Oleg Sonin

aka

"Desman"

 

In 1999, Oleg Sonin was a 2nd-year ecology student at Ryazan' State Pedagogical University. It was then that I met him - when he was a student of Elena Biryukova.

In 2001, I took a group of 12 school teachers to Ryazan' where they studied for five weeks. Oleg was one of two students that spent a great deal of time with us. He traveled to Moscow and St. Petersburg with us and was one of our guides. We got to know him well. It was during this 5-week period that he became christened (by Jeff Myers) as the "Desman" - a small shrew-like animal, supposedly, as Jeff would say, found in the forests of Russia.

In 2002, I traveled to Ryazan' to conduct research in the Oblast Archive. Oleg was my assistant. He was a great help and has become a wonderful friend, colleague, and budding geographer. These pages are devoted to him because he said, "Dr. Green, do you know that you only have one photograph of me on your Web pages?"

So, my friend, here is your site. If others who view this site, have photos of Oleg, please send them to me and I will add them to the collection!

Toward the back of the bus, on the right side of the photo, is a young man turned toward the back talking to three UCA students. That is Oleg. He was at the train station to meet a group of students who had come to visit Ryazan' for three days.

This is at a holy well near the Poshchupova Monastery. Oleg is second from left, talking with Elena Biryukova. Notice how nicely dressed he is - almost always in a suit!

The teachers spent several hours per week working in the computer lab creating lesson plans and teaching units. Oleg was always there to help. There he is at the far right, in the white shirt and tie.

We were invited to visit an ecology camp for children near Lukhovitsi. While there, the staff fed us a wonderful meal. There is Oleg, second from the right corner of the table - dressed in a dark colored t-shirt.

This is a rather unique photograph of Oleg. While we were studying in Meshchorskiy National Park, we were taken for a swimming excursion to White Lake. The weather was very warm and dry so the swim was wonderful. Yes, Oleg is standing on his head, so only his feet are above water.

This is in a "McDonalds" like fast-food restaurant in St. Petersburg. There is Oleg (on the left) and his friend, Victor, eating lunch.

One of the sidestrips we took while in St. Petersburg, was to the beautiful Peterhof Palace on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. The grounds of the palace are filled with scores of fountains. This fountain had a Greek theme, and there is Oleg in his white shirt and tie, standing next to Elena Alyoshina and Elena Biryukova.

While we were in the park, we made some posters of our experience. They were to be used in classrooms at the university in Ryazan'. There is Oleg in the back center watching our work. No white shirt and tie this time. He looks a bit casual, don't you think?

On our way for a picnic in the park, we stopped to fill up a water container. As we were passing through a small village, we came to this well. Some of the teachers got out to look. There is Oleg - second from left - checking out the well. Notice his casual clothing - even shorts this time - and black socks.

This is one of my favorite photos of Oleg. We were taken to a bee institute in Ribnoye, and as we were preparing to enter the institute for a tour, we stopped to check out a display and a beehive. Oleg was selected - the brave soul that he is - to put on the protective hat and check out the hive. His shoulders appear to be a bit shrugged because he was fearful that he might get stung.

While visiting a horse farm in Starozhilova, we were fed a wonderfully large lunch. Look at the food! At left, in the dark t-shirt, is Oleg.

The day before we returned to the United States, our hosts in Ryazan' prepared a banquet in our honor. It was great. If you look carefully, there is Oleg at the HEAD of the table, in his white shirt and tie.

These are our dear friends in Ryazan'. At the left are the cafe ladies that fed us so well. The four on the right were our professors. Kneeling at the left was our bus driver. Next to him was a student, Victor. And, there is Oleg, kneeling in his white shirt and tie.

My most recent trip to Ryazan' was in May 2002. While there I worked in the Oblast Archive. I must say that without Oleg's help, I would not have been successful. He spent everyday with me and made sure I got the material I needed. He is a great guy, a great student, a great geographer, and a great friend. This photo shows Oleg in the archive in his suit and tie. THANKS, Oleg, for all of your help!!

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