Only a few words with this one. Tonight, after a (stirring!) concert of German and Austrian choral music, I stepped out of the cathedral to see a breathtaking sky-on-fire. How perfect for Pentecost. Here are a few of the photos I took while walking home through downtown Novosibirsk: This is the view that greeted me … Read more
There may have been snow flurries on May 2, but anyway it’s a fact — spring has come to Novosibirsk! The days are long, the trees full of pods and young leaves. New things are popping up all around, from baby birds in the bushes (I saw one the other day) to new menus in the cafes. As … Read more
It’s no joke to say that poetry keeps us alive. I suppose you could say the same of any beautiful thing — or, to be more precise, any truly beautiful thing. That could be art, music, Creation, or simply a smile. Beauty is part of what makes life worth living. It can lift the soul and give it … Read more
Inspiration comes from strange places. In this case, it came from an ad for quests (aka escape rooms) in Novosibirsk. I love this ad (which is actually a placemat at a local cafe) because it’s laid out as a humorous flow chart designed to help you find the perfect quest. In one part (shown below), … Read more
Foreign language? … Say what? Trust me, it’s not as crazy as it sounds, nor as far out of reach as you may think. Let me make one thing clear, right from the beginning: you don’t need to speak like a native, or even have advanced foreign language skills. You simply need to know enough to string together coherent … Read more