(MMmmmmm GOOOOD)
Friday, October 30, 2009
Russian Yogurt
Rather than writing something that doesn't make sense, I would write about one of the best things I have found in Russia thus far. This is Russian Yogurt, I'm not sure why exactly, but Russian yogurt is about half the price of the Canadian variety. Since coming to Russia, I have probably averaged about 1.374 Yogurts per day. I think that when I return to Canada, one of my suitcases will be filled with clothes and the things that I brought, and the other will be filled with Chooda yogurt. I will quite literally give things away and stop wearing glasses in order to make room for more yogurt. The yogurt has been delicous though, this is one of the small things about Russia that I thought I should address. I hope to have real photos, and real information about Russia and yogurt in the near future.
(MMmmmmm GOOOOD)
(MMmmmmm GOOOOD)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Our interview
About a month ago we were interviewed by the vice-president of international relations. I wasn't entirely sure what resulted from the interview, but today I stumbled onto this on the SPCU site. The site is also a great place to find out more about the school itself.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Russian Academics
The title of this post will probably scare away all but the most academic and loyal readers, but since the content of these blogs haven't been quite focused on the experience of late, I thought I would respond to a question I received by email about the apparent abscence of any references to the classes we are taking in these blogs.
I thought that in response I'd write a brief description of each class that we're taking:
RUSSIAN HISTORY
Taught by the American missionary who is also the coordinator of our group, this class largely revolves around readings from our textbook. The class reminds me somewhat of Alan Guenther's History of Christianity courses in that the lectures often focus on the specific time in history that we've read about prior. We've also just recently received our topics for major papers--I get the opportunity to write about Lenin, while others
-Tsar Nicholas
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
Our Russian literature class is taught by a younger lady who was just recently married. We had an enjoyable break during her wedding and honeymoon but she has now returned in her newlywed fury. This is the class that I got to read Dr. Zhivago for, and I'd say it's one of the more difficult classes in terms of sheer reading volume. I was fortunate that my book was only 550 pages, John gets to read Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, and though a great book, it is definately a 1000 page tome. Russian literature is definately unique, their history is as interesting as the wildest fiction, and suffering and faith are two themes that are explored much more vividly than I have ever seen in English.
RUSSIAN LANGUAGE
Our language class is taught by the extremely patient and kind Lyouba. She has helped us learn the Cyrillic alphabet and a few of the many Russian grammatic constructions. Here is a picture of the alphabet, it is quite cool.
The bl letter that says "(like you've been jabbed in the stomach)" is pretty accurate. It can't really be reproduced using the English alphabet. I would also describe it as the sound a person makes when they see something really gross, "eeuih, sick man." Learning a new language has been great though, I hope to continue practicing when I return to Canada.
RUSSIAN ART
I've mentioned this in previous posts so I'll just re-state that this class is the best. We get to visit museums and historical locations and see the orginals of great art. I've tried to explain how amazing this class is but I still think it's something that needs to be experienced to be fully explained. A 15 page essay could probably give a good idea, but I'd probably need either money, furs, or semi-precious stones for that to happen.
It's good though to say the least.
Until next time--probably three days...
If You Come to Russia
Hopefully this blog has been shedding some light on the experience for students who will study in Russia in the future, and I thought that while the ideas were fresh in my mind, I would post a short list of items that would be good to bring.
A BATTERY POWERED CLOCK
I decided that I would just buy a watch in Russia, but the diamond studded, Jay-Z blingin', one I thought I could find really cheap in Russia turned out to cost just as much if not more than it would in Canada. As of right now I am relying on an alarm system that involves drinking various amounts of water before bed in order to wake up at the appropriate time. I have it down to an almost exact scienct though, I can usually wake up within 30 minutes of when I want to.
A CELL PHONE
Coming to Russia seems like a great opportunity to break from the technological chains that bind us, but not having a cell phone is also a huge hindrance to hanging out. Most of the english people you meet are like, "Hey I'll call you up sometime" and then I usually say "Well... probably not, maybe I'll see you again if fate smiles upon us." Without a cell phone, hang-outs, organizing outings, and finding out what to do when you get lost are mostly in the hands of fate. Fate has been kind though, and we haven't had any huge problems yet, but things would be much easier with a cell phone--even if just one member of the group brings one.
SPARE CONTACT LENSES
This one doesn't so much apply to me as it does my friend Brenno. He got to Russia and was like, ah SHEESTERS I FORGOTZ MUH CONTAXTZ (if you know Brennon you also recognize that this is almost an exact quote). Contact solution and supplies are available here but they're quite difficult to find and purchase. It's best to just be prepared.
A RUSSIAN POCKET PHRASEBOOK
Can come in really handy if you have to say something to someone who speaks almost no english or if the police ask to see your passport (as happened to me once, luckily I had it!). Even "pocket dictionaries" are too much of a hassle to carry and a book that can fit easily and comfortably in a pocket is probably the best bet. Also an invaluable tool for learning the language.
FEWER DRESS PANTS
The information you are given from the college says no T-shirts and jeans for class, but everyone just wears jeans and a sweater. Don't let your mom over-hype the importance of dressing like a diplomat.
SOLID RAIN GEAR
It's rained every day for what seems like weeks. My extreme summer tan has faded and now I look like a black and white photo that has had the colour digitally reversed. If only my hero W.E.B. Du Bois saw me now, he'd be ashamed. Probably not though. The point though--bring a warm, waterproof jacket!
A READING LIGHT
I enjoy the warm ambiance of reading a book with minimal lighting, but it does hurt the eyes after a while. A lamp is too big to bring, and too expensive to buy so I'd recommend bringing a small flashlight or headlamp that you can read easily with. It's starting to get dark here at about 6:00pm and days are only going to get shorter.
AN EXTERNAL HARD-DRIVE
The way that the internet works in Russia makes it great for adding to electronic collections of movies, CD's, and television programs. I ran out of space on my computer after two weeks. Now I'm left thinking what could have been. Don't leave home without one!
That's it for this post. Later.
A BATTERY POWERED CLOCK
I decided that I would just buy a watch in Russia, but the diamond studded, Jay-Z blingin', one I thought I could find really cheap in Russia turned out to cost just as much if not more than it would in Canada. As of right now I am relying on an alarm system that involves drinking various amounts of water before bed in order to wake up at the appropriate time. I have it down to an almost exact scienct though, I can usually wake up within 30 minutes of when I want to.
A CELL PHONE
Coming to Russia seems like a great opportunity to break from the technological chains that bind us, but not having a cell phone is also a huge hindrance to hanging out. Most of the english people you meet are like, "Hey I'll call you up sometime" and then I usually say "Well... probably not, maybe I'll see you again if fate smiles upon us." Without a cell phone, hang-outs, organizing outings, and finding out what to do when you get lost are mostly in the hands of fate. Fate has been kind though, and we haven't had any huge problems yet, but things would be much easier with a cell phone--even if just one member of the group brings one.
SPARE CONTACT LENSES
This one doesn't so much apply to me as it does my friend Brenno. He got to Russia and was like, ah SHEESTERS I FORGOTZ MUH CONTAXTZ (if you know Brennon you also recognize that this is almost an exact quote). Contact solution and supplies are available here but they're quite difficult to find and purchase. It's best to just be prepared.
A RUSSIAN POCKET PHRASEBOOK
Can come in really handy if you have to say something to someone who speaks almost no english or if the police ask to see your passport (as happened to me once, luckily I had it!). Even "pocket dictionaries" are too much of a hassle to carry and a book that can fit easily and comfortably in a pocket is probably the best bet. Also an invaluable tool for learning the language.
FEWER DRESS PANTS
The information you are given from the college says no T-shirts and jeans for class, but everyone just wears jeans and a sweater. Don't let your mom over-hype the importance of dressing like a diplomat.
SOLID RAIN GEAR
It's rained every day for what seems like weeks. My extreme summer tan has faded and now I look like a black and white photo that has had the colour digitally reversed. If only my hero W.E.B. Du Bois saw me now, he'd be ashamed. Probably not though. The point though--bring a warm, waterproof jacket!
A READING LIGHT
I enjoy the warm ambiance of reading a book with minimal lighting, but it does hurt the eyes after a while. A lamp is too big to bring, and too expensive to buy so I'd recommend bringing a small flashlight or headlamp that you can read easily with. It's starting to get dark here at about 6:00pm and days are only going to get shorter.
AN EXTERNAL HARD-DRIVE
The way that the internet works in Russia makes it great for adding to electronic collections of movies, CD's, and television programs. I ran out of space on my computer after two weeks. Now I'm left thinking what could have been. Don't leave home without one!
That's it for this post. Later.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Dr. Zhivago Calling...
When my Dad needed to get through to my Mom at the community health office he would always say that it was Dr. Zhivago calling. In our literature class, we had to read lengthy novels while our teacher was away getting married, and I was fortunate enough to get to read this novel. The last 3 days I've spent a good amount of time reading and I thought I'd share some of my favorite quotes.
"Man is born to live, not to prepare for life. Life itself, the phenomenon of life, the gift of life is so breath-takingly serious" (Zhivago 297).
"Reshaping life! People who can say that have never understood a thing about life--they have never felt its breath, its heartbeat--however much they have seen or done. They look on it as a lump of raw material that needs to be processed by them, to be ennobled by their touch" (Zhivago 338.)
This was said by ultra-babe Lara Feodorovna Guishar, and I think it proves her ultra-babeness:
"I don't like people who have never fallen or stumbled. Their virtue is lifeless and of little value. Life hasn't revealed its beauty to them" (Zhivago 399).
In a one sentence run through of what's going on today I played volleyball again in the morning, ate some Blini with a few Russians, and am now going to a Russian battle of the bands. It's been a good day.
That's it for now though...
"Man is born to live, not to prepare for life. Life itself, the phenomenon of life, the gift of life is so breath-takingly serious" (Zhivago 297).
"Reshaping life! People who can say that have never understood a thing about life--they have never felt its breath, its heartbeat--however much they have seen or done. They look on it as a lump of raw material that needs to be processed by them, to be ennobled by their touch" (Zhivago 338.)
This was said by ultra-babe Lara Feodorovna Guishar, and I think it proves her ultra-babeness:
"I don't like people who have never fallen or stumbled. Their virtue is lifeless and of little value. Life hasn't revealed its beauty to them" (Zhivago 399).
In a one sentence run through of what's going on today I played volleyball again in the morning, ate some Blini with a few Russians, and am now going to a Russian battle of the bands. It's been a good day.
That's it for now though...
Freak(manities): Freakonomics and The Humanities
I think that this blog will soon be split into a Russia blog and an interesting video and idea post-Russia blog. With that said, I stumbled onto an interesting article that criticizes the way that academic economics have been transformed by the popularity of "freakonomics" that reduce the breadth of what economists study to almost freakishly particular case studies, ie. Information control as applied to the Ku Klux Klan and real estate agents. The article can be found here and the quotes presented are taken from the same text.
Sometimes I regret that my humanities education doesn't allow me to pursue virtually any mathematics. It'd be cool to see Briercrest continue to expand what it offers. I can only dream of the day when the first math major graduates from the college.
What the article made me consider though was the relationship between an interesting subject and the necessity of studying it academically. Reading a blog by Briercrest professor Eric Ortlund provides a bit of context for the quotes I'll be mentioning shortly.
I find these quotes to be quite insightful on the nature of acadamia. Are there no X-Box 360's in our Ivory Tower's?
"It is exactly like postmodernism in the humanities," he groans. "What is there to say about Beethoven anymore? ... Every moron can’t understand technical orchestration, doesn't know the history of music. So you write about him having a gay affair with his nephew."
[Working on a P.H.D. Thesis in Economics] also happened to be one of the most tedious experiences of my life. So tedious, in fact, that previously tedious exercises--like reading scholarly works of history or The New York Review of Books--suddenly seemed like pleasant diversions. Increasingly, I felt oppressed by the prospect of spending years on some intractable problem. I chafed at the obligation to do "socially useful" work. I wanted the freedom to pursue whatever seemed interesting and to drop whatever didn't. ...
When I raise this issue with Levitt, he is almost apologetic: "There needs to be a core for work on the periphery to make any sense. I don’t think we would want to have a whole profession with dilettantes like me out doing what I do." But, in nearly the same breath, he adds: "The simple fact is that it's hard to do good research. ... To the extent that you can do interesting research that teaches us something about the world, and entertains along the way, that's not so bad."
I thought it was a cool idea. If you read through the entirety of this blog you most likely think so as well, that or you are my Mom. Thanks Mom.
Sometimes I regret that my humanities education doesn't allow me to pursue virtually any mathematics. It'd be cool to see Briercrest continue to expand what it offers. I can only dream of the day when the first math major graduates from the college.
What the article made me consider though was the relationship between an interesting subject and the necessity of studying it academically. Reading a blog by Briercrest professor Eric Ortlund provides a bit of context for the quotes I'll be mentioning shortly.
I find these quotes to be quite insightful on the nature of acadamia. Are there no X-Box 360's in our Ivory Tower's?
"It is exactly like postmodernism in the humanities," he groans. "What is there to say about Beethoven anymore? ... Every moron can’t understand technical orchestration, doesn't know the history of music. So you write about him having a gay affair with his nephew."
[Working on a P.H.D. Thesis in Economics] also happened to be one of the most tedious experiences of my life. So tedious, in fact, that previously tedious exercises--like reading scholarly works of history or The New York Review of Books--suddenly seemed like pleasant diversions. Increasingly, I felt oppressed by the prospect of spending years on some intractable problem. I chafed at the obligation to do "socially useful" work. I wanted the freedom to pursue whatever seemed interesting and to drop whatever didn't. ...
When I raise this issue with Levitt, he is almost apologetic: "There needs to be a core for work on the periphery to make any sense. I don’t think we would want to have a whole profession with dilettantes like me out doing what I do." But, in nearly the same breath, he adds: "The simple fact is that it's hard to do good research. ... To the extent that you can do interesting research that teaches us something about the world, and entertains along the way, that's not so bad."
I thought it was a cool idea. If you read through the entirety of this blog you most likely think so as well, that or you are my Mom. Thanks Mom.
Russian Traffic
I think this video shows some of the difficulties of being a pedestrian in Russia.
Look both ways before crossing the street, and cross quickly...
Look both ways before crossing the street, and cross quickly...
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Church
This Wednesday our group of international students had a chance to lead the student chapel time--here are some pictures:
Chatting with Dr. Negrov after we finished:
The service as it happens:
Myself speaking:
(note the puzzled look on my interpretor Nikolay's face)
At this moment I was saying:
"that world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you"
jk. I wish I had said that.
A Comic strip depicting the service:
Here are some of the highlights from what I said. The initial joke about not getting into fights in Russia was the worst bomb I have ever experienced. Something must have got lost in translation and I definately didn't know where to find it.
The failed introductory joke:
Chatting with Dr. Negrov after we finished:
The service as it happens:
Myself speaking:
(note the puzzled look on my interpretor Nikolay's face)
At this moment I was saying:
"that world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you"
jk. I wish I had said that.
A Comic strip depicting the service:
Here are some of the highlights from what I said. The initial joke about not getting into fights in Russia was the worst bomb I have ever experienced. Something must have got lost in translation and I definately didn't know where to find it.
The failed introductory joke:
Things have worked out really well while we've been in Russia.We haven't got lost, got into any fights, or even got sworn at in the grocery school—everything has been much different than school in Canada.
*Pause for non-existant laughter*
-John Chapter 9-
Summary...
After attending Bible school our vision is not improved, and our blindness is not cured. It is only Jesus who can make the blind see. When reading this passage a few days ago I was struck by the thought that if someone were to ask me if I was spiritually blind I would tell them of the theologians I had read, the papers I had wrote, the Bible I had studied, and the understanding I had gained.
This knowledge is important: Christian ministry and worship are often viewed as something completely seperate from studies and school. I have heard people in Canada say that time spent at school is time wasted that could be spent working for God. This view of God assumes that he is a strict boss whose only concern is what we do for him. When God accepts us into his kingdom however, it is as children, it is based on what he did and not what we have done. An education, whether it is in Science, languages, theology, or philosophy focuses on learning what God has done through people, the world, and through history. Understanding what God has done is actually an inseperable half of serving him.
What struck me then about my response as to whether I was blind or not, was not that it centred around the knowledge I had gained—knowledge is important--but what struck me was that I assumed that my studies had given me spiritual sight. After reading this verse it became clear that pride had blinded me to what it is that provides sight. We do not have spiritual sight by our own efforts—it is because Christ came that we see. It is not our studies or ministry that provide ourselves or others with this sight. Pride in either our ministry or our studies can creep into our lives and change the focus from Jesus to ourselves.
We are not made to see by our own efforts, it is not what we can see through our studies or ministry but who we see—on our own we are blind--it is Christ who gives sight.
The R.A.A. is Canada
Forgive me for posting videos twice consecutively that have nothing to do with Russia. I just learnt how to post youtube videos directly onto my blog so you could say I'm "binging" on videos right now.
While this video has nothing to do with Russia, it's a good song, and it reminded me of home enough that I longed to see another indie-kid-on-a-bike biking past hay bales.
The Band is The Rural Alberta Advantage. They're on Saddle Creek records, and they are pretty dang Canadian--one of their songs is called "The Deathbridge in Lethbridge."
While this video has nothing to do with Russia, it's a good song, and it reminded me of home enough that I longed to see another indie-kid-on-a-bike biking past hay bales.
The Band is The Rural Alberta Advantage. They're on Saddle Creek records, and they are pretty dang Canadian--one of their songs is called "The Deathbridge in Lethbridge."
95 Theses and the Pope Aint One
Here is a sweet video I found while reading another blog. I thought about this exact thing a few times while sitting in Dr. Guenthers class. Perhaps this could be an invaluable teaching tool?
Lyrics if you're interested.
Lyrics if you're interested.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
искусственный Hope
Last night several of us nearly got arrested by men posing as police!
Read on and find out why this may or may not have happened.
The Russian title makes this blog post seem like it may contain usefull information, but it is once again a false-hope blog. The Russian word in the title means artificial, and while I'm writing a blog with no legitimate pictures, you can at least consider whether any hope can truly be artificial. Hopefully that question satisfies the scholastically inclined readers of this blog, and I can now move forward with wasting time describing events that you most likely don't care about.
I think that my average time spent per blog is something like 7 seconds. Most of the time if there isn't immediately a funny picture or attractive sentence I will stumble myself out of there pronto. On considering this insight I'm going to return to the beginning of my blog and spice up the opening sentence.
That will ensure readers don't slip away, and it will also make my Mom go "Ohhh that Kevinnn." You know how mother's are.
Anyhow, these posts usually contain at least a marginal amount of information, and that is what I plan on providing now. Yesterday was quite a slow day until the night, when we decided to find a Soviet themed restaurant that Bergy found on the internet. It took us about an hour to find the place which, it turns out, wasn't actually the real place. The restaurant that we went to was a Lenin themed one that had easily the highest prices I have ever seen in Russia. Meals ranged from 5$ for tiny appetizers to 12$ for full meals. It was a sweet place though, they had live music and a manikin figure of Lenin. That's really all I ever wanted.
Previously that day, a few of us also had the chance to accompany some of our Russian friends to play volleyball. The team that we played was composed of high school students from the missionary school in St. Petersburg. It was cool to hear a lot of English again and, though I'm slightly embarrassed to say it, the games were really close as well. Some of the 7th and 8th grade girls were quite athletic though, we ended up winning two out of the three. It was not easy though, most of the games were within five points and the Russian style of play was quite aggressive. Nikolay, a Russian students who speaks perfect english joked that they played volleyball like they used their software--everything was illegal. It was a good time being physically active though, and who would have thought that high school volleyball skills would be useful in later life.
This post actually turned out quite long, maybe it's not so useless after all. Here's a picture for those who just look at pictures in blog's and don't read them (me).
This mirrors our game almost exactly--aside from the fans.
Read on and find out why this may or may not have happened.
The Russian title makes this blog post seem like it may contain usefull information, but it is once again a false-hope blog. The Russian word in the title means artificial, and while I'm writing a blog with no legitimate pictures, you can at least consider whether any hope can truly be artificial. Hopefully that question satisfies the scholastically inclined readers of this blog, and I can now move forward with wasting time describing events that you most likely don't care about.
I think that my average time spent per blog is something like 7 seconds. Most of the time if there isn't immediately a funny picture or attractive sentence I will stumble myself out of there pronto. On considering this insight I'm going to return to the beginning of my blog and spice up the opening sentence.
That will ensure readers don't slip away, and it will also make my Mom go "Ohhh that Kevinnn." You know how mother's are.
Anyhow, these posts usually contain at least a marginal amount of information, and that is what I plan on providing now. Yesterday was quite a slow day until the night, when we decided to find a Soviet themed restaurant that Bergy found on the internet. It took us about an hour to find the place which, it turns out, wasn't actually the real place. The restaurant that we went to was a Lenin themed one that had easily the highest prices I have ever seen in Russia. Meals ranged from 5$ for tiny appetizers to 12$ for full meals. It was a sweet place though, they had live music and a manikin figure of Lenin. That's really all I ever wanted.
Previously that day, a few of us also had the chance to accompany some of our Russian friends to play volleyball. The team that we played was composed of high school students from the missionary school in St. Petersburg. It was cool to hear a lot of English again and, though I'm slightly embarrassed to say it, the games were really close as well. Some of the 7th and 8th grade girls were quite athletic though, we ended up winning two out of the three. It was not easy though, most of the games were within five points and the Russian style of play was quite aggressive. Nikolay, a Russian students who speaks perfect english joked that they played volleyball like they used their software--everything was illegal. It was a good time being physically active though, and who would have thought that high school volleyball skills would be useful in later life.
This post actually turned out quite long, maybe it's not so useless after all. Here's a picture for those who just look at pictures in blog's and don't read them (me).
This mirrors our game almost exactly--aside from the fans.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Towards the Door We Never Opened
Yesterday for art class we had the opportunity to visit the Hermitage and observe some of the most famous works on display. Coming to Russia has definately enhanced my appreciation for art, and I hope to show some of the works we just recently had the chance to see.
Some of the works are slightly cut-off I would recommend clicking them if you want to get the full image.
Claude Monet: Woman in a Garden
Monet is one of the most famous impressionists around. I am always excited to see works by artists that I have heard of before and seeing this painting was a treat. I also got the chance to learn what impressionism is, before I would have defined it as "people painting really fast," but I now also know that impressionism is a movement away from realism, with each brush stroke helping to express the overall impression of the scene on the viewer. It is not concerned with accurate detail as much as it is with providing the impression the lighting, scenery, and colours had on the artist.
From this point, things progressively trended away from realism. While at the musuem I remembered my younger days when I bent a wire-hanger so that it looked like grade 1 geometry class and tried to convince my Mom that it was art. Sometimes the line does get a little fuzzy. Take for instance this work:
Henri Matisse: The Dance
While it looks like a cryptic game of ring around the rosie played by naked red dudes, there's actually quite a lot going on. Our art teacher explained to us about a distinction between Dionysian interpretation of art and an Apollosian. Dionysius was the Greek God of madness and ecstasy, while Apollo was the Greek God of light and truth. It may be an over-simplification but you can view the two as representative of chaos and order respectively. Can you guess what this artist which of the two schools of thought this painting falls into?
To demonstrate the more realistic interpretation that Matisse was moving away from, here is a work by Rembrandt that we also had the chance to see:
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn: The Return of the Prodigal Son
This was definately one of my favourite paintings yet. The feet and clothes of the prodigal son tell the story of the difficulties that were faced as this wreckless son chose to squander his inheritance rather than work for his father. The story comes from the Bible in Luke chapter 15. I have heard the story many times before and seen cartoons of it in Sunday school, but none of them can present loss, joy, and mutual love that occur when one who was lost through poor choices decides to return to a loving father willing to forgive. The painting really says a lot.
Finally, before I get tempted to show some of the other great works we had the opportunity to witness, I will show one of the most famous paintings we got to see.
Pablo Picasso: Two Sisters
This work from Picasso's blue period maintains the realism that disappears in some of his later works.
The trip made me consider not only the art that we had the opportunity to view but also the process of art history. I considered why art had developed the way it had and wondered what life would have been like had the classical cannons used to paint icons continued to the present. To say that art has progressed is difficult, as there is no definite measure aside from the inappropriate guage of realism. Whether art is better, and along with it, whether life is better now, is not a unique question, but I felt that getting to see so many generations of art on display has helped me to realize that guaging our quality of life will always result in the standard that is used to gauge obscuring the actual quality of the image. The title of this post is from T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets because this poem recognizes that "What could have been and what has been point to one end" and I think all the artists show this end to some degree. Do all the doors we never open lead to the same place? I think they might.
Some of the works are slightly cut-off I would recommend clicking them if you want to get the full image.
Claude Monet: Woman in a Garden
Monet is one of the most famous impressionists around. I am always excited to see works by artists that I have heard of before and seeing this painting was a treat. I also got the chance to learn what impressionism is, before I would have defined it as "people painting really fast," but I now also know that impressionism is a movement away from realism, with each brush stroke helping to express the overall impression of the scene on the viewer. It is not concerned with accurate detail as much as it is with providing the impression the lighting, scenery, and colours had on the artist.
From this point, things progressively trended away from realism. While at the musuem I remembered my younger days when I bent a wire-hanger so that it looked like grade 1 geometry class and tried to convince my Mom that it was art. Sometimes the line does get a little fuzzy. Take for instance this work:
Henri Matisse: The Dance
While it looks like a cryptic game of ring around the rosie played by naked red dudes, there's actually quite a lot going on. Our art teacher explained to us about a distinction between Dionysian interpretation of art and an Apollosian. Dionysius was the Greek God of madness and ecstasy, while Apollo was the Greek God of light and truth. It may be an over-simplification but you can view the two as representative of chaos and order respectively. Can you guess what this artist which of the two schools of thought this painting falls into?
To demonstrate the more realistic interpretation that Matisse was moving away from, here is a work by Rembrandt that we also had the chance to see:
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn: The Return of the Prodigal Son
This was definately one of my favourite paintings yet. The feet and clothes of the prodigal son tell the story of the difficulties that were faced as this wreckless son chose to squander his inheritance rather than work for his father. The story comes from the Bible in Luke chapter 15. I have heard the story many times before and seen cartoons of it in Sunday school, but none of them can present loss, joy, and mutual love that occur when one who was lost through poor choices decides to return to a loving father willing to forgive. The painting really says a lot.
Finally, before I get tempted to show some of the other great works we had the opportunity to witness, I will show one of the most famous paintings we got to see.
Pablo Picasso: Two Sisters
This work from Picasso's blue period maintains the realism that disappears in some of his later works.
The trip made me consider not only the art that we had the opportunity to view but also the process of art history. I considered why art had developed the way it had and wondered what life would have been like had the classical cannons used to paint icons continued to the present. To say that art has progressed is difficult, as there is no definite measure aside from the inappropriate guage of realism. Whether art is better, and along with it, whether life is better now, is not a unique question, but I felt that getting to see so many generations of art on display has helped me to realize that guaging our quality of life will always result in the standard that is used to gauge obscuring the actual quality of the image. The title of this post is from T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets because this poem recognizes that "What could have been and what has been point to one end" and I think all the artists show this end to some degree. Do all the doors we never open lead to the same place? I think they might.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Make Fun of the Foreign Kids
This past friday our group got to participate in an event called freshman orientation. It is basically a time where all of the students present skits, music, or other kinds of entertainment in an effort to break down social barriers. I mentioned in passing two blogs ago that we had to do a dance, and for our lack of preperation, it actually turned out quite well. We basically just trotted around doing some clubbin' moves and then whipped out some kicks and duck walks that we saw on fiddler on the roof.
One of the funnier parts of the night was when a few Russian students did a skit about the anguage classes of the english students. It was really entertaining because the whole thing was done in English and the plot mixed classical Russian culture with a few modern influences--let me describe the scene for you.
The skit opened with the two Russian students exchanging some of the verbal greetings that they often hear us using, "hey man how're you," "what's up man," and "yo dawg." After this was finished the instructor began to teach the student some of the poetry of Pushkin who he referred to as a "gangsta rapper." The text on the powerpoint above them then used a cacophous mixture of English words to mirror the Russian phonetics of great Russian poets Pushkin and Lermontov. For example, when introducing Alexander Sergeivich Pushkin, the powerpoint slide read: Alex under // Sir gay evil under which // Push skin. It might not be as funny as Sister Act, but it was cool to see and hear some random English demonstrating the two-sided nature of language confusion.
(Pushkin inspired)
That's all I got for now though. I hope to bring my A-game with some pictures sometime soon but that's all for now.
One of the funnier parts of the night was when a few Russian students did a skit about the anguage classes of the english students. It was really entertaining because the whole thing was done in English and the plot mixed classical Russian culture with a few modern influences--let me describe the scene for you.
The skit opened with the two Russian students exchanging some of the verbal greetings that they often hear us using, "hey man how're you," "what's up man," and "yo dawg." After this was finished the instructor began to teach the student some of the poetry of Pushkin who he referred to as a "gangsta rapper." The text on the powerpoint above them then used a cacophous mixture of English words to mirror the Russian phonetics of great Russian poets Pushkin and Lermontov. For example, when introducing Alexander Sergeivich Pushkin, the powerpoint slide read: Alex under // Sir gay evil under which // Push skin. It might not be as funny as Sister Act, but it was cool to see and hear some random English demonstrating the two-sided nature of language confusion.
(Pushkin inspired)
That's all I got for now though. I hope to bring my A-game with some pictures sometime soon but that's all for now.
A Canadian Werewolf in Russia (during Thanksgiving)
Today is Thanksgiving day back home in Canada and we got a home-like surprise this morning when large snowflakes began falling outside of our classroom window. The snow all melted by the end of the day, but the first snowfall brought about those initial feelings of Christmas that mix excitement with homely warmth--it was great.
To celebrate the holiday, our group decided to pool our funds and make some spaghetti and meatsauce, with peas and an asian salad rounding out the menu. I looked after making the spaghetti and though it turned out quite well, the pot I cooked in may never be the same. My wrist is slightly sore from chiselling away at the bottom of the pot with a large knife. If someone were to have walked in at that moment it would likely have looked like a scene from Scream 2. After dinner we all went around and talked about what we were thankful for. While there was the usual mentioning of family and friends, it seems like being completely out of the country makes them seem much further away than they are. I would almost compare it to being seperated by history, you know they were there but now it seems like the world has moved on to a different epoch, though in our case it is only a cultural difference. What I am trying to get across in this comparison is the especial thankfulness that each of us seemed to feel for parents, siblings, and friends who seem to be so far removed from us.
This feeling may have also resulted due to the letter I received in the mail today from my sister (shout out). She's done a lot more travelling than I, and it seems that she understands some of the things that occur whilst living abroad. It was really great spending some time with friends today and realizing how good it is to be together.
(Photo Courtesy "Viking God of Justice" J. Wollf)
I'm also going to do a quick post about the Freshman celebration that occured on Friday, but you'll have seen that above.
To celebrate the holiday, our group decided to pool our funds and make some spaghetti and meatsauce, with peas and an asian salad rounding out the menu. I looked after making the spaghetti and though it turned out quite well, the pot I cooked in may never be the same. My wrist is slightly sore from chiselling away at the bottom of the pot with a large knife. If someone were to have walked in at that moment it would likely have looked like a scene from Scream 2. After dinner we all went around and talked about what we were thankful for. While there was the usual mentioning of family and friends, it seems like being completely out of the country makes them seem much further away than they are. I would almost compare it to being seperated by history, you know they were there but now it seems like the world has moved on to a different epoch, though in our case it is only a cultural difference. What I am trying to get across in this comparison is the especial thankfulness that each of us seemed to feel for parents, siblings, and friends who seem to be so far removed from us.
This feeling may have also resulted due to the letter I received in the mail today from my sister (shout out). She's done a lot more travelling than I, and it seems that she understands some of the things that occur whilst living abroad. It was really great spending some time with friends today and realizing how good it is to be together.
(Photo Courtesy "Viking God of Justice" J. Wollf)
I'm also going to do a quick post about the Freshman celebration that occured on Friday, but you'll have seen that above.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Tight Tights and Warm Nights
Yesterday, a group of my friends convinced me to stop playing ping-pong for long enough to go to a ballet. Russians are famous for the quality of their ballets and they are also relatively inexpensive from a Canadian perspective. The ballet that we attended was Tchaikovsky's famous Swan Lake, and though our seats weren't perfect, the evening was definately one of the 3 classiest things I have ever experienced.
As I wrote that last short paragraph I wondered whether or not gangsta's would enjoy the ballet. Right now I'm imagining little John sitting in the front row, blinged out of his mind, and shouting "YEAAAAH" after every dance solo. I think they'd like it.
Here are some photos from the evening. They didn't all turn out great but hey, this aint no photography blog.
A view from our seats:
A view of the seats beside us:
The production:
This is all for now. There is a freshman celebration tonight that should be pretty fun. We have to do an ethnic Russian dance that we practiced for about 30 minutes earlier today. It could get ugly.
As I wrote that last short paragraph I wondered whether or not gangsta's would enjoy the ballet. Right now I'm imagining little John sitting in the front row, blinged out of his mind, and shouting "YEAAAAH" after every dance solo. I think they'd like it.
Here are some photos from the evening. They didn't all turn out great but hey, this aint no photography blog.
A view from our seats:
A view of the seats beside us:
The production:
This is all for now. There is a freshman celebration tonight that should be pretty fun. We have to do an ethnic Russian dance that we practiced for about 30 minutes earlier today. It could get ugly.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
False Hope part II (Ping Pong Hope edition)
This is also not a legitimate post, I thought I should just be up front about that so that there are no misunderstandings. I recently figured out how to get google analytics on my page so I am trying to lure as many visitors here with fake new blogs in an effort to get some serious peaks and valleys going on in my visitor trends chart. Currently it looks a bit too much like the Saskatchewan prairies.
This fake news is still newsworthy though if you can handle that contradiction in terms. I played a good deal of ping-pong today and there have been numerous up and downs that I think deserve to be shared with the world.
Pavel beat me today about 4 games to 3. I'm not quite sure what happened but he brought his A game. Two of the games that he beat me were marathons though--the final scores were 27-25 and 24-22. I lifted weights before playing though, so I'm not yet at the point where I'll skip classes to focus more strictly on ping-pong.
After playing Pavel I also had the opportunity to settle an old grudge match--Paul showed his face and challenged me to a match. The game was a back and forth battle with insults and intimidating banter flying almost as quickly as the ping-pong ball. When the dust cleared and a winner emerged I rose my fist in the air celebrating a clear 2-0 victory. I now feel like the ping pong crown of St. Petersburg Christian University is mine to lose, though Paul may soon figure me out if I'm not careful.
That's it for now, keep your topspins tight and your angles sharp my friends.
This fake news is still newsworthy though if you can handle that contradiction in terms. I played a good deal of ping-pong today and there have been numerous up and downs that I think deserve to be shared with the world.
Pavel beat me today about 4 games to 3. I'm not quite sure what happened but he brought his A game. Two of the games that he beat me were marathons though--the final scores were 27-25 and 24-22. I lifted weights before playing though, so I'm not yet at the point where I'll skip classes to focus more strictly on ping-pong.
After playing Pavel I also had the opportunity to settle an old grudge match--Paul showed his face and challenged me to a match. The game was a back and forth battle with insults and intimidating banter flying almost as quickly as the ping-pong ball. When the dust cleared and a winner emerged I rose my fist in the air celebrating a clear 2-0 victory. I now feel like the ping pong crown of St. Petersburg Christian University is mine to lose, though Paul may soon figure me out if I'm not careful.
That's it for now, keep your topspins tight and your angles sharp my friends.
Monday, October 5, 2009
A fitting Image
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and if I had to summarize my experiences so far I'd say that this picture does an excellent job:
New real post coming soon!
New real post coming soon!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Russian Sports
One of the things I've been doing a lot of in Russia has been engaging in one of their favorite national sports: ping-pong. It's helped me learn my Russian numbers up to 21 really well and it has been a fun way to spend evenings if it's cold and rainy.
The person I play most often is a guy named Pavel. Our lifetime series is a pretty even split right now. At first I could beat him in closely played matches but then he figured out my style and started handing me 7 game loss streaks regularly. After this embarassment for both myself and my country I spent a great deal of time in deep thought contemplating the art behind the technique. After this short absence from the sport I've returned with the ability to beat Pavel 3 out of 4 games.
I also play my friend Paul occasionally but his different style has me slightly confused. I have only played him twice, but he won both matches.
Here is a photo that Pavel took that puts a picture to the ping-pong action that occurs here:
Time to go consider ways to defeat Paul.
The person I play most often is a guy named Pavel. Our lifetime series is a pretty even split right now. At first I could beat him in closely played matches but then he figured out my style and started handing me 7 game loss streaks regularly. After this embarassment for both myself and my country I spent a great deal of time in deep thought contemplating the art behind the technique. After this short absence from the sport I've returned with the ability to beat Pavel 3 out of 4 games.
I also play my friend Paul occasionally but his different style has me slightly confused. I have only played him twice, but he won both matches.
Here is a photo that Pavel took that puts a picture to the ping-pong action that occurs here:
Time to go consider ways to defeat Paul.
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