk musician Tania, was going to take place. We finally found it and enjoyed the songs!

Our market, наш рынок

2009-07-13T21:44:00.000+06:00

We live on улица жуковского, Zhukovskava Street, in the section of Миасс called Машгородок (Mashgoradak). There are many wonderful things on our street, best of all is the market.

Here is our market, the brick building contains small stores which sell meat, fish, produce. You can also find stands outside all around this building. Behind it is a supermarket, similiar to what we have in the US (but much smaller). PS - smaller is better.

There are also produce vendors on many street corners. Here is one just at the end of our street.

Again, on our street is a small store underground. It sells an assortment of things, dairy, ice cream, eggs, cheese, meat, tea, cakes, and drug store items.

бабушка и яйца (old lady and eggs)

кефир, молоко, сметана и творог (kefer, milk, sour cream and cottage cheese)

Russians do love their мороженое (ice cream). But Americans take note: individual portions. I have yet to a gallon or even quart of ice cream. Only single servings.

Lake Turgoyak

2009-07-09T10:23:00.000+06:00

Yesterday was great because I did yoga and then was on the computer all day. Sooo relaxing. But today was phenomenal. Marina, who again, I am so lucky to know that I can’t believe it, went with me to Lake Turgoyak. Now, when Jon and I saw this on the satellite map it looked so far away, but it is so close and I can’t wait to have repeat visits there. We took a shuttle bus (a yellow van) to Turgoyak Town. It is a cute town with little log cabin style houses that remind me of Switzerland or Germany with their hand painted and carved window frames. This one has a burnt out room with flowers growing on it.

This is the catchy visitors center.

There are also newer fancier houses, but they clash with the more charming cottages in town. The church is my favorite building! It is a log cabin church with onion domes. Now if you know me, there could not be a more perfect blend of the two. I love both features. This church was so charming. Turns out Marina and Artem were married there! Good choice, although it was long – a 2 hour Russian Orthodox Christian wedding.

A little further down is the lake. I guess it gets really crowded on warm days, but it seemed spacious empty today. As soon as the weather gets warm I can’t wait to squeeze in just one towel spot!

The lake is huge and clear. There is a sand beach and pebbles line the bottom of the lake. No dark scary stuff that you would be afraid to step in (Jon’s worst nightmare, lake scum). The water was already warm especially compared to my favorite Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester, MA where you wince in pain as you wade in during the middle of August.

Next, we hiked up to a log cabin lookout at the top of what I dub to be butterfly hill. The hill was a meadow of wildflowers and blue, orange and white butterflies danced about- it was like a dream. From the top we enjoyed the view. The lake has a trail that goes around it that would take all day to hike. We watched a thunderbolt in the distance and decided to go. Unfortunately we got caught in a huge downpour, but Marina saved us by calling a cab.

Then, she came over and had tea and I showed her wedding photos and pictures of Ethiopia. She wants to go to Africa for her next exploration and loves coffee. Now I miss my friend Mahlet who I went to Ethiopia with! Marina has been so kind to me. I hope that she’ll show us her pics soon. I know American weddings are so fancy, I didn’t know quite how to approach a cultural conversation about the difference between our weddings. For example, she thought 75 is a huge wedding because she had 30 people. In the US, 75 is considered “small” not that I can even believe it. Hopefully, I’ll become more comfortable soon with how to approach these topics and we can have some fun conversations about cultural differences.

Marina teaches Japanese class by the way, so we’ve had some nice conversations about teaching. She found out that I teach yoga and there might be a class for me to teach sometime soon!

Laundromat

2009-07-07T09:07:00.000+06:00

Went to the Laundromat today. Yes, one exists. There is an angry lady with an apron and a bun. Doing laundry is very complicated. There are a variety of industrial machines from different eras, no quarter slots. You have to go in at noon, sign up, then come back at four and do your laundry. There are no dryers, just this scary wringing machine that will pull your hair off your scalp if caught. Maybe I’ll stick to washing things in the sink. We only have one sink. The tub/shower has this long spout that you can use to wash your hands right into the tub or take a shower. Not very pretty

Frozen Broccoli and Pelmeni

2009-07-06T09:20:00.000+06:00

I found broccoli! It exists in frozen scoop your own style. Actually, it kicks the green giants butt; it was quite tasty. Also, we have enough choices of pelmeni to last us 2 months. We went out of our way in St. Petersburg to find this tasty traditional treat in restaurants. пельмени (pelmeni) is Russian tortellini. It basically is the frozen food of choice to buy from the grocery store; there are not a lot of choices of frozen meals. Today our lovely hostess Marina brought us fresh strawberries from her mother’s garden.
I’m having a rough time trying to buy milk. Milk is sold in a plastic bag. I don’t know how this works since trying to find a pitcher seems like a lost cause. I can’t imagine people drinking milk all in one hit. I tried to buy a bottle and ended up with Kefir. I love this back at home where it’s sweeter and mixed with fruit like a smoothie. I bought a bag here and it truly defines what you think of when you think of “sour” cream. My second time, I bought white stuff in a bottle, and was hoping for milk, but it was again Kefir, which this time was not as horrible.

Today I bought a cast iron frying pan, spatula, knife, cutting board, and 3 Tupperware containers for 700 rubles or about $25 US, finally this shopping experience proved cheap.

Marketplace Success

2009-07-05T10:12:00.000+06:00

I had quite a satisfying experience at the market place (which is located right around the side of our apartment building). I thought of Outward Bound. Navigating in a foreign marketplace is just as challenging as some outdoor adventures. I know how to say “Please,” “I don’t understand”, and “Thank you.” That’s it. Somehow, I managed to buy a watermelon from of course, the watermelon lady on the corner with her scale and calculator. Thank goodness for calculators at the open markets! I don’t understand numbers in Russian (there more complicated than you think). I also bought cметана “smetana”(sour cream) from the dairy truck and хлеб “hleb” (bread) from a market that had a bread section. When you go to buy something, you pay the clerk right there for what you get, then you go to the next food section. So far, it’s looking like there’s no such thing as fresh meat, just frozen or cured. All the hot dogs and salami you could want. I left this experience today with a new appreciation for the market and some self-esteem for my uncanny ability to point and have it somehow produce the food I need. It all worked out.

Jon and Artem registered us with our passports at the post office. While they were away, I managed to get some cleaning done. Too bad they don’t do security deposits here; I basically cleaned up the scum from the last tenant. Not pleasant.

Arrival in Miass

2009-07-04T09:15:00.000+06:00

It is almost Independence Day, July 4, 2009 and here we are as far away from USA as possible in Miass, Russia. I miss pillows, hot cocoa, and washing machines right now.

We arrived Thursday night coming from St.Petersburg to Moscow with at 3-hour layover and then arriving at about 7pm Miass time. On the flight from Moscow, we spent the whole flight talking to our new friend Nikita. I noticed him at the airport, a young skinny guy with curly brown hair, a hai Jewish star necklace, and a ridiculous T-shirt of Oscar the grouch as a gang member “representing colors” with a handkerchief and “G” gold chain necklace. I giggled at his shirt. He caught me smiling and greeted me in perfect English noting that he could pick me out as a foreigner because I was smiling. As he had a snack of baked potato with seafood salad, he told us about his pursuit of studies at University. He wants to be an interpreter and studies English and Arabic. He was smart, offbeat, and into the alternative. Jews don’t typically study Arabic, and Russians aren’t typically snoop dog fans, but Nikita was. (He even rubbed snoop dogs head at a recent concert) Turns out he is from a formerly secret town near Chelyabinsk called Snezhinsk. They make atom bombs there, so there is an electric fence surrounding this pristine green town complete with a lake. His town was not on maps, and his birth cert says he’s from a different town. Now, it is not a secret town, it is just closed. So, we could never go there. Can you believe this? What are the amazing chances we met this guy.

We were greeted at the airport by the head of Rocket Software in Miass, Artem and co-worker Boris. We actually did not know how old he was or what he would look like. Instantly, I liked him. He is young (25) tall, blond with blue eyes, very handsome, and speaks English so well he can easily convey his sense of humor. He is not a big on facial expressions and speaks in direct and concise sentences. As we journeyed along the road from Chelyabinsk to Miass, we observed a picturesque landscape of rolling meadows and wooden house villages Holstein cows we had a pleasant conversation. Artem is another young person who is curious about the world and can look at society with a critical eye. He studied Japanese language and through posting an ad to look for lessons, found his wife who is a Japanese teacher and has her doctorate degree.

Here are Marina and Artem!

That night we arrived at our apartment to find that it was as spacious as we had expected and had furniture, but it had rented by a smoker prior and was in a grungy state. I was upset that there had been no cleaning process after the last tenant left. Besides the stains on the couch, smoker’s rug, and sticky linoleum, another crusty feature was dead Elmo. Now you’ve heard of the bearskin rug. Elmo, had been skinned, and was decorating (and hiding the stains of) two flat twin mattresses on the floor. Not only was Elmo dead, but now he was caked with grime. This was our bed. We picked to sleep on the stained couch instead. (Other highlights I’ll enlighten you of later included the decorative hookah that the landlord insisted must stay despite our request to have it removed.)

I would have been fine knowing that Artem was one great person we could communicate, but then I met his wife Marina, who I absolutely adore. She is so incredibly friendly, cute, and expressive. She is petite and had long brown hair in a ponytail when I met her and she was of course well dressed, but she is not into makeup and does not sport high heel shoes! I was amazed that this was possible for a Russian woman after St. Petersburg. If she lived in the US, I imagine in high school she’d be a popular girl on the gymnastics team and the dean’s list.

On Friday morning we walked one block from our apartment to the office. The office was sparkling clean and modern. It employs only about 10 people right now. There is a room that a ping-pong table occupies right now that will soon be a workspace for new employees at some point.

Sharing Watermellon at the Office

When I got to meet her and she smiled and gave such a warm greeting. She commiserated with me about the filthy state of our apartment. After they had given us old cell phones to borrow and helped us to buy SIM cards (what a relief). Wife Marina came to my rescue further and took me around town to buy necessities of the apartment. She helped me navigate the small specialty stores for towels, sheets, and lotion.

To my dismay, there is no Laundromat. Supposedly there was one in communist times, but now people own personal washing machines. They are half the size of the ones we have here, and there are no dryers. Also, pillows are not common. I don’t think people use them.

We went to a cloth store. Here, you could buy material from bolts of cloth if you want to makes something, but they also have some goods ready to buy. We started with towels. There are several behind a glass case. You work with the store clerk, she shows you the towels you are interested in one at a time. There is no “sets” with a bath towel, hand cloth and washcloth. I had to purchase them all separately and none of them match. Then, we tackled the bed sheet section. One at a time, she would display a sheet with metric dimensions pinned on a label. There are no sizes like king, queen, full. There were a couple of overpriced sheet sets, so I stuck with the same method I used to get towels, random mismatched and different sizes. Then, pillows. There are no $5 pillow bins like at target. Instead, it looked like these pillows had been handmade with the cloth that was provided in the store. They were all random sizes. I ended up with two small square ones, one stuffed with feathers and one with synthetic fiber. Don’t ask about pillowcases and how that works.

Next, we went to get cleaning products. Who says Russia is cheap? $5 for a spray cleaner called Cif. Again, you point from behind a counter and a clerk will hand you the product to look at. The award for most amusing cleaning products goes to Mr. Proper: a powder detergent that has Mr. Clean on it. Mr. Proper is his Russian alias. And the A1 dish detergent is not Joy or Dawn, but Fairy. Watch out Shepard. The paper towels I bought are napkin thick. There were two choices only and basically it was pink or white. Forget it Bounty! Next, I wanted to get some cheap plastic plates and cups. Our kind hosts Marina and Artem had brought over some plates and cups for us to use, but they were old china. First of all, I didn’t want to break them and second of all, the cups are only a small teacup. Where is my “the great one” mega mug or large juice cup? But, to my dismay what did they sell for plates and cups? Again, no sets, just random mismatched china. I don’t get it. Plus we really need a knife. I laughed when my mom had her bagel knife and scissors confiscated at the airport on our trip to New Mexico, now, I realize how greatly needed these tools are.