Back to Russia

It feels a little strange writing a blog about Russia without posting it on my dedicated Russia blog, but since it is the next destination on this European adventure here it goes!

I arrived in Russia on the first day of Maslenitsa. Since I was sick during Maslenitsa last year, I was excited to have a second chance to eat a lot of blini and burn the “witch of winter”. And eat a lot of blini I did. My dear friend Masha met me at the train station, fed me blini and then set me on another train to Voronezh with…more blini!

Since I had to return to St. Petersburg for my research, I decided to visit Voronezh first to make the most of my visa and to see all the lovely people in Voronezh that I missed dearly. Ira and her 7 year old son Sasha met me at the train, and Sasha jumped into my arms as soon as I descended onto the platform. The next day I woke up to Ira in her PJs making me sirniki. She knows the way to my heart! 

Ira and Andrei had just moved into a beautiful new apartment, so I was just in time for their housewarming party (which featured a lot of blini of course). I compared stories with the new Fulbrighter in Voronezh and spent most of the night avoiding talk of “sanctions” by practicing English with Sasha’s friends and proposing toasts to distract from any talk of politics. Just like old times!  Sasha got a picture of us digging in to the feast. 

(Sasha is upset that he can't guess my iPhone passcode)

The day after I arrived I found myself at the center of a lovely little “welcome back” party organized by my former colleagues. We drank tea and ate cake and chatted for a few hours. It truly felt like no time had passed since I saw them. I ran into a number of my students in the halls of the university building who all had the same reaction: stopping dead in their tracks and fumblings for English words before asking how in the world I was back. It was so wonderful to see them all again! Here I am posing with the presents they brought me. 

I got to see most of my close friends and catch up with them in our favorite restaurants and cafes. Ira, Luda, and I got sushi at our regular place like old times and had our same waiter (who of course welcomed me back and knew my order immediately…I think I frequented that establishment too often).

On Sunday, Ira and I went to her village of Somovo to celebrate her friend’s birthday and burn the witch of winter before heading to the banya. There was lots of music, dancing, singing, poem reciting, blini (and homemade vodka), for everyone.

Voronezh was a whirlwind couple of days but such a wonderful way to start my second trip-in my second Russian home with some of the warmest people on this planet!