До свидания, Россия. Goodbye, Russia.

As my last 12 hours in Russia are upon me, I reminisce on the times that I had and the things that I experienced. I still do not think my mind believes that I am in Russia and for 4 months I was surprised daily by odd occurrences, cultural differences, and just plain bizarre events. The best way I could sum up a 120 day blitz of Eastern Europe is through, you guessed it, a TOP TEN LIST!
Top 10 things I will miss:
1.) The ability to drink wherever, whenever. A common activity when club hopping during any given night would be to stop in a 24-hour "Prodooktee" (basically a convenience store specializing in alcohol) and get a drink to sip on whilst walking to the next club at 3:30 in the morning. That's right. No open container laws in these streets.
2.) The hilarious death-stares given by anyone and everyone in public. Quite normal, really.
3.) My host mom's borscht. This beet soup is literally the best soup I have ever had in my life. Gonna miss that purple concoction.
4.) Academics that require 2 essays and 1 quiz for an entire course. Such is the Russian way of higher education, and it fits quite well with the lazy tendencies of Russians.
5.) Public Transportation- For 25 rubles - 80 cents or so - I could get anywhere in the city via the subway in under 30 minutes. Part of this was my super-central location smack dab in the middle of the city, and part of this is the always on-time Metro system of St. Petersburg
6.) Watching FC Zenit games with the host dad. While I have been led to believe that he has been in and out of rehab for alcoholism, (information given to me by my host brother - quite the alcoholic himself) this did not stop us from watching a soccer game on a 10-inch fuzzy TV and drinking vodka for 90 minutes.
7.) Corrupt law enforcement. The one day I forget my documents when going out to do who-knows-what, I was stopped by a police officer in the Metro for a routine document check. While this is utilized to catch illegal immigrants, it so happened that that day I was the illegal. Luckily that was nothing 500 roubles couldn't fix. Roughly a 10 dollar bribe and I was on my way. So easy, so efficient.
8.) Gypsy-cab rides. These are cabs that operate without license, and which are driven by Central-Asian immigrants who speak very little Russian. These are always an adventure due to them trying to charge you more than you agreed on when you entered. I have been threatened and locked in the cab until I pay more. Regardless, the rides never cost more than 7 dollars- and it is literally an amusement park ride between interacting with crazy Kazakh drivers who think they are Jason Statham in the Transporter- except they drive a rusted-out hatchback.
9.) Teremok. This is a fast-food chain which specializes in "Bliny". Bliny are basically Russian crepes. They are thin pancakes wrapped burrito style around basically anything you can think of. My favorites- the banana and chocolate, the cheese and ham, and of course the caesar-salad blin- which tastes like a Big Mac.
10.) Conversational Russian Skillz! While I did not learn as much as I hoped in my academic classes, being out in public, asking for directions, ordering food, making small talk in bars and discussing cab fares are all actions which I feel increased my Russian far more than sitting in a desk in front of a chalkboard. Why? I was forced to speak the language if I wanted a desired result. That in itself, I believe, is the beauty of living in a foreign country.

That's all folks! I will have one or two last posts regarding Russia, and what my home stay was like, and maybe a few pictures from my travel-week to the UK and Ireland. But those places aren't nearly bizarre enough to blog about.

Russia- I will miss you. I will miss your frigidness, both literally and figuratively. I will miss aspects of life here which no one from America could ever begin to understand without experiencing first-hand. I feel a sense of accomplishment for having survived here for a semester. That in itself relates the ridiculousness of this crazy, crazy country.

42 hours till America. Let it begin, and let my hectic and awesome journey come to an end.

Smurf Turf and Stuffed Ballot Boxes

The past week has been nothing short of tumultuous here in St. Petersburg. Unless you are stuck in Afghan caves, the Amazon jungle or Middle Earth, you have indeed seen news coverage of the Russian presidential elections.

            In years past, the political machine of United Russia, a party led by current prime minister Vladimir Putin and Dimitri Medvedev, holds a grip, to put it lightly, on the state duma. (Russian congress) This power has come under intense scrutiny lately due to alleged - no- actual vote rigging by United Russia (There have been reports of hundreds of filled out ballots already in ballot boxes for United Russia before voting opened Monday morning. Consequently, many Russian citizens are sick of fake democracy and want a legitimate chance. 

People whining about a legitimate chance? That reminds me of a certain blue and orange-clad college football coach!

Enter Chris Petersen coach of Boise State, who commented on the Russian elections just a few days ago: "“The whole thing needs to be changed, there’s no question about it,” he said. “… I think (change) is coming, I really do.” Even the coach of a Mountain-whatever conference sees the elections as utter garbage.

Wait... He wasn't talking about Russian Democracy? He was talking about what? The BCS system? OH!

Yes. Unsatisfied individuals within College Football and Russian Democracy are currently in the same state. I just pictured a beer-bellied Boise Fan with a cowboy hat and Kellen Moore jersey agreeing with a leather jacket wearing Russian with a man purse. Ha.

Boise State? Mad about their wins not counting towards something legitimate. Russian citizens? Livid about their votes not mattering in a "democratic" election. But the solution is so applicable to both parties! (Granted the BCS system is not rigged, unlike the Chechen regions of Russia turning in above a 99% vote for United Russia.)

If there is any hope for an out-vote of United Russia, Russians must actually vote first of all, and second of all, they must find and fully support a party. The communist party came in 2nd in the elections, with many citizens voting for the Party simply because it was the only party with an adequate chance to overthrow United Russia's majority. These vigilante voters opposed to United Russia must abandon small political biases and reach for a higher goal of fair and true democracy. Same goes for Boise State. Coach Petersen, please abandon your complaints about a one-loss season and join a bigger and better conference which would give you a better chance come BCS selection time.

The underlying theme is drastic change which would theoretically overwhelm things that either groups cannot change. Obviously a Russian citizen in Saint Petersburg has no control over radicals holding people at gun-point and forcing them to vote for United Russia, just as Boise State has no control over LSU trampling SEC opposition. However, a Russian can help another party campaign, compel his lazy neighbors to vote (legally), and protest BEFORE the elections actually happen, just as Boise can join another conference.

Stop complaining, Start changing.

Tallinn

On the occasion that St. Petersburg does not have much to offer adventurous students on the weekend, a common weekend getaway lies in the city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, an ex-Soviet republic highly dependent on the floundering Euro, and the European Union. This country is extremely small, and 1 full day in the city was enough to explore every nook and cranny of this beautiful Baltic state capital. The main attraction is the medieval old town, complete with cobblestone streets and old churches. Here are some pictures from our wandering/exploring, whatever one might call our activities that weekend.

The only hilarious thing worth noting besides being in eastern Europe - the kind you imagine from movies - was that our hostel was located 30 minutes by bus outside of the city in an industrial park, full of women with lesser morals, and migrant workers. Quite the experience...

Europe Hostel in all of its glory 

One of the first establishments in Old Town!

The Old Town square

Enjoying a fantastic sandwich overlooking Tallinn, Estonia.

MOSCOW / KIEV photos

FINALLY! 

Pictures (the interesting ones, at least) of Moscow and Kiev! Admittedly these pictures are far overdue, but I had trouble uploading them to the blog website. I guess blogspot can't handle super awesome, bad-ass, beastly, super-wicked photos. It's a damn shame. While my mother and grandmother will most likely be disappointed in me, I chose to forgo many of the "cultural" excursions during our trip- and headed straight for anything military-related. The result? A Soviet Air-Force control bunker 300 feet underground in downtown Moscow, a huge WW2 museum in Kiev, and me playing in an M24 Hind helicopter and a Mig 15. Anyways, for explanations as to what each picture contains- read the caption. Enjoy!

LENIN'S MAUSOLEUM

Ironically, perhaps the most jaw-dropping feature of Moscow was the only place where photography is prohibited. I had the opportunity to see Lenin's actual embalmed dead body, complete in a glass case inside a marble building smack-dab in the middle of Red Square. It was literally the most creepy feeling I have had in a while, and words cannot describe the vibe that a dead revolutionary figure gives off. I was staring at a man who was the cause of the entire Soviet Union, the cause of the largest socialist state to ever exist in history, and arguably the cause of the Cold War. While these statements are obviously debatable, I just like to imagine what path Russia would be on presently if Lenin had not existed. Regardless of my hypothetical situations, speculation isn't worth a damn, now is it?

MOSCOW- Bunker 42. The Soviet Air Command Center during the Cold War. 300 feet below ground in downtown Moscow.

At the same level as the Moscow Metro, Subway trains could be heard passing by every so often. When the structure was built, it was disguised as simply another subway line. Those crafty Soviet bastards...

Receiving launch coordinates...

FIRE ZE MIZZILE! About to launch a fictitious missile strike on America.

Gas Masks for babies. The reality of a possible nuclear war really set in when we toured this part of the museum. The tour guide gave us a great sense of isolation- which would be exactly the case if a nuclear event occured, and Moscow was reduced to rubble.

A gutted wing of the bunker. It was built using the same round shape as the metro, as to disguise it from any sort of underground spying the West attempted during the cold war.

KIEV- Just another tall epic statue that I felt compelled to imitate.

The 300 foot tall statue dedicated to Kiev's effort in WW2. Seen from a long, long ways away.

View out my hotel window in Kiev. 

Absolutely ecstatic inside the M24. I didn't even realize my face until a friend showed me this picture. I was in that cockpit for literally 15 minutes. So AWESOME.

Just making some mid-flight adjustments.

The huge statue close up. Pictures cannot do this thing justice- it was absolutely enormous.

Just making sure my instruments are squared away on my MIG-15.

MOSCOW- Red Square in all of it's beauty.

Sup, Shrek.

Russian equivalent to our Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Obelisk commemorating all of the "Founding Fathers of Socialism" Names included: Marx, Lenin, Engels.. and many other dudes with superb beards.

Outside the Kremlin.

Thoughts on Moscow and Kiev

MOSCOW-

             In retrospect, my journey to Moscow was extremely brief. The two days I spent in Russia’s bustling capital were jam-packed with sightseeing, on-foot adventures, and delicious Holiday Inn continental breakfasts. We arrived via overnight train from St. Petersburg at around 8 in the morning on Saturday. And what is the first thing you do when you go to Moscow? Why yes! That’s correct! You go directly to Red Square. Honestly, the square was not as big as I perceived it to be. The YouTube research (watching military parades of awesome Russian tanks instead of writing essays in the library) I have done over the last couple years led me to believe that the Red Square was much much larger than it actually is. Perhaps this is Russian bias when filming television broadcasts, or perhaps it is just that Russian tanks aren’t as large and fearsome as Americans think they are. The latter has been disproved- I’ve climbed on at least 23 tanks here and they are all large. Regardless of size, Red Square is still an enormous expanse of ancient awe, a center of all things Soviet, and the first image anyone pictures in their head when they think of Russia. When compared to St. Petersburg, Moscow does not even graze the level of beauty which Peter possesses. That said, the vibe of Moscow was extremely upbeat. Being in the city revealed the feeling of importance of the city economically, socially and culturally. While St. Petersburg has the beauty and splendor, Moscow definitely has the brains and brawn.

KIEV.

            If Russia were Darth Vader, then the Ukraine would definitely be characterized as Luke Skywalker. A young rebel who refuses to become a part of an “Evil Empire” (read: Soviet Union) is living instead under some sort of identity crisis. It was evident in Kiev that even Ukrainians were unsure of their own national identity. Aspects of the west were ever apparent, such as clothing style and etiquette - people will actually hold a door open for you. But when a country is only 20 years old, remnants of its old ways also permeate everyday life. Like Russia, Ukraine’s infrastructure is strewn, and this is obvious. Public Transport seems to be in a fit, traffic jams are everywhere, and no one is ever on time. EVER. Regardless, the city was gorgeous and the country which is hosting Euro Cup 2012 could be summed up as a more gentle version of Russia.

Apologies for the lack of pictures- I took over 500 in the course of 1 week and am still sorting through them to give my readers only the best!

Peter and Paul Fortress

Peter and Paul Fortress was the first structure of any sort constructed in what is now St. Petersburg. Built by Peter the Great, this fort served as a deterrent for any entity whom considered attacking the Russian city. Today it houses a church which contains every dead tsar from the Romanov Dynasty (basically 300 years of absolute power in Russia - Quite a feat for a country which averages some sort of revolution every 10 years or so.) These tombs include Peter the Great, Alexander I, and Nicholas II’s family who was murdered. They were shot then stabbed in a basement of a cabin in the south of Russia (Ekaterinburg to be exact) by Bolsheviks in 1917. Yikes… Because of their brutal murder, they were canonized by the Eastern Orthodox Church in 2002. Get murdered, become a saint. A decent trade-off for any religious monarch and his family I suppose. These murders truly exemplified the stance of the Bolsheviks, and portrayed their hatred for monarchies and absolute rule. Three hundred years of being poor and powerless can really piss-off a Russian. Putin better fix this wealth dispersion problem..

Next post will be pictures of Моя квартира! (My apartment) This weekend I am off to Novgorod- one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe.

An elusive sunny day! The outside of P+P Fortress!

Fall in all its glory

Peter the Great is my man-crush

Super-stoked on life

Grave of Peter the Great. Complete with crying Russian babushkas paying their respects. Creepy.

Memorial to the murdered family of Tsar Nicholas II.

Confessions of a Lazy Blogger

Monday sunrise out my window

Okay, perhaps lazy isn't the word. I would prefer "busy". The truth is I have been quite busy, with trips/excursions/school in the past two weeks or so. Four to five hours of class a day can really take its toll on a young college guy's body, especially when that youthful, energetic, and healthy young man is only used to 2 hours of school a day. Boo Hoo. Below are pictures from a Russian Playground that I came across on a walk, and St. Issac's Cathedral. 

I found the small children's park quite intriguing for a few different reasons. First off, the location of the park was random to say the least. The park is surrounded by housing complexes and a beauty school. Somewhat strange. Then again, nothing is normal in this country (Or should I say, Narnia.) Secondly, the amount of graffiti in and around the park gave off a modern art exhibit type of feel- more so than any sort of park atmosphere that we are used to in the United States. Despite the Urban decorations and sporadic layout, the park contained children playing, (albeit beating one another with sticks) women walking their dogs, (small little lap dogs with more complex hair-dos than any girls I know prefer to wear) and of course, old men playing chess. (drunk old men, I might add.) Once you look past the small details, it was really no different than Riverfront Park in Spokane or Alton Baker in Eugene!

Future Olympic Fencers

Basketball? Nah. A target for rock throwing? Absolutely.

Exit to Vostanya Ulitsa- The street near my Apartment.

Saw this on the way home. When in Russia....

St. Issac's Cathedral was all in all an awesome day trip. I left Saturday around noon with two classmates and took the metro to Nevsky Prospect- the main street in St. Petersburg. Once here, the cathedral was a twenty minute walk. We had to pay a small fee to access the panoramic view, but it was totally worth it! We could see all of St. Petersburg and the surrounding area, including the docks on the Baltic Sea, a nuclear power plant miles outside of the city, and many other local monuments.

I can actually see the gold dome of the cathedral out of my apartment window!

So. Many. Steps.

The...beautiful?... skyline of St. Petes. Church of Spilled Blood can be seen on the right.

The Neva River.

Docks on the Baltic Gulf.

St. Issac's square. Will not be green for much longer! Its getting cooolllddd.

It's Monday Funday!

After four weeks in Russia, I have observed an aspect of this culture that I did not think I would witness - wealth dispersion and economic polarization seen in everyday life.

Now before I continue, I hardly consider myself a mathematically oriented person, let alone an economist. (Math 111 was the death of me.) However, I am a citizen of a first world country cast into the midst of a nation only 20 years removed from a Socialist system. When the Soviet Union fell, small companies and individuals snatched up previously government owned property- from factories to natural gas rights to oil fields. I’ll spare those who already are knowledgeable on the subject, and cut to the chase. This made a few people very, very rich and left the majority of the Russian population in the lower-middle class to lower class.

A country whose top 5% holds over 90% of the wealth is certainly not an uncommon idea, as most of the world outside of the U.S. lives in poverty. (You’ve seen the Red Cross commercials… yadah yadah yadah.)

 Consider this: Russia ranks third in the world in number of billionaires with 101- that’s 7.1 billionaires for every 10 million people- but ranks 53^rd in the world in GDP per capita!

            

This is evident in observing everyday life in a city like St. Petersburg. Along with Moscow, St. Petersburg holds almost all wealthy people in Russia, as much of the country is small rural towns with a considerably low income. Traveling just 30 minutes outside of the city was as far as I needed to go to see shanty like homes and farm animals galore.

0-60 In about 3 minutes

            

Unfortunately I did not have my camera on me at the time (some journalism major I am…) but yesterday I witnessed a perfect example of this on the street. At a stoplight near my house were 4 cars sitting at a red light. Two of these cars were Ferraris- the models I am not sure of, but I am confident one was a 458 Italia, while the other two were of a Russian brand- Lada.  I kid you not. I will leave you with a stunningly resembling photo of the condition and type of Ladas were in front of the Ferraris. -->

Just a couple of natural gas tycoons out for an evening drive, next to a farmer and his family in their most prized possession. This should paint a decent mental image for you.

Also- Happy birthday to Eddie Paskal. Love you buddy. Good luck to all my fellow ducks whom begin class today!

Valaam, Pavlovsk, Artillery Museum. (Monastery in the middle of nowhere, Over the top Palace, Things that go BOOM

Okay okay okay so below are pictures from the last week or so. FINALLY. A quick rundown of each place:


Valaam: a monastery located on an island in the middle of Lake Lagoda, the largest lake in Europe. We took an overnight booze cruis.... uhh.. I mean.. holy pilgrimage to this island, and toured the island in one full day. Lots of walking, but very peaceful. The serenity of Valaam was surreal, I could definitely sense the history and serenity walking around the grounds. While the exact date of the creation of Valaam is not determined- inhabitants of the island told me it was around the 14th century that this monastery was first formed.


Pavlovsk: All you need to know is that it is an over the top palace built by Russian tsars. Big. Beautiful. Russian.


Artillery Museum: Located to the north of the city, I took a 30 minute metro ride to this building which used to be the old armory up until the fall of the Soviet Union. There was a Mikhail Kalashnikov exhibit going on- commemorating the creator of the most famous weapon in the world- the AK-47. I had the chance to take apart and put back together a functioning AK. Pretty cool. Call me skeptical or paranoid, but the entire place wreaked of gunpowder. It was also creepy walking around and seeing these huge ICBMs (didn't get any good pictures- they were simply too big to get a decent angle on while indoors!) and tanks that were manufactured for the sole purpose of taking down the Western Alliance if the Cold War came to be a legitimate and conventional war.

Enjoy.


VALAAM

Inside the "winter" chapel. In a basement to keep warm during the ridiculously cold Russian winters.

The first chapel erected on the island. 

Unfortunately the large tower was being refurbished. The others are still purdy!

Another of the winter chapel.

The importance of icons in the Eastern Orthodox Church deserves a much bigger explanation than I am willing to give...

Same pose in every picture? Of course.

There are over 200 miles of walking trails on the island just like this.

A small and gorgeous lake somewhere in the middle of the island.

A small chapel under construction. (Different from the first one.)

 PAVLOVSK

State Park

Palace 1

Palace 2- With some friends mean-muggin of course.

ARTILLERY MUSEUM

Peter and Paul fortress in the background. I'm no soviet artillery officer, but isn't this gun aimed in the wrong direction?

Soviet Military Law #1: You can never have too big of a gun, or too many.

Russian T-80 tanks. I've driven one before! On Xbox...

Big Big Guns.

A Katusha rocket launcher. These are those trucks with tons of fiery rockets. If you have watched the history channel- ever- you know what this is. Basically if this thing were functioning, one would NOT stand where I am standing.

Kalashnikov Exhibit. Soviet Military Law #2: The more variations of the AK-47, the better.

I can return to the USA a happy man. 

For all you Call of Duty nerds- recognize this? 

A piece of the U2 spy plane the Russians shot down in the 1960's. Bastards.