Victoria, Alexander, Ruslan, Yana and Anastasia stopped by our village home yesterday and asked about the monastery. It was a fantastic opportunity for me to chit chat with Russian youth of the university levels. Victoria is a Moscow State student in Moscow and the other four are local kids from the Big Village. They are in a college somewhere probably in Ryazan near by…
Boza heard them first, for I was deep in thought working on a issue that I need to fix and he jumped up barking to let me know someone was in the yard. So Boza and I went to the door and too my surprise there were five young adults standing there and Victoria was the first to step forward and express their needs. Then as she talked, she exceeded any ability of mine to communicate properly in Russian and that does not take much. I explained that I speak English and am from America…
After a moment of total disbelief as to finding an American in a village as tiny and remote as this village and one that has such a powerful monastery (that part gets me,) and my goodness, why would an American be all the way out here? They settled down and as intelligent kids can do; they all turned on their English parameters and I told them the tale of the Monastery…
Victoria was very educated in English and Alexander was almost as educated in English. The others could with the help of those two understand what I was saying. But the point is that all five could speak and understand English to some point and as a matter of fact, they could speak better English than many Americans I had working for me in the States…
Russia has some youth that is a product of bad parents and other issues, but the five that were present with me yesterday, is a common occurrence and not just a fluke of a chance to have such an opportunity for discussion. Living in Russia, traveling by train, by car, walking and what ever, I find the the youth of Russia is vastly intelligent, very fluent in multiple languages and just plain polite, respective and good looking kids…
The kids where a mixture of pure Russian grey eyes to black as coal Asian eyes. As such their perspective races showed the same. Russian is a wonderful blend of cultures and actually the only missing link is African. They are present in Moscow some, but out in the villages like I am, blacks are non existent. Would they be accepted? Yes, very much so…
Yesterday was a perfect example of the real Russia. The Russia that I see everyday, not the Russia that you see on the news and hear about from the brother of the brother of the cousin who has a Russian friend in New York. These are the everyday Russians that pass through my life and I never am but amazed to see such intelligence and a quest for life, from young, old and all the Russian people…
They desired information about the monastery, but they held a fear of the unknown as they asked and talked about the monastery. To them and to many Russians, Orthodoxy is still a hushed word. This hold over from the Soviet era is strong and they refused to step upon the monastery grounds. For they were not properly dressed and the fear of repercussions is strong. These young adults were dress in shorts, t-shirts, hats, tennis shoes and backpacks. Normal for many in these parts, but not appropriate for a full fledged monastery. Thus, they would not go…
Therefore, I spun the tale of the Monastery and the tiny Russian Village for them. A place that even though they lived right nearby, they have never been to see, for the power of the Bell Tower over looking the valley is strong and the awakening of the monastery is starting to seep into the reaches of the villages nearby…
As the kids took off down our hill on their bikes, I could hear them chattering all the way, until they disappeared into the valley. They were on their way to see the Holy Well and tie a rag in the trees (that I gave them in five strips,) after they wiped away their sins. The laughter and chatter was akin to a bubbling brook, as it flows merrily away from you, as you stick your toes into the cool stream of flowing water…
If you allow them, youth will energize your soul and bring memories of worth to the surface…
Have a nice day…
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…