Last weekend in Johannesburg, South Africa, 21-year-old engineering student from Siberia, Ksenya Sukhinova was crowned Miss World 2008. Studies are set aside for now as Miss Sukhinova focuses on her royal responsibilities. But faculty at the Institute of Oil and Gas in Tumen are said to understand.
Ksenya's grandparents are shown here, calling their friends and inviting them to come celebrate. They show to be typical grandparents who live in a typical apartment who are proud as punch of their granddaughter's accomplishments.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
In Search of Solzhenitsyn: Under a Full and Glorious Moon
Last night several of us were out searching for Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Rostov's favorite son and Nobel Laureate. Well actually, we were scouting for the bas relief plaque hung days ago in his memory.
Our hunt was under that magnificent moon, a day or two past full. Called a waning moon, if I'm not mistaken.
Wish I could say that in this fine institution our hero studied literature. In truth, the place is a vodka brewery. And so, we move right along. . .
Alexander Solzhenitsyn died in August, as you may recall. Thursday would have been his 90th birthday, so he was featured on the national news. Better yet was local Rostov coverage and I caught a snippet of information that I've long been waiting for: That a plaque had been installed in his honor here in Rostov. Friend Misha made some calls and sent the address last evening: At 88 Maxim Gorky Street we would find the plaque. But first, let's have a quick look at the life of Solzhenitsyn, thanks to the wonders of YouTube.
An even better interview is with Solzenitsyn's oldest son, below, presented by Russia Today especially for the author's 90th birthday. Somewhere I saw a photo of this son at age 10 or 12, sitting at a manual typewriter typing manuscripts from his father's notes, as I recall. As the interview shows, this son speaks fluent English, thanks to the family's years living in Vermont.
And last night after McDonald's, my dinner companions and I walked along Gorky Street and there it was. The Plaque. Now this is going to look a lot nicer in daylight.
But allelujah, we found it! And here's what it says: In this building from 1936 until 1941, in the department of physics and mathematics, studied Alexander Isaacovich Solzyenitsyn, Russian author and winner of the Nobel Prize.
But not everybody is thrilled about honoring Solzhenitsyn. Nothing personal though. Gotta pity the folks in Moscow who do business on what was, until recently, Big Communist Street. Now it's Alexander Solzhenitsyn Street and, according to Moscow Times, residents are not too happy. Can't blame them one bit. Somehow, imagine that Solzhenitsyn would have a thing or two to say about all the bureaucracy involved in changing the street name and what an inconvenience it is to locals. Come to think of it, think he would write on that subject at length and probably win a prize for it too.
PS: Today returned to the building where Solzhenitsyn's plaque is hung. It was once part of Rostov State University. And here's the view in broad daylight. Happens that this site very near the tram stop I use.
Our hunt was under that magnificent moon, a day or two past full. Called a waning moon, if I'm not mistaken.
Wish I could say that in this fine institution our hero studied literature. In truth, the place is a vodka brewery. And so, we move right along. . .Alexander Solzhenitsyn died in August, as you may recall. Thursday would have been his 90th birthday, so he was featured on the national news. Better yet was local Rostov coverage and I caught a snippet of information that I've long been waiting for: That a plaque had been installed in his honor here in Rostov. Friend Misha made some calls and sent the address last evening: At 88 Maxim Gorky Street we would find the plaque. But first, let's have a quick look at the life of Solzhenitsyn, thanks to the wonders of YouTube.
An even better interview is with Solzenitsyn's oldest son, below, presented by Russia Today especially for the author's 90th birthday. Somewhere I saw a photo of this son at age 10 or 12, sitting at a manual typewriter typing manuscripts from his father's notes, as I recall. As the interview shows, this son speaks fluent English, thanks to the family's years living in Vermont.
And last night after McDonald's, my dinner companions and I walked along Gorky Street and there it was. The Plaque. Now this is going to look a lot nicer in daylight.
But allelujah, we found it! And here's what it says: In this building from 1936 until 1941, in the department of physics and mathematics, studied Alexander Isaacovich Solzyenitsyn, Russian author and winner of the Nobel Prize.But not everybody is thrilled about honoring Solzhenitsyn. Nothing personal though. Gotta pity the folks in Moscow who do business on what was, until recently, Big Communist Street. Now it's Alexander Solzhenitsyn Street and, according to Moscow Times, residents are not too happy. Can't blame them one bit. Somehow, imagine that Solzhenitsyn would have a thing or two to say about all the bureaucracy involved in changing the street name and what an inconvenience it is to locals. Come to think of it, think he would write on that subject at length and probably win a prize for it too.
PS: Today returned to the building where Solzhenitsyn's plaque is hung. It was once part of Rostov State University. And here's the view in broad daylight. Happens that this site very near the tram stop I use.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Kharkov, Ukraine: A Few Favorite Sights
Hello dear blog readers,
Greetings from Rostov-on-Don, Russia. This week I'm balancing my happy-to-be-back-home euphoria with my gypsy-recovery mode, so it's a bit overwhelming. Imagine that! Well, now that I think about it, what is huge is the volume of photos and new experiences and special friends I met along the way. Where to start? What to share with you? How to pick and choose?
For starters, let's do a few favorite sights and sites of Kharkov. Another blog, I'll introduce you to some very special folks who live there. Deal. . .Da?
Got milk? Walking along, from a distance looked like a kvas dispenser. You'll remember that kvas is the popular summer-time time drink in these parts and it's dispensed the same kind of container. But right there on the side it says mo-lo-KO. And that means Got Milk! When I saw the young lady climbing up there atop the yellow cow to stir things up, I knew you would want to see this too.
I stopped and asked about the milk, how much it cost and such. It's fresh milk straight from the cow, straight from the country, said the lady there.
And then as I continued along the sidewalk, I heard the one lady on the left repeating word-for-word everything I'd said. I turned around and sorta laughed and shook my finger.
Just ahead is the soldier statue with pedestrians along the way. Just past the statue are entrances to the metro station, called The 23rd of August. Can you imagine why?
That's the date in 1945 on which Kharkov was free of Nazi forces. Here on the left, notice the older man coming toward us. Don't you know that he's seen quite a bit of history in these parts. Imagine he was a boy during the war. Like to visit with him. . . But I'm not going to mess with him. He's on his way to get some of that fresh, country milk. Plus I don't particularly want to hear him repeating every word I said to the Milk Maidens there. Doubt that he would though. He's got more to think about than that. . .
Let's preserve the cleanliness of Kharkov, says the sign at the bus stop.
On the other hand, this young lady wants to smoke. May I ask, do you smoke? I'm thinking about smoking one cigarette in my lifetime. Probably just one puff will do it for me. But if I do, it will probably be after I turn 60. That'll be. . . um. . . about 35 years from now. Give or take thirty. But I can tell you for sure, it won't be in front of a sign about keeping the city clean.
Feeling adventuresome? Try the Mafia Restaurant there on the far left. Italian cuisine, the sign says. Might be quite an exciting evening.
Next to the Mafia is the Japanese Kitchen. It's safe to assume there will be lots of cigarette lighting going on in those two establishments. But I have my doubts about their having any milk. Just a hunch.
Across the way there is Holy Annunciation Church, an Orthodox cathedral of unique architectural style - Byzantine, said someone who would know. The red billboard there on the right caught my attention. Let's zoom on in for a close-up on that.
That red billboard is a bank advertising: Our Stability is Your Assurance. How can any Ukrainian bank can say that with a straight face. That's my question.
Because ironically, at the moment, stability is low and assurance is lower. The fact is this: Ukrainian folk who have their savings in Ukrainian banks today are unable to get their funds out. I'm still chewing on that concept. They are unable to get their own cash out of the bank. Sound like anything you've ever read about, like from 1929? A very scary thought. . .
Moving right along. Let's consider something more pleasant. NATO, for instance.
Farewell to Arms. Farewell to NATO. Interestingly, in Russian - and this sign is in Russian - NATO is pronounced with the usual soft a, the a as in father, so it sounds. . . a little different. However you say it, some folks are very much against NATO in Ukraine. Then there's the other point of view.
Welcome to the Historical Museum of Kharkov. Listed on this poster are production goals for Kharkov factories to accomplish before 1941. And it was in June 1941 that Germany invaded Ukraine. . .
Trying to translate this. Thing is, it's in Ukrainian not Russian and now at 10:30 pm, it's a bit late to call upon any of my sources of Ukrainian language information. Several things are easily translated, however: 18 million tons of "chavyny" (see, that word's not in the Russian dictionary because. . . it's not Russian!) but You might know what it is. And then there's 22.4 million tons of steel (that one's easy) and then 15.8 million tons of "prokaty" - that's something I'm fresh out of, that prokaty. I'm pretty confident that it's not radishes. But over there on the right side, there's 38 million tons of oil for gas. Wonder if they reached those goals. I'm guessing not. With the war starting up and all. Kharkov was and is a major industrial center of Ukraine.
Don't you know that these characters have stories to tell about factory work. They're playing chess at the metro station. Behind are the escalators that go down to the platforms. Lose a game and off you go, down the escalator and over the edge. Maybe, maybe not. . .
These fellows were playing the other evenings playing too. I'd have more pictures for you but the Matron of the Metro came over and said no more photos. Photos are forbidden at the metro, you know. Especially chess games.
Chess games are tippy-top secret. Or at least they should be. Imagine the dangers of sharing on a blog or some such, the secret strategies of a chess game in Kharkov. Let's just keep this between us here, okay? Say, interesting that it's only men playing chess here this evening. No surprise there. But where are the lady chess players? Maybe they're home watching TV, watching grandkids, working the daily crossword in the newspaper. Probably just enjoying the peace and quiet.
Checkmate!
Greetings from Rostov-on-Don, Russia. This week I'm balancing my happy-to-be-back-home euphoria with my gypsy-recovery mode, so it's a bit overwhelming. Imagine that! Well, now that I think about it, what is huge is the volume of photos and new experiences and special friends I met along the way. Where to start? What to share with you? How to pick and choose?
For starters, let's do a few favorite sights and sites of Kharkov. Another blog, I'll introduce you to some very special folks who live there. Deal. . .Da?
Got milk? Walking along, from a distance looked like a kvas dispenser. You'll remember that kvas is the popular summer-time time drink in these parts and it's dispensed the same kind of container. But right there on the side it says mo-lo-KO. And that means Got Milk! When I saw the young lady climbing up there atop the yellow cow to stir things up, I knew you would want to see this too.
I stopped and asked about the milk, how much it cost and such. It's fresh milk straight from the cow, straight from the country, said the lady there.
And then as I continued along the sidewalk, I heard the one lady on the left repeating word-for-word everything I'd said. I turned around and sorta laughed and shook my finger.Just ahead is the soldier statue with pedestrians along the way. Just past the statue are entrances to the metro station, called The 23rd of August. Can you imagine why?
That's the date in 1945 on which Kharkov was free of Nazi forces. Here on the left, notice the older man coming toward us. Don't you know that he's seen quite a bit of history in these parts. Imagine he was a boy during the war. Like to visit with him. . . But I'm not going to mess with him. He's on his way to get some of that fresh, country milk. Plus I don't particularly want to hear him repeating every word I said to the Milk Maidens there. Doubt that he would though. He's got more to think about than that. . .Let's preserve the cleanliness of Kharkov, says the sign at the bus stop.
On the other hand, this young lady wants to smoke. May I ask, do you smoke? I'm thinking about smoking one cigarette in my lifetime. Probably just one puff will do it for me. But if I do, it will probably be after I turn 60. That'll be. . . um. . . about 35 years from now. Give or take thirty. But I can tell you for sure, it won't be in front of a sign about keeping the city clean.Feeling adventuresome? Try the Mafia Restaurant there on the far left. Italian cuisine, the sign says. Might be quite an exciting evening.
Next to the Mafia is the Japanese Kitchen. It's safe to assume there will be lots of cigarette lighting going on in those two establishments. But I have my doubts about their having any milk. Just a hunch.Across the way there is Holy Annunciation Church, an Orthodox cathedral of unique architectural style - Byzantine, said someone who would know. The red billboard there on the right caught my attention. Let's zoom on in for a close-up on that.
That red billboard is a bank advertising: Our Stability is Your Assurance. How can any Ukrainian bank can say that with a straight face. That's my question.
Because ironically, at the moment, stability is low and assurance is lower. The fact is this: Ukrainian folk who have their savings in Ukrainian banks today are unable to get their funds out. I'm still chewing on that concept. They are unable to get their own cash out of the bank. Sound like anything you've ever read about, like from 1929? A very scary thought. . .Moving right along. Let's consider something more pleasant. NATO, for instance.
Farewell to Arms. Farewell to NATO. Interestingly, in Russian - and this sign is in Russian - NATO is pronounced with the usual soft a, the a as in father, so it sounds. . . a little different. However you say it, some folks are very much against NATO in Ukraine. Then there's the other point of view.Welcome to the Historical Museum of Kharkov. Listed on this poster are production goals for Kharkov factories to accomplish before 1941. And it was in June 1941 that Germany invaded Ukraine. . .
Trying to translate this. Thing is, it's in Ukrainian not Russian and now at 10:30 pm, it's a bit late to call upon any of my sources of Ukrainian language information. Several things are easily translated, however: 18 million tons of "chavyny" (see, that word's not in the Russian dictionary because. . . it's not Russian!) but You might know what it is. And then there's 22.4 million tons of steel (that one's easy) and then 15.8 million tons of "prokaty" - that's something I'm fresh out of, that prokaty. I'm pretty confident that it's not radishes. But over there on the right side, there's 38 million tons of oil for gas. Wonder if they reached those goals. I'm guessing not. With the war starting up and all. Kharkov was and is a major industrial center of Ukraine.Don't you know that these characters have stories to tell about factory work. They're playing chess at the metro station. Behind are the escalators that go down to the platforms. Lose a game and off you go, down the escalator and over the edge. Maybe, maybe not. . .
These fellows were playing the other evenings playing too. I'd have more pictures for you but the Matron of the Metro came over and said no more photos. Photos are forbidden at the metro, you know. Especially chess games.
Chess games are tippy-top secret. Or at least they should be. Imagine the dangers of sharing on a blog or some such, the secret strategies of a chess game in Kharkov. Let's just keep this between us here, okay? Say, interesting that it's only men playing chess here this evening. No surprise there. But where are the lady chess players? Maybe they're home watching TV, watching grandkids, working the daily crossword in the newspaper. Probably just enjoying the peace and quiet.
Checkmate!
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Back to Beautiful Rostov-on-Don
I'm just hours off the train after being forever on the road. Oh look will you at the magnificent sight.
The Rostov train station as seen through the train window. Oh now that is magnificent.
Thank goodness dear brother Misha met me at the station. Off the train and here's the view toward the right. Is that poetic or what. Or what?
And then here's the view left. A misty, moisty evening. Maybe 40-some degrees.
The Rostov train station as seen from the street. Oh dear Rostov, has anyone ever told you how beautiful, beauty-full, bea-ti-ful You Are?!
Oh. . . is it wonderful to be home. And look what's here waiting for me: evidence that I've been gone since. . . since Halloween. Oh is it good to be home.
The Rostov train station as seen through the train window. Oh now that is magnificent.
Thank goodness dear brother Misha met me at the station. Off the train and here's the view toward the right. Is that poetic or what. Or what?
And then here's the view left. A misty, moisty evening. Maybe 40-some degrees.
The Rostov train station as seen from the street. Oh dear Rostov, has anyone ever told you how beautiful, beauty-full, bea-ti-ful You Are?!
Oh. . . is it wonderful to be home. And look what's here waiting for me: evidence that I've been gone since. . . since Halloween. Oh is it good to be home.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Hello From Kharkov, Ukraine!
After a splendid month in Kiev, I am heading back to home-sweet-home in Rostov-on-Don. But hey, not in toooo big of a hurry, because right smack between Kiev and Rostov is Kharkov. And that's a place I had never been and but I felt compelled to go because I have friends there. Well not friends exactly, but friends of friends. Would that be friends-to-the-2nd degree. . . or friends once-removed? Ah never mind, first you'll want to see the map:
Kharkov, they're telling me, was once the capital of Ukraine. I've got it written down somewhere when Kiev became the capital. You'll forgive me, will you not, for not running around to find the notebook in which I jotted that tidbit of oh-so-vital information. But what I can tell you is that Kharkov is the 2nd largest city in Ukraine, almost 2 million people and just a hop-skip-and-jump from the Russian border.
So at the Kharkov station dear Facebook friends Mike and Lucy (and friends of friends Tim and Rebecca in Athens) met me at the station with dear brother Volera, (friend of friend Jay from Atlanta). Got that? We'll have a quiz later. Oh, but is it wonderful to be met by friends and ushered into a new city. Even just for a few days.
Any monuments in this town? You betcha! Here's a big soldier statue and Yours Truly. The Soldier Statue is a good landmark. We've been meeting at the Soldier Statue several times in the last day or two.
Oh, let's rewind to Thursday morning and the train trip: An express train runs between Kiev and Kharkov daily. Departs 6:33 a.m. and six hours later, in Kharkov. I was busy sleeping most of the way. Here's a little glimpse of what we passed after mid-morning, after my little nap.
Looks like Ohio doesn't it? Maybe more like Texas. Surprise, it really is Ukraine, the breadbasket of the former Soviet Union.
There's a settlement up north of the tracks. Let's zoom in a little closer. It's some city a bit more than halfway between Kiev and Kharkov. You don't expect me to look up the name of that now do you? Well, okay then. I've just rummaged through my purse with my handy-dandy ever-present map of Ukraine and here it is: Poltava. Maybe not. But at least it's in the general vicinity.
Let's zoom on in for a closer look. Looks kind of like an ancient, walled city does it not? A Cossack fortress perhaps? No, but in a previous millenium, walled cities existed in this neck of the woods. Zipping right along. . .
Come Friday morning, dear Volera showed me around through downtown. In the distance is an Orthodox cathedral, Byzantine Architecture.
A demonstration was in progress at the WW2 monument. It was the Communist Party of Ukraine trying to drum up support.
The lady in this picture, I think she's busy evangelizing in a way, trying to persuade this fellow to join up. Hard to say. . . There were quite a few militia posted around making sure things stayed peaceful.
Nightfall comes early in these parts and here's Lenin up there on his pedestal. That guy gets around, I'm telling you. There are statues to Lenin absolutely all over the place. Plus his body's lying in state in Red Square at the Lenin Mausoleum. I've been there, maybe you have too. Once is enough to see his body, although worshiped by many.
There's good news: Here in Kharkov are several congregations and tomorrow I'm hoping to meet with a couple of them. The best news of all is that we serve a Risen Savior. And He's alive and well in the hearts of His followers.
So, lots more folks from Harkov to introduce to you. . . Monday morning catch the train back to Rostov to arrive there Monday evening. And it's likely that Monday evening will be the next time I'll have easy access to the internet. So until then, your friend and travel companion signing of from . . . Kharkov, Ukraine!
Kharkov, they're telling me, was once the capital of Ukraine. I've got it written down somewhere when Kiev became the capital. You'll forgive me, will you not, for not running around to find the notebook in which I jotted that tidbit of oh-so-vital information. But what I can tell you is that Kharkov is the 2nd largest city in Ukraine, almost 2 million people and just a hop-skip-and-jump from the Russian border.
So at the Kharkov station dear Facebook friends Mike and Lucy (and friends of friends Tim and Rebecca in Athens) met me at the station with dear brother Volera, (friend of friend Jay from Atlanta). Got that? We'll have a quiz later. Oh, but is it wonderful to be met by friends and ushered into a new city. Even just for a few days.
Any monuments in this town? You betcha! Here's a big soldier statue and Yours Truly. The Soldier Statue is a good landmark. We've been meeting at the Soldier Statue several times in the last day or two.
Oh, let's rewind to Thursday morning and the train trip: An express train runs between Kiev and Kharkov daily. Departs 6:33 a.m. and six hours later, in Kharkov. I was busy sleeping most of the way. Here's a little glimpse of what we passed after mid-morning, after my little nap.
Looks like Ohio doesn't it? Maybe more like Texas. Surprise, it really is Ukraine, the breadbasket of the former Soviet Union.
There's a settlement up north of the tracks. Let's zoom in a little closer. It's some city a bit more than halfway between Kiev and Kharkov. You don't expect me to look up the name of that now do you? Well, okay then. I've just rummaged through my purse with my handy-dandy ever-present map of Ukraine and here it is: Poltava. Maybe not. But at least it's in the general vicinity.
Let's zoom on in for a closer look. Looks kind of like an ancient, walled city does it not? A Cossack fortress perhaps? No, but in a previous millenium, walled cities existed in this neck of the woods. Zipping right along. . .
Come Friday morning, dear Volera showed me around through downtown. In the distance is an Orthodox cathedral, Byzantine Architecture.
A demonstration was in progress at the WW2 monument. It was the Communist Party of Ukraine trying to drum up support.
The lady in this picture, I think she's busy evangelizing in a way, trying to persuade this fellow to join up. Hard to say. . . There were quite a few militia posted around making sure things stayed peaceful.
Nightfall comes early in these parts and here's Lenin up there on his pedestal. That guy gets around, I'm telling you. There are statues to Lenin absolutely all over the place. Plus his body's lying in state in Red Square at the Lenin Mausoleum. I've been there, maybe you have too. Once is enough to see his body, although worshiped by many.There's good news: Here in Kharkov are several congregations and tomorrow I'm hoping to meet with a couple of them. The best news of all is that we serve a Risen Savior. And He's alive and well in the hearts of His followers.
So, lots more folks from Harkov to introduce to you. . . Monday morning catch the train back to Rostov to arrive there Monday evening. And it's likely that Monday evening will be the next time I'll have easy access to the internet. So until then, your friend and travel companion signing of from . . . Kharkov, Ukraine!
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