Moscow River

Today I went walking by the Moscow River south of Red Square and through Park Gorkovo with two Russians from last year. It was a very warm day, and we needed something to do since so many people are going home for the holiday here. It was also good to get out of the dorm for awhile as many people are getting sick from allergies and no one really has the energy to do anything right now. This was also our last week of class, so I'm looking forward to not being in school for the next few months.

Spring, Finally

Today leaves started growing on trees which I haven't seen ever since I got here, and it makes Moscow look entirely different. I've started taking walks regularly now that I can actually go around without it being too cold to walk for a long time. I explored a little bit of the area north of the university, which I haven't been to as much as the south and west of the city, and had an interesting conversation about Russia's status as a second world country. Looking back there were a lot of things I had to adjust to that I don't notice anymore, but now that I'm starting to think about going home I've realized just how different Russia is from the US.

VDNH

Because of our video project we have spent a lot of time at VDNH. It was the first time we've been there with the fountains on, but the amount of construction happening on the roads made it a little more difficult to get around the place. Now that the weather is starting to warm up, it'll be nice to walk around in parks for longer and not be limited to doing things for only so long. The Russians constantly make comments about how the weather has its own April Fool's jokes since we've had snow followed by 60 degree weather followed by more snow. But it looks like things are starting to straighten out a bit more for our last couple of weeks, as short-lived as it will be.

Cultural Sensitivity

This week we went to both the US embassy and a museum outside of Moscow. These trips made me think a lot about how Russia and the United States are perceived around the world, mainly in terms of misconceptions of both nations. The visit to the embassy was very informative and gave me some insight into what the courtesies of political discussion are in these situations. When discussing Russia's own infrastructure and economy anything and everything was up for discussion, but as soon as Crimea was brought up it was more of an official statement. It seemed as if that was too sensitive, and almost taboo to mention. This was completely different from a discussion that stemmed from a cutout of a Native American that we saw in the museum. The Russians did not understand why it would be considered offensive in North America so we explained to them the current situation of Native Americans in the US and Canada and the history surrounding their relations with our countries. I think that this is indicative of a larger problem of people not willing to talk about important social and political issues for fear that they will only cause more problems and not educate others on what is wrong with the given situation.

This weekend we had a small party for a Canadian girl named Stephanie who lives on our hall since she had just returned from a trip to France. It was interesting to watch all of the Russians there since half of us were native speakers and they learned a good bit of slang. Most of them didn't realize that a lot of everyday words in English have other meanings in slang, but they had a good laugh when they realized what some of what they say sounds like to us. I think it made me appreciate their ability to speak English on the level they do more because I could not imagine casually taking English classes and being thrown into a situation where everything you know is constantly being put to the test by people who speak and think in the language constantly.

School

This past week was relatively slow because of projects and tests so none of us had time to really go anywhere so I don't have pictures of something new. One thing we have started to do though is bump up the speed that we speak English with the Russians. Since we only have 7 weeks left here we figured that these last few weeks should be more intensive language wise, especially since so many of the Russians said they joined this to improve their English. I think it will be interesting to see how many of them will be able to understand us speaking much more quickly than they are used to, or if it will still just be a matter of them trying to formulate their thoughts in another language. So far they've been coping with it so I think that they are used to our accents enough that speed won't be the challenge that it was when we first arrived.

Crimea Issue

        Because of the amount of protests happening in Moscow this weekend we did not go far off from the university, but I did talk with some Russians about what they think about the situation in Ukraine. Many of them have a neutral view towards Crimea becoming a part of Russia again and do not really care whether or not it is annexed because it is so far away. It also seems very likely that Crimea will choose to rejoin Russia rather than stay as a part of Ukraine with more autonomy, according to the Russians.
        This entire issue seems to have been divided into two major problems by the media, one of which not getting as much coverage as the other by Western media. The West is focusing much more on the legal act of Crimea choosing to hold a referendum while the main issue here centers around the lack of voice being given to those opposing the annexation of Crimea. I feel that this is as equally if not more important in this entire ordeal as any group should be able to choose their own fate and the way this situation is being handled by both the governments of Ukraine and Russia is stifling the voices of both those who do and do not want to join Russia. I think that if there is any lesson to be learned from all of this by the international community it is to not take something by force as protestors are in Ukraine, and not to push for Crimean-Ukrainian dependence simply because the West did not like the previous president so anything else is a step-up.

This past weekend we went back to Sparrow Hills to watch Crashed Ice, a red bull event in which four people ice skate downhill on a track while running into each other and going off ramps. It was a lot of fun to watch and we met some other foreigners while we were there, some of which were from the United States. We also went to a small carnival at Vdnh park where we rode an open-cabin on a Ferris wheel along with bumper cars. I don't think it would have been as much fun as it was if none of us had not done anything like that in years. We were definitely on the same maturity level with all of the kids that were there. 

This week we did a good bit of running around to cemeteries, convents, festivals, and some monuments. It was by far the most active week we've had so far and it was interesting to see various aspects of Moscow we had not seen yet. The Maslenitsa festival was a lot fun, but it was also the least Russian Russian event we have been to in my opinion. It seems to have borrowed a lot internationally, or at least does not fit what I consider to be the stereotypical view of Russia. But in this way I was also reminded that Russia has served as a bridge between the East and West for quite some time and it would only be natural for many traditions to be a blend of practices from all over Eurasia.

Walking around Moscow at night was very fun as we have not been around much when it is late. Sparrow Hills was pretty active and the view of the entire city was very nice, although the Russians kept telling us how much of a shame it was that the old Olympic stadium was not lit up as it is being renovated. I also learned some history of that area and more about Napoleon's invasion of Moscow. France seems to play a major role in Russia's culture, with a slew of words being integrated into the language and France's military history being very prominent in Russia's own history. It seems odd to me that something as destructive as Napoleon's invasion left such a strong impression on Russia in a positive way whereas Germany's invasion has done nothing of the sort.

History and the Olympics

I got my fill of history for the week going to Tsaritsyno and a tank museum not far outside of Moscow. Both places were very interesting as I actually know something about these time periods and could draw on some knowledge. The Olympics have also been fun with Canadian, French, Russian, and American fans all in one room watching events. The hockey game between the USA and Russia was by far the most lively night we've had here so far. It'll be interesting if there is another match between the two later on during the finals.

The Kremlin

Being a history major, the Kremlin was very intriguing as I got to hundreds of years of Russian history fused together in one place. I thought the it was interesting to see how the artwork differed from other parts of the world I've been to in the way figures were portrayed. It seems as if in every nation their own "image" comes as the standard, or the most relatable, and greatly affects the way everything is created. Especially in a nation as diverse as Russia, it will be interesting to observe if any ethnocentric patterns towards a specific group becomes evident through various cultural aspects.