For the Love of Pljeskavica

The January 20th, 2010 edition of the New York Times included a mouth-watering salute to pljeskavica, the Balkan minced meat patties that put even premium hamburgers to shame. Waves of immigrants from the former Yugoslavia brought their love of pljeskavica with them, and now in cities such as New York, this speciality of southeastern Europe is gaining a particularly American traction. For the whole story, click here!

Photo: Evan Sung for The New York Times

Chicago High School Students to Visit Russia

Dear CEERES Friends,

I am sorely out of practice in blogging, but an email message that I received just the other day that resulted in a nostalgia trip back to Russia in June of 2008 when I started composing entries about our Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad, “Discovering Russia: Challenging Stereotypes and Media Myths.” Breanne Goldman, one of the educators who embarked on this adventure wrote to tell me that she will be returning to Russia in spring 2010 with a group of her students from St. Gregory the Great High School here in Chicago. This news delighted me for a number of reasons, but at the heart of the matter is the simple fact that through this teacher’s efforts, a fortunate group of young people will expand their literal and intellectual horizons by seeing and learning about Russia first-hand.

While CEERES is not directly involved with the upcoming trip to Russia, I feel as though we had a hand in making this trip happen. Being able to send teachers to Russia last summer was a tremendous accomplishment for our young Center, and I know that it is precisely because of the connections that were made during the Fulbright-Hays GPA that this student trip is on the horizon.

Professionally, this is a feather in CEERES’ proverbial cap - seeds from our outreach efforts that are bearing fruit. This spring break trip to Russia represents an outstanding way to increase knowledge of and interest in cultures of the CEERES region. It is our hope that some of these young women and men will be inspired to continue their study of Russia when they return to Chicago. Maybe some will learn Russian. Some might even make Russia or Eastern Europe the focus of their future careers. One thing is clear: all will be somehow touched by their experience in Russia. Each experience and memory is a seed which can grow into increased cultural awareness, international friendships, future visits to Russia, and directions for the future.

Personally, I am excited for Breanne and her students and am so proud of her for pursuing this opportunity, which is nothing less than a Herculean effort, and only possible thanks to support from the St. Gregory the Great community (teachers, students, parents, administrators) and our many Russian collaborators. It is no exaggeration to say that this trip would be impossible without the superb logistical and organizational talents of the staff of the American Home in Vladimir, Russia. My own memories from 2008 and current nostalgia trip assure me that these students are in for an absolute treat.

Please check out the St. Gregory the Great website (http://www.sghsrussia.org/) to learn more about this trip and extend help or best wishes to the group, as you are so inclined.

Best,
Meredith

Rock 'n' Roll

I've been advertising it forever in our weekly e-bulletin, so when I spied a review for the Goodman Theatre's production of the play Rock 'n' Roll, I thought that a round-up of various reivews might be of interest to our readers here. Playing until June 7, Rock 'n' Roll takes place in Cambridge and Prague, spans a time period of 20 years, and takes its soundtrack music from The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and U2, to name a few. Sounds exciting, no? 

Anyways, there are reviews of the show in the Chicago Tribune, as well as the Chicago Sun-Times. My favorite Chicago blog, Chicagoist, also has a review. 

For ticket information, visit the Goodman Theater website. As I said, the play runs until June 7. 

Eggs Eggs Eggs

Easter season means tapping into some of the most visible, historical, and spiritual traditions from the Eastern Orthodox parts of the CEERES region. Perhaps most notable is the tradition of egg decorating. A general synopsis can be found, of course, at Wikipedia "Easter Egg."

For those of us here in Chicago, we can learn about the process, design, and significance of egg decorating first hand at the Ukrainian National Museum, located at 2249 W. Superior St. in, you guessed it, Ukrainian Village. On top of their extensive collection and knowledgeable guides, they also offer periodic classes on how to do it.





I found this video on Reuters about the egg decorating tradition of Germany's Slavic minority group, the Sorbs:

News Roundup!

I hope all the U of C students are having a good reading period! 

First off I have some interesting news of a type I usually don't cover: Wired magazine's blog Danger Room has an article talking about how Georgia is blaming the Russian government for a cyber attack which took place three weeks before the crisis this summer. Whether or not you believe them, it's an interesting story. 

There's been a lot of news floating around recently about the 2009 Eurovison Song Contest, being hosted by Russia this year. The most interesting story, in my opinion (more Georgia and Russia, my apologies!) is how Georgia's song was deemed unacceptable due to the political connotations in the lyrics. The BBC also reports on how Russia has chosen a Ukrainian singer to represent it in the contest. They also have a more opinion-type piece on the politics behind the contest (I find it interesting to read the comments, left by people from all over, as well).

While maybe not a current event, the NYT has a good piece on bribery in the Romanian medical system. I thought the most interesting part was how patients would worry that if the doctor didn't accept their bribe, it was because they had an incurable disease. From some of our favorite news sites: Balken Insight has a good page with news about the upcoming election in Macedonia, and Transitions Online has a followup article about the closing of the American air base at Manas. 

And, in things that you might not think is as exciting as I do: One of my favorite websites (The Daily Beast) did an article on stylish first ladies from around the world. Two from the CEERES region that made it are Kateryna Yushchenko, wife of the Ukrainian president, and Mehriban Aliyeva, first lady of Azerbaijan. I think two of ten is doing pretty good! 

European Union Film Festival

If you've got some free time, you should definitely check out the upcoming European Union Film Festival. The festival, which will take place at the Gene Siskel Film Center at the Art Institute of Chicago, will run from March 6 to April 2. According to their website, all 27 nations of the EU are represented, there will be a total of 59 films, and all of them are Chicago premieres. 

Apparently, tradition has it that the film festival is opened by a film from the country which currently holds the presidency of the EU. This year, that happens to be the Czech Republic. The film, entitled I'm All Good, will be screened Friday, and will be presented by the Czech Consul General. The director will also be there for an audience discussion. There will also be an exhibit of Czech film posters from the 1960s-1970s on display in the Siskel Film Center's gallery/cafe throughout the festival. 

Countries that overlap with our region and the EU which will also have films in the festival include Greece, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland and Lithuania, as well as a few others.  For the full schedule, including what other movies, visit the Siskel Center website and click on "European Union Film Festival."