Greetings from Russia,
We would like to begin by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! It is our hope that you spent the holiday with loved ones and that each of you experienced the peace that can come from remembering the birth of Jesus Christ. It has been a few weeks since our last email. If anyone is counting, this will be the third installment of our periodic “Greetings from Russia!” Much has happened and we will do our best to describe our labors and travels here in Russia.
Just after or last email we got our hot water back. The creature comforts are often taken for granted until they are no longer available. Our neighbor down stairs, Sergei, the artist who had had the flood in his apartment, decided not to wait until spring for an official city work crew to be sent to make the repairs. He got a jack hammer and chipped away the cement and found the leak. After installing new piping and a valve we were momentarily back in business. I say momentarily because another pipe immediately burst after turning the water back on. Within a day he had the second pipe replaced and after waiting to be sure the repairs would hold, has since filled the trench with dirt and poured new concrete.
We attempted to thank him with some of Jamie’s cookies but he politely declined the offer only to return shortly thereafter with a picture that he had drawn and a framed photograph of the arches from an old Pravoslavnaya church (Russian Orthodox) for our wall. The picture he drew was of a hairy caveman chipping away with a stone tool on a small carving of a stone head in style like the much larger ones found on Easter Island. It was titled “A fly in space” and had the caption of: “RUSSIA – communal services, at the level of the Stone Age, 2010”.
As the Russian New Year approaches there have been more visible decorations. Lights were put up recently on our building and there is a large decorated New Year’s tree that has gone up in front of one of the performing arts theaters. We now see signs that read Happy New Year with a smiling father winter who looks much like Santa Claus. The Russian Christmas is celebrated on January 7th; this is due to the continued use of the Julian calendar by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Most genealogists are familiar with the calendar change but to quickly answer why there is a difference in the calendar we go back to 45 BC when Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar with his more accurate Julian calendar. It had twelve months and included leap days every four years but it was not perfect. It did not take into account that our years are actually 11 minutes short of 365.25 days thus requiring the need to drop three leap days every 400 years to stay in sync. In 1582 Catholic Pope Gregory the XIII, in consultation with the Jesuit priest/astronomer, Christopher Clavius, issued the proclamation that dropped ten days from the calendar and made provisions to have three leap days dropped every 400 years. This change brought the Vernal Equinox, which had slipped to March 10th, back to March 21st.
It took a while for the new Gregorian calendar to catch on. Catholic countries adopted it first then protestant countries. America adopted it in 1752 and Russia adopted it civically in 1918. Turkey and Greece did not adopt it until 1923. Many Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar to calculate religious holidays. I would imagine it was hard for Protestants and Eastern Orthodox countries to accept a calendar from a Roman Catholic Pope. Why trade a flawed Roman Calendar for a better Roman Catholic calendar?
Jamie pointed out that as children we were taught that Santa Claus had to make it around the whole world in one night. Now she has come to find out that Santa’s work load has actually been split between two holidays. The good news, at least for those of us who are Americans, we will do our best to celebrate Christmas on both days.
On Christmas day Jamie prepared a dinner for twelve including four investigators. We had decorated our apartment and hung a holiday garland to frame our door. Jamie put out holiday treats, lit a small Christmas candle and we had soft Christmas music playing in the background. Among our guests we had two medical students from South America, a twenty three year old Catholic man named Sasha, Elders Smith and Weihing, Masha and other members of the branch and a brother and sister who recently moved here from Abkhazia. Their father died ten years ago and they moved here with their mother in September. It was very evident from our conversation that they deeply miss their old home and friends. Being from the south, where it is much more temperate, they also expressed a lack of enthusiasm for the snow and cold.
For dinner we had a Russian variation of cheesy chicken enchiladas made from lavash (Russian for pita). The lavash is rectangular in shape and comes folded in a package with three strips that are each roughly nine inches by 20 inches. Lavash is much thinner than pita bread back home and in appearance, texture and taste a good substitute for four tortillas. I will send a picture of it.
We made Spanish rice with bacon, onions and green olives, had fresh cooked carrots and a fruit salad. Using a recipe from Elder Weihing’s family we made their traditional frozen holiday punch. It had sugar and water brought to a boil and slightly cooled before adding pineapple and orange juice mixed with cherry Kool aid. That mixture was frozen and chunked up like slush before adding ginger ale. It was very good. In a separate email we will try to send some of the recipes we have enjoyed.
While we ate we each talked about our various homes and the Christmas traditions that each of us has and each person talked about a favorite Christmas Memory. One of the girls from Guyana had a memory of a Christmas when she was young where she received a set of small dishes and cups as a gift. Her mother had made a Christmas cake. As she played with her dishes she served herself some of the cake and then a little more and a little more and yet more again. Before she realized it she had eaten all but a small slice of the cake. She is not a very big girl and wondered how she could have eaten so much.
Sasha talked about when he was young and would spend the holidays with his granny in England. For breakfast she would serve him porridge that he didn’t appear to enjoy. He enjoyed those visits; everything was new in the world for the eyes of a small boy. One particular Christmas, all that he wanted was a bear and when he opened his gifts he received a white bear. It was a good memory for him. Though he speaks very good English some words don’t quite come out the same. As he told his Christmas memory his pronunciation of bear sounded more like beer. Jamie and some of the others thought it was humorous that all a little boy would want is a beer for Christmas. It finally made sense when they realized that he received a white bear rather than a white beer.
Jamie and I talked about spending Christmas with family. Carrie Anne, our daughter, posted a number of Christmas memories on her blog that made us remember all of the wonderful Christmases we have enjoyed. We have enjoyed reading all of their blogs. We spoke of things that we don’t see much of here but remember, including the sound of Christmas music on the radio and in the stores, the smell of cinnamon, warm candles and Christmas lights that lift your eyes and heart. Each of us expressed gratitude for the birth of Jesus Christ. We are grateful that we could celebrate this day among friends. Most of us spoke to our families back home and we shared simple gifts of new socks and rice bags that can be heated in the microwave. It was not gold, frankincense and myrrh but gratitude for life, new friendships and the blessings of the Christ child.
After dinner we turned down the Christmas music and watched a short video on the birth of Christ, depicting the events in the second chapter of Luke. It brought a good spirit. Following the video we resumed the music and conversation. The balance of our evening was spent eating desserts and playing games. We looked at pictures of Abkhazia and learned about their customs and some of the foods they eat there. A favorite fruit adapted from Brazil is a small green fruit called Feijoa (Pineapple Guava). The young woman, Tanya, said that she felt very comfortable in our home that for once, since coming here, she forgot to be afraid.
On Christmas Eve we held a branch Christmas party. It was well attended including fifteen non-members. Our building was brightly decorated including a Christmas tree with gifts for everyone in attendance. We had a spiritual message followed by good food, fun and games. Traditional foods included Russian salads, salami, cheeses, juice and bread. From America we brought homemade sugar cookies for them to decorate with icing and sprinkles. Once they caught on to the decorating part all of the cookies disappeared. We also brought homemade eggnog. At first some were a bit apprehensive to try it but soon it was also gone. The eggnog was easy to make and gave us a reminder of what we commonly find at home.
The week before Christmas we visited three different schools as American guests. The students put on plays and sang songs in Russian and English. We taught them about American Christmas traditions, taught them some Christmas carols and fielded many questions. The students ranged in age from about eleven up to adult. In the adult class we prepared holiday treats and let them sample eggnog and decorate sugar cookies. In each of the classes we were able to tell them that we are missionaries and give them a message on the birth and life of Jesus Christ.
In a teenage class of about twenty five students the teacher turned to us and asked if we believed in God. We answered yes whereupon she asked us to please tell the class the story of the birth of Jesus. We sent around pictures of the Nativity and told the story of Mary and Joseph and of the Saviors birth in a manger. We testified that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. The students were very respectful and asked many good questions. They asked about our homes and how we liked Russia. While fielding the questions we sent around pictures of home and Christmas, followed by sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles. We gave a short demonstration on how to ice the cookies and apply the sprinkles then each student in turn decorated a cookie as they came around the room. The cookies were a hit.
One girl asked us about our dreams. Jamie said her dreams were to learn to speak Russian, have peace and understanding in the world and that our children would raise their children well. As in the other classes, we were asked what it is like to be an American. They asked us tell them about America and about the places in America that we have visited. Elder Weihing and Elder Smith were asked by a young man how they liked the Russian girls. Elder Weihing gave a diplomatic answer and everyone in the class broke into a laugh and smiled. They have asked us to come back next Tuesday for a performance they are putting on in English. It should be fun. The teacher presented us each with gifts the students had picked out. There was a genuine feeling of hope for a brighter future.
In preparing for the holiday we went to one of the large open markets (phonetically pronounced Renic). There we found the Spice man. Around him were many containers of spices. Some we recognized and a lot we did not. He did not speak English but from his hand gestures and smile it was evident that he loved his job. He mixed several spices together and motioned for us to put our noses close and for us to dip in our finger and put it to our lips. Wow, is the best description. We tried spice after spice and each time he would put some in a small bag for us to purchase. It soon became obvious that if these strange Americans smelled it or tasted it we would buy it. A small crowd gathered to watch us taste the various spices he offered. We purchased whole cumin, cinnamon sticks, curry, dried pomegranate powder, ground nutmeg and ground cloves that were a dark chocolate brown and scented everything in the room as the spice man opened the container.
We also purchased chili powder that when Jamie dipped in her fingertip to sample it brought an audible gasp from the crowd as it got close to her mouth. Jamie motioned that it was okay and tasted it under their watchful gaze. In addition to the individual spices, the spice man also prepared two spice mixes. One mix was a savory mix that we put on the Christmas enchiladas and enjoy just smelling it. He said as best he could that it was good for fish, meats, pastas and salad.
The other is a sweet and spicy mix with chili and many other spices that he mixed before our eyes. We tried to watch what he put in the baggy but he was fast like as a street hustler moving a pea around in a shell game. His little spoon would dip into this container, then that container, as he added them to the blend. When finished he twisted the baggy shut and shook it until thoroughly mixed. He said the mix was good for anything that ails you. It is good in hot chocolate and milk. He uses it in Coffee and tea. Jamie has used it in hot cereal and in the cookies she has been baking. He looked to be a man in his early fifties until he told us he was seventy. His skin was clear and firm with no wrinkles. Between broken English, Russian, eye movements and hand signals he emphasized that this mix was especially good for male health. Everyone in the crowd smiled and nodded and Jamie’s cheeks were a rosier shade of pink.
While we selected the spices, vendors from other booths joined the crowd with samples of tangerines, dates, walnuts, pinion nuts, shelled pumpkin seeds, dried pears, dried apricots, dried figs and a mix of dried kiwi, dried cumquats and other dried fruits. The different vendors, observing the excitement, would bring us samples or they would motion for us come to their booth to taste their products. Each would carefully watch our expressions to see what we thought.
One woman opened a fresh tangerine and pressed the pieces into our hands. We soon had a bag of tangerines. The more we smelled, the more we tasted, each contributing to the more that we purchased. For Jamie and I it was a bit of magic. The laughing and smiles, the smells and tastes, will long be remembered. We didn’t pay much and who knows if we paid a good price but the experience was well worth it. It cannot be said that variety does not exist in Northern Russia.
We took a picture of one item we found that we will send with the other pictures for you to try and figure out what it is. Try to guess if it a spice, fruit or vegetable. Try to imagine what it might taste like (Bland, bitter, sweet, hot, pungent or tart). We are curious if you can identify it.
A couple of weeks ago we went to Moscow for a zone conference. We rode on a night train in a berthing compartment. The train was nonstop from Yaroslavl to Moscow. I don’t know what your experiences are with train travel but it reminded us of the movies. It may not have been the “Orient Express” but each passenger car had at least one cabin steward or stewardesses who were dressed in uniforms with coats and hats. They brought sheets, blankets and pillows for the berths, checked on the passengers and performed the duties of a conductor as they checked our tickets.
We left at 1:45 am and I found that sleep came easily as we moved across the countryside. The movement of the train and the sounds of the wheels on the tracks were very soothing. As we neared Moscow it was around 7:30 am and still dark outside. Our cabin stewardess knocked on our compartment until she was sure we were awake letting us know that we were getting close to the station. When we stepped off of the train we could hear trains whistles and observed as passengers hurried along the outdoor platform in the cold. The Moscow skyline was visible in the dark sky. Daylight would not come for another hour. The scene had the effect of transporting us back in time. How many people had walked on these platforms? From the look of the trains and surroundings we could have been in the 1940’s. It was a visual treat.
In Moscow our visit was brief. We visited the U.S. Embassy to have some document signed then attended the conference. As the in the previous conference we enjoyed the camaraderie and training we received. We sang Christmas carols and shared a meal. We learned that two new missionary sisters will be coming to Yaroslavl on January 4th. We will be going to Moscow again on the 3rd, prior to the Russian Christmas, for a mission Christmas party. We have missionaries from Russia, Ukraine, Germany, France and the United States. The new sisters will accompany us back to Yaroslavl.
To traverse the city, we rode the subway system. The Moscow Metro stations are large and often crowded. On the way home one of the cars was so full that Jamie barely was able to squeeze in. I held the door open for her and physically had to pull her in before she was left behind. As it was, her coat was caught in the doors when they closed and we pulled away from the platform. Another passenger and I worked to successfully free her coat. Jamie looked a little scared. The rule we follow, if one of us misses the subway, is to just sit tight and wait and those that got on will go up to the next station, get off and board the subway back to rejoin them. We made it safely back to Yaroslavl.
Travel around Yaroslavl is on foot, by bus or by small bus (Phonetically pronounced marshootka). With the cold weather, the marshooka windows are completely frozen over. It is nearly impossible to find a spot to see out let alone identify where you are. Elder Smith is amazing in his ability to navigate. He is not directionally challenged in the least. We appreciate his internal travel senses. It is like he has a built in GPS.
A couple of notes about the marshootkas and then we had better close this email. In addition to money being passed to the front by the honor system most everyone makes room for children to have a place to sit down and women are quick to offer their lap to a child. On a crowded marshootka there is no place for a child to hang on, stand or to see. They would be easily crushed or pushed over. It is nice to see the kindness they show.
December has been a good month. We have seen many wondrous and interesting things. We are looking forward to 2011. One last thing, pictures will follow in a separate email. We want to wish you a very Happy New Year and we look forward to your letters. God Bless each and every one.
With Love,
Elder & Sister Forsyth
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