Edition No. 1 from way back in September 2006

INTRODUCTORY NOTES
So the rumors are true, I'm back in the Russian Federation. This time I am in Moscow for 11 months on a Fulbright Community Service Grant. My plan is to research all things deaf in Moscow by talking to people, going to deaf events, learning sign and volunteering at NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and deaf schools. My other goals are to improve my rusty Russian, experience the cultural wealth of Moscow, travel to Saratov, Petersburg and Irkutsk, and not go completely bonkers. For those wondering what Fulbright is all about- check out their nice website. In a few words it is a program funded by the US Congress which promotes academic and cultural exchange. It's been active in Russia since the 70's and actually sends more Russian scholars to the US than vise versa.

ADJUSTING
For starters I got to Russia and survived an excruciating jetlag slump that lasted for weeks. I think I must be getting old or something. I was incredibly fortunate to be received into the waiting arms of my dear friend, Lena (from Middelbury), and her family. They fed me good shi (cabbage soup) and helped me get over my first language difficulties with some laughter. Lena's dad took me to Sergeev Posad, a beautiful, extensive complex of seminary, churches, museums, etc. which was started in 1355. It is considered one of the important spiritual centers in Russia due to the fact that the priests from this church blessed Dmitri Danskoi before he defeated the Turk-Mongols. For those who don't know their Russian history- this ranks up there with the defeat of Hitler and Napolean. The place today is full mostly of women, sick, elderly and tourists. Later we all traveled to their family dacha (summer cottage) and visited Yasnaya Polyana, the estate of Tolstoy and also the home of Polenovo- a famous Russian painter. It was wonderful to leave the city, see something green and enjoy fresh apples and berries. Lena and I even got down in the mud and dug onions, pretending to be Russian peasants. I will have to say it was almost as euphoric as when Levin harvests the grain in Anna Karenina. Lena's parents are going to call me when they go to dig potatoes in September, I'm so excited!
See some pictures of Sergeev Posad: http://middlebury.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008525&l=7dcde&id=4404458
Yasnaya Polyana: http://middlebury.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008713&l=051c4&id=4404458
Polenovo: http://middlebury.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008715&l=cbaf7&id=4404458

ORIENTATION- DEMYSTIFICATION
For those of you who missed the drama of the orientation- all the Fulbright community service grantees were informed of a mandatory orientation for the month of August in Moscow but only after we had received the grant- sometime in May or June. After some negotiations, it got cut back to a week- but remained unclear exactly what it was and why it was neccessary. It turns out that higher-ups in the American embassy wanted to cancel the entire program in response to political changes in Russia and the orientation became the compromise that allowed the program to happen. This is the second and last year for Fulbright community service in Russia. With changing NGO laws (making it basically illegal to be an NGO not affiliated with the government), there have been a lot of concerns at the embassy and in Fulbright that our work with NGOs, particularly if it should take a political turn, might cast the whole Fulbright program in an unfavourable light especially with elections looming here next year. Apparently there was also an unpleasant deportation of one scholar last year. The take home message basically is do everything openly and stay apolitical in public settings. Sounds good to me. The orientation itself was generally very interesting, thanks to super Fulbright and embassy staff.
Some pictures of us in Yaraslavl, Kostrama and Plyos, just having fun at the end of orientation: http://middlebury.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009060&l=69848&id=4404458

APARTMENT
I had either the good or bad luck to move into basically an ideal apartment immediately through a connection at the University. Good luck in that I have free wireless, good Russian artist grandma landlady that does the cooking and all situated in the perfect location. I can walk to the centre of Moscow in about 15 minutes. The bad part is that it is quite expensive- slightly less than 600/month. For those of you unaware of trends in Russian real estate, Moscow recently got ranked as the world's most expensive city for expats based mostly on cost of housing and transport. For the first few days the thought of what I could do with the extra money plagued me and I searched for alternative arrangements. I didn't find anything close and remotely livable for less, in fact a day of looking at other apartments almost convinced that I have a bargain! I decided not to mess with a good thing- living in the middle of the city is in itself an investment in doing things and the rent really includes almost all the costs of living-internet, transport, food, washing clothes, random chats with my own personal babushka and a KITTEN!

RESEARCH
My forays into all things deaf in Moscow were mildly thwarted last week. Between people on vacations, babies born, school moving, closing and theatres on break, I made not noticeable progress. I think, however, that the tide is turning. I just got an email from a rather important guy in the deaf world in Moscow. I even quoted him in my thesis! We are going to meet on Thursday. Moral of the story: everything in Russia might take forever, but it is possible.

CONTACT INFO
I'll try to send out emails as inspiration strikes to this list throughout the year. Please forward this email to anyone I forgot and let me know if you want to be removed from the list at any time (I swear, I won't be offended!). If you want to contact me via snail mail, you can send letter only to this US address, which is connected to some kind of space-warp called the diplomatic pouch. The address is:

Elizabeth Zane- Fulbright Scholar
Public Affairs Section
Department of State
5430 Moscow Place
Washington, D.C. 20521-5430

If you want to play the Russian roulette variation known as the post office for the sheer excitement of it or if you want to send packages, here is another address. (Be warned whatever you send may never find me- or perhaps only after a few years, which has happened on several occasions and is always fun as long as perishable food is not involved).

RUSSIA
127006
Moscow
Ul. Dolgorukovskaya dom 29, kvartira 20
Elizabeth Zane

For those who want even more contact- I encourage you and your mother to get skype. It's a phone over the internet that is easy to use and completely free. Check out skype.com. My skype id is creatively enough elizabeth.zane.