June 11, 2007 - Orthodoxy in Russia?

This post relates to events held at the Wilson Center. Scholars, policy
experts, legislators, community members and people alike are able to attend
events at the center. This is part of the Wilson Center mission. The program
title is “Orthodox Christianity and the State in Putin’s Russia:
Clericalization or Secularizatism?” Each event at the center is chaired by a
program, for instance the Kennan Institute, and the speaker is normally an
expert or scholar on the particular topic. Irina Papkov, a research scholar
at the Kennan Institute in the Wilson Center, gave this presentation. The
Kennan Institute focus is on Russia and surrounding states.

Her presentation was extremely relevant to many people trying to understand
Russia today. Many see Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, as
controlled by the Orthodox Church. But, Irina concluded what I think is
really true in Russia today, after seeing it firsthand last summer. What
many call the clericalization of Russia is simply not happening. Through an
outsider’s point of view, this might be a conclusion made. However, Russia
during Putin’s time has clearly become more and more secular.

The Russian government and the Orthodox Church see the Soviet period in very
different ways. There are many actors within Russia, who are not happy with
the independence that the Orthodox Church has, including the Federal
Security Services. They would rather see the church as an instrument of the
government and controlled by the government.

June 10, 2007 - Sunday, another first!

I decided that since I am in Washington for a rather large amount of time,
that I should first visit the Washington National Cathedral. The full name
is the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. I left my room at GW
to attend the 11 am service at 10:25 am. Little did I know that the metro is
much slower on the weekend and that it would take me 1.5 miles to walk to
the cathedral from the nearest metro stop.

So, I eventually made it to the WNC after the service had already begun.
However, I was welcomed by a greeter and enjoyed the majority of the
service. After the service, I departed and decided that I would return later
that evening for another service, that is fashioned after Taizé, a small
ecumenical monastery in southern France, that I have had the chance to
journey to twice during my time at SMU. The walk later that evening was
peaceful and relaxing and I actually left with ample time to enjoy the walk
and the beauty of the Cathedral building.

Here are a few facts about the Washington National Cathedral:

The exterior of the building is almost the length of two football fields.

It took over 80 years to build and was finally finished in 1990.

Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his last sermon in the
cathedral on March 31, 1968.

Over 150 people are interred in the cathedral, including Woodrow Wilson and
Helen Keller.

June 9, 2007 - My first adventure in the city!

Today is my first real day to see and explore the city. Getting used to
using the metro and walking did take a bit of adjusting to, but all in all,
I easily got the hang of getting around. I was able to meet up with a friend
after sleeping a good deal after a long week getting adjusted to the new
location for the summer.

We set out to explore the Smithsonian - well not only one, but many of them.
This isn’t something one can do in only a day, it takes a few, and well, we
didn’t realize this until we made it down to the area and were around the
massive amounts of people. From Girl Scouts to FFA members, to regular
tourist and school groups, Washington during the summer is not a quiet and
lovely place to enjoy the sites and sounds without masses of people joining
in the adventure.

We decided to enter the Smithson Castle, one of the main buildings. It
houses the crypt of Smithson, the benefactor of Smithsonian. After getting
tired of standing with the crowds, we decided that we would start our real
exploration at the Museum of Natural History. Here you find the animals, the
“Hope diamond,” and many other fossils and remains of people around the
world, including a few mummies from Egypt. The time here was enjoyable, as
well as a place to take refuge from the summer heat and humidity in
Washington.

Between all of the Smithsonian buildings is a large open area, where
preparations have begun for the Folk-life festival that takes place every
summer. It will commence in a few weeks, normally around the Independence
Day celebrations.

After being exhausted by both the heat and the people around us, it was
time for a well-needed break. I departed for Foggy Bottom, where George
Washington University is located, to rest before going back out to see the
monuments at night. One of the most exciting things about Washington is
seeing the most beautiful structures of the city lit and adorning this city
skyline. Well, somewhat of a skyline. No structures are taller than the
Capitol building and the Washington Monument. I met back with a friend and
decided to walk around the monuments. We started near the White House and
began our trek to the Washington Monument, then to the Jefferson, Franklin
D. Roosevelt monuments. My favorite of all is the Jefferson, which resembles
the SMU Rotunda. The beautiful marble monument sits away from many of the
others on the Tidal Basin.

After leaving the Jefferson, it was late and we decided to try to find a
taxi. However, no taxis are around the Jefferson and we were told that our
best option was to walk toward the FDR monument to find one. After hearing
this we went to the FDR memorial and walked through it. It was fascinating,
but hard to see, because some of the lights were out. I will have to return
in order to see all of the quotes and enjoy it.

After walking through all 4 rooms at the FDR memorial, we started looking
for a taxi and waited so that we could make it back home after the
adventure. It was exciting. I don’t think that this will be the last time
that I explore the monuments while here in Washington. There is just
something about them that is inspirational and moving.

June 8, 2007 - The Work has begun — Reading lists

In typical Russian fashion, time is always something that is flexible. Don’t
worry about the time; the only limit to life is time. Well, I met with my
scholar, Dr. Arkady Moshes, to begin working through the focus of the
project I would be assisting him with during his time at the Wilson Center.

Our research question focuses on looking at Ukraine, the United States, and
European Union and the foreign policy of each. More specifically, Ukraine is
seen as a pro-western country and has had interest in joining both the
European Union and NATO. My scholar first tasked me with searching out
articles that are more recently published that deal with the issues of EU
and NATO ascension for Ukraine and how both of these organizations view
Ukraine, compared to other former Soviet States.

Besides this task, I have the ability to attend events held by the Wilson
Center on a variety of topics and issues facing the world today. These
events bring some of the most renowned scholars from all over the world to
improve understanding for policymakers, opinion leaders and scholars alike.

My research with the Wilson Center includes having the ability to research
at the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. It has around
over 30 million books, manuscripts, tapes, maps, audio and video and other
materials, that may be accessed and reviewed by researchers from anywhere in
the world. The key, however, is you must possess a readers card in order to
enter the reading rooms. Another interesting fact about the Library of
Congress is that it is not a lending library and it only has closed stacks.
Thus meaning, you must request the book and it will be delivered to you and
you cannot take it out of the library. This was the way research libraries
worked around the world; today most universities have open stacks allowing
you the ability to access the books and look through the available
resources.

Another interesting note, people here in Washington, don’t refer to the city
as “D.C.,” as many people do other places. They simply call it Washington.
And a person from the Washington area will know if you are a tourist or
visitor if you call it “D.C.”

June 6, 2007 - Meeting my scholar

Today I was able to meet my scholar, who I would be working with for the
first time. He is a great person and I will enjoy every minute of working
with him throughout the summer. Arkady, only wanted to meet with me for a
few moments, because he has to reorganize his project for the time he is
here has been reduced to 2 months.

Our project is in the air for the most part at the moment, due to the fact
that there isn’t much publicized about US and Europe’s policies on Ukraine
and their ability to enter NATO and the EU. I have been doing preliminary
research to aid the project, in order to move us along. After the short
introduction, we decided to meet again on Friday to go over everything and
figure out the new plan for the two months ahead.

The office at the Wilson Center has 6 floors, all containing different
program, projects and area focuses. We have a library that houses a large
Russian collection, the Woodrow Wilson collection and many other journals
and books used by the scholars on a daily bases to aid their research.

The Wilson Center is named after the 28th President of the United States and
is the living national memorial established by congress in 1968. Wilson the
only president with a Ph.D., was known as the “schoolmaster of politics.” I
will continue to share more about the Wilson Center and President Wilson
over the course of the summer.

June 5, 2007 - Work has begun, maybe!

Today was my first day on the job, well, maybe. I had to make it to the
Wilson Center to sign paperwork and get set up on the computer system, as
well as meet my scholar, who I would be working with for the duration of the
summer internship. Upon arrival, I found out that my scholar would arrive
tomorrow, I did see his empty office and that I would only just be getting
acquainted with the facility and center for today.

I spent the day with the other interns, one other undergraduate and a
graduate student. We enjoyed each other’s company, while on the tour of the
center and checking out our responsibilities for the summer. The Wilson
Center is located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade
Center, only a couple of metro stops away from the Foggy Bottom. After
leaving early for the day, we headed out to help another intern find her
banking center near Dupont Circle. This concludes my post for now. Will
catch up later this evening.

 

June 4, 2007 - Travel Troubles

To begin the adventure, one must pack and take adequate time in preparation
to be successful. I had made lists after list of items to take, shipped
myself things so that I would not be over the luggage weight for air travel,
however, I only began packing Sunday evening and packed until 12:30 a.m. and
decided to finish on Monday morning before leaving my house for the Little
Rock National airport for my connection flight to DC in Dallas/FW airport.
My flight was to depart Little Rock at 9:10, I left my house at 7:40, then
taking me about 35 minutes to the airport, I was pushing my time to make it
in order to get through security. I made it with plenty of time to Little
Rock, luckily and to connect to Dallas, where I had about an hour layover
added to my travel time, because the flight crews' “mandatory rest hours”
were exceeded and they were late leaving from the previous location. This
was a blessing, because I had enough time to grab a bite to eat, rest and
prepare for my flight to D.C. My flight finally departed D/FW airport at
12:10 and I made it to Washington around 4 p.m.

Supershuttle then brought me to campus at George Washington University,
where I would be living for the next two months. I checked in and made it to
City Hall, my new place of residence for the summer, unpacked, met my
roommates, both GWU students, and went out to dinner with two SMU students
also interning here for the summer. We went to Dupont Circle for dinner and
enjoyed the evening. Their first day on the job was today. After returning,
to the Foggy Bottom, by metro, I did some more unpacking and rested the rest
of the evening to prepare for the first day of work, which would begin at 10
a.m. at the Woodrow Wilson Center. I am excited and ready to begin.

 

May 29, 2007 - Shape of summer

Here is the scoop for this summer:

Internship time period: June 4 - Aug. 4, 2007

After spending 5 weeks last summer (2006) in Moscow, Russia, my adventure takes me to the heart of our nation – Washington, D.C. – where I will be conducting research with an international scholar, Dr. Arkady Moshes, a senior researcher, and the head of the Russia-EU Program at the Finish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki. Dr. Moshes' project focuses on the US, EU and the future of the Ukraine's Euro- Atlantic Integration post the Orange Revolution. I will be working with the scholar directly over 10 weeks, while living in D.C. at George Washington University.

This opportunity arose when I was selected as the Jack C. and Annette K. Vaughn Foreign Service and International Affairs Intern for 2007 for the John G. Tower Center at SMU.

---

Steven in Moscow — July 4-18, 2006

Steven is majoring in International Studies and Corporate Communications and Public Affairs. His minor is Russian Studies. Steven is spending five weeks at Moscow State University studying the Russian language.

 

View some of Steven's photos

July 18, 2006: on the twelve days in Moscow...

Today, I write with 12 days left in the city and before I return back to the place I call home. Home can be many places for people and this could be my home at one point, but not for an extended time. A few years at the max.

I have now made a list of things I will be seeing over the remaining days. To many things to see and do and not enough time to do it. Thats always how it is.

I can’t believe I am on my way down hill for my time here. It just seems as though I arrived. Time does fly when you are having fun. This has been a wonderful experience and one that will always be remembered.

On day twelve in Moscow ... I went to class and updated my blogs.

Tomorrow starts the sightseeing. Be looking for pictures and more video.

Where will my journey lead? Where will I go? What will I see?

Where will I leave my mark?

These are the questions I leave to answer later.

Poka,
Steven

July 17, 2006: walking and weather

Ok, a problem that many encounter when traveling to this city is finding your way around. I can speak and understand the language and I even face problems. The street system and the layout of the city are one like that of a old medieval time period. All of the streets are large loops or circles. So, you might think you know where your going or where you might lead back to, but most likely you will not turn out where you began.

I left my room about 10:15 Sunday morning in search for St. Andrew’s Church, an English speaking Anglican church near the Red Square. Well, I made off the metro about 10:45 and began my walk that didn’t end until 4:30. I didn’t find the church, but I found about 65 foreign embassies and many other sites, that I will return to later. I happen to know the street it was off of, but I had made my way too far away from the first turning point that I never made it to the church.

I did stop for lunch and coffee during my walking tour of the upper half of the city. I was able to see many orthodox churches and statues that make up much of the city landscape.

Monday night, I had dinner with a Swedish girl, Linda, who is here studying Russian. Linda also studied in Dallas at Hockaday, as a exchange student during her senior year. Tonight it is slightly cooler than my entire time here. It is expected to be much cooler for the next few days. We had a little rain and it has made a difference in the weather conditions here.

I must turn in for my time to study and recap.

I will be posting soon.

Poka,
Steven

July 15, 2006: cucumber festival-Suzdal

On my way to Suzdal for the 7th International Cucumber Festival. Suzdal is a tiny village about four hours north of Moscow. This excursion we joined a group of students studying with the University of Arizona @ Moscow State Humanities University. The students in the program are from many universities such as UPenn, GWU, and U of Virginia. Dasha is leading the group. She leads the excursions for the MSHU. Having a little frustrations with our group because of our timeliness, we had already acquired the Russian since of time.

But apart from all of that--the cucumber festival. Suzdal once a provincial town and at one time larger than Moscow. Yes, it is hard to believe. Is a quaint little town of 12,000 people is centered around tourism. And cucumbers are there most favorite, so why not have a festival. Well, they do and there were more people in this small town than one could imagine. People were cooking, selling souvenirs and cucumbers. Walking around a festival in the US can be interesting. In Russia its even more, so!

Inside the town, they have the wooden architecture museum. It includes churches, homes and other buildings that were here in Russia during the 14th-16th centuries. Suzdal, a town that was saved and all of the churches were not burned because it was too far out for the train and the industrialization of communism to make it there. So the city remains intact mostly with all 50 churches and monasteries. There are 3 parts to an old Russian town: 1) the Kremlin-the oldest part 2) the market square 3) the monasteries. It sometimes called a modern Russian fairy tale. The wooden structures were built with several types of wood and without using any nails. Many of techniques were developed to keep the buildings and homes warm from the harsh Russian winters. I inserted a video that contains a scan of the cityscape.

It is really an interesting place. Traditional Russian music playing, games and activities were all taking place within the area. Many things occupied our time and it was nice being able to walk around and stand up for a while after the long bus ride.

This all for now.

Poka,
Steven

July 13, 2006: the G8 where?

Today I was brave. I ventured out into something that the US government would suggest being cautions about. I was in the Red Square with Russians, visitors, students, tourist and among many others. I would say there were about 500,000 people in the center of the city for the G8 concert. Kicking off Russia hosting and presiding over the G8 conference of all of the world economic leading powers.

Talking about a security dilemma. It was simply madness. God only knows what would happen. Many things could happen! Guards, police, military were all deployed to a 2 mile radius of the square. Making sure it was secure and protected. This would never happen in the US around major government buildings. And this is where many concerts are held in Moscow. It makes for beautiful pictures. No alcohol was allowed to be sold in and around the area, as well. There were many security checks. My bag was check 3 times; 3 different levels upon entering the main area. I also had to go through a metal detector and lightly patted down, before joining the thousands enjoying the concert. Then, we worked our way around and through the crowd trying to find a good spot, as if any spot was different than another. Christina Milan, Craig David and other Russian performers joined in celebrating the event with Russia. This would be a milestone event for the country since the fall of the Soviet Union. Or in Russia they are considering it a milestone for their country.

I was surprised not to see any protesters or anyone demonstrating about the event. The group that won EuroVision 2006 played and let me say they pulled an “Ashley Simpson.” There music skipped and there were not performing live. Silence came over the area and after a 5 minute recovery, the band started again. Let me also mention that they are not the most pleasant to look at either. July 15-17 in St. Petersburg, Russia will be the date and location for the G8 summit. This location follows last year’s summit in Scotland. This was when the London bombings occurred prior to the summit.

The world leaders will be making there way to a modern Versailles, built by Peter the Great and recently remodeled to prepare for this event.

July 12, 2006: City walk!

Walking in the city can be a challenge, as well as an adventure. I can say that I will have endless amounts of stories and things to share with everyone about my exciting time in Moscow. There will be always something that I have seen here that tops most all things I have ever seen in the United States. People here are interesting. No more can be said. But this may hold true to other places around the world, but no one can top the Russian soul. They all know they have it, but describing it or defining it will always be a challenge.

Today, we went out as a group for sushi. It was great. We all had a great time and an enjoyable meal. The best part about this, was when we were waiting to order, the server brought us all, warm-moist and lemon hand-towels to wash our hands. This was the first time I have been able to have heated towl/wash cloth. It was great. After traveling the metro and touching doors, we all needed to wash our hands. It was refreshing.

After our meal, we made our way to the Pushkin park/square. It was were the group liked hanging out and enjoy the afternoon with each other. We saw many tourist and people pass by. It is always fun to people watch.