UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 24, Page 4
March 19, 1992
Spirit, unwavering faith impress visiting U.D. students

     The students on the University's St. Petersburg Winter Session trip did
not know what to expect in the new Russia, especially since the American
media has shown the enormous lines the Russians waited in for their food.
     Jennifer Griesbach, a junior Russian major and the president of the
University's Russian House, and senior Lisa Greiner both commented that the
lines were not as bad as the media portrayed them to be. Greiner said no one
was starving, but the people did not have convenience or choices when
shopping.
     She explained that the supermarkets were empty; everyone bought their
food in the streets, and it was a time-consuming process. First, they had to
find the food. Vendors are not in the same place every day, and they rarely
have the same foods for sale. She said that both milk and orange juice are
especially hard to come by.
     The Delaware group arrived in St. Petersburg Jan. 4, two days before the
Russian Orthodox Christmas. Greiner said a priest at her grandmother's church
had warned her not to expect much from the Christmas ceremony because
religion in Russia had been banned under the old system. She was pleasantly
surprised by the beautiful, well-attended services they witnessed.
     The Russians' unwavering faith surprised Julie Carrick, a senior double
major in English and political science. She said the churches were filled
with people. Some had to stand on their toes to see the service. Carrick said
the outside of the churches were often drab and cold-looking, but the insides
were rich and lavish. She met people her age who wore crucifixes that had
been passed down three generations, from the great-grandparents who
remembered when religion was legal.
     Before arriving in Russia, the students had worried about their living
conditions, but, Carrick explained, their accommodations were in the Gornyi
Mining Institute's hotel, or dormitory. Some of the rooms overlooked the
frozen Gulf of Finland with its spectacular ice mountains. These mountains
formed when underwater currents pushed the ice upward. She said the students
often went for walks out on the ice.
     Their suites of rooms included a bathroom, bedroom and sitting room.
Each room had a television in it. Carrick said she and her roommates often
watched TV, although they didn't understand the broadcasts. They caught
glimpses of Cable News Network (CNN) clips that the Russians dubbed and
broadcast in their news. Carrick said they even saw MTV in restaurants and
clubs. "They don't have food, but they have MTV," she said, laughing.
     They all agreed that their best memories of the trip were of the people
they met. "I learned more from them ([the people)] than any class I could've
taken," Carrick said.
     Griesbach said the Russians' spirits are relatively high. She thought
they were far from overthrowing the government as the American media has
predicted. They were friendly and helpful, especially when she tried to
converse with them in Russian.
     The Russian students they stayed with were generous, Carrick said. She
celebrated her birthday while in Russia and her foreign next-door neighbors
threw a surprise party for her, even though they only received about 180
rubles a month as an educational stipend. She said they bought her two cakes
and tea and made her a sign. She commented that it was the "nicest thing
anyone ever did for me."
     Greiner, one of Carrick's roommates, recalled that after the party they
learned that the boys who had thrown the party could not afford to eat for
four days.
     Griesbach said the people complained openly about the economic
situation, something they could not have done under the old system. While in
Moscow, she and a group of friends attended a communist demonstration in Red
Square. She said the demonstrators were holding a Soviet flag, while the
Russian Republic flag flew over the Kremlin. Griesbach said that it was
moving to see the reformed Russia's stripes dominating the old system's
hammer and sickle.
     Although the students learned a great deal about Russian life during
their trip, they were happy to return home to the familiarity and convenience
of American food. Greiner did not enjoy the food in Moscow. She ate only
bread for a few days, and then she and a group of friends went to a
McDonald's restaurant.
     She had not eaten under the golden arches since her junior year in high
school. "I was the first one in the door," she said. "We were so hungry. I
never have been so happy to see a McDonald's."
     Carrick called the entire experience "the best thing I ever did in my
life."
     -Laura Reisinger