The time: 6.45 a.m. I walk into my flat after a crazy evening of celebrating my completing my first semester in Moscow (i.e. drinking, LOL) and clubbing (yes, I said clubbing). I wake up at about 11:00. Yes, I got about only 4 hours of sleep, but man, were these hours good.
Backtrack to last Sunday. I sang in three church services and had a solo in two of them. The other service was devoted to the St. Andrew Nativity Play, which was awesome and caroltastic. By that I mean in addition to the evening service, we sang about 5 or 6 carols during the Nativity Play, all of which had about 4-10000 verses, hahaha. In the afternoon with the Protestant Chaplaincy I sang a beautiful solo to the music of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata, which I adore. "Come to me and find rest for your soul. Don't worry, simply trust me, my love can make you whole." What comforting words to hear on the eve of exams. What a perfect way to just let go and let God, and trust in Him. And last but not least, the Carol service. We processed into the chapel, singing "Once in Royal David's City", which set the mood beautifully for a wonderful hour of reading and carols, during which I sang my Three Ships solo and Ding-Donged with the semi-chorus (on a side note, some of us choir members have way too many inside jokes with ding dongs, LOL). I was really happy to see my classmates and Nana come to, and they even gave me a beautiful white flower. Awwww. SPACIBA!!!
And now for exams: we didn't have one in history (surprise surprise, hee hee), but I did have exams in EVERY SINGLE OTHER CLASS I TOOK THIS SEMESTER. The fairy tale exam wasn't anything serious, just choose and discuss my favorite fairy tale from the course of the semester. My music history final was an oral exam, so I definitely was freaking out on Thursday, all the more so since my Stylistics and Skazki finals were both that day, back to back to back. Luckily however, my question was on Romanticism so I rejoiced and was able to discuss the characteristics and different Romantic compoers fluently enough, perhaps not in amazing Russian, but well enough to answer the questions asked of me. My translation final was definitely difficult, but I think I translated the article and sentences without too much trouble, and I got most of the vocabulary right (Vocabulary has always been one of my weaker aspects of Russian, something I will continue to work on as I become more and more of a geeky striving to be erudite academic. My Stylistics final was fine, but with translation, we spent the entire 90 minute period writing. I had to outline thesis for and write a referat of two articles which I hope to use in my MA thesis, which I am determined to start during the break, even if only just a couple of pages.
So right now I am elated that I passed all my exams with flying colors, and I do believe that, unless I'm mistaken, I'm heading for straight A's again. Dating back to Russian 101, the good ol' days of Daria Germanovna, the beginnings of my hero worship of Cheburashka and proposing to computers (you really had to be there), I have never had a grade below A- in any class taught partially or entirely in Russian. I've had a few B's in some Russian lit in translation classes, but somehow I seem to get Russian grammar. People tell me I know it "blestyashi" and that's a fabulous compliment, I daresay. I mean, I don't know, I really do seem to have an ear for languages. I get the idea of cases and verbal goverment and have accepted participles as an academic's friend (and my personal friend, hee hee) while denouncing the need to decline numbers, in particular the absolute koshmar that are fractions and decimals.
I have yet to start packing, but will do so prob Monday. What awaits me this last week: a long-awaited excursion as a sort of informal history class (not that any of our history classes have been "formal" in the strict sense of the word, haha, a final trip to the Diner, reading some interesting uchebnye pocobiye po grammatike, printing up my boarding passes and just trying to relax and not freak out about my CHRISTMAS EVE FLIGHT!! AAAAAA! OMG!!!! I can't wait to see my friends and family on Thursday night, just in time for the best holiday ever, CHRISTMAS!!!! FYI: calling all HC friends, former TEFL and MCA teachers, anyone who is awesome and will be in Boston from Dec. 26-Jan 27, I'd love to plan a get-toghether or to, be it at Doyle's or Cheesecake Factory, my house, wherever. In addition to all the comforts that being at home provide, it will be absolutely fantastic to reconnect with one and all! Will talk soon and see many of you even sooner!!! Love you guys! God bless you this Advent season and may you all have a blessed, merry Christmas, filled with great food and unforgettable memories with loving friends and family. C nastupaiyushchim Pozhdestvom i novym godom!!!! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!! Peace out! :)))))
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Cheburashka!
How sweet it is to wake up late, to not have to get up early for testing, rehearsals or other commitments. How glorious it is to finally see the sunshine, to have a taste of winter, to walk around Kolomenskoye, which just may be my favorite place in Moscow, watching the kiddies go sledding. How wonderful it is to think that in just twelve days I will be flying home to spend a month in good ol' MA.
I am very happy to say that my concerts this week went very well, in particular last night's concert. It was great to see some support as well. Props to Judey and Ilona for your raucous applause from the balcony! :) Lovely to see you last night! We tenors again took a bow after singing Jingle Bells, and to our delight (some might say chagrin, LOL) we sang it as an encore. As promised, I came in at the right time during the 8th movement of Vivaldi (Sicut locutus est) after confusing the hell out of the tenors, and likely everybody else, by failing to notice the TWO BEAT rest prior to coming in. Oops. Better early than late, right? Hahaha. Anyway, I am still on a high after last night's concert, which was just a lot of fun, despite singing back to back to back John Rutter arrangments, which I rather like, if I"m honest. I"m mostly elated that I shall never have to sing Deck the Hall again. That piece has overstayed its welcome in the Christmas repertoire, as far I am concerned, hee hee.
Tomorrow shall be my marathon day of singing. You think I"m kidding? Haha, how wrong you are. 8:15 wake up. 9:15 leave for church. 10:00 rehearsal for Mass no. 1. 11:00 Mass. 12:30ish rehearsal for Lessons and Carols. 2:00 rehearsal for Mass no. 2. 3:00 Mass. 4:00 rehearsal again for Lessons and Carols. 6:30 Lessons and Carols service (all of this naturally takes place at St. Andrew's, therefore I am not exaggerating when I say that it has become like a second home to me, cause I"m always there, LOL). I'm expecting a few friends but hope to see more. There'll be some Scripture reading foretelling the coming of Christ, plus some awesome Christmas Carols (our favorite David Wilcocks arrangements plus one of Gustav Holst, but he's mediocre so we'll just overlook that, hahahaha) and a solo by YOURS TRULY. Moreover, it's free, so why don't you just put aside whatever you're doing and come to church tomorrow evening and listen to God's word. Agreed? Agreed. Great. :)
I'll probably be taking a break from blogging once I'm home. Or maybe not. We shall see. In any case, I'll still be relating my end of semester adventures until a couple of days before I make my triumphant return to the Throp. I am really really reallly REAAAAAALLLLLLYYYYY looking forward to coming home! Just a little excited, can you tell? ;) For the moment I'm going to keep on keeping on and just enjoying the last week and half (!!!) in Moscow. O how I love Christmastime! Lots of great music to listen to and movies to watch! I'll surely find something to make the days go by now that choir is done for the season and I have just a couple of days of class left before exams.
Must stay focused...must stay optimistic...must stay in Christmas mode...:))) 12 more days!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Later everyone! :)
I am very happy to say that my concerts this week went very well, in particular last night's concert. It was great to see some support as well. Props to Judey and Ilona for your raucous applause from the balcony! :) Lovely to see you last night! We tenors again took a bow after singing Jingle Bells, and to our delight (some might say chagrin, LOL) we sang it as an encore. As promised, I came in at the right time during the 8th movement of Vivaldi (Sicut locutus est) after confusing the hell out of the tenors, and likely everybody else, by failing to notice the TWO BEAT rest prior to coming in. Oops. Better early than late, right? Hahaha. Anyway, I am still on a high after last night's concert, which was just a lot of fun, despite singing back to back to back John Rutter arrangments, which I rather like, if I"m honest. I"m mostly elated that I shall never have to sing Deck the Hall again. That piece has overstayed its welcome in the Christmas repertoire, as far I am concerned, hee hee.
Tomorrow shall be my marathon day of singing. You think I"m kidding? Haha, how wrong you are. 8:15 wake up. 9:15 leave for church. 10:00 rehearsal for Mass no. 1. 11:00 Mass. 12:30ish rehearsal for Lessons and Carols. 2:00 rehearsal for Mass no. 2. 3:00 Mass. 4:00 rehearsal again for Lessons and Carols. 6:30 Lessons and Carols service (all of this naturally takes place at St. Andrew's, therefore I am not exaggerating when I say that it has become like a second home to me, cause I"m always there, LOL). I'm expecting a few friends but hope to see more. There'll be some Scripture reading foretelling the coming of Christ, plus some awesome Christmas Carols (our favorite David Wilcocks arrangements plus one of Gustav Holst, but he's mediocre so we'll just overlook that, hahahaha) and a solo by YOURS TRULY. Moreover, it's free, so why don't you just put aside whatever you're doing and come to church tomorrow evening and listen to God's word. Agreed? Agreed. Great. :)
I'll probably be taking a break from blogging once I'm home. Or maybe not. We shall see. In any case, I'll still be relating my end of semester adventures until a couple of days before I make my triumphant return to the Throp. I am really really reallly REAAAAAALLLLLLYYYYY looking forward to coming home! Just a little excited, can you tell? ;) For the moment I'm going to keep on keeping on and just enjoying the last week and half (!!!) in Moscow. O how I love Christmastime! Lots of great music to listen to and movies to watch! I'll surely find something to make the days go by now that choir is done for the season and I have just a couple of days of class left before exams.
Must stay focused...must stay optimistic...must stay in Christmas mode...:))) 12 more days!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Later everyone! :)
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Shto takoye stress? Seechas rasskazhu
What is stress? Stress is being asked the week before a concert to sing a solo. Stress is having to wait a week in torment, wondering if you're good enough to be allowed to sing it the night of the concert. Stress is self-doubt, psychologially talking yourself down and throwing aside any good qualities in lieu of what MIGHT be, mistakenly thinking that what MIGHT be actually IS in reality. The last two or three choir rehearsals I have not enjoyed at all. I've been sooo worried about singing it well and not letting everybody down that I've been missing the point of why I joined choir in the first place..that singing and making music is supposed to be FUN. It's funny, I've been playing piano for 14 years and can't ever remember getting into such a state when giving a recital. Oh sure, there's always butterflies in the stomach, but once I sit down to play, I become Mr. Confidence, and I think people notice it. What I need to do now is channel that piano confidence into my singing.
Today I feel much less stressed, but this is because that it was finally decided by our conductor that I'm not ready to sing the solo, and so he gave it to one of the sopranos, who granted, has a terrific voice. I have mixed emotions about it. While I admit to being relieved that I don't have to freak out on Tuesday night about it, I am quite disappointed that I wasn't allowed the opportunity to show myself and others that I can do it. I don't begrudge anyone, I was given several chances during rehearsal to get it right. But Vivaldi is difficult to sing, and I just don't have a strong enough voice to make it happen. If I had more time to prepare it, I'm sure I would've done very well. But what's done is done. Now I can focus on having an excellent dress rehearsal on Monday night and get (properly) pumped for the concert on Tuesday night. For all of you Moscow friends, I repeat: Tuesday, 7:30 at St. Andrew's Anglican Church. Dom 8, Voznesenski Pereulok. Encore concert Friday evening, same time and same place. Cost: 450 rubles. Again, if you want to hear some beautiful music, and to see yours truly light up the altar along with the rest of the choir, come to St. Andrew's either Tuesday or Friday, or if you're particularly awesome, both nights! What's more, we also have a Lessons and Carols service (again with our church choir) next Sunday evening, Dec.13, at 6:30, again at St. Andrew's. Then I will definitely be singing a solo, along with Dan, so come along, listen to some beautiful Scripture readings and lovely, lovely carols, including a secret song, which I am not allowed to share with the public under threat of being forced to listen to John Rutter for all eternity, LOL.
Once the awesomeness of next week dies down, what follows that is our play performance and three exams. So effectively I may be getting very little sleep the next two plus weeks, but hopefully our performances will reflect the hard work we put into rehearsing all semester! Not that I don't have to worry about the solo, I can focus on having fun again, and be energized by the wonderful music and the presence of my friends who have promised to come and cheer me on. That's what MUSIC has always been about for me. It's one thing to rehearse and play alone, it's quite another to perform for people. It's about communicating. It's about love and death and happiness and God and sadness and despair and joy and enjoying life in all its aspects.
After my last exam on Dec. 17 (Music History), I've got a week to unwind and pack before my long-awaited flight home on Christmas Eve. Really really really looking forward to a month of hanging with friends and family. I'd love to get down to the Cape for a couple of days as well as maybe take a day trip to the Woo, visit HC and my friends still there (who are going to be graduating in May, bozhe moi!!!). Anybody looking to arrange some sort of reunion, be it former MCA teachers, TEFLers of the great class of Sept/Oct. 08, HC buddies, do let me know, I'd love to get together with as many of you as possible. I will be home from Christmas until Jan 28 (gotta go back before Feb. 2, as that is when my visa expires). I can just see it now: homemade mashies, stuffing and turkey, apple cider, Coronas and champagne, mac and cheese and scallops, Italian subs at Nick's, watching football games on High Def, PLAYING THE PIANO again, walking Deer Island (even the, yes Mom, I'm going to say it, HILLS...but not all the time, hahahaha), chilling at the Cape, going into Boston with teh friends and teh cousins, Harvard Square...the list is endless, but it's all little things about being at home that I miss terribly. But I will see you all VERY VERY soon! 19 days, woo hoo! :)))))))))))))) JT's coming home!!! Start opening your calendars, lol, we're gonna paint the town! Love you guys! Keep writing and swimming! :)))))
Today I feel much less stressed, but this is because that it was finally decided by our conductor that I'm not ready to sing the solo, and so he gave it to one of the sopranos, who granted, has a terrific voice. I have mixed emotions about it. While I admit to being relieved that I don't have to freak out on Tuesday night about it, I am quite disappointed that I wasn't allowed the opportunity to show myself and others that I can do it. I don't begrudge anyone, I was given several chances during rehearsal to get it right. But Vivaldi is difficult to sing, and I just don't have a strong enough voice to make it happen. If I had more time to prepare it, I'm sure I would've done very well. But what's done is done. Now I can focus on having an excellent dress rehearsal on Monday night and get (properly) pumped for the concert on Tuesday night. For all of you Moscow friends, I repeat: Tuesday, 7:30 at St. Andrew's Anglican Church. Dom 8, Voznesenski Pereulok. Encore concert Friday evening, same time and same place. Cost: 450 rubles. Again, if you want to hear some beautiful music, and to see yours truly light up the altar along with the rest of the choir, come to St. Andrew's either Tuesday or Friday, or if you're particularly awesome, both nights! What's more, we also have a Lessons and Carols service (again with our church choir) next Sunday evening, Dec.13, at 6:30, again at St. Andrew's. Then I will definitely be singing a solo, along with Dan, so come along, listen to some beautiful Scripture readings and lovely, lovely carols, including a secret song, which I am not allowed to share with the public under threat of being forced to listen to John Rutter for all eternity, LOL.
Once the awesomeness of next week dies down, what follows that is our play performance and three exams. So effectively I may be getting very little sleep the next two plus weeks, but hopefully our performances will reflect the hard work we put into rehearsing all semester! Not that I don't have to worry about the solo, I can focus on having fun again, and be energized by the wonderful music and the presence of my friends who have promised to come and cheer me on. That's what MUSIC has always been about for me. It's one thing to rehearse and play alone, it's quite another to perform for people. It's about communicating. It's about love and death and happiness and God and sadness and despair and joy and enjoying life in all its aspects.
After my last exam on Dec. 17 (Music History), I've got a week to unwind and pack before my long-awaited flight home on Christmas Eve. Really really really looking forward to a month of hanging with friends and family. I'd love to get down to the Cape for a couple of days as well as maybe take a day trip to the Woo, visit HC and my friends still there (who are going to be graduating in May, bozhe moi!!!). Anybody looking to arrange some sort of reunion, be it former MCA teachers, TEFLers of the great class of Sept/Oct. 08, HC buddies, do let me know, I'd love to get together with as many of you as possible. I will be home from Christmas until Jan 28 (gotta go back before Feb. 2, as that is when my visa expires). I can just see it now: homemade mashies, stuffing and turkey, apple cider, Coronas and champagne, mac and cheese and scallops, Italian subs at Nick's, watching football games on High Def, PLAYING THE PIANO again, walking Deer Island (even the, yes Mom, I'm going to say it, HILLS...but not all the time, hahahaha), chilling at the Cape, going into Boston with teh friends and teh cousins, Harvard Square...the list is endless, but it's all little things about being at home that I miss terribly. But I will see you all VERY VERY soon! 19 days, woo hoo! :)))))))))))))) JT's coming home!!! Start opening your calendars, lol, we're gonna paint the town! Love you guys! Keep writing and swimming! :)))))
Friday, November 27, 2009
Have yourself a Merry Advent season...
Greetings, everyone! I trust everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is feeling quite stuffed today, despite the avalanche of leftovers that await us all (myself included :)). I have to express bolshuyu blagodarnoct' to our gracious hostesses for a terrific meal yesterday! It was a fantastic way to spend the evening. As much as I missed out on Auntie Sharon's mashed potatoes and turkey with all the trimmings, it was great to spend the traditionally American holiday in Moscow with some people from the British Embassy who celebrated Thanksgiving for the first time with us last night. It was a wonderful evening!! I have very much to be thankful for, but I've already expressed my gratitude in my last note (in Tolstoyan detail, thank you very much), so I will move on.
ONE MONTH LEFT!!! I am v shockye. Vremya letit. I have an insane amount to do...write a presentation for a conference (general topic: the role of literature/art in our contemporary society, but it's open to pretty much any possible interpretation), study for three exams, freak out about my oral exam in music history, pray that I won't miss my Christmas Eve connecting flight to Boston from London, and sing in three concerts, during which I have not one, but TWO solos! Yes, on Tuesday at rehearsal I was asked to sing the tenor solo in the second movement of Vivaldi's Magnificat. For my first time through, I think I did okay. I am at least confident enough to try it out. I'm pretty sure I won't break anyone's eardrums (at least I hope not, lol) it's kinda nice to be given a chance to sing a big solo. It really develops one's confidence as a singer. So yeah, we've got our concerts coming up quickly now, Dec. 8 and 11 at 7:30 at St. Andrew's on Voznesensky Pereulok (4oo rubles in advance, 450 at the door). Come hear the Magnificat, excerpts from the Messiah, and some traditional and interesting Christmas carols!!! We've got a few rehearsals left to work out the kinks and get accustomed to concert tempo (hopefully we will repeat the verses in "Once in Royal"!!!). This leaves me with four rehearsals to listen to and learn my solo. Oh, and don't forget Dec. 13 at 6.30 is our lessons and carols service, where I will be singing a verse of "I Saw Three Ships." Admission is free (it's a service as opposed to a formal concert), so come out to St. Andrew's and hear some excellent Christmas carols!
As you can see, I've got way too much going on the next few weeks, hopefully everything will go smoothingly! I'm very very excited for these concerts! I'm also excited about the coming of advent. I miss singing Night of Silence and Advent Lullaby, but maybe we will sing them in church??? Just a thought...anyway, gotta go, off to a concert and church party then a weekend of Christmas caroling (just rehearsing, but that would also be fun, going somewhere to sing Christmas carols!!!) It's also pretty excellent that the day after Thanksgiving, I"ve already started watching Christmas movies...don't judge, it's socially acceptable!!! LOL. And if you don't agree...well then you're just wrong. ;)
Talk soon, everyone! Hope to see some of you at St. Andrew's!!! Everyone else I'll see in just a few weeks in WINTHROP!!! WOOT!
ONE MONTH LEFT!!! I am v shockye. Vremya letit. I have an insane amount to do...write a presentation for a conference (general topic: the role of literature/art in our contemporary society, but it's open to pretty much any possible interpretation), study for three exams, freak out about my oral exam in music history, pray that I won't miss my Christmas Eve connecting flight to Boston from London, and sing in three concerts, during which I have not one, but TWO solos! Yes, on Tuesday at rehearsal I was asked to sing the tenor solo in the second movement of Vivaldi's Magnificat. For my first time through, I think I did okay. I am at least confident enough to try it out. I'm pretty sure I won't break anyone's eardrums (at least I hope not, lol) it's kinda nice to be given a chance to sing a big solo. It really develops one's confidence as a singer. So yeah, we've got our concerts coming up quickly now, Dec. 8 and 11 at 7:30 at St. Andrew's on Voznesensky Pereulok (4oo rubles in advance, 450 at the door). Come hear the Magnificat, excerpts from the Messiah, and some traditional and interesting Christmas carols!!! We've got a few rehearsals left to work out the kinks and get accustomed to concert tempo (hopefully we will repeat the verses in "Once in Royal"!!!). This leaves me with four rehearsals to listen to and learn my solo. Oh, and don't forget Dec. 13 at 6.30 is our lessons and carols service, where I will be singing a verse of "I Saw Three Ships." Admission is free (it's a service as opposed to a formal concert), so come out to St. Andrew's and hear some excellent Christmas carols!
As you can see, I've got way too much going on the next few weeks, hopefully everything will go smoothingly! I'm very very excited for these concerts! I'm also excited about the coming of advent. I miss singing Night of Silence and Advent Lullaby, but maybe we will sing them in church??? Just a thought...anyway, gotta go, off to a concert and church party then a weekend of Christmas caroling (just rehearsing, but that would also be fun, going somewhere to sing Christmas carols!!!) It's also pretty excellent that the day after Thanksgiving, I"ve already started watching Christmas movies...don't judge, it's socially acceptable!!! LOL. And if you don't agree...well then you're just wrong. ;)
Talk soon, everyone! Hope to see some of you at St. Andrew's!!! Everyone else I'll see in just a few weeks in WINTHROP!!! WOOT!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Crunch time...
"Follow me, in merry measure!" NO, YOU"RE LATE!
"Once in royal David's city, stood a lowly cattle shed. Mary was that..." SIGH. С повторением! Repeat!
Apparently I can't stand up without almost falling over, nor can I get out of tables without making a complete fool of myself. Such was my Saturday afternoon, full of hilarious and frustrating and awesome moments. Yes, I believe everything will go smoothly in the end, they generally do, but at the same time, we have about two and a half weeks to our concert on Dec. 8 so hopefully things will come together sooner rather than later.
All this being said, we're singing some wonderful music in four different languages (English, Latin and one song each in Russian and French), and we had a brilliant Messiah rehearsal on Tuesday, after which I feel totally confident to sing the excerpts we're performing: "And the Glory of the Lord", "O thou, that tellest good tidings to Zion" and of course the "Hallelujah Chorus". I'm really really excited for our concerts, and with a little extra effort on everybody's part, we're gonna knock the socks off the audience on those two nights!!!
Apart from the inconsistency of rehearsals, everything else is entirely on the up and up. I just found out that I've been invited to Thanksgiving dinner by an acquaintance from church, which will be really nice, because I wasn't expecting it and I normally have class for about 5 hours or so on Thursdays without a break (Stylistics, Music History and Skazki). Speaking of skazki, my class is going really well. We're getting ready for our open class on Dec. 10, in which we'll be performing three plays: "V krugu druzei", "Kolobok" and "Repka". Should be quite an experience, I'll be playing an old man, the kolobok and a cat. Quite the repetoire, LOL.
Yes my friends, it is indeed crunch time. For the next month, I will be thoroughly immersed in my studies, singing Deck the Hall until I go insane, trying to improve my French pronunciation, attempting not to fall over, friending participles and cursing the declension of numbers (don't get me started on fractions or decimals...), reading book after book on teaching pedagogy and Russian folklore, watching As Time Goes By before I go into all Christmas mode next week after Thanksgiving (when it is socially acceptable to start listening to Christmas music, something I thoroughly disagree with, why not enjoy Christmas music and films for what their worth at any point during the year???), writing ridiculously long sentences with endless amounts of subordinate clauses and participial phrases (or, more accurately gerunds, since they all follow the preposition in and after prepositions come gerunds) like this one (can you remember what the original subject and predicate was?) and apologizing profusely to everyone reading this sentence and questioning how the hell I ever got to be an English teacher. Wow. James Joyce, eat your heart out.
On a more serious note, I do want to take some time and thank all the people who have been an incredible blessing and support net. I apologize in advance if I embarass anyone. Thank you, Mom, Dad, Linda, Gramma, Grandma Joan and Grandpa Jin, Auntie Suzanne, Uncle Dave, Jess, Josh, and everyone else in my family too numerous to name but no less important and special. Thank you Matt, Monique, Andrew, Bob, Alexa, Eileen, Sara, Maureen and all my friends out there for reading my blog, for chatting with me and giving me words of encouragement and keeping me strong. Thank you Mike, Jim, and all my friends at Language Link for our weekly get-togethers. Thank you Ilona for your friendship and for the two books you so graciously bought for me. I hope you're enjoying Stephen Frye. ;) Thank you to my Russian host mom, Nana, and my professors for a smooth transition back into life in Russia in all its aspects, both academic and cultural, as well as daily life in Moscow. Thank you to the MPC (Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy) and St. Andrew's for welcoming me with open arms into your worship community. I really feel at home and part of the family, and I thoroughly enjoy coming to sing every Sunday. Thank you Stef, for reading my numerous messages in Russian and not cringing at the numerous grammatical mistakes, but rather, keeping me up to date with life in Peter and making my day with a friendly word or two and your wonderful smile. :) It is so evident that I have quite a deal to be thankful for, so I just wanted to take a few minutes to express my love and gratitude to all of you for being such an important part of my social, academic and spiritual growth and development, not just here in Moscow, but back home in Boston as well.
May God bless and watch over you, especially now at this time of Thanksgiving and the approach of Advent and Christmas. Please keep in touch, keep writing, and keep swimming! Talk soon! :)
"Once in royal David's city, stood a lowly cattle shed. Mary was that..." SIGH. С повторением! Repeat!
Apparently I can't stand up without almost falling over, nor can I get out of tables without making a complete fool of myself. Such was my Saturday afternoon, full of hilarious and frustrating and awesome moments. Yes, I believe everything will go smoothly in the end, they generally do, but at the same time, we have about two and a half weeks to our concert on Dec. 8 so hopefully things will come together sooner rather than later.
All this being said, we're singing some wonderful music in four different languages (English, Latin and one song each in Russian and French), and we had a brilliant Messiah rehearsal on Tuesday, after which I feel totally confident to sing the excerpts we're performing: "And the Glory of the Lord", "O thou, that tellest good tidings to Zion" and of course the "Hallelujah Chorus". I'm really really excited for our concerts, and with a little extra effort on everybody's part, we're gonna knock the socks off the audience on those two nights!!!
Apart from the inconsistency of rehearsals, everything else is entirely on the up and up. I just found out that I've been invited to Thanksgiving dinner by an acquaintance from church, which will be really nice, because I wasn't expecting it and I normally have class for about 5 hours or so on Thursdays without a break (Stylistics, Music History and Skazki). Speaking of skazki, my class is going really well. We're getting ready for our open class on Dec. 10, in which we'll be performing three plays: "V krugu druzei", "Kolobok" and "Repka". Should be quite an experience, I'll be playing an old man, the kolobok and a cat. Quite the repetoire, LOL.
Yes my friends, it is indeed crunch time. For the next month, I will be thoroughly immersed in my studies, singing Deck the Hall until I go insane, trying to improve my French pronunciation, attempting not to fall over, friending participles and cursing the declension of numbers (don't get me started on fractions or decimals...), reading book after book on teaching pedagogy and Russian folklore, watching As Time Goes By before I go into all Christmas mode next week after Thanksgiving (when it is socially acceptable to start listening to Christmas music, something I thoroughly disagree with, why not enjoy Christmas music and films for what their worth at any point during the year???), writing ridiculously long sentences with endless amounts of subordinate clauses and participial phrases (or, more accurately gerunds, since they all follow the preposition in and after prepositions come gerunds) like this one (can you remember what the original subject and predicate was?) and apologizing profusely to everyone reading this sentence and questioning how the hell I ever got to be an English teacher. Wow. James Joyce, eat your heart out.
On a more serious note, I do want to take some time and thank all the people who have been an incredible blessing and support net. I apologize in advance if I embarass anyone. Thank you, Mom, Dad, Linda, Gramma, Grandma Joan and Grandpa Jin, Auntie Suzanne, Uncle Dave, Jess, Josh, and everyone else in my family too numerous to name but no less important and special. Thank you Matt, Monique, Andrew, Bob, Alexa, Eileen, Sara, Maureen and all my friends out there for reading my blog, for chatting with me and giving me words of encouragement and keeping me strong. Thank you Mike, Jim, and all my friends at Language Link for our weekly get-togethers. Thank you Ilona for your friendship and for the two books you so graciously bought for me. I hope you're enjoying Stephen Frye. ;) Thank you to my Russian host mom, Nana, and my professors for a smooth transition back into life in Russia in all its aspects, both academic and cultural, as well as daily life in Moscow. Thank you to the MPC (Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy) and St. Andrew's for welcoming me with open arms into your worship community. I really feel at home and part of the family, and I thoroughly enjoy coming to sing every Sunday. Thank you Stef, for reading my numerous messages in Russian and not cringing at the numerous grammatical mistakes, but rather, keeping me up to date with life in Peter and making my day with a friendly word or two and your wonderful smile. :) It is so evident that I have quite a deal to be thankful for, so I just wanted to take a few minutes to express my love and gratitude to all of you for being such an important part of my social, academic and spiritual growth and development, not just here in Moscow, but back home in Boston as well.
May God bless and watch over you, especially now at this time of Thanksgiving and the approach of Advent and Christmas. Please keep in touch, keep writing, and keep swimming! Talk soon! :)
Saturday, November 14, 2009
We taught the world new ways to dream...
Bonus points to anyone who gets the reference in the title. Happy Saturday to y'all! As the sun has long since disappeared and it is generally unknown, when it will be making a reappearance (experts think sometime in March or April, LOL...jk), and as Thanksgiving draws closer, I must find ways of keeping myself busy. Believe me, that is not difficult. I'm either working diligently on a translation for class, in which I try so hard not to focus on the fact that I'm one of the weaker students in the group, or I'm collecting books and articles for my thesis in which I am determined to find new ways of teaching Russian grammar (i.e. through fairy tales), as well as other interesting books about linguistics and teaching Russian as a second language. Needless to say, I have a mountain of materials to read and analyze. Generally I like to read a source one for general concepts and then reread again in more detail, making comments in margins. I have analyzed a few sources in some detail, so when it comes time to begin writing the beast, I will be able to easily incorporate that. Plus my introduction is pretty much written already, having established that on the outset in my outline. So let's say in a paper of 25+ pages, I have one written already. As I told my classmate, I am much more comfortable expressing my ideas in written form. Writing allows time for me to gather my thoughts and organize them, whereas in oral form I always feel rushed, hesitant to speak, seemingly sure that my ideas are either not good enough or require serious reworking. It's a character flaw that I've been working on for years. The good news is I'm definitely more comfortable (even if I still seem shy, I am by no means passive) in social situations or in situations requiring me to defend/present an argument, identify main ideas/theses, etc.
But yes, I never tire of reading, especially if the material is worth my attention. In general, almost everything I have read has been fascinating. What is most interesting to me is that for a single fairy tale, there are often multiple variations of the same fairy tale. For example, in a fairy tale about Ivan the fool, who always ends up being the hero and marrying the tsar's daughter and inheriting a huge kingdom, there might be 4-5 variations of the same fairy tale. It should be mentioned that Ivan the fool is one of the major reoccuring characters in Russian fairy tales, and he is by no means a "fool" in the sense of being an "idiot." He is a simple character, but with a good heart and determined to complete the tasks set for him. I look forward to advancing my idea that you can use fairy tales (both folk fairy tales and contemporary literary fairy tales, like for example those of Chukovsky, who wrote such amazing skazki as "Doctor Aibolit"...my thesis focuses exclusively on narodniye skazki because of space restrictions, but I will be surely including both modern and traditional fairy tales when I one day set foot in a classroom to a bunch of eager students of Russian, be it beginners or more advanced learners.)
One thing that has surprised me (pleasantly so, I might add) is that I have not felt culture shock to the extent that I had when I first arrived in Moscow last winter or when I was in St. Petersburg four years ago. This isn't to say that everything has been perfect, I've had to face some challenges, most notably the lack of focus or purpose of my history class, but overall I haven't felt terribly depressed. Part of it is due to my enduring sense of optimism, you all know that, but most of that is of course due to singing in choir, which has been directly connected to my strengthening faith. I've said it before and I said it again, ever since I started out in Chapel Choir six years ago (wow!) I've gone to church more frequently, I've develeoped a better relationship with God and in general I'm more confident about my abilities. While I may never be fully independent, it's not such a bad thing because we are all, like it our not, dependent on one another to sustain ourselves each and every day.
I hope that you all get something from my blog. I totally understand that people are incredibly busy all the time, and can't always respond with a quick comment, but if even one person takes something useful from this stream-of-consciousness style of writing, in which I don't always make sense, I'm happy. In a culture where everything has to have been done yesterday, where technology simultaneously brings people together and drives them further apart, it is SO important to forge and maintain some sort of connection. This is why I write my blogs: to connect with the people I care about since I can't physically see them at the moment (although that too will happily be remedied as of Christmas Eve!!!!). Maybe then, through the connections we make and keep with each other, we will teach each other something new, something you can't learn from a book or in a classroom. That is my wish for you this week: to learn something new and pass what you have learned to others, thereby making a new connection between what you have learned and to whom you are transmitting that newly acquired knowledge and wisdom.
I leave you with the words of Emerson: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/trust_thyself-every_heart_vibrates_to_that_iron/262305.html
as well as this link from the same site, this time from Lois Wyse: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/a-good-friend-is-a-connection-to-life-a-tie-to/348586.html
May God keep you and your loved ones in good health and excellent spirits. As always, I pray for and miss each and every one of you. Talk soon! :) Peace!
But yes, I never tire of reading, especially if the material is worth my attention. In general, almost everything I have read has been fascinating. What is most interesting to me is that for a single fairy tale, there are often multiple variations of the same fairy tale. For example, in a fairy tale about Ivan the fool, who always ends up being the hero and marrying the tsar's daughter and inheriting a huge kingdom, there might be 4-5 variations of the same fairy tale. It should be mentioned that Ivan the fool is one of the major reoccuring characters in Russian fairy tales, and he is by no means a "fool" in the sense of being an "idiot." He is a simple character, but with a good heart and determined to complete the tasks set for him. I look forward to advancing my idea that you can use fairy tales (both folk fairy tales and contemporary literary fairy tales, like for example those of Chukovsky, who wrote such amazing skazki as "Doctor Aibolit"...my thesis focuses exclusively on narodniye skazki because of space restrictions, but I will be surely including both modern and traditional fairy tales when I one day set foot in a classroom to a bunch of eager students of Russian, be it beginners or more advanced learners.)
One thing that has surprised me (pleasantly so, I might add) is that I have not felt culture shock to the extent that I had when I first arrived in Moscow last winter or when I was in St. Petersburg four years ago. This isn't to say that everything has been perfect, I've had to face some challenges, most notably the lack of focus or purpose of my history class, but overall I haven't felt terribly depressed. Part of it is due to my enduring sense of optimism, you all know that, but most of that is of course due to singing in choir, which has been directly connected to my strengthening faith. I've said it before and I said it again, ever since I started out in Chapel Choir six years ago (wow!) I've gone to church more frequently, I've develeoped a better relationship with God and in general I'm more confident about my abilities. While I may never be fully independent, it's not such a bad thing because we are all, like it our not, dependent on one another to sustain ourselves each and every day.
I hope that you all get something from my blog. I totally understand that people are incredibly busy all the time, and can't always respond with a quick comment, but if even one person takes something useful from this stream-of-consciousness style of writing, in which I don't always make sense, I'm happy. In a culture where everything has to have been done yesterday, where technology simultaneously brings people together and drives them further apart, it is SO important to forge and maintain some sort of connection. This is why I write my blogs: to connect with the people I care about since I can't physically see them at the moment (although that too will happily be remedied as of Christmas Eve!!!!). Maybe then, through the connections we make and keep with each other, we will teach each other something new, something you can't learn from a book or in a classroom. That is my wish for you this week: to learn something new and pass what you have learned to others, thereby making a new connection between what you have learned and to whom you are transmitting that newly acquired knowledge and wisdom.
I leave you with the words of Emerson: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/trust_thyself-every_heart_vibrates_to_that_iron/262305.html
as well as this link from the same site, this time from Lois Wyse: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/a-good-friend-is-a-connection-to-life-a-tie-to/348586.html
May God keep you and your loved ones in good health and excellent spirits. As always, I pray for and miss each and every one of you. Talk soon! :) Peace!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Don't afraid! Make a phrase!
Ah yes, another riveting choir rehearsal. One of these days we're going to sing "Once in Royal David's City" correctly...i.e. WITH repeats and (GASP!) a soprano soloist! Haha, getting reminiscent about Lessons and Carols at the Cross...sigh. One of these days the tenors will get to sing a tenor 1 line (but I think that's just too farfetched for the imagination, lol.) One of these days we'll sing something other than Deck the Hall or Silent Night during rehearsal. Apart from all these quirks, we're steadily heading towards our concerts (that's right, there'll be TWO concerts, all you friends of mine who live in Moscow) on Dec. 8 and 11. Mark it down on your calendars! A little bummed about not singing O Holy Night (which is my personal favorite carol), but I suppose singing excerpts from the Messiah will be an acceptable alternative. :)
Also, December 13 (I told you I would plug our concerts any and every chance I get, hahaha) is our lessons and carols service (this should be FREE) at 6:30 in the evening, during which you get to hear me sing vs. 2 of "I Saw Three Ships" as well as ding-dong in the background during vs. 6. Yes, exciting, I know :))) There we will also be properly singing "Once in Royal David's City" as well as the descants on "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", not to mention a couple of other a capella pieces. This I highly recommend to all who adore Christmas music and Jesus.
Classes are quickly moving towards the end of the semester. Before we know it exams will be here (just over a month away, can't believe it!!!) In my fairy tale class, we are putting on a performance of a few plays written in the style of traditional Russian fairy tales, one of which based on the skazki "Kolobok". I always seem to be typecast as the dedushka, but I try to ham it up, since obviously I am in no way, shape, or form a professional actor. Anyways that will be coming up as well. My music history class is fun, we're already covering the Romantics (Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Chopin, etc.)
And now for the most important information you all (namely of course, my family and friends back in the Homeland) are just dying of curiosity to hear about...my plans for winter break. As you may have seen from my ecstatic facebook status, I am indeed coming home on Christmas Eve Day, leaving from Moscow at 5 pm Moscow time and should arrive in Heathrow around 6:15 in the evening London time. Great, EXCEPT that I have a ONE HOUR layover in Heathrow
Airport before my flight to Boston leaves at 7:15. God-willing, if everything works out, as I believe it will, I'll be arriving in Logan around 9:45-10 p.m Thursday evening, just in time to greet my family and crash before spending Christmas at home in the Throp with teh Tardif and Semedo crew. I am also totally free for New Year's, as I'll be home until Jan 28, when I have to fly back to Moscow, but that leaves me 30+ days of relaxation, a little bit of thesis writing, but mostly being in good company. May be making a trip up to the Cross or down to the Cape, we'll see once I'm home. Right now, I'm just taking it easy, getting excited for all the crazy things going on in September. T-minus six weeks and 5 days...perhaps, it's too soon to start thinking about a countdown, but I can't deny how eager and relieved I am that I'll be home in time for Christmas, having missed it this year, and having given in to the prospect of missing it again before we got really lucky and found an incredible price (British Airways has failed to let me down yet, and I am grateful beyond words). It may take a miracle but I am definitely coming home in time to have some Christmas turkey, lots of stuffing and mashed, squash, and plenty of wine of course, that goes without saying, haha. Save me a spot next to you, Josh, I will be hooooooooome!!!! :) YAY!!!!!! See you all in just a few short weeks! Vremya letit (Time flies.), doesn't it? Miss you all! Can't wait for our concerts and I CAN"T WAIT TO GO HOME!!!! Talk to you soon!!! Peace out, homies! Word.
Also, December 13 (I told you I would plug our concerts any and every chance I get, hahaha) is our lessons and carols service (this should be FREE) at 6:30 in the evening, during which you get to hear me sing vs. 2 of "I Saw Three Ships" as well as ding-dong in the background during vs. 6. Yes, exciting, I know :))) There we will also be properly singing "Once in Royal David's City" as well as the descants on "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", not to mention a couple of other a capella pieces. This I highly recommend to all who adore Christmas music and Jesus.
Classes are quickly moving towards the end of the semester. Before we know it exams will be here (just over a month away, can't believe it!!!) In my fairy tale class, we are putting on a performance of a few plays written in the style of traditional Russian fairy tales, one of which based on the skazki "Kolobok". I always seem to be typecast as the dedushka, but I try to ham it up, since obviously I am in no way, shape, or form a professional actor. Anyways that will be coming up as well. My music history class is fun, we're already covering the Romantics (Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Chopin, etc.)
And now for the most important information you all (namely of course, my family and friends back in the Homeland) are just dying of curiosity to hear about...my plans for winter break. As you may have seen from my ecstatic facebook status, I am indeed coming home on Christmas Eve Day, leaving from Moscow at 5 pm Moscow time and should arrive in Heathrow around 6:15 in the evening London time. Great, EXCEPT that I have a ONE HOUR layover in Heathrow
Airport before my flight to Boston leaves at 7:15. God-willing, if everything works out, as I believe it will, I'll be arriving in Logan around 9:45-10 p.m Thursday evening, just in time to greet my family and crash before spending Christmas at home in the Throp with teh Tardif and Semedo crew. I am also totally free for New Year's, as I'll be home until Jan 28, when I have to fly back to Moscow, but that leaves me 30+ days of relaxation, a little bit of thesis writing, but mostly being in good company. May be making a trip up to the Cross or down to the Cape, we'll see once I'm home. Right now, I'm just taking it easy, getting excited for all the crazy things going on in September. T-minus six weeks and 5 days...perhaps, it's too soon to start thinking about a countdown, but I can't deny how eager and relieved I am that I'll be home in time for Christmas, having missed it this year, and having given in to the prospect of missing it again before we got really lucky and found an incredible price (British Airways has failed to let me down yet, and I am grateful beyond words). It may take a miracle but I am definitely coming home in time to have some Christmas turkey, lots of stuffing and mashed, squash, and plenty of wine of course, that goes without saying, haha. Save me a spot next to you, Josh, I will be hooooooooome!!!! :) YAY!!!!!! See you all in just a few short weeks! Vremya letit (Time flies.), doesn't it? Miss you all! Can't wait for our concerts and I CAN"T WAIT TO GO HOME!!!! Talk to you soon!!! Peace out, homies! Word.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Shto takoye boo?
Happy Halloween from Moscow, where, yes, it is snowing...appropriate weather for Christmas caroling...:) Another lazy Saturday spent with good company (went to a lovely French restaurant for lunch, except we randomly sat with two different groups of people at the same table...). I don't feel bad about missing Halloween, however my sweet tooth is pretty sad to not be able to indulge in some tasty Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers and other traditional Halloween goodies.
The snow is a) scaring me because I'm pretty sure this is going to be a LOOOOOONG winter. I love snow as much as the next person, especially not having to shovel!!! :)))))) It's the plain cold that gets on my nerves, so as long as it continues to snow, I'll be content. b) helping me get in the holiday spirit. I can't celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving, but I can celebrate Christmas at least (hopefully at home, but that still remains to be seen) by singing all these wonderful Christmas Carols, from Hark! The Herald Angels Sing to a lovely French carol to It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and so on. We haven't done O Holy Night yet, and I'm really hoping to, because I love that carol so much, especially the high soaring melody. It's super fun to sing and play on the piano. I also hear talk we're going to sing a couple excerpts from the Messiah, so along with Vivaldi it should quite a fantastic concert! Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I'm probably going to plug for it every week until the eve of the concert, lol!
Can you all believe November is already upon us? In a few weeks time it will be Thanksgiving, a day spent in front of the TV watching quality football games and chatting with family in excited anticpation for that glorious turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Soon after that is Advent Sunday, and then Christmas and just like that 2010 is also around the corner. I for one am thankful for my health, for my friends and family for all their continual love and support (yes, I am aware that I repeat myself constantly, I don't have a memory problem-though I'm sure some would dispute that, lol, I just like stressing the blessings in my life that are truly God-sent. I'm thankful for the possibility to sing in three choirs every week, to strengthen my faith and enhance my passion for music and growing love of singing, to deepen my interest in Russian fairy tales and combine it with a love of Russian grammar (yes, I said love of Russian grammar, shocking, I know), and so on and so on. *breathes a sigh of contentment* Life is good, because God is good...all the time! All the time, God is good! Amen and Hallelujah!
Well. that's all from me at the moment. Keep me updated with goings-on, and keep posting and reacting to my blog! :) Miss you and love you guys! Peace out! Happy trick-or-treating! Keep a look out for the Great Pumpkin! ;)
The snow is a) scaring me because I'm pretty sure this is going to be a LOOOOOONG winter. I love snow as much as the next person, especially not having to shovel!!! :)))))) It's the plain cold that gets on my nerves, so as long as it continues to snow, I'll be content. b) helping me get in the holiday spirit. I can't celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving, but I can celebrate Christmas at least (hopefully at home, but that still remains to be seen) by singing all these wonderful Christmas Carols, from Hark! The Herald Angels Sing to a lovely French carol to It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and so on. We haven't done O Holy Night yet, and I'm really hoping to, because I love that carol so much, especially the high soaring melody. It's super fun to sing and play on the piano. I also hear talk we're going to sing a couple excerpts from the Messiah, so along with Vivaldi it should quite a fantastic concert! Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I'm probably going to plug for it every week until the eve of the concert, lol!
Can you all believe November is already upon us? In a few weeks time it will be Thanksgiving, a day spent in front of the TV watching quality football games and chatting with family in excited anticpation for that glorious turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Soon after that is Advent Sunday, and then Christmas and just like that 2010 is also around the corner. I for one am thankful for my health, for my friends and family for all their continual love and support (yes, I am aware that I repeat myself constantly, I don't have a memory problem-though I'm sure some would dispute that, lol, I just like stressing the blessings in my life that are truly God-sent. I'm thankful for the possibility to sing in three choirs every week, to strengthen my faith and enhance my passion for music and growing love of singing, to deepen my interest in Russian fairy tales and combine it with a love of Russian grammar (yes, I said love of Russian grammar, shocking, I know), and so on and so on. *breathes a sigh of contentment* Life is good, because God is good...all the time! All the time, God is good! Amen and Hallelujah!
Well. that's all from me at the moment. Keep me updated with goings-on, and keep posting and reacting to my blog! :) Miss you and love you guys! Peace out! Happy trick-or-treating! Keep a look out for the Great Pumpkin! ;)
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Fill the mead cup...
So this morning commenced Saturday rehearsals in preparation for our Christmas concert. Not sure yet when that is, but I know I'll definitely let you know. All my friends who happen to be in Moscow through early/mid December, consider yourselves invited (and by that, your presence is expected, no questions asked. :)) The most extraordinary thing happened...if you've ever been a choir, you'll appreciate this, especially for all the underrated tenors of the world out there. There were MORE tenors than basses today. This may seem insignificant, but for me it was the first time I"d ever seen that in all the years I've been in choir. Granted, rehearsal was on a Saturday morning, so it's not entirely unsurprising, I suppose. Plus, it seems that sometimes things aren't always the most organized (we always start late, not everyone has the music, breaks are long). Anyway, I do love when Sergei gives instructions in English. Today's gem was directed at the sopranos, in the midst of a very interesting arrangment of Deck the Hall with lots of syncopation and the most amazing dynamic marking I've ever seen in my life: "coarse", "beery", "persuasive", "hysterical". With words like "fill the mead cup", "quaffing", it all reminds me of a Christmas drinking carol. But anyway, the gem: so the sopranos were having problems with two measures, and eventually Sergey said, "You need to sing in your temp. And mine. Better if it's the same temp." Gold.
So yeah, the singing of Christmas carols is making me reminisce about singing in College Choir during Lessons and Carols, and I'm already starting to feel the spirit of the holidays. I can't honestly say I will notice Halloween this year because it's not really celebrated here, although it seems to be more common in recent years. Thanksgiving is a tough one to miss. I remember it was one of the saddest times for me in St. Petersburg, not being able to celebrate Thanksgiving. And it seems, with my last day of class being on Dec. 24, I will likely not be home for Christmas for the second straight year, although I am planning to be home soon thereafter for at least a couple of weeks. The fact that I'm already talking about Christmas even though Halloween is still a week away (itself a miracle) is a testament to how quickly time goes by.
Classes are going well. I'm starting to get a hang of translating, even though all the articles are either about Iran or North Korea. It would be nice to have different topics or styles (maybe reviews, poems or excerpts from literature). I'm enjoying reading different fairy tales, but need to find more secondary materials, and know that sooner or later I'm going to need to start drafting the thesis. I'm allowing myself until the beginning of the second semester to complete preliminary research and start writing.
Most of this week I've been feeling more tired than usual and have had a damn cold that just wouldn't go away. Today though I feel better, so thanks to everyone for their well-wishes! Trying to stay healthy and active as we move closer and closer to the storogaya russkaya zima. Last winter wasn't too bad, so hopefully this coming one won't be either, though I do expect to be home (where, God bless New England, you just never know what kind of weather to expect) for a part of it.
Not much else to report on this week. I forgot to wish the College Choir a great Family Weekend Concert, I hope it was in fact splendid! It was also the first time since I graduated that I wasn't able to sing Songs of Holy Cross. :( Next year I will be back again. Also want to wish the Chapel Choir a great Family Weekend Mass, may God fill their souls with music and praise, and that we destroy whoever we're playing in football! Go SADERS! CHU CHU RAH RAH! SHOUT HOIAH FOR HOLY CROSS!!! Man, I still can't believe that a) I've been out of school for two years now and b) I wasn't able to sing with the choir. :( I miss College Choir. I miss Chapel Choir. What I really miss, if I'm honest, is playing the piano. Singing is wonderful, I'm totally glad I got into it in college and am still keeping up with it, but there's really nothing like sitting down at the piano, belting out show tunes/Josh Groban and even improvising and composing. Just being able to destress, to put all my emotion into the keys, finding a balance between piano and forte, being able to crescendo and decrescendo. Just finding time to practice, that's what I really miss about being in Russia, apart from my family and friends. Can't wait to sit down at the piano again. I could play for hours if I had the energy. There were days when I just wanted to relax and played for only a few minutes, and there were days when I skippped it altogether, but I was always most content whenever I could sit and play for an hour or two, from Being Alive to Bridge Over Troubled Water to my Russian Dance to trying out new compositions to playing Les Mis. I will always treasure the piano. It's a moot point to say that I'll never stop, I can only hope that I continue to play (and sing) with as much passion and love as I had when I first managed to continue studying piano independently. The six years of lessons were great without a doubt, but I feel the last 8 years I have really come into my own as a musician. Here's to the power of music! It is on that joyful note (no pun intended, lol) that I conclude. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Keep in touch! :)
So yeah, the singing of Christmas carols is making me reminisce about singing in College Choir during Lessons and Carols, and I'm already starting to feel the spirit of the holidays. I can't honestly say I will notice Halloween this year because it's not really celebrated here, although it seems to be more common in recent years. Thanksgiving is a tough one to miss. I remember it was one of the saddest times for me in St. Petersburg, not being able to celebrate Thanksgiving. And it seems, with my last day of class being on Dec. 24, I will likely not be home for Christmas for the second straight year, although I am planning to be home soon thereafter for at least a couple of weeks. The fact that I'm already talking about Christmas even though Halloween is still a week away (itself a miracle) is a testament to how quickly time goes by.
Classes are going well. I'm starting to get a hang of translating, even though all the articles are either about Iran or North Korea. It would be nice to have different topics or styles (maybe reviews, poems or excerpts from literature). I'm enjoying reading different fairy tales, but need to find more secondary materials, and know that sooner or later I'm going to need to start drafting the thesis. I'm allowing myself until the beginning of the second semester to complete preliminary research and start writing.
Most of this week I've been feeling more tired than usual and have had a damn cold that just wouldn't go away. Today though I feel better, so thanks to everyone for their well-wishes! Trying to stay healthy and active as we move closer and closer to the storogaya russkaya zima. Last winter wasn't too bad, so hopefully this coming one won't be either, though I do expect to be home (where, God bless New England, you just never know what kind of weather to expect) for a part of it.
Not much else to report on this week. I forgot to wish the College Choir a great Family Weekend Concert, I hope it was in fact splendid! It was also the first time since I graduated that I wasn't able to sing Songs of Holy Cross. :( Next year I will be back again. Also want to wish the Chapel Choir a great Family Weekend Mass, may God fill their souls with music and praise, and that we destroy whoever we're playing in football! Go SADERS! CHU CHU RAH RAH! SHOUT HOIAH FOR HOLY CROSS!!! Man, I still can't believe that a) I've been out of school for two years now and b) I wasn't able to sing with the choir. :( I miss College Choir. I miss Chapel Choir. What I really miss, if I'm honest, is playing the piano. Singing is wonderful, I'm totally glad I got into it in college and am still keeping up with it, but there's really nothing like sitting down at the piano, belting out show tunes/Josh Groban and even improvising and composing. Just being able to destress, to put all my emotion into the keys, finding a balance between piano and forte, being able to crescendo and decrescendo. Just finding time to practice, that's what I really miss about being in Russia, apart from my family and friends. Can't wait to sit down at the piano again. I could play for hours if I had the energy. There were days when I just wanted to relax and played for only a few minutes, and there were days when I skippped it altogether, but I was always most content whenever I could sit and play for an hour or two, from Being Alive to Bridge Over Troubled Water to my Russian Dance to trying out new compositions to playing Les Mis. I will always treasure the piano. It's a moot point to say that I'll never stop, I can only hope that I continue to play (and sing) with as much passion and love as I had when I first managed to continue studying piano independently. The six years of lessons were great without a doubt, but I feel the last 8 years I have really come into my own as a musician. Here's to the power of music! It is on that joyful note (no pun intended, lol) that I conclude. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Keep in touch! :)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
How do you say "baptism by fire" in Russian?
As I alluded to in a recent AIM status, I am a masochist when it comes to studying this elusive, zagadochny Russian language. Six years later, I have finally come to this realization that I will likely be in some way connected to clovopodchinyonye predlozheniya and prichastiya for the rest of my life (yes I did buy a clovar' russkikh prichastii. I am officially a language geek. How many times through the years have I used this term: from glowing about gerunds and infinitives in English to spending a MONTH teaching reported speech to my teenagers to using fairy tales as a source for teaching Russian grammar to students studying it as a second language. Hello, my name is Jon, and I have a grammar problem. Whew. I feel better now. Incidentally, if I actually had any grammar problems, I'd be in serious trouble with regards to writing this damn thesis.
Speaking of that, the time has come to formulate my topic and purpose (in Russian formal academic writing, it's required to state the tsel', or purpose, of your topic, and why it warrants analysis/discussion/further exploration). My subject is (tentatively, subject to revision upon meeting with teh advisor): analysis of Russian fairy tales and teaching Russian grammar to students using the fairy tales. My purpose is something like this: to discern and analyze some general characteristics of fairy tales and their relationship to studying Russian as a foreign language. To do this I am going to read and analyze themes (in this case morals/main ideas) of various skazki and find and explain the grammatical structures and stylistic devices that might be found and used in teaching lessons. All this, naturally, formulated in Russian. :p Yay. (Not so much with the yayage...)
If that wasn't enough, you may be thinking, why am I a masochist? I'll tell you. It's because I thought it might be a good idea to take an elective course, NOT FOR CREDIT mind you, on translation. So the first class was on Wednesday. Our first homework assignment: to translate a two page q/a on Iran and the nuclear issue. Welcome to translation. Hahahaha. Oh my God, what the HELL did I get myself into? I'm sure I'll get the hang of it though, even if I have to take a final exam at the end of the semester. If I get too in over my head, then I'll drop it. We'll see how it goes.
On a lighter note, choir is going well. We're starting to sing some Christmas carols in preparation for our concert in December. Next week we start having rehearsals on Saturdays, which will mean that choir will in fact totally dominate my life on weekends. Which, I must add, is not necessarily a bad thing. I'll need some spiritual guidance, not to mention a general reprieve from the hecticness that is being a grad student in Moscow. More than that, I feel very much at home singing in choir, like I belong to a big family. This feeling of belonging I experienced right when I first started going to St. Andrew's and I still feel it every week, be it in the morning, in the afternoon with the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy, or on Tuesday evenings when the few proud tenors gather together to show up the rest of the choir...LOL. Well, perhaps not show up, but we do try our best. And we have fun too.
As the days turn into weeks, as the weeks turn into months, I am starting to already think about coming home for winter break. Because tickets are expensive around the holidays, and because Russian students take their exams in January (after a TEN DAY holiday beginning on New Year's Day), I may be coming home sometime in mid-January, though still with a decent break (2-3 weeks). I hope to negotiate an earlier return if possible, nothing would please me more than
Christmas with my friends and family. We shall see, but regardless of when I will be home (notice I said when and not if), the time spent will be a much needed break from the chaos and uncertainty of life in Moscow. For now though, I continue to keep my head about water as best as I can, hoping that this project will go somewhere, even if I don't write the majority of my paper until after the break. Miss you guys and gals! To all my friends out there in Sader Nation, have a great Homecoming Weekend at the Cross! Have a drink on my behalf and I hope to see some of you during the break (perhaps for Winter Homecoming???). Love you all, just keep swimming and take care! :)
Speaking of that, the time has come to formulate my topic and purpose (in Russian formal academic writing, it's required to state the tsel', or purpose, of your topic, and why it warrants analysis/discussion/further exploration). My subject is (tentatively, subject to revision upon meeting with teh advisor): analysis of Russian fairy tales and teaching Russian grammar to students using the fairy tales. My purpose is something like this: to discern and analyze some general characteristics of fairy tales and their relationship to studying Russian as a foreign language. To do this I am going to read and analyze themes (in this case morals/main ideas) of various skazki and find and explain the grammatical structures and stylistic devices that might be found and used in teaching lessons. All this, naturally, formulated in Russian. :p Yay. (Not so much with the yayage...)
If that wasn't enough, you may be thinking, why am I a masochist? I'll tell you. It's because I thought it might be a good idea to take an elective course, NOT FOR CREDIT mind you, on translation. So the first class was on Wednesday. Our first homework assignment: to translate a two page q/a on Iran and the nuclear issue. Welcome to translation. Hahahaha. Oh my God, what the HELL did I get myself into? I'm sure I'll get the hang of it though, even if I have to take a final exam at the end of the semester. If I get too in over my head, then I'll drop it. We'll see how it goes.
On a lighter note, choir is going well. We're starting to sing some Christmas carols in preparation for our concert in December. Next week we start having rehearsals on Saturdays, which will mean that choir will in fact totally dominate my life on weekends. Which, I must add, is not necessarily a bad thing. I'll need some spiritual guidance, not to mention a general reprieve from the hecticness that is being a grad student in Moscow. More than that, I feel very much at home singing in choir, like I belong to a big family. This feeling of belonging I experienced right when I first started going to St. Andrew's and I still feel it every week, be it in the morning, in the afternoon with the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy, or on Tuesday evenings when the few proud tenors gather together to show up the rest of the choir...LOL. Well, perhaps not show up, but we do try our best. And we have fun too.
As the days turn into weeks, as the weeks turn into months, I am starting to already think about coming home for winter break. Because tickets are expensive around the holidays, and because Russian students take their exams in January (after a TEN DAY holiday beginning on New Year's Day), I may be coming home sometime in mid-January, though still with a decent break (2-3 weeks). I hope to negotiate an earlier return if possible, nothing would please me more than
Christmas with my friends and family. We shall see, but regardless of when I will be home (notice I said when and not if), the time spent will be a much needed break from the chaos and uncertainty of life in Moscow. For now though, I continue to keep my head about water as best as I can, hoping that this project will go somewhere, even if I don't write the majority of my paper until after the break. Miss you guys and gals! To all my friends out there in Sader Nation, have a great Homecoming Weekend at the Cross! Have a drink on my behalf and I hope to see some of you during the break (perhaps for Winter Homecoming???). Love you all, just keep swimming and take care! :)
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thank you Jonathan Larson...
Yes, I watched Rent today. I like a lot of shows, but Rent always moves me in a way no other show can. Surely it is in part because of Jonathan's tragic passing without ever being able to see the success Rent had, playing on Broadway for twelve wonderful years, including winning the Puliter Prize for Drama and the Tony, which he worked so hard for. His music, his words, his life, all reflect in the story and journey of Rent. I totally agree with the idea that Seasons of Love was Jonathan's own memorial. One of the most powerful songs I think I've ever heard. He had a lot of friends who unfortunately passed away from AIDS. His entire show, especially the Will I? and Life Support songs, are a testimony to his friends. The whole show is about friendship, about living life to the fullest, about loving each other, love that transcends gender and race and class. "How do you measure a year in the life? How about LOVE?" All that while transforming musical theater and bringing the worlds of opera and rock and pop together into one fantastic, life-changing show. For all that, and for the wonderful work of all the casts of Rent: the OBC, the cast that I had the privilege of seeing live on Broadway, for the closing show cast and everyone associated with Rent, and to the Larson Family, Rent will always be one of my favorite shows. I will never fail to be moved and inspired by Jon's spirit.
How appropriate that not only do I remember Jonathan by watching Rent for the seven hundred thousandth time, but also this weekend a couple of years ago a very close friend of our family passed away. On this day 6 years ago my cherished grandmother, Meme, devout Catholic and genius of the kitchen (meatball extraordinaire, lol), finally lost her battle with cancer and entered into God's kingdom. Every year I try to honor her name with a prayer. When I was a freshman we said a prayer for her prior to singing at the Family Weekend Mass. My senior year I played a recital in her name (thank you again to all who came, by the way! It really meant a lot to me then and does now, three years later). Now I sadly do not have piano access, but I can still say a prayer for her and for Lorelei, which I try to do every day, and I can honor them here by celebrating their lives and all the good they did for our family.
One of the best things we can do for loved ones who have passed on is to a) remember the good times that we spent with them and b) emulate their example by loving each other and fostering a sense of community and love in others. By loving others we become better people and the world can truly be transformed. I don't care if it sounds silly or cliched, especially considering the problems of global terrorism, racism and wide disparities between rich and poor, but while we certainly can't fix everything overnight, what does it cost us to show genuine love to our brothers and sisters? What does it cost us to smile and be a friend? What does it cost us to tell someone we care about that we love them and that they are such a huge part of our lives?
I pray that we will "forget regret", to understand that there is "no life but today", and that we will always, always remember and spread the love. Thank you Jonathan Larson. Thank you Meme. Thank you Lorelei. Thank you Marie. Thank you Kevin. Thank you, my friends, for reading. Go out and spread the gospel of LOVE.
"It's time now to sing out, though the story never ends, let's celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends. Remember the love! Remember the love! Remember the love! Measure in love! Measure, measure your life in love! Seasons of love, seasons of love."
How appropriate that not only do I remember Jonathan by watching Rent for the seven hundred thousandth time, but also this weekend a couple of years ago a very close friend of our family passed away. On this day 6 years ago my cherished grandmother, Meme, devout Catholic and genius of the kitchen (meatball extraordinaire, lol), finally lost her battle with cancer and entered into God's kingdom. Every year I try to honor her name with a prayer. When I was a freshman we said a prayer for her prior to singing at the Family Weekend Mass. My senior year I played a recital in her name (thank you again to all who came, by the way! It really meant a lot to me then and does now, three years later). Now I sadly do not have piano access, but I can still say a prayer for her and for Lorelei, which I try to do every day, and I can honor them here by celebrating their lives and all the good they did for our family.
One of the best things we can do for loved ones who have passed on is to a) remember the good times that we spent with them and b) emulate their example by loving each other and fostering a sense of community and love in others. By loving others we become better people and the world can truly be transformed. I don't care if it sounds silly or cliched, especially considering the problems of global terrorism, racism and wide disparities between rich and poor, but while we certainly can't fix everything overnight, what does it cost us to show genuine love to our brothers and sisters? What does it cost us to smile and be a friend? What does it cost us to tell someone we care about that we love them and that they are such a huge part of our lives?
I pray that we will "forget regret", to understand that there is "no life but today", and that we will always, always remember and spread the love. Thank you Jonathan Larson. Thank you Meme. Thank you Lorelei. Thank you Marie. Thank you Kevin. Thank you, my friends, for reading. Go out and spread the gospel of LOVE.
"It's time now to sing out, though the story never ends, let's celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends. Remember the love! Remember the love! Remember the love! Measure in love! Measure, measure your life in love! Seasons of love, seasons of love."
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Dear thesis...
Dear thesis,
I should just come out and say that ours is going to be a love-hate relationship. So that I feel more love for you and not disposed to hate every fiber of your being, let's agree to a few simple things:
1. Accept that teaching Russian through fairy tales is an awesome topic that needs no further modification and structure my overall argument for me.
2. Write a review of all the relevant literature on folklore and teaching methodology, as well as an annotated bibliography.
3. Having done all the preliminary research and analysis, you are now ready to write a first draft no later than the end of June.
Yes, my love for you is conditional, but fulfillment of said conditions will prove your steadfast love for me, which I in turn will be only too glad to reciprocate. I'm not being picky, I'm just saying it's going to take some time to trust you. Once I can be sure of your intentions, which I trust are noble, then I can move from frustration and rage to begrudging tolerance.
Love,
Jon
I should just come out and say that ours is going to be a love-hate relationship. So that I feel more love for you and not disposed to hate every fiber of your being, let's agree to a few simple things:
1. Accept that teaching Russian through fairy tales is an awesome topic that needs no further modification and structure my overall argument for me.
2. Write a review of all the relevant literature on folklore and teaching methodology, as well as an annotated bibliography.
3. Having done all the preliminary research and analysis, you are now ready to write a first draft no later than the end of June.
Yes, my love for you is conditional, but fulfillment of said conditions will prove your steadfast love for me, which I in turn will be only too glad to reciprocate. I'm not being picky, I'm just saying it's going to take some time to trust you. Once I can be sure of your intentions, which I trust are noble, then I can move from frustration and rage to begrudging tolerance.
Love,
Jon
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Priroda - eto klassno!
Hello to everyone out there! As I write this, I cannot help but be totally "shokirovan" that it's already October and I've been in Moscow for a month already. True, it's a little sad that I'm going to miss fall foliage in New England, and the Sox kicking Anaheim's ass AGAIN, but life is good. And God is good...all the time. All the time...God is good.
It's also good to be back blogging away after taking a bit of a break from the internet. Yesterday I decided to get out of the city for the day and take the commuter train (electrichka) up to Dmitrov, which is a beautiful little community, even though it now takes me 2.5 hours just to get there. I stayed and walked around the Dmitrovsky Kremlin. I probably would have stayed longer, but Mother Nature wasn't quite so cooperative. Anyway, now that I live in the southern part of Moscow, I intend to search out other prigoroda so I can take day trips that don't require quite so much travel. Today, on the other hand, the weather was gorgeous, albeit chilly. I took the metro to Kolomenskoye, which is a lovely park/museum along the Moscow River. The best things in life are free, so the saying goes, and one cannot argue with that. There really is something to be said for just walking around and enjoying nature. I saw a lot of couples out and about and even a couple of newlyweds...in Russia it is traditional for married couples to walk around the city, I've seen quite a few in my time in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Speaking of St. Petersburg, I am long overdue for a visit...maybe see a ballet, be amazed by the beauty within...;) That shall have to happen soon. Getting back to Kolomenskoye, I spent a good two hours walking around and reading (yes I am that guy who spends his Saturdays doing homework) and thanking God for keeping me safe as well as His glorious creation. Hallelujah! :D
What lies on the horizon for me in the near future? Well, Monday I have my first test in Stylistics (eek!), for which I need to choose and read an article on fairy tales, which I will later use for my research. We've been studying how to write annotatsi, referaty and various plans (summarizing/outlining of texts) and we have to do all that using the article we choose. It's a little overwhelming, but I think I can do it, and it's almost certainly required later on for the other books and articles we use. Apart from that, I need to give my Bach presentation on Thursday, seeing as though class was cancelled last week (gotta love Russian universities!) Hopefully I will be able to make it to St. Petersburg, this will require some planning in advance, so maybe sometime in November I will get to go. Let's just say I have an extra incentive to see the city where I celebrated my 21st birthday drinking apple juice through a straw and attending a really sketchy museum.
That's all for now. Poka iz Moskvy! Love you guys! :) Miss you mucho!
It's also good to be back blogging away after taking a bit of a break from the internet. Yesterday I decided to get out of the city for the day and take the commuter train (electrichka) up to Dmitrov, which is a beautiful little community, even though it now takes me 2.5 hours just to get there. I stayed and walked around the Dmitrovsky Kremlin. I probably would have stayed longer, but Mother Nature wasn't quite so cooperative. Anyway, now that I live in the southern part of Moscow, I intend to search out other prigoroda so I can take day trips that don't require quite so much travel. Today, on the other hand, the weather was gorgeous, albeit chilly. I took the metro to Kolomenskoye, which is a lovely park/museum along the Moscow River. The best things in life are free, so the saying goes, and one cannot argue with that. There really is something to be said for just walking around and enjoying nature. I saw a lot of couples out and about and even a couple of newlyweds...in Russia it is traditional for married couples to walk around the city, I've seen quite a few in my time in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Speaking of St. Petersburg, I am long overdue for a visit...maybe see a ballet, be amazed by the beauty within...;) That shall have to happen soon. Getting back to Kolomenskoye, I spent a good two hours walking around and reading (yes I am that guy who spends his Saturdays doing homework) and thanking God for keeping me safe as well as His glorious creation. Hallelujah! :D
What lies on the horizon for me in the near future? Well, Monday I have my first test in Stylistics (eek!), for which I need to choose and read an article on fairy tales, which I will later use for my research. We've been studying how to write annotatsi, referaty and various plans (summarizing/outlining of texts) and we have to do all that using the article we choose. It's a little overwhelming, but I think I can do it, and it's almost certainly required later on for the other books and articles we use. Apart from that, I need to give my Bach presentation on Thursday, seeing as though class was cancelled last week (gotta love Russian universities!) Hopefully I will be able to make it to St. Petersburg, this will require some planning in advance, so maybe sometime in November I will get to go. Let's just say I have an extra incentive to see the city where I celebrated my 21st birthday drinking apple juice through a straw and attending a really sketchy museum.
That's all for now. Poka iz Moskvy! Love you guys! :) Miss you mucho!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
It's as if I never left...
As September comes to a close, I find myself for some reason struggling to begin this blog. Maybe it's because I have nothing to say? That can't be it. I may be reticent, but that's not the smae thing. Anyways my voice has always shone through more in writing, you all know that as well as the next bloke. (Yes, British English has engulfed me, next thing you know I'll be saying chips and biscuits in lieu of fries and cookies and getting excited about rugby, of which, incidentally, I confess an embarrassing ignorance. Could it be due to the very mild but still present hangover that awaited me after a wild and crazy night for a wild and crazy man who can't be tamed? (You had to be there, that's all I can say with regards to last night's goings-on, lol). Anyway, whatever the reason, I'm having some trouble thinking of a theme for this blog, so I'm going to just save myself the trouble and not write one.
Some of you may be wondering why I changed my name on Facebook to Ivan Durak. Some of you may disapprove, some of you might appreciate the reference, but I suspect most of you are confused. "Why the hell would he change his name? What's wrong with Jon? Has he become a communist????" Don't worry, for some of you gloomy gussies who don't approve, I'm "changing" my name back to Jon. I just thought that because Ivan Durak or Ivan the Fool is a reoccuring character, kind of a simpleton, treated as such by his brothers, but very kind and a recipient of mystical gifts/powers to help him with the tasks he is asked to perform and ends up marrying a princess at the end, and that because I'm writing my thesis on fairy tales, it might be fun to experiment a bit, joke around on facebook. But I myself have already gotten bored with the idea. Maybe I'll return to it later on, but for now I'll stick to Jonathan. which means "gift from God." Who can argue with that, after all?! (A verbal lashing awaits them who try, muahahaha) Certainly beats being Benjamin...this, of course, is another story for another time.
Choir, I can foresee, is going to get progressively more amusing with each rehearsal. Here's why:
You have all the parts not to make more papers in your hands or to make it look more important!
Save the men...don't breathe!
Please, control!
As you can see, I've revived a long-favored tradition of writing down popular quotes. That's all I can remember now, as I don't have my music with me at the moment, but rest assured more will come. Spaciba, Sergei! :)
Not much else going on at the moment. Sydney, our MPC choir director (with a BRILLIANT voice) is leaving this week, so all my best for him as he begins his new post in the U.S. This means that you know who will, surprise surprise be holding his own as understatedly awesome tenor. 0:) Gotta prepare an oral report on Bach's Goldberg Variations for Thursday and write a referat for Monday (booo). Definitely enjoy singing in the three (or several dozen, as some would have you believe, they who are exaggeration prone) choirs, all of which, funny enough meet at St. Andrew's, which really has become my home away from home here in Moscow.
Lots of time for merry music-making + crazy evenings with friends = one hell of a good September. Here's to more of the same, and the hope that in the very short future a very special friend will come to Moscow...yes, ever the optimist, have always been and always will be, no matter what. I've recently discovered that it does no good to mope and hold grudges, it's always better to forgive, to remember the good times and to move on. Tomorrow is a new day, a clean slate. Tomorrow is also a day for singing and praising the Lord. Hallelujah! With that said, I shall take my leave and quit this cafe forthwith.
Thanks to everyone for reading the blog. Keep posting your thoughts, memories of good times we've shared and will share, and ideas for future blogs. Love you and miss you all!!! Looking forward to a few weeks of relaxtion and adventures back in the homeland this winter, but for now, just keep swimming! Duuuuude.
Cheers,
Jon :)
Some of you may be wondering why I changed my name on Facebook to Ivan Durak. Some of you may disapprove, some of you might appreciate the reference, but I suspect most of you are confused. "Why the hell would he change his name? What's wrong with Jon? Has he become a communist????" Don't worry, for some of you gloomy gussies who don't approve, I'm "changing" my name back to Jon. I just thought that because Ivan Durak or Ivan the Fool is a reoccuring character, kind of a simpleton, treated as such by his brothers, but very kind and a recipient of mystical gifts/powers to help him with the tasks he is asked to perform and ends up marrying a princess at the end, and that because I'm writing my thesis on fairy tales, it might be fun to experiment a bit, joke around on facebook. But I myself have already gotten bored with the idea. Maybe I'll return to it later on, but for now I'll stick to Jonathan. which means "gift from God." Who can argue with that, after all?! (A verbal lashing awaits them who try, muahahaha) Certainly beats being Benjamin...this, of course, is another story for another time.
Choir, I can foresee, is going to get progressively more amusing with each rehearsal. Here's why:
You have all the parts not to make more papers in your hands or to make it look more important!
Save the men...don't breathe!
Please, control!
As you can see, I've revived a long-favored tradition of writing down popular quotes. That's all I can remember now, as I don't have my music with me at the moment, but rest assured more will come. Spaciba, Sergei! :)
Not much else going on at the moment. Sydney, our MPC choir director (with a BRILLIANT voice) is leaving this week, so all my best for him as he begins his new post in the U.S. This means that you know who will, surprise surprise be holding his own as understatedly awesome tenor. 0:) Gotta prepare an oral report on Bach's Goldberg Variations for Thursday and write a referat for Monday (booo). Definitely enjoy singing in the three (or several dozen, as some would have you believe, they who are exaggeration prone) choirs, all of which, funny enough meet at St. Andrew's, which really has become my home away from home here in Moscow.
Lots of time for merry music-making + crazy evenings with friends = one hell of a good September. Here's to more of the same, and the hope that in the very short future a very special friend will come to Moscow...yes, ever the optimist, have always been and always will be, no matter what. I've recently discovered that it does no good to mope and hold grudges, it's always better to forgive, to remember the good times and to move on. Tomorrow is a new day, a clean slate. Tomorrow is also a day for singing and praising the Lord. Hallelujah! With that said, I shall take my leave and quit this cafe forthwith.
Thanks to everyone for reading the blog. Keep posting your thoughts, memories of good times we've shared and will share, and ideas for future blogs. Love you and miss you all!!! Looking forward to a few weeks of relaxtion and adventures back in the homeland this winter, but for now, just keep swimming! Duuuuude.
Cheers,
Jon :)
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Mainstreaming it up...
A pleasant day to you all! Hope life finds you all in great health and spirits this fine Saturday afternoon (or morning for most of you)!
Thursday was the busiest day I've had since I've arrived and taken care of organizational issues related to registering my passport/changing my visa. In the morning I had Stylistics and learned how to basically take a complicated text and summarize it in the form of a tezisny plan. After class I had a bit of a break and then sat down for my long-awaited mainstream class, ictoria muzikal'ny kul'tury Evropy, or to put it simply, Music History. It will be a difficult class in the sense that I'll need to pay particular attention to the professor, and even then I should accept that I won't understand everything, assuming she'll be speaking at a typical pace for a Russian native speaker, in other words, ridiculously fast. The good news is I'm already familiar with most of the music we'll be covering in the course, thanks to the camaraderie and long-suffering students of History of Western Music who had to endure a year of stress prepping for listening exams and writing down the dates to basically every single composer who ever existed, lol. The sad news (from my point of view) is that here we started with the rise of opera in the 17th century, thus skipping out on the medieval period (which on the whole I"m not in the least bit sorry about), and the Renaissance as well...including Josquin and Italian and English madrigals...clearly an epic fail. :((( Oh well, we did listen to Dido's "When I am laid down" aria so that was cool, though it would have been cooler to listen to the chorus after.
After class, which ended early, I got ready for the special elective course I signed up for, devoted exclusively to Russian fairy tales (skazki), which not only excites me for the very reason that I'm writing my MA thesis about them (primarily, if not exclusively from a pedagogical point of view), as well as for the fact that I can directly use the text that was given to us as one of my secondary source materials, but for the sheer fact that we get to read fairy tales, learn about Russian traditions and mentality, and naturally, watch representations of fairy tales on screen, from some of Russia's most talented animators and directors. Both of these classes meet one after the other on Thursdays, and that combined with my morning class in Stylistics makes for a very hectic, but informative and all around enjoyable day.
Monday begins our history class, which means that finally my schedule will fall into place. I should mention that each class in Russia is one para in length, or 90 minutes (two 45 minute segments) Two classes on Monday (10:30 and 2:00), one on Tuesdays at 10:30 but I haz choir Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:30, and Thursdays I have class at 10:00, and then from 2:00-5:15, with a short break after Music History). The upside is that Wednesdays and Fridays I don't have class, but I'm sure I'll be using wednesdays for meetings/reading/research. The downside is I'll have to do homework for the weekend on Fridays and Saturdays since I"m in church all day on Sundays and don't want to do homework after a full but awesome day of singing and praising God. Looking forward to the history class, and hoping that it doesn't require a tremendous amount of reading and writing. The music history class doesn't seem to require a lot of work, except for presentations when the class begins to be conducted as a seminar (a lot of Russian classes are conducted as lectures, as seminars, or lecture/seminars), and an oral final, which I'm already terrified about. That being said, I'm going take time for myself, enjoy choir and church, keep up the blog and hopefully talk to friends and family. I seem to have a very long break, so I will almost certainly be coming home (the second semester doesn't start until February), but exams run into January, so I"m hoping that I can take my final early. Even if I can't make it home for Christmas, I will definitely plan on being home for a few weeks, but I won't know more until well into the semester, so stay tuned for upcoming information about that. Meanwhile, I think a nice hot meal, shower and warm bed all await me (I'm feeling rather tired today, so it looks like I'll be having an early night, especially as I need to be up early for church). Talk soon moi druz'ya!!!! Love you guys! Peace out!
Thursday was the busiest day I've had since I've arrived and taken care of organizational issues related to registering my passport/changing my visa. In the morning I had Stylistics and learned how to basically take a complicated text and summarize it in the form of a tezisny plan. After class I had a bit of a break and then sat down for my long-awaited mainstream class, ictoria muzikal'ny kul'tury Evropy, or to put it simply, Music History. It will be a difficult class in the sense that I'll need to pay particular attention to the professor, and even then I should accept that I won't understand everything, assuming she'll be speaking at a typical pace for a Russian native speaker, in other words, ridiculously fast. The good news is I'm already familiar with most of the music we'll be covering in the course, thanks to the camaraderie and long-suffering students of History of Western Music who had to endure a year of stress prepping for listening exams and writing down the dates to basically every single composer who ever existed, lol. The sad news (from my point of view) is that here we started with the rise of opera in the 17th century, thus skipping out on the medieval period (which on the whole I"m not in the least bit sorry about), and the Renaissance as well...including Josquin and Italian and English madrigals...clearly an epic fail. :((( Oh well, we did listen to Dido's "When I am laid down" aria so that was cool, though it would have been cooler to listen to the chorus after.
After class, which ended early, I got ready for the special elective course I signed up for, devoted exclusively to Russian fairy tales (skazki), which not only excites me for the very reason that I'm writing my MA thesis about them (primarily, if not exclusively from a pedagogical point of view), as well as for the fact that I can directly use the text that was given to us as one of my secondary source materials, but for the sheer fact that we get to read fairy tales, learn about Russian traditions and mentality, and naturally, watch representations of fairy tales on screen, from some of Russia's most talented animators and directors. Both of these classes meet one after the other on Thursdays, and that combined with my morning class in Stylistics makes for a very hectic, but informative and all around enjoyable day.
Monday begins our history class, which means that finally my schedule will fall into place. I should mention that each class in Russia is one para in length, or 90 minutes (two 45 minute segments) Two classes on Monday (10:30 and 2:00), one on Tuesdays at 10:30 but I haz choir Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:30, and Thursdays I have class at 10:00, and then from 2:00-5:15, with a short break after Music History). The upside is that Wednesdays and Fridays I don't have class, but I'm sure I'll be using wednesdays for meetings/reading/research. The downside is I'll have to do homework for the weekend on Fridays and Saturdays since I"m in church all day on Sundays and don't want to do homework after a full but awesome day of singing and praising God. Looking forward to the history class, and hoping that it doesn't require a tremendous amount of reading and writing. The music history class doesn't seem to require a lot of work, except for presentations when the class begins to be conducted as a seminar (a lot of Russian classes are conducted as lectures, as seminars, or lecture/seminars), and an oral final, which I'm already terrified about. That being said, I'm going take time for myself, enjoy choir and church, keep up the blog and hopefully talk to friends and family. I seem to have a very long break, so I will almost certainly be coming home (the second semester doesn't start until February), but exams run into January, so I"m hoping that I can take my final early. Even if I can't make it home for Christmas, I will definitely plan on being home for a few weeks, but I won't know more until well into the semester, so stay tuned for upcoming information about that. Meanwhile, I think a nice hot meal, shower and warm bed all await me (I'm feeling rather tired today, so it looks like I'll be having an early night, especially as I need to be up early for church). Talk soon moi druz'ya!!!! Love you guys! Peace out!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
choir + fairy tales = happy Jon :)
Hey guys! Well, I must still be in stage one of culture shock, as I haven't yet been completely frustrated by Russian life yet. Granted I've only been here a couple of weeks, but having already lived in Moscow for seven months, I'm already pretty used to the hectic pace of life in a huge metropolis.
Latest news on the homefront: I've been recruited to join the Moscow International Choir, rehearsals for which began last night. Our conductor's name is Sergei, and well, let's just say, he's...enthusiastic. I always enjoy working with conductors who are passionate but also encouraging of all choristers. Once again, tenors are famously underrepresented, and two of whom are female. That brings our staggering section up to 5. Then again, being quite accustomed to frequently singing tenor alone, 5 seems like 50. Anyways, we're singing Vivaldi's Magnificat, which is beautiful, but of course quite difficult (thank you, Baroque composers, for writing spectacular but super complex vocal music), you know, being VIVALDI. I am quite excited, despite the ridiculous amount of tritones (DIABOLUS IN MUSICA!!!!! Music majors will get this reference, lol). We're also doing Christmas music, and I hear talk of excerpts from the Messiah as well, even though it would make more sense to sing it at Easter, despite its being performed at Christmas more and more often. Rehearsals are every Tuesday evening at the church, at which I also sing twice every Sunday. Apparently I'm also going to be singing at Catholic and Orthodox churches throughout the city (NB: this is NOT true, people like to exaggerate, even though it would be cool to sing with a Catholic church again...:))
That's the major news I have to report. On the academic front, I met with my research advisor on Monday to discuss my thesis ideas, and while he encouraged me to broaden the scope of the paper and focus more on how fairy tales portray Russian culture, I am determined to stick to a pedagogical approach. The thesis only needs to be about 25-40 pages, so I am sure I can cover that in a paper, possibly touching on culture, but obviously focusing more on grammar/teaching. I found some useful textbooks on teaching Russian as a foreign language and using fairy tales in the classroom, so they will make interesting and highly useful secondary materials. ONe thing I will need to determine is what kinds of fairly tales to use: folk tales or fairy tales as literature (Chukovsky, Barto, etc..)Tomorrow I'm going to be listening to a spetkurs (special course) on fairy tales, which will have a great influence on my research, plus reading fairy tales are just plain fun. :)
Less fun is trying to find a mainstream course but I'm going to try again tomorrow afternoon. After stylistics in the morning, there should be a lecture on Eurpoean musical culture (basically Music History, only in Russian, of course). Hopefully it won't be cancelled again. I also found out that my Russian history class starts next week, first class Monday morning at 10:30. The earliest class I have is at 10 on Thursdays, my other classes (apart from history) meet in the afternoon. I also don't have class on Fridays. :))) Pretty good life, you may think, just wait until rehearsals and research take up all my valuable As Time Goes By time (I've been obsessed with watching that series) of late. For fans of British comedy I highly recommend it, starring the legendary Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer.
That should be all for this week. I got home late from rehearsal last night, having went out to dinner with some friends from choir, so an early night is in order this evening, all the more so because I have to leave my flat at 9 to make it to the university in time for Stylistics. Woot. Peace out, everyone! ;) Drop me a line sometime!!!
Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to write down quotes from rehearsal last night, but I foresee many great Sergei quotes, lol. So I will close with my all-time favorite...
"You're taking the train to Russia?" Now four years old, but still as fresh now as it was when I first read that IM...:)))
Latest news on the homefront: I've been recruited to join the Moscow International Choir, rehearsals for which began last night. Our conductor's name is Sergei, and well, let's just say, he's...enthusiastic. I always enjoy working with conductors who are passionate but also encouraging of all choristers. Once again, tenors are famously underrepresented, and two of whom are female. That brings our staggering section up to 5. Then again, being quite accustomed to frequently singing tenor alone, 5 seems like 50. Anyways, we're singing Vivaldi's Magnificat, which is beautiful, but of course quite difficult (thank you, Baroque composers, for writing spectacular but super complex vocal music), you know, being VIVALDI. I am quite excited, despite the ridiculous amount of tritones (DIABOLUS IN MUSICA!!!!! Music majors will get this reference, lol). We're also doing Christmas music, and I hear talk of excerpts from the Messiah as well, even though it would make more sense to sing it at Easter, despite its being performed at Christmas more and more often. Rehearsals are every Tuesday evening at the church, at which I also sing twice every Sunday. Apparently I'm also going to be singing at Catholic and Orthodox churches throughout the city (NB: this is NOT true, people like to exaggerate, even though it would be cool to sing with a Catholic church again...:))
That's the major news I have to report. On the academic front, I met with my research advisor on Monday to discuss my thesis ideas, and while he encouraged me to broaden the scope of the paper and focus more on how fairy tales portray Russian culture, I am determined to stick to a pedagogical approach. The thesis only needs to be about 25-40 pages, so I am sure I can cover that in a paper, possibly touching on culture, but obviously focusing more on grammar/teaching. I found some useful textbooks on teaching Russian as a foreign language and using fairy tales in the classroom, so they will make interesting and highly useful secondary materials. ONe thing I will need to determine is what kinds of fairly tales to use: folk tales or fairy tales as literature (Chukovsky, Barto, etc..)Tomorrow I'm going to be listening to a spetkurs (special course) on fairy tales, which will have a great influence on my research, plus reading fairy tales are just plain fun. :)
Less fun is trying to find a mainstream course but I'm going to try again tomorrow afternoon. After stylistics in the morning, there should be a lecture on Eurpoean musical culture (basically Music History, only in Russian, of course). Hopefully it won't be cancelled again. I also found out that my Russian history class starts next week, first class Monday morning at 10:30. The earliest class I have is at 10 on Thursdays, my other classes (apart from history) meet in the afternoon. I also don't have class on Fridays. :))) Pretty good life, you may think, just wait until rehearsals and research take up all my valuable As Time Goes By time (I've been obsessed with watching that series) of late. For fans of British comedy I highly recommend it, starring the legendary Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer.
That should be all for this week. I got home late from rehearsal last night, having went out to dinner with some friends from choir, so an early night is in order this evening, all the more so because I have to leave my flat at 9 to make it to the university in time for Stylistics. Woot. Peace out, everyone! ;) Drop me a line sometime!!!
Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to write down quotes from rehearsal last night, but I foresee many great Sergei quotes, lol. So I will close with my all-time favorite...
"You're taking the train to Russia?" Now four years old, but still as fresh now as it was when I first read that IM...:)))
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Arrival and first weekend
Привет, весёлый народ! Greetings from the Motherland! I have arrived in Moscow safe, sound, and ready to begin my academic year abroad at the Russian State School for the Humanities, or RGGU for short (Russians have a ridiculous love affair with abbreviations.). I flew into Moscow after a smooth flight from Boston to London, during which I FINALLY saw, and thoroughly enjoyed, the Dark Knight as well as a film I watched during my freshman year and on which I wrote several drafts of a paper, From Here to Eternity (which I strongly recommend) on Thursday afternoon, and made it to the hotel where I met with the other Middlebury students for orientation. Friday I traveled to my host family. I am living near the University metro station on the red line. The university is in the center of the city, conveniently right on Chayanova street, right next to the central office of Language Link where I worked the last time I was in moscow. My host mom is very nice; her name is Ludmila Alexeevna Grachova, but I call her Luda for short. She has a dog named Platon, but he is perfectly tame. I think he might be one of two dogs that I've met for whom I don't hold an irrational hatred. She showed me how to get to the metro and, naturally, is quite a good cook. I think we will get along well. She has a son about my age, but I haven't met him yet.
Tomorrow morning I will have testing and my passport registered, and then Tuesday classes start. I am taking Stylistics and History with Liza, the other grad student, but then we have to register for one mainstream class this semester, which we take with other Russian students. It's kind of a hassle to track down a class I want to take and get the professor to sign a form allowing me to take the class and have it count for a grade. Some possible classes I'm interested include History of Russian musical cuture and a master class on singing.
Speaking of singing, I returned to church this morning and afternoon to sing at the 11 and 3 o'clock services. Sydney, the director of the afternoon service was particularly glad to see me and complimented me on my voice, saying that I added professionalism to our humble choir. Spasibo, Sydney! :) I was also recruited to join the Moscow International Choir, which meets at St. Andrew's, the church I attend twice every Sunday. (Note the constant use of clauses beginning with which, I am clearly thinking in Russian while writing in English, lol. Russian speakers should understand this grammatical reference, to everybody else I apologize for this compl;etely random digretion.) This time, I won't be working in the evenings so I should be able to sing. The choir meets Tuesday evenings from 7-9:30, and as far as I know I won't have any evening classes on Tuesdays. But I won't know my schedule until tomorrow, at least for my Middlebury classes. The mainstream class I won't know for a while, but I have plenty of time to decide, which is nice.
So with classes and choir starting this week, I have a lot to look forward to. I should be able to make new friends as well as reconnect with old friends I made. I'm going to see my old housemate this week, and sometime soon I need to take a trip to Dolgoprudny to see John and the crew at the Link. For now, just keep swimming. Have a great academic year for those in school. Mom and Dad, have a FANTASTIC time in China! I want to see lots of pics! For my part I'll post lots of pics of my new flat! :) Love you guys! Keep writing and I'll talk to you soon!
"Never give up. Never surrender." The immortal words of Jason Nesbit from Galaxy Quest
Не имей сто рублей, а сто друзей. Русская пословица (Better to have a hundred friends than a hundred rubles. Russian proverb)
"Remember all the love we shared today." (Josh Groban, "Awake")
Tomorrow morning I will have testing and my passport registered, and then Tuesday classes start. I am taking Stylistics and History with Liza, the other grad student, but then we have to register for one mainstream class this semester, which we take with other Russian students. It's kind of a hassle to track down a class I want to take and get the professor to sign a form allowing me to take the class and have it count for a grade. Some possible classes I'm interested include History of Russian musical cuture and a master class on singing.
Speaking of singing, I returned to church this morning and afternoon to sing at the 11 and 3 o'clock services. Sydney, the director of the afternoon service was particularly glad to see me and complimented me on my voice, saying that I added professionalism to our humble choir. Spasibo, Sydney! :) I was also recruited to join the Moscow International Choir, which meets at St. Andrew's, the church I attend twice every Sunday. (Note the constant use of clauses beginning with which, I am clearly thinking in Russian while writing in English, lol. Russian speakers should understand this grammatical reference, to everybody else I apologize for this compl;etely random digretion.) This time, I won't be working in the evenings so I should be able to sing. The choir meets Tuesday evenings from 7-9:30, and as far as I know I won't have any evening classes on Tuesdays. But I won't know my schedule until tomorrow, at least for my Middlebury classes. The mainstream class I won't know for a while, but I have plenty of time to decide, which is nice.
So with classes and choir starting this week, I have a lot to look forward to. I should be able to make new friends as well as reconnect with old friends I made. I'm going to see my old housemate this week, and sometime soon I need to take a trip to Dolgoprudny to see John and the crew at the Link. For now, just keep swimming. Have a great academic year for those in school. Mom and Dad, have a FANTASTIC time in China! I want to see lots of pics! For my part I'll post lots of pics of my new flat! :) Love you guys! Keep writing and I'll talk to you soon!
"Never give up. Never surrender." The immortal words of Jason Nesbit from Galaxy Quest
Не имей сто рублей, а сто друзей. Русская пословица (Better to have a hundred friends than a hundred rubles. Russian proverb)
"Remember all the love we shared today." (Josh Groban, "Awake")
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Time to say goodbye...
Today's the big day. Off to Russia again. To study abroad again. My suitcases are packed, I've got my copy of Thornton Wilder's Our Town to keep me occupied on the plane along with whatever movies British Airways will be showing. My suitcases are waiting by the door, not to be hated by British Airways, as the voice-over guy from Southwest Airlines commercials claims about other airlines ("Why do they hate your bags?") While I didn't get to see all my friends or family since I"ve been home from Middlebury, I did get to the Cape for a couple of days, even if it did rain the entire time and even if I sneezed all weekend due to stupid ragweed pollen.
As always, I get wicked nervous before a big trip. In Russian culture, it is common to sit with/on your suitcases before a journey. Maybe if I do that it will ease some of my fears for this year abroad. Will my family (or roommate) like me? Will I understand what the professor is saying in class (Part of my curriculum entails taking classes for credit with Russian students)? Will I be able to come home for Christmas? I really hope things go well. I leave it to God to guide me and protect me while I'm the Motherland and keep me strong.
Like I said before, my major academic goals are: 1) to improve my vocabulary by maintaining a vocabulary journal (or at least write down important words/structures that I'll need, and 2) write a draft/chapter of my thesis. Ambitious, perhaps, but doable if I keep my eyes on the prize...the MA degree which I"ll receive next summer.
It's so hard to leave the comforts of family, American food, Red Sox baseball, but I know it'll make me stronger and more independent. Thankfully now like half my family is on facebook and I have skype so keeping in touch won't be a problem at all. Still, it's always hard to say goodbye and face an uncertain future alone. But I'm not really alone, at least not in spirit. And being the optimist that I am, I fully believe that this year is going to be incredible. My Russian is only going to improve, I'll be able to meet up with my friends and make new ones. My life is certainly hectic now, and there is definitely something to be said for routines, for comfort, for living in a small New England town. But there is also something to be said for the excitement of a big city, the wide availability of public transportation and still being able to find enjoyment in going to church and singing with a choir. That being said, I am also bringing my score of Handel's Messiah, because I hear tell that we might be singing it this season. So there's a lot to look forward to and while I will be very sad to say goodbye to Mom and Dad, whom I love very very very much, I'm looking forward to beginning this new journey...
“Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.” (Phantom of the Opera)
As always, I get wicked nervous before a big trip. In Russian culture, it is common to sit with/on your suitcases before a journey. Maybe if I do that it will ease some of my fears for this year abroad. Will my family (or roommate) like me? Will I understand what the professor is saying in class (Part of my curriculum entails taking classes for credit with Russian students)? Will I be able to come home for Christmas? I really hope things go well. I leave it to God to guide me and protect me while I'm the Motherland and keep me strong.
Like I said before, my major academic goals are: 1) to improve my vocabulary by maintaining a vocabulary journal (or at least write down important words/structures that I'll need, and 2) write a draft/chapter of my thesis. Ambitious, perhaps, but doable if I keep my eyes on the prize...the MA degree which I"ll receive next summer.
It's so hard to leave the comforts of family, American food, Red Sox baseball, but I know it'll make me stronger and more independent. Thankfully now like half my family is on facebook and I have skype so keeping in touch won't be a problem at all. Still, it's always hard to say goodbye and face an uncertain future alone. But I'm not really alone, at least not in spirit. And being the optimist that I am, I fully believe that this year is going to be incredible. My Russian is only going to improve, I'll be able to meet up with my friends and make new ones. My life is certainly hectic now, and there is definitely something to be said for routines, for comfort, for living in a small New England town. But there is also something to be said for the excitement of a big city, the wide availability of public transportation and still being able to find enjoyment in going to church and singing with a choir. That being said, I am also bringing my score of Handel's Messiah, because I hear tell that we might be singing it this season. So there's a lot to look forward to and while I will be very sad to say goodbye to Mom and Dad, whom I love very very very much, I'm looking forward to beginning this new journey...
“Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.” (Phantom of the Opera)
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalm 118:24 (www.spiritsong.com/quotes)
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (www.spiritsong.com/quotes)
"It's a magical world, Hobbes, Ol' Buddy...let's go exploring!"
Calvin's last words,12/31/95 (Calvin & Hobbes) (www.spiritsong.com/quotes)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
LOL OMG TTYL BFFL and all that jazz...
Just in case you needed a laugh...here is a collection of seemingly random references. Some of them are taken from my larger collection of quotes, others haven't been written but are so funny that I can't possibly forget them. They will be shown here for your pleasure. :)
1. Zoltan.
2. Robert's strong NO!
3. Purple pants!
4. You're taking the train to 'Russia?
5. He's the only one who can pull off wearing an orange suit.
6. Baltimore will never rise above mediocrity.
7. El Fatso.
8. A typical wiffleball game between me and Andrew involves scoring no less than 50 runs.
9. Mom, Dad and I watching a game between the Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays: "Who's TOR?"
10. Flamngo kumquats!
11. Chiicken!
12. HAM!!!!!
13. The binder...Dif as dispenser of justice, loved by many, feared by few, respected by all
14. The quote book from the infamous choir tour
15.Calling my poly sci professor a bastard only to run into him a split second later...oops
16. lunches at U-Burger and many many hours planning TEFL lessons
17. Oh David...
18. MICHAEL!!!!
19. "Hey guys, where should we have the party tonight?" "Jon..." *sigh*
20. Siberia! Oh wait...Serbia.
21. You're forcin' it!
These are just a few priceless memories I felt like sharing. Please feel free to add your own. I could use a good laugh this week as I get ready for Russia: Return of the Comrade. ;)
1. Zoltan.
2. Robert's strong NO!
3. Purple pants!
4. You're taking the train to 'Russia?
5. He's the only one who can pull off wearing an orange suit.
6. Baltimore will never rise above mediocrity.
7. El Fatso.
8. A typical wiffleball game between me and Andrew involves scoring no less than 50 runs.
9. Mom, Dad and I watching a game between the Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays: "Who's TOR?"
10. Flamngo kumquats!
11. Chiicken!
12. HAM!!!!!
13. The binder...Dif as dispenser of justice, loved by many, feared by few, respected by all
14. The quote book from the infamous choir tour
15.Calling my poly sci professor a bastard only to run into him a split second later...oops
16. lunches at U-Burger and many many hours planning TEFL lessons
17. Oh David...
18. MICHAEL!!!!
19. "Hey guys, where should we have the party tonight?" "Jon..." *sigh*
20. Siberia! Oh wait...Serbia.
21. You're forcin' it!
These are just a few priceless memories I felt like sharing. Please feel free to add your own. I could use a good laugh this week as I get ready for Russia: Return of the Comrade. ;)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
R.I.P Teddy...
Not having known Senator Kennedy, I cannot (unfortunately) share any personal memories of him. But having grown up a Democrat in Massachusetts, and watching him on the news and hearing the wonderful stories about him in the memorial and funeral, I can say with full certainty that he has shown that politics can and must transcend party lines. He has done a great deal for his state and his country through his work in the Senate. He has touched so many people. It is unfortunate, therefore, when people complain about there being no other "news" or otherwise disrespect him. Yes, we have freedom of speech, but it is an insult to his memory and to his family to denigrate him during these difficult times. Whether or not you agree with his politics or character, now is not the time for hurtful comments, but for prayer and reflection.
I was riding down to the Cape today when I heard the funeral mass on the radio and was incredibly touched by the stories, the music. This has been a very sad week for America and for the world. But in celebrating Teddy's life, we must remember that there is still a lot of work to be done. Health care reform is one of the most important issues of our time. We must put aside petty negative ads, shun personal attacks on the President and instead work together to give access to health care to all Americans. God bless you, Senator Kennedy, and may the work which you started realize its fruition.
I was riding down to the Cape today when I heard the funeral mass on the radio and was incredibly touched by the stories, the music. This has been a very sad week for America and for the world. But in celebrating Teddy's life, we must remember that there is still a lot of work to be done. Health care reform is one of the most important issues of our time. We must put aside petty negative ads, shun personal attacks on the President and instead work together to give access to health care to all Americans. God bless you, Senator Kennedy, and may the work which you started realize its fruition.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Joining the blogging craze
Hey folks! Following the recommendation of a friend, and knowing how much I love to write, I have decided to write a blog. As most of you know, I'm going to Russia next week to study abroad, live with a host family and begin research and writing my Master's thesis on the subject of teaching Russian through the medium of fairy tales. My idea is to read lots of skazki and try to find some common grammatical/syntactical structures and use them as a basis for teaching Russian. I think one idea might be to find examples of grammar for an introductory Russian class and then find more complex grammar that might be taught in a more advanced class. I'm sort of tossing ideas around, but I do want to combine grammar and pedagogy somehow since I want to teach Russian one day. My thesis probably won't be solidified until I start reading and writing, so I'm not too worried about it at the moment.
Anyways, in addition to my work inside the classroom I will be catching up with friends from Language Link, and continuning to maintain an active spiritual life by joining the choir at St. Andrew's and the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy (both groups meet at St. Andrew's). Even if I cannot play the piano as often as I might like, I will still be able to sing and pray, which for me is very important.
Before I wrap up, I want to recommend a powerful film that I posted on facebook. It's called "Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go" and focuses on a few children who go to the Mulberry Bush school in Oxford, England. It is a powerful, highly thought-provoking film which proves that truly dedicated teachers never give up on a student, no matter what. These teachers are particularly heroic, considering that some of these students are abused emotionally and physically and don't know how to properly channel their feelings other than violent responses. If you are involved in education, particularly early childhood, you must see this film. Here is the link, you can also find it on pbs.org.
In general you willl find me reflecting on education, on writing, on humor (and the neccesity of having a sense of humor) as well as other completely random topics. You may also find me quoting from poetry, literature, and other sources. I myself don't know where this blog will be going and don't expect to have any overarching themse, but hope that people will be curious to read about and respond to my reactions to the zagadochnaya russkaya dusha (mysterious Russian soul) and my life in Russia. I look forward to beginning another new phase of my lifelong journey to learn, to compose, to laugh, to cry, to eat lots of pel'meni and blini. I close with the wonderful poem by Robert Frost, which I think accurately describes my overall desire to study Russian and return for the third time to the Motherland...
Anyways, in addition to my work inside the classroom I will be catching up with friends from Language Link, and continuning to maintain an active spiritual life by joining the choir at St. Andrew's and the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy (both groups meet at St. Andrew's). Even if I cannot play the piano as often as I might like, I will still be able to sing and pray, which for me is very important.
Before I wrap up, I want to recommend a powerful film that I posted on facebook. It's called "Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go" and focuses on a few children who go to the Mulberry Bush school in Oxford, England. It is a powerful, highly thought-provoking film which proves that truly dedicated teachers never give up on a student, no matter what. These teachers are particularly heroic, considering that some of these students are abused emotionally and physically and don't know how to properly channel their feelings other than violent responses. If you are involved in education, particularly early childhood, you must see this film. Here is the link, you can also find it on pbs.org.
In general you willl find me reflecting on education, on writing, on humor (and the neccesity of having a sense of humor) as well as other completely random topics. You may also find me quoting from poetry, literature, and other sources. I myself don't know where this blog will be going and don't expect to have any overarching themse, but hope that people will be curious to read about and respond to my reactions to the zagadochnaya russkaya dusha (mysterious Russian soul) and my life in Russia. I look forward to beginning another new phase of my lifelong journey to learn, to compose, to laugh, to cry, to eat lots of pel'meni and blini. I close with the wonderful poem by Robert Frost, which I think accurately describes my overall desire to study Russian and return for the third time to the Motherland...
| 1. The Road Not Taken |
| TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, | |
| And sorry I could not travel both | |
| And be one traveler, long I stood | |
| And looked down one as far as I could | |
| To where it bent in the undergrowth; | 5 |
| Then took the other, as just as fair, | |
| And having perhaps the better claim, | |
| Because it was grassy and wanted wear; | |
| Though as for that the passing there | |
| Had worn them really about the same, | 10 |
| And both that morning equally lay | |
| In leaves no step had trodden black. | |
| Oh, I kept the first for another day! | |
| Yet knowing how way leads on to way, | |
| I doubted if I should ever come back. | 15 |
| I shall be telling this with a sigh | |
| Somewhere ages and ages hence: | |
| Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— | |
| I took the one less traveled by, | |
| And that has made all the difference. | 20 |
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