Went to Russia and Made it Back!

Forewarning...boring but informational post. Too much adventure for one blog. 

Now what are your stereotypical thoughts of Russia?
Cold.
Depressing.
Communism.
Bears?


Well, I am glad to say that only one of those words is true. St. Petersburg is cold, but the rest of Russia was relatively comfortable with the correct winter wear on. 

My trip to Russia with DIS was absolutely amazing. This trip help put to rest some of the typical stereotypical thoughts I had about Russia, but it also confirmed some. For instance, I thought Russia was going to be very poor, very cold, and overall I thought it would be a very depressing country to visit. It was the complete opposite! Most people were driving around in brand new models of Land Rovers or other luxury brands, the weather was only 30 F (it could have been worse), and the country was definitely more beautiful than I thought it was going to be. There were candy-colored palaces and churches everywhere and oddly enough both cities were actually pretty clean.
However, there were also stereotypes that were confirmed. Russians are very stoic people. They don't smile and are very distant, the woman all wear 6 inch heels and tons of makeup while the men look like they could be part of the KGB. No one speaks any English (not that they should) and everything is written in the Russian alphabet. The law enforcement is very strict and intimidating and their presence is evident on every street corner.  So overall, Russia is a very foreign place to be. It's somewhere that you definitely need a guide who knows Russian and the true Russian culture, but don't let that scare you away! There are so many wonderful things about Russia so let me tell you a little about each city I visited in the "heart of darkness."


St. Petersburg

Absolutely stunning. This city is an embodiment of French architecture and is truly a "window to the west." The palaces among the Neva River look like Candy Land. Pink, blue, yellow, green, the colors pop out against the gray, snowy landscape of St. Petersburg. There are hundreds of statues and beautiful gold Russian orthodox churches that dot the city. The classic onion domes are everywhere to be found along with the occasional trace of communism that lurks behind every symbol of today's Russia. 
While we were in St. Petersburg, we learned that Russia has definitely created a facade for the outside world. While the palaces are beautiful and the appearance of wealth is everywhere, we got an inside look  of how true Russians live. Our professor organized an opportunity for us with his former Russian students to take us around and show us the St. Petersburg that they know. What we saw definitely left an impression. Our friend showed us communal flats where several families lived in a condemned apartment that just reaked of unhealthy living. Many middle class Russians can only afford this way of living because their wages are poor and most small businesses cannot withstand the pressure of competing with big companies and living in constant fear of corruption that continually plagues business owners. He continued to say that communism had left many Russians poor and unable to function in society that allowed political and economical freedom. Though this was the case for many Russians, he did make a point that most citizens of St. Petersburg do fine on their own if they find the ambition to break out of the communist mindset. As a journalist, he was able to afford a nice flat and a comfortable living on a pretty normal salary. 
Throughout the days, we visited the beautiful Winter Palace and even saw a Russian ballet at the famed Mariinsky Theatre. We also dined on excellent meals that included reindeer meat, potato pancakes, fish, and even the classic Russian borsch soup. I left with such a changed outlook of Russia. St. Petersburg was truly a gem among the harsh, cold landscape of Russia.

Moscow

The New York City of Russia. With over 10 million people living in a big circle of constant traffic and dark buildings, this is what I had in mind of Russian life. The Red Square is the pinnacle of Russian authoritarianism. Foreboding Russian guards in fur hats stand sentry waiting for any chance of any interruption to occur, while the Kremlin fortress stands above the mausoleum where Lenin's 100 year old body is mummified is on display. However, the beauty of St. Basil's Cathedral brightens up the square with its gingerbread appearance and surrealistic architecture. Like in St. Petersburg, our professor paired us up with "Russian buddies " from the local university. Four of us met up with three other lovely Russians our age who showed us the fun side of Moscow. We walked throughout the parks, watched the Russian guards change post, and then went back to their apartment to have tea and cakes and talk about our different lives. It was an amazing experience because now I can say I have three Russian friends :) 

 

I am sorry this post is so short and I wish I could share all the hilarity that I experienced on this trip, but it is simply too hard to constrict such a fabulous learning experience into one blog. I could probably write a novel on it, but due to time restrictions (project due and seeing Harry Potter at midnight) I simply do not have time to fully give my Russian experience the credit it deserves. I will leave you with this though. If you have the chance to take this trip. Do it. There is simply no possible way to have the experience I did without going through DIS. I saw and learned so much more than the tourist side of Russia and I got to experience the history, culture, and nationalism that this mysterious country has to offer. 


Russia. Just do it.