Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies

Last Friday, the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian studies (CREEES) held its annual fall festival, celebrating the cultures and languages of the region. Through food, songs (even karaoke), and games the festival connected the classroom to a festive environment--and the students were the main contributors.

Students, faculty, and staff filled the hallways of Burdine’s second floor waiting in line to sample Slavic fare, an array of homemade potluck dishes and store bought goods generously provided by Borderless European Market, the new East European delicatessen in town. Inside the room, people stood shoulder to shoulder holding plates of food while the sound of conversation and music filled the air.

As the festival’s participants (mostly students of Slavic languages at UT), they recited poems, sang songs, and made dishes related to the culture they are learning about. This year, the festival opened with a performance of Dr. Pesenson’s Advanced Russian language students singing a rock version of the Russian national anthem. In between performances from students, the audience participated in trivia that was organized and hosted by graduate students Brenda Gonzalez and Quinn O’Dowd. Categories like “Tennis/Defectors” challenged the crowds’ knowledge of the region’s defectors and tennis players alike.

A highlight of the festival was a performance from Jasmine Hashemi. She played the Neapolitan Song by Tchaikovsky on the violin to a captive audience. Lucy LeBlanc, a student of Polish really went out on a limb reciting a poem in Hungarian.

Long before Bill and Sookie, Bella and Edward, there was the ‘upyr’, a mythical creature that caused crops to fail, infants to die in their cribs, and plagues to spread throughout the Slavic lands of eastern Europe. How did we go from ‘upyr’ to Vampire: the creature of the night who survives by drinking on blood and sparkles in the sunshine? And, more importantly, what can we learn about medieval Eastern Europe by talking about vampire myths and mythology?

By Elizabeth Fullerton  (Masters Candidate University of Texas at Austin)

“In July 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 went down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. In October 2015, Russian passenger plane KGL9268 plummeted to the earth over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 passengers and crew. In November, a Russian warplane flying along the Syria-Turkey border fell from the sky. The world was shocked by these events as it soon became evident that all three planes had been intentionally destroyed. Two were shot down, and one was bombed. What makes these situations even worse was the blame game that ensued, deeply affecting international relations. No one has admitted to shooting down Flight 17. Multiple militant organizations have claimed responsibility for the downing of Flight 9268. Both Russia and Turkey insist that the other is at fault for the warplane’s demise.”

Click here to read more   

CREEES has put together a holiday gift guide for all you last minute shoppers!

1. CREEES Region Movies: Pelíšky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlfO3aYdg50 and The Babushkas of Chernobyl http://thebabushkasofchernobyl.com/

2. Soviet Propaganda T-Shirts: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/26/communist-propaganda-post_n_6377336.html

3. Funny Banya Hat: http://www.russian-bath.com/etiquette/

4. Love and Vodka Book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpjoWBeM8ts

5. Croatia in a Box: http://croatiainabox.com

6. Michał Korzistka CD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UOkD9KZK3M 7. Moscow Mule: http://www.foodandwine.com/fwx/drink/5-things-you-didn-t-know-about-moscow-mule-and-where-get-original-copper-mugs

Undergraduate Research Spotlight: Exploring Texas Czech heritage sites in Moravia 

Last summer Celeste Banda,​ a junior at UT-Austin pursuing her BA in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, received a scholarship from the Texas Chair in Czech Studies Endowment to conduct research on Moravian hometowns of Texas Czech settlers and to continue her study of the Czech language. As a result, she spent last summer exploring sites of interest across Moravia and tracing the origins of Milam County Czech communities. Celeste is from Cameron, Texas, herself, so she made sure to bring her summer experience home to the Texas Czech community:

“This summer, I studied abroad for one month at the Summer School of Slavonic Languages at Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, with 98 students from 30 countries, including 3 American students. Several cultural activities, film showings, and excursions were offered throughout the course of the program. I was even able to take a beginner Russian language class while furthering my knowledge of the Czech language and culture. In the classroom, we also learned traditional folk songsand tried Olomoucké tvarůžky, a favorite “stinky” cheese of the area.

“Olomoucis located in Moravia, the eastern region of the Czech Republic. A majority of the Czechs who immigrated to Texas in the mid-1800s through early 1900s came from the Moravia region. During the weekends, I traveled to the Czech towns of origin to the Texas Czech families in Milam County, since it was the Czech influence in Milam County that originally got me interested in Czech related studies. 

“I visited the museum in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, where there is an exhibit on Czech emigration to Texas. From Frenštát, I visited Tichá and Horní Sklenov, towns where the Marak family was from. Marak is a small community in northwest Milam County, named after that family. Due to its proximity to Horní Sklenov, I even managed a trip to Hukvaldy Castle in Hukvaldy, the hometown of Czech composer,Leoš Janáček. I also visited Vsetín and the surrounding towns of Jasenka, Janová, and Hovězí, which are also small towns from which Texas Czech families came. Žarošice was by far my favorite place to visit.

“I chose to visit Žarošice, a small town near Brno, because at least seven Milam County families came from there. I stayed with the Hroudný family, who were very kind and generous, and took me on a tour of the town and surrounding areasof interest. We visited the towns of Archlebov, Ždánice, and Slavkov u Brna (a town from which another five Milam County families emigrated to Texas).

“Slavkovu Brna is also known as Austerlitz in German and is known for the Battle of Austerlitz, or the Battle of Three Emperors, which is considered one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s greatest victories. The Hroudný family took me to various sites related to the battle. Within Žarošice is a marker showing where Ferdinand von Tiesenhausen died. Von Tiesenhausen was an assistant to Czar Alexander I and is said to be the inspiration for a character in Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. In Uhřice,we visited the mill where Napoleon met with Emperor Franz I of Austria after the battle. We also visited Žurán hill, where Napoleon’s army was head quartered, and Pracé hill, where there is a Cairn of Peace Memorial and Battle of Austerlitz museum.

“Before I left, Mr. Hroudný, who works at the Žarošicetown museum, gave me several books, some of which even mentioned my small hometown of Cameron, Texas! I greatly enjoyed furthering my knowledge of the Czech language, my adventures traveling to Texas Czech towns of origin, and even getting the chance to share my experiences with Texas Czech friends back home. Upon my return, I visited with a 93-year-old Milam County resident whose father was born in Moravia. He was so happy to see my photos and hear my stories about visiting the town where his father was born and grew up.

“I greatly appreciate all of these experiences made possible with the help of the Czech Summer Studies Scholarship.”

When its leg day but you’re a mountain man from Poland