Izhevsk is a very interesting city, with an industrial past and present. One of the first things I saw upon arrival was a whimsical statue of a crocodile in a top hat sitting on a park bench.
The term “crocodile” and the popularity of the image of a crocodile comes from the big green protective coats the arms workers have traditionally worn in the area.
With Marina, the dean of the soc dept., I also was able to see the opening of the Udmurt National Theatre—they had renovated the building and updated the stage materials and it was very beautiful. They were showing off the new lights capabilities, when it suddenly went dark, but no one let that stop them. Most segments were of a traditional Udmurt musical that they will be staging soon. This theatre troupe does more than just traditional theatre however. They sang “songs of love” written by one of the actresses, and young dancers (mostly female) did a couple of numbers, with the young boys (12 years maybe) doing the Cossack drop and kick—or perhaps it’s the Udmurt drop and kick here?
We need campus ids, of course, and there are limited access doors and guards at every entrance to campus buildings. The university is unusual because all of its buildings are together in a two block area--very unlike most Russian Universities. It makes it very easy to learn and find places however.
The emphasis on security is very interesting as a social fact--it's something that is brought up regularly in conversation: "This place is very secure." "When you use this, it is more secure..." etc.... I don’t know if it is there because of a high incidence of crime, because of low incomes so people have little to lose and want to protect it, or because of a sense of order left from Soviet structures—people feel more comfortable having checkpoints and multiple entry cards and verifications. I have heard from new colleagues of one incidence of a mugging and purse snatching, but that's all. And that's not unusual in a city of 750,000. Of course, the emphasis on security in conversation may just be because they want to assure me of my safety in their community, which is in keeping with the overall politeness and care I've experienced here.
Hannah (the Fulbright ETA who speaks good Russian) and I went out and strolled though the park in Izhevsk and down to the pond on a beautiful summer evening. Finally had a beer, and a Kalashnikov vodka shot (correction: it's good, and will bring some home of course! although very funny large bottle in the shape of an AK-47 is available...) to celebrate my first day of class.
The first class was an interesting event—a variety of listeners in addition to my students, and some good questions asked. At the end, the room applauded and the students gave me roses, now THAT has never happened in a class before. I learned from some German students here in international housing, however, that it's not quite as unique as I thought. In Germany, the students rap their desks at the conclusion of a lecture, as a form of acknowledgement, which is similar to the applause here. So, I guess I'm not that special after all....but the roses were cool.
The term “crocodile” and the popularity of the image of a crocodile comes from the big green protective coats the arms workers have traditionally worn in the area.
With Marina, the dean of the soc dept., I also was able to see the opening of the Udmurt National Theatre—they had renovated the building and updated the stage materials and it was very beautiful. They were showing off the new lights capabilities, when it suddenly went dark, but no one let that stop them. Most segments were of a traditional Udmurt musical that they will be staging soon. This theatre troupe does more than just traditional theatre however. They sang “songs of love” written by one of the actresses, and young dancers (mostly female) did a couple of numbers, with the young boys (12 years maybe) doing the Cossack drop and kick—or perhaps it’s the Udmurt drop and kick here?
We need campus ids, of course, and there are limited access doors and guards at every entrance to campus buildings. The university is unusual because all of its buildings are together in a two block area--very unlike most Russian Universities. It makes it very easy to learn and find places however.
The emphasis on security is very interesting as a social fact--it's something that is brought up regularly in conversation: "This place is very secure." "When you use this, it is more secure..." etc.... I don’t know if it is there because of a high incidence of crime, because of low incomes so people have little to lose and want to protect it, or because of a sense of order left from Soviet structures—people feel more comfortable having checkpoints and multiple entry cards and verifications. I have heard from new colleagues of one incidence of a mugging and purse snatching, but that's all. And that's not unusual in a city of 750,000. Of course, the emphasis on security in conversation may just be because they want to assure me of my safety in their community, which is in keeping with the overall politeness and care I've experienced here.
Hannah (the Fulbright ETA who speaks good Russian) and I went out and strolled though the park in Izhevsk and down to the pond on a beautiful summer evening. Finally had a beer, and a Kalashnikov vodka shot (correction: it's good, and will bring some home of course! although very funny large bottle in the shape of an AK-47 is available...) to celebrate my first day of class.
The first class was an interesting event—a variety of listeners in addition to my students, and some good questions asked. At the end, the room applauded and the students gave me roses, now THAT has never happened in a class before. I learned from some German students here in international housing, however, that it's not quite as unique as I thought. In Germany, the students rap their desks at the conclusion of a lecture, as a form of acknowledgement, which is similar to the applause here. So, I guess I'm not that special after all....but the roses were cool.
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