Хорошо! Хорошо! (sob)

My dear family and friends;

This will be my last post from Russia. I don't want to have to sum up my thoughts and feelings the day before we go because that will be too painful, so I'm going to tell a few more stories, poorly assemble a few more puns, and pretend that I have months left.

I have a friend here named Irina. She has wonderful taste in music. She has gone with me and some of my friends to three concerts here (one was accidental, because it's where we met, but it still counts) and I've loved all of them.

The first was Leonid Fedorov and Vladimir Volkov. ASTOUNDING. THE BEST (and Little Misha approved, so you know it's good). I'm a big Chris Thile fan, but this concert knocked some Thile shows out of my top five. Leonid Fedorov is a middle-aged, baby-faced guitar player, singer, songwriter, and all-around fascinating guy. He fronts a band called Auktyon, which is a  cool project that's been playing for a pretty long time. They're Petersburg based and have this eerie, magical sound (see previous post), a difficult feat to achieve with the instruments they use. They were initially hired by the, get this, the KGB so that the government could monitor the youth scene. Because of that, their lyrics had to be either really tame or nonsensical. According to the NPR interview I heard, they opted for nonsensical. I can't understand ninety-nine percent of their lyrics anyway, so that's not an issue for me. However, something I CAN understand is the anger, desperation, and confusion that's blaring through their rhythms, melodies, chord progressions. So... even without the lyrics, they were able to express what the youth were REALLY feeling.
But I've digressed. Fedorov and Volkov were GREAT. Youuuutuuuube! Go.

Next band we saw was Kolibri. When Irina described them to me, she called them, "three girls who sing harmony in front of a rock band." I was picturing cute little pixie chicks with pink and purple hair and enormous tattoos, but instead... well, see for yourself.

колибри

They were great, though. Scratchy voices, kind of creepy sound (Guess where they're from? Also, guess where Regina Spektor is from? EVERYTHING MAGICAL), and completely at ease onstage. They cried, they screamed, they pretended they were killing each other... very theatrical and wonderful. A guy from Siberia who was at the Leonid Fedorov concert told me that he thinks if someone is truly talented, they're not just good at one thing. Every Russian group I've seen here consists of people that I'd like to watch onstage in ANY situation... acting in a play, playing music, sitting and talking to friends... just very charismatic people. And all older!

The other band was called Megapolis. Again, the main core of the group was past forty. They started the concert by telling us that because they'd sold their album online instead of producing physical CD's, they'd made much more money than expected and decided to release the album on vinyl AND buy clothes from their favorite store for the fans who pre-ordered it. Irina told me that the lead singer was a really good man who often helped younger artists get started and supported many charities. He was quite charming.
There were four of us at this concert, and we were standing behind a young couple who had brought their little girls to the show (all of these concerts have had very demographically diverse audiences comprised of middle-aged couples, families with children, and young hipster twenty-something's). The girls were OFF THE WALLS. They started their own private mosh pit for a while, and then took to climbing their parents like trees and dancing like... um... well, it was more of a rhythmic flail than anything... the littlest got tired first, but the older one kept going strong until the band played a song about a father dying and his daughter forgetting what he looked like. Irina was translating for me as the song went on, and it was amazing to watch the little girl's progression. She stood up really straight after about the second verse and stared at a spot on the floor, swaying slowly back and forth for a while, and then stopped moving all together, and then reverently walked over to her dad and grabbed his leg. And that's where she stayed for the rest of the concert.

On the third floor, where our acting class is, there's a receptionist that I really like. I try to speak to her in Russian. She teaches me words and grammar and likes to laugh at me when I try to speak on my own. Today, when I was getting my coat from the coat check, she tapped my arm and motioned for me to cup my hands together, then reached under the desk and pulled out a bag of these really good pretzel circles with poppy seeds that everyone eats here. She smiled and poured about three-fourths of the bag into my hand. Then she delicately placed my coat on my arm and said, "Vkoosna," which is the Russian equivalent of "tasty." It was one of the most touching things anyone's done for me. It means a lot because the receptionists only share their food with the professors or famous MXT actors, and usually only a piece or two pieces. Later, I got her a flower and she hugged me and I said, "I really like you," and she corrected my grammar and said, "I really like you, too." It was a great moment. Very emotional.

By the way, forget all those stereotypes about cold, grumpy Russians. Maybe it's partially because I'm here in a group, but I feel so welcome and supported. I have innumerous stories about Russians going out of their way to help me find someone, somewhere, or something I was looking for, or just coming up to talk because they heard English and wanted to practice. Culturally, the people don't smile constantly like in America, but when they do smile, it means so much more. It's not a mask or a defense mechanism. You know when they like you and when they don't. No guessing. I prefer it.

Someday, I'll come back here. I hope I'll speak the language and be able to study the amazing art, history, and mentality of this rich culture much more deeply.

Closing thoughts:

The Russian words for "peace" and "world" are the same. No judgments of any sort to offer, but it's very interesting.

Tvorog. Socially acceptable cream cheese. You can eat it plain. By you, I mean me. Every day.

There are flower stands EVERYWHERE. People buy each other flowers all the time. I like this tradition.

It's a very good place. Visit, if you can.

Love you. See you soon.