Abroad

Домой.

2010-08-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

(Toward) home

After fourteen months of travels around the world, I'm back in the city of my birth. I've traveled in the USA, Israel, Russia, Japan, and Korea, and now I'm here again.

The first post in this blog was about Los Angeles, posted days before I was to leave for Israel. It was an uncertain yet thrilling time in my life, having just come out of a sophomore year rife with challenges, looking ahead to months of travels, to satisfying my dreamer's itch to get out and explore, part of my personal character ever since I could crawl. That first blog post is full of excitement and opportunity, wide open eyes and a sort of youthfulness that entices and endears.

I have grown and grown up a lot in the past year and a half. I've grown more mellow, less anxious, more experienced, perhaps. I have slowly satisfied some of that itch and learned over the course of many months, probably predictably, that I can't keep it up. Besides the fact that these opportunities don't last forever, these months have taught me that it's important to have somewhere to go back to.

Moreover, LA hasn't been my home since the time I left for these travels, actually since before that. During my first year at college this place became no longer my home, and I searched and searched and found my temporary home in the world. Now? I feel transient. There's a Japanese phrase 住めば都 (sumeba miyako) that means something like "wherever you live is home" and I had it posted on my wall in my room in Kanazawa, though even then it sounded strange to me, and now maybe I see why. I've learned that I want to commit to a place. I lived in Kanazawa for ten months, but really, that's just ten months. If I'm somewhere for a year, knowing that I'll leave, I'm not a full participant. And now that, more than just seeing places, is what I want.

I've done so many programs and adventures and classes and trips in my life already--some affect me more than others, sometimes I make more or closer friends than other times, some people or places affect me more than others, but always at the end of everything I have to say goodbye. I'm getting to the point where I've had enough goodbyes, where I don't want to do that anymore.

An excerpt, slightly edited, from an email I sent to my grandfather about two weeks ago:
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I suppose if I look back at how I felt a year ago or even before that when I applied for this program, it has been all that I hoped for and more. I still don't know what I'll end up being or doing in the future, but the way so far has been rather an exciting and interesting experience. I know that's putting it vaguely, so I'll attempt to explain--
It's almost surreal to look at my face in the mirror and see that I'm not the boy I was just a couple of years ago. I look older, and I even feel older. I think I've gained some understanding in regards to some things in life that are most important to me--certain kinds of sentimentality for which I have perhaps a fortunate weakness, points in my character that are strong and others in which I lack confidence. I have amassed many friends, acquaintances, and contacts all over the world already, and only at 21 without a clear idea of what sort of business I may enter. I have always felt sensitive to this kind of self-awareness, but as it has matured more with me I feel that it is coalescing into a collected imperative that compels me to do something meaningful and good.

My current interest seems to lie most in a mediacentric realm, concerning issues in international and domestic journalism. Many things in the world are broken and yet still must work as well as they can, and I am certain that I will get involved. Perhaps I'll go for an advanced degree in a few years in journalism, some sort of media studies, or some related field. I keep coming back to my traveler's nature and innate proclivity to the natural sciences, so I'm sure that whatever I do will be some adventurous, hands-on kind of activity. In any case, my plan is to spend two or three months in Europe as soon as I've graduated (that's mid-May 2011 in Boston, if you can make it!), studying some Spanish or French or German and visiting friends and experiencing some other sort of culture. After that, I like the idea of teaching English or something for a year, going back in Japan. One thing I'm certain I will do someday is to work as staff on board a tall ship or similar sailing-school vessel for at least a couple of months, so maybe it's best to do that first. Maybe in ten years I'll be involved in broadcast media or something, maybe involved in performing arts on the side, and I'm sure I'll want to do some sort of hands-on sort of activity as well. I love an adventure, but I've realized more and more that adventure is all the better with the company of another person, and for however many dreams I realize alone, they are always more memorable and meaningful when shared.

Anyhow, that's my current thinking. I haven't been updating the blog much lately, really because as the year has started to come to a close here I have overwhelmed myself with distractions and every day here has somehow seemed absolutely packed, though I have started wondering where the time goes, and started feeling that the days are passing faster than they used to. I have found some things in the world that are profoundly meaningful to me, and I will keep going along this path as it opens up. Sometimes it's easy to get distracted and sometimes it's easy to lose confidence, but to organize these ideas in writing brings me focus, like adjusting a telephoto lens.
>

In nine months from now, I'll be a 社会人, a member of society, a full adult. I'll graduate in May and I'm planning to go to Europe for a couple of months, and then after that maybe work as staff on board a sailing school vessel before going back to live in Japan for another year, before probably settling in the US somewhere and maybe looking at grad school perhaps somewhere down the line. I don't know what I'll end up "doing" with my life, and for now I'm still sort of taking things as they come. The contacts I've amassed generally fall into a sort of "media" category, and despite my interest in science early in life, the prospect of travel and culture and worldwide opportunity proved too good to pass up. Now I speak conversational Russian and Japanese, I have a radio show again, two part time jobs in Boston, acquaintances and friends, contacts in business, and in nine months a university degree. Whatever I do, I'd like it to have some sort of international flair.

But I need to have a home.
And if I go somewhere away from that home, I want to know, to be sure, that I'll come back. I'm tired of disconnect and uncertainty and ambiguity. Seeing the world has given me valuable perspective, the kind of perspective that cannot be manufactured, and I've learned that I will make my home through my own power. I've realized a great many things about myself, and I feel a much stronger desire to be somewhere and make something, to contribute rather than absorb.

It's not so far ahead as it used to be. I feel older, and the days are passing faster. Life is short and precious, and I have come to see through more mature eyes how I might make the most of it. I want to be somewhere, to belong somewhere, and soon enough I will no longer be bound by these educational imperatives. Soon enough I'll really be out there, but part of me already is.

It's a dark night in LA now, and I can hear the freeway.

分からんではない。たぶん。

2010-07-31T23:43:00.000-07:00

wakaran dewanai. tabun.
"They don't not understand! Probably."

The above phrase has a funny story behind it. First, let me say that it sounds just as odd in Japanese as it does in English (being a double negative). Anyhow, on Monday, I went with my German buddy to get yaki-niku （焼肉, grill-it-yourself meat） for dinner at a very "neighborhood" sort of place. We go in, I say there are two of us, we get shown to our table, we get the menus, and the waitress explains to us how the ordering system works at the restaurant. It's very familiar, like most any other yaki-niku place. I listen attentively as she politely carries out her duty, wondering whether she supposes I can understand her, wanting her to trust that I do (truthfully, I understand about 85% of her instructions). When finished, she leaves the table, and I happen to catch what she says to her co-worker.
"They don't not understand! Probably."
Needless to say, I thought this was hilarious. I've been waiting the entire year to overhear someone say something like that here, and it finally happened.

Anyway.
It's my last Sunday in Kanazawa, and today I've spent a lot of time packing up my stuff. I can't believe that this year is basically over now. Is it just me, or are the days just going by faster than they used to? It seems like this year has been so fast. I've done a lot of amazing things this year, gotten to know some fantastic people, had many wonderful experiences, and I can speak conversational Japanese now (it's better than my Russian for sure now). Packing up my room is a lonely experience, but seeing all of the souvenirs and everything I've accumulated over the year reminds me of what an awesome year I've had here, and it makes me all the more certain that I'll come back.

This fall, I'm signed up for advanced Japanese and advanced Russian at Tufts, as well as a senior thesis seminar. I'll be busy and plan to study a good deal and keep up my language skills, but I want more than anything else to just have an awesome fun year. Then next summer I plan to spend some time in Europe. After that, I may go back to Japan or work on board a Sailing School Vessel or similar occupation. Thinking that far ahead in the future is problematic at best, but it's good to have goals. There are still so many things I want to do in the world, and I want to take advantage of the opportunities available to me while I still can.

I also feel that I've grown up a lot in the past year, certainly in the past year and a half. The time since New Year 2009 has meant massive changes for me, and a lot of growing up. I look older, too. It's a strange proposition, growing older. Maybe I've grown a bit less sentimental, but perhaps it's in a positive way. I'm still sensitive to things like that, but the days have been going by faster recently. I have some more specific ideas about what I might want to "do" with my life, but it's also possible to say that I still don't really know--so I keep learning, keep traveling, and keep dreaming. If I ever lose that sentimental wonder, I won't be me anymore.

(News stuff)
Want to see an example of truly abysmally horrid news reporting? Click here. (I wrote a very stern email to the author of the article. As expected, no response.)

I had saved the links below a while ago, all of which concern some serious issues in contemporary Japan concerning the "foreigner" population. They may or may not be interesting.
http://soldave.ismysite.co.uk/biginjapan/okinawan-protest-draws-far-fewer-than-quoted-by-media
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/business/global/08kyoto.html?pagewanted=2&src=busln
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20100514TDY12T04.htm
http://www.debito.org/?p=4136
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/disgrasian/the-mcdonalds-mr-james-ad_b_269692.html
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090901ad.html
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1918246,00.html

Here are some pictures from the past month or so, leading up to last night. (Not in order.) For now, I'll let them speak for themselves.

News Comparison

2010-07-31T22:52:00.000-07:00

Article about the same subject (Russian military testing that encroached upon Japan's northern territories) from Russia and Japanese news sources. This sort of thing may become the subject of my research for my senior thesis in the coming year. Read the official English version of the Russian side here.

択捉島での軍事演習、日本政府がロシアに抗議

読売新聞 - ‎2010年7月7日‎

仙谷官房長官は７日の記者会見で、ロシアが北方領土の択捉島で軍事演習を行ったことに対し、外交ルートで抗議したことを明らかにした。それによると、政府は演習の事実が判明した５日、モスクワの日本大使館から露外務省に「北方領土に対する我が国の法的立場にかんがみ ...

http://www.pravda.ru/world/asia/fareast/08-07-2010/1039855-east-0/

"Восток 2010" - дело тонкое. Для Японии

08.07.2010

Традиционные военные учения "Восток 2010" вызвали дипломатический протест в Японии. По поручению министерства иностранных дел посольство Японии в Москве вручило нашим дипломатам ноту протеста против "незаконного использования ее северных территорий". Этот парадокс требует некоторого объяснения.

おい！

2010-07-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hey!

I'm alive, yes! And it seems that for a couple of months I've gotten swallowed up in trying to be too serious about studying. Really what happened is I overextended myself, thinking too much and getting overwhelmed by the options that continued to present themselves here. It's sort of a perennial issue and something that I had a mind to work on in coming to Japan, so I'd like to think I've learned a few things at this point. With the program starting to wind down now, the smoke is clearing and I'm again seeing some things that are important to me in my life.

Here's a quick update:

• Traveled to America (New York / New Haven) for a week in a whirlwind journey that took me to my brother's college graduation and gave me the opportunity to feel like a real jet-setter sort of person, and do a bit of shopping. Had some real reverse culture-shock. Meant to write more about it but got too busy at the time!

• Japanese language skill has improved. Today in class we had discussion groups with Japanese students as guests, and we talked about such topics as impressions of foreign people, cultures, and countries, foreigner discrimination, differences in cuisine styles, problems in daily life, and international travel. I was the discussion leader.

• The weather in Kanazawa (and Japan in general) has FINALLY gotten warm. With it has come the humidity, but I really don't mind it.
• Made a couple more trips to Kyoto and did more exploring. Really a cool city! And it's a ton of fun to feel much better informed than the majority of the foreign tourists, too! haha
• Sang at a live event with my A Cappella circle ("Melo Melo") at an off-campus club event. Our group was called "The Roof Over" because of an uncanny similarity in pronunciation to a particularly delicious style of Japanese noodles, when said with a thick Japanese accent. (zaru soba!) There's a video of it, but it's pretty huge so can't upload here. Maybe YouTube later on. We did one song a cover of "Secret Base," a well-known J-pop song by a group called Zone.

• Performed two songs with the rock band circle YFA at an on-campus live event. There's a video of this too, but again, it's too big a file. We covered "Suspension" by Mae and "ささくれ" (sasakure) by HY. I did vocals on both, and acoustic guitar for the Mae song as well.

• Been thoroughly enjoying my "Mass Media and International Communication" class, probably more than any other. It's the most intellectual stimulation I'm getting here.
• Thoroughly practiced and then performed four songs at a well-attended off-campus live event with the other rock band circle "XXTRA!!"--it was awesome!! I have a big video of most of it, and I should be getting a DVD with the whole thing in better quality at some point before I leave Japan. I did the introductions and sang all four songs--also did acoustic guitar for one, electric guitar for one, and harmonica for one.
• Road-tripped with other Tufts students from my program north to the Noto Peninsula to Wakura and some nearby places. We stayed the night at the renowned "Kagaya" hotel, known throughout Japan as having the highest level of service in the entire nation. We were incredibly lucky to be treated to this experience, and I'll never forget being doted on like that! I couldn't possibly stand too much of that.
• Cheered for Japan's SAMURAI BLUE at an awesome bar-party during one of the World Cup games. Japan put in a good run but went out in the Round of 16. I now own an officially licensed Samurai Blue towel.
• Participated in Kanazawa's biggest festival, the 百万石 (Hyakumangoku) Festival, celebrating the prosperity of Lord Maeda some 430 years ago. I donned the 16th century garb of a member of the Archer Corps in Maeda's army and marched with many hundreds of other participants from Kanazawa Station to Kanazawa Castle, a distance of several kilometers. All while wearing straw sandals that were roughly 8 sizes too small. It was awesome!!!

I've also been thinking much about the future (at least, as far as a year or so from now), some important issues, and developing some life philosophies. It's not exactly an atmosphere of intellectual stimulation here, but I realize I'm actually doing rather well, and in the month I have left, I intend to make the most of it.

Now for some pictures.

Assembled guests at Kagaya (加賀屋), wearing our borrowed yukata.

My samurai (archer) dress from the Hyakumangoku Festival. I had the honor to join Lord Maeda's loyal retainers.

One of my first views of the USA upon my brief return. Food court at Terminal A in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, a place that is devoid of character by design.

Sushi being sold at Penn Station in Manhattan.

Going out for Jewish food on my first night in New York. Here's stuff you won't find in Japan!

While shopping in SoHo. I liked the jacket but my arms are too long.

A Real American Steak, part of celebrations for the brother's Honorable Graduation.

A Buddhist temple somewhere in Noto.

During preparations to march, I had a chance to do one of the most funny and rewarding things I've ever done in my life--that is, march through throngs of festival-goers, through Kanazawa Station, into a McDonalds, while dressed fully as a samurai, order a Teriyaki Burger to go, and then rejoin the army and commence eating.

Proudly wearing my yukata during the Hyakumangoku Matsuri （百万石まつり）

During the Japan-Netherlands game. I wanted to buy one of those official shirts, but they're $100 each.

AMAZING yaki-soba in Kyoto!

Kamogawa River in Kyoto, a very summery scene. Lots of people like to walk along or sit by the river.

Our stay at Kagaya featured an unbelievable dinner, featuring sashimi and sea cucumber ovary and beer and yuzu-sake cocktails and wagyu beef and shellfish soup, among other things.

During the demonstration portion of the march!

Japanese trains have no exits. They are in fact so advanced that they have only entrances, and when you reach your destination you simply arrive, without any need to exit. Actually, a better translation would be "This is not an exit."

For my Japanese Reading class, we read a recipe for niku-jaga! (It's a sort of meat-teriyaki stew with potatoes.) Then we cooked! It was delicious.

The Tufts program also treated us to dinner at this fantastic sushi bar. Some of the best I've ever had in my life!! Unagi to die for. But don't do that.

It's such a thrill to see people dancing in unison in the street for as far as you can see, thousands upon thousands of them. This was part of the Hyakumangoku Matsuri.

Also stopped by Nara again, to see and feed the deer with their summer coats. Somehow they were even MORE pushy than they were in December. One of them bit me on the thigh in his feeding frenzy (there was no food in my pocket??), and I was surprised to find that their antlers are warm and fuzzy, not cold and bony.

Sleep now!

またテレビ金沢！

2010-05-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

TV Kanazawa again!

I was interviewed for a news program again today!

About twice every month I go to help teach English at a local women's junior college. Today, the class consisted of a field trip to local historical houses in the Nagamachi samurai district of Kanazawa, and I was basically along for the ride as a tour-goer. The local news crew happened to be there too, and I was interviewed for the evening news about my impressions. The students were vastly nervous, but they managed to do what was asked of them.

I could launch into a whole opinion piece about English education in Japan (there's quite a lot to say), but I won't do that now. Anyhow, it's a fun gig for me, and I learn quite a bit doing it too.

Article in Japanese

Article in English (Google translated)

Video (in Japanese)

What I said: "It was really fun and a good experience. // Yes, I understood everything."

Next week I'm flying to America for a weeklong break of sorts. This is the longest I've been away from my country. More on that later...

Cultural Capitol

2010-04-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

(not "Capital," or is it a play on words?)

Check out my article in the latest issue of the Tufts Traveler magazine! Got a photo spread too! Download the latest issue.

Also check out my Japanese blog if you're interested, though you'll need a Mixi account to access it. I have a Russian blog too (you'll need a VKontakte account to access it), though it hasn't been updated in a while. That may change late next week, though almost certainly not before then.

Today I approached some unusual people on campus who were drumming up support for their upcoming rally downtown against the American military base in Okinawa. It appeared that I had caught them off guard, and I got the sense that they hadn't actually talked to any real American people before. Fortunately, my Japanese has gotten good enough now so that I was able to express my own opinions and find out exactly what their views are. Although their posters all over certain regions of campus do seem generally anti-American (and Japanese students who study here also seem to have that impression of this group), that is apparently not, in fact, the case. They support the tens of thousands of other Japanese who are actively against the base's presence, and generally believe that the base should be relocated elsewhere. Furthermore, they are against the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they believe that troops should be withdrawn immediately, subsequently blaming Obama for continuing a failed war.
(NY Times article)
LA Times article, from an earlier time when it seemed that the earlier agreement with Hatoyama to relocate the base to a new location on the island could still hold water, so to speak. Clearly the US isn't "making the case" very well.

Grievances against the base include not only the right of sovereignty; it is a stereotype that American soldiers are sometimes not so "considerate" so to speak--that is to say, there have been incidents including rape and the "accidental" death of a local man. When I visited the Marine base at Iwakuni last month, I learned that soldiers there get into trouble on a basically weekly basis, and they have to go and apologize for it all the time. That all being said, it is not well understood why the USA needs or wants the base(s) at all. True, there is the fuzzy issue of "Asian Security," but perhaps it more closely relates to the sphere of American influence, both military and cultural, and of course likewise economical. Moreover, in the city of Naha for example (the largest in, and the capital of, Okinawa), the American military presence brings big money to local businesses. Still, there has been more and more friction with the locals recently, and it doesn't wear too well.

All in all it was an educational experience to speak with these people and try to explain that the situation in Afghanistan has become rather too complicated to simply leave. They're not "anti-America" or "anti-American," they told me, but seeing their posters in some places with pictures of thousands of people chanting against the wishes of my home government can certainly make me feel a bit uncomfortable. As I left, I reminded them that it's good to talk about things, that there are several other Americans on campus here, and that it ought to be a good idea to talk with them.

A quick comment on circle culture at the university here.
I grew up feeling encouraged to cultivate many different interests, in fact to such an extent that I felt I was often spreading myself too thin. Here, most students are in one circle (just one, though occasionally two), so that means one activity to focus on. It seems to me different from the usual way in America to cultivate various "liberal arts" though neither approach is necessarily better. The upside of the Japanese way is clear: cultivation of dedication, a chance to get really good at something, opportunity to become close with a singular group of friends who share a common interest. It's something I vaguely sensed before I came here actually, and something I wanted to try. So far so good, though coming from my home perspective of wanting to do as much as possible, it's a bit difficult to do everything.

デーブ・スペクター

2010-04-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

Dave Spector

Dave Spector is a Chicago-born Jewish-American TV personality who has been living and working in Japan since the mid-80s. He's a regular figure several on Japanese TV programs, commenting usually on "foreign" news, though recently also occasionally on Japanese news as well. Being a blond, white, American foreigner, he's rather a recognizable figure and household name.

So what's the deal with Dave?

He's one of the most successful and certainly one of the more recognizable foreigners in Japan, that's what. Still, to foreigners (i.e., Americans) living in Japan, he can seem very strange. To me, up until I actually read about him and his career, I had seen him several times on TV here and thought him rather annoying. True, I must admit I felt somewhat envious of his clear success with Japanese life (his Japanese is known to be perfect), but if you watch him then perhaps he might occasionally come off as a sort of stereotype of foreigners. The thing is, he's got to be one of the top ten most prominent non-Asians on Japanese TV, so his presence also carries a lot of weight. According to this Japan Times article, part of his success stems from his ability to digest great amounts of information from the English-speaking world and then relate it to his Japanese audience--especially since, as the JT article claims (and in my experience, I consider it to be more or less true), Japanese news coverage of "foreign issues" tends to occasionally be somewhat lacking in detail or in-depth analysis. That certainly seems to be the stereotype, and on a couple of occasions I have felt bemused at the style, angle, or amount of news coverage on certain topics while living here in Japan.

That said, why is Dave Spector one of the most reliable of the gaijin talent? How has he done it? It's another stereotype (that the JT article touches on) that Japanese people can be wary of or hesitant toward foreigners, whether for language difficulties, cultural differences, or mere stereotype. The Dave Spector Wikipedia page talks about this idea, and how he responded to it with The Panda Approach.

The Panda Method

This so-callaed Panda Method is the idea that something that you always hear about but may not know so well personally is much more approachable if you meet it in a controlled environment and it's doing something silly. That way, you won't feel intimidated, and whatever reservations you have had about the meeting will melt away. Take a panda for example: they're really wild animals that live in bamboo forests in China, but if you see one in your local zoo running around playfully or munching one of those bamboo shoots in utter cuteness, they don't seem so wild and in fact appear quite cuddly. With this idea and an intuitive understanding and proclivity toward supporting the American value to stand up for oneself, Dave started out his career with bit parts on TV and worked his way up, doing silly stuff, acting like the hapless foreigner he wasn't (though of course, he appeared to be), all while gradually becoming, as it were, a part of the furniture. As a foreigner who had grown up with American values combined with a mastery of the language (all three qualities being predictably unexpected), he played the non-threatening part that the culture suggested he play--while at the same time being in command of his career. The net result of this is that he has created his own quite comfortable place that previously was simply absent in the culture. Furthermore, over the years, he has made the culture work for him, and he's gone from being the silly panda to gaining trust and playing more and more serious roles.

I can relate to a lot of these ideas, also being an American who is living in Japan. Locals constantly seem impressed by my developing mastery of the language, and I find that people relax quite a bit around me if I act a little silly, which fortunately as far as I'm concerned is my nature. Moreover, once people see that I can communicate with them in their language, the whole communication process gets a lot easier. Still, built into Japanese language and culture is a certain "wall" of distance between people that can sometimes seem quite fuzzy. That wall is inherent to the language, and it depends on the degree of closeness with the person in large part, which also has something to do with age and relative status. It's not as concrete as you may read about and is certainly more complicated than a textbook will tell you, but broadly speaking, it's true.

When the wall breaks down, people become closer. American values tend to stress openness, standing up for personal rights and beliefs, and various freedoms. In Japan, things tend to be different. A university student's life, for example, is dominated by one or two "student circles" of which one may be a member. But these aren't your weekend Frisbee clubs or Tuesday-Thursday choir practices. They also have nothing to do at all with any teachers. Students tend to have fewer (yet more serious) hobbies, and friends tend to be almost exclusively one's clubmates rather than mostly those who live in the same building. They're serious, and they meet often, commonly going to dinner together after meetings or having parties as many as several times per month. I've joined two circles this semester, "XXTRA" (live rock band jam/practice/performance circle) and "Melo Melo" (a cappella circle), and so far it's been a fantastic way to get to know Japanese students, practice the language, and to really feel like I'm experiencing the culture in-depth. Besides that, it's great practice for my music, something I've missed for too long.

The Other Side of the Wall

There's a new movie coming out in Japan called 「ダーリングは外国人」(My Darling is a Foreigner) that looks at some of these cultural differences from the Japanese perspective. The movie, based on a manga of the same name, focuses on the relationship between a Japanese woman (Saori) and an American guy (Tony) living in Japan, and various issues that arise over the course of it. Over the course of these events, various stereotypes are addressed. However, the manner of addressing these stereotypes is also distinctly Japanese. The concept of racism as it exists in the States just does not exist in Japan, and stereotyping happens all the time, even stereotyping of their own culture. In fact, on more than one occasion I have found Japanese people to be surprised at the fact that rice is quite common in America, let alone the fact that Los Angeles is famous for its glut of sushi restaurants. That's not to say it doesn't happen elsewhere too--in any country in the world, most people don't get the chance to travel, and there's no place like home, right?

On the subject of stereotypes, I read a memorable story in my compendium of Traveler's Tales: Japan that related the experience of a mostly black jazz band from New York City who arrived in Tokyo for a week of performances to find the place set with watermelon. In America, this action would be questionable at best and could even be called racist.

(From "Department Store Panic" by Jim Leff)

On the surface, Tokyo seems much like any other big city. It's easy for a Western visitor to fit comfortably into its familiar urban facade, only rarely glimpsing the breathtaking exoticness that lurks just beneath the surface.

Notice the mowhawked, body-pierced Japanese youth coming toward you on the Shinjuku sidewalk. You've seen punkers before; he's hardly worth a second glance. But watch as he bows to an elderly stranger out of respect for her age.

You're not in Kansas anymore.

I was there to perform with a mostly black jazz band, and was appalled when the promoter's welcoming party featured a table full of cut-up watermelon. I was more horrified still--for different reasons--when I learned that off-season watermelons in Japan run a cool $100 per. So...it was more an ostentatious show of respect than adherence to a stereotype. Or was it?

It's nearly impossible to say; East/West cultural correlations are slippery, and sometimes the more you probe and analyze, the less you understand.

I can even corroborate the bit about the watermelon. I recently saw a cantaloupe for sale at the local supermarket--about a third the size of a normal American one--for about ¥2800, the equivalent of about $31. For one melon.

The more international experience I gain (I have no love of the word "foreign"), the more I come to see how these stereotypes and cultural peculiarities differ. So far it's been fascinating, and it's certainly a great education for whatever I end up "doing" in life. I've signed up for classes this fall at Tufts, and that includes my plan to write a senior thesis, concerning something about international culture. We'll see where that may lead. Maybe I could become the next Dave Spector...

Kanazawa University Foreign Students - Asano River Cherry Blossom Viewing Party
(金沢大学留学生　浅川花見）
( April 10, 2010 )

The Mystique of Aviation, and New Salarymen

2010-04-18T03:56:00.000-07:00

The BBC envisions a world without planes.
An intriguing sort of piece inspired by the Eyjafjallajökull chaos. Don't miss the point--it's not about the current event at all. I think it's about the mystique of travel itself, and the inherent wonder of aviation that can be so easy to forget.

Here's another look at Japanese universities and the whole inherent system there, written by a foreign "salaryman" living and working in Tokyo. Check it out.

On a side note, a friend of mine who lives and works in Tokyo is the international manager/representative of an up-and-coming Tokyo rock band called Molice. They call themselves "Blade Runner Music" and they're currently trying to win a contest for a chance to play at a festival in Canada, so I encourage my readers to click here and vote for their video. Even if you're not interested, do my friend a favor--no registration required, all you have to do is click!

頑張っている

2010-04-18T01:44:00.000-07:00

ganbatteiru

(very difficult to translate; means something like "going for it" "making it happen" or "trying my best")

The new semester started on Monday, and so far it's be crazily busy. I've joined two "circles" on campus, basically student clubs. In Japanese university culture, the vast majority of students' time outside of their studies or alone time (so, hang-out time) is spent with clubs or circles. It's sort of the "group culture" idea, and it provides a framework for social interaction.
Anyhow, I've joined 「XXTRA!!」 (live rock band jamming/practice/performance circle) and [Melo Melo」("メロメロ"; a cappella singing circle, in small and medium groups). Both circles had parties yesterday, I went to a total of four dinners last week, and two practices each. Normally it's too much but once the new-student period is over (the school year just began here, actually) then it'll go down, but it's still a huge amount of time. Still, it reminds me about how important music is to me, and how I miss singing and just love live performance and all this kind of stuff.

That said, however, I'm tentatively in the higher-level Japanese class now, and it's already kicking my ass. I'm not so good at kanji/reading, though my conversation skills have improved a lot, so it means a lot of study.

Recently a few people have been asking me why I came to Japan and why I study Japanese, and my answer has come down to some combination of these points:
• I wanted to do something different. Something rare, maybe even innovative.
• I didn't want to do what my brother did.
• I always knew I wanted to study abroad.
• I wanted to challenge myself.
• I wanted to totally replant myself (despite having experienced this on a smaller scale many times before) to discover myself and some of my real interests.
• About Japanese culture specifically, I perceived a special emphasis on moments in time, an abstract idea that appeals to me spiritually and perhaps academically.
• An interest in Japanese culture on a sort of warm level, including food, video games, and motion pictures.

A few more pictures from spring break:

This is the famous Kobe Beef. It's called "Momo" which could be a name or could mean it has a sort of "peachy" flavor. This particular box is designed for gift-giving, and this particular cut of the beef is for barbecuing.

Seen in Osaka. Japanese clothing seems to be known for strange English.

Kyoto, in front of a famous mochi shop.

Miyajima, just south of Hiroshima (more on that later). This is known to be one of the three most beautiful sights in Japan. It's a torii (sacred gate) from a famous old temple.

I've been cooking more, and I finally learned how to make REAL teriyaki chicken, especially since I can't buy it here! haha. This was my emulation of an American-style teriyaki bowl.

With new friends and old friends at an izakaya (sort of a pub) in Kobe.

HE'S BACK

2010-04-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

I'M BACK

Back to Kanazawa, and back to blogging.

I've been to what seems like all over Japan, and now the two-month Spring Break has come to a close.

My itinerary included Kanazawa, Noto-hanto, Matto/Hakusan, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Amanohashidate, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Iwakuni, Okayama, Himeji, Obama, and Seoul! Yow!

Things have very quickly become very busy again, so I'll be posting updates as I have time, though to be sure that now with my schedule having become much more regular, I'll be posting more regularly as well.

One thing I did over the break was...
I was a roadie/photographer/translator for a band touring from LA. Check out some photos I took for the guitarist.

Here's a new Ameican comedy-drama show that I've come to quite like a lot.

Feeding a Japanese Snow Monkey at Arashiyama Monkey Park in Kyoto!

Morning crowd in Shibuya, Tokyo. This is what Tokyo is supposed to look like, right? Not like how it was in January. Super cool.

With friends in Himeji, just before the cherry blossoms bloom. It was really really really cold!

Myeondong shopping district in Seoul. Awesome place!

Classes begin tomorrow. Life has been interesting recently.

Checking in

2010-03-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

Hello hello!

Really quick post just to say I'm alive--more coming soon. There's been no semblance of a regular schedule these days, but again, updates are coming soon. I have some things I've been working on, and I am starting to feel compelled to write again. Also, there are more travel plans in the works. Korea was awesome, and I spent a few days in Kyoto and then did a short homestay after that too. More stuff coming up soon! Anyway, here's a couple quick pictures:

Ichirino ski area. This was the scene looking down toward the main chalet building. It was a ton of fun, and I discovered that I still know the basics of skiing.

A tantalizing look at the seen around Myeondong, Seoul. The food was great, of course really spicy, but really cheap too. It's a fun city that reminded me more of Shanghai or even Xi'an than Tokyo. Korean people seemed open and straightforward, and it was interesting to immerse myself in another completely new place. More about Korea soon.

안녕하세요!

2010-02-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

Annyeong haseo!
Hello!

I'm flying to Seoul in less than two hours, and fortunately Kansai International Airport has some free internet (surprising \ly very rare in Japan) so I can finally offer an update here. It's now spring break for me, so I have eight weeks without class. Spent the day yesterday wandering the "gaijin district" of Osaka, had a fantastic Vietnamese lunch and then to a great Canadian pizza parlor for dinner, where somehow I had Hawaiian pizza with Canadian bacon (and as a side dish some poutin, a Canadian delicacy consisting of fries soaked in tasty gravy and loaded with cheese). Having lived in Kanazawa for over four months now, some "real Western food" is a hell of a treat!

For the next three days I shall indulge my senses in Seoul, trying not to die of capsacin overdose. It:s gonna be awesome. I learned Hangul yesterday morning, with some additional practice today, and I was very happy to learn that it's way easier than it looks, though the vowels can be a bit tricky to pronounce.

Anyway, finally I've updated here, and of course I have more time these days so there's a lot to catch up on. I've got to go board the plane now (ever heard of Jeju Airlines?) so this will be it for now, save for a couple of links I had found before, concerning a few more small points of interest regarding the life of foreigners in Japan. Pictures and more to follow!

http://gakuranman.com/the-gaijin-debate/
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T100130005317.htm
http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25368/A+Week+in+Tokyo+50.html
foreigner voting

The Foreigner

2010-01-24T06:43:00.001-08:00

When I studied in Russia this summer, even the very first day I was there, people on the street assumed that I would understand them. On my last night in Russia after two months of intense study, I was mistaken for a local. All the time, people said to me that I "looked Russian" even though to my knowledge no one on any side of my family has lived in Russia for the past 5 generations at least. The language was difficult and I experienced a lot of culture shock in various ways, but I got through it and had a very beneficial experience overall. And really, while it was the reason my Russian improved so quickly, it was being forced into the language and culture how intensely as I was that made it so difficult. It was tough yet rewarding to be assumed to be "in."

And here's what Wikipedia has to say, with a citation:

/ / / / / /

For English speakers

Diplomats and defense language training gives some interesting data [regarding the most difficult languages to learn], although it covers only a limited selection of major national languages:

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the US Department of State has compiled approximate learning expectations for a number of languages. Of the 63 languages analyzed, the five most difficult languages to reach proficiency in speaking and proficiency in reading (for native English speakers who already know other languages), requiring 88 weeks, are: "Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean", with Japanese being the most difficult.^[2]

/ / / / / /

The program here in Japan has been much more relaxed in that way, and the culture of the International House is much more like what I'm used to than what actual Japanese culture seems to be, though still occasionally it gets to me. Japanese is extremely difficult. I'm learning to appreciate the sheer complexity of the construction of language itself in general, but there's something different about Japan. Even had I been born here and gone to Japanese school, I would still be in a different category because I look different. And now, after nearly four months (has it really been that long??), I've certainly gotten better, but I still can't understand most conversations any more than what the topic at hand is. It's frustrating. And it's true, Japanese culture is very different. If anyone ever said that culture is a mere illusion, that person was wrong; no matter what, I'll be assumed to be "out" in some ways even if I live here the rest of my life.

Still, there are some practical benefits to being a foreigner in Japan, though to be honest it's really the first time in my life I've hit a wall that seems at least in some ways truly impenetrable. Growing up in LA as a middle class white male going to high-powered schools certainly gave me an advantage, and I never knew the kinds of limitations I would hear about in history class--and so I learned to believe that they were all illusions, that they were false, that anyone can really do anything if they have the right interest. Likewise I never understood my privilege. American culture loves the underdog, the success story, the unlikely winner--so Americans are taught that we can do anything. We're taught that every person is unique and special, and that we need those ideas to have self-esteem and be happy people. So much so that real limitations are looked down upon or swept under the rug--for example, when Obama was elected, there were some who declared America a "post-racial society," a supposition that is simply wrong. Some people who are lobbying against healthcare reform seem keen to overlook the real hardships faced every day by millions of people who can hardly (or not at all) afford healthcare. I was always taught that everything was possible, even to the extent that I sort of thought of myself as a "victim of the liberal arts" in that I felt overwhelmed by opportunity, spread out, and distracted all the time--so much that I desperately wanted just to focus. I turned to foreign language and culture to find some of that meaning and focus that I so desperately felt I needed. The fact remains that there are a number of people in America who are not too fond of immigrants, and feel that everyone coming to America should already be able to speak English. And maybe that's not so bizarre to understand; dealing with different cultures is exhausting work, and to not be able to understand or communicate is stressful, even frightening. People fear the "other."

Maybe that's why I stay with this kind of stuff. American culture is full of a desire for instant gratification, a one-hit wonder, results as fast as possible. Infomercials sell 5-minute ab-packs. Conan was kicked off The Tonight Show after only 7 months. If a band is so lucky to get signed by a label, they will likely have a contract that requires success within a certain time frame. I used to think that I would eventually find some sort of occupation someday that would just immediately be easy--I'd just be able to do it, and I'd love it, and that would be it. But I've come slowly and painfully to realize that life just doesn't work like that--it's a series of slow processes, and it just so happens that learning Japanese is one of the slowest. I want to have real values, and I don't want to slip something "other" under the rug.

Last night I bought dried squid at the convenience store down the street. I would never have done that, even three months ago, but last night I ate it and loved it. And tonight at bowling, even though I had a hard time understanding a lot of the Japanese, I learned some new words. And for each of the four games of bowling we did, my score improved every time. That's progress. That's real. That's what I'm doing here.

Obama thoughts

2010-01-23T23:23:00.000-08:00

Quick post, as I've got loads to do. Just a couple of quick thoughts about Obama and the feline showdown going on in the financial world. No doubt he's having a hard time right now, and I must say that I too would like to see him flex the power given to him. It's true that we elected him on the promise of change, and while I understand a bit of the sheer difficulty of his job, last week's election of Scott Brown should be a severe wake-up call to Obama and his administration that they might ought to don a stronger domestic image.

Here's an interesting (yet related) perspective on Obama from Pravda.ru (no, it's not the Communist Party publication anymore).

ニュース！　Новости!

2010-01-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

It's a disjointed update, confounded by languages!

THIS IS HOW MUCH SNOW WE GOT IN LESS THAN THREE DAYS LAST WEEK (over 60cm, I heard):

This week has been insanely busy, and I haven't had time for much of anything that isn't related to class. In other news, I've started teaching a weekly English class and the second meeting was tonight. I have 3-5 students, and I really really really enjoy teaching. I find that having studied Latin, Russian, and Japanese (Latin most of all actually) helps me a great deal with teaching English, and I could see myself doing this a lot more. I've added links on the right (my Profile) to my Facebook, ВКонтакте, and ミクシ pages.

INTERESTING: I've finally started both a Russian and a Japanese language blog (it's great practice, hm?)--the Russian one can be found on VK and the Japanese one on Mixi. For my weekly Russian class, I'm currently reading some really excellent memoir-stories by one Вадим Смоленский (Vadim Smolensky), known for having translated some of Haruki Murakami's early works into Russian. Check out his awesome site here. The issue of shark-finning is significant, because while the popularity of these expensive yet apparently tasteless fins ought not to be more of an issue than eating tuna, I've learned that the fact is that sharks are often hunted in an extremely wasteful (and some would argue cruel) manner, and apparently some species are endangered. I'm not against the idea of eating shark in principle, but apparently this is a big deal environmentally speaking, so I'm told. Here's one BBC Correspondent's experience with the issue in China. What do you think? Here's a fantastic speech by President Obama from Dr. Martin Luther King Day, concerning race in America and issues that face us all in the past, present, and future. Recommended viewing.

News about the earthquake in Haiti seems to been somewhat glaringly absent here in Japan. I wondered why even The Japan Times featured Kobe's anniversary memorial for the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 15 years ago on its front page...without any mention of Haiti. None can deny Japan's late response (though extant), and this discussion explores why that happened.

Awesome musician I've just discovered: Origa （オリガ / Орига / Ольга Витальевна Яковлева）. A Russian singer who does most of her work these days in Japan, not to mention a friend and collaborator of Yuko Kanno （菅野よう子）, the genius behind the music of Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, and others (she's my other new favorite musician).

And here's some more gaijin perspective .

And of course, who could forget the Coachella lineup that just came out this week? I'd really really really really really love to go (TONS OF AMAZING BANDS), but that would mean $1000 in airfare, plus three days of missed class, not counting tickets, food, camping, a train to Tokyo, or gas money. So in other words, not happening though there are two really awesome-looking music festivals coming up this summer right here in Japan: Summer Sonic Fuji Rock Festival Hopefully I can go to both! ROCK!!!!

The news about Conan O'Brien has been disappointing, to say the least. I feel lucky that I was able to see his live show twice. Other disappointing news concerns the loss of Martha Coakley in Massachusetts. I even phone-banked for her all the way from here in Japan, but it came out a loss. Can't say I'm all that surprised, though. Given what I've seen in the news about American politics and the way the country is reacting to everything, it seems this was bound to happen. Finally, the weather has also been crazy in Los Angeles. Angelinos, I hope you're enjoying the change of pace. I know these people are!

Kiyomizudera in Kyoto, December 29

Shibuya in Tokyo, New Year's Eve

Now, ain't somebody gonna buy my bass?

照り焼きチキン丼

2010-01-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

Why doesn't ANY kind of teriyaki (much less the common teriyaki chicken donburi [bowl] that is so popular in the US) seem to exist in Japan outside the realm of Western burger restaurants (McDonald's, Mos Burger, Freshness Burger, and apparently Subway and Burger King, though I haven't seen them in Japan yet)? It's easily the second most popular/best known and loved Japanese food in the USA, second only to sushi. (I would venture to guess that number three is tempura.) I love those teriyaki bowls, and the truth is that teriyaki IS a real Japanese flavor, so where's the teriyaki? Where are those delicious dons?

謎（なぞ）だ！
It's a mystery!

明けましておめでとうございます！

2010-01-14T02:27:00.000-08:00

今年もよろしくお願いいたします。

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
(Basically "happy new year!" in a really really nice polite way--said at the beginning of the new year, rather than at the end of the old one)

Zōjō-ji, a temple in Tokyo (in front of Tokyo Tower) where I rang in 2010 with my family.

Happy New Year, and with that I seem to be in the doldrums of my year abroad. A ton of stuff has happened since I last updated (almost a month ago? Is that possible??), and fortunately it's all been generally good. However, I've been back in school two weeks already after break, and it's been a bit frustrating. Japanese is truly a fiendishly difficult language, and advancement is slow. That said, I've improved significantly, and my knowledge is certainly quite useful in terms of getting basic information from people, buying things, getting schedules and whatnot. But still, thinking back on my summer in Russia, with its relative great similarity to English coupled with the intensity of the program itself, I improved much faster than I feel I am at Japanese. Interestingly, speaking of Russia, I have found that I miss it, and of course the people I met there too. I'd like to start a blog in Russian (and a blog in Japanese), but my first priority is catching up on my work. I had been under the impression during October and November that classes here at Kindai (金大、the short name of Kanazawa University) are very easy, so I didn't really take it seriously. The program here is indeed comparatively relaxed, but in the past several months of my life I have come to understand more that study itself is quite important to me, and I see its value. So, I've got some catching up to do, and that's my first priority.

I had mentioned before in this blog that while studying in Russia, I came to reconnect with my love for music, literature, and study itself. Looking back on it now, with my living situation there being in my host mother's apartment (at least a twenty minute walk away from friends, with no TV I could watch), with my computer being broken, and with very very little money to speak of, I found that I was much less distracted and was able to focus much much better on studies. However, the experience of being able to focus on those things was very good for me, and it taught me that it's quite alright to actually study sometimes. I do enjoy it when I'm actually doing it, and real friends will understand and always be there afterward anyhow. In Japan, though, although the living situation is a ton of fun, there are many more distractions!

In other news, it's snowing in Kanazawa right now. That's no surprise, because it rains and/or snows every day. It's been snowing since yesterday afternoon and is expected to continue snowing until tomorrow evening, I think.

It's been over a month since I last updated, so in the future I will be sure to update more regularly. Since my last update, I took a trip to Osaka and Kyoto in mid-December that was a massive ton of fun. I have some great pictures from that trip, not to mention great memories, and I got a chance to learn some about the Kansai region with an excellent guide! Then there were various sorts of holiday events, including some international student parties and things, some crazy storms, and I had my very first ever actual "gig" playing guitar, where I played and sang a song at the International Student Winter Party or whatever it was called. It was a ton of fun, and it felt very rewarding.

Anyway, during the winter break, my family came to visit me here in Japan, and we explored Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, and Tokyo together. Here are a few pictures...

Feeding the world-famous friendly deer in Nara.

Crowds lined up for Hatsumoude (the first shrine visit of the year) on January 1 at Meiji Jingu in Tokyo.

Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto's famous Golden Temple.

With Matt at my favorite shrine, Fushimi-Inari Taisha in Kyoto.

The Tenno of Japan (Emperor Akihito) addressing the public on January 2. I was there!

Maiko (舞子) in front of Kiyomizudera (temple) in Kyoto. (Geisha in training!)

Some interesting articles I've been collecting over the last month:
The issue of the American base in Okinawa
Japanese goodwill toward the United States
A new international air travel agreement between Japan and the US
BBC perspective on the above
Perhaps an interesting piece of history concerning The Far Oriental
Some curious news about a famous Zashiki Warashi
Crazy weather news
More crazy weather news
Awesome science news about exploring Titan
Huffington Post article about "two Obamas" that seems rather astute
Glimpse.org blog story about "how to party with your Japanese boss"
Recent news concerning Gilad Shalit, the national son of Israel
Concerning my academic interests, this article on understanding culture through language was fascinating
Food words
Know your Fish
A cool blog about the Aspiring Polyglot
Another cool blog about East Asian Stuff

Finally, something interesting that a friend showed me.
We remember that famous picture of Obama form the campaign:
But then there were the parodies. Here's the question: how do you translate this into Japanese?

The answer:

It just so happens that "frog" and "to return" are homonyms in Japanese (kaeru is the word), a fact that becomes obvious when written in kana. The above text "meiji jidai ni kaeru" can therefore be translated literally as "Return to the Meiji Era" or just as correctly "Frog to the Meiji Era" -- indeed, a pun.

京都！大阪！

2009-12-08T04:13:00.000-08:00

Kyoto! Osaka!

Super quick update, as I've got to leave in just a few minutes. I'm off to Kyoto and Osaka for the weekend!

Here's a very intriguing article about what the Wall Street Journal calls an "isolationist surge" in America. I can say that I get the sense that things in America actually look a little better from the outside than if I were inside and actually watching American media. It's s a different perspective--maybe the US is most critical of itself right now, or maybe that goes to show how divided the population is. More on that later, I think.

Here's a great piece about Natadera, the awesome Buddhist / Shinto temple (and also monument to Matsuo Bashō) that I visited on Sunday. Pictures later; haven't the time just now.

Google Translate has been updated!
Some important information, courtesy of Matt

中間テスト！

2009-12-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

Midterm Test!

Today was the midterm exam. This has been a hard week--lots of study!! Buuut, on the bright side, I met an awesome pottery-master-sensei (11th generation master, this guy is legit) today. He's so legit that the Emperor of Japan has been to his shop. We're going to make pottery, and this guy is our sensei.

Other news:
PLANS!! KYOTO NEXT WEEKEND! OSAKA TOO! NAGOYA WAS AWESOME!! KOREA IN FEBRUARY!! WAOOOO

More later.

Some news articles.

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/12/20091229223658221.html
Disconcerting yet fascinating. A very important read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/opinion/29tawada.html
Strange yet interesting, maybe

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/opinion/01iht-edmakihara.html?_r=1
Sort of silly, but hints at something sinister

Contemporary Democracy, Foreign Perspective

2009-11-23T10:46:00.001-08:00

Here's a fascinating editorial from the BBC regarding current politics in America. One nice thing the BBC does is they moderate commentary on articles--that way, the result is actual interesting discussion with a minimum of flaming (resulting in a flame war instead of a discussion). Furthermore, I'm intrigued at the views opined by people from what seem to be various regions of the world--perhaps mostly British of some sort, but still an "outside" perspective. I have found in my travels that an outside perspective on things can be vastly illuminating--and certainly, for American politics as well. Anyhow, I have a lot to say about this article because I find it so very refreshing to see some actual reasoned discussion going on--not to mention how it relates to my interests. I don't have the time to comment further now, but I highly recommend reading it (and the following commentary).

「住めば都」

2009-11-19T16:07:00.000-08:00

「すめばみやこ」
（ことわざ）

"Sumeba miyako" is a Japanese proverb (kotowaza) that means something like "Wherever you live is home."

ただいま！ (tadaima)
I'm home!

Tomorrow, I will be 21 years old.
I can hardly believe it, but after 21 years of life, I'm in a good place. I made it to the milestone of adulthood so revered in American culture, and like I often do, I'm taking this time to look inward (before I go have an AWESOME weekend!) and thinking about my life. Last night, I considered the circumstances that have led me to reside in this little green valley of Kakuma-machi in Kanazawa, Japan, how it came to pass that I lead the life I lead, and who I am as a person. I've learned a lot about balance and form, and though I had a hard week this week with lots of study, my birthday weekend will soon begin. I'm beginning to feel my Japanese skills improving, and every day I learn something new. There are some truly amazing people here, and spending time with them makes everything else I do here better. I'm catching up on work, I have great plans for the future, and I'm developing my routine. With the traveling I've done recently, the proverb that titles this post has become my way of life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Life is good.

The Chrysanthemum and the Sword

2009-11-15T22:08:00.000-08:00

"The study of comparative cultures [...] cannot flourish when men are so defensive about their own way of life that it appears to them to be by definition the sole solution in the world. Such men will never know the added love of their own culture which comes from a knowledge of other ways of life."
- Ruth Benedict

Where I am now...

2009-11-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

Sunset in downtown Kanazawa, in front of the Kohrinbo Atrio shopping mall near Katamachi.

There's a reason why I elected to spend an entire year in Japan. I became fascinated by Japanese culture, and now that I'm actually here I feel only more excited by it. It was difficult to believe it for a very long time, but now it finally feels like the pieces are falling into place in my life, and everything really IS going to work out in the end. I went through some very difficult times, but I've come through it, and I'm doing better than ever. I love my life here.

So why did I come to Japan? To "better" myself, to approach some ideal, to figure out my life? No. A friend of mine from Australia reminded me yesterday of what I'm doing here. Simply put, I came to Japan because I knew it was a good idea. I knew it would be a good thing for me to do. That's it!

Yesterday I overheard a conversation about how giving people more control over their lives will increase happiness and life expectancy. Writing, talking, music, friends--these are my means of control, of introspection, of finding meaning in the wonder of life. The only thing that's really giving me anxiety right now is my studies--it's very important to me, but there are so many other things going on here! I'm still adjusting to life here in that way.

Pico Iyer has written a very insightful article about his impressions as a foreigner having lived in Japan for a number of years. I highly recommend it; I think that many of his ideas about the form and structure in Japanese society are very astute.

So what am I DOING in Japan??
- Jōdō - every Friday I practice "the way of the staff"
- Karatedō - every Tuesday I practice "the way of the open hand"
- Shodō - every Wednesday I practice the art of Japanese calligraphy
- Melo Melo A Cappella - every Friday I attend A Cappella Circle meetings on campus
- KUMAKUMA!! - a new band that I have formed with a Japanese friend and an Australian friend
- Japanese B - language class four times a week
- Kanji B - once per week (supplement to regular language class)
- Japanese Anthropology - every Monday
- Special Russian Independent Study course - every Monday, I meet with a grad student from Russia who speaks fluent English and Japanese as well. I read Pushkin and Dostoevsky in the original Russian for the class, and we discuss culture.
- Trip to Nagoya - next Thursday, I'm going to Nagoya with a couple of friends. I'm going to see an awesome concert, and thanks to the awesome drummer from MAE, I'm on the guest list. I'm SO STOKED for this!
- JUSCO (big nearby department store) / shopping
- Food happens all the time
- Organized cultural experiences: tea ceremony, ikebana
- Dinner, nightlife - restaurants, clubs, karaoke
- Helping Japanese friends with English
- Comparing cultures - Class meets on Tuesday, and we analyze cultural differences. I'm in a group scheduled to discuss Mythology, with an emphasis on Japanese mythology of course.

Last week, U2 broadcasted their live show from the Rose Bowl in LA, and I happened to watch it live. I'm not a huge fan of U2, but it was awesome.

Calendar of cultural events

Interesting article about Japanese names

Individually wrapped bananas!

Super cool Japanese girl!

Traditional style Japanese house.

I cooked my dad's recipe for fried chicken with country gravy, and made it with rice and corn, just the way I like it back in California. I also made a salad with 1000 Island dressing, and there were many American style drinks to go with it, including milk for dipping Oreos after dinner. I invited about eight guests, and they were all from non-English-speaking countries, as I planned, so that I could show people that American food is more than just McDonald's hamburgers. It was a delicious feast!

A photo of me was featured in this article from the Hokkoku Shimbun. The article is about how a group of us international students are participating in this program to learn about Japanese culture, and so we were learning to make soba noodles. In other words, I was in the newspaper because I was making noodles. YES!

Article from the Hokuriku Chunichi Shimbun about us, too.

The Germans!
The Finns!

There's a sushi place in Kanazawa called Matsurizushi (Festival Sushi), where you pay by the plate. In other words, you sit down at the bar, and various plates roll past you with different kinds of foods (or drinks) on them. You take what you want, stack up the plates as you eat, and pay ¥100 per plate when you're finished. Not satisfied? In front of your seat is a touch-screen monitor that displays various food options. Choose what you want, and depending on what it is, your selection will either be wheeled out on a card by a friendly waitress, or will roll up right in front of you on a Shinkansen-styled food train. Now THAT is a dining experience I can believe in.

People love holidays in Japan, and Christmas is no exception by any means. It's an excuse to decorate! To give gifts! To shop! And Christmas in Japan is known to be a couples' holiday, rather than a family holiday as it is in America, or as a more religious holiday in other parts of the world. So what is religion in Japan? There is a saying that Japanese are born Shinto, marry Christian, and die Buddhist. What does that mean? Japanese people do not categorize themselves by religion as Americans and much of the Western world so often does. Everyone knows the traditions and customs and mixes and matches them in whatever way seems to fit, so as Ayer mentioned in the above article, certain combination that seem to defy "Western sensibility" (as if there is such a thing) are common everywhere in Japanese society. As a result, because people like Christmas, Christmas is popular.

Finally, here's a clip from TV Kanazawa, featuring some familiar faces. The translation of my broken Japanese is "I like to cook myself, so this is really fun!"

Obama continues to follow me around the world...

2009-11-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

Obama is coming to Tokyo on Friday, continuing his trend of following me around the world.

Here's an interesting article from the Associated Press about the question of visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That's an intriguing issue for me personally. There's no question that I will visit the memorial at Hiroshima while in Japan, and I already feel very emotional about it. I'm glad to hear that Obama wants to visit while in office, something that no sitting President has done before. It's very, very important to me.

Another article from the Washington Post, outlining the President's itinerary.

Finally, from the above article, an interesting bit to ponder, what with all the ridiculous toxicity that still ravages American politics...

"President Obama is enormously popular in all the countries that he's visiting. I haven't seen the latest polls, but the numbers I have seen are staggering," said Jeffrey Bader, senior director for East Asian affairs at the National Security Council.

"When we have someone who has that degree of respect and affection and admiration, the message that he is bringing is much more likely to resonate than when you come in with a five percent approval rating," he said.

Quality of Life

2009-11-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

Photo of the interior of a bar called Sturgis in the happening Katamachi neighborhood of Kanazawa. The place is a rock and roll paradise, a bit of an otaku sanctum in the best sense of the word that's a mellow museum when it isn't a party. The walls are covered with memorabilia and musical instruments are everywhere. People from all over the world write on the walls about how they will never forget Kanazawa and Sturgis and its proprietor, and musicians come and play and leave their mark. Much of it is American music memorabilia, but the place is truly international.

Russia and Japan are two nations that have some of the most notoriously high suicide statistics in the world. Why is this?

«Японцие живут слишком хорошо,
а русские слишком плохо.»
"Japanese live too well; Russians too poorly."
- A relation of my weekly Russian tutor

Though I am in Japan, I'm still studying Russian on the side. Every Monday I meet with a graduate student from Russia and we discuss in Russian some issues of life and culture and literature. At our last meeting, I asked the above question and we discussed the idea of quality of life, a phrase that seems to be thrown around quite often. But what does it mean?

In Russia there's a bit of a joke that I have mentioned on this blog before concerning the idea of the Russian Soul. But is it so different from an American? What is culture, anyhow?

I believe that culture consists of the life experiences that make a person. Perhaps in psychological terminology, this might be known colloquially as "nature versus nurture." Americans seem to love categorizing and qualifying, quantifying and defining things; I'm coming to realize that religion is a large component of identity in American culture. Students at most colleges must declare a major in a specific field by their third year of studies. From my current studies, I'm beginning to see what appears to be an international trend towards regionalism. Anthropologist A.R. Radcliffe-Brown wrote in 1939:
“Concrescence...into larger and larger social structures by political, economic, religious, or other organizations is the outstanding feature of human history”

Perhaps, but maybe we're moving beyond the "global village" phase with a bit of a return to regionalism. People love to emphasize their regions: people want to find culture, the unique bits of flavor in a place. Japanese sake brewers are returning to regional flavors. Southern Californians are proud of the Southern California dialect and traditionally love to hate certain phraseology used by Northern California residents; similarly, Russians from Saint-Petersburg make fun of slurred Moscow Dialect. In Japan, one of the most distinct and recognizable dialects is Kansai-ben, the speech of people from the Kyoto region, though from what I have seen it is both a point of pride for Kansai natives and a liked and appreciated bit of culture by other Japanese, sort of like the way that everyone likes New York pizza but only New Yorkers really know and understand it, and they're proud that it comes from their home.

Sempai

2009-11-06T03:55:00.002-08:00

先輩／せんぱい：elder, senior, mentor

An integral part of Japanese society and language is the sempai/kōhai relationship. As a foreigner and someone new to the country, I have little day-to-day experience with this idea. However, earlier this week, I felt that I was beginning to get a bit of a better idea about what it's all about.

This sort of relationship generally exists in schools or companies--for example, if two students are studying in the same faculty at a university, then the older and more experienced student is treated with respect by the kōhai. In companies it is similar.

I'm only beginning to understand the levels of formality in Japanese society and language. I'm already quite aware of differences in how I talk to my Japanese friends Takashi and Shinsuke (Takashi is also my tutor; more on that later--Shinsuke is also in the band with me; more on that later too), and how I talk to my sensei in Japanese class or to a salesperson at a store. Still, there are grammatical forms that I'm aware of but haven't even learned yet that take this idea much further. and add even more levels of formality.

As a foreigner, I am not generally expected to conform to this structure. However, I must be aware of it. The more I become involved in Japanese society, the more I will have to be aware of these relationships.

Earlier this week, I realized that sometimes these relationships exist in American culture too, though much less common. For example, my step-grandfather will always be known to me as Grampa. In another sense, when I did theatre at Buckley, older students would always notice and be extremely annoyed if a younger student might step out of place, disrespecting seniority in the program's hierarchy.

Japanese language has these forms built-in, in a way that English simply does not (and, for that matter, Russian). In addition, here's an interesting article about gendered forms in Japanese, too--another important and related point. It is sometimes the case, as readers who have studied foreign language extensively will understand, that some words simply don't translate so well--or as I have found, you can translate a word, but it takes more than that to explain what its usage means or implies. These subtle shades of meaning take time and experience to learn, but they are essential to understanding cultural differences.

Drawing these cultural comparisons makes for fascinating conversation, and it will lead to the focus of my major, too.

I realized that of the six Tufts students in this program, I'm the only one concentrating on Japanese culture as an academic interest. One amazing thing about about being here is that after all the experience and confidence I have so far gained abroad, I really do feel free to make of this program what I want. I'm amazed and honored by the amount of respect that seems to thrive here even among the international student community, and it's a great feeling and a very positive environment to live in.

The Great Experiment

2009-10-25T21:15:00.001-07:00

This is the blog post I've been turning over in my mind for the past two months, and I'm finally going to put it up here. A bit of a retrospective.

My life is generally incredibly busy--nearly every single day I spent in LA last month I was seeing people, friends, family, acquaintances--exploring, running around, doing all sorts of things. For a brief summary:
- Saw a bunch of great concerts (rock shows mostly), including The Killers, Green Day, Akron Family, Goodbye Motel, and The Faint.
- Saw and spent a lot of time with many friends (as well as acquaintances and family).
- Went to two(ish) Dodger games.
- Went to two tapings of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
- Made some money, enough to finance a new guitar! (There's a great saga about my new guitar, but let's just say for now that I'm very happy with what I got)
- Contacted friends from Russia, as well as some from Israel. (Skype and Vkontakte are great--VKontakte is the Russian ripoff of Facebook)
- Wrote the following text from my laptop, but my battery died before I could post it. It was a very "LA" sort of moment, and I wanted to preserve it...
< I'm sitting just outside a Coffee Bean & Teal Leaf at The Grove on 3rd&Fairfax in Los Angeles. I'm sipping a pumpkin Ice Blended. I'm watching the "trolley" leave, and in the last ten minutes I've heard Hebrew, Japanese, Spanish, and two other languages that might have been [Korean and perhaps Filipino. This is without a doubt the most cosmopolitan place I've seen in this city, with the possible exception of LAX.]
>
- Found some very good deals on things., and sold a couple old things too.
- Got my computer fixed, installed both Snow Leopard and Windows 7 on it, and upgraded the RAM.
- Collected things for Japan, acquired a TON of information, as well as books and supplies.
- Learned more about LA, and found some cool new places!
- Played a lot of guitar.
- Got some new clothes.
- Volunteered at the OCC Run/Walk at CBS Studios

The following text was written about one month ago and never posted. I feel so much different now from how I felt then, so I'm glad I wrote this.

< But today was different. I realized that I have ten days left, and I've been running around trying to do as much as possible as if to flesh out my curriculum vitae for a big interview coming up. I've been growing restless, living in my parents' house that no longer feels so much like my home. I had been away from this blog for a while in part because this particular post has loomed large over my head. I thought that I would write the post looking back on my summer abroad immediately once I returned home, but I didn't. I wrote a couple short posts about what I'd been doing during my return and a post about Birthright that ended up being more hortatory encouragement than searching exposé. It feels really good to get back to blogging--back to writing. One thing I have been doing, especially having new instruments in the house, is playing the guitar. I notice improvement every time, just like I've noticed personal improvement every time I've gone out to play tennis with Kyle, and that's really exciting for me. [Note added later: I notice the same thing now with my Japanese speaking and understanding, and it was similar with Russian language earlier this summer. Круто, or すごい, so to speak] A major goal of this whole fifteen months of study abroad is to develop personal confidence--a sense of self. It's a part of growing up, and I struggled with confidence for much of my childhood. When I'm playing "Thunder Road," it's really for me. Depression gives way to the more comfortable occasional melancholy of being young. Anxiety releases, and I find myself with some things that are lasting, permanent, and meaningful, all as I recognize my deeper sense of self through greater perspective. The result is growth, and I feel older and more mature. When this year 2009 began, I told myself that it would be a good year, and certainly better than the last. In truth it's been intense, and often very difficult, but it has been the sort of hardship that leads to profound growth, and I have indeed grown more than ever. To be honest, I was afraid of what the result would be, so it has been an encouraging surprise and an exciting journey for me to find that what I thought and hoped mattered to me really does matter, really is there, more than I could have realized, and the effect is something like trying to listen to music on a loud plane when the engined slow as you get closer to where you want to go and the music stays with you and seems all the clearer without so much noise. Music has a powerful way of affecting emotions.

Having grown up in LA, I have in my life spent lots of time in a car. Since I have been driving, I have always felt that I should be a good driver, though once I had been driving for a year or so, I realized that I like to drive fast and in control and to listen to music. In my life I often drive fast, trying to accumulate destinations. I want to say that I've been there. I craved the feeling of connectedness and wonder and joy that comes from experiencing something amazing. I craved it so much that I kept looking for it in all sorts of places.

Going abroad is like the final test, the ultimate, or to continue the analogy, maybe something like driving that car out past the familiar roads, away from the city, and searching because you have to find your own road.
>

Maybe that last bit it is somewhat cheese, but I've grown more in the past five or six months than I have ever thought possible. The absolute truth is that I'm having the time of my life here in Japan, and I feel more relaxed and more secure and generally happier with life than I have in many, many years. There is a song I listened to dozens of times this summer, more than any other song--"Soul Meets Body" by a band called Death Cab For Cutie. I'll let whoever reads the lyrics interpret them:

I want to live where soul meets body
And let the sun wrap its arms around me
And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing
And feel, feel what its like to be new

Cause in my head there’s a greyhound station
Where I send my thoughts to far off destinations
So they may have a chance of finding a place
where they’re far more suited than here

And I cannot guess what we'll discover
When we turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels
But I know our filthy hands can wash one another’s
And not one speck will remain

And I do believe it’s true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes
But if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
So brown eyes I hold you near
Cause you’re the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

Where soul meets body
Where soul meets body
Where soul meets body

And I do believe it’s true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes
But if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
So brown eyes I hold you near
Cause you’re the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

Even now, I feel nostalgic looking at those lyrics. Now, for the first time since I've ever had a conscious awareness of such a concept, I feel that I am in the right place at the right time, and I'm totally loving it.

I've made a Flickr account (link) with some of my best pictures from this summer. The plan is to periodically add pictures to it, from my various adventures in life--only my absolute best or perhaps most interesting photos. Check it out!

Now, obviously, this post is much, much different from what it would have been two months ago when I thought I'd actually be writing it. I wanted to talk about all the new perspective I've gained on life, thoughts on speaking and hearing a different language, thoughts on comparing cultures, thoughts on my own life and thoughts on America too. Fact is, I've been doing that a lot anyhow, but it's always worth mentioning.

I've said many times that I experienced a lot of culture shock in Russia, and that it took about five weeks for me to come to terms with it and feel more comfortable. Fact is, I still don't particularly like Russian culture. Russian people that I met in Russia would tell me that life in Russia is difficult, and it's also difficult to LEAVE Russia, should they so desire. What I got from my host mother on the issue is that leaving Russia is basically not an option, so it's not worth thinking about. Everyday life was often full of apparent inconsistencies. There's a stereotype of "the typical Russian soul," and foreigners seem to love joking with Russians about what the Real Russian Soul might actually be. Russians I met and asked about this question were often mildly amused, and one friend of mine compared it to the idea of the American Dream (occasionally, American Spirit), as in a very broad cultural ideal for which an attempt at definition is often suggested but rarely attempted.

Perhaps the fact is that Russian culture is simply different. As an American who has been rooted in America for at least four generations no matter how you look at it, I had a hard time adjusting to my first time living in a foreign country--especially in one with a reputation for life being hard. Russian history is full of hardship, to put it very simply, but I discovered in Dostoevsky and in the people I met in Russia a certain determination for life that I found very powerful. It was this determination that made me think I might want my university program to end up being ILVS (International Letters and Visual Studies) after all, with a focus on Literature: comparing Japanese and Russian, to be exact. (So now in Japan, I've organized a weekly Russian Literature class that I'm doing for credit--entirely in Russian, of course.) Even though "Russian Culture" and life in Russia doesn't particularly interest me, maybe it is in the Russian Soul that I've found something to fascinate me.

In Israel as well, I found an unexpected connection. I was raised in a nonreligious household but with certain cultural ties to secular American Judaism and New England Protestantism that helped defined me also. By the circumstances of my life growing up, or for whatever reason, I felt more connected to Judaism, so I did the Birthright program in Israel. What I found was a place and a culture that I loved without expecting to love (as, I suppose, love often happens), a connection I wasn't expecting to feel, and an unexpectedly amazing experience.

It's true that experience is what you make it, and for me and where I was in life, I needed perspective on myself. I needed to get away. I'm glad that my computer was broken for two months, that I felt out of touch in Russia. Going abroad was something I knew I needed, and it's been really good for me. Looking back now, I have so much appreciation and gratitude for where I've been--and it's true what they say, that going through hard times makes a person stronger. I've grown up a lot. I love my life now, and I have a much better sense of myself. It would be foolish to suspect that I know where I'm going, but I'm really not so worried about it anymore.

April 27, during a rather difficult time for me. This is a photo of my Japanese 2 class at the end of the year--on the far right next to me is Koizumi-sensei. I have very few pictures from my last semester at Tufts; this is a tiny glimpse at where I was coming from.

Drinking a Baltika 7 at a rock club in Saint-Petersburg. I've mellowed out a lot; I'm a lot less uptight than I have been for a long time. (As Russian beers go, I don't recommend Baltika 7.)

With my new Israeli friend Dean, in Israel of course. He's one of the great new people I've met, and I'm glad to say we've kept in touch since then too.

Photo from the choir performance during my last week in Russia. The girl in the salmon-color top is Nadezhda, the lead singer from Лесной Пегас (Forest Pegasus), a really awesome band (they're from Псков/Pskov, actually) in Russia that you should check out. She was our choir director, and the guy at the far right is Sasha, our guitarist and musical director. We had a great time in the choir, and I was glad to learn some Russian songs! My love for music, both to create and appreciate, is another part of me that solidified this summer. From right: Sasha, Leo, me, Olivia, Nadezhda, Clare, Alena, Heather.

Our group leaders in Israel, at the very end of the program at the airport. The guy in green in the middle, Shahar, was our main guide and group leader. Like other group leaders for outdoor educational trips I've been on, he had a great personality and an awesome humanity about him. I learned a ton from him and from all of these people, and I found them all to be incredibly inspiring. I can't wait to go back to Israel again someday. From left: Abra, Gordon, Shahar, Jason, Avishai.

With my friend Sasha, in front of that Vasileostrovskaya metro station in Saint-Petersburg. I met with Sasha at great length three or four times after I met him, to talk about language and culture. From these meetings, I learned a great deal about culture itself, and I saw valuable perspective on myself as an American. I learned how to use the phrase "in my country" with respect, as I saw myself as a person of substance from a specific place that actually does have a culture.

I have an enormous amount of respect for these guys. That's Dean on the left, and my other friend Amos on the right. They're both officers in the Israeli Defence Forces. I'd never really known any soldiers before, but these guys are my friends. Not only that, but I feel a personal connection to what they're fighting for that goes beyond my friendship with them. This was new for me, and as I thought about what it would be like for me to do what they do, I felt great respect and admiration for them. They're real, good people, doing the best they can, and they're part of something that makes them strong in a way I'll likely never know. Even though I ought to hope I'll never have to do what they do, part of me really, truly wanted to be in their boots, and I felt a glimmer of understanding for what it is that makes young people, perhaps especially young men, want to put on such a uniform.

On board one of the tall ships at the Tall Ships' Races 2009 festival. I reconnected with my love of sailing and ships and the sea, and made a personal resolve to return to it at some time in the future. I also experienced one of the most beautiful moments in my recent memory, as the ships were leaving port and sounding their horns.

Photo from when I saw The Killers live at UC Irvine last month. I love going to rock shows, and this was certainly a great one. I'm proud of the photo with all the lights and confetti, but besides all that, it's indicative of part of what makes it so cool to go to shows.

On May 12 in Chicago, I saw Bruce Springsteen with my best friend Zach. It was my third time seeing Springsteen, probably my favorite musician and performer of all. At that time (or any time, really), the company of Zach and the Boss was exactly what I needed. Besides that, it was a hell of a great show! In a massive arena (it's where the Chicago Bulls play), we were in the pit, about ten people back from the very front. AMAZING.

With my friend Vitaly and his son Kiril (probably the cutest kid ever to exist), in Saint-Petersburg. Vitaly was enormously kind and generous to me, and he invited me to visit him and his wife and son at their house outside the city. I had a great time, and as a guest in someone else's home I felt humbled as I learned about what their life is really like. Vitaly is a computer programmer working for Smolny (and, by definition I suppose, for Saint-Petersburg State University), and he's one of the nicest, funniest guys you'll ever meet. Plus, he and his wife are really into anime and love the show Babylon 5, my favorite tv show ever.

With my friend Viktor in a Petersburg metro station. This guy is a ton of fun. I spent a lot of time with him and another friend named Ruslan toward the end of my stay in Russia this summer, and I learned more about what life in Petersburg is like for someone around my age. We had a great time walking around the city, going to a hockey game, discussing the finer points of language (swear words), and we're still keeping in touch too.

The only decent picture I have of me with my Russian host mother Sveta. This was taken on my very last day in Russia, mere seconds before I dashed out the door to get to the airport, courtesy of a very kind acquaintance who saved me a TON of time and money by driving me there. Sveta was really wonderful--a practical and personable woman who cared about my well-being, physically, mentally, and in terms of my education as well.

Photo with my brother Matt at Lowry's steak and chop restaurant in Los Angeles, courtesy of my grandmother and her husband. Another thing that's happened in the past year is that I've grown a lot closer with my brother, and for that I am so, so glad. Matt is awesome, and actually, today (Oct 26) happens to be his 23rd birthday. Happy birthday, Matt! Now come visit me in Japan and we'll go clubbing!!

Photo on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, with my dad, Judie the makeup artist, and a totally awesome Australian rock band that is about to take the world by storm. I was photographer for the band at their showcase at The Roxy, and then we all went out afterward. Opportunities like this wouldn't exist without my dad, and I'm glad I've gotten to know him better this summer. Check out his new website!!

Photo with my friend Ido in Tel-Aviv, on my last night of traveling abroad this summer. Goldstar beer is ridiculously tasty. I had a fantastic time in Israel that whole day, and it's entirely thanks to my friends there--Pri especially, as well as Ido, Mor, and Shani.

In Vyborg (near Finland!), my second-to-last weekend in Russia. We visited the old castle, and there I got to try on some knight's gear. I then proceeded to defend the honor of my dear friend Alena, another wonderful person I met abroad. I'm still in touch with her, too--earlier this week, we talked for an hour entirely in Russian. Благодаря Skype!

Photo with my mom (!) on my second-to-last day in LA (September 28) before leaving for Japan. I spent most of the day with her, and we had a really wonderful time. I love my mom!

I'd say this was a rather amazing summer.

Update: My room!

2009-10-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy with various activities, I haven't had time for an update. I don't even have time now, but here are some quick pictures of my room! I'll make a real update when I can. Really quickly, life is amazing here and I'm basically having the time of my life. But now I must study Japanese, because it is difficult and requires much studying!

My kitchen! Fridge/freezer on the left. That's my new rice cooker in the middle, my pride and joy. I love having my own kitchen!

View looking the other way. Pantry and such.

The bathroom is a combined toilet and shower. And they said that multitasking doesn't happen in Japanese society!

Looking more into the main part of the room. The bed is quite comfortable actually, with a futon top and a strange pillow that seems to be made of beans. That's my new guitar over there in the corner, obtained two days before I left the US. I've been very happy with it! More on that later. Two maps of Japan are taped to the wall there, one in English (free at the Japan Tourism Center in LA!) and one in Japanese (only ¥100, about $1!). Currently, the top shelf of that metal thing is inhabited by my Jōdō (杖道："the way of the staff") gi (the uniform for it), as well as a karate gi, and my nice camera.

View looking a bit to the left (instead of a bit to the right), where you can see my Bashō print, my dehumidifier, and some of my desk.

The Desk! Somehow I managed to finagle United Airlines into letting me bring all those books without any fees at all. Nice. That's my New Japanese Cell Phone From The Future, on the right.

View the other way.

And in the daytime, my balcony.

My Excellent Panda, and my Boss Coffee poster that I got for free. I don't know if you knew this, but Suntory Boss is the Boss of them All.

NOW MUST STUDY

電話

2009-10-12T04:58:00.000-07:00

(でんわ / denwa) - phone

I have a Japanese cell phone that is so awesome, it could literally eat your lame phone. The thing gets digital TV broadcasts FOR FREE, and seems to play them in HD. It has an infrared data port, an unexpectedly useful device that's great for meeting new people. It can scan business cards and text with OCR that works for Japanese and English both. It has an internet-enabled dictionary. It has internet. It has email/MMS. It can record TV, do video, make video calls, AND IT WAS ONE OF THE CHEAPEST PHONES I COULD GET.

The number is similar to my American number, sort of. I've also got a Softbank C-mail address now, so if you text or email apmichaelson(((at-sign)))softbank.ne.jp, then you'll be texting me in Japan.

Also!
I RECEIVE ALL CALLS FOR FREE AT ALL TIMES. And I think I can receive those MMS C-mail messages at all times too.

My phone number is the country code for Japan (+81) and then 080-3743-xxxx (those last four digits being the same as my American phone).

MAILING ADDRESS

2009-10-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

Alexander Michaelson
Kanazawa University International House, 204
Ta 1-1, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa
Ishikawa 920-1192 JAPAN

(Baked goods are appreciated! Among other things like letters and presents and such too. Give me your address and you can get a Japan postcard!! Kawaii!)

台風！！

2009-10-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

(たいふう / taifuu): TYPHOON!!!!

In a few hours, Typhoon Melor will hit Kanazawa! I've never experienced a typhoon before, so I'm pretty stoked. Although tomorrow is supposed to be the first day of classes, they might be cancelled! Typhoon Day!

Beautiful City and the Well of Truth

2009-10-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Sign on campus: 金沢大学　（かなざわだいがく / Kanazawa Daigaku）: Kanazawa University. That's Marcell on the right, one of the other Tufts guys, though he's originally from Hungary.

Kanazawa is amazingly beautiful. Of all the places in the world where I have been, I think there's no more photogenic city I've ever seen. The city is beautiful and a ton of fun, the other international students are amazing (and the most cosmopolitan group of people I've ever known), and the university is vastly exciting. Besides the other Tufts guys, I have friends here at KUSEP now from Germany, Finland, Ireland, Russia, Korea, China, Czech Republic, England, Australia, and of course Japan. My room is fantastic--it's got every amenity I could ever ask for and then some. Today I did a lot of shopping, and I didn't get a rice cooker (YET), but I did get a bunch of useful things. It's really really late because there's ALWAYS awesome stuff to do, but I wanted to get in a quick post here. With some pictures! Check out my photos on Facebook (just uploaded a bunch), but here are a few for the blog too. Photos of my room are to come--still decorating (though I finished moving in), so I haven't really taken any yet.

Today we did Alien Registration and the Japanese Language Placement Exam, also. I now have a booklet called You Too Are a Citizen of Kanazawa! Plus, I got my personal hanko name seal: I am "Well of Truth"! Bitchin, as they say.

Now...here's the place where I live!

Street in front of Kenroku-en, the night of the Moon Festival.

Autumn moon reflecting off the stream at Kenroku-en.

Koto players underneath the moon.

Saturday early afternoon on campus, before classes have really gotten started, so there aren't many people about.

This is my university now.

City tour day! The Tufts group, led by Makiko Kura (in the background, our Tufts program assistant director), all spent the entire day exploring different sites all over the city. It was an incredible, wonderful day. The food everywhere, by the way, has been pretty amazing.

This is where I live. The big green area in the middle back and slightly to the left is Kenroku-en. To the right of it in the other hill is the samurai castle.

Tufts-in-Japan 2009-2010
In the Geisha District of Kanazawa

A view of Kenroku-en in the daytime.

In a special exhibit room at the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. It's awesome. I'd certainly say it was the best and most interesting collection of contemporary art I've ever seen. (This was before we visited the ukiyo-e woodblock print museum.)

The most advanced sink I've ever seen. Automatic water, soap, and dryer in one bowl. They all work really well and they are efficiently integrated. What a concept!

One of many gems.

I came very close to buying this track jacket! I have decided that I won't ever leave Japan without buying a track jacket.

Special thanks to Rich Marchewka for the camera that produces the most spectacular pictures. Rich, if you're reading this, you'll soon see some photos from summer! Thanks again!

はじめまして

2009-10-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

hajimemashite = Nice to meet you!

After roughly 25 hours of travel (though it also seems I slept through most of it), PLUS a 16-hour time change, I'm in my own room at the International House at Kanazawa University. In Japan. With all of my stuff, plus some welcome gifts and stipend money. Such a welcome! We arrived here at the university after midnight, but now...I'm here! The other students in the program seem to be really awesome and diverse--a couple of guys from Egypt, a girl from Russia (I'll get to practice Russian!), two students from Sheffield, England, a Chinese guy, a guy from Finland...the list goes on, and everyone is really nice and excited to be here. I just realized that I haven't slept in a bed since...well, it's the day before yesterday now, so I'm looking forward to getting in that super comfortable-looking bed. I haven't seen much Japan yet, since I slept most of the way here from Kansai International Airport and it's dark, but the view from my balcony is pretty cool. YES I HAVE MY OWN BALCONY! The room is really ridiculously nice--there's an awesome balcony overlooking what seems to be a field in the middle of campus (I'm on the second floor), a heater, dehumidifier, air conditioner, internet access, vacuum, refrigerator, induction heating plate, closet wardrobe, shower/toilet/washroom, kitchen sink, and a bed that looks to be amazingly comfortable.
So with that said I'm going to bed!

日本！！！！！

2009-10-01T00:49:00.000-07:00

(にほん / nihon: Japan)

I AM IN JAPAN.

I'm enjoying free wifi at Osaka Kansai International Airport at the moment, having just gone through customs very quickly and easily (yet totally smooth and professional), now waiting for the "Jumbo Taxi" to pick me up and take me to Kanazawa University. I still can hardly believe I'm actually here, in Japan, to stay, for the duration. I hardly have any impressions yet--I was enjoying my time in LA up to the very last minute (I was in the audience for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien last night) and now suddenly I'm halfway across the world, with my awesome new guitar and a ton of other luggage.

Really, the overwhelming impression that I've felt so far is how very smooth it's all been. I slept through most of the flight to Osaka from San Francisco, had some nice conversation with the person next to me on the plane, read through my handbooks for the program, and now I'm here. Totally business as usual. It's certainly not a bad start though--I have a feeling that my experience in Japan is something that won't happen all at once. It'll be gradual. I expect that the first couple of months will actually be quite difficult (albeit awesome and tons of fun), considering my present challenges with the language, but it'll get better and better!

I think the other part of it, though, is that this is totally new. Yes, I've thought and talked about ways I connect and relate to Japanese culture, and reasons why I'm interested in Japanese culture, but there's nothing personal about this connection. I have no ancestry or family here. I'll be living in a culture probably more foreign than anything I've known before, and this time I'm on my own, responsible for my own space. I'm incredibly excited, but I'm feeling cautious to start. I've been wanting my own space more and more recently, and now I'm finally going to have it in what is undoubtedly for me the best way possible. Every minute I think about it, I realize it more and more--

This is going to be an amazing, unbelievable, incredible, unforgettable year...!!!!

行きましょう！！ Let's go!!

Rising Sun

2009-09-21T00:57:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from an email sent to my brother earlier this summer while I was in Russia:

On Jul 30, 2009, at 6:59 PM, Alex Michaelson wrote:
I had a thought today, regarding some more reasons why I want to go to Japan. The culture absolutely fascinates me, and I feel drawn and connected to it. For one thing, I've heard many times that Japan as a nation is having a sort of national identity crisis, and that intrigues me in my own search for identity. The class I took called Introduction to Japanese Culture was fascinating, and the journaling I did for that class did a lot for me. [Moreover,] there are themes in [many] of the cultural products I've seen that I really like and feel drawn and connected to--the human drive toward happiness, [intense psychological confrontation], a penchant for random silliness, a sensitivity for wonder and romance, and technological awesomeness.

I've always known that I would study abroad, and Japan became my choice for several reasons, not to mention many of the wonderful and intriguing cultural products themselves. As I've grown to know myself better from perspective and experience I've gained this summer, I look forward now to Japan as a fantastic opportunity to continue doing what I set out to do--in simplest terms, to develop a confident, secure self. That comes from perspective, experience, personal space, self-reflection, and conditioning.

Everyone says it's going to be amazing, and it should be good for me too, whatever that means.

But I don't worry about what that means so much as I used to. I'm concentrating now on living my life the way I want to live my life, not on what may or may not be "good" for me.

Visa: obtained.
Flight: confirmed.
Housing: confirmed.
Airport transportation: scheduled at both ends.
Orientation schedule: received.
Shopping: almost finished.
Packing: in progress.

Six days.

"Go have fun!"

2009-09-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

That's what the employee at the window at the Consulate General of Japan said to me today when he handed me my passport complete with multiple-entry Japanese visa good for 15 months.

I can hardly believe that I'm leaving now in 11 days. A year is a long time, and Japan is far away. It's going to be so good for me though, and I truly felt nothing but excitement at the Consulate today when I picked up my visa. When the man handed it to me at the window, I thanked him and then just stood back and looked at the visa for about a full minute. The man asked me whether everything was alright with it, and I said yes, it's great, it's fine, thank you! "Take it to the airport with the Certificate of Eligibility," he said. "Go have fun!"

That's what I aim to do.

I'm in another in-between period right now, nearing the end of my six weeks in LA between summer travels and my year abroad. I've accomplished nearly everything I was serious about doing during this time--I've made some money, spent as much time with friends as I could, traveled around the city, discovered the library, gotten some things to prepare for my trip, gotten my computer fixed (and even upgraded), and even gotten a new guitar. I haven't been blogging, reading, or working out as much as I'd like to, but that has taught me some important lessons about free time, routine, and personal space. Anyhow, I've been doing those things and actually a lot of cool stuff, but something peculiar seems to have happened.

Peculiar? Maybe not so much. I'm referring to what it was like to come back to LA after such a crazy summer of traveling. My dad picked me up at LAX and took me back to the house, and when I walked in...it just didn't feel like coming home anymore. I've grown up a lot in the past several months of my life, and part of that is wanting to move out and away. I'm looking forward to having my own place in Japan--even though it will be tiny, it will be mine and mine alone.

I'm a sentimental guy, that's no secret. I finally finished Travels With Charley, and Steinbeck says a lot of great stuff in it, but in the final chapter he says this about a great journey:
"I speculated with a kind of wonder on the strength of the individuality of journeys and stopped on the postulate that people don't take trips--trips take people. [...] Who has not known a journey to be over and dead before the traveler returns? The reverse is also true: many a trip continues long after movement in time and space have ceased."

The thing about that book is that it took me at least two years to get through it. "How boring it must have been!" one might think--but no, I actually enjoyed it so very much that I kept stopping to let it soak in. I could always tell that Steinbeck was also a sentimental guy, and his ideas have a way of really getting to me.

It's late again and I'm thoughtful.

Downtown LA on Monday. That "US Bank" building is the tallest in LA and across the street from the huge Central Library, where I found and checked out a copy of Dogs and Demons: Tales from the Dark Side of Japan by Alex Kerr, on the recommendation of a friend who experienced the JET program as a teacher of English in Japan for a few months. The building on the right, in California Plaza (between 3rd and 4th streets on Grand) houses the Consulate General of Japan on the 17th floor. Can you believe that these clouds and tall buildings are Los Angeles, of all places? Maybe the palm tree is a clue, but it didn't feel anything like the LA I knew. I rather liked it, though. Downtown LA is pretty damn cool.

Concerning Birthright

2009-08-27T14:59:00.002-07:00

Standing at Masada at sunrise, overlooking the Dead Sea and the Jordan highlands. I'm wearing a shirt that I got at the Bedouin camp the night before.

It sounds too good to be true, right? A free trip to Israel for 11 days? Round-trip airfare from JFK to Tel Aviv, guided tours, trained security escorts, meals, hotels, museums, hikes, tours, a camel ride, swimming in the Dead Sea, side trips, discussion groups, concerts, travel assistance, and more...for free?

When I first heard about this Birthright thing, I was very, very skeptical. How could it possibly be free? What does this "Taglit" organization get out of it? What's the catch? Am I obligated to go to some kind of "Jewish re-education" or pledge money or become assimilated into something? What are the hidden fees? Am I even eligible?

I'll tell it straight. My mom isn't Jewish. My dad is Jewish...ish. His family comes from mostly Jewish heritage, though he personally never had a Bar Mitzvah, and neither did I or my brother. Still, we always celebrated Chanukah every year, and most years we would go to my grandmother's house for a Passover seder dinner. However, that was almost the entire extent of Judaism in my life while I was growing up--ask any orthodox Rabbi and I'm simply not Jewish. My mom comes from a Protestant family, and though I went to a synagogue no more than three or four times total in the first eighteen years of my life, I've probably been to church at least a hundred times, not to mention having been inexplicably baptized at age ten. Even so, with all that Lutheranizing and acolyting and communioning, not to mention the continuing Christmas tradition (and yearly Easter baskets of chocolate as a child) in my family's house, I grew up feeling more at home in the company of Jews, even though I was even less Jewish than pretty much any one of my relatively very secular Jewish friends.

So what's the deal here? Did I fool some bizarre organization of questionable motives into giving me a prize package worth thousands of dollars that I didn't deserve, using my own questionable motives? Not at all.

The Taglit organization's stated purpose (they're the money behind Birthright) is simply this: they believe that it is the birth-right of all Jewish people to visit Israel. Therefore, they endeavor to make it possible for young Jews to visit Israel in the best way they can--and tons of them come back with positive experiences to report. In Taglit's words:

Taglit-Birthright Israel provides the gift of first time, peer group, educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults ages 18 to 26. Taglit-Birthright Israel's founders created this program to send thousands of young Jewish adults from all over the world to Israel as a gift in order to diminish the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world; to strengthen the sense of solidarity among world Jewry; and to strengthen participants' personal Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish people.

So what does that mean? Basically this:
If you are a young adult who can consider yourself Jewish, and you have a real interest in traveling to Israel, you are eligible. So when I went to the Tufts Hillel to find out whether this program is for real, I met with the Birthright coordinator, and I gave it to him straight. I told him that I'm technically half-Jewish (at best), though I would love to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to go to Israel. I continued, saying that my Jewish heritage from my father's side of my family had always been an intriguing sort of comfort to me, and I would like to find out more about it and sort of test how well I connect to it. Plus...it's a FREE TRIP TO ISRAEL. So that's basically what I said, and that's also basically what I told Shorashim as well, when they did their phone interview with me (which is really just a get-to-know-you sort of thing, to make sure you're genuine). "Genuine? What does THAT mean?"

From their website:

Q. Will this be a "religious" trip?

A. You may apply for the Taglit-Birthright Israel gift regardless of your Jewish background or affiliation. All Taglit-Birthright Israel programs will provide opportunities for participants to celebrate Jewish life together. Some Trip Organizers represent different religious movements, or Zionist ideologies. To learn how to choose among all the Taglit-Birthright Israel-approved trip organizers, please go to 'How to Choose a Trip Organizer'. By asking some key questions like, "How will Shabbat be observed?" will help ensure that the program you are choosing is right for you.

Q. This gift sounds too good to be true, what's the catch?

A. There is no catch, no strings attached. Participants are only responsible for a $250 US deposit, fully refundable upon their return home after successfully completing the program. Participants are under no obligation to Taglit-Birthright Israel, which finances the trip, or their Trip Organizer, who implements the trip, for any future activities or financial obligations. Of course, should participants decide to become more involved in the Jewish community, go back to Israel or explore other aspects of Jewish life, we encourage them to regularly check out the rest of the website for resources that may fit their needs.

Simply put, in ten years, this organization has taken over 220,000 (yes, two hundred twenty THOUSAND) young people from over 50 countries on free ten-day trips. What do they mean by "free"? I paid for only the following:
• Plane tickets to and from New York
• About a third of the meals
• Souvenirs
• A $250 deposit that was refunded about a month after the trip ended
• Return trip extension fees so as to accommodate my trip to Russia after the Israel program was over (not a required expense of course, though they make it VERY easy to extend your trip however you want by up to three months, not to mention MUCH cheaper than what the airline would usually charge)

But what about safety? "Israel is too dangerous--I wouldn't feel comfortable there" or "My dad/mom would never let me go" or "I'm afraid to go to the Middle East" -- let me share the following with you:
• I never once felt unsafe during the trip.
• We had an armed guard with us the whole time. TWO armed guards when in more rural areas.
• The organization carefully plans routes and checks conditions before going anywhere.
• They have taken over 220,000 young people on these trips, and I'm told their safety record is impeccable.
• It's in everyone's best interests to do their absolute utmost to keep everyone safe.
• Taglit lists all of their other safety precautions on their website. So does Shorashim.
• Chances are, you know other people like me who have gone on a Birthright trip and had an amazing time.
I understand that back in January, with the Gaza offensive going on, it was probably not the best time to be there. But during my time there, things were quiet. I would hate to think that anyone would be kept from going to Israel because of fear of attack. Besides that, El Al Airlines (one of the most popular airlines used by the program, and Israel's national airline) has probably the best safety record of any airline operating. I suspect you're in a lot more danger driving on a freeway or visiting many areas of many US cities than you are on a Birthright trip. If there's not a war or anything going on, that's no way to miss out on an incredible opportunity.

So what about my own experience? I will say that my trip to Israel affected me much more than I could have predicted, and I really felt a strong connection to the place that I couldn't have expected. I am more interested in Judaism, and I'm even thinking about having a Bar Mitzvah. "AHA!" you say, "THAT'S WHAT THEY WANTED, ISN'T IT!"
Well, yes, isn't it? I wanted the free trip to Israel, but isn't that sort of because I was curious about it? I was interested, and now that I've been, I've learned a lot. Besides that, it's no secret that Birthright is designed to make everybody happy. Certainly the Israeli government wins, because they get tons of tourism dollars and a lot of great press. Wouldn't you want young people visiting YOUR country and then going back home to tell everyone what a great time they had? The Birthright organization wins, because they are fulfilling their stated goals. And certainly, the young people win, because we get an amazing free trip to Israel. "BUT WHAT ABOUT PALESTINE??" you might ask. That's actually a great question--and I'm glad to say that nothing about my trip felt like being indoctrinated or proselytized. In fact, we had frank and critical political discussions many times, during which we learned a lot of history, got many different perspectives, and learned about the great complexities of the situation. I can't speak for other trip providers (so I highly recommend Shorashim), but I left Israel with greater respect and understanding for both Israeli and Palestinian peoples. I also truly became friends with several soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces, and I have immense respect for them.

So it's legitimate, and it's true. I strongly recommend the Birthright program to anyone who is interested and remotely eligible. What do you have to lose? You just might discover that you have a lot more than you knew about to gain.

Check out the trip provider Shorashim - they're the group I went with, and their whole philosophy on the trip is extremely well-balanced, not to mention packed-full of awesome activities and and very welcoming to everyone.

When you sign up, tell them that I referred you, too. "AHA!!" you say, "SO YOU'RE GETTING SOMETHING OUT OF ALL THIS!!! TREACHERY!!"
Yes, it's true, they will give me a bit of money if I refer people to them that end up signing up for a trip, and there's even a possibility of me getting to go BACK to Israel for free (AGAIN!) if I get enough people to sign up. But why would I help Shorashim out if I didn't believe in what they're doing? I had a truly amazing time, and deciding to go for a Birthright trip was one of the best decisions I've ever made. If you have any questions, please email me or comment on this post.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO APPLY FOR BIRTHRIGHT, READ THIS:
1) REGISTRATION OPENS AT NOON EST ON SEPTEMBER 9. YOU MUST REGISTER (and pay the $250 deposit) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ON THAT DAY! IT IS FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED, AND THEY MEAN THAT.
2) TO REGISTER: Go to ISRAELWITHISRAELIS.COM (website for Shorashim)
3) Mention my name on the registration form! And send an email to gordon.dale@tufts.edu saying that I recruited you!

The Return

2009-08-27T03:11:00.000-07:00

(Pictures to come--it will be more interesting then)

7-9 August: Last days in Saint-Petersburg. Final exam, final meals, final grades, SKA hockey game, walking around the city, Lenta-Fest part 2 and subsequent picnic, jazz club, watching the bridges, sunrise, making Uzbek friends and discussing shwarma across borders, great times hanging out with Russian friends Viktor (BROTHERRRR) and Ruslan (the wizard), the Central Naval Museum, trip to the airport, and the airport itself. My culminating ultimate moment in Russia came at the end of the band's set at the jazz club--I had finished my delicious drink and was starting to think about leaving, but a random guy struck up a conversation with me (in Russian of course):
Random guy: "Hey, do you know who else plays here?"
Me: "No, I don't know--it's my first time here. I think there's a calendar hanging on the wall over there."
Random guy: "Oh, it's my first time here too. Are you from Petersburg?"
I HAVE ARRIVED!! I thought to myself. My last night in Russia, and I am mistaken in not only appearance but also in language--for a local!!

I was detained and interrogated for at least 40 minutes by El Al Airlines personnel because apparently I was suspicious for several reasons: having such a ridiculous itinerary, only planning to be in Israel for one day, not being able to produce proof of where I would be in Israel and for how long... but I made it through. It was sort of cool actually because I knew I had nothing to hide... but I suppose if I'd had something to hide, it would have been hell, and with security like that, how could anyone pull something off?

10 August: Israel again. An amazing day, all around--it's so wonderful to have friends all over! I got a ride from the train station in Tel-Aviv to Pri's house, where I had one of the best breakfasts EVER. Fresh egg, fresh-baked cake, a fresh REAL cappuccino, cottage cheese, Israeli salad, and other cheese and other food that I simply didn't have room for. Her mom took me into the city, and we had a great conversation regarding culture and politics and everyday life along the way. I spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon walking around the city, exploring markets and shops and taking lots of pictures before I headed to the beach. There's a pretty big Russian population there too, and I found a couple of Russian bookstores. On the beach, as I was setting up and preparing to sun myself, an attendant came over and started telling me in Hebrew about how I need to give him a certain amount of money in order to use the benches and lounges on the beach. I understood what he was getting at, though I asked him whether he could speak English. I did actually learn a few Hebrew phrases, one of them being "I don't speak Hebrew." I wanted to ask him whether I could simply lie on my towel on the sand for free, but he didn't understand me, so I asked him in Russian, and he understood! It was an amazing linguistic experience. And so I sunned.
I lay on the beach listening to kids next to me speaking Hebrew and cursing in Russian until Pri arrived, so then I swam in the Mediterranean while she watched my bag. Warm sea is wonderful!! Made me want to visit a tropical island sort of place. After that, we headed over to pick up other friends, and then spent the evening hopping around cafés and bars and restaurants in Jaffa, and I had some wonderful falafel and Goldstar beer (yes, legally!). It was so nice to hang out with them, talking about life, but by the end of the night my exhaustion from traveling caught up with me (and I suppose the Goldstar didn't hurt) and I slept in the car on the way back. It was a great day.

Then it was more travel--car, train, plane, bus, van, bus, car, in that order, all in one day, from Pri's house in the Ramat Gan suburb or Tel Aviv to Rachel's house in Lexington, Massachusetts. I studied Hebrew on the plane to New York, and found that I really enjoyed it. No problems with US Customs:
Customs Officer: (Reading my declaration form) "You have food?
Me: "Some packaged snacks."
Officer: "Go to the red lane."
...>
Customs Officer (Red Lane): "Do you have any meat?"
Me: "No."
Officer: "Go ahead."
I hefted my luggage out to the ground transportation curb, and immediately was greeted with a sort-of seedy private "cab" driver, who said something like "Hey buddy, need a ride?" and I ignored him, a response that would have been normal in Russia. "HEY, YOU COULD AT LEAST SAY NO!" he yelled at me once I had passed, apparently hurt. It made me think of basic human interactions across cultural boundaries, and, well, a lot of other things, but that's coming up in a future post.

Hanging out at Tufts and around Boston for two days was a ton of fun. I really wanted to do it, because I knew that by spending a year studying in Japan, I would be forfeiting a lot of time spent with Tufts friends. Fortunately, many of them were around campus even though it was three weeks before the start of classes, and I got to see a whole lot of wonderful people. I felt for the first time that I am really starting to appreciate my university. It's amazing what a couple of months abroad can do. I'll post pictures later.

Then it was overnight Greyhound (oh, yes) to Washington, DC, to spend three and a half whirlwind days with lots of family. There were actually a lot of Russians on that bus, though I was tired and didn't talk to them. Let it be said that Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan at 3:30 in the morning is not a fun place, but I really don't mind--I've gotten quite used to carrying luggage and waiting and making connections. Actually spending time in Washington was really wonderful, and I got to see three aunts, my grandfather, my great-uncle, a great family friend, and more--an awesome 98 year old friend of my grandfather (and his wife) had us over for coffee and lent me a book of essays by Amos Oz, insisting that she carry the tray herself. The woman speaks four languages--English, Spanish, Russian, and Yiddish. I also got to have brunch, courtesy of some kind and apparently connected family members, at the Cosmos Club by Embassy Row. What a meal! And then it was the Air and Space museum too, dinner in Bethesda, and a diner in Virginia. Finally, I got to Dulles, and it was strange to know that I was heading back to my parents and the house I grew up in. For the first time in my life, I arrived home to a house that really didn't feel so much like my home anymore. I guess that tends to happen.

I've now been back in Los Angeles for about eleven days, and I've been back in America for two weeks. It was strange to come back to New York--I was sitting next to a couple of Orthodox Jewish guys on the plane, and I was happily studying Hebrew from one of the books I picked up while there, with Dostoevsky in my bag. I arrived to another different culture, and America that looked significantly different from the one I had left.

What a month it's been. What a couple of months. Hell, what a year! I've been so busy running around Los Angeles in the past 11 days or so that I've hardly had time to reflect, but I've got my computer back now (thank you, Apple!) and I have a lot to say. Expect more updates and reflections over the next month, leading up to my departure for Japan.

Back in America

2009-08-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a summer it's been. I've been living out of suitcases for the past 11 weeks. The past six days or so have been insane--that itinerary I posted before it working out beautifully. I am now posting from my grandfather's house in Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA, just outside of Washington, DC.

I had an amazing time returning to Israel for a day and also visiting Tufts and Boston for two days. Friends are awesome. Now I'm enjoying time with family in Washington before I will return at long last to California (and figure out how to get a working computer!).

I had a wonderful conversation this evening with a 98 year old woman. She speaks English, Russian, and Spanish, and she's more active and spry than more 70 year olds I've seen. I hope I'll have even some of that kind of longevity!

So much to say, but this will only be a short update. What a summer this has been!

I will say, quickly, that I have been learning so much. I've had so many amazing experiences, and I've gained so much perspective on things--life, the world, me, everything. I really feel that I have been growing up a lot, and I feel less anxious and stressed. I've also made a ton of new friends. Anyhow, it's all a great experience!

Поступок

2009-08-06T04:50:00.000-07:00

Literally, this word means simply "action" or "deed" -- something that one does. However, its connotation is of something profound or great, something significant.

It's the end of my Russian summer, and this will most likely be my last post while in Russia. I have the rest of today, then tomorrow and Sunday to spend in the city, and then Sunday night at 9pm I'm heading to the airport.

I had an invitation to go to Moscow for a night, but I chose to spend that time here instead, seeing a couple of museums that I wanted to see (The Arctic/Antarctic museum, the Maritime Museum, and maybe the Railroad Museum), seeing the city, and mostly spending time with some of my new Russian friends. I wonder whether a younger me would have jumped at that chance to go to Moscow. But now I have friends in Russia, and most likely whenever I return here I would make a trip to Moscow. I'll see it eventually. Like I said several weeks ago, I'm starting to see the bigger picture as something not quite so intimidating and scary. I suppose that tends to happen as people grow and age, deal with life and experience, and begin to comprehend existence.

I had a good conversation with one such friend a couple of days ago as we walked around the lines and prospekts of Vasilevsky together, concerning the steps that one takes in life. He mentioned the word поступок, the title of this post, and he told me about an American short film he had heard of that concerns a young man (not older than 25) who decides to leave his job and ride a bicycle around America for a year, armed with a video camera. (I'll find the name of the film later, as I must go to lunch very soon.) Such a drastic thing to do, yes! But I told me friend (Sasha is his name), I understand that somewhat. In some way, all young people go through this process when they go out into the world, and it can be something like that poem Ithaca that I posted here last month. For me, I simply knew that I had to go out into the world, a feeling that I couldn't avoid. Russia for me has been a great experiment, and I will wrap up that idea further when I get home.

This is the end of my summer in Russia, but I have gained so much from the experience. All that's left now is a couple of days--exploring this afternoon, clubbing tonight, museums tomorrow, packing, spending time with friends, and that will have been two months. Where did these months go? I'm left with an ability to speak conversational Russian, some random souvenirs, over a thousand photos, memories, thoughts and epiphanies, perspectives, and many new friends (I met a guy from Hong Kong yesterday and we ended up talking for three hours). One day I will return here. I've learned so much!

I spoke with my 89-year-old grandfather in Washington DC yesterday about some of these things. He's experienced so much in his life; I can't wait to see him next week.

On to the next adventure.

But first, our last Russian Table lunch!

Маршрут

2009-07-31T03:19:00.000-07:00

Itinerary

I have 11 more days in Russia, and then I'm heading back by a somewhat complicated and roundabout route.

-Sunday, August 9: Travel to Pulkovo Airport, probably by metro. Depart from St. Petersburg, Russia, at 1:00am on...

-Monday, August 10: Arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport Tel-Aviv, Israel, at about 4:40am. Take the train to Tel-Aviv, get picked up by an awesome Israeli friend (thanks, Pri!), put stuff down, spend the day hanging out in Tel Aviv eating falafel (YES), exploring, chilling and swimming at the beach (YES). Spend the night.

-Tuesday, August 11: Travel day. Train back to Ben-Gurion at about 6am. Depart for New York JFK at 10:40am, and arrive the same day in New York at 3:20pm. Take the airport bus to Penn Station. Then, BoltBus to Boston South Station, departing 6:30pm and arriving at 10:45. From there, someone will pick me up and I'll head over to stay with friends near Tufts!

-Wednesday, August 12: Tufts/Boston. Spend time with friends, but also visit the TOL office and the Study Abroad office to clear things up with my flat-lined computer and with the upcoming year abroad. Also get a haircut.

-Thursday, August 13: Tufts/Boston again. More time with friends. At 10:30pm, my bus departs from South Station--an overnight Greyhound to Washington, DC. The joys of living as a student!

-Friday, August 14: Washington, DC: Arrive at 8:40am. Spend lots of time with family. Wave to Obama.

-Saturday, August 15: Washington, DC: more family time.

-Sunday, August 16: DC: more family time.

-Monday, August 17 (probably not the day before): Fly back to California, arriving before Monday afternoon so as to have as much time as possible with friends before everyone heads back to school.

Then, I'll be in California for about six weeks, relaxing and spending time with friends and family and maybe earning some money, and of course preparing for my year abroad. Road trip to Mexico, anyone? (I'm only half-kidding.)

September 30: Flight from Burbank Airport (Los Angeles), through SFO, to Osaka International Airport, Japan, to start my year abroad on October 1. I'll be studying at Kanazawa University with the Tufts-in-Japan program.

Yow. This is real.

Блин!

2009-07-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

Literally "Pancake!" though it is used to mean "Darn it!" or "Oh, crap!"

I have nine days left, and life here is packed with all sorts of stuff. I have lots of pictures! Unfortunately, I can't expect to be able to upload more pictures until I'm back in California.

Last Sunday was the National Navy Day in Russia, and these sailors were marching down the street at 8am last Friday, in front of the university building along the embankment.

Earlier this week, I had dinner with a couple of new friends--one from Germany, the other from Poland. I think, really, that getting to know new international friends is one of the most fulfilling parts of being abroad.

Scene from the celebration on the strelka (embankment; spit) of Vasilevsky Island on Sunday.

Here's what the stage looked like. It translates to something like "Happy Russian Navy Day!" The flag you can see waving is the symbol of the Soviet navy. The flag of the modern navy is a simple cross that looks very much like the flag of Scotland.

A photo-shoot for a wedding, witnessed from within the krepost' (fortress) at Novgorod, one of the oldest cities in Russia (founded 1150). As one of the other students commented, "I now pronounce you Mullet and Wife."

This is Nastia, one of our tutors here in the program. Really, I wanted to take a picture of this roadside cafe here, but it was less awkward with Nastia posing. Notice the phrasology on the counter.

We saw Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake at the Aleksandrinsky Theatre on Monday. It was only the second ballet I've ever seen, as far as I remember. It was actually not amazing--the orchestra and dancers were often noticably not synchronized. As my host-mother commented, "that orchestra is only there to earn money--better to have seen it at or not seen it at all!" But it was a fun experience.

Mister Muscle.

On the bus to Novgorod: "Want to get out? YELL!"

The fortress (kremlin) at Novgorod.

Scene from the fifth-floor window of our university building.

Sometimes, Russia just doesn't make sense. In fact, it happens a lot, and Russia seems to be known for it. Near Nevsky Prospekt one day a week or two ago, the glass seems to have inexplicably fallen out of the frames in this bus stop. But life goes on around it.

Billboard advertising the upcoming Navy Day. "Glory to the Russian Fleet!"

A scene from last month, as a local takes her bear out for a walk. Actually, she was charging money to have people get their pictures taken while holding the bear.

"I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest." - Sir Winston Churchill

Anyhow, my hair has gotten unruly, as Jeph Jacques would say. I looked into a salon yesterday, but I didn't understand the prices. They had different prices depending on the style, but there were no pictures, and the woman seemed only able to give very basic descriptions of what the styles were, for example "That means bald" or "That means buzzed very short all around" or "That means short here and long here" which I took to be the Mullet. Needless to say, I think I'll wait until I can get one of those $12 haircuts in Harvard Square next month. It'll be worth the extra $8.

Like I said, making friends and getting to know international friends has been perhaps the single more fulfilling part of being abroad so far. My brother said to me, though, that it's impossible to comprehend how the experience of being abroad will affect every part of you. For one thing, though, I've gained great respect for those who are learning new languages and living in a foreign place. Many regions of the world are not so linguistically homogenous as the US, and communication can be a challenge all the time. I have great respect for those who move to a place like America in search of some opportunity, even though they may not speak good English.

It's also made me consider the experience of being an ex-pat in general. Last week a new friend of mine, a young robotics engineer from Murmansk (yes, THAT Murmansk!) took me to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and we talked for over three hours (in English). It was a fantastic experience. I noticed that he would always refer to America as "your country" or English as "your language" and it made me feel somewhat unusual. I had never had occasion to feel such a connection with my homeland, but I suppose it did make me feel more American. Interestingly, though I think the Russian national anthem is a better song than the American anthem, it's nearly as notoriously difficult to sing. Go figure. I may feel more American, but it doesn't mean I love our national song!

Now a couple of short videos:

Square in front of the Hermitage.

The crowd at the Navy Day celebrations.

I haven't said a lot of personal stuff recently, so I'd like to say a few things. First, I seem to have come to terms with Saint-Petersburg. It really is a beautiful city, though it has taken a long time for me to comprehend the differences in culture and so-called "quality of life" here, as well as the language barrier and distance from home. It IS a hard language. I still don't honestly love Russian culture in general, but there are many aspects of the culture that are interesting or amusing or generally good to experience, and it's cool to be able to speak conversational Russian now. I've had many inconveniences, but there's no doubt I'll look back on this experience as being amazing and formative. The dead computer was a big setback and not having much money has also been comparatively difficult, but I'm surviving. I've had a lot on my mind, as always, and as my brother told me, being abroad is a huge roller-coaster ride. It's true. I'm glad that I have gained such perspective on life (, the universe, ) and everything. It's important to remember that there can be only forward motion, and no matter what, it cannot be predicted. I've been learning a lot. With all that being said, the last week here will be very busy but a lot of fun, and then I'm really looking forward to the way home and then being in Los Angeles, and then of course eventually to Japan as well. Life happens, and we do our best to live it according to our feelings. I think I'm growing up a lot.

Благодаря Виталию!

2009-07-22T04:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Vitaly!

Aboard one of the tall ships at the regatta, a week and a half ago.

It's been over a week now since I last updated, but I'm sitting now blogging from some great luck! A very kind and awesome gentleman who works in the university building where we have class has lent me his computer, so in a glorious cascade of good luck, I am blogging from a computer that looks, feels, and acts like my own--but isn't. Thanks to Vitaly! As for my own computer, after extensive testing, I've concluded that it is 99.99% a failing motherboard, whatever that means specifically, which means I'll have to find a way to get a new computer when I return to California. It's annoying, but it's not the end of the world.

So, there's a ton of stuff I could talk about, but I'll go with some pictures.

Here is a typical dinner scene at my host mother's place. Usually, it so happens that the other student living there and I eat dinner at different times, though last night we ate together. Sveta, my host mother, often stays around and talks to me while I eat, or sometimes puts the radio on (though I understand little of the radio-voice). There's always plenty of food--this particular meal was on Saturday, I believe, and as you can see there's some tea, hot dog sort of thing, potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes, white table bread, apple-water, and a cookie. Last night we had chicken with rice and potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes, black bread, and a cookie.

That reminds me--I haven't actually said much about what I do every day! On weekdays I get up sometime around 8 and take a shower (there's hot water now!), then get dressed and go in for breakfast. My host mother always has hot kasha (hot cereal), milk, tea, and some sort of bread thing for me, though sometimes it's cold cereal, and twice she made bliny (Russian pancakes). There's also some kind of sandwich or breakfast lavash roll sort of thing. Fortunately for me, she's a very good cook most of the time even with limited resources, and I've come to really enjoy breakfast. Dressing for the weather can be difficult here because the mornings were often very chilly during the first month, and it often rains unexpectedly, though the past two weeks have been warm. Then I walk to the institute, which takes about 20-25 minutes, and recently I've felt comfortable listening to my iPod while I walk too. Check out the map a few posts back on my blog if you want to see exactly where I go. Class starts at 10. I've been sleeping better lately, though there's still some lingering congestion from the cold I had two weeks ago, and there have been more mosquitoes recently too. Class is two hour and a half sections, then lunch provided by the café at the institute. At lunch, as with everywhere in the institute building, we must speak "only" Russian, and I can tell you that conversing in Russian is already much easier, and it seems easier and easier to communicate in general. After lunch there's an hour to study or go online or whatever (except on Wednesday, when we have an extra class section for Phonetics practice). At that point, depending on what day it is, there's either an excursion somewhere in the city, a theatre class, or a "choir" class (singing Russian songs). After that, I tend to spend a bit of time on the computer, usually doing email and such. Then I go back home, my host mother gives me dinner, and I may nap or try to do homework right away. Of course, every day is different, and I will often walk around with other students in some area of the city in the afternoon, maybe going to a café or something. I always prefer to eat dinner back at my host-home, because, well, it's free and plentiful.

Yes, the bridges go up every night! Actually, I didn't experience the concept of "night" until my third weekend of being here, because it never got darker than twilight. The river is really beautiful when eveything is all lit up. That's the moon, of course, and the Hermitage is on the left behind the bridge.

Anoher scene from the Tall Ships' Races. The words on the mural translate to "Sea of Possibility"--a really excellent idea! I thoroughly loved the regatta, and I visited the ships all four days that the event was going on. Someday I'd love to be on the crew of a tall ship!

Aboard the Седов, the largest ship at the festival. It's a Russian ship, from Murmansk! And it's awesome--check out the wikipedia page (above), and their official website.

These guys are generals, from the Hall of Generals (don't remember what it's actually called) at the Hermitage. Don't they look like they could be talking to each other, like the magical paintings in Harry Potter?

From Дом Книги (House of Books).

This is one of the strangest places I've encountered in Russia or anywhere. It's a café, not far from the university building where we have class, called Miks Cafeteria. The sign in front there literally translates to "enormous sandwich." So I went there with my friend Susan (she shared my love of the tall ships), and the food and general atmosphere of the place on the INSIDE is far and away more bizarre than its outward appearance. The place has a "Route 66" theme, with interior decor like some sort of American diner from a parallel universe. Their sandwiches are unlike any food I've ever heard of before--a weird amalgam of general ideas from American and Russian cuisine, but it's unlike either one. The sandwiches are square flat white things that contain fillings like potato salad or "hamburger." They have names like Russianized English words (Russianized English is hilarious, by the way--you get words like Biznes-Lahnch (business lunch), Gamburger (hamburger), and Parkovat'sa (to park one's car). The menus at non-Russian restaurants are especially great. Anyway, this Miks Cafeteria was really interesting. They also had milkshakes that can only be described with the word... pastel. Like drinking pure cream, with a bit of flavor and sugar. Quite good though.

Here I am at the Artillery Museum on Saturday. It was fascinating, but some aspects of it were terrifying. They had a lot of missiles on display--I can really only explain this with more pictures:

This is the Red Scare. One of the museum's gigantic halls was filled with about two dozen missile carriers, rockets and missiles, and rocket trucks. This is a diagram of one of the missile's trajectory. It's not labeled, but you get the sense that its destination is some American population center. In that room I began to really get a sense for the fear that the Cold War held on the world.

There was also an exhibit about this guy, Kalashnikov. It's called "The Man, The Weapon, The Legend." He invented the AK-47, literally transforming warfare all over the world. There were literally wall-to-wall assault rifles hanging in that exhibit, with certificates from various militaries and organizations such as the National Rifle Association of America, commending him on his work. It was a very, well... humbling, sort of experience. Yet also frightening.

Dostoevsky's grave. We went to a churchyard/monastery thing yesterday and also saw the grave of Tchaikovsky. What really interested me about the place, though, was reading a Latin inscription on another one of the monuments and realizing that I understood almost all of it. Then a Russian woman asked me whether I understood it, and I started to translate the Latin into Russian for her, but she seemed to lose interest very quickly. Still, it was really exciting for me, and I remembered how much I enjoyed studying and translating Latin, and I thought how curious it is that we don't spend any time on translation in the Russian class here, and I miss that. I'm still reading Notes From Underground and really getting a lot out of it.

Scene from July 3rd. This was the Friday before July 4, of course, and the university café staff wanted to give us a special "American Picnic" sort of lunch. It was great!

Finally, a bit of graffiti I saw yesterday. My experience here, as I have said before, has been up and down in many ways, but I feel that I'm starting to settle into it. It's absolutely true that culture shock is inevitable--at least for me, it hit me in a much more textbook way than I realized at the time. There are many thoughts swirling around my head as I do a lot of growing up, but the future in general for me doesn't worry me so much. So like the graffiti says, it's best to think that everything will be alright. I'm learning so much here. As my brother told me a couple of days ago, it's impossible to imagine beforehand how the experience of actually living abroad will affect every part of your being. He's right.

Beautiful Music

2009-07-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

I may remember this moment for the rest of my life.

Just ten minutes ago, I witnessed one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, and I knew then what I want to do. Maybe even what I have to do. I mean this in the most profound way. As soon as it happened, I knew, and I came as quickly as I could to this computer because I just had to say something.

Class had finished. I've been feeling very odd, very strange, the past couple of days, with lots of thoughts swirling in my head--wondering about and doubting both past experiences and hypothetical futures, thinking too much about everything. Last night was expecially cinematic and strange, compounded by music and the weather. I walked through the rain last night with my head down, I walked across the bridge, I walked with beautiful music in my ears, music that filled me with terrifying doubt. But that experience was immediately followed by new friends and further curiosities of Russia in a positive way, and I walked home from there feeling simply indescribable.

I walked outside after class and said farewell to the two guys I was with because I saw that the tall ships were beginning to leave, and I wanted to see them one last time. I stood for a moment watching them, and I soon noticed that a larger and larger crowd was growing on the embankment as everyone watched two tugs pulling out the second-largest Russian ship, in order to turn her around to head out to sea. The crowd grew larger as Мир (Mir--meaning Earth, or Peace--the same name as the late Russian space station) came about with her bow toward the sea. I started walking down the bank, and Мир's foghorn blew three long blasts in farewell. Immediately, as Мир picked up speed, dozens and dozens and dozens of other ships anchored all around the river blew their horns in response, answering that majestic farewell in chorus. It was music. Gorgeous, beautiful music. I heard a perfect fifth among those horns that seemed to stretch out to to an eternity of oceans, and every sort of pitch and sound mixed together and there were tears in my eyes. In that moment, there was peace. Мир . I had my camera on me as I usually do, and I caught a video of the moment, but I know it can't fully capture the experience.

I have to go to sea. I don't know what that means--maybe I'll become a marine biologist or something like that, maybe I'll do tall ship education programs for kids, maybe I'll be a Merchant Mariner for a while, maybe I'll be a documentarian or something else. Maybe some combination, maybe not even for very long. Anyhow, I couldn't possibly predict what my lifetime career is going to be--much more likely I'll have more than one. But I know that the most peaceful I ever felt was when I spent three weeks aboard the Tole Mour three years ago, and I know deeply the profound sense of longing that these ships make me feel when I see them. I always doubted that I would actually experience such a moment where things make sense even for the tiniest bit of a second, but there it is. That moment of music on the Neva was one. Such moments are out there.

REGATTA!!

2009-07-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

The highlight of the weekend was, without any doubt, the Tall Ships' Races -- an international regatta and festival of sail that is in Saint-Petersburg for four days! Vladimir Putin himself presided over the proceedings yesterday, but the layout of the supposed parade was absolutely ridiculous and the bureaucracy of the layout of the place so bizarre and we walked around for an hour trying to find a place from which we could actually SEE what was going on (even though we were RIGHT there)... Eventually we were unsuccessful in finding the parade, but I'm ecstatic to say that I got the chance to tour at least ten large Class A tall ships! Exploring the tall ships, I think, aside from a few other occasions, has been the best experience I've had in Russia so far.

I now know that when I finish college, I'll want to spend at least a couple of months working on board a tall ship, though I can't see myself making a career out of it. I thought maybe I could do some kind of naturalist work, maybe something like leading kids on Outdoor Ed trips, because I know just hoe much it has meant to me. But I'll worry about that when the time comes, because the next two years of my life are pretty much already predetermined, at least in terms of where I'll be geographically. There is one new development, though, and that is that I'm starting to think about some sort of European experience for the summer immediately following my graduation--possibly including some kind of program in France or something, if I can get financial aid and/or a scholarship for it. But that's a long ways away, and there's a lot of other stuff to deal with first.

Other than that, last night we had a cultural excursion to the Banya, and I have to say it was an amazing experience. We did six rounds - rinse, steam room, sweat, beat yourself (and each other) with the oak (leafy branches - oak because it's manly), rinse, cold pool, rinse, repeat. After the third round we took a break to have snacks and try out the pool table. It was a very manly experience, I have to say. I remarked that during this summer abroad, I seem to be learning a lot about skin exfoliation. Anyhow, my host mother had told me that it is necessary to drink beer after the banya because it's a "Russian tradition," but I was exhausted and I'm broke anyway so I went back and slept. After the banya and a huge meal (as usual), I slept amazingly, though my body still didn't seem interested in getting up with the alarm I had set. But! I got an A on the exam from last week, so things seem to be going fairly well, though I don't feel like my language skills are improving quite so quickly as I thought they would.

Past the halfway point now--19 days of class left. This weekend is our other weekend overnight trip, and this time we're going to Novgorod. Today we went to the Leningrad Blockade Museum, and I have to say it was powerful, though not as much as it would have been had I been able to read all of the stuff in there. Still, the photos of the people within the city during the blockade and the patriotic posters hanging on the walls really gave a sense of what it was like during that time. All this led to a discussion once we got outside about how Americans haven't experienced anything close to that, and how most of our current generation knows so little about war. I hate seeing apathy in people, but I know that I've felt it myself, toward my own country. That changed gradually over time, for several reasons (and it's still gradually changing, I think): growing up and getting older is the obvious explanation, but seeing Obama elected president and having a part in the whole political process started to mean something too. Then, when I went to Israel, I really saw an eye-opening perspective of people who really believe in something, and it made me feel good that I could connect to it. My friend Dean in the IDF was telling me that the army makes you a man "instantly," to which I replied that I could certainly see the appeal in that. Meanwhile, I'm traveling internationally, studying foreign cultures, and almost all of the money to do it comes from other people. How can I reconcile that? Ironically, that's part of what I'm out here to learn. Nothing is so simple, I've discovered, and nor am I. I've spent my life painfully aware of the opportunities I've been given, wanting only to make the most of them. I've started to realize very recently that the way to do that isn't to agonize over what might be good for me, but rather to follow my interests and my heart. They're not mutually exclusive goals, but it's good to begin to feel that I don't have to be ashamed of opportunity. I've been so indecisive so often.

Anyway, I've grown moody now with all this discussion (and maybe it has something to do with the steady rain that's started falling outside), but with my computer still non-operational and the temporary "solution" still not put together (though hopefully soon), I've had little outlet for my thoughts on things. I'd like to put pictures on here, but unfortunately that's still effectively impossible. I think I will call El Al tonight and see what they say.

I'm reading Notes from Underground by Dostoevsky (in translation), and I'm finding it incredibly meaningful. I'll put up some quotes from it in a future post.

Also, in Russia they have Hazelnut M&Ms, and they are delicious.

Another short post

2009-07-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

- Exam finished (went well)

- Theatre class is constantly improving, and as the Baron Tuzenbakh I have a drunken scene that's a lot of fun to play (кажется...коньяк!)

- The International Tall Ship Association or something like that is hosting a massive regatta on the Neva here tomorrow, so I'll watch some in the morning when it starts. I love Tall Ships!

- Going to three (hopefully, if we have time) museums tomorrow: the Cruiser Aurora, the Artillery Museum, and the Museum of Railroad Transportation.

- Maybe sushi tonight, but I don't really have any money so it won't be much

- Working on temporary computer "solution" that will involve a short expedition to another computer store as soon as I finish this post

- The banya on sunday (don't forget to purchase your bundle of sticks!) It should be an experience definitely worth writing about.

Thus concludes the first month. No time for insight now, but I'll say I've had a very thoughtful week with various sorts of epiphanies. Also I had a cold pretty much all week, but it's almost better.

Talking on the phone with people back home is really great--though if you're going to call me, it will only work if you call the number I posted on here before! Don't redial the number I call you from; it won't work.

Finally, I'm planning my Return. At this point, it looks like I might spend only one day in Tel Aviv, then pass through New York, take a bus to Boston and spend two days there, then bus to Washington DC, two days there probably, then a train to Raleigh, NC to visit my grandmother in Chapel Hill, NC. I'll likely be back in LA around August 17.

Nevsky Apple

2009-07-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

Super quick post because I'm in an "Apple Store" on Nevsky Prospekt--laptop still not working, and I'm working on a temporary solution but no luck yet. arghhh.

Want to say more but I'm in the store. Maybe tomorrow after the exam.

I've been in Russia for a month?!?

EXAM TOMORROW AAHHH

HYPERMARKET

2009-07-08T04:44:00.000-07:00

That's right--the Lenta I mentioned in the previous post is not simply a superstore, it's quite literally a Hypermarket. Beyond a "super-market" or even a "universal-store" (both also Russian phrases), it's a Hypermarket. Гипермаркет is the Russian, and Hypermarket is exactly what it means. Awesome.

So, I'm well past the halfway point of my whole summer abroad, and I've got a little over four weeks left in Russia. Last night I had an academic epiphany of sorts about what my senior year at Tufts is going to be like, about my major and other activities, and I got really excited for senior year. I'm reading Dostoevsky's "Notes from Underground" now (in English, I suppose I should mention), and it's really getting to me in an incredible way. I suppose that when it was assigned in 12th grade I wasn't ready for it, but now I'm at a point in my life where I am really discovering how much I love reading and literature. It may not be the romantic science-technology focus I always seemed to dream about, but right now it really fits. Plus, it was really nice to think about such positive things and to get so excited for the future, and to see how my college career could come together in such a great way. And then Zach called me from England and we discovered that we're both working on Chekhov's "Three Sisters" in our respective programs, and we had a great conversation. I've been talking to loads of people on the phone, and it's great to be able to keep in touch from Russia, even as I'm just walking to class in the morning!

Unfortunately, my laptop is still not working, and something tells me that this time it's not going to inexplicably get better. I'm fairly sure the motherboard / main logic board is failing, though there is a chance it could be some kind of "simple" firmware corruption. Fortunately it's not the new hard drive, so I won't lose any of the pictures and emails and music I had saved on there and had been working on, but that also vastly limits my ability to take more pictures than my memory card can hold, which I suppose isn't too much of a problem, being more than halfway through and all. Supposing it's the logic board, that'll mean $350-$550 for a new one from eBay, plus a very labor-intensive installation. On the other hand, that's about half the price of the new 13" MacBook Pro, and plus I'd get another free iPod and printer. In any case, it's all annoying because I originally bought that computer to last longer than two years, so I'm not happy.

Anyway, about my return, it's sort of starting to come together. I'll spend 1, 2, or 3 nights in Israel (assuming El Al is somewhat cooperative...), fly to New York, and then hop on a plane to Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, to visit my grandmother (I haven't seen her in almost two years, I think) for two days or so, before flying home to LA. It's very slightly possible, I suppose, that I could stop in Boston for one night first (taking the bus there from NY) and fly to NC from there, so that I could spend an evening with some friends that will be there. Hmm, that's a pretty good idea...

We're going to the Russian Museum tomorrow, and then the Banya (Russian Bath) is on Sunday. Also, the midterm exam (or I guess more accurately, the final for the first month) is on Friday. Still hoping to go see "Up" in a day or two, and then I think next week Harry Potter comes out! yes.

Hope all is well wherever you are reading this blog. My regards to you! More insight later, I suppose.

Quick post

2009-07-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July / general weekend was very good, consisting of the following:
- Went to the Hermitage. It was amazing--they say it's the number two art museum in the world after the Louvre in Paris. I will admit, when I got to the Matisse Room, I felt an incredible longing to be in Paris.
- We taught some Russians how to play base(wiffle)ball
- I learned what "good" Russian beer is, and what "redneck" Russian beer is
- Learned that the best hamburgers in Russia are at Carl's Jr.
- Found Baskin-Robbins in Russia to be cheaper and richer than in America but basically the same
- Ate some tasty bliny
- Walked for many, many hours on Saturday, all over the city
- Inevitably, got stuck on "the wrong side" of the river on Saturday night, so walked around more watching the bridges go up until about 4am or so when it became possible to get home. Definitely an experience worth having.
- Discovered Lenta, a Russian super-store that is somewhere between Costco and Wal-Mart. It's a pretty incredible place. I wish I could put up a picture of the t-shirt I bought there.
- Went to an awesomely fun surf-rock show on Friday at Club Griboedov--possibly the most fun I've had dancing at a show next to the Aquabats/Streetlight Manifesto show or the Ladytron/The Faint show.
- Talked to a lot of friends
- Took lots of pictures

There are pictures and videos of everything, but unfortunately, my computer is out of commission again as of this morning. It's incredibly annoying. I'm trying to do what I can, but there's not much I can do about it here. There's an IT guy at the university building sometimes though (and he knows a thing or two about Macs) so I'll solicit his help.

There's more but I have to get off the school computer now because they're locking up.

Address again:

Alexander Michaelson
c/o Smolny College / Bryan Billings
St. Petersburg State University
Lt. Schmidt Embankment 11, Office 416
199034, St. Petersburg, RUSSIA

Ithaca

2009-07-03T07:12:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting in McDonalds just checking my email for a bit before I get dinner at host-home and then go out. I just read the following poem, sent to me by my mom. This afternoon I remembered my last night at Tufts two months ago, and now that seems a million miles away because I feel so much more mature and alive and experienced and wise. I feel older. I don't know how to describe it. This is a really hard thing that I'm doing but it's exactly where I need to be right now, and it will lead me to the future, whatever it may be. Things change, but maybe not in the ways you expect them to--and maybe that's alright. There's a kind of comfort in that. I was going to write more, but this is all I want to say right now, because after reading that poem, all of a sudden I feel infinite.*

Ithaca

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)

* A reference to another book that meant more to me than I know how to express, lent to me last summer, when I needed it most, by the most important peson I've ever known. It was another occasion when I read exactly the right book at exactly the right time.

Obama is following me...

2009-07-03T03:52:00.001-07:00

and apparently so is Stephen Fry? What ho, old boy!

Two days before I left LA, Obama was snarling traffic on Wilshire. Then, the one day I was in New York, he was snarling traffic in midtown. Then, when I was in Israel, he came to Egypt and gave that speech about peace in the Middle East and such that everyone seemed to like. Now he's coming to Russia on July 6!
Obama in Russia

Time for Theatre now. Tomorrow we're going to the Hermitage! Afterward, we're having a picnic all together for the 4th of July (they gave us an American Picnic at lunch today too). Something tells me I'll like this 4th of July a lot better than last year when I just sat at home and wallowed, even though I do now recall that I saw Will Smith's "Hancock" with some good friends post-wallow.

May be seeing the new Pixar movie today too. And perhaps a SURF ROCK CONCERT?? Да! Да!

Thanks for all the messages and comments, all! It's great to keep in touch. It's also great to be able to talk on the phone, and for those I've talked to (and those I haven't) it's been wonderful! I'm looking forward to a great weekend. On Sunday evening, we're going to the Banya. hoho! It's a Russian bath-house. Should be an excellent experience!

Lastly, apparently we're in for one of the coldest bouts of weather that this city has seen in a very long time. Coldest in 100 years, someone said, but I think he was being facetious. Still, I'll miss the warm weather we've enjoyed for the past two weeks.

Горячая Вода!

2009-07-02T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hot Water!

Finally had a hot shower for the first time in almost three weeks, this morning. So nice!

Холодилник–Приключение

2009-07-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

Refrigetator-Adventure

In class today, we were discussing hypothetical additions to the classroom. I meant to say I'd like to add a "refrigerator filled [...with food]" but I misunderstood the word. Learning a language is all about expressing yourself, right? I had misinterpreted the ice cream ad pictured at right (it's nice to be able to illustrate this), but now that I know the word it's actually even funnier. The ad says:
Adventure with Taste!

For the record, Russian ice cream (Extreme cones included) is really good!

So much to say, as always.

So, things have been up and down the past couple of days, but I'm happy to say that the hot water is finally back, as of today! Tomorrow morning I finally get to take a real hot shower, for the first time in almost three weeks.

There are many echoes of the Soviet past here, in everything from the bureaucracy of everyday life to the way the buildings are constructed. Russia is a harsh place, but the people are basically good as in any other place.

Some more scenes from last weekend:
Selling souvenirs in Izborsk. They had a lot of wood-carved stuff, and it was pretty cool. I didn't buy much, but I did buy a bottle of homemade kvas that was amazingly good the first day and then turned rancid. I got lots of great pictures though!

From Saturday, in Pskov. This picture appears to be very random, but there's something hilarious and very Russian happening here. This scene is a bride and groom in their wedding clothes, and it's POURING rain. (The bride is mostly obscured behind the woman in the foreground--unfortunately, this is the only picture I got.) The happy couple had only moments before this picture was taken released two white doves into the sky, despite the downpour. Some Russians, just as some people in any world culture, just love traditions, and this is one of them. On a nice day around the parks of Saint Petersburg, you'll see similarly dressed couples out for photo-shoots. They're really everywhere!

The spring in Izborsk. On the right is a local resident, and the others are Smolny people (second from the left is one of the tutors, a Russian native)--the other two being students in my class. The water was delicious, but from what I know about backpacking, I was wary about drinking very much of it without treatment. I haven't heard of anyone who drank it getting sick though, and the locals use it for everything.

So I'm thinking about getting a haircut. It's getting a bit long.
A quick word about Russian hairstyles. Check out the dude on the left of this photo from ГОГОЛЬFEST. Yeah, that's right. The dominant hip style for young Russian men seems to be the mullet (yes, really), but this guy seems to be taking it to a whole new level. I thought briefly today about the idea of going much shorter with my hair, but the last time I did that was in second grade and it was awful. My hair doesn't do anything interesting except poof. When it's really long it gets slightly wavy and if it's at all short (or just randomly at other times) it gets poofy.

Regarding my return to America, it's looking more and more like I will return several days earlier than planned, for various reasons including the fact that the trip to Eilat will no longer work out. However, I'd still like to spend two or three days in Israel while I'll have the opportunity, so I'm investigating that possibility. Then I'll fly to New York, and probably straight on to LA sometime around the 14th or so, unless I make some sort of stop in Washington DC or perhaps Chapel Hill NC to see family that I would otherwise not see for quite a long time (and don't see often anyhow).

With all that being said, let me know if you want anything in particular from Russia or from Israel!

Now I'm going to get more personal here.

I finished reading Salinger's Catcher in the Rye for the first time earlier this evening, and I have to say it couldn't have come at a better time. Most American students seem to read it sometime around the tenth grade, but it was never required for any class I was in.

A quick word about literature and required reading:
No matter how accellerated the academic program or how mature the student, you can't expect young people to be ready to have a mature interpretation of a work of literature if they can't relate to the experiences in it. With that being said, however, there is undoubtedly great value in reading for everyone. Furthermore, the experience of reading literature will be quite different for the twelve year old book nut, for the searching young adult, for the middle-aged person, or for much older people. Your own experience has a lot to do with what a work of art or literature means to you.

I'm happy to say that being here not only makes me rediscover the joy of connections with people, but also with academia and literature.

And now for some Holden Caulfield:
"Lawyers are all right I guess--but it doesn't appeal to me," I said. "I mean they're all right if they go around saving innocent guys' lives all the time, and like that, but you don't do that kind of stuff if you're a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play bridge and buy cars and drink Martinis and look like a hot-shot. And besides. Even if you did go around saving guys' lives and all, how would you know if you did it because you really wanted to save guys' lives, or because what you really wanted to do was be a terrific lawyer, with everybody slapping you on the back and congratulating you in court when the goddam trial was over, the reporters and everybody, the way it is in the dirty movies? How would you know you weren't being a phony? The trouble is, you wouldn't."
Now here's the thing. A year ago, perhaps, I would have quite agreed with Holden. Now, however, I'm not worried so much by such questions. I don't think this is the kind of thing you can ever "explain" to someone--it's something that people just have to work out. It's very meaningful to me personally to look at this quote and see the grasp for maturity in it, and to realize that my perspective on it now is utterly unlike anything I could have conceived when I thought similarly.

Toward the end of the novel, Holden has a conversation with one Mr. Antolini, a former teacher of his.
"The fall I think you're heading for--it's a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. The man falling isn't permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. He just keeps falling and falling. The whole arrangement's designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldn't supply them with. Or they thought their own environment couldn't supply them with. So they gave up looking. They gave it up before they ever really got started."
Now here's another thing. I have had very similar thoughts in my head in the past few months. It's terrifying to think that you might never be in the right place and to keep your eyes so wide open with looking around that you can hardly see and you end up tripping over yourself because you can't see the ground. I'll return to this subject in a bit. Antolini continues:
"Once you get past all the Mr. Vinsons, you're going to start getting closer and closer--that is, if you want to, and if you look for it and wait for it--to the kind of information that will be very, very dear to your heart. Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them--if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry."
This is one of the most powerfully comforting and encouraging things I've read in a long time, and it reminded me of how great literature can be. It was pouring rain out when I read it, and I read it again because it was just so meaningful to me. The truth is, I'm not half so troubled now as I was a year ago, though I certainly do have my troubles.
"Something else an academic education will do for you. If you go along with it any considerable distance, it'll begin to give you an idea what size mind you have. What it'll fit, maybe, and what it won't. After a while, you'll have an idea what kind of thoughts your particular size mind should be wearing. For one thing, it may save you an extraordinary amount of time trying on ideas that don't suit you, aren't becoming to you. You'll begin to know your true measurements and dress your mind accordingly."
And maybe that's about where I am now.

Now here for something different. This is a poem my dad sent me in an email last week:

INTO MY OWN, by Robert Frost

One of my wishes is that those dark trees,
So old and firm they scarcely show the breeze,
Were not, as 'twere, the merest mask of gloom
But stretched away until the edge of doom.

I should not be withheld but that some day
Into their vastness I should steal away,
Fearless of ever finding open land,
Or highway where the slow wheel pours the sand.

I do not see why I should e'er turn back,
Or those should not set forth upon my track
To overtake me, who should miss me here
And long to know if still I hold them dear.

They would not find me changed from him they knew--
Only more sure of all I thought was true.

Robert Frost, what a romantic you are. I get that, though. However, what most intrigues me is that last stanza and the couplet at the end. It makes me wonder about whether I'm changing while abroad. I think a lot, and really, I'm not sure I agree with that last bit of the poem. It's true, these lines of Frost are quite idealistic, but what a curious thing to contrast at the end the idea of remaining the same (yet more so) with the idea of total independence. People have a way of always wishing they were elsewhere, as Salinger pointed out, and I'm certainly no stranger to that feeling. However, being abroad (it's been almost five weeks now, and I'm nearly halfway through my summer abroad) as long as I have now, I've come to realize how important to me are the connections I have back home and the people who have been close to me. So it's true, I am learning to be more sure of all the things I tried so hesitantly to hold on to in the past, and that's a very good thing.

To close, I was never ready to go to college. Two years ago, I was graduating from high school in a ridiculous ceremony at Disney Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, but I was happy to see everyone all together, including my grandmother and grandfather and my cousin and my immediate family. I wasn't thrilled to be going to Tufts, but I was getting more excited for it, and I was really really looking forward to spending a week in Australia in July. Looking back on that time, I had so very much less experience with life, and I was so much more unsure as a person. As much as I probably think too much now, I REALLY thought too much then. When I got to college, I really couldn't deal with the parties, the drinking, the culture, the academia, the people--anything, really. But as a good friend told me, maybe that's what college is for--learning how to be ready for college. There's an interesting way to think about it.

I know that I should be living in the moment here and making the most of the incredible place where I am, but part of that whole process is realizing just how important those connections are to me.

I'm looking to the future, to August 2010 when I return to Tufts, and I'm wondering excitedly what sort of person I'll be. I'll be a lot more mature, I know, and much better able to handle myself as a person. I'm already doing better academically, and though it's still hard sometimes, I'm certain that I'm where I need to be. I always knew that I needed to go abroad--I've known it since I was in high school, or maybe even earlier. It's hard, but I'm doing what I need to do, and if I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have been on the right track to learn how to be happy. When I return to Tufts, I can't wait to see what it will feel like to finally be there and be ready for it. I can't wait to give it a try. I can't wait to see everyone, and to get interested in academics.

Japan is also going to be great. I'll be a lot more in control of my personal space there, and I'm also more interested in Japanese culture. That language might be even HARDER than Russian though. I never actually believed anyone when they told me that Russian is hard. Hah. HAH. Yes, YES, Russian is hard!!

I'm nearly halfway through my summer abroad, and it's proving to be what it needs ot be. Onward and forward.

Россия: Какая Страна!

2009-07-01T05:15:00.000-07:00

Russia: What a country!

On Friday, going to see Transformers 2. The fact that it was in Russian probably made it a lot better, because I couldn't understand the heavily affected voices of the evil bad-guy robots at all, and all of their lines were unnecessary history of the robot war anyhow. Plus, the bad parts of annoying stereotypes and stupid dialogue were almost nullified!

A quick word about the title of this post:
Russia has a peculiar way of being very inadvertently funny to foreigners. (What a country!) Examples happen all the time here, but they're very insignificant on their own. More to come on this subject, I think, later.

Still so much to say--I want to talk more about Pskov, my impressions of the excursions, and also especially the very enjoyable night out at a bar/music club there (and the people I met there), but as always, time is short. The excursion to the Dostoevsky Museum yesterday was very short, actually, and I'll admit that because the guides are always difficult to understand and I have unfortunately not really read any Dostoevsky significantly, it was a bit boring. Actually, it reminded me of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam (and also perhaps a bit of the Rembrandt House).

Here's a short video of the tour of a Russian Orthodox monastery near Pskov, so you can see a bit of what it was actually like for us. At the monastery I bought a CD (it was about $4) of the monks that live and work there chanting. I'll listen to it tonight!

I also want to talk a little bit of personal history, such as my feelings on going to college in the first place, rewinding (remember VCRs?) to about exactly two years ago, which I think directly relates to me going abroad, about who I am and where I am in life right now. Unfortunately, that will have to wait until next time. It's a topic that is very close to me.

More dreaming--it's fuzzy, but I remember some new theatre production happening at my high school, and I'm a senior there when this happens. The important thing about the production is that it's contemporary, and that's apparently a very big deal.
Also some other adventure in a dream. Don't remember any details.

I received some information yesterday concerning my travel arrangements to Japan, and for a brief period of time I thought I might be in Boston for a bit at the end of September, but now again that arrangement appears unfeasible. Although it would be a bit awkward to bum around Tufts, I'll miss seeing Tufts friends for another whole year. Doesn't seem like it's going to make any monetary sense for me to go to Boston, though I thought that it would with the stipend for Japan. Hm.

Still thinking about and working on what to do with returning to America in August. I'm returning to Israel on the 10th of August, and I would be really excited, but I have a few problems:

I had been scheduled to return to America that same day, but when I left Israel two weeks ago I was so thrilled with being there that I immediately extended my trip further, all the way until 1am on Tuesday the 18th. So here's the problem--I have no plans to stay anywhere or do anything during that time, except for what I discussed with one new friend there about me staying at his place in Eilat from Friday until Sunday or perhaps Monday (by this plan, I would need to arrive at the airport on Monday evening [the 17th] just after dinner to get on that flight). But that leaves me with nothing from the 10th until the 14th (during that time, I had thought it would be great to go to Bulgaria and hang out with George, another friend, but that's yet another $600 I don't have). Furthermore, I'm not even sure I have enough money to last me almost six more weeks in Russia, let alone another week in Israel (where things cost more, and I'd have to spend more to support myself too). But there's even more to it than that--I'll have large heavy bags with me, and after 10 weeks abroad I'll be anxious to return home, especially since I have friends back home who will be going back to their colleges all over America very soon afterward.

Anyway, I'm not sure what to do. I'm not confident that I'd be able to convince El Al to let me change my flight again for anything less than $100, even though this would be the third time changing it. Bah, I should have waited. I'd love to see some more of Israel, but this is eight whole days and basically it's pretty inconvenient for various reasons. Supposing, then, that I were to change my flight to leave on perhaps the 13th or 14th, that might work too, but even so, I know that's during the week and many of the Israelis I know will be busy. And what would I do with my bags?

On a random note, whenever I have a couple of minutes I read Questionable Content. I don't have much time to read it here, but I'm about a third of the way through the whole thing, going from number one. It's very well done, and it's a fascinating arc to follow (as well as following the author himself in his comments on each strip). Honestly speaking, I feel that I relate to many of the characters, especially Marten, though no one exactly of course.

THE FOLLOWING is MY ADDRESS here in Russia! I should have posted it sooner, but here it is. Fortunately, as long as you're just sending a letter or postcard or something (I wouldn't recommend sending me a parcel/package), it shouldn't take more than a week or two to get here. So, as long as you send something within the next two and a half weeks, I'll be able to get mail from you! That's really good, since I'm told that to send things internationally FROM Russia is, well, unreliable at best. I'm told six weeks is an average time for mail.

Alexander Michaelson
c/o Smolny College / Bryan Billings
St. Petersburg State University
Lt. Schmidt Embankment 11, Office 416
199034, St. Petersburg, RUSSIA

As a reminder, commenting is now open to anyone.

Мыло

2009-06-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

It is Russian slang for "e-mail."

Literally, it means "soap."

As per the suggestion in an email I received, commenting on the blog is now open to everyone, including anonymous users! So comment away, but please say who you are!

I have lots and lots and lots and lots to say, but we're going on an excursion to the Dostoevsky Museum now! ahh

Пирог!

2009-06-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Ruins of a fortress, built in the...14th century, maybe? The whole region is incredibly ancient. This is Old Izborsk, a beautiful little town and museum not far from Pskov and only 30km from Estonia and Latvia. People from the area sell crafts, baked goods, and souvenirs at stalls scattered around the place. I bought a bottle of homemade kvas from a local woman, and it's really quite good and very fresh! There's a spring nearby that gives delicious, good water, renowned for its healthy properties.
More on Izborsk - in English, with history
More on Izborsk - Wikipedia (in Russian, but nice pictures)
More on Izborsk (official site, in Russian, but even more nicer pictures)

(The title means "Pie!" -- it's a line from Chekhov's "Three Sisters," the play we're doing for the theatre project here. It was also featured in the cuisine of this weekend. More about the play (and Russian music) later.)

This is going to be a really quick post because I have a ton of homework tonight and I'm exhausted already, but I wanted to give a quick update.

Friday evening was really fun, and the trip to Pskov (and region) this weekend was overall really good. The food was great! Saturday night was a really fantastic time at a bar (you could say more of a live music club than a bar) in Pskov, and I'll talk about that more next post. The weather was afwul on Saturday though, and the bus trip was tedious. It was also very aggravating to hear the guides--they are generally difficult to understand when we go on excursions because we just don't know Russian well enough yet, making it difficult to have a really meaningful experience.

I just want to say, lastly, that it has been up and down here for me, but last night I got a great bit of advice from one of my fellow students in the program that helped to put everything in perspective--why I'm here, why I've gone so far away, what I'm working toward, and what the end result of all this traveling will be. It's a lot to think about, but it was certainly a calming thought. For once, the future doesn't seem so frightening in its uncertainty.

Unfortunately, that's all I have time for now.

БИЗНЕС–ЛАНЧ

2009-06-24T07:06:00.001-07:00

I have to start this post by saying it almost didn't happen right now because a mysterious tone and voice just appeared, saying, "WARNING!" and going on to say something in Russian about something happening with the building. We were all about to leave (the message repeated again, and again), but then we found out it was just a test of the system. Oy.

I always say I'm going to do a short post but that never seems to happen. Ah well. I probably won't post anything until Monday, so maybe all the more reason to post now. Photo time:

This is laundry detergent (стиральный порошок) for hand-washing. It's called Meef. In English, Myth. This stuff will get your clothes mythically clean! For legendary comfort!

Last night:
http://www.gogolfest.org.ua/
Аmazing! It included lasers, Ukrainian chanting, accordions, performance art, huge balloons, a dude chain-smoking and playing 6-string bass at the same time, masked figures, and finally running around dancing around the room holding hands in a long line of people. Somehow that last bit was very Slavic. I dunno what the Ukrainian band had to do with Gogol, but they were awesome. Here's their website. And here's their Last.fm page. Are you on Last.fm (<- my page)? I use it to track what I've been listening to and to get more information from artists and bands, as well as to find new music. I highly recommend it, except for the fact that their online-radio service seems to have a fee now.

Also, I wrote a bit earlier about some of the discomfort I've felt around alcohol. I think it's a very individual thing. Part of it was that in more formative years, I never really felt like I had the chance to develop my own ideas on my own terms about it. Last night at the concert, I enjoyed a beer while watching the opening band, and it was great! It's nice to not be so worried about it. Also, I still have an Israeli beer in my suitcase that shouldn't be there when I leave Russia.Scenes from last night. Crazy laser show technical performance art awesomeness. The first picture, where you can see ГОГОЛЬFEST, is the band before the Ukrainians (check out this page!). It's this guy Yevgeny Fyodorov from the now-popular Russian band Tequilajazz (I ripped one of their live albums yesterday, and it's pretty good stuff). And apparently one of the dudes from Akvarium!

And this guy. Chain-smoking and playing 6-string bass at the same time. Круто.

I also had a moment with the man himself. I ought to read some Gogol now, hm?

Also, a brief word about the Russian slang word круто (sounds like KRUta). It's basically synonymous to the English "cool" but more like "far out" or "awesome." The best part? Literally, it means "steep." In conclusion, I've decided to incorporate "steep" into my English conversation as well:
"Dude, that show was so steep."
"Yeah man, it was like 89.9º!"

Test #2 tomorrow. I'm getting As but I feel I should study more. Seeing Transformers with people after class. Then early Saturday, we all get on the bus to Pskov. I still find it somewhat hard to believe where I am, even when I'm walking up the street at 11:30pm and it's light out and the signs aren't lucid to me. Many of the people on the streets look like anyone you might find in America, except they probably don't speak English and they live in an entirely different culture.

On an unrelated note, I really want to learn Spanish. In a couple of years. I'm sitting in the computer lab / classroom at Smolny and there are some other students in here either online or doing homework. There are two new big white cruise ships parked on the river outside. This morning there were military fighters flying formations over the city, and I don't know why but it was cool to see. Didn't get any pictures of it. All the computers in here are Sun Microsystems "Sun Ray 2" mini-computers, and they seem to work pretty well, though most people brought laptops. On that note, I'm glad my computer is still holding up! When I get back to LA in August, I'll reformat it, do some cleaning, and hope that solves the problem. Which brings me to the topic of going back home.

I'm leaving Russia on August 9, and flying directly to Tel Aviv. However, I've already paid the fee to stay in Israel for an extra 9 days, flying back to New York very very early on the 18th. The plan was that I was invited to stay with one of my new Israeli friends in Eilat for an extended weekend, but the 10th of August is a Monday. So, I thought, I'll fly round-trip to Sofia (Bulgaria) for 5 days and hang out with my mate George! But that trip would be $600. So what am I going to do in Israel for 8 whole days? I won't have any summer money left by then. I'll know a few people from Birthright but I just don't feel confident that I'll feel up to bumming around Israel (WITH my two large suitcases) for so long without much to do. In retrospect, I might feel better if I had elected to come back even two days earlier (on Sunday the 16th, perhaps). I don't know. I can probably find stuff to do and places to stay with people I met, but that might be more awkward than I had thought. Most likely, to change it BACK the way it was, or to any other date, would require yet another $100. Curse indecision. To make matters more difficult, I had originally thought that I might use this time to spend in Washington DC (on my way back to California) with family I don't see often, or at least with friends in California, most of whom will be returning to school sometime around the 25th. It's not that I don't want to go back to Israel. On the contrary--I was so enamored with Israel that I planned this while there and laid down $100 on the spot to extend the trip with no specific plan in mind. Yes, in retrospect, I should have waited on that decision. What's more, I don't actually have a ticket back to California from New York yet, because I wasn't sure when I'd be coming back or whether I might be in Washington. I had also thought that I could theoretically work for a couple of weeks in Boston sometime between August and September, making back some money I'm spending this summer and seeing Tufts friends, but I concluded that it probably wouldn't be the best of ideas. I don't know.

As it is, I'll be heading to Japan at the end of September, sometime around the 28th I suppose. My only plan to return to the US before the following August is to spend my accumulated air-miles to take a nonstop roundtrip from Tokyo to New York to spend five or so days seeing my brother graduate and then returning for classes. I'll get two months off for spring break there, but I wasn't planning on coming home during that time. But then again, I don't know how I'll feel. Ideally, I thought, I'd travel around Japan and maybe visit Taiwan or Korea or something. I really don't know what's going to happen. I'll need to find a house to live in for my senior year at Tufts following that, and I really have no idea what that's going to be like either.

I've been thinking a lot, wondering a lot, and dreaming a lot. Then again, I always do, but the White Nights give me more dreams than I'm used to. Yesterday morning I was awakened a few minutes early by what might have been a nightmare, a literally paralyzing physical force that held me down because the force didn't understand me and I didn't know how to communicate with it, but when I finally was able to move I felt the renewed vital importance of that real effort at communication with it. The force had been around since I was a boy, but I didn't understand it until much later. As I get older and experience more, I realize what's important to me. Often, things that remain can be even more profound than singular moments. Some things will always be there, some things you hope will always be there, and everything seems to change somehow.

Even now, when I witness great talent or dedication, a part of me feels so terribly small and sad, and all my life I've wanted to turn that feeling into motivation. I still haven't quite figured out how.

I have a lot of exciting plans, and I owe it to myself to make the most of them. I'm adjusting to life here, and sooner or later I'll figure out what to do about my travel plans. Everyone tells me how great it is that I'm taking time for myself to explore and do the things I've always wanted, but I suppose I should have known that I wouldn't be able to take my whole heart across the sea with me.

Somehow, things always work out in the end, even though it can be very hard at times along the way.

На концерт

2009-06-24T04:54:00.000-07:00

This graffiti is in the courtyard of the building where I live. On a semi-related note, I am really, really, really looking forward to seeing the new ТРАНСФОРМЕРЫ (Transformers) in a day or two!

Going to a concert tonight! Don't really know anything about it yet, but it's not too much money, and it'll apparently be a really excellent folksy sort of thing, not far from the school.

If you're my friend on Facebook, I've started putting up a lot more pictures from Israel. There are many, many pictures, so it'll be a while before they're all up.

I've realized that food tends to be my comfort of choice. Fortunately for me, I have a pretty good metabolism and I'm always pretty active--it's a ton of walking all the time here. One nice thing about this city is that chocolate, ice cream, candy and the like, are all good and all cheap.

I also rely on music, but I don't feel comfortable walking around the streets here with my earbuds in. It's a little too conspicuous. At night, though, mostly when I'm working, I listen to a lot of stuff. I picked up LOADS of great music in Israel (did you know that there's a whole lot of excellent Israeli music out there?), but I also listen to earlier favorites as well. I'm starting to learn a bit about Russian music now too.

One interesting bit from Phonetics class today is that it's fairly common for Russian children to have some sort of speech impediment--the English-language equivalent of a lisp. Curiously, such an inflection in Russian children sounds a bit like an English accent. I realized when I heard this news that I had heard such an accent yesterday on the street: I was walking up Sredny Prospekt heading home, and there was a boy of about eleven years old (maybe even nine or ten), something like a town crier, selling newspapers to the passing pedestrians. I didn't think much of it at the time, but he sounded a lot like the kids that do the exact same thing in, say, London, only he was speaking Russian. I thought to myself how like a young English boy he sounded, but didn't think much of it until today.

Thanks to everyone who has been sending me messages and emails and such! It all means a lot to me and I appreciate it very much, and I will reply to everything when I am able. Keep them coming!

To be discussed soon: thoughts on the eventual return to Israel and associated arrangements, more general thoughts on life and what I want and where I'm going, looking to the future and to Japan. And of course, impressions of the concert, this weekend's coming trip to Pskov, and my thoughts on adjusting to life in Russia.

Oh yeah, I bought a sweater two days ago. But don't worry, Mom, it was only 100 rubles. That's about $3.31. And the dollar has gone up!

Pollenation!

2009-06-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing I don't suffer from much to speak of regarding atmospheric allergies, because there are ridiculous amounts of fuzz in the air here. When it first started appearing a few days ago, I thought it was feathers, so I felt a whole lot of sympathy for the untimely fate of so many birds high in the atmosphere. In fact, it's simply just a massive amount of pollen, in fact so much of it that it blows and drifts against the curbs. It may not look like much in the photo, but I've never seen so much pollen in my life. That's why I'm blogging about it, durr.

Also, the toilet at my host-home has a ridiculous habit of becoming clogged very, very often, and on multiple occasions my host-mother has spent ridiculous amounts of time fixing it. I assure you, dear reader, I'm not doing anything wrong! It's become a bit of a joke at this point, because there's simply nothing I can do.

Another habit I'm actually quite happy about is the one I've developed of arriving at the school quite early every morning. It's nice to get here and have time to use the internet and not be rushed and such. Still trying to figure out how to get more sleep, because I've realized how vital it is.

Why am I abroad? In short, it goes back to perhaps the oldest of stories, the quest of the individual. Everyone does it in some way. For me, as I discussed with one good new friend yesterday evening at McDonalds, I have had a hard time in my life defining myself on my own terms, and now I'm doing just that, even as hard as it is to step aside from the people and places I know and love.

Pskov is going to be fun! Still don't know anything about it, except I'll be rooming at the hotel with a couple of good people, and apparently we'll have a fun night out somewhere on Saturday.

Here's what yesterday looked like:

The cathedral was beautiful, but my favorite part was the roof:

Looking south-east, toward Novgorod I suppose?

What a country!

2009-06-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

So this "free" WiFi seems to simply reset itself after the limit runs out. What a country!

I wanted to say a bit more about how this "midnight sun" Белые ночи White Nights business affects me. Without a doubt, the most intriguing effect is that I dream more often, and perhaps more...interestingly. For example, yesterday morning I had a dream that was a desert saga something similar to Lawrence of Arabia, obviously inspired by Birthright, though with a fleeting suggestion of Totoro (となりのトトロ) mixed in, as well as strong hints of a Russian film I saw several months ago called White Sun of the Desert. Also, we had been studying imperative verbs in class (не забудьте!). I remember the final scene well:

With our journey completed, I turned toward the windy dune at our guide, throwing aside the cloth from my face. Astride her camel, she wore her redefined name with assured confidence and a healthy bit of daring. She was beautiful, but it was an almost philosophically intangible beauty in a moment of wonder that can be experienced only once. She would only ever be her own, but I was glad to have worked with her.
"Remember the desert!" she yelled over the gathering storm, "Don't ever forget what happened here! Don't you ever forget!"
We turned, the storm intensified, and she faded away.

Yeah. It was something like that.

МакДоналдс

2009-06-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

McDonald's in Russia offers free wireless for 15MB or 30 minutes, whichever comes first, so it's not exactly "free," but I thought I'd post an update. The cathedral was gorgeous, and I hung out with some people afterwards as we checked out the Дом Книги (Dom Knigi; House of Books--or perhaps more accurately, House of the Book). I bought (for something like $3.50) a small collection of Mark Twain aphorisms written in both the original English and in very good Russian translations.

Hope all is well. Time now to go get dinner at host-home, then work and sleep. Tomorrow we have phonetics class, as well as the regular. Choir (really just a group of us getting together and singing Russian songs) on Thursday, Theatre class on Friday (we're doing Chekhov's Three Sisters), and this weekend we're going to Pskov! Should be fun. Don't have time to write more now.

Some pictures!

2009-06-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

One of the first views I had of Russia.

The only picture I took in Switzerland! I was there for only an hour, and this photo was my only souvenir besides the memories. I thought it was great to see Switzerland, too.

I made a friend somewhere between the Hermitage and Nevsky Prospekt.

I really enjoyed the view from the pier at Peterhof.

The beach there was really beautiful. We actually took a hydrofoil to get there (something like 30km away?)--there was a fleet of them, and they were all named Rocket. The boat was AWESOME and SO FAST.

Pepsi - Я могу! The whole sign translates to something like: "Pepsi - I can! Everything is only just beginning..."

On Nevsky Prospekt.

The crowd for the Scarlet Sails event. Photo taken at roughly midnight. That's a big Russian flag on the right.

Opera at the Mariinsky Theatre! Tchaikovsky's music, Pushkin's book, I think. It was really good, and the English subtitles were very well done. The story was annoyingly universal and timeless though, albeit well done. The kind of tragedy anyone can relate to.

Going on another excursion right now (yes, now)--this time to St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Lots of stuff

2009-06-22T03:25:00.000-07:00

Fountain "Samson" at Peterhof (click for more info). You're right if you think it looks a bit like Versailles or one of the châteaux in France--it was modeled in the French style. It was a vastly gorgeous place, and I'd say the trip there was the most enjoyable part of Russia so far.

Video from the Birthright Israel Mega-Event
(It looks like it'll only work on Windows, unfortunately)

Perhaps "the song" of the Israel trip. It's about peace. It's sung in Hebrew, but the title is the Arabic word for Peace.

Recommended Viewing
(They own everything in Russia. Everything.)

The culture shock hit me on Thursday, and it seems like every time I try to sit down and write about it, I'm either running out of battery, running out of time, or running out of Internet.
By my current plan, I'll still be out of America for another eight weeks (it's been more than three already), and that's a hell of a lot longer than I've ever been in a different culture before. Every day I get better at Russian and learn more about this city and its culture, but I really am an outsider here. It seems this is part of the culture shock that was to be expected. It's more complicated than any one simple thing. I've realized how terribly, vastly important it is to get sleep, but more than that, at this point I've passed the point of time that was the longest I was away from America previously, but even then then it was in an English-speaking country, and I spent the entire time in close proximity with friends and other people I knew well. Here, I'm much more on my own. Fortunately, the host-mother is considerate and understanding, but I also am coming to understand what I gave up for this. It seems to me that I couldn't understand my personal culture and values without leaving them behind, so here I am.

I've always known I'm a dreamer. I've spent my life trying to find something in particular that really captivates me, but I never seem to let myself get too comfortable. What I'm starting to realize is the value of a home, the incredible value of a place to call home, and of people close to me.

It's one thing to be able to insert oneself into a new situation--I've been doing that all my life, going to many different schools, associating with many different crowds, negotiating some sort of impression of the world. But it's another thing to stick with something, and I think that's what I've really been looking for. I suppose it's my malfunction that as much as I try to capture wonder and live in moments, I still often feel like a part of me is elsewhere. I think that has something to do with why alcohol tends to make me nervous--I forget what this particular philosophical ideal is called, but it's something like the theory that experience comes entirely from the self, and the Self should be cultivated wholly, or something like that. Really, what it comes down to is the idea that I simply can't shake that there might be something better--there's probably a more wholesome way to spend an evening. Still, I've experienced the positive side as well, and it's something I still can't exactly rationalize. On Saturday, when the streets were full of masses of drunk people by the river here in St Petersburg, I walked around with my camera, documenting the whole thing instead of participating in the expected way.

I can't ever seem to decide, also, whether I'm more an artist or a scientist. It pleases me very much to write, to comment on the world, to photograph what I see and share my impressions. It pleases my and calms my spirit to play the piano or the guitar. But I'm also searching for meaning all the time, and I always want to know why, what for, and what it means.

In the end, the something that I always have is myself, who I am, and where I come from. I've realized that what made Israel special isn't the sites themselves. It wasn't the place. A place is a place. What makes a place special is how a person connects to it. The people I met in Israel were interpreters. I wouldn't appreciate LA so much if not for the people I grew up with there. The halls and grounds of Tufts have meaning for me in this way. People need people, and that's a hard thing realize when you're ten thousand miles from home.

Interpretation: (This is what I did two summers ago, when I worked as an interpretive naturalist for MRCA)

Dead battery!

An update

2009-06-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

If I had been able to access the Internet for any significant length of time this weekend, I would have been somewhat the emo blogger. Culture shock hit me on Thursday evening, but things improved on Saturday afternoon and then visiting Peterhof yesterday was pretty awesome. Class is starting right now so I have to go, but I'll update more (with pictures from Peterhof!) in a few hours.

From Saturday evening (Internet died just as I was about to post it):
<< Title: "Borsch"
Don't have time for much of a post right now because I'm supposed to meet some people, but I wanted to mention that culture shock hit me on Thursday afternoon. I'm doing better now after a fun afternoon out. I walked around Nevsky Prospekt with one of the tutors (Russians who study at Smolny and help us Americans with our Russian studies). It was a lot of fun! We walked around, went to a café, and saw a movie. It was the American film "Push" staring Dakota Fanning et al, dubbed into Russian. The tutor helped me at parts, and I really enjoyed it actually. I'm looking forward to more trips to the Kino. On Nevsky, I also found a place to buy reproductions of Soviet-era propaganda posters for cheap, and they're awesome. Going around with one of the tutors definitely makes for a better Russia experience. If the guides and Israelis hadn't been with us in Israel, it would have been quite boring and would have seemed quite far away indeed.

Anyway, culture shock sucks, but I'm doing better. I'll say more later as I really ought to go, but let me just say that being so far away in a foreign culture really makes me appreciate the connections I have back home. It also makes me think about what I left behind, but the important thing now is that I'm in Russia, and I owe it to myself to make the most of it. In any case, to anyone reading this blog--you mean a lot to me, and I'm so glad that you took the time to read this. You all know who you are--I miss you.

There's a lot to say about the young man going abroad, yearning to see the world. Agh, the more I write, the more I want to write, but I have to go. I'll explain more later--probably on Monday morning.

Anyway, I just finished a delicious bowl of borsch, and now it's time to go. I'm at a café (near Vasileostrovskaya Metro) where everything is orange. Time to go.
>>

Class now, more in a few hours. Thanks for all the emails, everyone! And Happy Father's Day--here (Monday now) it's Memorial Day.

Северное Лето

2009-06-18T03:19:00.000-07:00

View Alexander Abroad in a larger map

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108301682546296558563.000464fa39be876186e52&z=2

A map of my travels past, present, and future, covering the time period from May 2009 until August 2010. A work in progress. Zoom out for the full effect at this point; there aren't a whole lot of details on it yet, but all the dots are places I've been or places I'm going.

First, a few more pictures from Israel:

This picture, in which on the right can be seen the edge of a bunker used in the last war with Syria (the Yom Kippur War), was taken on top of a mountain right on the border with Syria. In fact, the green area is the UN base in the de-militarized zone, and beyond that is Syria. We were told that on a clear day you can see Damascus from this particular point. Israel and Syria do not have peace, even today.

These are soldiers (roughly my age) in a supermarket somewhere in the middle of the Golan Heights region.

As promised, The Camel Picture. Bedouins such as the one leading my camel led us on a short "trek" around the edge of their "camp." These are Arab people (yes, they speak Arabic) that have no Palestinian or Israeli connection; as such, their main concerns are for themselves. We were given to understand that this particular group has taken to providing tourists with an "experience" of their culture in order to support themselves in a rapidly changing world. Even so, their numbers are dwindling as their children continue to go out into the world and leave the traditions behind.

Sign in the parking lot from the beach-swimming-relaxing-kibbutz complex where we swam in the Dead Sea. Israel is a fascinating place in that there are places where people mix, places where some people go, and places where other people go. Depending on who you are, some places are more dangerous than others, though there are indeed efforts to increase understanding among peoples. This particular beach was a place of peace.

Swimming in the Dead Sea--that's me on the right! It was an incredible experience, and I feel certain that I'll do it again someday. The water is so salty that NOTHING lives in it except for some extremely hardy bacteria. It's prized as being a very healthy experience for bathing, however--the mud is said to be wonderful for the skin. So, we rubbed it all over ourselves, and in truth I can tell you that I felt quite exfoliated. It was great! However, avoid the water if you have cuts--it can be like bathing in Bactine. Still, it's good for you--and everyone floats! The land visible on the other side of the Sea is Jordanian territory, and fortunately, Israel has peace with Jordan. So maybe in August when I go to Eilat, I'll be able to visit Jordan for a day.

As always, I have little time to blog, but it's time for an update!

First, I want to thank everyone who has done so for the emails and comments, here and on Facebook. It's great to keep in touch and to hear from the people I care about. Also, I forgot to mention--if you call my cell phone here in Russia, I don't have voice mail, just so you know. If I don't answer, it's either because I don't hear the phone or because I'm in class.

View of the Neva River looking north from near the central region of the mainland.
Classes are continuing smoothly, and it seems that people are starting to settle into a routine. There are two extracurricular projects, a choir and a theatre project, and I'm participating in both of them--today is the first meeting of the choir group. Russian food, I must say, is vastly better than I was told it would be. For those of you who are interested or had other ideas (ahem, DAD), it's not "meat and potatoes" at all. There are lots of vegetables--cucumber seems to be involved with almost every lunch and dinner. Also there are often various sorts of root vegetables. Fortunately for me, my host-mother is a really good cook, and she proudly makes her own recipes every breakfast and dinner. So far, every day I have had a different kind of kasha (hot cereal) for breakfast (except the first morning, when we had blyny [Russian pancakes]) and a different kind of soup with dinner! There is always tea, as well. Lunches are also excellent at the school's cafe, and during that time the Smolny program completely overruns the place. I can't really describe the food very well yet because I still don't know what a lot of things are called, but everything has been good. Even the hot dogs on the street are "gourmet" by American standards, and they're a lot cheaper than Dodger Dogs too. The thing to remember is that everything is generally more fresh than in America, and pretty much never processed, so things that sound boring or gross (like cucumbers, beets, soup, salads, cheese, etc) are always fresh and flavorful. Nothing is ever spicy.

The title of this post, Severnoye Leto, means "Northern Summer." Truly, the summer in Saint-Petersburg is a curious event. On Sunday, the temperature pushed 90º Fahrenheit, but yesterday it was in the 40s Fahrenheit. It rained literally the entire day (and the days here are over 20 hours long). I definitely need to buy a new, better, stronger umbrella.

The picture on the right is of some Russians looking to make some money by getting pictures of tourists with their animals. I have no idea whether they need any kind of permit to do that, or do have the monkeys and the falcon in the middle of the closed street next to the Spas na Krovi. There is bureaucracy everywhere, but there's generally a system to things also where people mind themselves and are never particularly surprised by anything. The hot water in Sveta (host mother)'s apartment is supposed to be off for two weeks, but I'm told that the actual time could be anywhere from a few days to six weeks.

There was no birthday party because with my still-limited Russian skills, I misunderstood what Vova was saying. Anyhow, we're all going to the Opera tomorrow, so that should be some kind of interesting. On Saturday evening is some kind of RIDICULOUSLY HUGE CELEBRATION for recent graduates here in the city, but all of the Russians I've met say it's a horrible mess, with seas of ridiculously drunk people causing all sorts of problems. However, there is apparently a huge pyrotechnic show that I'm sure will be worth seeing from the other side of the river. It's true that alcohol is very readily available in Russia, but I don't get the sense that they have the kind of binge drinking culture that prevails at American colleges. Sounds good to me. I'll talk about my opinions on alcohol later, as I have two minutes left on my battery. As it happens, I haven't had any alcohol so far in Russia, but I can tell you that Israeli beer is quite good.

On Sunday, we're all going to Pskov. Dunno anything about it yet, but I'm sure it will be interesting. More later!

Video of the lunch table on the first day of class

Всё нормально

2009-06-16T02:19:00.000-07:00

So this morning I learned how to take a bath using a bucket of water. It happens every year in Russia--most homes receive hot water from a central location, and every summer for two weeks the central location shuts down, presumably for cleaning. It actually wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. When Sveta (host mother) told me two days ago that it was going to happen, I half-jokingly suggested that it was a Russian tradition (and Russians, like anyone else, love Tradition). But she, quite serious, explained that it is simply a part of life. That's all it is. Like all of the bureaucracy here, one learns to simply accept it as a part of life.

Anyway, in about half an hour I'm going with my class to Петропавловская Крепость (Petropavlovskaya Krepost' -- Peter and Paul's Fortress), and it should be very interesting.

I remember that when I posted that entry yesterday, it really wasn't finished. The problem with blogging is that I always have vastly more pictures to post and thoughts to share than I have time for. There's still a lot I want to say about Israel and the Birthright program in general, my responses to criticism of the program, and my new opinions on related issues. In addition, there's a lot to say about Russia, but I'll still be here for almost eight weeks.

A quick word about prices of things in Russia. Most things are cheaper than in the US. For example, roughly converted to dollars:
Metro fare: 66¢
2L water bottle: $1
Kit Kat bar (better than in the US, because it's made with real sugar): 85¢
The Sims 3 (Russian/English combined version): $5.50 (I know, I don't understand it)
Small writing notebook: 66¢
Large flask with a Soviet insignia: $1.50
Book of 16 different postcards: $1.70
Brand new music CD: ~$5.50

The ruble is currently exchanging at about 30 to a dollar. This morning while walking to class, I found a couple of 1 kopek coins--each one is equivalent to about 1/3000 of one dollar. Классно. American stuff (clothes, electronics) is roughly the same or even a bit more expensive as in America. More on money later.

Also, soon I hope to have an interactive map on Google to show where I've been and where I'm going. Maybe within a week.

There are some really interesting concerts coming here, actually: DDT [ДДТ], Manu Chao, Madonna, and more. Apparently Duran Duran and the Pet Shop Boys were just here. I'd love to see DDT or Manu Chao, but I'm not sure I want to spend the minimum ~$40 (I looked it up).

There is definitely a lot of homework, but the people here are really nice. I've already started getting to know some классные Russians, and I've been invited to a birthday party tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it! The other students are also great, and my professor for the language class is especially good.

Even with the difficulties and inconveniences of living here, thinking about what I left behind, and wondering about the future, there's no question that I'm doing something amazing, that being here is a great experience. Even after only three days, I can already tell that my Russian has improved significantly.

I've started thinking about what living in Japan next year is going to be like, now that I'm building a basis of experience for comparison. Even yesterday I would have said I wasn't worried, but I've started to wonder. Maybe it's part of my nature to shy away from connections in some ways, but really, I need connections just as everyone else does. A man needs something to keep him human--you see it all the time, with prisoners, soldiers, dorm rooms, and bumper stickers, something that displays your individual experience. For me, Saint-Petersburg is so new still that I haven't really begun to appreciate its individuality. I suppose love is the same way. One has to learn to appreciate individuality in himself, and likewise also in another.

It's a great adventure. It's hard, but I wouldn't give it up for anything. Just like I'd recommend Birthright and any other kind of travel for yourself--it's good experience. (I'll address specific issues about Birthright later on.) Traveling is hard, but I think it's worth it. What do you have to lose? That, of course, depends on what you give up to do it. Perhaps the farther out you step, the more you risk--the more you stand to gain and to learn? I couldn't say. More and more in recent weeks and months, I have been coming to realize that life is all about individual experience: all people have their own. I'm learning a ton about myself, about life, and about the world. No one can say their own experience is better than someone else's--it's entirely individual, and people are different. For one thing, that takes getting used to, and maybe that's one thing I've gone abroad to learn.

First day of class

2009-06-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

Ну, ладно. Хорошо!

There's no question that my Russian is going to improve very quickly. It's really a fascinating experience for me to be here, in a lot of ways. I find myself with new doubts as I begin to settle in to the program, but overall it still looks good. Eight weeks is a bit of a heady amount of time to contemplate, so I'll take it as it comes. Maybe it has to do with my host mother--the house is just her, another student boarder, and me. The host mother, I was told before I met her, is a little bit strict. I suppose more than that though, the situation is just inconvenient in a lot of ways I'm not used to. For one thing, it takes a significant walk to get anywhere, though I'm told that I have it very easy compared to most students on the program. At least it's a nice walk. The apartment is on the fourth floor of a building with no elevator, no internet, no TV, and possibly no hot water at any moment (this happens for two weeks every summer in Russia). She feeds me a ton, which I suppose is nice...fortunately for me the food is mostly very good--she's a good cook!

Aside from that, the White Nights are really cool, but it does make sleeping difficult. The picture above was taken at around 11:00pm last night, and the sun didn't start setting until after midnight. It's going to be like this for at least the next three weeks! Interestingly, with so much light in the room, I've been dreaming a lot. Mostly, I dream about people from home, from earlier times, and then I awaken to my host-mother calling out "Meester Aleksandr! Uzhen! [Dinner!]" and it's still light out. I wanted to say more about this, but I should get back for dinner, and my battery is dying. More later. Don't forget, I receive calls and texts for free. One last picture:

The ceiling of the Spas na Krovi [Savior on Spilled Blood] cathedral.

Smolny!

2009-06-14T22:37:00.001-07:00

In front of the Hermitage, yesterday! Haven't actually been inside yet. There's SO MUCH to this city; it's incredible.

Right now, I'm at Smolny Institute on Vasilevsky Ostrov (island) in St. Petersburg, and my first official intensive Russian class is about to start! I don't have time right now for an extensive update, but let me just say this is quite an experience. One important thing to mention:

All incoming calls and text messages (SMS) to my Russian cell phone are FREE for me. So, if you have a Skype paid account, it'll cost you only about 2 or 3 ¢ (cents) per minute to talk to me, and SMS will be probably even less. Or if you have a really good calling plan or phone card, that's good too. So give me a call! But remember that I'm 11 hours ahead of Pacific time, or 8 hours ahead of Eastern time. Although the sun doesn't set here until about 12:30am (seriously), I do need sleep! More updates later!

Again, the number is:
+7 931 208 71 37

So to dial from the US, it's either exactly as above, or:
011 7 931 208 71 37