Week 13 in Russia: Singing in a Park and Climbing on Boulders

Week 13 began last Sunday with my volunteer training course where I learned how to safely operate a chainsaw (There are pictures floating around somewhere of me chain-sawing some trees in a skirt). I then went straight from the woods of the Botanical Garden, where I had cut myself a ring of a tree as a souvenir, to meet my friend Olya. It took me awhile to find the bus stop to meet her, but once I was there, I went with Olya and her friend Aleksei to a park across the Angara River. We were gathering there with a Russian folk ensemble that preforms Russian traditional dances and songs. They were meeting in the park for a picnic in belated celebration of the Easter holiday, called "The Spring Walk." (There is also a "Winter Walk," I am told, after Christmas/New Year's). It was a beautiful location, and I really enjoyed listening to the music and learning the dances. I spent about four hours there, happily enjoying the warm spring air, before going home to do some homework.

Below is a video of my friend Olya and Aleksei taking their turn down the line during one of the dances (Yes, there was an accordian player accompanying us):

The rest of the week went by quickly, as Friday was a holiday and we didn't have classes. ("Into the streets, May 1st..." -- a Socialist holiday we don't quite celebrate in the States). My friend Paul, from South Africa, was heading home for a few weeks, so he organized a picnic as a little going-away party. The weather was gorgeous and there were so many people outside by the river. We played games, had a lovely picnic, and looked at all the fountains. There are fountains everywhere in Irkutsk, and they turn them all on for the May 1st holiday. I took many many videos, but included only one, which should look familiar if you saw last week's video:

After the picnic, I gathered some camping gear and met two friends from GBT at the train station. I had been invited to go with them camping about an hour and a half outside of Irkutsk, in a park known for it's "Natural Statues." We arrived by electrichka Friday night, found a place to set up camp, fixed dinner and spent the night. We woke up early to pack up and hike for the remainder of the day, returning at 7pm on the last electrichka. I am so glad that I agreed to go--I had the time of my life. I want more than anything to return here next summer after graduation and just hike around the wilderness, working on the GBT summer projects. The nature here is unparalleled--take a look:

Hope you enjoyed the multimedia. This week was very different than last in terms of weather--it was 74 degrees here today! Spring has arrived and I have about a month left to enjoy it :) Until next time!