The year in numbers

Apparently I like statistics!

This should keep everyone amused for a while. In about 4 hours I leave for the airport to get on a plane to fly home.

So as of this post, my Russia blog is hereby concluded - at least until I come back next spring. If you want to find out what I'm up to and how I'm doing you'll have (gasp!) send me an email. Thanks to everyone for reading, and thanks to those who still kept emailing me, even though I had this darn blog.

So here it goes....

Number of days actually spent in the Russian Federation on my 365-day visa: 312

Number of round trip flights to and from Washington, DC: 3

Amount of money spent on 2 round trip tickets home: $1800

Number of frequent flier miles earned since June 2004: 39,324

Number of foreign countries visited, aside from Russia: 3

Number of different means of transportation I used to cross an international border: 4 (plane, train, bus, hydrofoil)

Number of apartments lived in: 3

Total number of roommates: 6

Amount paid in rent this year: $5900

Total amount in rent I would have had to pay if I did not live rent-free in St. Petersburg: $7700

Amount in rent I will pay for the next year in Charlottesville: $4800

Total cost of this year: $24,000 (give or take)

Number of records in my database, each record indicating a separate document from the archives: 1822

Number of notebooks filled with research notes: 5 ?

Amount paid in rubles for photocopies (actually January - August 2005 only): 5683

Amount in dollars: $205

Number of packages of books mailed home: 10

Total weight in kilograms of said book packages: about 40

Total weight in pounds: about 88

Cost of mailing 80lbs of books home: Don’t ask

Number of hikes taken: 3

Number of times I used my tent: 0

Number of times I used my sleeping bag and/or sleeping pad: 45

Number of places said sleeping pad/bag were used: 1 (my room)

Number of times I slipped and fell on the ice: 1

Number of times I fell through the ice: 1

Number of photos taken: over 2000

Number of times I had food poisoning: 2

Number of hot dogs purchased from street vendor in Vladimir: 2

Number of times I had food poisoning before buying the aforementioned hot dogs: 1

Duration of most recent bout of food poisoning: 7 days

Number of bus rides to Finland: 1

Number of “white nights” witnessed: 1

Number of currencies in my coin jar: 6

Number of foreign visitors: 2

Number of train trips to St. Petersburg (one way): 13

Number of drunk men who fell on me from a train bunk: 1

Date of construction of oldest thing I saw here: 1167 AD

Number of dead bodies seen: 2 definite, 1 probable

Number of pairs of shoes purchased in Russia: 3

Number of pairs of shoes abandoned in Russia: 3

Number of new friends with whom I think I’ll stay friends: 5

Number of times I cried: 4

Number of times I laughed: countless

when it rains it pours

Tonight is my last night in Russia. On this last night something happened to me that hasn't happened to me all year, and in fact, it happened to me twice in the span of 5 minutes - I was hit on by a Russian man.

I'm not announcing this because of I'm proud of it, but it is interesting that they decide to notice me my last night in this country. I normally pass under the radar (thankfully) because, well, I don't dress like a ho. And I don't wear make-up, and you can't see what kind of underwear I have on through my clothes. I am often mistaken for a 17 year old. And today actually, I was wearing my blue and white plaid skirt with my somewhat ratty magenta running fleece, because its chilly here already (a similary combination of colors which prompted John to ask in Finland, "you know you don't match, right?")

Riding the escalator up from the Metro after coming home from dinner with friends', 2 security guards get on the metro behind me and come right up to my step. I notice them but ignore them until one of them says hello to me. I turn around and politely, but formally say hello back and turn back around. "What's your name?" a really tall and skinny one asks me. "Its not important" "Why isn't it important? You're very pretty, tell me your name" "Its Desi" [Now this provokes some confusion, and they consult, and ask for clarification. I explain its my nickname and when I give them my full name they ask "what kind of name is that?"] By this time, we've reached the top of the escalator and a take a step up. They react, "Oh no! Don't worry, you don't need to step away!" The tall skinny one says "I'd like to have a wife as pretty as you" I smile, thank him for the compliment and as we walk out the door they ask if I am going the same direction they are. When I say no, and the skinny one says, "It was very nice to meet you, you are very sweet and I wish you the best, in fact, all will be well with you"

I thought this was very sweet, as the guy was obviously pretty young, early 20s I guess, and it was just very sincere and non-threatening. I start walking home, cross the pedestrian over the ring road and head down the street. Then there's this guy who crosses the street at the same time I do and is walking next to me, chain smoking. He's older than the other ones.

"Hello, what is your name? Let's get acquainted, my name is [so-and-so]" I keep walking without really saying anything, kind of trying to wave him off, and not making eye contact. "I like to walk the streets at Moscow when I am bored. You're very pretty, what is your name?" I don't answer, "Do you study here?" I nod yes to this because I'm still 2 blocks from home at this point "Oh really, what faculty?" I say history "Oh, I finished [something having to do with physics]" "Do you live here? Would you like to go out sometime?" At this point in time, I realize I have my out so I answer, "no I'm not from here, I'm going home soon" He answers: "Oh I'm not from Moscow either, where is home?" I lie and say England. "Oh! My father lives in Belgium, I can come visit you from Belgium and bring you flowers. Would you like to go out sometime?" I lie again and point to the ring I wear on my right hand and say that I am married. "But its not possible! I would sell the shirt off my back to buy you flowers and I would right you poems and sing you songs. I will go on the television show "Wait for me" [a show for people looking for lost and missing people] and say that I met a beautiful girl in Moscow and she left to go to England. Can I have your number? We can have dinner sometime, just dinner, just as friends." Then I explain, that no, I am literally leaving the country tomorrow. At this point, I reach a small shop where I need to buy some stuff, and so I tell this man thanks and wave him off, assuring him that, no really, my husband [in England] is a nice guy and he gives me flowers, but that he was very nice, and he waves and leaves.

Its funny really. Maybe they knew I was leaving and wanted it to be on a sweet note. :-)

various

On Friday I went to meet a professor to pick up a book from him. He had been talking to a woman when I came up. While we were talking, this woman came over and asked, in decent English, if this professor would help her get assylum in America, because if she stayed in Russia she would be killed. This professor explained that he does not have such power and she should consult the American Embassy about her story. She left and came back several times, interrupting our conversation. Judging by the way she acted, she may have been mentally ill, also possibly homeless, at the very least, struggling.

Isinbaeva set a new world record in women's pole vault yesterday and won the gold.

I have a persistent case of food poisoning.

All of my crap is not going to fit in my bags. Not by far. I'm leaving a whoel suitcase worth of stuff behind.

they're baaaack: Scientology strikes again

Sitting at home just now...(okay, lying at home, I don't feel well), cell phone rings. The number is not in my address book but I answer anyway. In Russian a guy asks for me, but its obvious he's not Russian. "What do you want?" "This is Sean with the American Language Center..." [oh boy] "Yeh-huh?" "I was looking through my records and I saw your contract, were in the office for an interview? I've been on vacation." "Yes, I was." "And?..." "There was a gross mix-up and the class you offered me to teach did not in any way fit my schedule." [because why go into the details with this guy, who incidentally has one of the most pronounced Canadian accents I've ever heard] "Oh, I see. Well, while I've got you on the phone...are you still interested in teaching?" "No. I leave the country in a week." "For good?" "Yes, for good." "Well, I see, well..." "Goodbye" Click.

2005 Track and Field World Championship

Is underway right now in Helsinki, at the very Olympic stadium I saw not two months ago.

They just ran the women's 3000 Meter Steeplechase. Talk about masochism! A Russian woman barely taller than the barriers was leading for awhile, and then fell apart after a stumble in the water pit. Poor thing.

That's the great thing about Russian sports coverage (aside from getting me hooked on biathalon) - track and field is considered a serious sport here worthy of consistent news coverage, not just during the Olympics and not just during some drug scandal or another. It may be because the Russian (women) kick ass and are awesome, but hey, I'm watching them play the Ethopian anthem, and I just saw them do the American anthem. Now that's democratic coverage.

Here are some track and field facts, in case you were interestet (courtesy of the Kommersant sports insert which had a feature on the world championships).

Of the 23 main events in women's track and field:

9 records are held by women from the Soviet Union and its successor states of Russia and the Ukraine.
6 more are held by women from Eastern Europe.
The world records in sprinting events (100M -800M) were all set in the 1980s and haven't been broken since, with the exception of the 400M hurdles, which was set exactly 2 years ago by a Russian.

An American woman, just a few minutes ago, cleared her high jump height of 2 meters, which is a bar that was broken not long ago. And a Swede JUST cleared 2.02!!! There's a battle on!

I miss running. I've just given it up this summer. The last time I ran was in May and it sucked. Then when my back started hurting, I thought it best not to run, but now I think the lack of running and general physical exertion is adding to my back and other skeleto-muscular problems. I also miss track. The last time I competed was over half of my lifetime ago, but I still love it, its still in my blood.