Plans Change... often.

The Aksakova Museum

Everywhere you go plans change, but in Russia, they change approximately every 30 seconds.  Or so it seems anyway.  This evening (Wednesday) we were supposed to go to Музей им. Аксакова (The Aksakova Museum) to see an art exhibition and to meet with some local poets.  I actually just had to look at my planner to see what the original plan was because there have been so many revisions that I couldn't remember what had initially been planned.


At some point yesterday afternoon, the excursion was cancelled.  An hour or so later, the excursion for Thursday evening was moved to Wednesday evening.  Not too long after than there were additions to the plan.  Later... the time was changed.  And so on.  Just about a half an hour ago as I was about to head out to catch the трамвай (the streetcar- which conveniently runs in front of my building just like in Portland!) when I got a text saying that the event had been cancelled.  So after all of that, no excursion.

In the two and a half weeks that I have been here I have pretty much come to expect that very few things will go according to plans.  With all of the changes, one nice thing is that everyone here expects it.  No one melts down or gets angry, they just roll with it.  Any of you who have known me very long, know that my motto while traveling is: expect the unexpected. This mindset is definitely helpful in the midst of unfamiliarity and changes and everything else that is thrown my way.  I have been very thankful that my fellow students are all pretty laid back and able to roll with the punches as well.  We just kind of laugh and ask what the new plan is knowing full well that it probably won't be the final plan.

Look we were on the news!!

Hello all!

Well, I’m getting a late start on the whole blogging thing, but as ever, better late than never right?  We are two weeks into the program already!  Hard to believe.  The time has been flying.

For all of you who didn't see this video on Facebook, I'll post it here.  During our first week of class our program director ran into our Russian Lexicology class and basically said, "there are cameras coming act natural."  This statement seems to always have the opposite of the intended effect.  And it is pretty hard to act completely natural when there is a video camera about six inches from you face while you are trying to read a text full of new vocabulary out loud.  

If you watch carefully you will see me once in the classroom and once out in front of the university.  The day after this aired I had a lady tell me that she had seen the news program about our group.  This is the second year that CLS has been in Ufa and it is a economic boost for the city.  Hence the interest of the general public and the news-worthiness.