Our first day of Adventure (?) in Buenos Aires

These Toms were made for walking
And thats just what they'll do
Cuz one of these days these Toms are going to
Walk from the airport all the way to our hotel.

No...I am absolutely serious.  So let me tell you about our wonderful day yesterday...

Woke up at 7:30 AM (wayyy too early) to get to the airport for our flight to BA.  After hours if inefficiency (inefficiency = = arch nemesis), we realize that our flight is cancelled.  We are rebooked on a flight for 3:30.  There are no announcements anywhere in the terminal.  The flight doesnt leave until 5ish.  We get into BA and all of the taxi stands have hours of delays...we are not quite sure why.  So we venture out and get another random taxi and start making our way to the hotel which is in Puerto Madero.  We learn pretty quickly that we are not getting very far as traffic is NOT MOVING!! I'm talking trucks upon trucks stopped on the road, people wandering out and about around the cars, no one has any idea why there is so much chaos.  We try to understand what our taxi driver is saying but he doesn't speak or understand a speck of English.  We lounge in the cab for about an hour (we had moved about 3 km by that point) and then Imran gets out of the car and uses his go go gadget long legs to run into the distance to figure out where the traffic backup is.  All he sees are trucks and cars stopped everywhere with NO DRIVERS (they all abandoned ship!!) and he comes back to the cab to let me know there is no hope.  So we decide to get out, with our four suitcases, and WALK!!  We were hoping that we could get past the traffic and find another cab, but no luck.  So we literally walked in the heat, for 90 minutes (Soph/Sahra: that's an hour and a half!), while getting eaten alive by bugs until we saw the shining beacon that was our hotel!  Along the way, we saw sooo many people doing the same thing, just tons of people everywhere dragging luggage over the unforgiving cobblestone. 

We met a few locals who spoke English and asked what the problem was and if this was normal.  These were the responses:

- Everyone got an extra paycheck today so they are all doing Christmas shopping
- Everyone is crazy
- This is sometimes normal
- We have no idea why it's so bad this is not normal
- There are protests because today is an important political day

We still have no idea what happened (Morning update: militant protest caused mass chaos, read more here) but we walked into our hotel completely bedraggled, dragging in our luggage. Good times!  We got to our hotel around 11:00PM and ventured out for a wonderful meal in Peurto Madero at a place called "Happening".  And it was quite happening!!  The Argentinian steak lives up to its reputation, and almost, ALMOST rivals good 'ol Alberta beef. We had the most amazing seafood platter with octopus, fish, prawns and grilled veggies and a fabulous antipasto assortment.

All in all, we got to soak in a bit of BA as we trudged over the city and we are excited to explore today without the added weight of luggage!!!

The adventures continue...

Living life like a Carioca




View of Rio de Janiero from Sugar Loaf

If Rio were a drink, it would be 1 part South Beach, 2 parts Madrid and zest of tropical lime, caipirinha style. This town has amazing culture, beautiful landscapes, and colorful graffiti artwork everywhere you turn. We got into this stunning town on Monday afternoon, and spent the day exploring Ipanema beach and the shops near Ipanema on R. Visc. De Piraja. After a Rio style siesta, we spent the evening at our hotel restaurant overlooking beautiful Copacabana and sipping caipirinhas.

The next day, we took the two stage cable car up to Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pao de Acucar), which is 394 m high and showcases stunning views of the sand and sea over the Guanara Bay. From there we soaked in the stunning green vistas with Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) overlooking the beautiful city. Then we made our way to Corcovado to view Cristo Redentor up close. The Corcovado towers 710 m above the city, and it offers a 360 degree panorama of Rio. Standing under Christ the Redeemer was an unforgettable experience – he seems to not just overlook the city, but protect it as well. There was a rainbow behind him in the clouds, which added to the breathtaking beauty of the experience. We ventured into the Tijuca Forest and had a yummy plate of overpriced batata fritters in a little cafe. After our site seeing, we spent some time reading at the beach and then went for a late dinner at a local restaurant called Normangue, known for their yummy seafood.



Sugar Loaf



Cristo Redentor



View from Corcovado

The weather has been absolutely beautiful since we’ve been here – about 32 degrees every day. We woke up today to beautiful sunlight, and took a walk through Ipanema for a little bit of shopping and a very Americano dose of Starbucks (and air con). We spent the day soaking in the rays on Copacabana. We highly recommend our hotel as it is right on Copacabana and a stone’s throw away from Ipanema, so you have the best of both worlds. We walked the 4.5 km stretch of Copacabana and took in all the sights and sounds of wonderful Brazil. The beach has miles and miles of beautiful white sparkly sand, and you see tanned, lithe, buff bodies playing soccer everywhere you turn. I’ve never seen so many girls with curly hair, which goes nicely with the curly black and white tendril pattern of the pebblework along the Copacabana boardwalk.






Copacabana



Copacabana boardwalk with squiggly squiggles

 But the proverbial cherry on top of our Rio experience? Rio Scenarium in Lapa! Lapa is an area of Rio that is the birthplace of Carioca bohemia, and it has intense night life almost every day of the week. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!! This place is like what my dreams are made of (and Imran’s nightmares I think...). It can be best described as an eclectic mix of kitschy crazyness all with a backdrop of live Portuguese music. I’m talking walls of clocks that all tell the wrong time, cases full of random china and antique cups that don’t match, random spiraling staircases that lead nowhere, ceilings full of dazzelingly mismatched chandeliers, cases full of dolls and aged trophies, vintage mirrors and artwork on every surface, clusters of colorful umbrellas, and old school bikes hanging from the ceiling for no reason what so ever. It was like I fell down the rabbit hole and ended up in my own little wonderland. The music was intoxicating and the food was amazing – we were probably the only non-locals in there which is what I loved best. The dessert not to be missed is the Chocolate Passion fruit Pie with nuts...and the carpaccio has been amazing all over Rio. The Portuguese jazz was incredible, and as the night progressed the music got crazier and crazier until you couldn’t help but dance your heart out. We even met some locals that invited us back next year to stay with them during Carnival. Who knows where life will lead us, but hopefully one day we can come back and experience it!


Rio is a city that leaves me wanting more...but I guess that’s a good way to leave a city. Tomorrow we head to Buenos Aires! Ciao ciao!



Random street in Lapa - Home of Rio Scenarium

Wall of random clocks



Perfect Positano

After a 600 km drive, we finally reached the winding roads of the Amalfi Coast.  This was an absolutely breathtaking drive, full of twists and turns and roads that hang precariously on cliffs edge.  Would highly reccommend driving standard! We finally got to Positano and made our way up the twisting one way main road Vialle Pasitea to our hotel.  Positano is absolutely beautiful, and feels like the elegant, older, more refined sister of Cinque Terre.  Lots of colorful houses, pretty purple flowers everywhere you turn, and little restaurants and patios scattered along the winding roads.  Positano is known for its gingantic, fragrant lemons (and lemoncello!) and the scent is intoxicating.  You feel out of place here if you don't have gauzy white linen dresses, pants, and fabulously large hats!  We met a family that returns year after year and they gave us a little tip about the beach: if you go past the main public beach (red umbrellas), you will find little private section with blue umbrellas.  You have to pay for this section, but it is well worth it for the privacy! You can decend down the cliff to practically your own little private cove with glimmering sapphire water and the most amazing view.  We spent days in Positano just sipping persecco and eating caprese in our little perfect posi cliffside heaven. 

We decided to take a day trip to Amalfi town one of the days...we were there for an hour before we turned right back and assumed our regular spot in Positano! Not that Amalfi wasn't pretty...it just wasn't Posi! ;)  I have heard, though, that if you can pull yourself away, Ravello is a short trip from Amalfi and is breathtaking.

We also took a wonderful day trip to Capri through Lucibello boat tours.  On the way to Capri, we stopped in a few different grottos.  We wanted to visit the infamous Blue Grotto, but unfortunately the water was too choppy so they would not allow any tourists to enter the grotto.  Capri town wasn't very impressive - lots of tourists, lots of high end shops, and not much else.  Our main reason for going to Capri was to do the chair lift (Seggiovia) in Ana Capri.  We took a bus from Capri town to Ana Capri and took a rickety chair lift to the highest point. What an amazing view of the Amalfi Coast!

Well, the end of our road trip honeymoon is near.  Positano has probably been our favorite place so far, maybe in all of Italy.  Definitely somewhere I can see myself returning one day!  Final leg of our journey starts tomorrow - we are heading to Roma and then back home to Canada! Ciao guidos and guidettes!

Driving in Italia

Note to self: do not speed while driving in Italy!  Driving is awesome - the signage is clear, the toll highways feel like you are driving on 407, and the Ristops boast amazing expresso bars and gelato...but if the Polizia don't get you for speeding, the traffic cameras will!! 

Sunflower Fields Forever

Driving through Tuscany has been such an amazing experience...I wouldn't want to see it any other way!

We started off in Firenze, which was exactly the way I remembered it - terracotta roofs and dusty dry heat. I love that city. Our hotel was steps from the Duomo, and we felt like we were in a Jason Bourne movie trying to drive through the crazy Firenze streets. One evening, we walked to Piazza Michelangelo to catch the sunset. We were pleasantly surprised to find that a street busker had set up shop at the base of the piazza, singing folksy Damien Rice type songs (only my FAVORITE artist!). Piazza Michelangelo also has the best gelato place in all of Italy in my opinion - theres a little shop just to the left of the Piazza that everyone visiting Florence must try!


Another place of gastronomical euphoria - La Giostra.  We were guided to this place by some friends, and it was likely the best restaurant I have been to in all of Italy, with the most amazing service.  It has a Sotto Sotto feel, with pictures of celebrities from all over the world posing with the owner, who looks like he escaped off of a ship from Pirates of the Carribean.  Even Sharukh Khan has dined there! If you do go to this place, make reservations at least 3 days in advance as they having limited seatings. We spent the rest of our time in Firenze eating at a little restaurant called Donninis in Piazza della Repubblica - great staff and great wine!

Our next stop in Tuscany was driving through the province of Sienna to see the city of Sienna and San Gimignano.  Sienna is known for the Palio, which is a horse race that is held twice a year.  We weren't there during the race, but still enjoyed the town.  No cars are allowed in the main portion of Sienna, so we parked somewhere randomly and set off on foot in that little maze of a town.  Thankfully we entered our car's location into GPS which helped us find our car once we were ready to leave Sienna!   

The real gem of Tuscany though was San Gimignano.  We climbed up to the top of the main tower to take in the views of the rolling chianti hills...it was incredible.   The province of Sienna looks literally how it sounds; a palette of burnt sienna combined with lush green rolling hills with a rich undertone of sangiovese grapes...well at least thats what I picture in my mind's eye.  ;)

Everywhere you go in Italy you are inundated with the yumminess of gelato stores in every nook and cranny. So naturally, I have to try the gelato in every single town that I stop in! I learned a pretty neat little trick to finding the best gelato shop from one of my guide books! So here it is: take a look at the pistachio flavour. If it is a bright green, its probably not a very good gelato place. It should be a murky dusky light green... a pistachio green if you will ;) Hope that helps my fellow gelato lovers!

The best part about road tripping around Italy is the random things we see along the way.  Driving back to Firenze, we passed an amazing field of sunflowers! I thought this stuff only existed in my dreams - sunflowers are my favorite flower! We pulled over at a nearby gas station and trekked through the field - what a precious moment that will be engrained in my memories forever!  Starting the 600 km journey to the Amalfi Coast tomorrow - Ciao Tuscany!

Exploring Valpolicella

There are two major wine areas in the Verona region - Valpolicella for red and Soave for white. We were sooo excited to do the Valpolicella wine tour!  We used a company called Verona Around which was fantastic. I would highly recommend booking a tour in advance as sometimes they can get booked up quite quickly.  It was quite quick to get to the wine region around Verona as there are dozens of wineries in the region. Valpolicella actually means "Valley of many Cellers".  The drive was absolutely beautiful with winding roads and picturesque views of villas nestled in lush green hills.  We were able to visit a few wineries, and taste different types of wine from the area like Ripasso and Amarone.  We also had a chance to taste different types of olive oil and vinegar which was divine! Originally we wanted to visit a Masi winery, but then we found out that Masi acutally just buys wine from the smaller family owned wineries and then sells them under the Masi brand so we decided to skip it.  If we had more time I would have loved to do a Soave tour as well - maybe next time!    Off to Tuscany tomorrow!



Romeo e Giulietta's Italia

This morning we drove from Venice to Verona - our second stop on our little Italian roadtrip.  This is the city that Shakespeare set his scene between the star crossed lovers Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet.  Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's house) was built in the 14th century, and it is one of the places that we visited today in Verona.  It was once the home of the Cappello family (legend has it that it inspired the Capulet family in the play), and romantics flock from all places to tour this house and leave their letters of love behind.  The fabled balcony over looks a courtyard with a golden statue of Juliet. The grafitti covered courtyard has thousands of colorful hearts drawn with names of lovers that hope to have better luck than the age old tale of Romeo and Juliet.  Of course we had to leave our mark!

We also visited the Roman Arena - this is a pink marble Roman amphitheatre that was built in the 1st century AD and is currently Verona's legendary open air opera house.  Unfortunately we couldn't catch a show as it is a Sunday, but it would have been neat to sit in the restored section of the Roman Arena to witness the grandness and authenticity of it all. 

There are two main wine regions here - the Valpolicella region (Red) and the Soave region (White).  We have arranged a tour through the Valpolicella region tomorrow - pretty excited!

Bonjourno Venezia

First stop on our Italian Roadtrip was Venice.  We stayed at the Hilton Molino Stucky which was a beautiful choice that I would highly recommend   It had an amazing rooftop pool that was perfect at sunset.  Definitely better than travelling as a backpacker!  We did the typical gondola ride (how cliche) but couldn't leave Venezia without it! Loved all the masks in the windows and wish we could have caught a show.

They say this place is enchanting...I didn't see it the first time around, but I felt a dusting of it this time.  The trick is to skip Venice in the day and explore it at night.  Get lost in the canals, and let the city lead you.  Maybe it was the fact that we discovered a little jazz bar with an amazing singer crooning Amy Winehouse.  Maybe it was buying an umbrella from a stranger to shelter us from the light rain.  Or maybe it was the fact that I was back with the love of my life.  For one reason or another, I now realize why they say Venice is amore!

A Vagabond's Inspiration

42 countries and a cast of thousands...one of my favorite videos: Where the hell is Matt?

Learnings from LEADER

[Siberia in the Winter - picture taken by my student, Sofia]

I have been home for a couple of weeks now and still can't stop thinking about Siberia. The places, the faces, the feeling - it was such an incredible, life changing experience.

I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive before I left…for the first time I was going to a place where no one I knew had ever been. Just the sound of "Siberia" invoked the charm of a forgotten land full of desolate, endless snow and stories of romantic exile. How surprised I was to see a place not so different from home. Probably because, as I researched later, Calgary and Irkutsk are around the same latitude (Calgary 51°N & Irkutsk 52°N). Curiouser and curiouser…

So what did I learn from this amazing experience? Not sure if I can clearly articulate the bulk of it, but I'll give it a go...

I learned that Siberia is massive and that it's full of universities and research institutions. I learned of the vast opportunity that exists for business leaders in Siberian cities, and that 70-80% of Russia's natural resources are in Siberia. I learned about the extreme differences in climate and topography - to the north, there are large areas of tundra. To the south, there is taiga, or areas of dense forest. To the East and South, the Sayan and Altai mountains dominate. I learned that Lake Baikal, the pearl of Siberia, is the most voluminous fresh water lake in the world. Most of you know that I love the wonder of geology, and the crescent shaped shores of the pristine lake are filled with lapis lazuli, lazurite, charoite, jade, quartz, and much, much more.

However, these facts mean nothing unless I try to describe the real feeling of the place. I constantly think about the people - the students were so bright, hardworking, and determined to succeed - despite institutional barriers. I admire the deep eclectic purple of the Charoite stone (a gem "endemic" to the Baikal area) that I brought home with me, and I liken it to the mystery of the Buriyat people. I remember the legend of the Shaman rock, and I can almost taste the calm, peaceful, Buddhist air of the Baikal area. I wear my traditional Russian rose Pavlo Posadskyi scarf, and I am reminded of a confidant, great conversation, and hopefully a life long friend.
 
But most of all, I learned that no matter how far you are from home, you just have to look inside yourself to realize home was always there in the first place...

Moscow: The other side of Russia

First impression of Moscow? Absolutely beautiful!  It feels very different from Irkutsk though...being here makes me realize how small Irkutsk really was.  Moscow seems a lot more European...probably because it is in Eastern Europe while Irkutsk is in Asia!! 

We got in at around 8:15am yesterday and made our way to Godzillas Hostel.  From what I've seen, this hostel is an excellent choice for the price we are paying.  We have free wi-fi all over the building, free international calls to North America, and very helpful staff.   The facilities are clean, and it is about a 15 minute walk to Red Square. I would definitely recommend it! After our (failed) attempt to check in early, we dropped off our bags and walked to see Red Square, and then took a stroll along Tverskaya Street. Our mission was to find the first McDonalds that opened up in Russia after the fall of communism (also known as the world's busiest McDonalds)...and let me tell you, a happy meal never tasted so good!  The weather is incredible here, and it was nice all evening. We met up with more LEADERites from different sites - Togliatti, Nizhny-Tagil, and Yekaterinburg. In total there are 10 of us, and it has been fun to exchange stories about our respective locations. Talking to others really makes me realize the diversity that exists among the LEADER sites and participants. Some LEADERites taught the case method of learning to entrepreneurs and managers (i.e. in Macedonia, where LEADER has a relationship with the local Chamber of Commerce) and other sites taught students with extremely limited business knowledge and infrastructure (i.e. Moldova).   

We spent today exploring the rest of Moscow.  We went to see Lenin's Mausoleum (which was a little bit eerie as I have never seen an embalmed body on public display!) and also visited the Kremlin.  The G.U.M. Mall is the most beautiful mall ever - couldn't resist, and you shouldn't either.  Then, we took an amazing walk along the river where we found a random statue park and decided to stop in for some bevvies.  Somehow, we ended up in a very "American" diner because we took the advice of an American expat we met while we were stuck under an umbrella in torrential downpour.  He told us it was the "best place to eat in Moscow"...little did we know that its probably only because it reminded him of home...but alas I didn't feel so bad as my experience in Irkutsk was authentically Russian enough.  ;)

Definitely sad to be leaving Moscow so soon and will have to return one day to see St. Petersburg. Who knows, maybe I'll run into Maxim and Dasha again one day...

[cathedral in the Kremlin area]

 [I think St. Basil's Cathedral is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen...it looks like it should belong in Willy Wonka's world!]

[my babuska hat]

Dasvidaniya Irkutsk!

Today was our last day in Irkutsk - and time has just flown by. How fitting for it to snow yesterday in Siberia...we were beginning to think that everyday would be sunny and 24 degrees! Our students gave their business pitches today, and they were incredible. I really wish I was here for at least another week, or that I was coming back to teach next year. The students had such great business ideas - ideas that could truly be commercialized, especially in a place like Irkutsk. After the presentations, we handed out LEADER completion certificates, and then had a tea party with blinis, Canadian Maple Syrup and tea. Then the students presented us with some very thoughtful gifts that will remind me of Irkutsk for years to come!

In the evening, Susan and I went out with Olka to a peacock themed lounge called Pavlene - it was interesting to say the least! It was a circus themed night, so there was a fire show, confetti fire crackers, and a belly dancer carrying around a beautiful yellow snake that I got to wrap around my shoulders. After several cosmopolitans, it really hit me that it would be our very last night in this town so far away from anything I have ever known.

Heading to Moscow soon - and I am very excited to have a hot shower. We have had very little hot water here in Irkutsk, and we went a couple of days without any water at all. Most of the time we had access to freezing cold water, so we had to fix our "basin baths" with kettles of boiling water, the old school way. Really makes you appreciate the comforts of home, but, what can I say - it added character! Below are some pics of our night out with Olka.

Irkutsk Idiosyncrasies

1. Everything has mayo in it. Everything. It's in the salad, it's on your pizza, and there is always a dollop in your borsch. Just when you think you've gotten away from mayo, you see it on top of your chicken, camouflaged under cheese.

2. All of the girls wear very high heels here. I don't know how they manage to walk in such high heels on the cobblestone that is sometimes missing stones, but somehow they do....I applaud them.

3. 80's & 90's music is playing at every establishment you visit. I'm talking "Like a Prayer", "Another Night Another Dream", and "Be my Lover". It's my dream come true.

4. If you are given an unidentified pastry dessert at the end of your meal, proceed with caution. It might be filled with strawberries or with cabbage. Suggestion: break in half before biting...just in case.

5. If something doesn't make sense, all you have to say is "It's Russia." Somehow it is the answer to everything!

Blinis, Caviar, and Butter, Oh my!

[blini + butter + caviar]

Our beautiful Russian friend Olga came over today and cooked us a typical Russian meal! She made us a traditional salad with beetroot, fish, potatoes, mayo, and some other stuff. Then we ate another Russian speciality: blinis (crepes) with butter and caviar - yum! For dessert, we had blinis with Nutella and a banana/cream concoction dipped in Canadian Maple Syrup. I would have to say that this is by far the best dinner we have had here in Irkutsk!

[Olga making a Banana Cream concoction in our kitchen]

[traditional Russian dinner!]

It's all Russian to me!

Never have I been in a city where you can't get by with even a little bit of English....it has been quite the challenge. For example, I had to buy some Kleenex from a store in the school, and had a very hard time explaining what I wanted to the Russian shop owner. Seriously, try explaining that you need tissues without using English. What would you do?

After a couple of failed attempts rubbing my nose, I realized that she probably thought that I was trying to buy illicit substances from her and decided that it would be a better bet to switch tactics and revert to other actions associated with using Kleenex. Needless to say, it was a disaster! This is but one example of the language barriers that exist here, but it has been interesting to say the least! The grocery store...well that's another story...

[teaching with Rufina - our translator]

As for Russian in the classroom, Yussef and I teach through 2 different translators that alternate from day to day. As you can imagine, there are various challenges that go hand in hand with this method of teaching. Everything we do in class takes double the time, so we have to be very cognisant of the tasks that we give our students. When talking, we have to pause at opportune times so that the translator can effectively communicate our points. I am now very wary of words and phrases that we take for granted in Canada (i.e. "big picture thinking" and "high level"...you know, B-School speak) because these terms generally do not translate well to Russian. Sometimes, a student will speak in Russian for about 5 minutes, and the translator will give us a 30 second synopsis. This is unfortunate, because I think the students can offer a lot more depth than is actually expressed after translation.  Another challenging aspect is that jokes and nuances in speech don't translate very well. So you can try to be clever, but it really just gets lost in translation!

That being said, this method of teaching really forces you to practice communicating effectively and you must ensure that the content you deliver is appropriate for the audience.  You have to formulate a clear, structured thought in your head before you commit to a sentence, or else it confuses the translator.  Today we ran a "Communicating Effectively" lecture so that the students could practice giving impromptu speaches in front of the class, while keeping in mind tips on how to be a good public speaker.   It was like Russian Toast Masters!  This Friday the students will be pitching their new business ideas that they have been working on - I am really excited to see how they apply the topics they have learned in the past 2 weeks. 

Currently sitting at a German place called the Bier Haus - they have an English menu, very expensive bevvies, but free wi fi.  Dhasvidanya!

Russian Palm Reading...Check.

[Voldanya reading palms]

Had an absolutely incredible weekend in Irkutsk. On Saturday, we met our students outside of our building. About 15 of them showed up to take us around the local sites of the city. Some even brought other friends to translate for them so that they could communicate with Yussef and I! Only about 2.5 of them spoke English...but it worked, somehow! One of our students brought a girl that does tours in Russian around the city – so she was able to translate the significance of all of the churches and buildings that we saw. One of my students, Voldanya, read my palms in Russian. It was better that way because he could only use a few words that I could hear and understand. He told me that I had a strong "travel" line...and that I will keep travelling. To prove the point, he showed me his non-existent travel line, and told me he would never get out of Irkutsk! He also told me I would have many specializations, and that I was strong willed and to keep pursuing my dreams! That's all I need to hear. :)

[our students]

People generally do not speak any English here, and there are hardly ever any tourists. The divide between the rich and the poor is great, and the juxtaposition exists all over the city. You will see a completely dilapidated wooden house with no central water or heat, and then see a beautiful lounge nearby. This is raw Russia though - communism doesn't feel like it was so far away. The state of the streets are deplorable, the pollution is insane, the water randomly shuts down, there is no toilet paper in school bathrooms (ever), and there is no McDonalds. Many students want to get out of Irkutsk and live in the big city of Moscow. Irkutsk is so isolated from so many things, even though it is the center of Siberia. Aside from all of this, it was interesting hearing about the city from the point of view of the students. We had a very pleasant walk along the Angara river...the only river that flows out of Lake Baikal. Took a lot of token pictures that I can't wait to post when I get back!

Unfortunately, it has been very difficult for us to go out at night - it is "us" against "the gate". We are living in a flat on the university campus, and we have a gate outside our building that locks at sometime between 10:00 or 11:00 PM. Because of this, we always have to race home in hopes that the gate won't get closed...almost like Cinderella, but not quite. Yesterday, Susan and Yves found a secret way to get in from one of their students. Yay! This means we can go out with our Russian friends!

Today we met up with our Russian friend Olka - who has been so incredible. First she took us to see a seal show, where the seals from Baikal were playing soccer, basketball, trumpets, and even painting. It was neat to see but also a little sad to observe the captivity and conditions that they live in. Then we saw another wooden house exhibit, but this time it was the house of a family that was very wealthy. Finally, we went shopping!! I was trying to find souvenirs because I haven't seen any yet...but ended up buying beautiful Russian scarves for me and my sister! These scarves are so intricate and interesting, and they all have a different name and story. After our little shopping adventure, we met up with one of Susan and Yves' students who took us to a movie being filmed in English at the school where she learns English. Great weekend and back to teaching tomorrow!

Russian Inspiration

"Russia is a Sphinx! Exultant and afflicted, Drenched in blackest blood, She gazes, gazes, gazes into you, Yes, with hatred and with love."

- Alexander Blok, Scythia

Siberia...close to home

Today I truly realized that parts of Canada are not so different from Siberia. We hear about Siberia as children, or when learning about Russia in junior high school. It sounds so foreign, so isolated, so desolate. Some times, we forget that although we are so far apart, the common thread of nature always exists between us.

I saw splices of home (Calgary home) everywhere today on our trip to Baikal Lake. We had a water shut down emergency (no water...anywhere) around our area so classes were cancelled and we had to try to get away for the day. Why? It's Russia!

Our interpreter & site contact, Kate, rented us a car and driver for the day and we spent about an hour listening to Russian music while observing the Siberian country side from the window. The scenery is a little of what you would expect of the Siberian country side...vast dry yellow fields, little civilization. However there was an additional palette of colors that I didn't expect - the bright evergreen trees, the white birch trees, the burnt sienna backdrop of the bushes. The sun was bright today, and the drive was peaceful.

First we stopped at the open air museum of siberian log architecture in Talzia, a place where you could see how ancient Siberians lived. It is situated on the bank of the Angara River between Irkutsk and Listvyanka.  We saw huts and traditional Russian churches made of wood. I felt like we had been transported back into time.

[an ancient woodent church - using no nails, just interlock]

[Kate and I in front of the horses]

Then we made our way to see Lake Baikal - absolutely beautiful. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, and one of the largest bodies of fresh water with 3500 species of living organisms. We visited the Scientific Museum to learn more about the lake, and then went on a hike with a Russian tour guide. Thankfully, we had our translator along. The hike felt like I was walking in Calgary or Banff. Familiar smells, sights, sounds. Evergreens, pine cones, squirrels. The weather was literally like a typical March day in Calgary. The Sayan mountains were in perfect sight over the incredibly clear waters of the lake. Then we went to the main fishing market and bought the local speciality food, smoked omul salmon, and ate it with our picnic on the beach. I literally haven't felt so relaxed since lying on the beach in Xcaret last December. After smelling the choking smog of Irkutsk during rush hour, it was such an incredible feeling to breath in the crisp, cold, Lake Baikal air. Tomorrow our students will be taking us around the town to show us some local Irkutsk sites.

[view from our trek - Lake Baikal with some ice. Hard to see the mountains in the background, but they are there]

[the beach]

[the ice]

[our picnic]

[me]

[the smoked omul]

[I actually ate this and it was amazing!]