Hello, hope everyone’s doing well. Everything is going good here in Russia. It’s Victory Day (День победы;dyen pobedy) today, so no work, classes, etc. I have three finals next week and I am not worried. That’s a victory for me, an inveterate stress-bot and control freak. Maybe it is having only one final each day, maybe it is not being surrounded by cramming students (Russian finals are not until later), maybe it is that I am leaving here in less than a week. I don’t know and frankly don’t care. I am thoroughly enjoying feeling slightly more relaxed than during regular classes. The extra time and energy has allowed me to hang out with all the new friends I have made here and also to check the last items off of my St. Petersburg to-do list. Today I crossed out “Visit the Memorial to the Siege of Leningrad,” a fitting day to do so. After studying several hours, my friend and I ventured out of our study-hole and into sunny, 70-degrees weather. We came upon the memorial in a roundabout way, opting to walk through the nearby cemetery of WWII casualties rather than pass through the main entrance. Most of my previous walks through cemeteries where I knew no one who was buried there were tranquil, but this one gave me a somber feeling. “1921-1941” or similar heart-rending dates marked most graves. I imagined being sent to war at age twenty (which would have been last year for me) and how I would have felt, a sobering thought. My friend and I walked in reverent silence and soon began to hear classical music reverberating through the quiet. My friend, having visited the memorial before, informed me that the piece was Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, part of which he composed during the siege to help raise the morale of helpless citizens. Following the sounds of violins, we eventually came upon an open area with a wide concrete path stretching between a statue of Mother Russia to an eternal flame. People crowded the path, most bearing commemorative flowers, making their way either to or from the giant statue that loomed over the scene. Reaching the statue, we saw five four-foot mounds of flowers at the base and all along the short wall behind the statue people added more to a floral wall already a few feet high. People have not forgotten about this tragic episode in the city’s history. The visit pained even myself, a person with no familial connection to the victims of the Siege and having not lived through the war itself. As my friend said, no political or national ties can make one immune to this tragic moment in Petersburg’s history. We made our way out of the memorial in silence, each of us aware of the awful specter of war made so real to us by this unassuming monument. Until next time, adios.
I just got back from a weekend visit to Helsinki and Tallinn (for those who don’t know, Helsinki is the capital of Finland and Tallinn is the capital of Estonia). It felt nice getting a break from Russia, but I wasn’t really sure how the trip would relate to my Russian studies. However, I figured there must have been some connection or else the trip would have been pointlessly included into our itinerary. I found out, though, that the four-day excursion was not a secret vacation. Rather, these three countries share a lot of history and culture with one another. Upon arrival in Finland, Helsinki’s cleanliness was the first thing that struck me: the streets were not dirty, there was not empty beer bottles and cigarettes littering the ground, no smoggy smell oppressed my senses. I also might have said at first that the people were more friendly there. But, upon further reflection, this is probably not true, as I only had superficial interactions with waiters and tour guides. This predominance of assumed niceness skewed my perspective. Also, virtually everyone in Helsinki knows English, so asking for directions and getting to know people was, for me, much easier than in Russia. Being accustomed to bustling metro stations and crammed trolley cars, Helsinki (a smaller city than St. Petersburg) felt more relaxing. Contributing to this seeming calmness were also several parks located throughout the city. Just walking through trees and on grass felt great after two months of pounding pavement and looking at apartment buildings. Apparently, Russians in the past recognized the therapeutic potential of Helsinki and during their periodic reigns over Finland established Helsinki as the capital of the autonomous republic, while also making it one of their main vacation destinations. Despite the former imperial rule, there does not seem to be any lingering bitterness against the Russians in Finland: many Russians live, work, and go to school in Helsinki as well as visit their as tourists. From what I saw and heard, they get along just fine with each other. However, this is not the case with Tallinn/Estonia, a surprise to me as Tallinn felt much more Russian/Eastern-European than Helsinki. I spent the whole of my time in Tallinn in the medieval, super-touristy Old Town, which provides an interesting contrast to nearby downtown with its skyscrapers and other modern buildings. Souvenir shops and expensive cafes were the norm in Old Town, so I did not get any glimpse of the how modern Tallinn operates. Despite missing out on contemporary Tallinn, our tour-guide gave us a brief history of Russian-Estonian relations why modern Estonians dislike Russia. I heard (and keep in mind this might not be the whole picture) was that over the years Russia dominated Estonia against the people’s wish and thus there developed a hatred of Russian by Estonians. The tour-guide, who made sure to tell us that she did not agree wholeheartedly with the rest of her fellow citizens, shared an Estonian saying that goes something like, “Hatred of Russians comes from the mother’s milk.” This is all so strange, though, because so many Russians live in Tallinn and it almost felt like I was back in Petersburg while there. I do not understand the situation completely, but I have witnessed now the inveterate resentment that has caused (or at least has helped to cause) so much war and destruction. Whether or not a potential common ground exists, it pains me that an inherited hatred arising from a bygone history of conflict prevents Estonians from seeking reconciliation. After spending a day in Tallinn I returned to Russia, unexpectedly feeling a sensation of familiarity with the place. Although it was not like coming home or seeing my family, the warmth made me glad to know that I have formed a connection with Russia, albeit only a personal, internal one. I might have felt different having seen how Estonians view Russia negatively and why, but I feel like there are incongruities between what the Estonians thought Russians were like and reality. It would be interesting to here a Russian’s side of the story, though. All in all, though, it is sad that former territorial acquisitions must continue to separate a people who might otherwise get along. Anyway, check out the new pics I put up of Helsinki and Tallinn’s Old Town. Until next time, adios.
If you are ever in London, beware the kamikaze pigeons. They fly around at head-level and, if you are not paying attention, you may just get hit. And it’s easy not to pay attention, too, as you are constantly surrounded by beautiful buildings and imposing monuments. And if there’s no monument, it is likely that the street itself has some history (Abbey Road, Drury Lane, etc.). Though a teaser, I think my sojourn in this beautiful city will be beneficial in several ways. For one, it was a nice transition from the familiarity of the States to the alienness of Russia. London is different than the US, but I still speak the language so I was able to get around pretty easily. Also, London is a big city, much like St. Petersburg is a big city. Having experienced plowing through throngs of self-absorbed business men on Liverpool Street and protecting my valuables whilst traveling on the London Underground will surely prepare me for some aspects of life in St. Petersburg. Besides these two things, London’s diversity gave me a taste of the type of atmosphere I can expect in my dorm in Russia, as it will house all of the internationals studying at St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University. Besides all of this, talking with my peers who have already studied in Petersburg for a semesterwhetted my appetite, and I am filled with excitement as I wait in Heathrow airport for my plane to arrive and take me to Russia. In fact, my plane is about to begin boarding, so I must cut this entry short. Until next time.
Greetings cyberworld! I never thought I would join the blogosphere . . . I guess I never felt the need to broadcast my thoughts and opinions over the internet. Call me old-fashioned, but I always considered reflection to be a private endeavor. However, circumstances require me to overcome my hesitance toward this phenomenon. What are these circumstances, you ask? Well, in a week I will disembark in St. Petersburg, Russia, that “most intentional city,” and certain parties have asked that I keep a public record of my time there. Besides, I will be spending the subsequent four months there, and the cultural and climatic shift will, I’m sure, register somewhere around an eight on the ol’ Richter Scale. The strange thing about this earthquake is that I planned it, so no surprises, right? Well, despite my mother’s best efforts to elude all contingencies, there inevitably will be occurrences that will send shock waves through my very being. It is for these experiences that I am keeping this blog, so as to probe my reactions in hope of forging some kind of lasting meaning. Accordingly, my focus will fall less on the events themselves and more on their emotional and intellectual repercussions. However, I’m sure some days will be more introspective than others, and I will not hesitate to put my soul-searching on hold for a chance to share a funny story. My plan is to log three entries per week. Of course, this is highly subject to change, as I do not know what my schedule will be like. I can, however, assure myself and my future readers that there will be regular entries posted weekly, though the exact amount remains a mystery. As a final note, I enthusiastically invite all my readers to comment on my thoughts. If doing crossword puzzles have taught me anything–and they have provided a surprising number of life lessons–it is that finding the answer is always easier when you work with somebody else. Therefore, in the spirit of cooperative crosswording, I encourage you to put in your two cents. Until next time, adios.
jakecrumbs 