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| Helsinki |
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A Night at the Opera, Pt. 2
Again, I've been lax in my posting duties, but other than getting ready to leave, I've not been up to all that much.
Last Monday the country, and with it the University, returned from its two-week long winter holiday, and I dropped by the office of the not-quite-Dean to discuss my departure. I told him that things weren't working out as I'd hoped, and also that I had a bit of a medical issue that I needed to have taken care of in the States. I also mentioned that I didn't want a refund, with which he immediately took issue. "You mean you DO want a refund!" I explained that while I wouldn't object if they insisted on returning my money, I wasn't expecting it, wasn't going to fight for it, and certainly wasn't planning to make my departure contingent on it. He would hear none of it, and drew up a list of documents that I needed to get him by the end of the week so that I they could properly refund my unused tuition. This led to what felt like a week of madly dashing about, though looking back, the biggest hurdle was setting up a Russian bank account. My friend Peter helped me with that over the course of two nights, followed each night by several pints of fine local ale in a nearby cafe. It was, in fact, a thoroughly pleasant way to pass a couple of evenings. I also picked up my train ticket to Helsinki, and made the reservation for the plane trip back home. When it was all done, I dropped everything off with the university. If everything goes smoothly, I should have my money back at about the same time I leave.
The only other excitement has been a couple of trips to the Mariinsky Theatre--first for a performance of the Nutcracker, then for The Marriage of Figaro. The Theatre itself is stunningly beautiful. I've got some pictures, taken on the second trip, but none of them even begin to do it justice. Really, I don't know if you can understand without being there. There is so much gold leaf, so many reliefs and sculptures, the (I presume) frescos on the ceiling, the chandelier--it's overwhelming. Like the Hermitage, it's easy to imagine that you're in a fairy tale--to close your eyes and see the glittering lights of Tsarist society sitting in the same places 150 years ago.
As to the performances themselves, I'm afraid I have less to say. The Nutcracker, while beautiful, failed to move me in the way that Die Zauberflöte did. I know ballet is supposed to tell a story through dance, but in this case, the story seemed to consist of a series of excuses to have people within that story dance. The dancing was beautiful, and skillfully executed, though I lack a point of reference to say whether the performance was outstanding in the world of ballet.
The Marriage of Figaro was something of a disappointment as well, though I suspect that I may be chasing what I had at my first performance of Die Zauberflöte for a long, long time. As compared to that opera, Figaro was harder to follow, with more characters getting up to quite a bit of what I can only call operatic hijinks. (It's a comedy, after all.) There seemed to be less singing, and more recitativi--talky-singing with just a harpsichord for accompaniment. And none of the songs approached the "transcendent beauty" of even the least of the songs from Die Zauberflöte. At the end of the day, it was a learning experience--I'm still new to this opera thing, and I've got to figure out what I do and don't like. And it was something to do on a Monday night when I'd otherwise have just been sitting around my room, continuing my epic search for the End of the Internet.
This weekend, I'm going to drop by the station to make sure of where I need to board the train. Past that, I don't know--maybe lunch back at the Hunting Hut, for old times' sake, so to speak. Then it's just two more days of class, one day of getting ready, and I'm off to Finland. Can't come soon enough!
Last Monday the country, and with it the University, returned from its two-week long winter holiday, and I dropped by the office of the not-quite-Dean to discuss my departure. I told him that things weren't working out as I'd hoped, and also that I had a bit of a medical issue that I needed to have taken care of in the States. I also mentioned that I didn't want a refund, with which he immediately took issue. "You mean you DO want a refund!" I explained that while I wouldn't object if they insisted on returning my money, I wasn't expecting it, wasn't going to fight for it, and certainly wasn't planning to make my departure contingent on it. He would hear none of it, and drew up a list of documents that I needed to get him by the end of the week so that I they could properly refund my unused tuition. This led to what felt like a week of madly dashing about, though looking back, the biggest hurdle was setting up a Russian bank account. My friend Peter helped me with that over the course of two nights, followed each night by several pints of fine local ale in a nearby cafe. It was, in fact, a thoroughly pleasant way to pass a couple of evenings. I also picked up my train ticket to Helsinki, and made the reservation for the plane trip back home. When it was all done, I dropped everything off with the university. If everything goes smoothly, I should have my money back at about the same time I leave.
The only other excitement has been a couple of trips to the Mariinsky Theatre--first for a performance of the Nutcracker, then for The Marriage of Figaro. The Theatre itself is stunningly beautiful. I've got some pictures, taken on the second trip, but none of them even begin to do it justice. Really, I don't know if you can understand without being there. There is so much gold leaf, so many reliefs and sculptures, the (I presume) frescos on the ceiling, the chandelier--it's overwhelming. Like the Hermitage, it's easy to imagine that you're in a fairy tale--to close your eyes and see the glittering lights of Tsarist society sitting in the same places 150 years ago.
As to the performances themselves, I'm afraid I have less to say. The Nutcracker, while beautiful, failed to move me in the way that Die Zauberflöte did. I know ballet is supposed to tell a story through dance, but in this case, the story seemed to consist of a series of excuses to have people within that story dance. The dancing was beautiful, and skillfully executed, though I lack a point of reference to say whether the performance was outstanding in the world of ballet.
The Marriage of Figaro was something of a disappointment as well, though I suspect that I may be chasing what I had at my first performance of Die Zauberflöte for a long, long time. As compared to that opera, Figaro was harder to follow, with more characters getting up to quite a bit of what I can only call operatic hijinks. (It's a comedy, after all.) There seemed to be less singing, and more recitativi--talky-singing with just a harpsichord for accompaniment. And none of the songs approached the "transcendent beauty" of even the least of the songs from Die Zauberflöte. At the end of the day, it was a learning experience--I'm still new to this opera thing, and I've got to figure out what I do and don't like. And it was something to do on a Monday night when I'd otherwise have just been sitting around my room, continuing my epic search for the End of the Internet.
This weekend, I'm going to drop by the station to make sure of where I need to board the train. Past that, I don't know--maybe lunch back at the Hunting Hut, for old times' sake, so to speak. Then it's just two more days of class, one day of getting ready, and I'm off to Finland. Can't come soon enough!
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| Snow; the Mariinsky Theatre |
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Too lazy to describe these pictures in any real detail. They're mostly self explanatory anyway. The nighttime tree is behind St. Isaac's; the daytime one is in Palace Square, by the Hermitage. And the cat was at the Hermitage as well, playing with snowballs.
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| Peter at Night, New Year's Decorations, the Hermitage Cat! |
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Vodka and Decisions.
It's been a while since I've written here, for the fairly simple reason that there's just not been much to write about. Things settled into a remarkably dull routine of class and internet, with decent meals and maybe a museum on the weekends. Trust me, it'd be as dull for you to read as it was for me to live.
There's been a little bit of excitement lately, though, and a fairly momentous decision. First, the excitement. I don't know whether I've mentioned it or not, but the big holiday here is New Year's, not Christmas; Christmas is celebrated later, due to the fact that the Orthodox church still follows the old Julian calendar, and so far as I know, it's still primarily a religious rather than secular celebration. Wikipedia tells me this dates back to the first World War; Christmas celebrations were seen as German. So instead of Santa Claus and a Christmas Tree, we've got Grandfather Frost (and, apparently, his totally hot granddaughter) and… well, a New Year's tree. (I don't know its name.)
New Year's Eve, I wasn't doing anything. I don't feel comfortable going out to hang out in random Russian bars and cafes on my own, and besides, it's just not as much fun solo. Just before midnight, there was a knock on the door of my room; I opened it and found Sasha, who invited me over into the room next door, Natasha's. As it turns out, this is also where the flat's common area is; Natasha's bed is up in a loft. The kitchen table, which I'd noticed missing from the kitchen earlier, was in the middle of the room, set with olives, some sort of seafood salad, bread, some very odd meat dish, and of course vodka. Natasha and Zhenya were there as well, and they invited me to sit down--and from there, several shots of vodka were had, plus Medvedev's New Year's message (didn't understand a word), and champagne. It was, overall, a pleasant little surprise and made New Year's nicer than I'd hoped or expected.
Next, the decision. As I mentioned above, things here haven't exactly been interesting. Through one thing and another, my life's mostly turned into class and looking for the end of the internet, and I could do that at home. (Haven't found it yet, but I'm afraid I'm getting close.) Like a friend said, it's a bit of a waste of a foreign country. And as another friend pointed out, if I'm just doing this for myself, there's not much point in staying if I'm not getting what I want out of it. (Note the common theme. This trip's practically bashed my head in with how important it is not to go it alone.) So if nothing goes horribly wrong, I'm cutting this whole thing short early. I'm looking at a train to Finland at the end of the month, and after a few days visiting a friend there, from Helsinki home. Once I'm home, I can find something meaningful and rewarding to do with my time there, and oh yeah, I can see some of those friends, maybe even the ones that live places other than Cincinnati. I've got some ideas for both of those things. I'm nervous about the whole thing--this being Russia, nothing would surprise me, right down to them saying I can't leave because I have a multi-entry visa that doesn't expire until July. We'll see what happens when I talk to folks at the school about it next week.
Today, I get to go to the doctor. This is really scary--I really don't want to have to have anything medical of any significance done here. As to what I might need medical attention for, well, you're really better off not knowing.
Wish me luck.
There's been a little bit of excitement lately, though, and a fairly momentous decision. First, the excitement. I don't know whether I've mentioned it or not, but the big holiday here is New Year's, not Christmas; Christmas is celebrated later, due to the fact that the Orthodox church still follows the old Julian calendar, and so far as I know, it's still primarily a religious rather than secular celebration. Wikipedia tells me this dates back to the first World War; Christmas celebrations were seen as German. So instead of Santa Claus and a Christmas Tree, we've got Grandfather Frost (and, apparently, his totally hot granddaughter) and… well, a New Year's tree. (I don't know its name.)
New Year's Eve, I wasn't doing anything. I don't feel comfortable going out to hang out in random Russian bars and cafes on my own, and besides, it's just not as much fun solo. Just before midnight, there was a knock on the door of my room; I opened it and found Sasha, who invited me over into the room next door, Natasha's. As it turns out, this is also where the flat's common area is; Natasha's bed is up in a loft. The kitchen table, which I'd noticed missing from the kitchen earlier, was in the middle of the room, set with olives, some sort of seafood salad, bread, some very odd meat dish, and of course vodka. Natasha and Zhenya were there as well, and they invited me to sit down--and from there, several shots of vodka were had, plus Medvedev's New Year's message (didn't understand a word), and champagne. It was, overall, a pleasant little surprise and made New Year's nicer than I'd hoped or expected.
Next, the decision. As I mentioned above, things here haven't exactly been interesting. Through one thing and another, my life's mostly turned into class and looking for the end of the internet, and I could do that at home. (Haven't found it yet, but I'm afraid I'm getting close.) Like a friend said, it's a bit of a waste of a foreign country. And as another friend pointed out, if I'm just doing this for myself, there's not much point in staying if I'm not getting what I want out of it. (Note the common theme. This trip's practically bashed my head in with how important it is not to go it alone.) So if nothing goes horribly wrong, I'm cutting this whole thing short early. I'm looking at a train to Finland at the end of the month, and after a few days visiting a friend there, from Helsinki home. Once I'm home, I can find something meaningful and rewarding to do with my time there, and oh yeah, I can see some of those friends, maybe even the ones that live places other than Cincinnati. I've got some ideas for both of those things. I'm nervous about the whole thing--this being Russia, nothing would surprise me, right down to them saying I can't leave because I have a multi-entry visa that doesn't expire until July. We'll see what happens when I talk to folks at the school about it next week.
Today, I get to go to the doctor. This is really scary--I really don't want to have to have anything medical of any significance done here. As to what I might need medical attention for, well, you're really better off not knowing.
Wish me luck.
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