4-16-10
About the "Metro Museum Excursion" -
The museum is in the Metro Itself -- and did we go through Militsia locker rooms to get there? That was… Interesting, to say the least!
There were only a handful of us there (and I was a little late, at that) -- one of the Academic Year students was there; and she had only come back for a certain film she wanted to see again. She had to ask for it to be shown -- but we were happy she did! It was just a little thing, maybe 5 minutes, about a guy who basically gets driven insane by the public transit system, asking people if they are getting off at the next stop! Ha ha ha. (He also apparently seems to look like someone familiar to every person on the busses that see him!)
There was also a little group of Russians that joined us (two ladies, with a little boy) -- I think they thought the tour we were getting was for everyone or something, and I'm pretty sure that our tour lady was mad about it - eventually she told them to go away, I think!
-- As far as things in the Museum that were interesting go:
1. There was a display of various coins and tickets that have been used in the history of the Moscow Metro, or other Metros within Russia - it was way cool! (And, given my penchant for collecting coins, etc -- seeing some of the old coinage of Russia was very cool!)
2. We got to see how some of the Metro's Real-Time computer systems work -- so we were getting to look at a computer system, and say, "Oh, hey, here's where this train is, right now, and this is where it's going." That was pretty nifty.
3. They have a scale model of an escalator, to show how it moves/works. Which, being infinitely amused by dissection models as I usually am, made me pretty happy.
Speaking of escalators, enjoy the following factoids about the Park Pobedy Metro station:
1. It is the deepest of all of the Metro Stations in the Moscow Metro - 47 meters below ground, I believe.
2. The escalator ride will take you just over 2 minutes, if you just stand there. (It moves at 70-some-odd cm per second.)
**********
Following the Metro Museum Excursion, I hung out with Nastya, form the dance studio. She is *such* a sweet girl; I absolutely adore her! She's 16, and has a very bright, warm personality.
Interestingly enough, her school is RIGHT next door to where I live. What a small world!
We met up after she got out of school, and we decided to walk around together. She asked if I needed or wanted to go anywhere in particular, and I asked if there was a bookstore around -- as I was still in need of a replacement copy of, "Le Petit Prince." ("The Little Prince") So, we decided to go to a big bookstore, "Dom Knigi" (House of Books) on Novyi Arbat (New Arbat [street name]).
We took the busses there, instead of the Metro -- and it was my first time in all of my time in Moscow using the busses! I was a little nervous -- especially for having to pay -- but Nastya had a bus pass, and she just told me to go through the turnstile with her! I wondered, "Can you do that??" -- but no one took issue with us…
We got to Dom Knigi, and quickly enough, we found "Le Petit Prince" -- unluckily for me, when we went to ask a store clerk to search for it for us, we were standing right in front of a whole wall of English classics!! Doubly unfortunately, I found the "Oscar Wilde" section!! Now -- Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite authors of all time, but I've not had the chance to read much of his work, unfortunately. I had bought a HUGE book of Oscar Wilde back in the States, and then never had time to read it, due to my class and dance schedule in my final semester State-Side; and I didn't have room to bring it with me. … So I'd been wanting to read him desperately… And there it was… … I was bad -- along with "Le Petit Prince," I caved and bought, "The Portrait of Dorian Gray," as well as a book of all of his plays!
*****
Throughout the course of our hanging out, Nastya and I had an interesting talk about names, in relation to how we are called or the names people use. For example, she shared with me that she isn't too fond of when foreigners come to Russia, and adopt Russian names. As in, when I use the name "Katya," instead of "Caitlan," for example. To her, the thought is, "That is not your name -- why are you using it?" I explained that in some cases, our names are just too difficult for some Russians to say, and it is simply easier to use a name they are more comfortable pronouncing. Of course, I'm 100% in agreement with her, if it were a case where someone was using a name *entirely* different from theirs. At least, in my case, the names are etymologically related.
That led her into asking me, "What do your parents call you?" I was confused for a moment, and I said, "Well, Caitlan, of course." That not being the answer she was looking for, she responded, "No, no -- what about, like, "Katya," "Katyusha;" "Nastya," "Nastëna," -- like that? What do they call you?" She was looking for my "Diminutive." I explained to her that in English, we don't really have Diminutive forms of our names. Not like the Russians do, anyway. We may have shorter versions of some names -- but they are not anywhere near as endearing as the Russian system of pet-names. Nastya seemed surprised, but as I told her, "It just doesn't work with us… It's sad… I *love* the Diminutives you have!!" And of course, it's always wonderful when someone comes up with a new one for you!! For example, here is a list of diminutives that have been used for me:
Original Name -- Ekaterina / Katya
Diminutives -- Katya; Kat' ('Kaht'); Katyusha; Katen'ka ("Kah-teen-ka"); Katyuna; Katyushenka
(The bolds are my favorites!)
So, you see, there is a lot of creativity! It's really heartfelt when you hear them, and it just gives you the warm and fuzzies! It's like, "Aww, this person is using a pet name, and they care about me!!"
The only thing I had to tell Nastya, in my case, is that some of my good friends at home call me "Cat," or "Kit-Cat," or, "Catchikan;" (Although the latter is certainly not the kind of name most Americans get from their friends!! It's the closest to a "Russian-Style" Diminutive that I have ever seen in the States!)
I also told her about a distant cousin of mine (one of my Nana's cousins), from Sweeden, who has almost always called me, "Catlina" ("Cat-leena") -- because my actual name "Caitlan" has always been too difficult to pronounce. My mutti has always gotten a kick out of that name, and so every so often, when she is feeling sentimental, or just wants to tease me about the story, she will call me, "Catlina!" -- "But normally," I told Nastya, "she calls me "Caitlan," because she loved the name, and that's what she named me!"
Nastya was certainly surprised! She then told me how she doesn't really like the diminutive for her name -- Nastya. "I love my name -- Anastasia -- but "Nastya," -- it's too close to, "Nasty!!" I much prefer, "Nastëna!" ["Nast-yo-na"]"
*****
As we continued to chat, she told me that she would like to come to my lessons with me sometime, to see what my classes are like here -- hopefully we'll be able to make that come to pass! I think it would be delightfully fun for her to spend some time with us!!
We split ways eventually, for her to go pick up her little sister from school; but we agreed that we would go to the dance studio for practice later, so we split on a really great note. I had such a wonderful time hanging out with her!! And did I mention -- we're going to try to go to the Hard Rock Café together, too!! =^__^= I can't wait!
**********
We met up without a hitch (ok, I was a little bit late…), and set off for practice together, just as we'd planned.
While on the way, I was telling her the story about all the goodwill on the Metro -- and then thanked her for bearing with me. I told her about how I have these stories that I want to share with people, but sometimes it's so difficult to get them out. That is, it's difficult for me to translate them into Russian, and relate them in the same, smooth manner as I would in English. I said, "Sometimes, it's so difficult, that I just don't want to [share]… But I try anyway. [Because I really do want to share!]"
Nastëna said she was happy to listen to me -- and that she was impressed that I even tried to do such a thing! She said she was scared to tell stories in English!! I assured her that if I could manage it [badly] in Russian, she surely could in English!!!
*****
Once we got out of the Metro, we walked yet ANOTHER way to the studio!
On the way, we talked some about "Le Petit Prince" -- the plot, and how it can really be so much deeper than just the surface story. She didn't know that it was actually a French book to begin with, so I was telling her about that; which, of course, led us into a discussion about languages in general!! (Keep in mind, that the entire time I'm with Nastëna, all of these conversations are going on, in Russian!! =^_~= )
About Languages:
Nastëna - "Sometimes I think English is all you need."
** Me - "But that would be so sad!!! Think of all the things we'd loose!" -- I went off onto a whole explanation about the cultural nuances of how people express things in their respective languages, and certain phrases that are perfect for a sentiment, but that don't exist in other languages. When I finished, I just laughed and said, "Why don't I tell you how I really feel about it, huh?"
** Nastëna was telling me about the first time she saw a movie in English, after having watched it subtitled. She said she never wanted to watch a subbed movie ever again!! "The meanings were entirely different!!!"
** As we were talking about movies, it brought up a perfect example, for both taking movies from French and Russian, and rendering them into English. You see, in French and Russian, there is a Formal and Informal form of, "You," while in English, we only have the one form. So, when there is a pivotal moment when two characters may change from using the formal form of, "You" to the informal form (a big deal in a Romance movie, for example) -- the moment is ENTIRELY lost in the English subtitle or dub. -- I find that very sad.
**********
Tonight, I also returned back to the topic of, "Changing Clothes" / "Locker Rooms" in Russia! (For Dance)
See, when Nastëna and I went in to go change, the girl's dressing room was closed -- so it seemed we were all in the guys' room today. There were no guys in there, so that wasn't a big deal. But then, these two little kids came in -- can't have been more than 8 or 9 -- a boy and a girl.
Now, I don't know about any of you, but I wasn't exactly jumping at the idea of getting changed in front of a little boy -- especially one who's not little enough not to know anything, and one who's not in any way, shape, or form, connected to me. (E.g. - if this was a toddler nephew/cousin/relation of mine, it wouldn't matter.)
It's not as though I thought he'd be staring or something -- but I think I'm not mistaken if I said that in the US, there would be some big issues of, "Oh my goodness, what were you doing prancing around in your knickers in front of my child???" -- Although, that brings up the "swimsuit argument" -- that typically, (women's) swimsuits are more revealing than underwear. But I digress.
So, I made up my mind to follow Nastëna's lead -- and she started to change, while chatting with the kids. So, I changed, too, and it was all just fine.
But I was busy laughing, on the inside, that that little boy -- whether he was looking or not -- officially saw more of me than any other guy ever has. Ha ha ha ha!!! I figured a fair number of my guy friends in the States would have been rather jealous of him. =^_~=
*****
At the end of the night, when Nastëna and I were changing again, I asked her about the "changing in front of each other" dynamic (with boys and girls) -- and it seems that, as I surmised, it's no big deal. As Nastëna put it simply, "Everyone's seen everything anyway!" ["…So why should we care??"] (From all the dresses, and things in competition, etc.)
Really, more than anything, Nastëna seemed surprised that we were, to put it bluntly, so prudish in the US about things like changing. I tried to explain to her that, "For me; well, I'm pretty adaptable. If you say, "It's fine for girls and boys to change together," well, I'll adapt faster. After all, if you all are not ashamed, why should I be?? But if you had some of the other girls in my program, or other girls from the US here, the would flat-out tell you, "I am NOT changing with this person here.""
We also chatted about the clothing difference, too. You see, here, there's a lot more leg and butt that gets shown around in practice. It really is no big deal. I think they're almost all proud of it!!
For example -- I use "spankies" (dance shorts) that are almost like bike shorts, along with tights, and another pair of shorts. This is because, for my size, I have a pretty sizable derrière, and in the US, I was conditioned, "Cover it all up! No one wants to see that!" -- so I got paranoid about any part of my butt showing. So, there's always spankies, so that nothing shows underneath my "top" layer of shorts. One day, as I was changing, Liza asked me, "Why do you have two pairs of shorts on??? Why not just the black pair??" (My spankies.) When I tried to explain everything about how I was scared for anything to show, because of what everyone in the US had said, she just looked incredulously at me! She showed me how her spankies were much smaller than mine, and how, "I don't care!" [With the intonation that she's proud to show her butt off -- which she pantomimed, striking a pose, and hiking her skirt up, to expose her butt!! Ha ha!]
So, I figure, by the time Russia finishes with me, I'll be showing off my own goods way more.
(4-25-10 Note: In fact, this entire past week appears to have been, "Leotard and Tights and Heels" week in the studio!!! XD Talk about showing it off!!!)
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