A Preface by Pushkin

This evening I shall finally depart for St. Petersburg via Frankfurt. Two days of orientation are at an end in the U.S.A., two more to occur on the Neva River. Then one additional flight via Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod.

Despite some initial frustrations, this slow transition is helpful (a) after a long semester and (b) to slowly transition out of English and into Russian. We are asked to take a Russian-only pledge, with the few exceptions being an evening read to refresh and email/blogs. I'm still unsure of how this blog will develop, but perhaps as the details of the program become more obvious, so will my thoughts. For now I leave you with the dedication of Alexander Pushkin's poem "Eugene Onegin," since all things Russian should now become the focus of these entries...

Heedless of the proud world's enjoyment,
I prize the attention of my friends,
and only wish that my employment
could have been turned to worthier ends -
worthier of you in the perfection
your soul displays, in holy dreams,
in simple but sublime reflection,
in limpid verse that lives and gleams.
But, as it is, this pied collection
begs your indulgence - it's been spun
from threads both sad and humoristic,
themes populor or idealistic,
products of carefree hours, of fun,
of sleeplessness, faint inspirations,
of powers unripe, or on the wane,
of reason's icy intimations,
and records of a heart in pain.

P.S.: Pictures will be added soon.