living like a local: Russia Wrap-up

Friday, April 25, 2008

Russia Wrap-up

The apartment block next door... it was huge

The park the day we left - signs of Spring and Winter

And just like that, it’s over. The place we called home for three months is a thing of the past... and likely always will be. The chances that we’d ever go back to Yaroslavl are slim, though both Steve and I would go back to Russia (we’d prefer Moscow), and if the opportunity to play in a smaller town presented itself again? There would have to be a very large monetary incentive. We enjoyed our time in Russia, but it wasn’t our favourite place. The good and the bad come with everything, and life there wasn’t all bad... but I wouldn’t say that it was good either – it was just different. The drab gloominess of both the place and the people was really hard to get used to; in general people were rude and treated our differences with wariness, caution and rudeness instead of the more friendly, congenial, light-hearted approach that we have (for the most part) experienced in other countries. But, like I said, there are so many differences between Russia and Western Europe that it’s almost unfair to compare. Politics, social programs, natural resources, the economy – none of these things seem to work in favour of the common Russian citizen. The government and the political and economic systems are rife with corruption, and though the rich are getting richer, the majority of Russian people are still struggling to create a better life with low, stagnant salaries and rising costs. So I guess I understand, or see why people aren’t humming around with smiles and a positive outlook on life. But again, the rudeness and unfriendliness is a generalization; I met some great people there – Dasha, Daria and Margaret were so friendly and fun and kind and helpful... I am so glad to have met them.

I said this previously, but the most common questions I was asked when we were in Russia were: What are salaries like in Canada? Is there a lot of corruption there? What is unusual about Yaroslavl/Russia for you? And finally, What is your favourite thing about Russia? The first two questions highlight some of the huge challenges that Russia and Russians are facing: low salaries and an incredibly high degree of corruption. The last two questions.... well, here are my answers. The most unusual thing about Yaroslavl and Russia was the everyday dress code that most women adhered to: high heels and fancy dress at all times. I was a complete anomaly: running/tennis shoes, non-skin-tight jeans and a hoodie with a down jacket? SLOB! The unusualness of this unspoken dress code is compounded by the fact that most of these women probably don’t have the money to dress so well – where do they get the money to buy this fancy stuff? Even if it’s cheap fancy stuff... it’s still relatively expensive compared to salaries. This, I never understood. (Some people told me that women dress so well because the competition for men is so rigorous: there is apparently a shortage of available (and/or married) men in Russia.)Other unusual things were the number of people that drank beer in public (including time of day - any time of day, age of drinker - age is just a number, and number of beers - more is better), people’s indifference to clean public areas, and the dating/married/infidelity thing. Daria told me that she often didn’t know if a guy she met/dated was married or not, because he didn’t say so (and that doesn’t mean that he is married... or isn’t). I know that these things don’t paint a very pretty picture of Russia... but these are my impressions. I had to think about what my favourite thing about Russia was... and I have to say that it was Moscow. It’s a beautiful city and I loved the Red Square and the Kremlin. My favourite things about Yaroslavl are my friends (all three of them), the pool and the park. Without these things I may have gone insane.

It’s always an experience living in a new and different country, and both Steve and I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to do these things. We also feel so lucky to be Canadian (and so thankful!), and to be able to come home to family and friends (and English! And good roads! And salad!) in a safe and stable country. I’m still thinking of a new blog name... any ideas? Here are some pics from the few days we spent in Moscow before coming home. Eeeeeeeeeeeh! Home!