Initial Impressions of Russia
Since I have been here for more than a week, I will summarize these last 10 days. Overall it has been a good experience. I am not yet in love with Moscow, not even really like, more like "give me your number and I'll call you"...in a word, interested. This city is a lot to digest, so I am taking really small bites.
First, the people. In general, the people have been, as big city people tend to be, indifferent to me. I was really worried that there would be skinheads glaring at me at every metro stop. There is not. Some people give me a extra second or two glance (making full eye contact in the streets is nel'zya -- not really done), kids stare sometimes, but overall people pay me no mind at all. So in a city of 10 million people, it is tough to meet people, especially when your Russian is, shall we say, still under development. Russian people, I have learned, treat manners like fine china, they only pull them out for their best guests. Other people get nothing. But the cool thing is, everyone in the country is in on this little secret, so no one feels slighted.
One last thing about the people, Russians are very indifferent to one another in the streets, but also very physically affectionate in public. I have never seen more public displays of affection in my life. I am not quite sure why the Russians have a falling birth rate, because they are most certainly expert in the setup to conception, or at the very least, they practice a lot.
Now, the metro. In a city that is arguably larger than NYC, you can image that the metros are crowded, but you really cannot image. In the "chas peak" or rush hour, the metros are so crowded that I swear I could lift both feet off the ground and just be carried away. All this crowdedness forces you into a very new and very high level of physical contact with strangers. I mean, it is not rare to have full-body contact with a complete stranger for at least the distance between metro stops. Russian metro riders push and I have become a converted pusher. Russians push to 1)get past you and get a spot on the subway car (vagon) or 2) to push/pack people into the cars. I fully agree with this logic and support it by pushing. If people did not push/pack people into the metro cars, people would just congregate around the doors and leave the middle of the car relatively empty. So pushing in addition to being rude and really fun also increases the efficiency of the transit system. Pushers of the world unite!
The food.
Russian food is not as terrible as you would think. While I have never seen a people so enamored of dill, mayonnaise and sour cream, the food can be quite tasty. Blini (little pancakes) are filled with everything from jam to caviar. My current favorite is pelmini, little gnocchi shaped pasta forms filled with meat, usually boiled but sometimes fried. I eat alot at a Russian quasi-fast food place called "Moo-Moo". The symbol of the chain is a big Guernsey cow in front of the Restaurant. It can be a little intimidating (image the soup Nazi with a Russian accent), but if you do not speak Russian they seem to be helpful in English, just be quick about it because the lines(and there are almost always long lines) have to keep moving.
My neighborhood.
I walk approximately 2 hours each day. I know God is laughing at me because I have not lost a blessed pound. I thought I dropped 4-5 pounds in the first few days because of the walking, but I bought and scale and (after converting to lbs.) I had'nt dropped an ounce. My feet hurt and my socks stink. And, no, I still have not yet figured out how to work the washing machine.
Pyk (rhymes with fluke). Pyk is the stuff that falls off the poplar (or eastern cottonwood) trees for 3-4 weeks at the beginning of each summer in Moscow. It is not an exaggeration to say that the stuff -- image wispy dandelion seed pods on steriods -- is everywhere. A few days ago it got so bad that it actually looked like it was snowing. I have posted some pictures, but to get the true picture, you would have to visit here. I am terrified that I will find out that pyk is high in calories, because I have accidentally ingested pounds of the stuff, in my mouth, up my nose. It is crazy.
Ten Things I Try Not to Think About
10.Terrorist attack on the subway
9.The militsya (police) harrassing me
8.Skinheads harrassing me
7. Sitting down on a warm seat in the metro
6. Sanitary standards in the street kiosks
5. How much phone calls cost me
4. How much(little) of the television news I understand
3. How on earth I am going to be ready to work in a Russian office in August
2. Honest to God, my gas-guzzling, environment-destroying, sense-of-superiority having SUV
1. How much I miss my husband and children and how much I am missing in their lives
Dear Readers, stay tuned, more tomorrow on shopping my trip to Park Pobedy (Victory Park) and the American Embassy.
First, the people. In general, the people have been, as big city people tend to be, indifferent to me. I was really worried that there would be skinheads glaring at me at every metro stop. There is not. Some people give me a extra second or two glance (making full eye contact in the streets is nel'zya -- not really done), kids stare sometimes, but overall people pay me no mind at all. So in a city of 10 million people, it is tough to meet people, especially when your Russian is, shall we say, still under development. Russian people, I have learned, treat manners like fine china, they only pull them out for their best guests. Other people get nothing. But the cool thing is, everyone in the country is in on this little secret, so no one feels slighted.
One last thing about the people, Russians are very indifferent to one another in the streets, but also very physically affectionate in public. I have never seen more public displays of affection in my life. I am not quite sure why the Russians have a falling birth rate, because they are most certainly expert in the setup to conception, or at the very least, they practice a lot.
Now, the metro. In a city that is arguably larger than NYC, you can image that the metros are crowded, but you really cannot image. In the "chas peak" or rush hour, the metros are so crowded that I swear I could lift both feet off the ground and just be carried away. All this crowdedness forces you into a very new and very high level of physical contact with strangers. I mean, it is not rare to have full-body contact with a complete stranger for at least the distance between metro stops. Russian metro riders push and I have become a converted pusher. Russians push to 1)get past you and get a spot on the subway car (vagon) or 2) to push/pack people into the cars. I fully agree with this logic and support it by pushing. If people did not push/pack people into the metro cars, people would just congregate around the doors and leave the middle of the car relatively empty. So pushing in addition to being rude and really fun also increases the efficiency of the transit system. Pushers of the world unite!
The food.
Russian food is not as terrible as you would think. While I have never seen a people so enamored of dill, mayonnaise and sour cream, the food can be quite tasty. Blini (little pancakes) are filled with everything from jam to caviar. My current favorite is pelmini, little gnocchi shaped pasta forms filled with meat, usually boiled but sometimes fried. I eat alot at a Russian quasi-fast food place called "Moo-Moo". The symbol of the chain is a big Guernsey cow in front of the Restaurant. It can be a little intimidating (image the soup Nazi with a Russian accent), but if you do not speak Russian they seem to be helpful in English, just be quick about it because the lines(and there are almost always long lines) have to keep moving.
My neighborhood.
I walk approximately 2 hours each day. I know God is laughing at me because I have not lost a blessed pound. I thought I dropped 4-5 pounds in the first few days because of the walking, but I bought and scale and (after converting to lbs.) I had'nt dropped an ounce. My feet hurt and my socks stink. And, no, I still have not yet figured out how to work the washing machine.
Pyk (rhymes with fluke). Pyk is the stuff that falls off the poplar (or eastern cottonwood) trees for 3-4 weeks at the beginning of each summer in Moscow. It is not an exaggeration to say that the stuff -- image wispy dandelion seed pods on steriods -- is everywhere. A few days ago it got so bad that it actually looked like it was snowing. I have posted some pictures, but to get the true picture, you would have to visit here. I am terrified that I will find out that pyk is high in calories, because I have accidentally ingested pounds of the stuff, in my mouth, up my nose. It is crazy.
Ten Things I Try Not to Think About
10.Terrorist attack on the subway
9.The militsya (police) harrassing me
8.Skinheads harrassing me
7. Sitting down on a warm seat in the metro
6. Sanitary standards in the street kiosks
5. How much phone calls cost me
4. How much(little) of the television news I understand
3. How on earth I am going to be ready to work in a Russian office in August
2. Honest to God, my gas-guzzling, environment-destroying, sense-of-superiority having SUV
1. How much I miss my husband and children and how much I am missing in their lives
Dear Readers, stay tuned, more tomorrow on shopping my trip to Park Pobedy (Victory Park) and the American Embassy.
posted by S | 2:52 PM
1 Comments:
Sheree -
I miss you at work being the only female on the Healthcare team. Moscow sounds interesting but a little intimidating. You are a brave woman.
i just returned from Greece. it was beautiful. I'll send yu the link when I have may pictures posted.
Be well my friend!
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