Hello from Kiev

Greetings from Kiev, Ukraine! I've been here a week already with another week to go, waiting for my visa back into Russia. This is not my first visit to Kiev. But it is my first time to come here for visa renewal although it will likely be my last. And that's another topic entirely, not for the faint of heart. Welcome to the latest round of the visa game. Speaking of fun and games. . .

There's not much more entertaining than hanging out the balcony window videotaping passersby. I jest of course but it does provide some reasonably dramatic footage for learning to edit video. And that is one of my big projects for these two weeks: editing video.





Oh, I'm so pleased to have gotten quite a bit done. Granted, I'm in the learning mode on this, but the results are respectable enough for the purposes at hand. Visit YouTube (search Eileena110) to see all 25 videos which include Christian songs for children in Russian, spiritual songs from last summer's Christian Singing School and performances from out talent show on the closing evening there in Donetsk, Ukraine. Oh, and there's so much more to come. . .

Soviet Russian Pins on the Street

In Rostov-on-Don, a lady sets up shop a couple hours each weekday and sells these lapel pins. My impression is that during Soviet times, such pins were to a Russian what t-shirts are to Americans. Besides being fun to wear, they're a handy way of showing a bit of where we have been and what we've done. One website says that years ago, trading pins on the street was a popular pastime, apparently they were traded much like baseball cards.

This lady - Olga is her name, as I recall - has collected these pins from various estate sales. Looking at her pin collection is like walking through Soviet history. Say, care to join me for a closer look? (Click photos to enlarge.)


Most of these pins are related to the Olympic games. Several are especially interesting. Let's zoom on in closer.


A couple of these pins catch my eye. In the upper right is a red and gold pin that says CSSR 25. I was pretty proud of myself - for a few minutes, anyway - for deciding that was for the 25th anniversary of the USSR. Except it can't be: For one thing, USSR in Russian is spelled CCCP and besides that 1945 - in small print - was not the 25th anniversary of the USSR. Oh well. This is when I turn to my local experts. And there are many. Starting with the lady who is selling these. Here's betting she knows exactly the story behind that pin.

Another interesting pin lower right, silver with Roman numerals XXII. That would be for the 22nd Olympic games in Moscow in 1980. Remember when the US boycotted those games? (Boy we showed them a thing or two, didn't we? haha)

Another interesting pin is top center and says PRESS, in English, of course. The matching pin to the left says International Exhibition and seems to involve oil - power - and agriculture, I'm guessing. Maybe the engineers among us would have an idea. Again, I'll get the pin seller lady would know exactly the story behind those pins.

Anybody have a major interest in such pins? No promises here, but I can get them really quite inexpensively.

A Russian Wedding

Two weeks ago, our Marianna married Evan, a young man originally from Barnayl, Siberia. The wedding was here in Rostov at the Wedding Palace, the most elegant marriage registry in the city. Say, care to come along? A Russian wedding is very special.


Here they are, in front of the Wedding Palace waiting to be invited inside. It's quite an elegant system albeit an assembly line of sorts. Marianna and Evan's wedding was scheduled for 1:20 p.m. There were weddings before and after ours throughout the day. (Click photo to enlarge.)


As per Russian tradition, the bride and groom have one attendant each and they wear red sashes. Space inside is limited so only close family and friends attend the wedding. Our group was 25 or so but afterwards more people assembled at our church building for a religious ceremony and table of sweets.


In front of the Wedding Palace, other wedding parties were waiting their turns. This bride was kind enough to hold her pose and allow me a photograph. Brides are pretty good that way. They're okay with being photographed.


What a clever idea! This photographer put the big columns to good use for posing another bride.



Eventually we were called inside and waited at the base of the golden stairway. First we listened to the attendant give her speech of welcome. And then beautiful music began to play. . .



. . .and up at the top of the stairway, a boy and girl began the wedding waltz. At this stage, mothers of the couple usually pull out tissues and start dabbing at their eyes. When the waltz is over, the entire entourage goes charging up ascends the golden stairs. . .



We reassembled in the registration room for the civil ceremony. Here a government official talks about the significance of a new family. The ceremony is conducted beneath the double-headed eagle, symbol of Russia, flanked by the flag of Russia on the right and flag of Rostov Region on the left. We were in this room 15 minutes max, but there's no sitting down.



Here Marianna is signing the marriage license. The videographer was busy capturing everything.


Next is the exchange of rings. This happens off to the left on a special carpet which symbolizes family unity. Usually couples choose simple gold bands which are worn on the right hand. After the ring ceremony our group headed to the adjoining room for the next step. But I lingered a bit to ask the musicians for how many weddings they would be playing. Can you imagine: 30 weddings that day.


The welcoming room is our next stop. Here another attendant gives her little speech for 3-5 minutes and then family and friends run over to congratulate the newlyweds. After that the mothers have their special piece of the action. They use a specially-embroidered cloth to tie together the hands of the couple. These mothers made us laugh when they tied more knots than usual and pulled extra hard. They want this marriage to last!



Extended family and friends lined up, waiting to hug Marianna and Evan.



The final step is heading down the family staircase and exiting the building. Igor had this great idea of getting Marianna and Evan to look up for the photo.


So following right along is the rest of the group. In the white shirt and tie is Marianna's brother, Artash. Happens that he's our beloved preacher. Artash did the bulk of the organizing and planning for the wedding and receptions that followed.



By the time Misha, Lyka and I were done photographing ourselves in the mirror, we missed something I had really wanted to capture. By the we got outside, the pair of white doves were flying off into the trees. I missed the release of the doves. (A lesson learned. . .)



So here they are, married. A Russian wedding is simple and elegant. For one thing, I'd say that there are significantly fewer decisions to be made than in a typical wedding in the US. Anyway, after the ceremony, we walked the short distance to our church building for a religious service.

There's much more to share about a Russian wedding: How the groom and his entourage come to the bride's home to meet the bride, barter for her - done in jest nowadays - present her with her bouquet - which is a gift from the groom - and then head toward the Wedding Palace. But thank you for joining us for Evan and Marianna's wedding. They will live in Moscow where Evan is studying at the Conservatory of Music.

What if Starbucks Were Run Like a Church?

Oh, almost funny. But it does hit home! Please come along on a visit to a unique Starbucks for an experience not unlike visiting church for the first time.






Thanks to Deb Simmons for sharing the link.

A Pirana Tooth Necklace: Need One?

Dear Blog Reader, since it's just the two of us here, allow me to put you on the spot. Have you ever brought contraband or iffy stuff home from a trip overseas? Okay, maybe not you, but perhaps a friend (wink-wink)?

Recently I was hurrying through Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and in the international terminal were the Buyer Beware exhibits of travel treasures confiscated from passengers. And I thought of you, dear blog reader. And you and You over there. And I knew you would want to see all this. So I bit the bullet, ditched my beloved extra-large iced tea and fished out the camera. Because this contraband is so interesting. And because you have the right to know.


Does any of this look like stuff you might like to bring home? Does it look like stuff that you would try to bring home? (Double-click on photo to enlarge.)



Let's zoom on in and check out those boots. Hey, they're made from sea turtle, the label says. And I'm wondering about those eggs there. . . any ideas what those might be?



Oh lots of pretties! There are those shells and all that coral-y stuff. Might you have a place to display any of that?


Hey, how about some athletic shoes made from stingray leather. Well la-de-dah. Apparently there's a market for such. . .



A little further down the hallway more confiscated stuff awaits us. . .

Here's the wide view. . .Let's zoom on in for a close look at the poster on the right.


Okay, when in doubt, don't buy. The small print lists these reasons: Many souvenirs are made from endangered or threatened species. Many countries do not allow the export of wildlife or wildlife products without a permit. Many items may require a US permit. And right there, dangling by the sign is a necklace made from pirana teeth, which indicates they're quite serious about all this.



Moving right along, how about a snake-head fish? Might add a special touch to your bookshelf. Nyet?


And then there's the exotic butterfly collection. Butterflies are free, someone said. But probably not these ones. Oh, wouldn't you just hate to have to turn those over to the customs guys?


How about a blow gun with fancy feathers? Or the classic, pirana-tooth necklace? Perfect for a gala evening.


So here's a crocodile up closer, spiders, various insects. There are people who are into flora and fauna.

You know, this brings back memories of treasures I brought back from Australia in 1978 and didn't think twice about it. A fetal shark in formaldehyde, shark jaws, a kangaroo leather belt and pillow made from hide. Is there a shortage of kangaroos or sharks? Not likely. . .

How about you dear blog reader, have you any interesting experiences at the border? I've got stories for you, myself, but all that can wait. First I want to hear your stories!