Merry Christmas AGAIN!

Today is Christmas in Russia... (insert Christian greeting)

Well, technically it's Orthodox Christmas, but apparently the Baptists celebrate it too! I celebrated by attending the Baptist church here in Kyzyl!

Russia is enjoys a lot of attention from Evangelists. In places all over Russia I have met and heard tell of roaming missionaries. Mormons, Baptists, Jesuits... they all come to Russia to preach the word; to fulfill the missionary part of their churchly coming-of-age, and to search out converts from obscure corners of the Siberian wastelands.

The general Modus Operendi of these Christian missionaries seems to be luring in converts with free English lessons, and then gradually hand selecting a few good candidates for theological induction, gradually training them up as the leaders of self-supporting churches. I have to say right here, that despite my sarcastic tone, I really do respect these people; they travel, many of them for years at a time, to far away and not-glamorous places to develop a relationship with the people. I don't think they're doing harm here, and I can hear in the fairly fluent English of my Christian students that they are doing some good. Also, Russia is full of strange religions. From Old-Believers, to 5,000 people who sit around a mountain worshipping a guy who dresses like Christ and awaiting the end of the world, one of the functions of this vast space is to allow lots of anomolous beliefs and groups/cults to develop. Also, add to that the long-time suppression of religion, and compound it with the talent of the Russian-speaking people for double-talk, as well as the fact that groups like the Tyvans have their own religions and languages. I am convinced that even during the Soviet Union, the country, Russia, was very much spiritually alive.

On the other hand, I am a US citizen and a politically liberal one at that. Accoring to the rules and roles advanced by my country's political climate, and the values I became accustomed to at my liberal arts college, I should have a violently negative reaction to proselytizing religion. Well; I am opposed to proselytizing. I think that in general people should make up their minds about life, death, the afterlife, and how to behave to other people. Yet sometimes in our personal journeys, we all need some community, we all need some help from other peopel; and churches in Russia, like in many parts of the world, facilitate this community. I think it's possible to just ignore the proselytizing while enjoying the benefits of a church community. At least, that was the philosophy that took me to Baptist church this morning...

And I enjoyed myself. We sang songs that were familiar from my childhood, songs I remember my grandmother singing at her Lutheran church in Atlanta, Georgia. Only, of course, the songs were all in Russian! Acutally, I found the church to be really good practice for my language chops. I learned a lot of interesting language. And it was good fodder for my theories about authentic communication being the best way to learn language. People there were really worked up about what they were saying, they were emotional and trying to be persuasive. As opposed to downtrodden passengers on the minibus, who kind of mumble/slur speech a lot of the time, these people were pronouncing with a passion. Also, the song texts were projected on a wall, just like in hardcore bible churches in central Ohio, near my old college, so I could follow along the sentence structure. Some of it was pretty sophisticated and interesting!

Another great part was that everybody was thrilled to see me. "An American convert... this will be great advertising for our church!!" I could see it in their eyes. I was asked lots of questions like, "So when did you become a believer?" I got around this question by just saying that I went to church as a child and then asking the same question right back at them. This turned out to be a fantastic opening question to hear some really wacky stories. Women started telling me intimate details of visions that they had while they were giving birth, etc. People told me, spontaneously, their plans, hopes and dreams. Now, this is the stuff I wonder about all day in the people I see on the bus, the street, stores, etc., but it's hard to just walk up to someone and ask. So I guess I appreciate the church as a place of community, where people come to be open and share with each other.

Also, at the church I felt like I was back on Russian territory, as opposed to the Tyvan life I've been living. At once I was seized by a middle aged Natasha who gleefully cried, "An American Raisa!!" which is my old Russian name from St. Petersburg days, and started telling me that she could see my soul through my eyes. I also got several kisses from Babushkas, who didn't say much but where kind and loving all the same, sitting there in their beautiful headscarves and moaning soulful Russian harmonies along with the Baptist tunes.

The proselytizing surfaced a couple times, though; I was given a Gideon's Bible and the chance to purchase a VERY ugly 2010 calendar with cutsey angels on it. I declined, explaining that I really didn't have any room to take it home with me. I also chatted it up a bit with the youth, who were friendly and curious. I also didn't make any donation to the church, but I didn't have any money with me. I would have given a little if I did; the church is doing a good job serving the function of community center out here in frigid Siberia, in a community without many of the resources I formerly took for granted.

This point was brought home at one point in the service, when we prayed for one of the church youth, who was shot and killed a couple of days ago out "in the regions," as people refer to the parts of Tyva outside of Kyzyl. I have yet to visit these places. I really want to, but it's got to be done carefully because Tyva is hardly a united republic. There are 17 different districts, and each has its own dialects, customs, and little feuds. My students are mostly from villages and regions--and all from different ones--so I have been hearing stories for the past few months about different regions. They have explained to me several times that which district you're from can dictate your friends; who you hang out with and who you fight with in Kyzyl; the city is kind of like the Moscow of Tyva--people from all the regions come here to meet and blend. Also, outside of Kyzyl Russians are very few, with the notable exception of a village of Old-Believers. This means that if I travel outside of Kyzyl, I will stand out immediately for being non-local, non-Asian, and a young single woman, so I need to be with somebody strong who knows what they're doing. I'm still looking for this magical opportunity that will transport me to the villages of Tyva. I hear so many wonderful stories of yurts, livestock, wise grandmothers, folk tales, songs, wildlife, windy mountains, etc. I guess the stories themselves are worth hearing; and getting myself caught in some local squbble or kidnapped by a cowboy looking for a new wife is absolutely not on my to-do list. So I am занимаетсяing patience...

Anyways. Church took me to Russian culture land for a while. I liked it. I might go back; such community I have found to be rare in Kyzyl (as in many places). I can learn a lot from those people, I think. Although I am certainly not going to read the bible in Russian... life is too short for such endeavors!

All the best, and Merry Christmas (again)!

Riley

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Post Script... the only other news is that it's really f***ing cold; -45 to -60 degrees Fahrenheit, and that I tried to make cornbread from corn kasha (cereal) but it tasted like kasha-cake... bland and lumpy. Then a million relatives showed up for a surprise visit, and everybody got to taste my kasha-cake and now all the relatives think I'm a terrible cook :(