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. :)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
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. :)
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. :)
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!
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.
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
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.......
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.
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!
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!
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