The Month of May: Russia

This has been an exciting month.

The sunshine is coming and staying (we hope) and there is light in my windows as early as 3:30 and as late as 9:00, perhaps even more.  The sun comes in long and low, and lights up my living room full of red light in the evening.  That is, when it isn't so cloudy like right now.  It is still spring, a bit chilly at times, wet with rain.  But, I've been out most weekends this month, and it is time to share some of the more thrilling events, sights, occasions.

This post is in 4 parts:
Creatures.
Tanks.
Ballerinas.
Cosmonauts.

Event I
Creatures.

I had been hearing a screeching noise while I sat at my desk.  I thought maybe I was hearing things for a bit, or that there was a mouse somewhere on my balcony, living some crazy adventurous life.  Rizza had eyes and ears for it as well.  It's audible when the window is closed, and even more so when the window is open.  There were some bumps on the wall, some knocks that said something was somewhere and I didn't know where... or what.

Well, I was sitting at my desk the other day, gazing out the window, and saw a bird fly almost into the window.  I walked outside to the balcony to try to have a glance, and sure enough, some pieces of a bird's nest are peeking out from the eve under the window.  I believe (and I can't see it without extreme danger to myself) that there is a little birds' nest outside my window.  And little baby birds are calling for their mama.  Aw, spring.

Rizza can hear them.

Event II
TANKS.

Victory Day was May 9, the day that the soldiers returned to Moscow having defeated the enemy.  This, apparently, leads to some pretty fascinating events.  The buzz was about the school about Victory Day and the parades.  For at least 4 times before the big day, they have rehearsals, where some streets are closed and the tanks go through the city to practice their Red Square debut.  A few times from our office window (at school), we could see the planes in formation heading up for a rehearsal as well.

I was pretty excited about the tanks.  And with this excitement, here comes something of the misadventure of the K.

I knew that there was no way to get into Red Square, because it was against the rules.
I knew that there was some way to see the tanks, and that there was a route of the parade.
I knew the approximate times for the events, but not necessarily the places for them.

So, I went out to Tverskaya (aka one huge road towards Red Square) when I knew they were having a rehearsal.  I saw a ton of people out, seeming to walk toward a parade spot, with families in tow.  And, perhaps I assumed that there was something about to happen.  I waited and waited, not knowing exactly what the situation was.  I watched a man put his fist through a display window and get removed by a small section of security guards/police.  I bought a few waters.  I enjoyed the sunshine.

I saw no tanks.

I did, however, see planes.

All the planes.  I didn't get a ton of great photos because I watched the planes and not the phone, but I think this video is decent.

I was disappointed, because after the planes, the people began to disperse and I knew that my tank experience had been thwarted.

But.
There was another chance.
That was just the rehearsal, not the actual day.

So, Victory Day rolled around, and I got up earlier than usual (because I didn't have curtains and the sun was up and bright at 4).  I had some coffee, relaxed a bit.  And decided that this day was the day to see tanks.  This would have been easier if I had, say, asked someone for help.  Alas, that was not to be.  I walked to this place near the zoo, and asked a policeman if the tanks had gone already.  He said yes.  I went to a second place, and asked the police and innocent bystanders (there are some crowds here that surprise me at times) what they were waiting to see, and if it was tanks.  It was not.

Finally, I walked to the third place, the end of the parade route, and found the policeman.

"Da," he said.  I asked a second policeman (because they were just 15 feet apart).  "Da," he says.

And so, I hunkered down with my book, at a cafe looking out the window.  Because, it was mighty cold and wet that day.  Nothing like the beautiful sunny and blue day of the planes.  I had a coffee, and waited.  They had both said 10, but 10 rolled around without any tanks in appearance.

10:15, more people, more crowds, but still cars on the road.
10:30, more people, more crowds, no tanks yet.
10:45, no more cars, more people...

TANKS.

It was 20 solid minutes of tanks. Soldiers were waving, or just looking serious. I was waving, and looking like a super happy fool.  The street was moving with the tank weight.  It was fucking awesome.

Then, that evening, we went on a boat cruise on the river to see the fireworks, and that was another beautiful (cold) evening.  Such an amazing place that I live in.

Moscow smoky with fireworks. 

Event III:
Ballerinas

There were two ballerina themed things of this month.

One, a staff trip, took me to one of the Seven Sisters (super tall buildings you see all over Moscow) to the apartment of a famed ballerina (Galina Ulanova) which was preserved with her things, her photos, and her memorabilia.

A few of my favorite photos:

Our tour guide, a ballerina herself, with some footage of Galina on the screen.

She taught, as many ballerinas do, when her dancing career had slowed.
I would love to have seen this moment. 

She had a tiny little barre installed in a practice section of her apartment. 

The second ballerina-esque thing that happened was the viewing of a new movie that looked amazing.  It is in Russian, but it's also about dance, so I have confidence in your ability to enjoy the trailer.

Here's the trailer:

So, after dance on a Saturday, Katya the dance teacher and I (and another gal, Olga), went out to the movies to see this show.  I was happy to go with a Russian speaker, because I knew that there were things that I would miss otherwise.  I can get the gist of these things, but not quite all the details.

You have to choose your seat, like in other places I've been.
Here's the cash desk. 

Concession Stand and movie poster. 

Katya got a big popcorn to split with Olga, and I got an Americano, because coffee is served and it is such a beautiful thing.  We could also have bought beer, which I find so interesting.  We went into the theatre, found our seats in the corner of a pretty small cinema room.

The film is about this young girl from the country who, through a series of events, finds herself in the big Academy under the wing of that terrifying looking teacher.  Said teacher has some form of dementia and is struggling to remember the girls that she teaches from day to day, and the things that she does.  There's a plot around the earrings that the trailer shows; the teacher gifts them to the student, then forgets that she has done so, and she almost gets expelled from the school for this.

There's a parallel plot of competition between the two girls.  The film follows them from youth into a more mature age, and they are always fighting for roles.  The main girl seems to have more talent, but the other one has more money.  At one point, her wealthy mother begs to the dance teacher to give her a role, and then pays off the other girl for the same role: the lead in Swan Lake.

There's a handful of other themes covered: alcoholism and drug abuse, the problem of going home to the country when you've been in the city as a ballerina, some intimacy and boy issues, and some struggles with food.  All in all, a fantastic film.

Event IV:
Tulips and Cosmonauts

The weather has been warming up some (although those who have lived here for some time do say that this is a chilly sort of spring).  And, so I've been going on walks to see some of my gorgeous city.  I've been recently to the botanical gardens, a place that was somewhat small but full of all kinds of tulips.  It was also easy to get to and is perfect for warm weather as it is outside.

I do feel a certain affinity for tulips given their relationship to home for me.  Pella must be getting tulips at this time of year as well, and I can imagine that they are blooming so gloriously at home.  I've heard words that indicate that these bulbs are a gift from the Dutch for some long-standing rescue of the old days, but I cannot confirm or deny this claim.

Recently, I've also been to see the Cosmonaut's Museum.

That tall tower is massive. And it towers over the rest.  It is the monument to the Cosmonauts and the Space Race.

(It's always the food with me)

The museum was incredible, full of glorious nods to the Russian space program.  I've just finished a book about space, Seveneves, which had a huge contingent of the Russian space race.  I found a few things in the museum that the book mentioned or nodded to, and it was quite thrilling to see it all.  It's underneath this huge tower that you see, in something of a basement, but it is full of models and artifacts and photos of space.

I just jumped in on my way to other things (read: to enjoy the sunshine), but I will go back again and immerse myself in the paraphrenalia that it had to offer.

On my walk, I also enjoyed the large "theme park" known as VDNKh.

Even Wikipedia gives me unclear reasons why it was built, but it seemed to be a nod to some of the Soviet states, with pavillions of all kinds that house different things.  There are a few museums, and one of the pavillions I visited had a small market.  Some of the buildings look quite run down, though there was also a horse park where I saw riders in a corral.

Does this do the scale of this place justice? I'm not convinced. 

Shiny fountain. 

Rockets! Airplanes! Why?

I'll be walking a lot in future weekends, I believe.  And there will be more photos all along the way.  This walk ended with some gardens (including a Japanese Garden) and a ride in the new train that goes around the ring.  It was truly a beautiful spring day (if a bit brisk).

Have I said before how much I love Moscow?  Because truly, I do.

Winter Sports: Broomball

Before moving to Russia, I was living in the tropics, and I've never lived in a place where winter sports were a part of life.  Arriving in Moscow and then talking to those around me about winter, it sounded like the thing to do was get out of the house and do things.

This year, one of those things became broomball.

I cannot remember the last time I played a team sport, although softball and soccer were large parts of my school life.  But, when the call went out for new players, I was amazingly intrigued.  I signed up, paid some money, and joined the Canadian team: Chicks With Sticks.

The Canadian in action. 

Fun fact: There is only one Canadian on our team.  She won best defensive player in the league. 

My first item of business was to get some equipment.  The team, which operates out of the school and consists mostly of women that I work with, has a handful of equipment that gets passed down from chick to chick as we come and go.  So, I went down to see Kate, the elementary PE teacher, and defense player, to get my Ikea bag full of stuff.

This bag consisted of:

Chest pad

Shin guards

Long hockey socks

Elbow pads

Butt pads (like in hockey)

Broomball shoes (which are flat and have circle treads in rubber)

Tape

Broomball stick

Helmet

I also ordered a jersey, which has my name on it.... in Russian.

I took my giant massive equipment home, and then made it to what I assumed was a warm up for everyone.  I took a cab to the German Embassy (where the play takes place, because they ice over the tennis courts, which are outdoors), and nervously got changed into my gear.  I found a place to get changed, and kept waiting for more ladies, either from my team or another team, to join me and change also.  I fumbled with all my equipment, and nervously stepped out into the action.  I was, in fact, the only woman there.  So, I ended up learning some of the basics of broomball from one of the men's teams, "It Disney Matter."  I even a borrowed a jersey from them, with a picture of Pumba the Warthog on it.

Stick Making Preparations.

As a pre-game event, we also had a broomball stick making party.  Our sticks are made from the straw of the brooms, bound together with tape, force, and will.  I used the stick that was already created, and just added a small piece of the brooms and tape to add some width to my stick.

After this first, relatively terrifying, experience... Broomball became a favorite pastime.

Many members of the team live in the same housing complex that I do, so we would pick a time to car pool over to the embassy.  We have to go through security, with our passports, and try to cram a bag full of the things from above into a tiny metal detector.  It is not always possible.  Sometimes, they take our scissors.  We are also in our winter clothes, and trying to do security when a person's coat is twice their size must just be impossible.  

Just look at our gear!

We migrate to the changing rooms and get into our gear as a team.  There is, I learned, an order to put on the gear which must be followed.  We start with some thermal gear, warm tights, and long shirts.  Start low, with shin guards (then tape them onto your body), socks (then tape them onto your body), then butt pads and shoes.  Go up to the chest pads and elbow pads and find a friend to help you with your jersey (because even after 8 games, I still couldn't do it by myself).  I wonder how many rolls of tape we went through... although I did end up with a garter belt for my socks later in the season.  It is both the first garter belt I've ever owned and the best garter belt I've ever owned.

Chicks. With. Champagne.

We head up to the ice.  There are two courts at the Embassy, and we often played while the men were playing on the other court.  The ice is tennis-court sized, with snow banks that build up between the courts and on the sides.  (In fact, running on the snow that falls from the banks is a big advantage, because running on snow is shockingly easy compared to running on ice).  The ice changes a lot through the season, from game to game.  Some days, it is quite slippery, and our game is slow, with lots of falling.  Some days, it is easier to run and move around, and the game is quite quick.  This is our game. 

Frozen Assets... The American team.

There are three teams that we played in our four-team girls' league.  We are the Canadian Chicks With Sticks, with bright red jerseys.  There are the Americans: The Frozen Assets, black with red and blue.  The Germans: Eishexen, black with yellow and red.  And the Finns: Finn Ladies, in bright blue.  Each of them has a different flavor, a different quirk to their play.  

Eishexen, the German team.  This game was our last.... and it was incredible and dramatic.

And then, the game goes like this:  2 periods of 20 minutes, with a five-minute break in between, then 2 periods of 10 minutes with a two-minute break in between.  There are six players on the ice at any given time, one goalie, two defense, and three forwards.  It is not unlike hockey, this game, with passing and the stick, although we are on ice with shoes and not skates.  The ice is considerably smaller than on a hockey rink, and without the boards, sometimes our ball just decides to vanish into a hard snow bank, or behind it.  

Oh, and our "puck" is a small, softball sized ball, filled with air, and often with a Disney character on it.  

The Chicks have Disney princesses on all our balls.

Action shot of yours truly, with the ball made of air. 

We play and play and play.  I'm proud to say that the Chicks ended the season undefeated.  At the end of each game, we have ourselves and ancient maritime tradition of cracking open a bottle of champagne and pouring it for the person next to us.  Then, often, we retired to the local burger joint to enjoy a hamburger.  

The Broomball Carnivale party, with all of us matching. 

The season was a complete blast.  We would finish the games, and our bodies would be in pain from stretching on the ice, from running around and falling on purpose or on accident.  There were a handful of injuries, as the sport is wont to have.  It is so much fun, though.  Amazingly entertaining, full of laughter and camaraderie, and a peppering of violence.  

A Moscow Update!

It's been quite some time since I've written a blog, so I wanted to give some updates about the everyday things (and the small, but special things) that are happening. I feel so comfortable in my life here in Moscow, and my life doesn't feel much like an adventure.  Alas, here's some updates for your enjoyment.

It's a balmy 30 degrees outside, although there is some freezing rain that is making everything glassy.  The first day of spring has arrived, and hopefully will be showing up in the next two months.

Rizza staring pensively at Russian hat.

My average week looks something like this.
Wake up every day around 6, and on the bus to school around 7.
Get to school, have some breakfast in the cafeteria (usually oatmeal and smoothies).
Work all day (which means library classes and reading for the little people, getting some projects done, answering emails, possibly going into a high school class)
Get home around 5, sometimes earlier, sometimes later.
I eat dinner, which is usually fish, veggies, and always spinach that I fry with garlic.  And, I usually finish dinner with a grapefruit.

Grapefruits in my window.

Monday this week, I went to the grocery store.
Tuesday and Thursday I will have a skype call when I get home and then go to dance.
Wednesday, I have plans to cook some granola.

Dance is excellent, and I spend one hour or two hours stretching and working out with a mixture of ballet, pilates, yoga, and some of the special tricks that our teacher (Katya) comes up with.  Last week, I sat next to friends in the class and she pulled a teacher on me.... saying that if we couldn't be quiet, that she would move us apart.  To be fair, the class hadn't started yet, and also, I laughed with another friend when she had an unexpected spill on her mat.

I've also been cooking a ton.  Most recently, I made some granola that I'm pretty thrilled with, and have a plan to try a new recipe this week.  I've made a green curry with vegetables that is one of my standard evening dishes.  And, I've made chili garlic mushrooms, which is not something that I thought I would ever cook, but turned out almost too spicy to eat (aka delicious).  This week, I've bought a butternut squash that I'm going to try with tahini, so that will be an experiment in the making.

This week, some mail came, and Rizza got a Valentine.

XXXXX, Love, Gammy

This last weekend was pretty busy, full of activities.

On Thursday, there was a Peace Corps event hosted by a couple at the US Embassy.  It was to celebrate the birthday of Peace Corps by bringing together all the Peace Corps people in Moscow.  It was quite a high number of people, maybe 25?  Three of us work together at the school, and the rest work in the state department here, which is a massive employer.  There were folks who had served in Russia, in Malaysia, in Cameroon, all over the place.  We had all the continents represented, with the exception of the Pacific Islands.  And overall, it was a really nice time.  I talked about food with some other volunteers, and heard some war stories.  My service was a walk in the park compared to some.

On Friday, we had a final Broomball party, hosted at the German Embassy.  It was themed and costumed with all the German food one could ask for.  I celebrated with my team, and took the stage to accept the gold medals with the other Chicks.  A fuller blog about the magic of Broomball will be forthcoming.

On Saturday, I slept in some (because broomball no longer takes my mornings), and found myself at a Vietnamese restaurant in the city before I went to the opera with a friend of mine.  She is, in fact, the same friend that fell over in dance not too long ago.  Nastia is lovely, and she accepted my invite to see Tosca at the Stanislasky theatre, which is royal blue everywhere.

Nastia and I in the opera, looking classy.

And on Sunday, I rested.  All the resting happened, and I made some scrabble tile coasters and finished my book.

Other big-ish things that have happened recently?

Maslenitsa Happened

Maslenitsa is a huge Russian holiday, the week that precedes Lent.  It is traditionally celebrated with blini (pancakes), more blini, and yet more blini.  Blini for every day of the week, with a special person or persons sharing in their blini bounty for the family.  From what I've been able to gather, it is a mixture between the Orthodox tradition of Lent and enjoying all the food you can before you observe the fasting tradition... and the pagan coming of spring.  Because, in addition to eating all the pancakes you could ever eat, with sweet and savory fillings, you also fill an effigy of a woman with straw and set her on fire.

So, our effigy of a woman lived in the school for a solid week, and then on Friday afternoon, we all went out to the courtyard and watched as some Russian performers took a torch and set her on fire.  It was, all in all, pretty thrilling a moment.  I do feel as though spring has sprung because we set lady winter on fire. In fact, when I came back from break, I found it to be quite mild.  There was less ice than usual!

I had a taste of dog sledding.  

Ready to Run!

The school organized a short trip to a town not far away, just a few hours.  Me and some of my colleagues took the journey out into a realer Russian, the non-Moscow Russia.  Moscow is absolutely an island.  So, we went out, and found a little patch of forest behind a bunch of dachas (country houses).  We walked about a kilometer to a piece of land in the middle of the forest, and there was a warm bonfire, and some coffee and snacks.  AND..... a whole bunch of beautiful huskies, all tied up and yipping.

The First Glipse.

We settled in, and learned our dog sledding lesson from the man in charge.  The sled has two places to keep your feet, and you have to gracefully step on them and off the brake when the dogs start moving.  This is more challenging than it might seem.  We sat around the fire and chatted with one another, waiting as our party all took their turns.  The man would take you ahead on the snow mobile as your partner would ride on the dog sled, and then it would return back to the fire.  In between rides, they would put snow on the puppies to cool them down!

Beautiful and Warm Fire

When it was my turn, I rode the snowmobile first, which honestly I could have done all day.  It was amazingly entertaining and quick.  And then, we got the dogs turned around and I got on the sled.  It was brisk and chilly, and the wind was in my face.  The dogs were so loud when we were stopped, but as soon as they started running, there was blissful silence.  It was almost like sailing, where you only hear nature from a certain place.  I will say, my fingers got chilly, and I could see how any long lengths would be slightly uncomfortable.

So tired from all the work!

But. At the end of the ride, when we were all done, we got to feed them hot dogs, and that was a beautiful moment.  I had prepared all these little hot dog pieces and they hopped up and snapped them out of the air all graceful like when I tossed them.

Russia!

After the sledding journey, we took a few minutes to walk to the nearby cathedral and on the wall, seeing some of the real Russia.  We happened upon a wedding party, with all the girls in short dresses in the chilly, chilly weather.  As we walked around, we saw them posing in various spots, taking photos.  At the end of our walk, we saw them taking a cigarette break, sharing the cigarette even.  So sweet, that was.

A Hockey Game, part 2.

I had been to a hockey game previously, but I enjoyed a second one recently as well.

This game took place at the CSKA arena, which is just a few metro stops from my house.  The security to get in is pretty intense, as it is most places, but I got in with ease.  This game, we were a bigger group, and cheering for a family friend.  One of my colleagues has a nephew (cousin??) who plays hockey for the Russian leagues.  They don't know each other so well, being so distant and all, but since he was down to play in Moscow, we decided to join the match.

On the ice.

 The entertainment was in the variety of music, from American pop to rap, to Russian national classics, to anything else you could imagine.  All of this with the beautiful women dancing in the background.

They filed in so silently.

During the 1st to 2nd period switch, the lights went down for an ice skater (who couldn't have been more than 10) to perform.  And, when the lights came up again for the game, there was an entire army corps in the section next to us.  Not one of us saw them come in, and all of a sudden, the whole thing was full.  They were pretty silent the first few minutes, but eventually started to cheer a bit.

Romeo, Juliet, and the Flamethrowers

In looking back through the blogs, I can’t believe I didn’t write about Romeo and Juliet and Fire, an experience I had a month or two ago that was incredible and worth a story.  So, this is not recent, but it was incredible.

I believe this was after a school day, and we had some strange taxi ride to get through to find the bus that would take us out to the venue.  It was me and a few other gals, and we were a feeling the end of the day while we waited in traffic in the taxi to get to the bus in time.  There was something strange with the bus as well, in that we had to come through the back of the “venue” to get into the performance because there were protesters at the front gate.  The start to the whole thing was very strange, and I had little idea what to expect considering I was going on someone else’s ticket instead of having researched on my own.

We made it to the bus, and made it to the venue, and walked through what looked like a carnival graveyard.   It was dark and a bit chilly, like a brisk fall night, and we walked through a broad space with pieces of carnival equipment around on the ground.  It opened up into an outdoor stage, with a castle feature, no type of ceiling, and bleachers, about the size of a high school football field with seating on all sides. 

There was some delaying on stage before the performance started, once we sat down, possibly because of the waiting for big groups to get through the traffic, which was worse than it should have been for the time.  There was an emcee who was talking at us in Russian with his fancy suit on, and he brought down some people from the stands to play a game as a distraction.  There was also a three-man mariachi band.  Why?  I’m still unsure, but they played a few nice songs for us.

We walked out to grab a snack or a warm drink in the refreshment area and, of course, the show started while we were there.  We had been waiting and thought the wait was eminent, but we were wrong.

It started with fireworks.  Tons and tons of fireworks.  An explosion of fireworks that brightened up the sky.

And then there were ballet figures, costumed figures dancing around.  Some were wearing red, and some blue, and the whole story was told mostly in costume and dance.  The start was a group dance, with all the participants, followed by some smaller groups that would dance in the fire, and with the fire, and near the fire. 

The Juliet figure was small and petite, and her costume was flowy and lovely.  She never danced with fire, but there was a nice part where she and Romeo went off into the balcony scene and the whole set lit up in a beautiful arrangement of lights. 

My personal favorite part was the duel between Romeo and Tybalt. Many parts throughout the show involved the fire twirling of big pieces, but the duel was of two different pieces of fire equipment, and it was a dance between the two.  One of them had a ball of fire on a chain that was gracefully moved through the air, and it was quite a beautiful use of the tools.  Although, they eventually left those two pieces for…. Flamethrowers.  In fact, Tybalt was killed with a big blast of the flamethrower.  I believe I lost my hold on laughter and possibly made a scene for that.

The whole show was quite short, with no dialogue.  In fact, I think the whole thing was just an hour, maybe even less.  The whole show was amazing, though, with dance and ballet and aerials, fire in a variety of forms, fireworks.  It was a bit chaotic and crazy and absurd and hilarious, but there wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t in tears from laughing so hard.  In fact, trying to recall specific details is difficult given the night as a whole was so entertaining and enjoyable.

After the show, they invited all the flamethrowers out and the audience had the chance to come up and play with the fire.  They let us push the button to see the fire come out, took photos with us, and even taught some basics of the fire spinners.  This was… quite the experience.  Please enjoy all the photos and videos to get a taste of it. 

The Banya: A Russian Spa Experience

One piece of Russia that I recently got to experience was going to the Banya.  The Banya is a type of spa, and they are all around Moscow.  Some, which I have yet to experience, are female or male only, but the one that we went to is an entire facility rental.

So, I went with 5 of my colleagues, different sets both times, but both organized by one guy who speaks the most Russian of the crew.  This particular banya is a bit curious.  The organizer tells me that the lady who runs the place likes our group because we are not up for any funny business, but I can see how this space may be available for a variety of activities.

Once you walk a few blocks away from our house, and go through a secret (and relatively unmarked) gate to a back entrance (similarly unmarked), and down the stairs into the “basement,” the space consists of this:

-         A small entry room for shoes, coats, umbrellas, etc.

-         A small changing room that is used for the guys.

-         A small room that the ladies change in, that happens to have mirrors on the ceiling and a bed-like structure inside.

-         A small bathroom.

-         A little sofa just outside the changing room.

-         A large room, that has a corner sofa, a television, a coffee table, a hot tub, a corner shower, and a circle pool, as well as a door into the sauna.

The floor also has nice pool-like tiles that don’t get slippery when they are wet, the floor with the holes in it so there is always traction.  Also, the television has played Russian music videos every minute of every time I’ve been there.

Here’s the theory of the Banya.

It’s nice to get super hot in the sauna (which is seriously super hot), then plunge into the ice pool directly after too refresh your skin.  It makes the skin tingly when you feel the cold right after the hot.  Word is that the banya in the countryside would just lead to outside and you can go roll around in the snow or in the realer ice bath.

Then, as you rest on the sofa with your tingly skin, you can take a dip in the hot tub, or have a nice cold rinse in the shower. 

There is a bit of a dance in the banya, from what I can tell. A few people stay on mostly the same schedule: with a sauna for 10 minutes, a 5 minute cool plunge, then some rest.  A guitar has been brought as well, for songs.  A few people (myself included) love the hot tub with its bubbles and its jets, and spend a substantial amount of time there.  And we all just kind of migrate around and chat for a few hours.  I can’t handle the ice bath, but I have put my feet in and splashed the water on my arms and face to get some inkling of the experience.  It would be easy to overheat, I think.  The sauna and the hot tub are made warmer than they need to be, and dehydration could easily be a problem.  Luckily, our organizer always brings bonus waters to help us out.

Of course, food and drink is served in the banya, typically beer and vodka, chicken wings, and an assortment of other finger foods.  The lady who runs the place is delightful, and the golden grill on her teeth is particularly interesting.  If she is prepping the food herself, it is always delicious. 

It’s nice relaxation time, I think.  It’s low key, and there is nothing to do but actively relax, something that is dearly needed when working in the fast paced school that I do.  It’s delightful to lounge and have a giant wet room with different water types and temperatures to explore, not to mention the pop culture which is all across the screen.  Also, you get a banya hat and a robe.  The banya hat keeps your ears safe from the heat in the sauna… and makes you look cool.

The only photo I have, somehow.

There is one more thing to explore at the banya, a future experience, if you will.  There is a tradition of asking the attendant to come in and “massage” you with birch leaves.  In fact, these leaves are sold in some pharmacies and the home store that I like.  A “massage” is actually a beating… you too can get beat with birch leaves as part of your spa experience.  I’ll update any future progress on that note.

A Russian Constant: Dance

When I was planning my move to Moscow, one of the things I stumbled upon on the Moscow Expats Facebook group was this Ballet and Stretching class.  I was looking for some new exercise, something in a group, something like yoga but not as boring, and this seemed to fit.  It started as a fun way to get out of the house, with a class that is in English, with people that I don’t work with.  Three months later, here I am.

This one isn't great form. From the very beginning.

I’m sure some of the photos have popped up on my Facebook feed, and you may be curious.  Dance ballet class is becoming an ever-larger portion of my nights and weekends, and I’m seeing fitness levels my body has never encountered before.

A Plie, I suppose.

I attend two classes with Katya, usually on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. 

The first is Stretching class, which I’ll admit doesn’t quite explain the types of things that we are doing.  There are elements of yoga, like the downward dog pose, a few elements of ballet, like pointing the toes, some pilates, particularly in the core work, and a lot of pushing your body beyond what you thought was possible.  In fact, in the stretching class, I think we are asked to do the splits 6 different times, in a variety of ways.  I like to call it yoga on acid, because I usually leave stretching with rubbery legs.

Considerable progress has been made since this photo.

The second is Body Ballet, which also doesn’t quite encompass the experience.  This is much more ballet-based, with a bar, and positions, and plies, and recently, jumps.  I don’t really want to go into how ridiculous and ungraceful I look when I jump and plie.  But, it is quite a cardio and endurance event.  There are stretching elements as well, but it is mostly movement and working on endurance.  On Tuesdays, I do both classes and end up a rubbery mess.

The split is a little bit deeper.

It is quite possibly the best exercise I’ve ever had, with the strength and endurance coupled with the flexibility and the challenge.  Katya challenges us to do our very best, and gives us new tasks when we have accomplished one of the moves.  I always feel particularly accomplished when she walks past and doesn’t correct my posture in some sort of way.  I’m also about two inches away from the complete splits (at least on one side), which has not been without difficulty.

The bar makes the split a little bit easier.

The class is wonderful, though.  There are a bunch of Russian gals that I am getting to know, in a large variety of professions.  Many of them are about my age, a few younger or older.  At times, we catch each other’s eyes in the mirror and commiserate at the wandering teacher, who could at any moment greatly intensify one of our stretches by pushing us lower or pulling our leg up higher.  Many of the girls speak a little or a lot of English, and my Russian for the ballet is getting slightly better.  Although, in my opinion, the word for “more,” and the word for “enough” sound a bit too similar, particularly when I’m trying to communicate whether or not my partner should push my leg higher up to my face.

Progress. Much more progress.

And our teacher is amazing.  I will be able to do the splits this year, comfortably (?) because of her.  She calls me Kayla, because I introduced myself as K, and I quite like it.  The “la” on the end of names reminds me a bit of Thailand, so I feel some thrill from both my homes.  You can see a video of her here.

She also has a certain set of phrases that I found incredibly challenging to figure out when I first began.  In fact, I saw a new girl this week and was reflecting back to that moment when I had begun, and how amazingly awkward I was.  Katya says things like, “stretch your knees,” which made absolutely no sense to me in my first few lessons (it means to straighten and elongate your leg).  She says “neck and shoulders” or some variation thereof also quite commonly.  Shoulders go down (no clue what this meant at the beginning either) and neck gets elongated.  She tells me to smooth my face frequently as well.  Apparently, I have a pained expression whenever she stretches me a bit far, and we laugh about it often, moreso now that things are getting easier for me. 

The most recent photo. Also evident of K faces.

My favorite expression of hers, though, is at the end of class.  She darkens the room like in yoga, and has us lay down and relax our bodies.  She says to breathe deep, and to thank ourselves for trying our best and for doing very challenging work.  It’s always such a nice thing to hear, the reminder to give gratitude for the work that I do for myself.

With this class and some of the other things I’ve been working on, I’m feeling healthier than ever before, more fit and more in tune with my body.  It is a great feeling, and I feel like I’m doing 30 right.