What the GBT Club got up to in Winter 2008-09

One thing that you can still be sure of here is that after summer comes autumn; no one has changed that yet.  With the end of summer came the end of the GBT’s last project for the 2009 season.  This meant that we would soon all be reunited for the GBT club.  Finally the long awaited day arrived and we all gathered together in the office for the first club of the season.  There were big smiles on everyone’s sun tanned faces, still fresh from the summer projects.  This year we are glad to have Anya Belova and Igor Dets leading the club and are grateful for their endless enthusiasm for as soon as the summer projects were over, preparations for the new season began; translations, writing grants, children’s winter activity camps – there was something to keep everyone busy.

The cosy size of the GBT office made it a tight fit for everyone to attend the club meetings so we were grateful when some trusted GBT volunteers invited us to hold the club at “The Hostel”, an apartment they were renting while they completed their studies in Irkutsk.  As it turned out, club meetings at the hostel always had a little bit of something special about them.

For the first GBT club we all decided to make vareniki.  So instead of the usual tea and biscuits (although, of course these still made an appearance) we all lovingly prepared our favorite kind of vareniki; stuffed with mushrooms, potato, cabbage or fresh berries. The vareniki party soon became a serious affair as we all split into teams to promote our own home made cooking.  In the end it was the mushroom vareniki that came out on top, both in taste and advertising.  After we had all eaten our fill Anya and Igor told us about what was to come over the next couple of months in the club.

After the success of the vareniki party it didn’t take us long to decide on another good reason for a party – Halloween.  It had been a long time since all the GBTers had gotten together for a proper party!  Everyone jumped at the idea and for the next three days we were deep in preparations for Halloween.  The party even brought out volunteers from the early days of the GBT!  Most important of all was the costumes; these weren’t just simple affairs, people had gone all out to make them as scary as possible.  The party was a great success and the hostel was packed full of different monsters, witches, demons and even a Tellytubby.  A scary scene for anybody – but that is what Halloween is all about.

The horror was not to end there for frighteningly early the next morning, bleary eyed, the witches and monsters of yesterday’s party crawled out of bed and headed for the train station.  We were taking the train to Old Angasolka for a days trek along the Krug-Baikal rail road from Angasolka to Kultuk.  With a spring in our step, good weather above and an autumn breeze behind us we happily strolled along the tracks.  With some of us still styling the leftovers of our Halloween costumes we made an interesting spectacle but after a summer apart on the projects we, the GBTers, were happy to be back together.  It feels great to be a part of something bigger, united with your friends.

Adding to the fun of autumn was a new German volunteer working with the GBT, Jan Matti Dolbaum.  A charming guy he worked in the office, translated, charmed the hearts of girls and even set up a class of conversational German for any GBTers who were curious to learn more.  Hmmm, but how to keep him entertained?  Head out trekking!  This time we made tracks for the rocky Olhkinskii plateau of Vityaz and Idol.  Jan was amazed and we were happy too – our dear mother Siberia was still blessing us with warm sunny days despite it being the end of October.  The fine weather and Jan reading his poems (well not really his but Rilke) atop the rocks left us with a feeling of harmony between nature and art.

Hooray!  Once again we have English conversation classes at the club thanks to one of our summer volunteers, Daniela, coming back to Baikal.  Daniela was a volunteer who simply fell in love with Siberia, Baikal and the people living on its shores.  So after returning home from the project she didn’t linger long in her rainy London before coming back to us here.  We were all very happy to have here back with us, not only because of her brilliant English classes which she always made exciting and interesting.

Elizabeth also kept us entertained with American films, with subtitles or not, “because they’re just not there”.

We marked the birthday of the club with a party at the hostel; singing songs about birthdays which are sadly “ňîëüęî đŕç â ăîäó” (it would be interesting to know what happened to the poor magician in the blue helicopter who brought us an Eskimo as a present), eating cake and listening to our dear Nadia tell us about the GBT club in times gone by.

For a long time the domed roof at Nikola has enticed our curious minds and the knowledge that hiding under the bells are some serious guys – MChS (Russia’s Search and Rescue Emergency Service) and their no less serious exemplary track record of rescue work.  And so the idea came about to pay a visit to the guys at MChS.  Thankfully for us our very own Alyona Maryasova now works there and she organized an excursion for the GBT club to see how they live and work at the MChS station.  We were met by the jovial Anton who would be out guide around the station, showing us around and answering our many questions.  We were even lucky enough to eat in the same canteen as genuine life savers.  That’ll be something to tell the grandchildren.

And did you know that in order to become a world class rescue worker you have to hold 32 trades and speak 3 foreign languages?  It would seem that our own master of all trades Vladimir Hidekel still has a way to go.  Though he might always wear a serious face, he broke out in a big smile when wearing one of MChS’ special helmets that can withstand an impact of over 100kgs.

Anton showed us the garage where they keep their vehicles (they haven’t got a helicopter as they’ve got no place to land it), the sports hall, found under the that mysterious domed roof in question, the swimming pool, sauna, study rooms for future rescue workers, we were even lucky enough to see some training and teaching in action.  It was sight to watch 7 big guys squeeze an even bigger guy into a diving suit, especially when the only why to get it on is by climbing through the top feet first.  All in all we had a great time, learnt a lot of new and interesting things and even heard a few of their favorite rescue stories.

And in their museum we even found a thank you gift from the GBT; so we had been there all along.

Anton said that we were very different from the other groups he usually shows around on excursions; we were all very curious and interested in everything.

Jan left Irkutsk!  But he promised that he would be back in the summer to take part in a project.  It’s always sad to say goodbye to volunteers who have become good friends.  Of course we couldn’t let him leave without a farewell party, which saw a lot of tears from his female admirers.  The big hit of the party was the farewell film for and about Jan, who, wiping away a manly tear, himself said that he was very moved and that no one had ever done something like that for him before.  And so the next day we escorted him to the train and waving our hands, cried “See you soon!”  Jan will write to us at the hostel and the club, send us some parcels and return in the summer; but that will be a different story.

Even though our grant from IREX might have finished our work at the Irkutsk Children’s Rehabilitation Centre carried on all the same.  For our next visit to meet the kids we decided coincided with the decade of volunteering being promoted in Irkutsk at the time.  In support of this we went for an arts and crafts theme for our trip to the centre; some sewing, lots of drawing, cutting, sticking, colouring some little models and just having a good time with the kids.  As some one at the club once told us – you can overcome a lack of attention and warmth.  Maybe, if even just a little, we were able to do this.

Soon December and Christmas was upon us and the friendly folks at Hostel & Co. invited us all around for another get together.  And if it’s Christmas it can only mean that “DA-DA!” soon, very soon is everyone’s favourite holiday; New Year!  We even had our very own tree, albeit lacking decorations; we still needed to make them.  But when they did appear we had snow flakes, post cards, Father Christmases, garlands and everything else.  Lena and Natasha gave us a presentation about the first part of their trip to Europe to set up new links and find new partners for the GBT.  In one picture we even got to see Jan!  They managed to meet with him on their travels; lucky them!  There was also the customary tea, some news from Igor and Anna and so the Christmas club turned out to be a good one.  Our ever wise Natasha even managed to staple some paper snowflakes to the table…without even realizing.

And then, after New Year, Natasha wanted to take our friend Frank from the German organization Baikal Plan on a trip to Mamai (a mountain South to Lake Baikal and famous for snowboarding).  With the help of Tanya Yurchenko we got together a small group of GBTers  and set off on our trip.  A whole lot of snow had fallen that day so the hike to our winter hut was a long and tricky one so we were all the more happy to finally arrive.  But the work did not finish there as we had to gather up the fire wood, start the fire to cook our dinner, collect the water from frozen river.  At about 5pm we all decided to take a walk and take in the view of the mountains around us.  We were met with a beautiful view of the sunset.  The snow was wet and heavy so the going was tough; you could only swim through it, as Bella aptly demonstrated.  Whilst this deterred those on foot, the rest of us with snowboards strapped in for a ride down even if we were only half way up.  But the weather wasn’t so summery and the snow wasn’t the best for riding so we sat back and admired the full moon blazing behind the mountains.  Breathing in the fresh mountain air it felt like your head was about to pop off and made us want to shout out at the top of our voices; no one would hear us anyway…so we did, just to make sure.  Back at the lodge we settled into a comfortable, homely evening listening to tales and jokes, “from Vova”.  And morning snow bath, in the nip, “from Natasha, Frank and Bella”, made for a very chirpy wake up.

On 23rd February a small group of GBTers and some of our friends from the Irkutsk Mountain Tourism Association sharpened up their skates and went out to find some ice.  But they weren’t after any ordinary ice rink but the stretch of frozen Baikal from Bolshoe Goloustnoe to Listviyanka, two villages on the shore of Baikal.  Packing tents and big rucksacks we arrived in Bolshoe Goloustnoe in the evening deciding to stay the night there before setting out in the morning.  We were met that very morning by a steely -25°C.  What a shocker!  Not deterred we headed off and spent our second night in our native valley of Solontsovaya.  How different it looked from the summer!  The thermometer that night crawled up to -20°C; we laughed at how it could get warmer at night.

There was plenty to be happy about as it was perfectly smooth ice and like skating through butter.  It was also interesting to look at the Skriper cliffs from the water.  What good memories!  Every time Baikal groaned and the ice creaked beneath our legs worried looks crossed our faces but even scarier was when a crack would right between your legs!  Small and harmless as they were, they would still get the heart pumping and the adrenaline racing through the veins.  Arriving back safe, everyone agreed with certainty that it was a great trip.

The next 2 months flew by with a lot of things happening, including a lot of new faces appearing at the club so now we start off by introducing ourselves at every club meeting.  Its really good to see new faces and their excited eyes and of course everybody wants to go somewhere all together to hang out and get to know each other a bit better.  Well soon it would be spring and what better chance to get together than celebrating Maslenitsa at Taltsi?  We were off!  It was a bright and cheery gang we got together for the trip and we were blessed with brilliant sunshine, great company and a host of activities to play at Taltsi.  And some tasty blini filled the day with even more sunshine.  

A new volunteer from Holland has arrived to help us in the office.  His 78 years are haven’t dented his energy and enthusiasm to help out.  Together, we all played on the swings and danced around.  A good chap all round.

Friday the 13th!  Is everybody scared?  We GBT volunteers have learnt to be scared of nothing so whilst others hid inside waiting for the dreaded day to be over a small band of GBTers packed their rucksacks, gathered up some mammal skulls and stuffed birds before taking the bus to Bolshoe Golosutnoe.  Our volunteers weren’t off to carry out a shaman ritual but to work with children from the village.  Vova, Vika and Co decided to take the kids on an excursion but as you can imagine this was to be no simple hike.  The volunteers taught the children about the history of the village, local places of interest, the ecology of the woods and steppe, how to collect fire wood, build a bivouac, put up a tent and they even set up a zip wire.  There was a big focus on learning about wildlife with games to guess the right mammal from the collection of skulls, fur, footprints and faeces or to pick out the right bird.  After this, having clambered onto the frozen surface of Baikal they could go skating or get pulled around by a car in a sled.  And all the time Vova led proceedings with coolness and discipline.  There is a favourite GBT story about Vova and discipline.  Everyone got home safe and sound and both the GBTers and children were left very happy.  And that was the aim of the trip.   

It didn’t stop there though as after the camp our warm hearted and hospitable GBT family in the village, The Mangaskins, took our volunteers in for a big farewell.  Aunty Feya lay on a feast, Uncle Misha told a new story and their son Zhenya soothed out a melody on the guitar before everyone hit the sack for the night.  With such a happy feeling in the heart it was hard to leave.

Alastair, a volunteer on the GBT in 2004-2005 has come back to Baikal.  Not everyone knows him but we have heard a lot about him so it is good to finally meet him.  It is always nice when volunteers come back as it means they must have enjoyed it last time.  Alastair left for the winter project in Severobaikalsk and when he gets back he will help out in the office.

Where are the best volunteers?  At the club!

Where are the best get togethers?  At the club!

Where are the best trips?  At the club!

Where are the best kids?  In Tankhoi!

That’s the song of the GBTers sent off to Tankhoi; a place where all GBTers dream of going.  The people there are welcoming and warm hearted and the place itself is magical.  Few would argue that there is a special kind of energy about the place.

There was so much snow there that the ground couldn’t see the sky!  All the guys were running around diving, somersaulting and flopping into any snow bank that they could find at the start of the trail “In the jungle of Hamar-Daban”.  Then we got changed inside the visit centre and carried on dancing!  You could say that the first day was pure fun!  That’s what fresh air does to you!

Then of course, Vika told us about the Baikalskii Nature Reserve, the history of the native peoples – Buryat and Evenks and showed us how they lived in Yurts and Chums (tents).  We even tried to work out how old a tree was from the rings on its trunk.  There was so much new and interesting information that we really began to value the trip.

Come sunset we took ourselves outside for a stroll on Baikal.  Winter Baikal, whether She be covered in snow or crystal clear ice, is always a spectacular sight to see and to think that under your feet are hundreds of metres of water, that really makes your soul shivver with wonder.  Back outside we began to joke, laugh and jump around again; an overdose of fresh air!

Late in the evening we checked our readiness for the lesson – the real reason why we had come here; 22nd March – Worldwide Day of Water.  “Its good that first we learnt a lot of new things ourselves and then we could tell the children,” said Vanya.  And it really was good because we are also studying and looking for new experiences that you can’t experience anywhere else.  That’s one of the big benefits of being a volunteer with the GBT!   

There were a lot fewer children this year than last as many of them were off school, sick.  Maybe it was because of the small number of participants that the lesson turned out very cosy and friendly.  At first we gave a presentation about volunteering and then watched a documentary film about the life of a drop of water.  After this we broke into groups to discuss various water related topics.  One group discussed the scientific side of water, in the next there was a serious discussion about drought in Africa and how we need to conserve water even if we live on the shores of Lake Baikal.  In the third group we explained how different organisms need different amounts of water, how much water human being are made up of and we worked out the volume of water in each of the children before giving them their water passport.  As for me, it’s written in black and white that 41 of my 60Kgs are water.  So that’s that!

After a presentation by the volunteers with tents, that emphasised the need to save water and most importantly why, we went outside and played some high energy games with the children.  We also carried out an experiment that proved that in a 3 person tent you can fit 18 children and adults and the same time.  We also found out that our GBTers and the school children at Tankhoi have a lot in common.  We can’t wait for the next trip back to that wonderful and magical place.  So a big farewell, everybody together – Hooray! GBT in Tankhoi!

We would like to say a special thank you to Svetlana Anatolevna and Vika Krasnopevtseva for being irreplaceable!

So that was a little bit about what we have been up to here at the GBT.  With all that goes on at the club and all that out volunteers get up to we couldn’t tell you about everything; we’d have to employ a full time story teller to do that.  But one thing is clear; even in winter the GBT alive and active all thanks to our young club and its members.  Hooray, comrades!

 Stay tuned for the next instalment.

Mikhaleva Olga,

GBT volunteer

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