Tomsk, Russia Travel Blogs

A.S.E.: TEACH (PART I)
Oct 1, 2007 (3 photos)

(alternatively titled: "Absolute chaos") Having a good place to work is important. So ... I was already working in a university in September, when I walked into a high school, trying to add a less-serious teaching job to my schedule.  "Nam ...

WINTER HAS COME
Oct 11, 2007 (8 photos)

... beautiful university campuses.  Purple, rounded buildings stood upon columns; romantic benches encircled a fresh courtyard, surrounded by Tomsk State University's cute forest.  Walking past this forest, I stepped on a butter-colored carpet of ...

TWO SCARY DDT SONGS
Nov 16, 2007 (2 photos)

While residing in my scary, wooden house, I hear two of DDT's Russian rock songs ringing in my mind. They're off the band's creative 1992 album, "Eto Vse".  (The album's title song is probably my new favorite song.) In the third song, "Chetire ...

SCARY HOUSE
Nov 15, 2007 (5 photos)

... , and - like all the previously-mentioned rooms, and the next-to-be mentioned one - no light.  But, many of Tomsk's wooden houses have outdoor bathrooms, so, you see, mine is pretty good. If I were to attempt to bathe myself here rather ...

ENJOY ENGLISH SONGS
Jan 6, 2008 (2 photos)

... breath upon hearing almost any sentence is a crazy giggle.      We were among the first to arrive at Tomsk's poetically-named School No. 56.        In the still empty auditorium, Regina was quickly on-stage ...

THE MOSCOVIAN KADRIL AND OTHER FUN DANCES
Jan 9, 2008 (4 photos)

Siberians like to converse an awful lot.  Too much, if you ask me.  It's a relief when they just sing and dance. In mid-December, they and I danced the Moscovian "kadril", a pretty cool dance. At the "Bal Puteshestnikov" (Travelers' Ball), ...

... AND NEW HOPE
Feb 7, 2008 (2 photos)

... and now it's happy!  Here are The Top 5 Best Things About Siberia!* (* - with help from European Russia) 1. WOODEN HOMES 2. THE ALTAI MOUNTAINS 3. DOSTOYEVSKY AND TURGENYEV - Dostoyevsky really understood people.  Turgenyev's simple ...

LOOKING FOR WORK IN A NEW TOWN (A MANUAL)
Jul 9, 2007

... I often love waiting tables.      I also learned that waiters make more money than university teachers in Russia.  Educated workers are often very poorly paid; it's better to be sly in business.      The ...

DOCUMENT by Justin Breen
Feb 27, 2008

... nbsp;             \ {drawing of 80's Night}  {drawing of Russia. \  arrows with question marks leading West and East from Tomsk}        & ...

A.S.E.: ICE SKATE
Dec 28, 2007

... for me and it being a bland one.  With no more rock bar nights in my future, I lightly questioned whether I should stay in Tomsk 'til the New Year. Easily, I decided to stay, because: I know that when I'm fully successful in my plans, I set off on ...

ALASKAN ARCHITECTURE
Jul 3, 2007 (7 photos)

... -, and five-petal flowers. The road east from the Urals was, again, flat, but for a while it was surrounded by Russia's "White Forest".  White beech trees ascended to a canopy that fell and twinkled like pixie dust, over a matching lively-spring- ...

LAST NIGHT A ROCK BAR SAVED MY LIFE
Oct 21, 2007 (2 photos)

... a month.  She said I looked unhappy.  Other people have been saying I look tired.  One female commented that depressed Russia must be getting me down. But, on this night, in the rock bar, I forgot all my problems.  Enjoy the night.& ...

VLYUBLYONYY
Sep 10, 2007 (1 photos)

... vydalsya chudesnyy: ya dumayu, krome Rossii, v sentyabre mesyatse nigde podobnix dnei i byvaet." (The day marvelously unfolded itself: I think that, except for in Russia, similar September days can't be found anywhere.) - Ivan Sergeevich Turgenyev, writer

SICK IN THE CITY
Sep 23, 2007 (2 photos)

... , I think. My life is pretty healthy.  But ... I ride in "marshutkas" a lot. Marshutkas are shorter buses that drive around Tomsk.  In the best-case scenarios, I sit on one of the bus's twenty-six seats, getting worn out from the slightly ...

A NEW YEAR, ...
Feb 4, 2008 (4 photos)

... , I involuntarily yelled, "Ooh!", delighted. We slid down in standing position, also.  Guys in full Santa Claus (in Russia: "Father Frost") costumes slid down in standing position, which looked cool.  Once, Sasha and I reached the end without ...

A.S.E.: TEACH (PART II)
Oct 1, 2007 (3 photos)

... - showed a photo he'd taken with a friend, when they'd climbed a ski-jump in winter to capture their faces above Tomsk City during the sunrise. President Pasha struggled to tell about a young comedians' festival he'd attended in the summer.  He'd ...

A WALK AROUND TOMSK
Nov 27, 2007 (5 photos)

... Sunday for classical music, and the metal-monstrous theatre are located here. I turn around, towards home.  I pass: Tomsk's "White House," a government building illuminated in pink and white and green, like birthday candles; a park with a bust of ...

SAMADHI WHILE POSING FOR ARTISTS
Nov 10, 2007 (4 photos)

... fairy, and some girls, the typical party guests were guys: guys wearing black, winter clothes and short hair, guys who love Russia, guys who like to appear tough.  They were guys who certainly would've pressured the snow fairy into drinking vodka with ...

TWO DECADES AFTER PERESTROIKA - PART II
Dec 21, 2007

... all the other people could be middle-class, first.   A week after being expelled from the rock bar, I went to Tomsk's "80's" club, "Absent." The music was "80's"-ish but idiotically simple.  The people looked slimy and sexual.  Ugh.& ...

HOW TO SURVIVE THE SUMMER, HOMELESS, IN RUSSIA
Aug 26, 2007 (2 photos)

... trip, but it was worthwhile to ask.  Girls I'd just met have almost joined me.  Girl-guy relationships in Russia seem to be, fantastically, very liberal. While wild, Russians are social and friendly.  In addition to, "Pochemu odin?" (Why ...

A SECOND AND A THIRD WALK AROUND TOMSK
Dec 4, 2007 (5 photos)

... arching, round-topped windows. I, a free spirit, rarely feel the desire to belong to something.  But, Tomsk Polytechnical University has mesmerizing buildings; it's well-organized; and the students have unique personalities and energy to learn.& ...

TWO DECADES AFTER PERESTROIKA - PART I
Dec 16, 2007 (2 photos)

... ;    "Eto biznes!" the owners hissed! (It's business!)      "Eto Rossiya." (This is Russia.)  The owners justified their actions, actions which, I think, would've been unjust in many countries.   & ...

Tomsk, in the middle of Siberia region
Aug 16, 2007 (63 photos)

... to go from Irkust to Ulaanbaatar ... but the train was full so no tickets!!!! Marta began to stay worried because we need to leave Russia the 25 August (because of the visa expiration) ... so we decided not to go to Lake Baikal, to give back the tickets ...

All aboard the Trans-Siberian Express...
Jun 6, 2006 (5 photos)

... learning the Russian names of extremely useful words like 'flowers' & 'hammer' (both of which I'm sure we'll need in Russia) from little Medeena's picture playing cards. For those of you new to the Cyrillic alphabet, it has 32 letters many of which are ...

Tomsk
Nov 14, 2007 (7 photos)

MOI! Nyt sormet ristissa etta taa toimiii. Ma luulen etta tan internjietticafeen takahuoneeseen on laitettu jotain siperianmummoja polkeen rattaita niin hidas taa on. Moskova oli hieno, ja siella olis voinut olla pitempaankin jos rahat riittais. ...

arrivee a Tomsk apres 3 jours de train
Sep 20, 2007

3 jours de transsiberien

Tomsk
Oct 2, 2007 (5 photos)

 

Alas, not a womble to be seen!
Oct 13, 2006 (12 photos)

... 's such a majesty about them. I think the snow helped make it seem more magical! There was such a stillness - most cities in Russia have knocked down most of these houses in favour of huge concrete blocks, so it was good to actually see what Siberia was ...

Tomsk
Aug 4, 2007

En Tomsk