Culbert Report

“People are almost always better than their neighbors think they are.”  ―  George Eliot ,  Middlemarch The first 10 days of the New Year in Russia are 10 days of vacation for all Russians.  And just like every other day of the year, one celebrates within earshot of one's upstairs, downstairs, and next-door neighbors. Surprisingly, concrete walls insulate very little - there is not much that is not heard or overheard within the close confines of city life here.  Neighbors know each other here well, despite any formal introductions or intentional time spent together.  Every celebration, every argument, every bark, bawl, and cry takes place under the assumption that someone's listening.  I remember the accordion music, drums, dancing, and yelps commemorating the marriage of our upstairs neighbors' daughter when we first moved in.  About nine months later, many of the same sounds were repeated, accompanied by a recurring newborn's cry abou...

Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. Wishing you hope and joy this Christmas.

A friend recently greeted Dan with the expression, "Dan, when I see you, I can't keep smiling." We're hoping he meant, "Dan, when I see you, I can't keep from smiling." Such a small, but vital difference. Every now and then, we get a taste of what we must sound like learning Russian and I can't keep from laughing... or was it I can't keep laughing?

As per Moscow tradition, we generally begin the day with some ultimate frisbee with friends at a local park.  This year a balmy 39 degrees greeted us as we lined up on the field - compared to years past, it did feel a bit like summer - some kids were even in shorts! Anna enjoyed toddling around in her snowsuit, cheering for Mom or Dad, then grabbed a quick nap in between frisbee and lunch.  We headed to some dear friends' to enjoy turkey and all of the delicious sides.  We ladened ourselves down with one baby, one bag of ikea children's chairs attached to the top of the stroller, 4 pies, and a few odds and ends.  I don't exactly remember what we did as far as transporting baked goods before we got a stroller.  A friend actually used a dolly to transport Thanksgiving goodness to our gathering place.  Ha, sometimes owning a car does not seem like the worst possible idea here in the big city... This year was a bit of a record, 25 adults and 5 kids...

As most of America prepares to hit the polls on Tuesday, I thought I'd record some thoughts I've been ruminating over the past few weeks on being an expatriate here in Russia.   Just a few weeks ago, I took Anna to a nearby park for some play time.  While we were there, we met Milana and her nanny Shabilat.  Shabilat asked where I was from, assuming that I was also a nanny working for a family in the area.  When I told her I was American, but that my husband and I lived and worked here, she immediately exclaimed, "you're so lucky!"  Shabilat immigrated to Moscow from Uzbekistan, a feat not warmly looked upon by the general Russian population here, and is currently working to obtain Russian citizenship.  The process is not an easy one, and requires that the applicant first renounce his/her current citizenship before even beginning the process of application.  Shabilat is not alone:  there are likely hundreds of hopeful migrant workers here li...

Today I took Anna for a stroll in our neighborhood.  As she loves walking wherever we go these days, I pushed the stroller (in case of a stroller emergency) and she meandered alongside, stopping to point at interesting sites or meow at passing cats.  Not only is her toddler gait quite cute, but to make matters even more cute, 'tis the season for snowsuits already.  Anna ambles along in her puffy cosmonaut (astronaut) costume (snowsuit,) attracting the positive attention of everybody we pass. Not only did we receive countless compliments on our walking skills, oohs and aahs from many a passer-by, and the occasional question as to how old we are now, we ended up with quite a bit of loot at the end of our 45 minute circuit:  2 apples, 3 pieces of candy, and 1 juice box.  It's better than Halloween here! I am daily reminded of the pleasure of living in a such a child-friendly culture.  Children are truly a joy and delight to Russians; they are honored...

If you're looking for a place to get rid of unwanted pocket change, generally outside an Orthodox church is one of the best and easiest places to do just that.  There are consistent almspersons near our regular church, and over the past couple of years, we've gotten to know some of them.  One woman usually stops us and asks specifically for a larger donation on behalf of her mother.  She suffered a stroke a few years ago, and now must wear pampers (the word for diapers here in Russia - a result of branding.)  Pampers are expensive, particularly for the elderly on a minimal pension.  This Sunday, her situation struck me in a new way. The gospel reading today came from Matthew, chapter 25:   When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.   Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the shee...