By Jenny Lamothe
In Ukraine, Odessa specifically, a map of the world is featured prominently above a mantelpiece at The Babushka Grand Hostel. On its papery surface, a worn spot near the Great Lakes shows the place Nilgiri Pearson has pointed to over and over: his hometown of Sudbury.
And because Pearson is a storyteller at heart, guests would hear the story of how a northern boy ended up in Europe, beginning with his father, Dr. David Pearson, professor and founding director of Science North.
“My dad had travelled in the former Yugoslavia and Romania back in the 1960s, and he had gone to see the Painted Monasteries,” said Pearson. “I wanted to see the places he had been.”
A chance encounter with two Peace Corps volunteers led him to Ukraine, in time for their independence celebrations, and an interesting read — "The Fall of Yugoslavia" by Misha Glenny — kept him there, wanting to explore. That exploration took him to Odessa, a city he compliments as “a very special place,” and through a few more happenstances – in particular meeting two men, one Polish, one American — Pearson took over the running of their hostel during the slower winter season.
When they never returned, he decided to try the idea on his own.
And now another meeting, an American man, friend of a friend, who worked in a Mexican restaurant in Odessa, named John Davey. The two men partnered up, along with with John’s then-girlfriend (now wife) Masha Pozhar, a popular local singer and staple of Odessa’s arts and culture scene, and, as Pearson said, “We rented the apartment, got a business licence, bought the beds, put the beds in the apartment, put the apartment on hostel world and – if you make it people will come!”
The hostel itself is truly something to behold. So much so that it was recently featured on the Hostel.com list of 99 Unusual Hostels You’ll Never Want to Leave.
Named Babushka – meaning grandmother – to convey the warmth of family, The Babushka Grand Hostel is “grand” for a reason. It is one of the only apartments in the city that has managed to retain its historical charm, with an enormous chandelier lighting the carved crown moulding that dances across the ceiling. So many of these large and ornate apartments were lost to the revolt against the aristocracy after the Russian revolution, turned to workers quarters by haphazardly slicing walls into enormous living spaces.
It also offers a chance to explore Odessa, a beautiful city that Pearson describes as, “The Russian world’s Cancun.” Situated on the shores of the Black Sea, it is known for its beautiful beaches, and for its history and architecture.
And though many travellers are happier in hotels, if they can afford it, hotels don’t offer what a hostel can: a true and authentic experience.
“Because hotels, ultimately they’re like little bubbles, whereas in a hostel, even if you’re sleeping in a private room, there is a common room and everybody is travelling … everybody would, at one point or another, find themselves together at the dinner table,” said Pearson.
This includes the locals who work at the Babushka Grand or offer their services there, who share their love of their city with guests. The hostel’s housekeeper cooked an amazing meal for the staff and now offers it to guests for a true culinary experience.
Partners Davey and Pearson found a photographer willing to offer guests a tour of places to see, and even found someone willing to lead tours exploring the underground catacombs, created when the soft stone was quarried to create the city.
In 2010, Pearson began studying law at Trinity College Dublin, in Ireland. From that point on, Pozhar assumed his day-to-day responsibilities, but Pearson returned to Ukraine to live and work each summer in what became a three-way-partnership – albeit with Pozhar and later her mother, Lyuba, acting as the Babushka’s matriarchs. In Russian they were “Brut”, “Sestra”, “Mama” – brother, sister, mother – or just “Sem’ya”, meaning family.
This gave Pearson the chance to give back to his own community. Currently, Pearson volunteers his time with Lifeline Sudbury, an organization offering resources to sponsor and support refugee families in Sudbury, and as constituency assistant in the office of Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre. It is difficult, but rewarding work, he said, that occasionally offers him the chance to talk a little about his travels, especially when a Sudburian of Ukrainian decent comes in to his office.
One look at their passport, and it’s, “Oh, I know that place,” said Pearson. “And then we start this fantastic conversation.”
More information about The Babushka Grand Hotel can be found at www.BabushkaGrand.com. Of course, you could always book a ticket to Odessa and see it for yourself. If you’re interested, I know a guy.
Jenny Lamothe is a freelance writer, proof-reader and editor in Greater Sudbury. Contact her through her website, JennytheWriter.wordpress.com.
