Today is my last day in Tomsk. I have enjoyed my stay here in Siberia. I improved my Russian, met new friends, felt what it is like to both break someone's heart and be heart broken, and learnt a lot about myself in the process. I am especially indebted to the Klassens for allowing me to stay with them for the final week of the program. Fr. Alexander and Matushka Elena are extraordinary people, and I am grateful that things worked out such that I could spend more time with them.
It is difficult to pick out one single thing I will remember from Tomsk. Perhaps people's general attitude toward life here will remain with me. At the risk of making a huge generalization, I would suggest that Russians know how to relax. Matushka Elena shared her translation of a poem by W.H. Davies (1871-1940) that I think captures the importance of taking a breather, even in the face of hardships:
Leisure
What is this life, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare!
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep and cows!
No time to see when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have not time to stand and stare.
