Palaces, War and Vitamin D

looking across the melted Neva at the Hermitage

the Hermitage, one of our "neighbors"

bear hanging out at Hermitage

We are about half way through our time here. Being this far north is such a treat this time of year as the sun is staying with us until past 10:00 pm already.  A daily baptism of Vitamin D.  The mood lifts, the skin is grateful. By 9:00 it's a pink light that is just so surreal. White Nights are on the way...we've been excited by the green grass, flowers, birds and tree buds.  Also the public clean up has been impressive.  Daniel reports "at school, we never get to play outside in winter time but we get to play outside at spring time!  We are also going to be gardening starting next week".  The boys have the next two Monday's off from school for May Day and May 9th which is Day of Victory (WW II).  There will be parades with tanks etc and that should be interesting.  One not so great thing about spring here is the mosquitoes.  Both boys have been bitten and Sasha had his school mates convinced he had chicken pox (Mission: to be sent home early. Result: thwarted by mom).

Boys eating Ice Cream at the Hermitage on an early spring day

As I walk around town, I am truly awed by the architecture.  The grandness. The colors and design.  Now that the canals are melted and flowing one can truly imagine life a hundred years ago.  Russians are funny about public life.  The boys are both concerned about how "cold" Russians seem in public.  We've tried to get them to stop calling it "mean" as it really is just a different performance of self in public. There is no pressure to smile here at strangers.  There is also a tendency to speak quietly when outside, something we are NOT good at. So, we are often the loudest, weirdest, smiliest people on the street, just letting our American freak flag fly.  I have stopped being in any way embarrassed although I will not dare to speak for Volodya on that.  We went on a trip to the aquarium here and it was great fun.  The boys were impressed.  The fact is, most Russian museums for children are still sort of old school compared to those in America where "interactive" is old news and expected. The Aquarium and one other small science museum we found are exceptions. Clean, well lit, and planned, they were both a treat.

Volodya, sister Lena and Mama Ludmilla

We celebrated Easter with the family. Sadly, on Easter morning I badly scalded myself with boiling coffee in an accident involving a French Press and apparently too many coffee grounds.  The result was 2nd degree burns on chest, belly and wrist. Terrifying I must say.  All healing now but the wounds have been slow to mend in some spots.  Other than that, Easter was fun.  Russian's have, since the fall of Soviet Union, become more "religious". It's only in quotes because Volodya feels at least some of it is simply fashion, not a Great Awakening. But anyway, every other person wears a cross now, something that would have been "frowned upon" 20 years ago.   I want to visit the synagogue but am told its quite orthodox and for a woman alone it might be tricky. The Jewish story here is still something that deeply saddens me. 

our students at the Academy being weird

We have finished our class with the student group at the Academy except for an "Open Lecture/Demonstration" we will present to interested students and faculty on May 17th.  I have really enjoyed this group of students and their hunger for working in this new way.  I have fantasies of bringing them to America next summer for some cultural exchange with my UMN students.  They have so much to teach each other and I'd love to facilitate that kind of meeting. Indeed it was such an exchange that led me here in the first place so I know it's value first hand.

some of my class of faculty. Igor is far right

Zhenia, our babysitter!

a bridge near Nevsky Prospekt

The class with the faculty has been great but more difficult due to more entrenched habits in the teachers (of course) and a more varied skill set physically.  But there is a core group of them who have been amazing to meet. In fact, one of them, Igor will be playing Marinetti in our show in May (replacing the irreplaceable Stephen Pearce!).  He is a wonderful actor and physical Decroux trained performer.  Yesterday we went to his home for a "meeting" about the show. The meeting was mostly eating food he and his wife Olga (Growtowski trained performer) made for us, laughing at his stories of his army days in Siberia and hearing Igor play about 10 different instruments.  Privately, Russians are the most generous hosts I've ever encountered.  It was lovely and I look forward to working with him very much. The pressure of the festival grows as we look for instruments, lights, costumes etc and we are eager for our gang to get here, hopefully with all their luggage, computers, creativity and bodies in tact!

end of winter as Daniel plays

Ludmilla, intrepid administrator

 The bureaucracy has been startling as usual. Our new visas (they only last for three months...no good reason) had to be prepared and submitted THREE times by the administrator at the Academy, each time re-written in hand and signed by me.  One new policy about where to register was in existence for only one month...no way of knowing when these things happen unless you are unlucky enough to try to do business during that month! 

Sasha on tank with Russian flag

street dogs near our house

sasha thinking about war and peace

This post is too long and leaves out so much of course.  I'll leave you with photos of the pack of dogs who live on their own near our Metro stop, the Artillary museum of Weapons. 

And one video of sasha philosophizing on war and peace.


Russian word of the day:   мир. (Meer)  "Peace"

P.S. bonus photo of Peter Stein and Maria Klaus Bandauer (in wig) taking a bow at a (shhh, not very good) production during the European Theatre Prize Festival.  We saw three shows. Non very exciting...will see Uncle Vanya directed by Lev Dodin at the Maly Theatre in May which I am really looking forward to.