School Starts and Theatre Still Matters Here.

Gentle Reader:
This past week the boys both started school.  Aside from the obvious problem of making us get up early (why are we ALL so lame at this?), the reviews are mixed. Sasha is still waiting to see if it gets any "easier or more fun" and he says it has made him appreciate his FAIR School community back home more!  He is learning the complicated art of making friends across cultural barriers (note: humor translates last).  But the school is small and sweet and two of our neighbors Anatole and Lucien (sons of another American Fulbright couple Renee and Brian...so thankful they are here!) also attend.  Daniel is ecstatic about his new Montessori!  He can't wait to go every day and is comforted by the usual Montessori things ("Red Rods! Pink Tower!").  It is a lovely school and we are so grateful for Maria Montessori in Daniel's world.  Here are photos of the exterior of Sasha's school, the boys with Lucien, and Daniel doing "flag work" at his new school.

Sasha walks to school but to get Daniel each day to his, we take a "Marshutka" -- a shuttle van, and two Metro rides. It takes about 45 minutes.  He's a real trooper and both boys are getting so much stronger from all the walking!  City living... St. Petersburg has a population of about 5.5 million.  Minneapolis is about 380,000. So, yeah,  it's bigger here.  All of it.  Lots of walking around curving streets with a mix of old buildings from past centuries next to modern store fronts full of designer/expensive stuff. It's a strange juxtaposition. Kind of like living an episode of Dr. Who when times collide.  This is one of my favorite old buildings in our neighborhood.  The Metro is excellent, fast and efficient. The Metro stops are really beautiful too.

On the walk to Sashas school each day we pass the fire station. The fire fighters let Daniel go in the truck!

 The firefighters chopping at the ice on the sidewalk. Hard work...despite their macho exterior it seems the language of "boys and trucks' is universal and they immediately invited little Daniel inside.  His mother followed, muttering in Russia "thanks so much!" and trying not to scare them by smiling too much.

 The boys are both interested in models of things.  Medieval villages for Daniel and modern (WWII and later) Soviet and Russian submarines, tanks, planes etc for Sasha.  Epic battles happen all around our apartment all day as they dissolve the  time space continuum. Lisa feels quite outnumbered and alienated around all the boy energy (which includes a lot of snow ball fights...something she has NO interest in either) and is thinking about getting a hotel room.

Yesterday, oddly,  we went to see a Cat Show!  Volodya's school friend Ivor (pictured here after several drinks of cognac to celebrate his stunning cat's success) shows his cat "Matisse" regularly and invited us to come along. The boys LOVED seeing all the beautiful cats, hearing Ivor's "life lessons" about brothers loving and not hitting each other (ignored by boys), and the tea room snacks.









After the cat show (left... Lisa has fallen for "Matisse", a most fetching and handsome gentleman cat. The feeling seems mutual) we had a delicious dinner with Sonja, Volodya's daughter.






Volodya had all his children in one place. (No comment on which cultural wing of his offspring shows the most grace and promise....this photo shows there is no contest really).  Sonja is doing really well! Recovering like a champ from a very bad car accident just over a year ago and growing into a very talented artist and sculptor.  She makes her Papa proud. (See resemblance in photo below)



As for Lisa's work:  The teaching goes well. It is amazing to trade notions of what theatre is and what directors "do" with these young actors (they are between 18 and 23).  They are so used to an authoritarian model of the director/actor relationship which is deeply a part of the Russian tradition. They stand when the teacher enters the room and applaud after class (do you hear that UMN students??? They STAND for the MASTER... :)
I explain my notion of the actor and director as collaborators and creators of their own work....at first they needed clarification (perhaps they misunderstood the translation?) and then they break into huge smiles and excited applause. They are very eager to build a new piece directed by me and I am eager to do it as well. I am training them in physical theatre work as I practice it and am once again amazed by the power of what can happen when a group of people commit to the moment and play together.  Language falls away, unnecessary. I am impressed once again, by the incredible discipline and work ethic of the Russian actors. Their history of excellent art has been passed down.  This country still believes in Theatre.  That is a powerful statement.  The work I am seeing by the senior students is astonishing, brave, SKILLED and inspiring.  So, I am humbled and grateful to be exchanging artistic notions with these talented and passionate students. I will teach this group and then eventually, I will be training a group of faculty in my style of working. I look forward to trading techniques with them very much.  I hope to take away even one fifth of their passion and commitment.  As for Volodya, he is making several good connections for future directing work in Russia for himself and enjoying that prospect.  I note that there are absolutely no women on faculty in major teaching positions here.  It is shocking to this American feminist.  Russia is behind America in this regard -- Women as directors is mostly a new idea and not one that all folks can comprehend. I realize I'm possibly a bit of a freak show, ambassador or canary in coal mine...not sure which.

We have not had time to see any professional performances yet. We will most certainly.  We will be seeing DEREVO next week in their new show "Mephisto's Waltz" and are looking forward to it.

Spring has sent her first messengers.  Two crows build a nest in our courtyard outside our kitchen window. Daniel and I watch them and time slows down. The melted ice and snow rains down from the tops of the 19th century curved roofs as we walk by.  We look forward to the full thaw.










Our apartment building and front door in the sun.

Lisa in the sunlight. Note: the cocky stance is the effects of a day when she actually ordered food in Russian, paid for it herself with the "monopoly money" (she still doesn't fully grasp the exchange rate) and carried on a conversation with some minor sense of dignity.  Mostly Lisa is silent and passive in Russia, still annoying dependent and clueless.  She reads, marvels and ponders.












Thanks for reading.
Extra Credit:  Russia word of the day:  Весной (Vesnoy) SPRING

Day Seven: On Board the Aurora Battle Ship

Daniel trying out the head gear onboard the battleship Aurora!

Greeting from St. Petersburg.

March 9, 2011.  Today we strolled to Sasha's new school, the Anglo American School of St. Petersburg  http://www.aas.ru/stpetersburg.cfm which is TINY compared to FAIR school in Minneapolis.  There are 12 kids in the 4th grade with one nice teacher named Mr. Toth. All instruction is in English and Sasha will be in a class with kids from Holland, South Korea, Bulgaria and Russia.  It's a mini U.N.   More on this next week. Both boys will begin school on Monday and tomorrow we will check out Daniel's new Montessori.

  It has been a very exhausting week since we arrived but we are getting to know the neighborhood. Our apartment is great (Daniel pictured above with lego collection, the one thing we brought in the way of toys). Big by Russian standards with two bedrooms, a living room, hall and kitchen and with gorgeous huge windows that overlook a view of The Peter and Paul Fortress -- the gold domes in picture here.

The city is beautiful and quite European in style and feel.  It's expensive and people are very kind and nice.  Lisa has no idea where she is most of the time, blindly following Volodya around as he silently and masterfully leads us through the majestic landscape of his childhood (there are palaces and gardens everywhere you spit) Lisa who was last here 9 years ago, does what she is told and only occasionally is heard to mutter something like "oh...the circus. I recognize this place....wait, that's the Neva? Where am I??  Wait up!....can we stop for Coffee?  How do you pronounce that street? Oh my god that building is amazing what is it?? Sasha don't run ahead!!!" We are all resting a lot this week and have been to Volodya's family home several times already to eat his mothers Blini and other delicious food and vodka.  "Baba Luda" (Grandma Luda) has never met Daniel and last saw Sasha when he was four so they are being eaten alive with love.  The boys are both crazy for Blini! These are thin Russia crepes with a number of filling options.  There is a blini stand (chain called TERMOK) near out house and we go nearly every day.  Lisa eats her weight each day in black bread and pelmini (Russian dumplings) so expects to return to America obese-ish. Luckily we walk a HUGE amount every day so at least we are working our musculature.

Here is the view from our balcony looking out on our street in a snow storm at night.  You can see the corner wine shop in the photo which gives Lisa much comfort as it is open 24 hours.  The snow is really beautiful here, wet and big and excellent for building and sculpting with.  The boys have spent many hours outside in the nearby Alexander Park (perfect as that is Sashas name) which is our "Central Park". 

After visiting the school today we strolled to the banks of the Neva where the Aurora Battleship is "parked". It was amazing to see and particularly interesting that there was no charge to go on board and look around.  Following are some photos of the ship including Lisa surrendering to the enemy, the deck of the ship and a sleeping and eating area recreation. 

Lisa had to explain how the Soviet Union and America were once enemies to the boys.  Sasha looked sceptically at her and scowled as he pointed out that we both fought the Nazi's together. Hence a history lesson right on the deck of the Aurora, the ship that signaled the start of the revolution in Russia.  Amazing that they have no idea about the fear and horror of the Cold War days, which both their parents remember so well from the two sides of the story.  We each had our own version of "Duck and Cover" growing up.

Sasha is trying to decide whether to buy "a knife, a sword or a gun" here.  Nice.
Here he is trying out a Soviet sword for sale.  The amount of Soviet kitch and genuine artifacts for sale is staggering (put your orders in now folks...it's all really cool).  As for Daniel, he is saving the kopeks he finds on the Metro floor to buy a Matrewshka. 

The boys have picked up some Russian from the family and today purchased books to learn how to write. Lisa will need to begin reading Tennessee Williams tomorrow as she is being asked to "coach" Russian actors who are working on Streetcar and Summer and Smoke.  She is uncertain how to help them except to teach them how to drink whiskey.  By way of procrastination, Lisa has been reading the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and is now onto the next book in the series (in case you were worried that her mind is not active with things weighty and literary).  We have no TV or access to American Hulu, Netflix etc. Nothing streams here.  So, it's a media free lifestyle.  Books are therefore precious.
Lisa has also started teaching at the Academy. She is teaching a version of her class "Creating the Performance" to them including a lot of physical improvisation. Volodya is her translator/co-teacher.  All that is fine.

Finally, we leave you with these lovely gift shop pictures of the leaders of Russia, Putin on the left, Medvedev on the Right. Perhaps the relative size is irrelevant???

We hope this finds you all happy and healthy.  Check in with us when you can!
We will try to post at least weekly....

Oh almost forgot! Today we met with three Minneapolis friends here for a week!  Lisa and Lisa of Linkvostok and Charles from Skewed Visions.  Charles was kind enough to bring Tennessee Williams in English for Lisa.  We will hang out more while they are here this week.  Here we are outside "Dom Kniga"  (House of Books) on Nevsky Prospekt (the big main street of the city) where Lisa bought the novel The Girl who Played with Fire (not Tennessee Williams...) and a map of the city with which she hopes to become less clueless, dependent and annoying.

Paka!
L, V, S and D
*Bonus: Russian word for the day --  сумасшедший (sumasshedshiĭ)  Means "CRAZY"