1 Down, 5 to Go

I have liked every country that I’ve visited. I even look back on some of my most horrible travel moments (like the 24 hr bus ride through Bolivia, getting a gun pulled on me on the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border and being stranded with little or no cash in the middle of no where) and still have no regrets. No matter what happens, I still find something that I like about a particular place.

Today marks my 1 month anniversary in Moscow. So how has my 4 weeks in Russia been? What are my feelings about this country, culture and language? What have I learned? What do I like and dislike? There are so many questions and such little time. However, every month I’ll do my best to address these issues with a summary.

August, 2008. Week 1:
My first few days in Russia were great! Everything was so new and different. As most of you travelers know, this is what makes traveling fun, exiting and adventurous. However, most travelers stay a few days in one place (or even a week if their boss is feeling generous) then go home. They return with pictures of breath-taking monuments and museums and stories about unique cultures in far away lands. I thoroughly enjoyed this “honeymoon” period just as anyone would. Red Square is magnificent, the museums are world class, and who doesn’t enjoy free flowing shots of vodka at dinner? Then, reality kicked in- I’m not a tourist.

Week 2:
No where is perfect; every country has good and bad characteristics. I soon started to experience some of these unpleasant traits:

I began to feel like an outsider- I couldn’t communicate with anyone. If I had a question, I was on my own. If I wanted to order something, tough luck. If I was lost, see ya later. Reading signs, forget about it, everything is written in Cyrillic. This is by far the most frustrating thing in the world, feeling alone and isolated thousands of miles from home.

Now, most of the time, a smile can get you pretty far, but not here. Russians are stoic people. They don’t laugh unless something is worth laughing at and do not express emotion openly. This is very different from Americans (who tend to laugh at everything even if it’s not funny) and me (since I have the tendency to go up to anyone and try to spark a conversation). Many times, when trying to meet new people, the only response I would get was a cold shoulder. I literally thought people hated me here! In fact, one of the only responses I got one day were screaming threats from my b*tch neighbor blaming me for breaking the front door of the apartment complex. This just made me furious. Yea, sure, blame the foreigner, it’s always the foreigners fault.

While shots of vodka are fun, too many aren’t. Alcoholism is very prevalent here. Being haggled by drunk fools gets annoying real quick, especially when they turn aggressive. It’s also not uncommon to see people getting drunk on the metro on the way to work. In a way, this made me feel uncomfortable.

I felt completely disenfranchised. All I could think about was leaving. I would dream about a beach in Brazil, then wake up, look out the window and see a huge blocky apartment complex. This week was definitely one of the hardest weeks I’ve had in a while.

Week 3:
Luckily, my sister and here boyfriend arrived just in the nick of time. Just being able to communicate was a luxury itself. They took me out and I likewise showed them around the town. They reminded me of my first week here- wide open eyes absorbing everything and having a great time. I kept thinking to myself (little do they know…).

However, something happened. The little things that bothered me in the past didn’t hurt as bad. My language skills improved and asking directions and ordering food became easier. Now, by no means is my Russian perfect, or even good, but I am to the point where I am somewhat understandable. Also, and perhaps most importantly, I learned how to turn my language mistakes into jokes. Little things like these are keys to survival in a foreign country. Just getting a slight chuckle or giggle from a Russian felt like an accomplishment in so many ways.

I began to meet new people. I learned that, yes, Russians come off as very serious and stern people; but it’s merely a mask. Here, it takes time to make friends, almost like you have to really prove that you’re a good person. After a few days of getting to know someone, the mask comes off and you see their true side. Even my Russian friends say, “Russians have a hard outer shell, but once you break it, you see that the warm and friendly inside.”

Once I started adapting to the culture a little more, life in general not only became trouble-free, it became fun. I’ve made some new friends here that have truly shown me how great this culture can be. The invitations to pubs, tours of the city and soccer game have been great thus far.

Week 4:
I returned from St Petersburg last week having had a great time. As I stated in my last entry, it was nice coming back to Moscow. It almost began to feel like my second home. To make matters even better, August (Russia’s vacation month) is over- meaning everyone has returned to the city. There is definitely more action and energy here than there was before due to the influx of college students and kids in their early 20s.

So, since I have officially completed one month here, there was no better way to celebrate than having a night-out-on-the-town experiencing. Me and a few others toured the city, ate a great dinner then danced all night until 5 in the morning. Today was rough!

Now, I look back to the dreaded “Week 2” and wonder- Why was it so bad? My only conclusion- culture shock, something that I arrogantly thought I was immune too. I’ve traveled a lot for my age, but most of that has only been in one region- Latin America. I kept comparing Russia to Brazil, or Mexico, or Colombia; places with upbeat music and warm weather, and accepting cultures where you can make best friends with some one in a day. Basically, it’s the complete opposite of Russia. I though that happiness could only be found by following the Latino’s example. But now, here in Russia, I’m realizing that there is another side to life and other paths to contentment.

Below is a photo collage of the different things I've seen in Russia thus far

A Moscow Metro Station. How many metro's have you been have chandeliers?

Me in front of the Park of Economic Development, perhaps the world's largets monument to Communism in the world. I think this is such a cool site that I'll dedicate an entire blog entry to it soon.

Kvaas Stand in the street. Kvaas is a non-alcoholic fermented drink that is sold everywhere in Russia. It's quite good actually.

The melon vender right in front of my apartment. He's there at least 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, rain or shine.

Looking for an apartment anyone? More views of the communist planned neighborhoods.

Midnight snack- beat root with sour cream. Delicious! One of my roomates made this a few days ago and I cant wait for her to make it again (hint hint if you read this).

The Jesus Christ Cathedral in downtown Moscow. Its absolutely incredible. I had the chance to go check out a service one Sunday, very interesting.

St. Basal's in Red Square. Perhaps Moscow's most recognized landmark.

One of the Moscow's many parks. A great way to relax and escape the hustle and bustle of the big city

The inside of a small Russian Orthodox Church in the middle of a park. It's not famous, not too many people go, and you'll never read about it in a tourist magazine; but that's whats makes it unique to me. I come here every Friday.

Another random Orthodox church on the streets of Moscow.

The two bottom pictures are taken from Pushkin Park. Its my favorite place to read and people watch on a nice day.

A lonely Muscovite street on a cold and rainy day.

The Jesus Christ Cathedral... again. Taken from the top of a pedestrian bridge crossing the Moscow River.

One of Moscow's world renowned museums? Think again. In Moscow (probally due to the cold weather and to keep the flow of traffic) street crossings are underground. Many of these underground crossing have turned into mini shopping centers. You can find anything here- from clothes, to food, to expensive paintings, as seen here.

St. Petersburg

Two days after the soccer match, I headed to St. Petersburg. This city was created by Peter I and was the czar’s capital for more than two centuries (from the beginning of the 18th century to the Russian Revolution of 1917). The Bolsheviks, after taking power, then moved the nation’s capital to Moscow. After the communist revolution, St. Petersburg was named Petrograd; then after Lenin’s death, it became known as Leningrad. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, it was renamed back to St. Petersburg. While Moscow is currently the economic/political capital of Russia, St. Petersburg is known as the intellectual hub of the country and is also considered the most beautiful city of the entire country.

I hopped on 12:45am Saturday morning train ready to go. It was my first experience on a Russian train, so I didn’t know what to expect. I entered the tiny room where three other passengers would be passing the night. It reminded me of the beginning of college- four complete strangers from different backgrounds pilled into an 8 by 8 by 10 box. I met my first roommate- Nikita (middle in picture), a 16 year old Russian guy heading St. Pete to see his girlfriend. Later, another young Russian guy walked in (left in picture), my second suite mate. His English was not very good, so I didn’t get to speak with him that much. Ten minutes later, our fourth and final roommate arrived- an older man from Calcutta, India (left in picture). So, there you have it, two Russians, and American and an Indian- sounds like a CBS sitcom.

The train left at 12:45 on the dot and everyone immediately began drinking. That’s right, you can buy alcohol on Russian trains. Hey, what else are you going to do for 8 hours in a small, compact box with four strangers??? While we were drinking and conversing about our home countries, two of the Indian’s friends walked in with a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label, telling us we all had to take shots. “Shots?” I said to myself, “I thought this was a train, not a bar!” But then again, we are in Russia. So, when in Rome…

These random strangers became my good friends by the end of the night- I guess it really was like college. There’s nothing that can bring people together from various cultures like a bottle and a train ride. Maybe we should put all the world leaders on the Trans-Siberian and give them free booze? That’s the answer to world peace right there!

We finally arrived in St. Pete at 9am. From there (with a splitting headache) I jumped into a cab and made my way to the hotel to meet up with my mom and her boyfriend and my sister and her boyfriend. Yep, that’s right, it was my sister’s birthday weekend so a few family members from home decided to come up and celebrate in my new adopted country. It’s always a good feeling to see family and friends from home when abroad.

To make a long story short, I did as much tourist activities as possible within the two short days I was staying there. I walked around the city and scoped out all the magnificent architecture, went to the Hermitage and saw famous art work from around the world, visited all the famous gold domed churches and sampled a variety of great Russian food. St. Pete, as you can see, is a wonderful place. However, its beauty and its charm is also its demise. It’s such an extraordinary place that it’s infested with tourist. For every breath-taking Cathedral, there are five tourist shops selling plastic Soviet icons. For every antique pedestrian bridge crossing a silent canal, there are two cruise ships. And for every world class museum, there are at least 50 tour groups wearing matching shirts.




Now, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against tourism. In fact, tourism is perhaps one of my favorite past times. But tourism is just like anything; too much is bad. A loud, massive tour group takes away from the spirituality of an old candle-lit Orthodox church, and side-walk-make-shift tourist boutiques ruin the aesthetics of a picturesque old and gloomy European back alley. Nonetheless, this is how the world is. Just about all of the marvelous sites of the world had been discovered and it is only human nature to go to these places and see them in person. So take the good with the bad and the bad with the good; I guess this is one small sacrifice we have to make in the age of commercialization.

Sunday night, at 1am, I grabbed the return train back to Moscow. This ride was nothing compared to Friday’s. Everyone went straight to their bunk and went to sleep. I guess we were all too exhausted from the weekend to introduce ourselves, make small talk, and, especially, take shots! 10 hours later, I arrived home to the hustle and bustle of Moscow and rushed to work as fast as possible. “But wait a minute,” I thought to myself, “where’s all the tourist shops and signs in English? There are none.” At that moment I realized something great- I’m living in Moscow. I’m not just here for a long weekend, this is my new home for the next several months. It was the first time I’ve felt a connection to this city since being here, and to be honest, it felt kind of nice. Maybe this place is starting to grow on me after all.

Other sights from St. Petersburg:

Россия Вперед! (Go Russia!)

Soccer is truly one of the world’s greatest mysteries. It starts wars, it ends wars. It makes you cry, it makes you jubilate. It makes you a pacifist; it makes you a hooligan. It seems that this sport has taken on dimensions of the ying and the yang-

it can be so beautiful, but yet, so violent.

I have been to various soccer games around the world. Most of these have been quite pleasant (like most of my experiences at DC United MLS games)- everyone gets along and the loser walks away unharmed. Some have been humorous (like the time I went to a Millonario game in Bogotá, Colombia)- the fans cared more about making fun of the referees than they actually did the game. Others have been horrifying (as when River Plate beat Boca Juniors in the Super Clasico in Buenos Aires, Argentina)- the Boca fans set the stadium on fire!

Therefore, I did not know how my first soccer game in Moscow would be. Russia was playing Holland in an international friendly. However (as most of you fans might know) Russia knocked Holland out of the Eurocup this summer in a stunning upset. Holland wanted revenge, and the Russians wanted to prove themselves once again.

I left my apartment and headed to the metro station where I was meeting my friends. I made sure I wasn’t wearing any orange (Holland’s national team colors) and that I had plenty of red on (Russia’s long time favorite color). The metro was filled with people drinking, shouting, jumping and singing. I thought the train was going to be derailed! There was so much commotion that I began to get nervous. “Not again,” I thought to myself, “another soccer game filled with riots.” I then began to think that Russian soccer riots would be a nightmare. “Russians are very intense. This is going to be bad!” I prepared myself for the worse.

I was waited for my friends at Okhotny Ryad metro station, right in the center of the city. Mobs of people waving Russian flags decked out in red flooded the halls. I thought to myself, “there ought to be no Dutch fans anywhere in this city and, if there are, they’re idiots.” Just then, I saw three super-hero looking figures covered in orange come walking out of the train doors. “Dutch fans? No way! They are going to be killed!”

These brave Dutchmen stood in the middle of the station for a good 15 minutes. However, no one harassed them. In fact, they were local celebrities. Everyone flocked to take their pictures… including myself! So, my theory about the chaotic/violent Russian soccer game was quickly proven wrong.

My friends finally came and we headed to the game. After another 20 minute metro ride of fans jumping, screaming “Россия Вперед!” (Rossia vpered) and, of course, still drinking (remember, this is Russia), we arrived at the beautiful stadium, took our seats and prepared for the game. Van Persie from the Netherlands scored a perfect upper 90 shot right outside the box in about the 25th minute, something (as you can imagine) the Russians did not appreciate. I think I learned all the Russian cuss words in one 45 minute half. However, with about 10 minutes left in the game, the referees call a penalty kick in favor of the home team. As you can see from the video below, Russia equalized. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The game was great, but getting home was even more interesting. You know how cops in the US place metal fences around the stadiums after events to keep people in line? Well, here in Russia, they use sheer man power as their fences. The military formed a human wall, all shoulder to shoulder, from one side of the stadium straight to the metro station, keeping everyone in order. It was incredible! I’ve never seen anything like it. From the second you stepped out of the stadium, you were pushed like cattle in a wall of GI Vladamirs straight to the trains.

So, that is the tale of the Russian soccer game: crazy fans, lots of beer and, of course, the military. Actually, more countries should follow the Russian’s lead- no one would dare start a fight with all the security around this place! I’m sure those crazy Dutch fans were happy about that one.

(Sorry, I got takled right after the goal. It was impossible to keep a steady shot!)

Home Sweet Soviet Home

August 13, 2008. Moscow, Russia.

I made it! It was a pain in the ass getting here, but I finally made it. Why was it so bad? Well, not to get into too much detail, but my bag was overweight in the Lake Charles airport (meaning I had to carry some of my clothes by hand the entire trip). I got lost in London’s Heathrow Airport for 2 hours trying to find my gate. I couldn’t even understand the Brits when giving me directions! “Great,” I thought to myself, “If I can’t even understand another English accent how the hell am I going to understand Russian?!?!” To add icing on the cake, I couldn’t sleep on any of the flights. When I finally arrived in Moscow, I was exhausted. Luckily, after waiting an hour for my bag, my roommate, Valeria, was waiting for me right outside customs. Although we had never met, it was easy for her to recognize me since I was perhaps the only confused American in the entire place. Valeria, who is from the southern Russia in a region called Osetia (which I’m sure you have been hearing a lot about on the news recently), guided me through the bus terminals and metro until we reached my home sweet home. (Bottom picture: My room. And the bed? The couch folds out, but I didn't know that until a few days ago...)

I started work immediately the next day- yes, still jet lagged and still exhausted. However, I only had a few classes last week since I am new to the school and since August is the vacation month here in Russia (meaning half the city is out of town). Therefore, I had a lot of time to explore the city and get to know my neighborhood a little better. My apartment is about 1 hour southwest of the Kremlin (which is the very center of Moscow). While this may seem like a long commute, it’s not; especially considering Moscow’s horrendous traffic problem. It is also nice being away from the dead center of the city because I get to experience the average Muscovite life. (Bottom picture: My building)

You can tell that my neighborhood was developed sometime in the Soviet era- all the apartment buildings are the same height, have the same blocky architectural design and are aligned perfectly in rows. Ah, the joys of centralized state planning. It’s not the prettiest sight, but I must admit, I do feel a sense of community here. In between all the apartments are playgrounds, benches, soccer fields and sport courts. On nice days, everyone conjugates with their kids to chat, read and/or play games. There are also neighborhood markets where you can buy fresh cheese, milk, bread, meats, grain and, of course, large bottles of alcohol. If you follow the main road in front of our building for two blocks, you’ll run into an outdoor market that sells everything from electronics, fruits, and clothes. There are also a few cafes and other restaurants in the area, including a McDonalds. I guess Capitalism found its way into this Soviet designed neighborhood faster than I did! I wonder what Stalin and Lenin would think of the golden arches towering over a perfect centralized planned communist neighborhood. Hm? (Bottom picture: My neighborhood)

Although I have only been here for 10 days, much has happened: One of Russia’s most famous writers- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, has died; a war has broken out in South Osetia between Russia and Georgia; and Russians swim, jump and run for Gold Medals in Beijing. As you can see, there’s a lot going on in the media. While these do affect my experience here greatly, my personal 10 days here have been engulfed by getting over jet-lag, exploring my neighborhood/downtown Moscow, learning enough Russian to survive and teaching English. Don’t worry though; I will definitely make sure to talk about all the current events taking place in my upcoming blogs. I’ll be back with descriptions on the war’s effect on society, Russian stereo-types vs. reality and some photos/descriptions of the famous sights around the city. Paka! (Bottom picture: The community park right in front of my room)

Intro

Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA. August 1st, 2008

Let the games begin! No, I’m not talking about the Olympics in Beijing; I’m talking about my journey throughout the world. To give y’all a little more background on what’s going on, I’ll answer the 6 vital questions that every reporter repeats in their sleep:

Who?: My name is Trey Archer. I am from Lake Charles, Louisiana, a fairly small city in the Southwest corner of the state. I graduated from the George Washington University a few months ago, realizing that the only thing I wanted to do was travel. The only problem was, traveling costs money. So, I came to the logical conclusion that I had to find a way to travel and get paid at the same time. I soon figured out that teaching English was the best way to do this: it pays fairly well and it’s flexible, meaning I get to choose where and when I want to go whenever I want to (unlike the other job I was considering- the Peace Corps). Perfect! I started my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) training at LADO International Schools in Washington, DC the same day I finished my last college exam.

What?: More specifically, what do I want to find, see, or bring away from this experience. The answer is quite simple- I don’t know. In fact, I don’t want to know. That would take away the adventure. Who knows who I’ll meet, what I’ll see or where I’ll go; that is the great mystery that makes trips like these worth traveling. Each day I’ll wake up in a foreign country, not knowing the culture, the language or local customs. Basically, everyday is a challenge, making every second of the day exciting. Sure does beat the path I could have chosen: wake up, go to my cubicle and spend all day typing my life away under an illuminated florescent light; all while my boss tells me to work harder so he can make more money. I want an adventure, not prison!

Where?: Tomorrow, I head to Moscow, Russia, thus beginning this great journey. I’ll spend 6 months there teaching at Inlingua Moscow, a language school in the heart of the capital. In fact, I just got an email from the school giving me details on my apartment, roommate and work schedule. From Moscow, I plan on heading to China. As of now, Shanghai seems the most appealing, but who knows where I’ll end up. After China, I’d like to spend a few months in India. Again, I’m not sure which city, but I definitely have enough time to make my decision. I really want to spend some time in the Arab World. While my options are open, Egypt catches my eye. But then again, who knows? Afterwards, I want to return to the continent that I backpacked last summer and that I am most familiar with- Latin America. I’ve spent months in Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil, am fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and have been to just about every country in the region. I absolutely love the culture and people in that corner of the globe and can’t wait to go back. But first, I must explore the other side of the planet where I’ve never gone.

When?: TOMORROW. It all starts tomorrow. When am I coming back? I don’t know that either. I do know, however, more or less where I want to go, but who knows what may sidetrack me along the way. I also know more or less how much time I’d like to spend in each place, but again, that’s not written in stone either. Once again, this is the great mystery which equals adventure. Placing a time limit will only restrict me from doing extraordinary (and crazy) things.

Why?: Why am I doing this? Well, apart from feeding my travel addiction, I wish to explore and learn about as many cultures as I can within the next several years. For this reason, I have chosen Russia, China, India, an Arab country and two countries in Latin America. Russia, China and India are (as hopefully most of you already know) large countries by area and population that not only have a significant amount of influence in their neighborhood, but a growing presence in the international scene as well. The Arab World and Latin America (which, again, I hope you already know are regions and not single countries) poses large areas of land with hundreds of millions in population. Likewise, both have tremendous influence in our world today. So, as you can see, I’m trying to get the big picture. I figured that if I am living in the 21st century, I better be a citizen of the 21st century.

How?: I will try to travel by ground as much as possible. Buses and trains are way more fun than planes. Think about it, you travel with the locals, see the country side and small villages and, perhaps most importantly, it’s a lot cheaper! You’ll be amazed how much you see and what characters you’ll meet just by staying on the ground. In fact, some of my most memorable (and dangerous) experiences were on buses while backpacking through the developing world. Yes, I know that I’m taking a flight tomorrow to Russia, sometimes time gets the best of us. And while I myself am not necessarily keeping track of time, my bosses in Moscow are. Sometimes you just got to go with the flow. So, only when absolutely necessary, I’ll fly.

So, I think I answered most of the questions about what the hell is going on. As you can see, I myself do not have the answers, nor do I want to. About every week I’ll write a new blog with pictures and (if your lucky) video telling y’all what’s up. I hope you enjoy! I invite all of you to come along with me and see how people around the planet are living in the 21st. First stop: Moscow, The Russian Federation. See you there! Or, as they say in Russian, Paka!