More From the Russian Contingent

16 May 2010

Went to YB this day—it is a very old town approximately 90 minutes from Syktyvkar on the Sissalya River (probably did not spell this correctly). I hope you like the videos that I have uploaded—they take forever. I will miss this good internet connection.

We bounced and heaved our way to Yb on a bus that I swear had no springs and never saw any suspension whatsoever. The Village is much like it was a long time ago and we were able to see how true country folk live—most families were in the process of planting potatoes (perfect time to start them in this area of the world). The day was overcast and we had rain on and off and no one complained, I think we were all glad to have less heat and humidity than we have been enduring thus far.

We went to a church in the village and the women with us had to wear a scarf or hat on their heads as services were in progress. It was Eastern Orthodox services with a lot of singing and chanting—for those of you who do not know, there are no benches or pews—you stand for the entire service. The singing from a small, old and spirited choir was quite lovely. We then went from there for a short walk to see more of the village up close and the river. We then went to a cloistered convent and a nun gave us a tour.

From there we went to a local home and had lunch---cold fish or hot potato soup, wonderful stuffed breads, sliced beets and carrots, kavas (a local liquor), water, juice and fresh milk from the cows. Afterwards our hosts took us out to play games that were popular in the village and some took a crack at chopping wood, sawing, and carrying water.

Headed home after a long day outside and I think all appreciated the time at the village and the time outside. Students dispersed for an evening with their hosts.
During this visit I had the honor of having dinner at two different homes—and what a celebration that is—people laughing, telling stories, sharing all sorts of food—an absolute delightful time. The amount of “space” families live in would be shocking by U. S. standards but their joy in entertaining is certainly equal to any found in Maine.

17 May 2010

Up early today to visit a new business incubator. Very unusual setup—they offer both programs for young entrepreneurs and incubator sites for new start ups in a remodeled building. Today was our day to climb stairs, as every office we visited was on or near the absolute top floor. We did get to meet with new startups in printing and in sheet metal operations—some were disappointed that we did not get to visit the modeling agency as well.

From the incubator we went to what was and will soon become again the largest paper mill in Europe and in Russia—Mondi. It is on land bigger than our campus and has just made a huge investment in upgrades (the largest in Russia in 45 years).
They truly rolled out the red carpet for us and had many senior officials address us and offered us lunch in the executive dining room. They were VERY surprised to hear that we had a facility on our campus—that was quite impressive to them. We then got a tour of the facility (no pictures allow) from a gentleman who spoke perfect English.

After the tour we returned to campus, tired, but there for one final lecture on Small Businesses. The group did well despite the length of the day and all our tiredness.
We dispersed once again—final night in Syktyvkar before an 8:20 flight tomorrow to St. Petersburg. I have tried to load up more videos without success—I cannot tell if it is the web site or the connection here—will try again from St. P and/or England.