I Blend

I still can't begin to figure out why I don't blend in more seamlessly when I travel . . . Here is a picture of me wandering around the backstreets of the old market area in Kasgar in far western China. I think I have a version of this picture from every place I ever visit - I never fit in. Even in Russia, according to my friend Katya, it was just so obvious that I was an American that all the beggars, pickpockets, pandhandlers - or just kind souls who wanted to talk to an American - could always instantly find me. I thought I might find it a little easier to slide along unnoticed in Russia, but even there I failed miserably. Katya, without thinking, just went down a laundry list of my failings - my coat was undone (no Russian would walk around like that apparently), I just looked "English," I was smiling way too much, I was carrying my books and notepad out in the open (Katya had me put everything in a Banana Republic shopping bag, which she inisted, somehow, made me seem more Russian), etc. During the summer I spent in India I was being absolutely beseiged by beggars or merchants looking for an easy and prosperous sale - that is, I just looked like the common international perception of an American - not very bright or shrewd and having money just falling out of his pockets. In India I eventually came up with the ingenious approach of just pretending to be from another country - many Americans do this, obviously (my friend Michelle would always put a little Canada flag on her clothes to try and "pass" as Canadian) - but I added my own unique wrinkle. I met these two European women who were travelling across India and they thought I could pass for Finnish (I'm sure that no one from Scandinavia, the Baltic states or Russia would think so, but these two were Scottish and Italian, respectively). So, after a while, to alleviate the constant pestering, when anyone would ask if I spoke English - which was always the first step to an invitation back to their shop - I'd just try and look confused and then say, "Finlandia." My thinking was that I had to choose a country that they had heard of (as compared to say Andorra or Lichtenstein), but not one that would be so common (like France or Germany) wherein they might know the language. Oddly, it worked, and I got a lot more peace and quiet. There are times when standing out is nice - when I was in Turfan in western China this gaggle of little Chinese boys started following me around as if I were the Pied Piper, and were very happy when I finally stopped and asked if I could have a picture taken with them.

A Kasgar Mosque

OK, so I'm not finished posting from the Russia trip - or the other parts of the summer trip for that matter, which prompted me to decide to take a couple minutes each day to get caught up (or at least within walking distance of being caught up - of course, in the process I'm ignoring the fact that there is a deadline today for getting my proposals in for three different conferences - yes, I'm in that much of a state of denial). Anyway, here's a picture I really like. It was taken in a mosque in Kasgar, which turned out to be my favorite part of China - and of which I'll have much more to say later (I've already talked about my adventures at the Kasgar International Airport and sleeping on the tarmac). As you know, mosques are remarkably unadorned, which makes for a startling comparison to the Tibetan Buddhist temples I saw - or the Daoist temples I saw - or, for that matter, the Russian Orthodox churches I just saw - so maybe this is why this picture has floated back to the surface. Here are four older Chinese Muslims praying. Their hats show that they are from four different ethnic groups, but they are united in prayer. Normally I would never think of taking a picture inside of any religious institution when there is a service being performed, although the Chinese didn't seem to care one way or another - I guess one of the advantages of putting religion on the backburner - so I happily snapped away.

Red Square

Mystery solved. I was wondering why I couldn't get into Red Square when I was in Moscow - it was closed off to put in a skating rink. It's a bit disconcerting, albeit beautiful, of an image, but I think it would have been worth it to put on skates again after twenty years. I can just imagine Cary Grantsky skating in The Revolutionary's Wife.

Back

OK, I've made it back safe and sound from the Russia trip, although I'm swamped with work and dealing with a nasty case of jet lag (which normally isn't an issue, but is for some reason this time). I arrived back into Burlington late on Monday evening, and then had to get up early on Tuesday to work out and then give a video-conference presentation to a conference in South Africa (I wish my life were as exciting as it sounds). By the time Tuesday night rolled around I barely made it until 7:00 before I went to bed - and only survived that long because I was determined to do laundry. Yesterday, Wednesday, I felt so terrible I thought I was coming down with the flu and was back in bed before 8:00. Feeling better today - just a little sluggish. I still have some more stuff I need to post from Russia, as well as long-delayed material from my summer travels. May have to arrange a drive to Montreal soon in search of a good Russian restaurant.

My New Russian Friend

And here's a nice picture that my friend Anna sent to me. It's taken when I went out to eat with her and two of her colleagues from the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University at a traditional Russian restaurant (more kvass and borsch!). Here's my new friend, who hung around until he figured out that I wasn't actually going to share my dinner with him.