Leaders in Nonprofits!

Check this out--my boss just got listed in the top 50 next generation of nonprofit leaders you should know!

Congratulations, Laura!

Nonprofit Leadership 601

Fast Catch up & a few opinions

Well, summer is just about gone. Labor Day has past. I've spent a good junk of the summer in the states soaking up time with friends, family and good food. I think I may have finally trained my body to not be overwhelmed by jet lag which is a good accomplishment for this lifestyle.

While I missed pretty much all of the Olympics which I used to enjoy with great fascination as a child, I have managed to catch most of the political conventions. Admittedly, I'm a lifelong democrat so the DNC was a great moment in history for me. I have concerns about America thinking racism is done if we elect Obama, but I am uplifted and energized by his candidacy. What little I saw of the RNC reinforced my stereotypes and left a bad taste in my mouth. It felt like a frat boy revival rather than a presentation of issues and platform. "Drill Baby Drill? Come on, some respect and thought would be good.

My boss, Laura, shared this link before my morning conference call today.
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/09/cindy-mccains-300000-outfit.html
I'm from Louisiana and therefore found the whole concept completely disgusting that Cindy McCain would wear an outfit worth an estimated $300K when asking for money from the poorest state in the country! Republicans have the audacity to call the Obamas elitist??!! How did black folks connected with the southside of Chicago become elitist? Michelle Obama bought her clothes from the Gap or equivalent for the People cover. Granted, they might have been imports made by small children in Sri Lanka, but her choice speaks more to where women are today in this country. Well, enough with the rant. I could go on for a while.

We were at Lake Baikal last week, and this week I am in Indianapolis and Chicago. Baikal was amazing. Tristan put some pics up on FB, but we'll have to put some here.

In the meantime, here's a fun piece from the Daily Show!

Water Woes

I'm sitting at home hoping that the water will come back on. Water outages are not uncommon here in Russia. It's one of those reminders that while the facade of many things here is of a developed country--Versace, Dolce & Gabana and Nike grace the windows of shops in major Russian cities--the bones are more of a developing nation.

In our old apartment building in Moscow, the djshorna (apartment manager) would post a sign in Russian and English letting you know when the water would be turned off. Usually it was just the hot water that was off, but sometimes both hot and cold. The English version of the sign read, "Due to the prophylactic leading of the pipes, water will not be available from . . . to . . ." I'm not sure what version of babblefish they used to create the sign, it did get the point across. NO WATER (or a very cold shower that morning). This occasional annoyance could be tolerated. It wasn't everyday and water was reliable and generally safe to drink. It's better than Tristan's memories of filling up buckets when the water did come on in Turkmenistan because you didn't know when it would be on again.

I admit, I am getting older. Complaining is still not something I like to do publicly or appreciate when others do it, but I want the water to come back on. I'm tired of camping in my own apartment. The Consulate has done their best by providing drinking water and turning the city hot water back on. Still running water in my apartment would be nice.

I was humbled on my walk home last night from the Consulate after grabbing a shower at the gym. I passed the water spigot by one of the many construction sites around town. There was an immigrant laborer, probably from Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan, filling up about 4 huge jugs of water for his evening supply. His housing, in a metal box in the middle of a construction site, doesn't have running water and I suspect little adequate heating in the winter. I suppose I shouldn't complain; I should be moved to change his situation if I had the ability . . . frankly I just want water for us both.

Now I hear the thunder of rain outside which means my internet will probably go down, AFN satellite will be interrupted and progress on the water main near my apartment will be further delayed. Ok, I should really quit my public complaining!

Tomsk and Yekat!

Hello Everyone!

It's been a while since I've posted. Our internet is slow here Yekaterinburg and then Utel did an upgrade which threw the whole thing off. I was blaming my problems on Russian internet connections, but thanks to our neighbor and some testing and head scratching, I finally tried replacing the Ethernet cables on the whole system and that seems to have solved a large part of our problems. It's still slow, but soooo much better! It's so frustrating to stare at your screen hoping that the page will load or message will send and it go nowhere. On July 1st, our internet plan gets upgraded and fingers crossed it will be even better! YEAH!!!! My outlook is so much better here with working internet!

Many of you have asked what life is like in Yekaterinburg. It's much smaller than Moscow which is nice and challenging. No pushing and shoving on the Metro, but not so many social options in such a small town. Work keeps me occupied, and we've started to make some good connections. Believe it or not, my friend Marni from High School in Baton Rouge went to college with Emily who is the ACCEL Regional Director in Yekaterinburg and Novosbirsk. (She's in the Shashlik pictures!)

We celebrated summer solstice on Saturday with new friends Stina and George from the Park Inn and visiting colleagues from Moscow. The light is amazing at this time of year--the sky doesn't get fully dark for more than an hour. It sets around 10:30 or close to 11 and starts coming up again around 3:30. Not sure that bodes well for December!

I am just back from several trips. We arrived here on April 21st. Then I headed back to Moscow for the Fulbright Community College Collaboration meeting followed by a trip to St. Petersburg with my friend Karen. Fantastic weekend--loved St. Petes! Once our internet is upgraded, I'll put the pictures up and my recomendations.

Here's a piece from today's NY Times on Tomsk. Tristan visited there and met with students at the American Center. It really is beautiful. We'll try to put those pictures up as well!

Hope you are well!
Carolyn

Tomsk Journal
A Fresh Take on a 19th-Century Gingerbread Village
By CLIFFORD J. LEVY
Published: June 25, 2008
Nikolai Zakotnov vowed to rescue Tomsk and help the city defend an architectural heritage that is as charming as it is unexpected.

Love Shashlik in the Park!

YUM!

This is the before shot. Ksenia took these with her phone--pretty cool!

Signs of Spring

Spring is a welcome relief in Russia. The winters, even with global warming, are long, cold and dark, and the first signs of spring brighten even the gruff characters of Russians. The first rumblings for me seem to come around Women's Day or March 8th. Flowers are purchased for the women in your life and those bright bunches are tucked under many a passerby's arm. Spring is also for planting. Babushkas take the first weekend opportunity to check on their dachas and get the first plantings in the garden taking advantage of the short but precious growing season.

Spring is also the season of cleaning. Chisty Chetvergk (clean Thursday), or Maundy Thursday as it's known in the Protestant and Catholic calendars (the Thursday before Easter), is a day for cleaning out your house of the winter air and dust in preparation for the Easter Feast.

In Moscow, Spring is painting season. A peculiar practice of painting over anything, usually rather sloppily by young men, metallic in sight--iron fences, siding, trash bins, archways, curbs, etc. I've actually watched them paint trash. This is usually accompanied by a failure to put any notice that mentions wet paint. Just ask Katherine who sat on wet yellow paint at Patriarshy Ponds a few weeks ago. The guy who sat on the yellow bench next to her didn't know he wanted stripes on his suit either. Thanks to former neighbor and Hot Tipper JC for this picture from the Val near our old apartment in Moscow.

Look closely at the fence (click for larger view). HT JC adds, "BTW - now that the fence is painted, they were out washing it this morning. I'm not sure, maybe they mixed up the schedule and painted the fence 3 weeks before washing it? No, I think its just stupidity and low standards!"

Kak obichno, v Moskve! Many things still stump us daily! But isn't that the fun of living abroad??!!??

Easter Bells in Yekaterinburg

Happy Easter from Yekaterinburg!

Today, Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate the coming of Christ. Easter in Russia also means the coming of Spring, a welcome relief from the long winter. As I write this, I'm listening to the Easter bells of the church next to our new home in Yekaterinburg. Poised on the continental divide, Yekaterinburg is in the Ural Oblast or region and is home to former President Yeltsin.

We arrived on Monday and are settling into a slower pace of life. Moscow was fascinating and lively with much to offer, but often drains the life out of you with its noise, traffic and general aggressiveness. The expat community is small here in Yekat, but so far we like the folks we've met and it seems easy to break in.

Yesterday, we took a walk around town and checked out the market and then met up with Emily who knows an old friend of mine from High School. Very small world we live in.

Tristan at the Market

Babushka checking her eggs as she leaves the Egg Store!

Outside Market area.

Carolyn in front of an old building in Yekaterinburg.

Once I figure out how to manipulate the video, I'll put the Easter bell ringing up from last night.

Obama and the Multiracial debate

There's an interesting piece in today's New York Times on how Obama's speech in Philadelphia has sparked discussion on multi-racial identity. Being mixed, this is not a new conversation, but one that is now taking center stage in US politics.

U.S. / Politics
Who Are We? New Dialogue on Mixed Race
By MIREYA NAVARRO
Published: March 31, 2008
Many multiracial Americans say Barack Obama’s speech about race rang with a special significance in their ears.

Be sure to check out the video discussion by university mixed race students.

In other news, our blog was picked up by AFSA's Foreign Service Magazine highlighting the use of Google's blogger tools! Pretty cool!

It's spring here and I need to finish our taxes. We depart for Yekaterinburg in just 3 weeks and the reality of packing up again is settling in. YUCK! I don't mind the boxes as much as the exhausting task of finding your new favorite spots and leaving behind a strong set of friends.

Lots of fun pictures to post from Moscow after I finish those pesky taxes!!

Trans Siberian

This video was made by friend's of ours who served in Moscow. Hopefully, we'll find some time to do this in the next year.

Happy Spring!

Glad I am a telecommuter!

I laughed so hard, I cried! Thanks for Mei for the forward!

glumbert - Bad Day at the Office

Upcoming Russian Holidays

Reprinted from Fun Stuff News.

International Women’s Day (“Международный женский день,” pronounced “Myezhdoonarodnee zhenskee dyen”) is celebrated on March 8th. Some say that the origins of this holiday can be traced back to the Socialist Party in the United States. At the beginning of the 20th century, socialist in the US were promoting equal rights for women and motivated socialist in other countries to do the same. In 1910, German socialist Klara Zetkin proposed an International Women’s Day. Instead of men treating women nicely, the women went on strike and marched through the streets. On March 8th, 1917, Klara Zetkin and her Russian counterpart Alexandra Kollontai, held a women’s strike “for bread and peace” in St. Petersburg. This was soon followed by a general strike that triggered the March Revolution which brought down Tsar Nicholas II. Today the holiday has lost its political significance. Instead, it has become popular for other reasons: Men are supposed to give women gifts
on March 8th. They are also supposed to do all the housework on this day – at least in theory. You should make the effort to give a small gift (e.g., chocolates or flowers) and a greeting card to your female colleagues, friends, and relatives on this important holiday.

Maslenitsa (Shrovetide) (“Масленица”, pronounced “Masleneetsa”) is a
traditional Russian spring celebration also referred to as “Pancake Week,” “Cheese Week,” or “Butter Week.” It comes right before the seven-week Orthodox Lent. The word “Maslenitsa” refers to the Russian word “maslo”, meaning “butter.” It refers to the fact that all kinds of different foods, including butter and other fats, may be consumed before the seven-week Orthodox Lent. Christian historians say that those were really mad days in the past. Originally a pagan holiday celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of spring, pancakes were baked as a form of worship of the life-giving sun. People wore funny masks and costumes, and sometimes men wore women’s clothing and vice a versa. Lots of good food and a lot of wine – all of which were forbidden during the ensuing Lent – were consumed during this merry festival. A big straw doll (“Maslyona”) was built and burned on the last day of Maslenitsa to say a final goodbye to winter. Fist fighting was another popular activity that helped keep people warm and sometimes turned violent. Everyone from peasants to tsars and grand princes took part in the celebrations, which also included merry troika rides. Today this colorful celebration is once again gaining popularity, and numerous celebrations
are held during this week, in particular in Moscow’s many parks. Throughout the entire week, people make pancakes that are served with fresh cream, butter, honey, and sometimes caviar. Maslenitsa consists of three main parts: the Meeting (“Vstryecha”) of Maslenitsa on Monday; “Sheerokovaya (“Broad”) Maslenitsa,” or the peak of festive occasion, on Thursday; and the last day, the good-bye day, which comes on Sunday morning and was also referred to as Forgiveness Day (“Prashyonnoye Vaskresen’ye”) because people would ask each other for forgiveness on this day. Also on this day, godchildren would visit their godfathers and godmothers, and the big straw doll “Masylona” was burned together with any remaining foods that are forbidden during Lent.

In 2008, Maslenitsa will be celebrated from March 3rd to March 9th and many events will be held in various locations in Moscow. Restaurants will offer special Maslenitsa menus. Maslenitsa activities (including folk shows, fairs, pancake sales, concerts, ritual burnings of the Maslenitsa effigy, carnival marches, horse sleigh rides, and fireworks) usually take place on Vasilievsky Spusk (that’s the big slope leading from
Red Square down towards the Moskva River ), at the All-Russia Exhibition Center (VVTs) at Metro VDNKh, and at the Kolomenskoye Open-Air Art Museum and Nature Preserve at Metro Kolomenskaya. Information on Maslenitsa events can be found on here: http://www.maslenitsa.ru (Rus).

Right after Maslenitsa comes the seven-week Lent (“Великий пост”; pronounced “Veleekee post”) leading
right up to Easter. Orthodox Russians who take this fasting period very seriously will not consume any milk, eggs, or meat, with fish being eaten only on special occasions. With the exception of small sips of Kagor (a sweet locally produced red church wine), alcohol is also forbidden. The fast is broken on Easter Sunday with a lavish meal. Orthodox marriages cannot take place during Lent.

April 1st is April Fool’s Day (“День смеха”, pronounced “Dyen smyekha,” literally meaning “Day of Laughter.” This day is also referred to as “День Дураков,” meaning “Idiot’s Day,” pronounced “Dyen Doorakov”). This is a day of fun and laughter but not a public holiday. People tell jokes to each other and newspapers and TV publish/run funny stories and jokes. The motto of this day is “Don’t trust anybody on April 1st” (“Первое апреля – никому не верю,” pronounced “pyervoye aprelya – neekamoo nye veryoo”).

Does lack of sun put you in danger?

Here's a funny piece from the Seattle Times. Quite appropriate for those of us living in Moscow. The sun is actually out this morning, and I am enjoying some blue sky while sitting at my desk. We're off to Thailand on Sunday to soak up some vitamins (and maybe some really fantastic food!)

Does our lack of sun put your health in danger?

The Northwest's dreary winters are infamous for inducing depression. But a growing body of evidence suggests it can raise your risk of cancer and increase susceptibility to other diseases, such as diabetes.

Full story: Seattle Times Full Story

Voting from Abroad

Tristan and I filled out our ballots tonight for the Washington State Presidential Primary. Even from far away, we are getting exciting, holding our breath for something different, hoping that a new President will change and influence our reputation abroad. It's an exciting moment. In the Foreign Service Community, we are often quiet about our political viewpoints which is a new position for me. The premise being that we serve no matter who the President is. I do have to say, we would be excited to serve this man as President. For me as a bi-racial person who has organized for issues of diversity and equality, Obama's candidacy is a test of our values as Americans. Do we truly believe that all are fit to serve? Can we embrace an African American man as President? Not be blind to his color or experience, but embrace what he represents for America today? Hope is alive!

Thank you, Wallis!

Thank you, Wallis for the pretty candles!
Looks like Wallis is enjoying her stay!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

And they voted . . . well sort of

Russia held Duma (like Congressional) elections yesterday. The city seemed quiet when we took an afternoon walk (it was freezing cold) during which I received a text message reminding me to vote "Vazhna dlya strani". It's important for the country.

Well, as we all expected, Putin's party came out with a significant majority. Russian friends said they weren't voting when asked because it didn't make a difference. We watched CNN International broadcast their program "Czar Putin" all weekend which was interesting but extremely slanted and failed to explain why Russians are attracted to the strength Putin provides despite the lack of freedoms. Life after the breakup of the Soviet Union was difficult to say the least. Freedom didn't bring economic prosperity here --it brought crime, hunger and low pensions. CNN just made Russians sound crazy and scary for voting for Putin.


Sergey Ponomarev / AP
Garry Kasparov holding his ballot with all the parties crossed out Sunday.

Kasparov, former chess champion and now political activist, was released from jail in time for the elections.

Here's another article from today's St. Petersburg Times (links last longer than Moscow):
Election Coverage St. Pete's
Moscow Times

New Louisiana Governor

Well, Fall is here and I am still behind on blogging. Partly because our wireless has been down for months and I used to enjoy drinking coffee, writing and watching CNN in the morning. Now, I am chained to the desk in order to write. My summer truly was wonderful and it's hard to put into words such powerful and amazing experiences.

I'm off to Vienna or BEHA as it is written in Russian on Wednesday. The other big news is that I got a job working with another embassy spouse. We both come from academia--she is a former Fulbright scholar and has worked in Executive Search for years. Now a VP for Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, the company is expanding and hired two new Associates. It's a great job working with nonprofits in transition leading executive searches. So far I really like it and can sit at home in my PJs while working and no one knows what I'm wearing or even that I'm in Moscow! The Internet is amazing!

Well, the point of this posting was to put up a couple articles about the new governor of Louisiana who graduated from my high school, Baton Rouge Magnet High School.

New York Times
National / U.S.
Indian-American Elected Louisiana’s Governor
By ADAM NOSSITER
Published: October 21, 2007
Bobby Jindal, a conservative Republican congressman from the New Orleans suburbs, inherits a state that was suffering well before Hurricane Katrina.

The Advocate
Baton Rouge Newspaper
Jindal carries 60 parishes in landslide win

Only four years older than me, I tend to be on opposite ends of the political spectrum from him. While he has a good track record of cleaning up messes in state politics (Louisiana has plenty of them!), it has been done on the backs of programs for the poor and disadvantaged. I makes me think of life here in Russia where strength in leadership often is at the cost of equality, fairness and opportunity for all. The last time I saw him was on a plane to DC from Baton Rouge last April.

For you K-dawg! The safety of Russian airlines!

Well, I have received my first official complaint that I am a terrible blogger! I know, it's true!

This summer has been crazy--lots of traveling, adjusting and readjusting to life in Moscow and elsewhere. Sooooo, I haven't had the mental space to write like I have wanted. There are lots of drafts in the post section, but not much actually here!

Since I have been so absent, here's a funny story from our neck of the woods!

Drunk parent, crazy kid, and a flight to Moscow

Cheers,
Carolyn

The struggle continues

Education
Alabama Plan Brings Out Cry of Resegregation
By SAM DILLON
Published: September 17, 2007
After white parents complained about school crowding, authorities drew up a rezoning plan. The results: almost all of the students required to move this fall were black.

Full text of article

Summer in the US: Chicago to Texas:

I love summers! Summers in Seattle are magical and probably one of my favorite things in the entire world. This summer was one of reunions with old friends, General Assembly craziness, and an amazing week in Seattle.

Here's the first installment of my pictures. I landed in Chicago on July 10 after a long delay in Atlanta. The flight from Moscow was fine--10 hours of chatting on and off in Russian with a grandmother who was visiting her daughter in Indianapolis. If I understood the story correctly, her daughter just had a baby two weeks ago and grandma was really excited about the visit. Grandma was an accompanist for a regional orchestra in a town outside of the Moscow Oblast.

Chicago was lovely--green & lush--crashed at Jessica & Laura's (THANK YOU!). Enjoyed a surprise visit with my friend Maddie--Maddie and I played flute together in college. She kept me laughing through the tortures of my Music degree!

Then off to Indy and a two-day road trip to visit Gina in Bryan, TX. (Can anyone tell me why Holiday Inns always smell like dirty socks?) The Honda did fantastically! Lots of fun at Gina's with Clara, Scott & Lillian from High School. Gina is an amazing cook & host and it was such a treat to spend time with friends from High School. I am stunned every time I think that we graduated 14 years ago! Ahhhhhh! The blessing is that I still keep in touch with these folks so many years later.

Then I was off to Slumber Falls Camp where I worked for two summers and directed for 6! The weather was so cool and wet for that time of the year (see river pics). I was amazed at the river level and the daily downpour. It was a great treat to sleep in one of the river cabins and listen to the crickets and river roaring down the hill. Got to see old friends and favorite place in New Braunfels which was a restful treat before General Assembly.

Part II coming soon: General Assembly

Click on the photos below for larger images.