the 1/3 Mark

Well, I’ve just reached the 1/3 mark of my Moscow experience. So you know what that means- it’s time for the September summary. I’m sure you are jumping out of your chair right now, but please, try to contain yourself.

For those of you who regularly follow the blog, you saw that August (emotionally) was quite chaotic. Some days would be absolutely amazing, while others would be compared to living in hell. This was the cause of literally everything being new and culture shock. The good things that I liked were different, making me like them even more. While the negative aspects were, likewise, new; thus making me dislike them even more than I otherwise would. So, how is September, my second month here different since things, basically, just aren’t as fresh as they used to be?

This question answers itself. Everything is starting to become normal. These weird Cyrillic letters that I couldn’t pronounce or read are now pronounceable and legible. I’m at the point where some basic words and phrases are second nature; like bathroom signs, enter/exits indicators and Metro station stops. I know them without even thinking. The same is true with spoken language, I don’t even blink an eye when asking for directions or ordering a beer. It has become as normal as brushing your teeth in the morning.

Continuing, I understand the people a lot better. If they frown, or raise their voices, or push you in the metro, I do the same in return. Instead of being intimidated (like I was in August) I understand that this is just their culture, and the best way to deal with these kinds of situations is to do it right back. Doing this in my home country would be considered rude, but here, its normal- it’s just (for one reason of the other) how life is.

The list goes on: The co-ed bathrooms aren’t as awkward as they use to be, Vodka is smoother and is actually starting to taste good, and the weather (although getting colder and colder each day) is, for now, manageable. It’s a strange to feel you mind adapt and assimilate to its surrounding, I guess that’s why they call it the strongest muscle in your body. It realizes that I have to change my old habits and adapt to the new ones in which I’m currently experiencing. If not, life will become overly difficult and mental and physical health is threatened.

Actually, this is my favorite thing about not necessarily traveling, but living for an extended period of time in a certain place. You learn so much! Apart from the obvious factors (like the history and culture of a certain place) there’s so much more: I now know how to deal with strict, stern and ordered people, something that I’ve never had to deal with in the Americas. I know now how to put up with cold weather. I’m even wearing a scarf for the first time- can you believe that?!?! And, perhaps most importantly, I do it all on my own with no help from the outside, thus making every second of every day a challenge. In the end, you become a stronger person that is equipped to deal with any (and I mean any) situation.

At this moment in time, there have been a few surprised that popped up on me. Can you believe it? Surprises while traveling abroad… NEVER!!! This weekend, I lost my immigration card. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s this little small piece of paper that they give you upon entering the country. In my opinion, it’s meaningless. All it does is have the time and date of when you enter the damn country. However, it’s utterly important. One of my students told me the other day, “don’t lose the card; it’s the worst thing you could possible do!” Great, this makes me feel good. Of course, two days after she said that I lost it. A jinx? I think so. The next surprise has to deal with my visa. It expires at the end of October, meaning I have to leave the country back to the US to get a new one. The only problem is that no one ever told before coming that I’d have to do this. My impression was that I could just renew it here instead of having to buy a round trip ticket back home, drive back and forth to the Russian Consulate in Houston several times a week and drop $200 bucks on a new visa. This is just out of control.

So, as of now, I’m here with now immigration card and an expiring visa. But, I guess this is just one more challenge that I have to confront. It’s kind of fun… in a way. Some people get their kicks by skydiving or doing other extreme sports. Me? I love being faced with a major dilemma in a foreign country. I guess I subconsciously bring it upon myself (I guess this is the bad side of having the brain the most powerful muscle in the body). So, I’ve go to act, and I’ve got to act soon; or else my parachute won’t open. To be honest, a malfunctioned parachute is probably on par with dealing with the Russian government.

Ahhh, my crazy life- I absolutely love it!!! In the meantime, check out some of these photos from the month of September:

Palmeni (Russian dumplings topped with sour cream) and grain; definitley one of my favorite dishes here

The view from inside an Orthodox church. (ps- your not supose to take pictures, so don't tell anyone).

The World War II memorial. If you lost 20 million, you'd have a memorial too.

Your typical view of Moscow- Cool street lamps, a large gold-domed church, a Stalin building and spawling sky-scrapers in the far distance.

A memorial dedicated the the 1917 Revolution. It depicts horses from the Reds and the Whites crossing the Moscow River

Are we in the age of globalization or Americanization??? You decide.

I love this picture!

Stalin's Vodka- drink at your own risk of being purged!

I never would have thought that this city would have such beutiful parks

A really cool modern park, just a little different from the green natural one seen above

Street food- my favorite! These little stands are all over the place. They sell shashlik, shwarmas and whole roasted chickens (as shown below). In fact, I'm going to go eat one right now!

The industrial side of town- East Moscow

Just Your Average Wednesday

It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated the blog, but don’t be discouraged, I have a good reason for the delay. First of all, my old college roommate (who we call Tuna… don’t ask) was in town visiting. Second, my dad and his friend (coincidently) decided to visit Moscow at the same time. Third, I’ve been working my ass off! These three factors are plenty. I’ve literally had no free time between teaching and being a city tour guide. However, having visitors did allow me to explore some different sides of the city that I’d otherwise never go to. And that brings us to the chapter of this blog- The Vodka Museum.

While I was working, Tuna would be off on his own exploring the city. However, I got a nice break one afternoon. One of my classes was canceled, meaning I had the whole day free. So what do you do in Russia in the middle of the day with nothing to do you may ask? Well, what do you think- Drink! I called my Russian friend, Albina, and explained to her the situation, “We need a good, touristy thing to show Tuna, any recommendations?” Of course, Albina came through. We met up with her at a metro station on the blue line in the center of the city half an hour later.

When we got off, we found ourselves in a sketchy area outlined with factories, dirty outdoor markets and smelly shashliki (a kind of Southern Russian/Georgian shish kebab) stands. Nonetheless, Albina assured me that it was worth the track through the outdoor markets to get to the museum. In fact, she didn’t have to say much, “free vodka shots” was enough.

We then arrived at this huge compound resembling a typical Siberian town. It was a walled kremlin with wooden architecture, shops and even a church. Pretty cool I must say so myself. It was like a mini Russian-style Disneyland. We entered the Siberian village, walked around, absorbed the scenery, then got thirsty. “Ok, museum time!”

The Vodka museum was quite small, but that didn’t stop it from being covered wall to wall with various vodka name brands and the history behind them. I’ve never seen so many bottles in one room in my life! I got a buzz just from looking at it. Albina took us around and translated all the information regarding the history of Russia’s (and perhaps the world’s) favorite drink. You never would have guessed that vodka had such an interesting history. Also, I learned that vodka just isn’t for getting wasted. If you’re sick, you rub a little bit of it on a hot towel and wrap it around your neck at night while you sleep. When you wake up, done, no more sickness. If you’re cold, take a shot or two, you’ll heat up in no time. Seriously, try it (and when you do, let me know, because I certainly am not). I’ll stick to Tylenol and overcoat, please.

Ok, so as Dave Chappelle’s “white man” character would say, let’s “cut the malarkey.” We saw everything we needed to see, from the Stalin’s, Catherine the Great’s and Ivan the Terrible’s personal vodka to the detailed history of the drink. We were ready to sample some! Let’s get this show on the road. First, we tried one fused with cranberry- not bad. Then, just as we were about to sample the vodka fused with honey, some group of Kazakh tourist walked in and started video recording and taking pictures of us. “What the hell is going on?” I thought to myself. I felt like a celebrity. I guess we were good shot-takers. Anyway, we proceeded with our own business. After the honey shot, we tried one from the Ukraine- again, not bad. And yady yady yada, so goes the story…

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll go ahead and let the three following images narrate the sequence of events. That way, you get three thousand words! A before, during and after shot...

Yep, a few shots of vodka will send you straight to the little kids section of this Siberian Winter Wonderland. Immature? Yea. Fun? Absolutely!

It was a long day of taking ridiculous pictures and playing child games. So long that we built up an appetite. We finished that Wednesday afternoon off with borsch, mushroom and cheese blinis and beer. A true Russian feast!

Oh yea, check this out. Schnapps with my name and college "GW" on it...

Where's the Shell?

Ok, this always happens. Just when I think I completely understand a new culture- BAM! Something happens and my opinion changes. This is why I decided to spend 6 months in Russia, anything less is just not enough time to truly learn about the people and local customs. In fact, I’d say that 6 months is hardly enough time, but hey, you’ve got to draw the line somewhere. Now, I know that you can see all the famous monuments, museums, restaurants, blah blah blah, in a mere few days, but the people, in my opinion, make the place… not vice versa. So, what happened?

Well, remember this whole “shell” I was talking about? You know, how Russians are “stoic and very serious all the time?” Well, either I need to reassess my conclusion or coincidently everyone in Moscow decided to leave their shells at home last weekend. Apparently, during the first weekend of September, the entire center of Moscow shuts down to host a massive 3 day long block party. The streets are blocked off to traffic for hundreds of thousands of pedestrians to roam freely and all the main plazas within the center are transformed into glamorous stages for famous singers and other artists. The city is decorated with Russian flags, banners and lights, and everyone (and I mean everyone) is in the party spirit.

I previously thought all Muscovites (regardless of age, sex and religion) were very stern in public and only opened up around close friends and family. On an average day, the business men walk around in their Gucci suits and frozen faces. The women conservatively stroll the boulevards with locked arms minding their own business. Immigrants (since, unfortunately, their have been a few accounts of discrimination) usually keep to themselves. But not last weekend…

Seriously, I thought I was in a different city, or the twilight zone, or Seinfeld’s bizzaro land; it was the antithesis of Moscow: Business men were walking around wearing wigs and other crazy outfits, women were dancing and shakin’ it in the middle of the road, and Russians and immigrants alike grabbed anything they could to produce exotic, rhythmic drum beats. I swear! If you don’t believe me, check out the video below.

So, the moral of the story: Maybe Russians do come off as very somber people at first. They take their jobs seriously and enjoy reading, classical music and the theater. Actually, I respect that about them. (In fact, I think many from my country should follow their example). However, they’re not too uptight. When they let lose, they let it all come out. Maybe they believe that there’s a time and place for everything. When you need to get a job done, do it and do it well. Likewise, when it’s time to party and celebrate, do it, and do it even better!

Reliving History- the ВДНХ

This is by far one of my most favorite sites in Moscow. It’s the ВДНХ (or VDNH). I met Ilya, one of the teachers at my school, on my second day in Russia. We started talking about contemporary Russian politics, Russian culture and, of course, the Soviet Union. He then asked me if I wanted to “see something really cool.” Of course, I accepted. He bought me to the ВДНХ and showed me around. However, I did not have my camera. Therefore, a few days ago, I decided to go back and record everything just to share this amazing place with you. Ahh, the things I do for you and this blog… I hope you enjoy.

First of all, you are probably wondering, “What in the hell is the ВДНХ?” It was built in the late 1930s under Stalin as an exhibit of Soviet economic development. It served to show the world the accomplishments of communism and the superiority of the Soviet system. Basically, it’s propaganda; and from what I understand it is the largest monument to communism ever built. (If anyone knows of another memorial larger than this one, please, let me know).

Upon entering, there’s a statue of Lenin and massive building towering into the overcast Moscow sky that, of course, is topped with a star- the symbol of the government in the USSR days. This basically shows that the state is above everything. In many towns, a church steeple with a cross or Muslim minaret is the highest point- symbolizing religion as the most important aspect in the city. In others, enormous commercial office buildings dominate- expressing that business is the chief municipal characteristic. But in the Soviet days, the government was, figuratively and literally, above everything. It was your religion, your business, your life.

Another part of this gigantic square was a pavilion dedicated to the 15 republics of the USSR (Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan) with each building possessing the architectural characteristics from that particular culture. In the middle of this area is a wide golden fountain with figures of women holding various food items. As you walk around more, you see other cool sites: more great star-topped buildings, gushing fountains and hundreds of hammers and sickles (the official symbol of the Soviet Union that represents the workers).

I then stumbled into a quite interesting part of the commons. It was the section, built after Stalin’s days, dedicated to aerospace technology. There were two large planes and a rocket ship in the middle. This propaganda showed that the USSR was a world leader in the aerospace field during the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, the Soviets were the first to launch a man, Yuri Gagrin, into space in 1961; a notion that triggered the great space race with the Soviet’s bitter rival- the United States.

Just when I was about to return home, I remembered to visit one more spot that Ilya showed me a month ago. This area is tucked away from the rest of the exhibits and is, to say the least, run down and dilapidated. This place has long rows of small ware-houses with a large grassy field in the middle, almost resembling a farm. In fact, that’s exactly what it is. This was where the government bred creatures to create superior animals. The idea was that communism was a superior form of government, meaning the inhabitants within this system were superior too. Therefore, it was only natural to have physically fit animals within this Marxist utopia as well. They bred bulls and horses and even housed bees to mass produce honey- a symbol of prosperity. (In fact, honey has been seen as a luxurious symbol throughout history.

The ВДНХ is a blast from the past. You almost feel that you’re living in the Cold War days. Nonetheless, when it comes down to it, it is solely history- the past, the has been, the dead. The USSR is now nonexistent. All 15 republics are independent and Russia, the heart of the former empire and my home for the next several months, has now latched of to capitalism like a leach. The ВДНХ is now called the Russian Expedition Center. There is a US style amusement park, numerous cafes and Disney looking cartoon characters everywhere. It should be renamed The Russian Expedition Center of Capitalism.

So, I guess this is the grand question that faces so many living in the 21st century: Conform and drop your customs, history and identity to modernize, or hold on to your cultural norms, values and character, no matter how backwards the rest of the world thinks they are, and sacrifice wealth and modernization. I personally have no opinion on this subject; this is just how the world is. I only go to these places and present the facts; it’s up to you decided.