Back From the World of Russian

So, now that I'm allowed to speak English again, I figured it was time for a summer update.

Russian School was excellent, it was literally summer camp/school/partying in Russian 24/7. I hardly slept, but mostly because in addition to classes I sang/danced/played instruments in the choir, played soccer on the Russian school team, DJed two radio shows, and saw several films and lectures. Here is what I look like in traditional Cossack dress playing the drova (literally means firewood):

I also played the block (kindergarten all over again) and learned a few traditional Cossack dances.

Playing soccer was another major highlight of Russian school and made me seriously question why I ever started swimming in the first place. For those of you who know soccer strategy, I played stopper. Even though we only played together for 9 weeks, by the end of the season we really started playing like a team and had thoroughly mastered cursing at the other teams in Russian.

DJing radio shows gave me the opportunity to find and seriously listen to Russian music, and I have decided that Russian pop is unquestionably better than American pop. A few examples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mACqXv0cWU8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFl7D1RqHeM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YqUhE9JZ3c&feature=related

I also discovered two fantastic Russian rock bands: Kino and Mashina Vremeni (Time Machine). Kino's lead singer is Viktor Tsoi, who is pretty much the Russian version of Jim Morrison, both in style and in following.

Perhaps the best part of Russian School were the people I met and the connections I was able to make. There are 3 Russian majors at Carleton. There were 140 people at Middlebury. Being surrounded by students with very similar interests was intellectually exhilarating and I loved every minute of it. In addition to other Russian/IR double majors, I met diplomats, businessmen, and FBI agents. I can honestly say that I spent most weekends at Middlebury drinking with FBI agents.

Middlebury also made me very thankful of my decision to go to Carleton: there isn't another Russian program in the US that is as well-rounded as the Carleton program. I often talked with students who were at Middlebury to receive their Master's, and found that in most cases I knew more about Russian lit/history/art than they did. I also learned that there isn't another Russian study abroad program in the US that travels as broadly as the Carleton program, or studies at a university as prestigious as Moscow State. I'm consistently surprised by Carleton, and this summer took my pride in Carleton to another level.

In the end, my Russian improved drastically at Middlebury. I am a fluent reader, my listening comprehension is between advanced and superior, and my speaking is on a grad student level. At the end of spring, I was deciding between accepting an internship teaching English in Russia and Middlebury, and I absolutely made the right decision in going to Middlebury.

After Middlebury, Anna Gallagher picked me up and I spent 2 nights at her house in Burlington. If you haven't been to Burlington, check it out if you're on the East coast. It's small but very cultured, I thought Church Street was a great little pedestrian road. We got to hear a MGMT concert while we were there, they pretty much sounded the same as they do on their albums. Anna left to see Louise in Boston on the second day (after a 20 mile bike ride, which was great), and I spent the rest of my time hanging out with her parents, who are some of the nicest people ever ever. Case in point: Anna's mom baked me a loaf of banana bread to take with me on the train.

Amtrak was a new experience for me. I arrived in DC early, which I didn't expect. The train wasn't even half full, it took 13 hours to get from Burlington to DC, but all in all it wasn't half bad.

In DC, I stayed with a friend from high school, Ashley, and we went to the Modern Art, Natural History, and American Art museums, as well as Arlington. I was fascinated by one work in particular at the Modern Art Museum: "The Day I Didn't Turn With the World" by Guido van der Werve. Essentially, it's a work of timelapse photography that is 8 minutes long. The artist stood on the geographic north pole for 24 hours, slowly turning in the opposite direction of the Earth. The camera stood still, and one can see the sun going in a circle around the artist. There's also a great Norman Rockwell exhibit at the American Art Museum.

I got back to Wichita yesterday, and I really have my work cut out for me this summer. First, I have a Fulbright proposal due on the first day of classes, and I have a good idea of my project but I need to write it out and get a letter of affiliation from Buryatia State University in the middle of Siberia. I also have my Russian comps test in the 3rd week of fall term, so I need to be prepped for that. That's a 6 hour long written exam on Russian history/art/lit and how they're all interconnected. I'm excited.

I had the Middlebury Radio Station music library open to my disposal this summer, so I've found some awesome new music. The three major standouts:

Charles Hamilton - Sonic the Hamilton

Sonic the Hamilton may be the best hip-hop concept album of all-time. It is told from the perspective of Charles "Sonic the" Hamilton, who after waking up finds that he is stuck within the Sega Genesis game Sonic the Hedgehog and has to play through it to get out. The sampling is top notch and the lyrics are much deeper than just following video games. Highly recommended.

The Glitch Mob - Drink the Sea

This is one of the most interesting electronic albums that I've heard in awhile. I think I can best describe it as: epic. The beats generally take the form of war drums, the bass is always rumbling in the background, and the melodies intertwine well with the beat. Very much a head-nodding album, but much more sophisticated than Deadmau5 or other house DJs.

Midnight Juggernauts - Dystopia

Think David Bowie vocals, Beatles/Beach Boys harmonies, and highly brushed 80's synth pop, and you'll have an idea of what the Midnight Juggernauts sound like. This album is not always the most complicated or dynamic, but every song is solid, well-produced, and well-constructed.

For you guys who obsessed over The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time like I did, I present you with The Ocarina of Rhyme. And if you like Explosions in the Sky, check out Four Tet.

Well, I have a lot more music that I found, but I don't want to take up any more of your time. I hope I see you all at the alum meet, or sometime in the near future!