“Originally opened in 1939 as the All-Union Exhibition of Agriculture (promoting a decade of collectivization), this is Stalinist architecture at its most grandiose and free market enterprise at its most indifferent...” advertises my travel book on the VDNKh park. And it really is, too!
Stalin loved giant architecture and and huge walkways, so that's exactly how the park is laid out. The entire park is filled with giant, elaborately-designed pavilions and covered in huge statues of peasants (typically carrying a sickle, ax, wheat, or some combination thereof). As all of the buildings were essentially originally intended to demonstrate the greatness of the USSR, I expected to come upon some historical information or a museum of Soviet history. However, capitalism has taken root here – and in the worst way possible.
Each pavilion represents a different Soviet republic. Rather than providing information on each republic, however, many of these pavilions are filled with a maze of kitchy kiosks offering overly-priced dollar-store rejects. You can find any piece of crap here your heart could possibly desire: lava lamps, goth bracelets, plastic Samurai swords... really, it's a White Elephant party gift dreamland. Any pavilion that isn't filled with kiosks has a restaurant instead.
My friends & I should have suspected as much as we were walking up to and around the park. The park sidewalks are lined with dozens of cheap theme park games (“Hit one of the targets and win a bear!!”) and massive bouncy-castles. (Honestly, I've never seen so many bouncy-castles in my life. I didn't actually even really realize there was a market for these things...and certainly not in a Soviet-era park.) After wandering around completely befuddled, we decided to stop in one of the many outdoor restaurants in the park.
We looked at the prices at one location, thinking they seemed decent. What we didn't realize was that the prices were by weight, not by item. So my friends and I sat, thrilled at the food that was coming our way... big chunks of freshly-grilled meat, surrounded by a fanciful salad, beautifully displayed. Soft bread... And potatoes! Oh, the potatoes! Well, it was all just wonderful. And to top it off, our server was actually helpful, possibly the most helpful server we've had yet. (After being in Russia, I will never again take decent, friendly service for granted.) We clearly had trouble communicating in Russian, so he would bring us examples of the food so that we could choose to order that particular item or not. Also – and most importantly – he opened up an employee bathroom for me so that I wouldn't have to use one of the nasty port-o-potties in the park! I was thrilled with the food, and the service! Ah, I decided, this man was going to get a big tip.
Well, then the bill came. At more than $50 per person, it was more than twice what we'd paid for any other meal, and in nice restaurants! “What??” we immediately thought, “$50 for a bit of meat, some veggies, bread and water??! And in outdoor park seating, with plastic forks that break mid-meal? Ridiculous!” (A generous tip had already been included in the full cost of the meal; I wonder how many other people had been surprised by the final bill.) Well, we paid up, clearly. And I couldn't be too upset... yes, it's possible that he ripped us off. Yes, it's possible that we paid more than twice what a Russian would pay. At the same time, I was thankful for my generously-portioned meal with US-style service, even if it didn't come with a smile. Also, Russians will pay money for anything if they are able, just because its a symbol of status. Really, anything.* Maybe the park caters to those sorts. After all, as we were leaving, we noticed that one ride on the Ferris Wheel would have cost nearly $10. Clearly, when communism meets capitalism, it's not very pretty.
--//--
*This is actually great for businesses that can take advantage of Russians' desire for “premium” brands. According to a TNK-BP representative who spoke to our Russian Energy Policy class, the company's premium “Ultimate” gas brand makes up a mere 5-10% of sales in Europe. In Russia, however, it accounts for a full 30%. Like I said, plenty of Russians will pay more for absolutely anything if they can....
Thursday, July 21, 2011
RussiaToday: taking a FOX news “objective” approach
Our school organized a trip to RussiaToday, a global news network that brings the “Russian perspective” to the world, where we met with two RussiaToday representatives and visited the news rooms. Within the first five minutes of both introductions to the news channel, both representatives declared firmly that they “knew that the channel was often described in the West as being in the Kremlin's pocket – but that's simply not true!”
I feel like it might be appropriate here to mention that the network is completely government-funded.
Now, I don't know too much about RussiaToday; I've certainly never watched their news. So perhaps I'm overstepping my bounds here. But one of the other students is a frequent viewer of the channel, just for the purpose of hearing multiple perspectives. Apparently, the channel frequently referred to Russia's role in the Russia-Georgian war as a “peacekeeping” operation. Considering the controversy surrounding that entire situation, if that's not subjective news reporting, I'm not sure what is.
Ok, ok, despite all of the political hype, it really was an enjoyable trip! Our entire class was given a tour of multiple news-rooms and planning rooms. We all were able to shoot photos of the planning rooms and of ourselves sitting where their big news anchors deliver news. It was actually really wonderful to wander through the planning rooms filled with people – they had snacks all around and goofy little tongue-twisters posted on the wall. That part reminded me quite a bit of an American office!
After an truly delightful trip to RussiaToday, we headed to Gorky Park for dinner. I've decided that Gorky park is perhaps one of my favorite places in Moscow. You enter the park through huge Grecian columns that open up to a lawn of carefully arranged flowers, framed by a massive fountain in the background. On the weekends, you might even be lucky enough to catch the fountains dance and change colors to orchestra music! There's so much else to the park, though, I don't even know where to begin! Hm, perhaps a list will suffice: lush lawns, roller-bladers, ice-cream vendors, grass-cutting goats, lounging couples, loud families, waterfront theme park rides, leafy trees...and the list goes on. On this trip, we would stop by a little cafe with sofa seating, Christmas lights, and tasty BBQ. (Mmm...)
We decided to take a bit of a long route home this time, just to enjoy Moscow and the sites along the river. Along our walk, I began to hear bits of Latin music – my first in Moscow! We discovered that there's quite a lively salsa scene in Moscow ... AND REGULAR SALSA DANCING ALONG THE WATERFRONT!!!! I was ridiculously excited by what I saw: dozens of people, all swinging their hips to beautiful Latin music! To make it even better, it was all open air. No club was putting this on, so there was no “face control”* and there were normal people dancing! (Meaning: The floor wasn't filled with “Barbie girls” in six-inch heels.) Everyone was just there to dance and have a good time! I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the evening.
--//--
*Most clubs in Moscow employ some sort of “face control.” Basically, if you don't look nice enough, you won't be let in.
I feel like it might be appropriate here to mention that the network is completely government-funded.
Now, I don't know too much about RussiaToday; I've certainly never watched their news. So perhaps I'm overstepping my bounds here. But one of the other students is a frequent viewer of the channel, just for the purpose of hearing multiple perspectives. Apparently, the channel frequently referred to Russia's role in the Russia-Georgian war as a “peacekeeping” operation. Considering the controversy surrounding that entire situation, if that's not subjective news reporting, I'm not sure what is.
Ok, ok, despite all of the political hype, it really was an enjoyable trip! Our entire class was given a tour of multiple news-rooms and planning rooms. We all were able to shoot photos of the planning rooms and of ourselves sitting where their big news anchors deliver news. It was actually really wonderful to wander through the planning rooms filled with people – they had snacks all around and goofy little tongue-twisters posted on the wall. That part reminded me quite a bit of an American office!
After an truly delightful trip to RussiaToday, we headed to Gorky Park for dinner. I've decided that Gorky park is perhaps one of my favorite places in Moscow. You enter the park through huge Grecian columns that open up to a lawn of carefully arranged flowers, framed by a massive fountain in the background. On the weekends, you might even be lucky enough to catch the fountains dance and change colors to orchestra music! There's so much else to the park, though, I don't even know where to begin! Hm, perhaps a list will suffice: lush lawns, roller-bladers, ice-cream vendors, grass-cutting goats, lounging couples, loud families, waterfront theme park rides, leafy trees...and the list goes on. On this trip, we would stop by a little cafe with sofa seating, Christmas lights, and tasty BBQ. (Mmm...)
We decided to take a bit of a long route home this time, just to enjoy Moscow and the sites along the river. Along our walk, I began to hear bits of Latin music – my first in Moscow! We discovered that there's quite a lively salsa scene in Moscow ... AND REGULAR SALSA DANCING ALONG THE WATERFRONT!!!! I was ridiculously excited by what I saw: dozens of people, all swinging their hips to beautiful Latin music! To make it even better, it was all open air. No club was putting this on, so there was no “face control”* and there were normal people dancing! (Meaning: The floor wasn't filled with “Barbie girls” in six-inch heels.) Everyone was just there to dance and have a good time! I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the evening.
--//--
*Most clubs in Moscow employ some sort of “face control.” Basically, if you don't look nice enough, you won't be let in.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Gotta love being an American in Moscow
The US Embassy in Moscow is just a little piece of home! Embassy employees live in brick row-houses that are surrounded outside by freshly cut communal lawns and decorated inside with American-style mahogany wood furniture. When we were visiting some friends who are interning there, I was just so happy to be visiting a little piece of the US, if only for an evening! To make it even better, our friends had piles of hamburgers and other treats leftover from the Embassy Fourth of July celebration! And let me tell you, after a more than a month out of the country, there is perhaps nothing better than a grilled hamburger. :-)
As it turns out, knowing Embassy folks can have its perks. Apparently, the Ambassador is constantly receiving tickets to events around town, many of which he either has no interest or ability to attend. Therefore, these tickets make their way down the chain – and often into intern hands! Thanks to this fun little fact, one Tuesday evening, I found myself with an embassy friend at a theater with the Ambassador's third-row tickets to a modern dance performance!!
The performance itself was just trippy; I'm pretty sure the director must have been on drugs while planning this thing out. It started off with a screen-shot of a giant rose floating off into space, and the performance only made less sense as it went on. Scenes jumped from courting centaurs, to dancing sunflowers, to mostly-naked stone-age people fighting with prehistoric bones, to....well, you get the picture. To it's credit, the performance wasn't about making sense; it was really more about the wild visual effects of each scene throughout the evening. Overall, quite interesting. Plus, we had Ambassador's tickets!!
As it turns out, knowing Embassy folks can have its perks. Apparently, the Ambassador is constantly receiving tickets to events around town, many of which he either has no interest or ability to attend. Therefore, these tickets make their way down the chain – and often into intern hands! Thanks to this fun little fact, one Tuesday evening, I found myself with an embassy friend at a theater with the Ambassador's third-row tickets to a modern dance performance!!
The performance itself was just trippy; I'm pretty sure the director must have been on drugs while planning this thing out. It started off with a screen-shot of a giant rose floating off into space, and the performance only made less sense as it went on. Scenes jumped from courting centaurs, to dancing sunflowers, to mostly-naked stone-age people fighting with prehistoric bones, to....well, you get the picture. To it's credit, the performance wasn't about making sense; it was really more about the wild visual effects of each scene throughout the evening. Overall, quite interesting. Plus, we had Ambassador's tickets!!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Language Flubs
I'd hoped to get in some real language practice before coming to Moscow. And I'd like to say that I really, really tried! But the summer just got in the way. I had places to see and people to visit, so clearly there just simply wasn't time to spend hours in front of Rosetta Stone learning the Russian basics! That said, I headed to Moscow knowing little to no Russian. (And the little I did know wasn't exactly going to be useful. After all, how often does one need the phrase, “the woman drinks”??)
This certainly led to some interesting language encounters. I wanted to be friendly to our guards when entering the university and dorms, so said what I thought was “hello!” every morning. Only about a week and a half later did I realize that I was waving at them with a big smile, calling out “Thank you!!”
Fortunately, my Russian has progressed a bit since then.* Today, during a visit to Peter the Great's cabin in Moscow,** one of the other students and I had a delightfully goofy time practicing our new Russian vocabulary. (“Is that a purse?” “No, it's a dog!”) When we reached Peter the Great's log cabin, I decided to bust out some of my new vocabulary, “Eta dom. Eta malinki dom! Eta OCHIN malinki dom!!” (This is a house. This is a small house! This is a VERY small house!!) I was so proud of my little phrase until my friend noted that, perhaps, it might come off as a tad insulting to the Russians there. This was, after all, one of Peter the Great's cabins. Whoops!
--//--
*Alas, the first three weeks of language class were a bit of a bust, though it picked up considerably one we received a new teacher this week. Our first language teacher would cover huge amounts of unrelated material, so that it wasn't really possible to absorb it all in such a short time-frame. (One of the students said the material we'd seen in 2 weeks covered language grammar that she didn't look at for most of her first semester!) For instance, our professor “taught” us the various forms of “to go” – past, present, and future – all in the last 15 minutes of a class period one day. Please keep in mind that we'd only started with the alphabet the week before. Luckily, our end-of-period test was open book. However, when I looked up words in the dictionary during the test, she acted astonished, interrupted my test and demanded to know what I could possibly be looking up. After all, she exclaimed, she had taught us these words already!!
**Peter the Great spent a couple of months in this cabin in 1705 to supervise ship-building in Arkhangelsk. The cabin was eventually moved to and renovated in Moscow in 1935.
This certainly led to some interesting language encounters. I wanted to be friendly to our guards when entering the university and dorms, so said what I thought was “hello!” every morning. Only about a week and a half later did I realize that I was waving at them with a big smile, calling out “Thank you!!”
Fortunately, my Russian has progressed a bit since then.* Today, during a visit to Peter the Great's cabin in Moscow,** one of the other students and I had a delightfully goofy time practicing our new Russian vocabulary. (“Is that a purse?” “No, it's a dog!”) When we reached Peter the Great's log cabin, I decided to bust out some of my new vocabulary, “Eta dom. Eta malinki dom! Eta OCHIN malinki dom!!” (This is a house. This is a small house! This is a VERY small house!!) I was so proud of my little phrase until my friend noted that, perhaps, it might come off as a tad insulting to the Russians there. This was, after all, one of Peter the Great's cabins. Whoops!
--//--
*Alas, the first three weeks of language class were a bit of a bust, though it picked up considerably one we received a new teacher this week. Our first language teacher would cover huge amounts of unrelated material, so that it wasn't really possible to absorb it all in such a short time-frame. (One of the students said the material we'd seen in 2 weeks covered language grammar that she didn't look at for most of her first semester!) For instance, our professor “taught” us the various forms of “to go” – past, present, and future – all in the last 15 minutes of a class period one day. Please keep in mind that we'd only started with the alphabet the week before. Luckily, our end-of-period test was open book. However, when I looked up words in the dictionary during the test, she acted astonished, interrupted my test and demanded to know what I could possibly be looking up. After all, she exclaimed, she had taught us these words already!!
**Peter the Great spent a couple of months in this cabin in 1705 to supervise ship-building in Arkhangelsk. The cabin was eventually moved to and renovated in Moscow in 1935.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Six Brides in Ten Minutes
June is the month in Moscow to get married, apparently. While meandering inside GUM and around the Red Square, we came across a record six brides in ten minutes! Brides and grooms are driven all over the city – often in white stretch Hummer limos – to take photographs at Moscow's greatest sites. We noticed that even on their wedding day, Muscovites don't always look overly enthusiastic ...but that's not to say they're not very happy. I just can't tell how some of these folks feel. Let me explain...
I usually associate wedding parties with giant smiles and lots of laughter, but that did not seem to be the case at the wedding groups we came across. I thought, “but it's your wedding day!! How can one manage to not smile every moment?!?” However, it's also become quite clear that we sometimes express ourselves in very, very different ways from the Russians – and that it can be all too easy for us to misjudge their feelings and intentions.
Twice, a couple of guys from our program were enjoying beers at a bar and noticed that they were being watched. One time in particular, one of the fellows became quite nervous that the couple of guys looking over at them were going to start a fight outside the bar once they left. These Russian guys just looked so intimidating with their straight faces! Well, it turned out that the Russians were just curious; they'd heard our boys speaking English and really just wanted to chat with our guys!! We're just so perplexed by these people sometimes!
That said, these Muscovites will sometimes smile at (what we would consider) the quirkiest things. For instance, one beautiful day, I decided to take my little computer out to the front of the school to catch wi-fi and a few sun-rays. At any American university, you'd have students strewn all over the lawn with their laptops. Not here! Everyone who passed by either gave a surprised look, glare, laugh, smile or comment. A fellow in one group hollered, “Merry Christmas!” The best response, however, was from one of the typically stoic university guards. Not only did I get a comment** but also received a huge, toothy grin!! He just thought I was hilarious.
--//--
*GUM is a super-swanky mall just along the Red Square that is filled with designer shops. While seeking refuge from a surprise cloud-burst of rain, a friend and I were surprised to discover that – despite the fact that GUM is perhaps the swankiest mall in town – the shiny glass-covered ceiling leaks.
**I have no idea what he said, but perhaps it was along the lines of, “Haha! Oh, you silly American! Don't you know that you shouldn't take your laptop outside! It'll get stolen – and what a joke that would be! Ho, ho!”
I usually associate wedding parties with giant smiles and lots of laughter, but that did not seem to be the case at the wedding groups we came across. I thought, “but it's your wedding day!! How can one manage to not smile every moment?!?” However, it's also become quite clear that we sometimes express ourselves in very, very different ways from the Russians – and that it can be all too easy for us to misjudge their feelings and intentions.
Twice, a couple of guys from our program were enjoying beers at a bar and noticed that they were being watched. One time in particular, one of the fellows became quite nervous that the couple of guys looking over at them were going to start a fight outside the bar once they left. These Russian guys just looked so intimidating with their straight faces! Well, it turned out that the Russians were just curious; they'd heard our boys speaking English and really just wanted to chat with our guys!! We're just so perplexed by these people sometimes!
That said, these Muscovites will sometimes smile at (what we would consider) the quirkiest things. For instance, one beautiful day, I decided to take my little computer out to the front of the school to catch wi-fi and a few sun-rays. At any American university, you'd have students strewn all over the lawn with their laptops. Not here! Everyone who passed by either gave a surprised look, glare, laugh, smile or comment. A fellow in one group hollered, “Merry Christmas!” The best response, however, was from one of the typically stoic university guards. Not only did I get a comment** but also received a huge, toothy grin!! He just thought I was hilarious.
--//--
*GUM is a super-swanky mall just along the Red Square that is filled with designer shops. While seeking refuge from a surprise cloud-burst of rain, a friend and I were surprised to discover that – despite the fact that GUM is perhaps the swankiest mall in town – the shiny glass-covered ceiling leaks.
**I have no idea what he said, but perhaps it was along the lines of, “Haha! Oh, you silly American! Don't you know that you shouldn't take your laptop outside! It'll get stolen – and what a joke that would be! Ho, ho!”
Lenin would be turning in his grave if he knew....
Who would have thought thirty years ago that Russia would host an extreme motorcycle performance – with foreign sponsors like XBOX & Toyota – on the Red Square, not thirty feet from Lenin's mausoleum? A few folks from my program & I enjoyed a crazy show celebrating the beginning of a major Moscow-Sochi road trip. The sponsors went all out for this event: they had motorcycles doing flips in the air, camels parading around, and a whole live show with dancers (including a bunch of hefty Russian men doing an MIB-type song and dance). Even the organizer of the 2014 Sochi Olympics made a showing. Throughout all the celebrations, Lenin was carefully guarded by extra fencing and guards stationed every 10 feet
At this event, I became acquainted with a writer who's a friend-of-a-friend. This fellow is spending a month in Moscow to conduct research for a novel he's writing, and has been interviewing anyone and everyone he can about the country. Thanks to this research, he's met quite a few interesting folks, including an incredibly business-savvy 21-year-old entrepreneur. This entrepreneur started business at age 15, when he purchased three little telephone kiosks in another town. At the time, he needed to give “only” 30% of his profits (or revenue, it's unclear) to the local mafia boss (“affectionately” called thief-in-law). “30%?” he thought, “Great! That's totally reasonable!”
Well, this thief-in-law was eventually deposed and replace by another who charged 80%. Suddenly, business was no longer profitable. This young entrepreneur did the only thing he could: he left town and set up shop in Moscow.* Today, he heads quite a profitable business in Moscow that has grown far beyond those three original telephone kiosks. My new writer friend didn't comment on the kickback structure here in Moscow, so I still don't know. Once I do, I'll let you know and maybe we can see about setting up shop here. Deal?
--//--
*Side note about Moscow's seedier side: Business isn't the only thing this young fellow found difficult; after a while, he began to complain about his girlfriend, who apparently sleeps around regularly. For anyone who's been in Moscow for a while, I feel like this shouldn't be too big of a surprise. The city is full of anorexic Barbie-like young women, all dolled up in booty dresses and six-inch heels – on a normal day. It's not uncommon to see one of these women hanging on a clearly wealthy, and rather unattractive, man. I'd like to think that these women may be attracted to the man's humor, and he to her personality, but many times evidence suggests otherwise. Anyway, when each partner in these kinds of relationships clearly wants something other than their partner – whether it be sex or money – it's no surprise that infidelity might be a problem.
At this event, I became acquainted with a writer who's a friend-of-a-friend. This fellow is spending a month in Moscow to conduct research for a novel he's writing, and has been interviewing anyone and everyone he can about the country. Thanks to this research, he's met quite a few interesting folks, including an incredibly business-savvy 21-year-old entrepreneur. This entrepreneur started business at age 15, when he purchased three little telephone kiosks in another town. At the time, he needed to give “only” 30% of his profits (or revenue, it's unclear) to the local mafia boss (“affectionately” called thief-in-law). “30%?” he thought, “Great! That's totally reasonable!”
Well, this thief-in-law was eventually deposed and replace by another who charged 80%. Suddenly, business was no longer profitable. This young entrepreneur did the only thing he could: he left town and set up shop in Moscow.* Today, he heads quite a profitable business in Moscow that has grown far beyond those three original telephone kiosks. My new writer friend didn't comment on the kickback structure here in Moscow, so I still don't know. Once I do, I'll let you know and maybe we can see about setting up shop here. Deal?
--//--
*Side note about Moscow's seedier side: Business isn't the only thing this young fellow found difficult; after a while, he began to complain about his girlfriend, who apparently sleeps around regularly. For anyone who's been in Moscow for a while, I feel like this shouldn't be too big of a surprise. The city is full of anorexic Barbie-like young women, all dolled up in booty dresses and six-inch heels – on a normal day. It's not uncommon to see one of these women hanging on a clearly wealthy, and rather unattractive, man. I'd like to think that these women may be attracted to the man's humor, and he to her personality, but many times evidence suggests otherwise. Anyway, when each partner in these kinds of relationships clearly wants something other than their partner – whether it be sex or money – it's no surprise that infidelity might be a problem.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
If you're traveling to Russia, you'd better start out with a healthy metabolism
Russia, Belorussian, Georgian, and Central Asian delicacies all at my fingertips! And only the very best! One of our fellow students, a former Peace Corps volunteer, ordered in Kyrgyz; another wonderful woman in the program ordered a Georgian feast for all of us, and her Georgian was better than the waiter's! If not for all the walking, these meals would have added quite a few pounds to my waistline – although they have certainly succeeded in lightening my wallet.
Harry Potter Staircases
Aside from being hunted by Voldemort, I always assumed that attending school in a building with shifting staircases would be the most annoying aspect of living in a Harry Potter world. And you know what? After going to school in Moscow, I'm pretty sure I was right.
I attend school here in a concrete Harry Potter “castle.” My fellow students & I must first travel up staircases to reach classes on lower levels, takes circuitous routes to reach any end location and – the routes change!! Yes! There really are “shifting” staircases!
Thanks to summer tests, whole hallways for the school are blocked off. I'll realize with pride that I've finally reached the side of the school with the cafeteria, then – wham! A whole hall is blocked off & I have to seek an alternate route. We're also pretty sure that these blocked off staircases change regularly with the test schedule. (However, the school layout is naturally so convoluted, it's a little hard to tell.)
Actually, come to think of it, Voldemort might be less obnoxious than the staircases. At least he's predictable.
I attend school here in a concrete Harry Potter “castle.” My fellow students & I must first travel up staircases to reach classes on lower levels, takes circuitous routes to reach any end location and – the routes change!! Yes! There really are “shifting” staircases!
Thanks to summer tests, whole hallways for the school are blocked off. I'll realize with pride that I've finally reached the side of the school with the cafeteria, then – wham! A whole hall is blocked off & I have to seek an alternate route. We're also pretty sure that these blocked off staircases change regularly with the test schedule. (However, the school layout is naturally so convoluted, it's a little hard to tell.)
Actually, come to think of it, Voldemort might be less obnoxious than the staircases. At least he's predictable.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Short Skirts, Soccer Games, and SUVs
Every city is full of its surprises, some more enjoyable than others. Moscow is no different. Last week was filled with little cultural surprises, a few of which I'll share here:
SUVs: Our school dorms are located about a 15-20 minute walk away from the closest metro, along a six-lane road that is constantly clogged with traffic. Yesterday as we walked to dinner, suddenly one of my fellow students looked over his shoulder and quickly shooed the rest of us towards the grassy park along the broad sidewalk. In order to avoid rush-hour traffic, an SUV had hopped the curb and over a small grassy median – and was now driving ON THE PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALK. During that short walk, we saw one other SUV and two motorcycles follow suit. After the first few days of witnessing the Muscovite drivers, I had only begun to just worry about crossing the streets here! Now I have to start looking over my shoulder as I'm walking on the sidewalk too??
Soccer Games: If you successfully navigate the Moscow traffic and manage to arrive at the soccer stadium alive, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Because I'm pretty sure that nowhere in Moscow – including inside the Kremlin – is as secure as an average soccer game. A few of our guys wanted to watch one of Moscow's teams and were rather shocked by the security measures in place. Lining the entrance to the stadium were dozens of guards, lined shoulder to shoulder, conducting body and bag searches as people arrived; the guards also stayed around as people filed out of the stadium after the game to keep order. (Hm, it seems that that Russia's soccer fans may have a reputation for being a bit rowdy...) One of our fellows was padded down five times on his way in. Sadly, I was not at the soccer game myself as I generally make a point of avoiding sports events. However, this information comes from a highly trusted source. (Mainly, I'm pretty sure the guy who told me couldn't tell a lie straight-faced if his life depended on it.) Also, another Russian indicated that heavy security is pretty standard fare for soccer games. Travel tip for the day: Guys, if you don't want to have your body padded or crotch grabbed by a Russian security guard, might I suggest skipping the sports tournaments?
Short Skirts: Trivia Question of the Day: Six-inch heels, barely booty-covering skirt, and drop-back neckline down to the waist. Is this an appropriate outfit for a) going to a night club, b) going to your graduation ceremony with mom, dad & your little babushka, or c) going for a jaunt around town with your friends? I'll give you a hint – it's a trick question! The answer?? ... All of the above!! It's true, Moscow is full of young stick-thin Muscovite females, all wearing very little around town, but towering high in their stylish stilettos. I still have yet to discover how they manage to run all around in these stilts. I've also become abnormally self-conscious about what I had previously assumed was a healthy level of fat on my calves.
SUVs: Our school dorms are located about a 15-20 minute walk away from the closest metro, along a six-lane road that is constantly clogged with traffic. Yesterday as we walked to dinner, suddenly one of my fellow students looked over his shoulder and quickly shooed the rest of us towards the grassy park along the broad sidewalk. In order to avoid rush-hour traffic, an SUV had hopped the curb and over a small grassy median – and was now driving ON THE PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALK. During that short walk, we saw one other SUV and two motorcycles follow suit. After the first few days of witnessing the Muscovite drivers, I had only begun to just worry about crossing the streets here! Now I have to start looking over my shoulder as I'm walking on the sidewalk too??
Soccer Games: If you successfully navigate the Moscow traffic and manage to arrive at the soccer stadium alive, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Because I'm pretty sure that nowhere in Moscow – including inside the Kremlin – is as secure as an average soccer game. A few of our guys wanted to watch one of Moscow's teams and were rather shocked by the security measures in place. Lining the entrance to the stadium were dozens of guards, lined shoulder to shoulder, conducting body and bag searches as people arrived; the guards also stayed around as people filed out of the stadium after the game to keep order. (Hm, it seems that that Russia's soccer fans may have a reputation for being a bit rowdy...) One of our fellows was padded down five times on his way in. Sadly, I was not at the soccer game myself as I generally make a point of avoiding sports events. However, this information comes from a highly trusted source. (Mainly, I'm pretty sure the guy who told me couldn't tell a lie straight-faced if his life depended on it.) Also, another Russian indicated that heavy security is pretty standard fare for soccer games. Travel tip for the day: Guys, if you don't want to have your body padded or crotch grabbed by a Russian security guard, might I suggest skipping the sports tournaments?
Short Skirts: Trivia Question of the Day: Six-inch heels, barely booty-covering skirt, and drop-back neckline down to the waist. Is this an appropriate outfit for a) going to a night club, b) going to your graduation ceremony with mom, dad & your little babushka, or c) going for a jaunt around town with your friends? I'll give you a hint – it's a trick question! The answer?? ... All of the above!! It's true, Moscow is full of young stick-thin Muscovite females, all wearing very little around town, but towering high in their stylish stilettos. I still have yet to discover how they manage to run all around in these stilts. I've also become abnormally self-conscious about what I had previously assumed was a healthy level of fat on my calves.
History from a Russian Perspective. Wow.
I'd heard the “Russian perspective” on various controversial issues, but primarily in academic circles. I really didn't have contact with Russians who would promote a hardline stance on many issues, or any Russians with a supremely Cold War outlook. It's one thing to read a belief from a book or article; I've decided its quite another to hear some of those views coming out of the mouth of your professor.
One of our professors here in Moscow is clearly a product of the Cold War. He's made more than a few comments that just boggle the mind. I'll include just a few of the examples below, with some footnotes for a bit of a backgrounder.
- In a discussion of the jury system, the Professor pointed out the trials of Khordokovsky* and Politkovskya's alleged killers as examples of how the trial system has improved. He explained that all of these trials were done by an “objective” trial-by-jury, rather than just a juror, and so had been completely fair. (It would have been hard to select more controversial high-profile Russian trials ... they certainly aren't the shining examples of the legal system that I would use!)
- The professor went on a long discussion of how the USSR was really “not an aggressive power” and didn't mind non-communist states around it, or commie states that didn't follow the USSR exactly. He decided to use Tito as an example here, asserting that “Stalin didn't mind Tito” (In reality, Tito had a rather nasty split with Stalin, reportedly eventually sending the following letter: “Stop sending people to kill me! We've already captured five of them, one with a bomb and another with a rifle... If you don't stop sending killers, I'll send a very fast working one to Moscow and I won't have to send another.”)
- In response to the professor's assertion that the USSR really did not mind Soviet-sphere countries marking their own path somewhat independently of Soviet aims, one student brought up the Soviet response to the Prague Spring as a counter-example.** In answering the student's question, the professor merely said that the Soviet response was really “not that bad” -- after all, the response to changes in Hungary had been worse!
- The professor also touched upon energy issues. As you know, Russia has been considered an increasingly unreliable energy resource supplier as the country shut off pipeline supplies to Europe numerous times during 2000s, often seemingly for political reasons.*** It is true that Ukraine & Belarus have paid significantly less than Western European nations for their energy supplies from Russia – and probably should be paying market prices – but that doesn't mean Russia's sole concerns were economic. When one student pressed him a bit more on the issue, he did concede that some political factors may have been at work as well.
At times it seems as if we're simply being fed propaganda, even if that is not his intention. To a certain extent, I do believe he tries to view issues with a fresh set of eyes, but I imagine that might be difficult for someone who's been teaching in the USSR/Russia since the 1970s. After all, he witnessed the fall of the entire system that he grew up in and supported – as the historic Big Enemy to the West became the world's sole great power with that collapse. It seems that he (and likely others) feels a need to justify Russia's actions – both today and in the past. When he can't, he'll simply refuse to straightforwardly address some concerns head-on.
Our professor speaks again and again of how the US invasion of Iraq went against international law and was simply wrong. (He actually lumps the recent intervention into Libya in this category as well, but that's another matter.) Listen – I do not support Iraq!! And I never voted for Bush! Heck, by now, most of America does not support our involvement there. But at least we're willing to own our mistakes, debate about it openly, and try and improve the future. A lack of willingness to do so would only serve to further disintegrate trust. What our dear professor does not seem to understand is that you can't move forward if you're focused on denying the past.
Background Notes:
*Here's a bit of a backgrounder on the Khodorkovsky case: Former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the founder and primary shareholder of oil firm Yukos, was once reportedly the richest man in Russia . It seems that he wrongly assumed his influence would give him immunity and therefore felt secure in making plans that ran counter to the Kremlin’s interests. Bad call on his part. In 2003, FSB agents stormed his private jet and arrested the oligarch on charges of tax evasion. (I'd consider this an atypical way of handling white collar crime.) The Russian state charged Yukos with absurdly high levels of taxes, impossibly the actual amount owed. The amount the Russian government required for 2003 taxes came to 111% of the firm’s entire revenue that year. By comparison, Gazprom paid less than 15% of its revenue to the state. After years of trials, Khodorkovsky remains in jail while the pieces of Yukos were sold off one-by-one; almost all were sold either directly or indirectly to government-controlled Rosneft and Gazprom.
Somewhat ironically considering the charges, Khodorkovsky had begun changing the firm’s business habits for the better around 1998. Yukos reportedly began modernizing its equipment, involving independent directors, and cleaning its accounts. By 2000, the firm paid $1.9 billion worth of taxes, which was more than the entire firm had been worth when it was privatized five years previously. That isn't to say Khordorkovsky is squeaky clean – after all, you don't become an oligarch in Russia by playing nice. But it does mean that perhaps professors speaking to Western audiences may not want to use this case as a shining example of the Russian legal system. (If you're interested in more details, check out The New Cold War by Edward Lucas, where all these other details here are coming from too.)
**Czech leader Dubcek introduced a program of “socialism with a human” face into Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, during which he limited censorship and introduced the democratization of the country's Communist Party. It's important to note that he was never anti-Soviet; he just wanted changes within the current system. However, in response, the USSR sent troops in 1968 to occupy the country and change the government.
***The “Orange Revolution” brought pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko to power in 2005 over Russian-backed Viktor Yanukovych. Following Yushchenko’s inauguration as president, Gazprom began demanding a more than fourfold increase in the price of natural gas supplies to Ukraine. When Ukraine refused to pay up, Russia shut off the supply of natural gas to Ukraine and, by extension, Western Europe. Russia would repeat this scene again in 2008 following a bold letter by the government affirming Ukraine’s desire to embark upon NATO’s Membership Action Plan. As mentioned, Russia did also have genuine economic considerations. Thanks to a price system left over from the Cold War era, Ukrainian consumers were only paying 10-40% of international natural gas prices. At the same time, Gazprom was asking for $418 per 1,000 cubic meters – a price higher than that paid even by Germany, Gazprom’s largest consumer. (Stats Source: Europe’s Very Cold War: Russia Cuts Gas to Ukraine by Kylie Atwell)
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