Almost done...

Everything came together today in regards to our project, we had several successful tests with both UNI and the university in St. Petersburg, with only one brief internet glitch to slow us down. Lunch was the usual T&C salad, followed by some chicken soup and then a pork medallion, fries, and kidney beans. Very tasty, with that spicy mustard.

After lunch, Chuck experimented with adding some additional audio capabilities to our setup, at the request of the MISA staff. We weren't able to do it, as we didn't bring the right cables with us, but explained to them what they'd need to buy in order to accomplish it, if they so chose. I spent most of the afternoon surfing the web, as we're really done with the project now. Tomorrow we'll help the MISA staff document the setup, if they need any more details, though I think they've gotten most of it. Then we'll do a final test at 4:00 p.m. (7:00 a.m. Iowa time) in which we'll introduce the professor teaching the class from the U.S. to her proctor here in Russia for the first time.

After that, Pitr has promised us a party, I'm not sure what that entails yet, but I'm guessing that means I won't be online tomorrow night.

Dinner tonight was a salad of so many things I don't know what it was, to tell the truth. Mostly vegetables, I think, but we didn't pay too much attention. This was followed by something similar to the Khinkali, a sort of pasta stuffed with sausage. They were good, especially with some sour cream on them and a red sauce that was sort of a cross between taco sauce and sweet and sour sauce. Very filling though.

After dinner, Chuck and Alexey went on a walk, and I crashed for a nap. Just when I think I'm adjusted to the time difference, I keel over like a narcoleptic. I'm going to be absolutely worthless at work when I return to the states if it takes me a week to adjust back the other way.

They came back after an hour, and we went you-know-where to do you-know-what. :)

Success

We ate the usual breakfast, with the new addition of a sort of hot cereal, which we think was made from barley or hominy, and tasted fine, though I think it would have been great with some honey. We then crossed the courtyard over to MISA, and were pleasantly surprised with the arrival of the new TV and VCR for the classroom. The projector hasn't arrived yet, but that doesn't really matter, we really needed the TV to rule out our NTSC-to-PAL converter as a source of trouble. The TV is a really nice one, a big Sony Wega Trinitron, and we were extremely glad to see a normal video image appear on it, as it means all the gear we lugged from America is working properly. The internet connection is back up too, the MISA staff worked late last night, and eventually tracked down a bad patch cable somewhere in the network, so everything looks ready for our next testing window at 4:00 this afternoon (7:00 a.m. Iowa time).

First Drink

I had Alexey get me some vodka, Russian-style. I told him I wanted like the natives, and had him select and order one for me. Wow, the others who've been here weren't kidding when they said Russian vodka is good, it makes the American stuff taste like kerosene in comparison. I had a shot of it, with a cucumber to bite afterwards (yes, more cucumbers, though these were pickled or marinated or somesuch). I've got to say, it's quite good, though I'm not a big drinker. Apparently, the brand was Russian Standard Platinum, which Alexey says is quite good, and I'm inclined to agree. No, I will not bring you home a bottle, so don't even ask. I've already filled my quota. :)

A not-so brief disclaimer

I got some blow-back from work (where I've apparently gained many new readers) about some of these posts, so let me make this brief disclaimer: Any similarities or differences I highlight between Russia and the US are just that, differences. I don't mean to imply that one is better than the other, nor to be insulting. I'm just trying to report things as I see them, since most people won't be lucky enough to come here, though I think you all should, it's amazing. I obviously realize that I carry with me a certain point of view, and that our culture is no doubt strange to many others. I think that's pretty obvious when dealing with international travel, but I'm covering my ass here.

Regarding the food, I'm a picky eater, though my wife is pickier. :) I'd have a hard time eating meals that someone selected for me in the States without turning my nose up at things at least twice a day, so much of my culinary displeasure is specific to me, and is a direct result of not actually getting to order my food, even though we're eating in places with menus. That said, my family raises beef and pork, and if I get some bad meat, I'm going to say so, the same as I would about any American place I ate.

And, any frustrations I have with the educational institutions I'm working with need to be put in the context of the funding for these schools. They are not well-funded, and while we say that about our schools in the States on an almost-daily basis, we have no clue what a real lack of funding means when put in the context of these schools. That the staff, faculty, and students persist in spite of these difficulties is a testament to their ability and desire to learn, and it should be commended.

To be fair to my employers, we're just getting into weblogs now, and they're going to need to get comfortable with their employees being able to spout off about their individual points of view without it affecting the "official" stance of the University. Many businesses and institutions have had this same challenge, and many more will in the future. My personal credibility as a blogger prevents me from whitewashing everything, but I aspire to be fair, and to make my biases known, while at the same time being respectful to the institutions that are hosting me, to the University (and the taxpayers) who paid for this trip, to the work I'm supposed to accomplish on it, and the good-will ambassador that I need to be.

Lastly, I rely upon you, the reader, to "fact-check my ass". I can't see the whole country, nor even the whole city, so if I say something stupid, or insulting, or incorrect, or ignorant, you can call me on it, just use the comments button below, that's what it's there for.

Now, since I'm at a bar, it's time to have some vodka, and await the challenges that tomorrow brings.

Back at Friday's

They didn't have the network up by 5, so we headed out. Pitr said that the Moscow State folks were coming to troubleshoot the problem, which may be confined only to our subnet now, we didn't get a clear statement, but in any case, we were done for the day. We went back to our rooms, where I promptly fell asleep, waking up just in time for dinner at the on-campus bar. The salad was strips of beef and ham, which was good, but I think they put in some mushrooms just to spite me. I ate around them. The next course was a spiced pork fillet, kidney beans, and french fries. What a great meal, the best we've had. I really like the Russian mustard too, I spread it all over my pork, it's good 'n spicy. I washed it all down with an orange Fanta, and the three of us headed out to face the night.

Alexey got directions to Gorky Park, which turned out to be only a couple blocks from MISA, so we walked down there. Most of the amusement park was shut down, but we walked around the whole thing for a while. Alexey won a doll in a shooting gallery, he's a crack shot, he missed one out of 30 shots, by my count.

Gorky Park was sort of surreal, in all. Being in a deserted amusement park at night is odd, through in the Russian twist, and it gets downright weird. We eventually made our way over to the Moscow river, which was absolutely beautiful at night. I remarked to Chuck that I'd love to load some color film back in my 35mm, dig up a tripod, and do some time-exposures on the river. The lit-up bridges and the Church of Christ the Savior looked amazing at night on the water.

One of the Russian Space Shuttles is parked nearby, and we talked for a bit about our space programs, and how obsolete the US shuttle fleet is, and how well the Russian Soyuz capsules have worked for servicing the ISS. Their shuttle looks a lot like ours, though I'm not sure of the size difference, as i wasn't able to get this close to the Enterprise when I saw it at the Air & Space Museum in March.

We walked back, as I found myself wishing I hadn't drank that Fanta at dinner, I really had to go, and everything in the park was closed. We made it back okay, I read some more Larry Niven, and then headed over to TGI Friday's, where you find me now.