Privet, all. This weekend was a series of holidays...Sunday was Den' Respubliki (Day of the Republic), a holiday celebrating the Republic of Tatarstan and its capital, Kazan. We all met up with our host families at a cafe on Bauman Street, and I ordered peach juice and a desert called chak-chak, which has the consistency of Rice Krispies but tastes like honey. Then we walked around the center of town. All the roads were closed to cars, and there was music and lots of excellent street food to be had.
Then our group split up, and some of us went to the Kladbische (Cemetery). It was a long walk, but definitely worth seeing. It was a riot of color; the dead were festooned with flowers, trees, vines and other living things. It seemed almost festive. Some of the graves were locked up in what looked like metal cages. It was kind of a downer...I couldn't help but remember the last time I'd been in a cemetery, at a friend's funeral. But it was well worth the trip.
When we got back to Bauman, we went to a cafe called Meat House, where we got really good, really cheap Turkish food. Then we walked over the bridge over the Kazanka river at sunset, since the roads were closed. Then later that night I went out with my family to see the fireworks.
Yesterday I got up and went running with Liliya, and then went to the university, where we practiced our Soldja Boy extravaganza. Then some of us went and hung out on Bauman Street. Then I went home and played some basketball with Marat, which I haven't done since I was younger than he is. We played a shooting game called "33," which I eventually figured out after playing it a few times. That night I worked on the Mendelssohn violin concerto, which was and remains an impenetrable fortress of double-stops and perilous shifts. I need to find a teacher.
Today was Den' Znanii (Day of Work). On the First of September, throughout Russia, school and university begins. There are no classes; it's basically a big holiday. We all gathered, along with all the Russian students and faculty, in the square in front of the Tatar State University of Humanities and Education. There was a big stage set up, and it was here that we would share our traditional American dance, as part of a big beginning-of-the-year show.
We met several students majoring in foreign languages; they all wanted to talk to us in English. We also met a couple Korean students, which, for me, felt like coming home; there were a lot of Korean kids at my school, especially in orchestra and on the ultimate team.
The show began; it featured lots of singing, dancing, and speeches both in Tatar and Russian. Our dance was well received...we did the superman part more or less at the same time, and then we were joined by the other international students, and the Korean guys beatboxed to "Amazing Grace."
That afternoon, we checked out a couple gyms and looked into taking sambo classes. Then we went to the Millenium Park and sat in the grace and played frisbee. More than anything, I've missed just chillin in the grass with no shoes on and tossing the mellow earth biscuit. Old hippie yearnings die hard.
Here are some photos for you:
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