Blogs from Belarus, Europe - page 4

Naliboki Forest, November 2016 Josh, Jaclyn, Olga, Laura, Dominic, Meredith, George and Kevin We were 8 teachers from QSI Minsk, on a Belarus adventure with the humble, yet larger than life Vadim Sidorovich- http://www.wolfing.info/ Only 1 1/2 hours from Minsk, but a world away Vadim and Maxim met us at the edge of the Naliboki Forest They took us on a wild Lada ride through the now dark forest along a headlamp-lit, bumpy, puddled-filled road. Dinner prepared by Ira was waiting for us – potatoes, carrots and pork served in rustic ceramic pots, cooked in the ashes of an authentic peasant stove Settled into our room – stuffed boar’s head and owl over our bed, fireplace crackling, and adjacent wood-fired sauna. Oh, and outhouse a short walk down the trail. An interesting lecture about the Nalib ... read more

The break-up of the former Soviet Union somehow allowed certain regions of the world to showcase their set of credentials under an independent monicker, and Belarus being one of them, it still remains something of a mystery as to why this is one of Europe's least-acknowledged nations. This might well have something to do with the fact that, strictly-speaking, Belarus is Europe's last-surviving dictatorship, a factor which very much sets it apart from the rest of the pack. All factors considered, it is probably better to judge Minsk and indeed the rest of Belarus on its own individual merits, and as a 3-day city break here went to prove, if you dig deep enough, you should be able to unearth a few vital treasures which you can call your very own discovery process. Central Minsk remains ... read more

Ellen, Kevin and I went exploring yesterday. I am planning a field trip learning about rocks. First, I thought of headstones, then I thought about stone used in buildings in the city. So we went city stone hunting. Found many igneous rocks - mostly granite. The red catholic church St. Simon and Helena. I was sure would be sandstone turned out to be red brick instead. Well, we toured the church, very nice interior and interesting geometric stained glass windows. Stopped by the underground mall next to the church - It's just a mall, but some good souvenir shops. Next, we went to Nemiga and wandered through the Russian orthodox church. It is a very iconic religion, many Mary and Jesus pictures inside shadow box frames, some with silver bodies and painted faces, one with a ... read more

A new teacher coming to Minsk next school year asked me to talk about some of the surprises we have had here in Minsk. 1. There are many new and modern cars on the streets; not old Russian ones like I imagined. However, we use public transportation to get around the city and find that it is easy to use and mostly reliable. 2. I expected a cabbage-smelling apartment in the soviet style. Instead our apartment is new and has very modern furnishings. It is also upstairs from the high school so our commute is very short. Kevin’s commute was one hour each way last year. 3. We expected that there would be no wine, so therefore we couldn't be disappointed. Wrong. Back home we have grown to love the rich red wines from Washington state. ... read more

Arrival into Minsk The Air Baltic Fokker 50 landed like a World War II bomber and taxied past the usual assortment of old Soviet-era airliners that had been left in a huge field. MИHCK written in large Cyrillic lettering above the terminal confirmed I had indeed landed in Minsk. As I stepped onto Belarusian soil, or rather tarmac, and entered the passenger terminal, I wondered what the country the Americans had described as Europe’s last dictatorship would be like. To be honest, I’d not heard many good things about Belarus, and the things I had heard were mainly to do with its president, Alexander Lukashenko, a man renowned for his poor human rights record and his fondness for rigging elections. This man had once famously stated that if any of his citizens joined in with protests ... read more