Farewell Petrozavodsk

The sky was gloomy and it drizzled throughout the day. On my last day here , the sky decided that it was the perfect day to cry.

As i rushed to pack up,do my last minute grocery shopping and plan my next leg of my journey , Yura (host dad) and Tanya (host mom ) helped me with my travel plans for the Ukraine, calling their relatives to help me enquire about bus timings.My host grandmother packed a bag of salad ,eggs,fruits and pirogi (buns ) as a departing gift and 5 year old Sasha made my day by announcing that he wanted to marry me : ) Isn't that sweet ? :)

Sasha and his world enclyclopedia                                  My 50kg baggages = NOT COOL

Tioma and Sasha trying on my jacket.

Can you tell who is the playful adorable boy who loves hip hop dancing?

And who is the shy sweetheart?

Nadia ( Korean Student )held a small party at her house , since her host mom was at the dacha and I had my last gathering with the girls before i left.

Bad news sunk in after i received a phone call from Saint Petersburg in the evening about some complications with the next Russian visa that i was going to be receiving in Saint Petersburg the next day.Panic , worry and sadness didn't mix very well on the last day.But I'm sure everything will be ok.

As Nadia hugged me at the train station , the tears flowed and the memories rushed back.Although I was studying in Russia last year , my experience in PEtrozavodsk this time was completely different from the one in Moscow.

Petrozavodsk is a magnet. Once you get attracted, it is difficult to pull yourself away. A cozy little town up north, everyday was indeed a happy and satisfying day.It's difficult to say goodbye , but i have to , with tears flowing.I met many wonderful people here, had many amazing experiences and I have discovered so much about Russia , the people , the culture and way of life. The more I learn about the different practices, on and off the Russian roads, the keener I am to explore the rest of Russia, the biggest country by land mass in this world.

So for now , farewell to my favourite city in Russia.....Petrozavodsk!
See you on 26th June!

My Russian Language Teachers

Blessed I am to have met absolutely amazing Russian language teachers ever since I picked up Russian in Moscow last year. In Petrozavodsk, I had grammar classes with Katya and conversation classes with Anastasia. They were absolutely patient, encouraging and interesting teachers and I looked forward to every class that I had with them.

Katya - My Russian Grammar Teacher - I've met so many language teachers/tutors since i was studying in school and she's the best language teacher I've met so far.

Anastasia - My Russian Conversation Class Teacher -I had some interesting classes with her!

And after 8 weeks studying under them, my motivation to continue learning the language has increased tremendously. If, I was this enthusiastic when studying for my accounting modules in university, I might even be on the dean’s list . 2 months of intensive learning did not make me speak or write like a native russian ,but, everyone has got to start somewhere. And so far, it has been a great start.:)

Lake Onega

From March to April , it's really cold to walk along the banks of Lake Onega.
But it'll be a great place for a picnic when summer arrive

International Students in Petrozavodsk

During my time in Petrozavodsk, I spent some time with some international students. A very different group of people with a completely different set of interests from the people i have met in the past.And the friendship with them is one of the reasons why I love life in Petrozavodsk :)

The concert: Russian songs about Russia

There are a few children music schools in Petrozavodsk. One of them, Children Music School Number 1 had a singing competition on the 24th of April. The kids had to sing songs or play a song on their instruments about Russia .On the 25th of April, they had a free concert featuring the prize winners and the prize giving ceremony. There are some kids with tons of potential over there.So I had another round of Russian songs about the war.

Red Russian Army Choir - Katjusha

Тёмная ночь

Russian Red Army Choir -Victory Day (Dyen' Pobyedy)

There are some songs about war that I really like and I heard the choirs singing them at the 2 concerts that I have been to.For my last lesson with my Russian grammar teacher, Katya , she showed me a few videos and even sang along while the video loaded.

Дом Кивклы

Lilia suggested having a tour at the local doll house, Дом Кивклы.
 And since Ira speaks perfect english , she could translate for me!

The dolls were made according to the Kalevala tales ( a book/epic poem) , unique to Finnish and Karelian folklore.

Petro-Zavod -sk

Since Petrozavodsk got its name because of PEter 1's decision to set up a factory here , i better put a picture of the factory here as well.Lilia and I tried to find a way to enter the factory but it was obviously not open to the public.

Apparently a old german guy who used to be a farmer,moved to Russia some time ago , bought a huge 2 storey wooden house near the factory and has been renovating it.

Lilia and her 5 german friends wanted to pay this man a visit , so they went banging on the door and asking for him , shouting in german.

Can you imagine how terrified this poor old german man must have been when he heard that?

OH! Hooligans!

Cakes

In Singapore, whenever we think of cakes, we will have a certain cake shop in mind.
ie. The Patissier http://www.thepatissier.com/webtop/ , Cedele http://www.cedeledepot.com/home/
or even Canale http://www.canele.com.sg/
We never associate cakes sold in supermarkets as the “best” cake in town.


In Petrozavodsk, when people think of cakes, they think of the supermarket. Whenever I see a cake shop, I will stroll in to have a look at their cake selection. Guess what, the individual cake shops along the street and the supermarkets sell exactly the same brands of cakes and type of cakes. So it doesn’t matter if you buy from the shop, or the supermarket or the cafes. If you buy cream cake, the chances are high that they are all made from the same factory in Saint Petersburg or Petrozavodsk

But of course , cream cakes are not the only cakes available here.There are also cafes in Petrozavodsk , Cafe De Ja Vu ,PArizhanka , and the german sounding pubs that offer the standard cheesecakes and chocolate fudge cakes.The supermarket also sells an average tiramisu cake :)

sponge cakes!

Cafes in Petrozavodsk

Petrozavodsk has some pretty interesting cafes

Mac Duck is one of them .It sounded just like an imitation of McDonalds, so I had to check it out. The difference that it has from McDonalds is

1. They microwaves the pre made burgers for a minute before giving it to you
2. Fries were turning cold
3. Employees wear bright red blouses instead of plain striped shirts
4. The theme is Donald Duck

The fast food joint attracts a young teenager crowd.
 I don’t think Russians have a culture of studying in fast food joints or cafes here because I was given funny looks by the patrons for doing just that.

If a fast food joint in Singapore decide to openly microwave their burgers in order to heat them up , all the Singaporean patrons will never return again.There you go , difference between singaporeans and russians.

Swan Lake Ballet

I bought a 100 rouble ballet ticket for Swan Lake, but shifted to the 600 rouble seat 15minutes into the show because it was unoccupied. What a great deal for my 100rouble ticket!

The 2 lead dancers were from Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre and their solo performances were indeed mesmerizing, making the performance by the regular troupe pale in comparison.

After having watched Swan Lake in Moscow, the difference in the standard of ballet in the 2 cities became obvious. While the troupe in Moscow splurged on the costumes and props , resulting in more expensive tickets , the Petrozavodsk troupe again kept their props and costumes minimal.

Tioma’s kindergarten graduation ceremony

Tioma had his kindergarten graduation ceremony on the 28th of April and he excitedly invited me to watch the ceremony. The kids wore their best clothing and put up a performance for the parents with songs and dances. Tioma was going to act as a sailor in the concert .As he danced to the tunes with the other kids; i couldn’t help but feel so proud of him.

Although he cries , shouts and talks loudly at home, he was the most well mannered boy during the graduation ceremony and the best dancer among his peers. :)

Finnish Rock Opera

Petrozavodsk was wrestled between Finland and Russia in the past, so naturally there is quite a handful of Finnish people living here and many Russians who can speak Finnish. Every week, there is a Finnish performance at the Musical Theatre. Alena, the Finnish student invited Nicola and I to watch a Finnish rock opera < Byarmija >at the State National Theatre of Karelia ,after our Saturday study session at the library.
http://teatr.onego.ru/

The theatre was quite packed and there was a group of over 40 Russian soldiers out on an excursion to watch this Finnish rock opera about love. That is where all the Russian men have gone. The army.

We were given audio guides for the rock opera. But guess what, there was only Russian audio which was not very helpful because
1. I still don’t know that much Russian to rely on that translation
2. The people on the stage were singing and the audio guide was in spoken Russian. I don’t understand how the Russians can enjoy a rock opera while listening to audio translations

But it was still really interesting to see the Finnish style of rock operas and how Russians speak and sing in Finnish. :)

Island Ivanovski exhibition at the Karelian Fine Arts Museum

From 19 March to 25 April, there was an exhibition on Island Ivanovski. When i saw the poster for this exhibition at the Karelia Museum of Fine Arts, i was really excited because I have been to the island via snow mobile on Lake Onega!

After looking at the exhibited paintings on the 1st floor, the distinct lighthouse was nowhere in sight and there were paintings of wooden houses Strange, because the island Ivanovski didn’t have a house on it. After talking to the attendant, i found out that Island Ivanovski was not the island that I thought it was. The artist last name is Ivanovski. So Island Ivanovski was just his little fantasy. A huge disappointment for me

The 2nd floor, however offered exhibits that were more interesting with a section on Karelian weddings. There was a fascinating video on Karelian marriages and the importance of hand sewn towels in the marriages. So it wasn’t a wasted trip after all!

Where have the Russian men gone?

After the Orchestra concert, Lilia and Olga walked Ira and I home.


Ira is a Russian student studying English and German at the Petrozavodsk Pedagogical University and she stays near me. We started talking about men in Petrozavodsk and she lamented about how few men there were in Petrozavodsk. For the course she is studying, there are 30 girls and 3 boys. She decided to check out the club scene in Petrozavodsk early this year to meet new people, but the club was filled with women and there were few men .If there were men,they were either taken or drunk.

Thinking about this issue actually makes me really sad, because many of the Russian girls I have met are amazing, talented and absolutely charming. Yet there are not many decent Russian men to go around. Blame it on the alcohol too.

And of course, my Russian teacher and I had a lively discussion about it in class the next day.

The Onega Orchestra

My Russian friend, Lilia introduced me to one of her friends,Olga who goes to Italian language classes with her.Olga plays the kantele in the Onega orchestra and she invited us to watch her concert on the 21st of April. http://www.philharmonia.onego.ru/

The Kantele

Picture from : http://www.hambasdulcimers.com/Kantele2.JPG

This concert is really special because it was to commemorate Victory day on the 9th of May. Tons of old people turned up .Most of the people bought tickets but Olga got her son, Ira, me and Lilia in for free.


There was a singer from Saint Petersburg, 2 choirs ( boys and girls ) and the orchestra. In the programme, there was a piece of paper folded a certain way such that they are sturdy enough without the envelops. As the music and the voices merged , I could feel the strong emotions in the air as everyone stood up as a sign of respect to those who had sacrificed their life for Russia.

There is something special about russian songs about war that is extremely moving.......

 

Asian Fears

There are some Korean students who come to Petrozavodsk for Russian language classes .They told me that they had heard people give racist comments when they were in Petrozavodsk .This came as a surprise to me for I had never had such an encounter.

On the 20th of April, the Koreans refused to turn up for class. Reason: It was the birthday anniversary of Adolf Hitler. In certain cities, there have been some Koreans who have lost their life in Russia because of such attacks and the advice on some Korean websites is to just stay indoors on this day. The parents of the Korean students were really worried and didn’t want their daughters going out on this day either.

I wonder if there will be similar fears for foreign Asian students in the Buryatia and Kalmikia republic where majority of the Russians are Asians.

Learning about Ukraine

Раньше , У край Руссия.

И сейчас. Украйна

I never saw it that way until now.
Ukraine used to be part of the USSR until they got their independence. They became pro western after the Orange Revolution with Yushenko and Timoshenko leading the troop. But the Ukraine has since reverted to its pro Russian ways after Viktor Yanukovych came into power. In April, Sevastopol was frequently on the news because of the extension of the Russian navy's lease of the Sevastopol base for 25 years after 2017.

Yura, my host dad and I started talking more after he got his 1 month break from work. He was brought up in Sevastopol, Ukraine and had tons of interesting opinions and travel advice to share with me!