Where Am I?

After six months of living in Russia, I have found myself suddenly struggling with the question, "where the heck am I?" Take a look at my life here, and you'll understand why:

• First, all of our recent meetings have been in English. Yesterday, we met with American Jewish professionals from the Jewish Agency, who were here in SPB on a study trip. I gave the presentation about the local Jewish community, and Alyson led a tour of the building. Although we had never met these people before, we instantly developed a camaraderie, joking about American politics, sports, and the latest celebrity scandal. Today's meeting, about launching the YESOD Visitor's Center, was also totally in English. And tonight's meeting, with Pesach Project staff members from Cleveland and Palm Beach...you guessed it.
• On Sunday, I played family football, the latest in YESOD's ever-expanding list of regular programs. Family football is targeted towards English-speaking families with young children, who want to get them running around and playing soccer. I do a little coaching, a little encouraging, and a lot of playing
  
• Last night, after teaching my weekly English Club class, I came back to my office to make calls on our Vonage phone. I caught my sister as she was boarding her Spring Break cruise to the Caribbean, and we gossiped about life at UF and our crazy family (ha ha!). There was a great article by a new friend of ours, Cliff Levy, who is a writer for the NY Times and fellow Petersburger. I highly recommend it, especially to those of you who aren't quite sure exactly what a "Vonage phone" is!
  
• During that English class, three twenty-something-year-old students joined me for a discussion on identity. The conversation turned to politics and the recent election for the local assembly, in which just 1 in 3 Petersburgers actually voted. I want to share with you what they told me, because their insights sounded as American as anything I've heard so far in this country. Yosef didn't vote, because he felt that his vote wouldn't matter and that the election's result was already largely pre-determined. Mary voted for the party with the best advertising, which just happened to be an "ultra-right" party that published a fancy newspaper. And Genia, who made aliyah and lived in Israel for 10 years before returning to Russia, decided that things were better under the Communists, so he voted for that party. The views of these students really struck me, because they captured the frustration, confusion, and apathy that many Americans also face when it comes to democracy.
  
• As Alyson mentioned in her post about the IWC Ball at Yusupov Palace (another picture on the left), we attended a really high-falutin, English-speaking event recently. What she didn't mention is that it reminded us strongly of a charity benefit we attended at the Kennedy Center almost exactly one year ago to the day (right side). Both were classy, at unique locations, and filled with fascinating people!

So, with that in mind, I give you pictures from both events, one year apart - and now you understand the strange situation of standing in two difference countries, with your feet straddling the Atlantic Ocean.