Today, we didn't have to wake up as early as usual, so I was thankfully able to sleep in until 11:00. I awoke to a big, delicious breakfast prepared by Lena, then walked over to the American Home, where our group met and departed in SUVs for the banya.
As our whole group was remarking, when we arrived after miles--er, kilometers--of zigzagging down bumpy, dusty roads in the Russian countryside, it was like driving into a painting. The beauty of the place is unlike anything any of us had ever seen before, I think, and it was just surreal. From the moment we got there, we began referring to our weekend in this place as Сказка ("skazka")--a fairytale. I might've written this before, but really with each day I spend here and the more of Russia I see, the clearer it is to me why so much great art, music, dance, and literature has its roots here; it's hard to look around and not be inspired and introspective!
The Russian way of life, as we've experienced it so far, also seems much more connected to nature. It's not just that Russians observe and appreciate nature, but they interact with it in a way that is not so common in the US. Russians typically grow their own fruits and vegetables in a да́ча ("dacha"), or small second home; in the US, we are much less self-sufficient. We may occasionally grow some tomatoes, but usually gardening in America is viewed as a hobby--typically just involving flowers--and not as an essential part of life done for the benefit of health and the provision of a family. In America, we are also much more cautious about how we interact with nature. In the US, we shouldn't touch this, shouldn't eat that, shouldn't swim there. The people here (and in Germany and Poland, too, from my limited experience) seem much more carefree. Carefree, not careless. (More on this later, maybe. Note-to-self: notebook.)
Anyway, being at the banya, it was like a weight was lifted from our shoulders. Immediately, we were able to relax, to breathe, and it felt safe and secure there. As we pulled up, extended family and friends of the people who were hosting us were atop the roof of the new banya being built by hand--without nails, but rather like a jigsaw puzzle, in accordance with strict Russian tradition--as everything else on the expansive property had been made. The house in which we stayed fit that image exactly, as well, and it truly looks like something out of a storybook. This whole experience was like a taste of the idyllic "old-world" Russia.
Once we had all settled in, we took a nap for about 30 minutes before waking up, trekking down to the river at the edge of the property--the river that, by the way, Ivan the Terrible sailed down centuries ago--where we jumped in and went swimming for about an hour. (The river was much wider and deeper in the days of Ivan; it's quite small now.)
After swimming, we all trekked back to the house, changed, hung out, and then turned right around and jumped back in the SUV, in which we were driven 10 minutes away to the kupel'nya. With the above-mentioned river as its source, the kupel'nya is a small chapel-like structure situated behind a church. A sort of religious experience, going to the kupel'nya is often part of the banya process and is considered a religious experience, wherein you jump naked into a vat of cold, fresh water from the river and go underwater three times--one dunk for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Spirit, in Orthodox tradition. Also in accordance with the Orthodox tradition, a sign outside the kupel'nya states that only those who "have faith, are wearing a cross, are not drunk, are clean, and ??" (I'm forgetting the other criteria) may enter. Oops. :P All the guys went first, then the girls, and we giggled the whole time because it was so ridiculously freezing. We agreed that, at this point, "It got real." I'll simply say that it was an experience.
Following this ritual, we got back in the SUV and stopped along the way to pick up birch leaves to be used for the therapeutic whipping, basically, that goes on in the banya. (Apropos Dr. Evil quote from Austin Powers: "When I was insolent, I was placed in a burlap sack and beaten with reeds.")
The banya, unlike the kupel'nya, is not a religious ritual, just a Russian one. According to Russian sayings that the host dad of the family told us, "There aren't any generals in the banya" (all are equal...and, traditionally, naked; we didn't go that far); "In the banya, there is democracy in Russia" (again, tongue-in-cheek, the notion of equality); and, "The only place a Russian can take off his cross is in the banya" (lest it melt and/or brand his chest, presumably).
Although I've had a note-to-self here to update and fill in about the banya, I would just suggest doing some reading about it online. No amount of description would probably convey the experience or the reason that the title of this blog post is what it is... :)
Sunday, 25 May
Sunrise!
Lunch was delicious, and after, around 15:00, I took a shower, because a day and a half of swimming in the river, going in steam baths, and romping around the fields left me feeling pretty gross. I then took another nap while the rest of the group was doing whatever they were doing--taking pictures of the property, which I'd already managed to snag, taking another dip in the river, reading, etc. I was awoken yet again, this time to leave. We said our thank yous and goodbyes, then jumped in the cars and were driven back to the American Home by the host family. The host brother invited all of us to go bowling this coming Wednesday night, so we might have a little reunion then.
When I got back home, Lena was out seeing a movie, so I hung out with Irina (host mom), our babushka (grandma), and Sonya (Lena's niece, who's 6). Sonya said a couple of words in English, and I said a couple of things in Russian. We played games on her iPad, drawing things; she drew the Russian flag and had me draw the American flag. She proceeded to draw me a picture using my pencil and paper, complete with labels of words in Russian. She's sweet and a good little teacher. ;) When Lena got back, we ate dinner, and she had homework to do, so I got ready for bed and was able to do some blogging. Tomorrow is the beginning of Week 2, and I've been warned that I may have a pop test in the morning to check my progress in Russian. I'm not really sure what this week holds, but we were told it shouldn't be as busy as this past week was for us, since we're now settled in and have thoroughly toured the city. Next weekend: Moscow! :)
Before I close, I have to mention that--as I type--I'm witnessing my first Russian wedding--er, post-wedding. After weddings, the couple and their party drive through town honking and screaming and then stopping at the Golden Gates and other local landmarks and historic sites to take pictures. It's past 01:00, so I'm not sure why they're just now doing this, as it's obviously too dark to take pictures, but they seem to be having fun regardless.
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