Chapter Text
Katya–
Enclosed are the cards and photographs from my class. Please disseminate as you see fit and let me know who to distribute mine to at your earliest convenience. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this program with my Russian learners. I have some enthusiastic students who can’t wait to hear from their new pen pals!
Talk soon,
Chloe
-
2007 September 5
“Dear Friend,”
My name is Shane Hollander. I am 16 years old and I play hockey at Pierre Trudeau High School in Ottawa, Ontario. I play juniors ice hockey for the Ontario Hockey League. My goal is to one day play professionally.
My favorite book at the moment is The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey, which is about the U.S. hockey team’s legendary win against the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics. I don’t like too many books but that one is really good. I don’t mind hearing about books other people like though, if you want to share!
There isn’t too much else for now. I hope to be friends. I am very interested in practicing Russian and I am happy to help with your English, though I expect it will be better than my Russian.
Sincerely,
Shane Hollander
-
5 Sep 2007
“Dear Friend,"
I am Ilya. I write this stupid letter because our teacher forced us to practice my English.
I live in Moscow. It is a beautiful city, but I think I will go to the U.S.A. or Canada someday. I am best hockey player in my league and will go to the Major League Hockey (MLH) very very soon. This is my plan.
I have a very busy life so you will probably not hear from me unless my teacher makes me write of activities like going to nightclubs and volunteering at dog shelter.
Do you have a dog? Send photos if you do.
Bye,
Ilya Rozanov
-
9 Oct 2007
Hollander,
Your card and picture arrived. Thank you.
I look your hockey stats up after your letter. You are impressive for a Canadian. You may even be almost as good as me. It is hard to tell, of course, because hockey in Russia is so demanding. I must go to the gym a lot so I can be at peak condition. I am sending new photo from last gym visit because my previous photo is very poor and you should not think your new “pen pal” is pasty goblin.
I also Google your book. It sounds boring. I will tell you what I think of it when I read it.
Your Russian is not bad. I only recently start to learn English to prepare for future visits to North America. My dictionary and I are to become good friends, I can already see. Why do you decide to learn Russian? I cannot think it is a very useful language in Ottawa. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe Ottawa is a hotspot? Very attractive to wayward Russians?
It is almost time for us to give our letters for our teacher to send to your class. I will wait to hear from you again, Shane Hollander.
Ilya
-
2007 October 16
Dear Ilya,
Thank you for your letter and your photograph. My whole class was very pleased to receive the cards your class sent. I hope you do not mind, but everybody shared them with each other. Sorry if it was meant to be private. Yours was probably the shortest, though. It definitely was the only one to have sections blacked out.
I am so excited to be paired with someone else who plays hockey! What position do you play? Do you like it? How long have you played? Who is your favorite professional hockey player? Mine is probably Sidney Crosby, even if he plays for Pittsburgh. I have a couple of posters of his in my room. He is an awesome player to watch.
Sorry, I do not have a dog. My parents won’t let me have a pet, but maybe someday I will have a dog or a cat. It’s cool that you like animals. My dad says liking animals shows good character. Do you have a pet?
I am very interested in hearing more about your team. Do you have a lot of friends there? I love my team but I don’t really “hang out.” It is one reason I was very excited that our class started this pen pal exchange with your class. I have been looking forward to writing with a potential new friend.
I am curious about Russia. What is your day-to-day life like there?
Sorry if this is too many questions. Write back soon.
Sincerely,
Shane Hollander
P.S. Since I last wrote to you, I started reading Canada on Ice: 50 Years of Great Hockey. This book is an anthology, so it’s easy to pick up when I feel like it. It sounds like you are a pretty busy person but I do recommend it so far.
-
1 Nov 2007
Hollander,
You apologize a lot. Very Canadian, but this is unnecessary. We are getting to know each other, yes? You are fine.
My best friend is named Svetlana. I have known her since I was a small child. Her father is a famous Soviet goaltender, so she knows everything about hockey without being hockey player. One of the two photographs is of us at a car show we went to in the spring. I am the one on the right. I also enclose a photograph I took skating at VDNKh rink. It is the largest ice skating rink in Europe, very popular, very pretty this time of year. Especially when it snows. I have taken dates here sometimes. Do you date? I do not see you talk much about anything other than hockey.
I do not have a pet. I will someday. What is the point of being very rich and famous MLH star if not to provide my many dogs with everything comfortable? It is nonsense life.
I live in Moscow forever, so I do not really know what it is like to live someplace else. As I say before, I hope to find out. For now my days are busy. I have school, of course. Boring. When I am not at school, I like to go out with my teammates or Sveta or my coach’s son Sasha. The nightlife here is very good. I like the fast pace of the city. There is always something or someone to occupy time.
To answer your hockey questions...
I am first line center. I see online that is also your position.
Of course I like hockey, I am the best at it.
I have played hockey since I was very small. My brother Alexei played and I wanted to be like him. He does not any more, though.
Sidney Crosby is superb. You have good taste. You would like to watch me play sometime, maybe. I could show you some things. Maybe I become your new favorite player, yes?
Ilya
P.S. I got a copy of your Boys of Winter. There is not a translation in Russian so it is taking some time to read. I am probably too lazy to finish but we will see.
P.S. Yes, Hollander, I think we can be friends now.
-
2007 November 26
Dear Rozanov,
I hope you don’t mind, but I decided not to write till your last (?) letter arrived. It doesn’t really make sense for our letters to continue to cross streams when we could exchange them one at a time.
It’s kind of weird that you Googled me. I feel like you know a lot more about me than I do about you now. I have never Googled myself. I don’t even know what’s out there about me online. Hopefully it was all good.
Your friend Svetlana is very pretty. Is she your girlfriend? Of course I have dated, but I don’t have a girlfriend right now.
It’s unlikely that you have much to teach me about hockey that I don’t already know, but thanks for the offer. You seem like a very confident person. I’d be interested to see how that carries onto the ice.
By the next time I write to you, it will probably be around the International Prospect Cup in Sweden, which I’m competing in on the Canadian team. I’m really nervous and excited–this will be my first time traveling out of the country without my parents. They’re great, and they try to be present for all my sports stuff, but they just couldn’t make it with their work responsibilities. I’m ready for it, though.
Hey, something just occurred to me. Will you be competing this year, too?
You asked why I wanted to learn Russian. I like languages. I am a native English speaker, but I also speak French and Japanese. French is the most useful language to know in Canada, and I am part Japanese. When I thought about taking an elective language, I thought about my classmate Maks. He was a Russian exchange student I was friends with. I wanted him to be able to hear some of his own language while he was in Canada, and in the process I fell in love with Russian. I think it is one of the most beautiful languages I have ever heard. Difficult, but rewarding. Like the best skating.
But no, Ottawa is not a Russian hot spot. Sorry.
Sincerely,
Shane Hollander
P.S. It’s “P.P.S.” when you have more than one postscript. A post-postscript. A third post-script is “P.P.P.S.” and so on.
P.P.S. I enclosed a picture. It didn’t seem right for me to have 4 when you only have the 1 school photo. I hope it is OK.
P.P.P.S. You don’t seem lazy to me at all.
-
14 Dec 2007
Hollander,
I understand your Christmas is coming up soon. I do not know if you celebrate it, but American Christmas seems like a big fucking deal in all your media. It is somewhat different here. We do celebrate Christmas, but it is not the event you make it. I am looking forward to New Year, though. It is much more similar to Canadian Christmas. I do not think I will get many gifts but that is OK. The fireworks are fun, and I make meat dumplings because it is tradition. Maybe Sveta and I will do something if time with her family permits.
And no, Sveta and I are not dating exactly. I like her but I am “free agent” as they say. I did tell her you think she is hot, though.
Speaking of friends, tell me more about this Maks. Does he still study there? Do you have picture? I must know about this person you learn entire language for. He sounds like he is a very important friend.
Since I include photographs with all my previous letters, I did not want to disappoint you by leaving you empty-handed. I took a new picture at the gym earlier this week. You should send one too. We will both need to keep eyes on our competition, after all.
This year it was not possible for me to compete at the IPC. Injury that is not serious but keeps me from contention. I try to argue that Russians do not suffer, it is known of our disposition, but the regulations are not made by my sturdy countrymen. Very unfortunate, as I am certain I would help the Russian team to destroy Canada. Without me perhaps you will have a chance.
Good luck.
Ilya
P.S. You wear glasses?
-
2007 December 14
Dear friend,
I know I haven’t received your latest letter, but I wanted to send this before the Christmas break. We learned all about the differences in holiday traditions in class, so don’t open the gift until January 1st, OK?
Happy New Year, Rozanov.
Sincerely,
Shane