On the road: Rostov-on-Don

I cannot express my thanks enough to the wonderful people who welcomed me with open arms in Rostov. The list is long, so I’ll pay homage one by one....

Overflowing hospitality in Rostov

First, my train rolled into Rostov at 6:30 Saturday morning. The first day of spring and I saw my first Russia snow outside of Krasnaya Polyana. I was so happy! My friend Vladimir woke up early to meet me in person for the first time at the station. What a surreal experience to meet the man behind the voice I’ve been speaking with on Skype for almost three years. After an embrace we hopped on a bus to his home where his mother had a traditional Russian breakfast waiting. I will never tire of blini. 

Vladimir’s mother gifted me a copy of Doctor Zhivago, which I have actually read in English. Reading it in Russian will be mighty difficult, but maybe one day I will possess enough skill to do so. I had a handmade glass brooch with a maple leaf on it for his mother, and an authentic dreamcatcher as a gift for Vladimir. I do hope they’ll enjoy those little pieces of Canada. 

Next stop was to my first host Eileen. She’s a missionary from Ohio, living in Rostov for 15 years. It was such a thrill to be with a native english speaker. She was a superb host. I was always full of great food and she prepared me with a map and activities in Rostov. That night, I joined Vladimir at English speaking club. It was quite interesting to be the centre of attention as I was the only native english speaker present. I answered many questions about Sochi, Canada, and tattoos. I know I should be practicing my Russian, but there’s something about helping Russians with their English that gives me such a thrill. Often I would use a word they’ve never heard before. It makes me so happy to share with them something new by explaining the term and it’s use.

Spiritual Sunday

On sunday, Eileen shared her church with me. A room in a private home has been converted to a chapel of sorts. The most exhilarating part of the whole experience was the singing. The words to each song were shown on the wall, in cyrillic of course, and I was able to sing along. It actually helped me with my Russian pronunciation to hear the words as I sung along. When Amazing Grace was sung, I was right along with all the Russian speakers in the room. While my level of understanding is still minimal, I’ve been told my pronunciation is quite good. After service, I shared some facts about Canada and showed the congregation photos of my Russian ancestors. Everyone was extremely interested and amazed that I was indeed part Russian.

Andrei Koukolevsky, also known as Andrew Koukolevsky (son of Aleksander Koukolevsky), born about 1874 in Russia, died April 29, 1939 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Buried May 1, 1939 on Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

My Great Great Grandfather, Andrei Koukolevsky, a captain in white army.

My Great Grandfather Leo as a child.

The whole family: Antonia, Andrei and little Leo.

Fellow volunteer shows me her city

After Church, I met with my friend Julietta whom I volunteered with at the Olympics. I swear, we walked across the entire city! (It was condensed to the centre, but she showed me all of it!) We walked and walked. 

Karl Marx Square.

War memorial.

Massive fish at the market! 

Study in Canada!

Love the colour in the markets.

I most enjoyed walking along the embankment. There are various statues of characters from Mikhail Sholokov stories. He's a nobel prize winning Russian author.

Julietta and I strolling the embankment. 

cATM ;) Thanks for the term Sara! 

Sunday night Julietta took me to a different English speaking club mainly for foreigners. The cafe it is held at charges per minute, instead of by purchase. So you can have as much tea/coffee as you like, and there’s cookies and biscuits available as well. Luckily foreigners were free this night, and I quite enjoyed my time! The conversation was stimulating and I hope I was able to share some new ideas with the club’s members. Now I know if I ever end up in Rostov again where I should start to make more friends!

At Ziferblat cafe.

Shopping and more sightseeing

On Monday, Eileen and I went shopping! We visited an authentic military uniform supply shop. I can tell you all the men in my life will get a neat trinket from there!

Shortly after shopping, Vladimir continued to show me the city. It was quite humorous to go shopping in the central market with him. I happened to want to buy a pair of underwear as a gift, and he was my translator. I was incredibly embarrassed by the situation, and was giggling like a school girl. What impressed me most were the colours of the fruit and nuts. Markets are always vibrant and full of life, even in the rain. 

With the bust of Yuri Gagarin; my favourite Russian!

Russian circus.

More hospitality from a new host family

Monday night I changed hosts to stay with Herman, a 15 year-old pupil of Eileen’s, and his family. What a welcome I got! His mother made so much good food. It honestly was never ending. We stayed up until midnight talking about Canada and Russia. Herman may go to university in North America, so they both had many questions. I was happy to help where I could! of course, my door will be open if Herman and his family would like to come for a visit! I wish I could have stayed there for weeks! So much to share and speak about. I hope to see them all on Skype soon!

The lovely Sofia showing off her Canadian goods!

Sofia showing off her gymnastic skills.

Mission Matryoshka

Tuesday was my final day. Bitter sweet. I spent the entire day at the tattoo parlour. Yup, you heard me right. I am bringing home a Russian tattoo! When most people speak of tattoos in Russia, there is a strong criminal connotation. Over a year ago, I found the artist Oleg Shepelenko online. I’ve followed his work and have been absolutely amazed by his tattoos. When I knew for sure I was going back to Russia, I messaged him and made an appointment. Thankfully, Herman joined me and acted as translator. My original idea to have a matryoshka with a maple leaf and a poppy turned out to be “not cool” as Oleg explained. As I have to live with this tattoo for the rest of my life, we came up with a good compromise. 

Six hours later, I am beyond pleased with the finished product. I even showed Oleg a photo of my childhood pet Patches and he made sure the colouring matched my old dog. He incorporated the traditional Hohloma Russian design into the background, making for a thoroughly Russian tattoo. In the crown of flowers, there is a poppy for my dad. My mom is an Animal Health Technologist, so the dog fits in perfectly as well. I have gotten numerous tattoos over the years, but this one takes the cake by far. I say this now, but I will never get another tattoo! I can’t imagine anything else being more appropriate or more beautiful than this Russian masterpiece.

Final goodbye to Rostov

After my overly-long tattoo session, I rushed to English speaking club. Of course, tattoos dominated the discussion again. Changing subjects, I showed everyone our new plastic Canadian currency, and managed to scrounge up a couple of dimes to hand out as souvenirs. Vladimir gifted me some lovely photos of his city as we said goodbye. I must say it is absolutely beautiful in the summer...perhaps I shall return!

After discussion club, Herman and I hopped on our bicycles and hurried home to a delicious home-cooked Russian feast! The food never ended. Oh how I wish I would have stayed longer, but I still had to get my accreditation and uniform in Sochi. We all know how THAT went the first time.

Just before 10 pm, I gathered all my belonging, all the gifts Herman’s family gave me, and a bag FULL of food and snacks for the train. Herman and his father drove me to the station and walked me straight to my train cabin. I truly do wish I could have stayed longer. Now I must prepare myself for my next adventure - as a Paralympic volunteer!