My mum said I should write something about Thanksgiving. Seems a bit of a strange idea, to write about a holiday while living in a country where almost nobody has even heard of it.
Maybe we don't have Thanksgiving in Russia, but the Russian language does have two beautiful ways of saying 'thank you'.
The most common way of saying 'thank you' in Russian, which is used in all situations, is спасибо (spasiba). If you wish to be more emphatic, you can say большое спасибо (balsho-ye spasiba), which is 'thank you very much'.
What a lot of people don't know, including a lot of the Russians I've asked about it, is that спасибо is actually two words, and means so much more than just 'thanks'. It is the two words спаси (spasi) and Бог (bokh; sounds like Bach, but with an 'o' instead of an 'a'). It means, literally, 'G-d save you'. Whenever you thank someone here, you are expressing your wish that G-d saves them. No wonder the бабушки (grandmothers) here say "Always say спасибо! It's not important why! Just say it as much as you can, to everyone!".
The second, more formal and less common, way of saying thank you is благодарю (blagodaryu). It, again, is actually two words: благо (blessing), and дарю (I give). I give you blessings.
In a little under two weeks I'll be back home for almost two months before returning to Russia. When I come back here, I may not be taking classes in the same historic building - there is a remodeling planned for when the conservatory is closed in January, and while it is in effect we will be moved to a different, more modern building. I've been told we may never come back to this old conservatory, or not for a very, very long time anyway. It's hard for me to think I might not come back to that building. I've fallen so deeply in love with it; all it's nooks and crannies, the mould, the dust; the piles of cigarette butts smugly spilling out of paper cups around the 'no smoking' signs. There is such history here. There is an atmosphere, a spirit that lives in these old walls, that I fear will be frightened off by the builders drills. I know it can't stay this way forever, but maybe just a little longer, until I graduate...Well, come what may, I am grateful to have been able to study here for at least these three months. .
For a culture which has the stereotype of being very cold and brutish, Russian culture values being respectful very highly. They have formal and informal modes of address, and strict unspoken rules about how and when to greet people. For example, you will cause a horrible affront if you look at someone and don't acknowledge them, if you have met before. You must either nod/put up a hand briefly/say hi (informal, pick one, don't smile unless you really love the person - if they smile back, you have been accepted into the fold), or very clearly and politely say hello to them whilst maintaining eye contact (formal). The schoolboys all shake hands when they meet in the street, even if they're just passing - as do all male colleagues and friends, and police officers. In addition to that, there are a hundred other small polite habits which one only picks up on after living amongst them for a while.
Since arriving here, I've had so much help in small ways from people, even total strangers. Don't get me wrong, I've had my share of obnoxious clerks in the grocery stores, an infuriating estate agent, and I've encountered an obstinate, narrow attitude from all forms of administration. But I've also been so lucky. Little angels, as I like to think of them, pop out of nowhere just in time to show me to my next class, to discretely point out a tear in my tights, to flash their membership card for me at the grocery checkout to save me money, to help me get my bank card out of the ATM that ate it.
In particular, I've had the great fortune of having the best Russian language professor I could ever wish for, and of being mentored by a wonderful, generous, brilliant young ex-soloist of the Eifman Ballet. They have truly been my two guardian angels this semester, watching over me and guiding me. To the beautiful old conservatory, to Marina Victorovna, and to dear Katya, I say: больше спасибо, я очень благодарю вам.
Russians will do a lot for you, going out of their way to help you without being asked, and without any expectation of being rewarded. But don't forget to thank them - as they say, saying спасибо costs you nothing, and it's the least you can do.
If that isn't the essence of Thanksgiving, I don't know what is. Always give your blessings freely to others, and always pray that "G-d saves" those that help us.
Also, nobody knows to whom the green slippers belong. As far as I can tell, they've been here forever, they've been thrown away several times, and yet they always turn up on our bench time and again.