Literary findings

Russians have interesting ways of getting rid of old books.

Sometimes you see someone by the side of the road selling some books that have been laid out on a piece of newspaper. Just doing a little decluttering and trying to make some money...

Sometimes, they are in the stairwell of a house. And they might even be free!

If I had a bigger living space, I would be more tempted to collect these treasures. Indeed, many are even out of print! But I suppose they would collect some dust in my possession.

The other day, we paid a visit to a museum, which happened to be located in an apartment building. In the stairwell was a selection of books. We inquired of the museum and they said that the books were free for the taking. Read more/-

I almost didn't take anything since I didn't recognize any of the authors. But at the last minute, my eyes locked on the title of "Полезные советы." (Helpful Tips)

I knew that it would be not only an interesting cultural gem, but a fun housekeeping resource. It's interesting to note that the book was published in 1960, around the time when "Hints from Heloise" were appearing in U.S. newspapers.

Here you find advice on everything from darning socks to setting the table for lunch.

The funny thing is that in this case, the divide was more generational than cultural. I didn't even feel like I was reading a Russian book. I just felt transformed to the days when my mother was growing up and my grandmother would have been the housewife.

It's a pity that many of these tips belong to a lost art...

Teacher/Student relationships

"I think the teacher sleeps in school," said Mollie. "I think she stays there all night long."


"What a dumb idea," said Gary. "Teachers don't sleep in school."


"Mrs. Marsh does," said Mollie. "She's always there when we come. And she's always there when we leave. I think the classroom is her house."


-from "My Teacher Sleeps in School" by Leatie Weiss.

What should the student-teacher relationship be? What kind of boundaries should be observed? This was a question that we discussed during my TESOL training. Although we were referring mainly to adults teaching adults, teaching children should also be considered, of course. Continue reading/-

I remember in elementary school how odd it was to think of teachers having a real life. That is why the quote above seems so appropriate. Of course I was shy, but it seemed so unnerving to run into a teacher in the grocery store, or even in the hallway when I had moved up a grade. And this isn't because I disliked my teachers; on the contrary it was like running into someone you had a crush on and not knowing what to say.

In general, it makes sense when teaching children for the adult to set the boundaries, since the children aren't even aware of danger.

I remember being sick on Valentine's Day in second grade, and my teacher paying a "housecall" with my Valentines and a stack of library books. Very odd to think that the teacher had been at my house. Yet she knew exactly what I needed. These occasional kind gestures are still within the realm of appropriate behavior.

Junior high, high school...no special relationships with teachers. Outside of the classroom, I mean. But I remember that I always wanted to talk about my family, or my church; bring in personal aspects of my life. In a way, I did want my worlds to overlap. If we had to pick a topic for writing or a presentation, I tried to choose something of personal meaning to me. Making projects personal is always a good way to motivate students. We think of teenagers as so uncommunicative sometimes, but have we really tried to find out what they're interested in?

University was a strange mix of huge lectures where the professor never learned my name (or face, most likely) and small classes where I met the professors' kids when we had department events.

Culture plays a role, too. My Russian instructors are far more likely to inquire after my health, how I'm dressed, or my living conditions, than any American. Oh, and marital status, of course. Of course, they are partly worried about us living in a foreign country, but I think it is a mentality in general. On the other hand, there have been very few tea parties or social events of that nature.

When I was in college, I tutored some immigrants in ESL. There was one Russian "bride" who seemed very homesick sometimes. The policy of the learning center was that they did all the phone calls and coordinating, and tutors/tutorees didn't have each other's contact information.

Olga suggested that we have class in a cafe sometime instead of in the learning center, but it wasn't really allowed. Of course, we could have arranged it on our own without asking for permission, but I didn't push it.

Eventually her husband wasn't pleased with her progress and didn't let her come anymore. But I always felt some regret that I hadn't tried to reach out more. What did it matter that we had a "professional" relationship? At the end of the day, a person remembers who smiled at him that day; who asked how he was doing, who noticed something that no one else did.

I tutor a Russian women here who works at the orphanage. I go to her home where we sit in her kitchen, and she is usually still in her pajamas.

When I taught for corporate clients, I had the same sort of regret as when I had worked with the immigrants. All the coordinating was done by a secretary; I didn't have any direct contact with the students outside of class. We sometimes talked about interesting life issues in class, but there was always a boundary we couldn't cross.

Now I think of them and wish that I knew what had happened to the single mother and her look-alike daughter, or the middle-aged woman who woke up at 4:30 am to get ready to go to the plant.

I don't really like the whole personal vs. professional concept. I want to share about my life with the people I work with, no matter how formal the situation. At the same time, if it doesn't feel appropriate for the workplace, then maybe it isn't so helpful for personal conversations either. Gossip doesn't get milder based on context.

Anyway, boundaries are good and serve a purpose. But sometimes you have to take risks, too.

Paradox #1: Security

I'm starting a series on paradoxes of faith! You know, those aspects that are a little hard to express logically, yet fill us with wonder about God.

Today's topic relates to our life on earth. What kind of life does God promise us, and what type of behavior does He expect from us? Certain factors can be confusing.

The Lord tells us not to worry about earthly comforts, yet offers consolation when we DO worry.
Read more/-

A Little Thing Called Housing

Raise your hand if you haven't ever worried about where you were going to live. I will include here any traveling, and even choosing a bunk at camp-hey, that can be a long week!

The Bible says that the Son of Man had nowhere to lay His head (Lk. 9:58). This can be applied in different ways, and is tragic considering that He was a king. Personally, I read this as illustrating the fact that he was born in humble conditions, and that His ministry required Him to give up many comforts.

When you don't know where you are going to sleep one night or sometime in the future, I don't think it is the time to point out that children in some remote country sleep outside, although thankfulness is a good character trait...and actually, thinking of Haiti does make me count my blessings.

But, getting back to the point...studying the life of Christ serves a few different purposes, among them: 1) To learn to follow His example, and 2) To be assured that He UNDERSTANDS.

When we pray the Lord's Prayer, which was modeled by Jesus, we ask about our daily bread-very much an earthly, practical need, but one that He himself deemed worthy to bring before God.

When we try to live as though we don't care about our living conditions, we are really just burying anxiety. We are either at peace about it or we aren't. There is no indifferent middle ground. And if anxiety is there, we must deliver it to the Lord. Though He tells us not to worry, He means that we ought to deliver our worry up to Him.

New project

Food! 

There are a lot of times when I find/create new recipes and want to share them, but I'd  been afraid that it would change the focus of this blog too much to post them...

...so I finally decided to create an online space for my favorite recipes.

These are the ones that I've tried, enjoyed, and found generally easy to make.

They're also made with simple ingredients that can be found right here in St. Petersburg. But please note that these are mostly reviews and not original recipes!

Go to cooking blog.