In August 2013, our research group and students took a trip to the Erzya villages in the Republic of Mordovia, setting foot on the land where the language is used and where fresh data could be acquired. We were modestly hoping to find friendly language guides, but instead we were received like guests of honour. The script was changed, and our 20-strong group turned into a delegation. There were endless festivities. Amidst all the parties, we also longed to have time for everyday work, and in the end we ended up getting both.

An ethnographic working method has its own element of surprise. A professor’s workday often consists of hours sitting in front of a computer screen, but also encounters with different kinds of people. If you go as a guest, you have to take the role of a guest, too. For the local hosts in the Republic of Mordovia – who seemed to multiply from village to village – it was important to have the chance to talk to guests who came from far away. The experience was as valuable for the other researchers and the students, and there was plenty of new information to update in the approaching winter months.