Rankin Russia: January 2009

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Russian Dangers

Since my arrival this January to Russia, it has been quite cold here. For example, the high for today is -12 Celsius [5F] (or -19C [-3F] windchill factor). Tomorrow's forecast doesn't look much better, -14C and -21C windchill. Due to the sub-zero temperatures, there has been a build up of ice everywhere. I have had a recent sense of paranoia of being impaled by an icicle. I keep flashing back to a number of horror movies I've seen where people are impaled them. With some of them being over two feet in length, hanging from the rooftop edges many stories up, one can understand why I might want to be a little more careful. I now choose to walk at least a few extra feet out, away from the building as I make my way about the city.

Drivers in Russia are as crazy as in winter as they are in summer. They still drive far too fast. On the walk to my study center today, one driver slammed on his brakes two times, skidding each, after realizing he was plowing through a crosswalk. I'm lucky I was paying attention. The coup de grâce of all my horseless carriage stories is from Moscow. While crossing the street in a crosswalk not more than one block from my apartment, an ambulance came barreling out of nowhere and nearly struck me. What was the driver to do, hit me and then put me in the back of his vehicle?! I know that there is an economic crisis, but do they need business that badly?

So far I've successfully avoided both of the aforementioned dangers. While the various dangers of Russia might seem bad, they are relatively easy to avoid if you pay attention and keep your head on straight.

Vladimir Weather Information:
http://www.accuweather.com/world-index-forecast.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&locCode=ASI|RU|RS087|VLADIMIR&metric=1

I Wish You A Merry Christmas

I Wish You A Merry Christmas (С новым годом!)
I have a friend in Russia who just loves to sing (quite well I might add). They previously asked me to help them find the lyrics to some popular American Christmas songs. I found the most perfect gift to bring them from America. I decided on a book of traditional American carols (it even came with a CD with the music to all of the songs!) After giving it to them, they excitedly opened it up and were curious as to how the tune went for each carol. Of course they could just go home and listen to the disc that came with the book, but it is not the same and they would have to wait to listen. In America, I might be more reluctant than to open up right there and begin to sing on the street, but in Russia, I could care less. People seem to be less judgmental here. My friend was so pleased with the gift and enjoyed listening to me sing the various carols. I had fun seeing that they were so pleased with the gift and sharing a part of my American culture. Being here is not only about me learning about Russia, but about Russians learning about America. It is a bilateral cultural exchange.

Alcohol

According to Walking on Ice, by Frederick Andersen, 5% of Russians are alcoholics (p.45). While this figure may be less shocking than you expect, the following statistics are. "On a national average, each adult drinks the equivalent of over 38 liters of 100 proof vodka a year. Take out many women and a surprising number of men who drink a little, if at all, the rest must have it running in their veins. With populist politicians pushing for cheap or free vodka, it seems as if some politicians would like to keep the people forever in this debasing form of self-imposed slavery. To me it is more than a fraternal thing, but a way to pull the others down so all are equally dead." (Walking on Ice by Frederick Andersen, p.44)

While drinking in moderation is one thing, drinking in Russia by some individuals can be taken to excess. Walk around a Russian city and you will son tons of бабушки (Russian grandmothers), but where are the men? Life expectancy for males is shocking: 59.19 years. Compare it with an average life expectancy of 73.1 years for females and you realize that there is something wrong. Where are the дедушки (Russian grandfathers)? Wouldn't it be great if they were there to nurture and support their families, provide wisdom or to tell their grandchildren how lucky they are with the abundance they now have as compared with the Soviet era. Of course every country has its own problems. In order for Russia to continue to grow and prosper, it may finally need to deal with its alcoholism.

Life Expectancy Statistics Source: CIA World Factbook - Russia
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html

A Better Way of Life?

"Some Russians are amazed that Americans work so hard and so long. To them, we work hard to earn lots of money so we can spend it on entertainment, eating out, traveling, buying things. Money is king. The American weekend can be a hectic time. In Russia it is quite different."

"My friend and his family, for example, spend their weekends outside of Moscow in their dacha, their country cottage that they rent for sixty-five dollars a month (in 1995). They pump water at the community pump and bring it to the house in a bucket and go to the toilet in the outhouse forty-seven steps out the back. They raise tomatoes and lettuce, and it is so quiet, he says you can hear the vegetables grow. There is no phone for disturbing phone calls from friends and they are out of range for cell phones. There is electricity, but not enough, so time to fix shashlik over an open fire and enjoy it with friends and talk about important or frivolous things without the intrusion of a television. It is the way life should be, at least on weekends."

"Quality of life is not about things, it is about friends and the time to enjoy them."

I think that last line really sums up the Russian way of life. The emphasis of quality over quantity is something I have really grown to appreciate about the Russians and I have taken it to heart myself. We should appreciate those around us and make sure that it is known to them and not focus on the acquisition of possessions that is all to prevalent in our capitalist society.

Excerpts from Walking on Ice: An American Businessman in Russia by Frederick Andersen, p.50

Saturday, January 17, 2009

T-Shirt Love

I've come to realize that I'm a big fan of T-shirts. I never really thought of how many I actually have, but from looking in my dresser and closet, I've realized I have quite a few. After browsing through my many photos albums, I found a recurring theme in the T-shirts that I wear. A lot of my favorite photos are ones in which I am wearing a T-shirt referring to a geographic location I have visited or its emblem or logo. The irony of the situation is that I'm never really wearing a T-shirt depicting the exact location I'm in at that moment. Maybe it's that I don't want to look like a tourist. Maybe there is a longing inside me to return to the location depicted on my shirt and the shirt reminds me of the good times I spent there. Maybe it's a little of both or even something else. Anyways, feel free to browse through my photos and see for yourself!

In Moskva, Russia wearing my NorCal T-shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30523797&l=4b499&id=22500885

In Moskva, Russia wearing my Sevilla NO8DO T-Shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30555931&l=95d79&id=22500885

In Lisboa, Portugal wearing my NorCal T-shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30253965&l=3690f&id=22500885

In Gibraltar wearing my Spain T-shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30226418&l=fc6d6&id=22500885

In Grinnell, Iowa wearing my San Diego T-shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12087294&l=6b5a2&id=22500885

In Sacramento, California wearing my Moskva T-shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30555162&l=6a744&id=22500885

In Grinnell, Iowa wearing my Washington, D.C. T-shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12080272&l=e45a4&id=22500885

In Sevilla, Spain wearing my Spain T-shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30278219&l=39b74&id=22500885

In Des Moines, Iowa wearing my NorCal T-shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30233162&l=2fa7f&id=22500885

In Sacramento, California wearing my Grinnell T-shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30126784&l=37d89&id=22500885

In Washington, D.C. wearing my Sevilla NO8DO T-Shirt
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30539979&l=a3eb8&id=22500885

Me at the California State Fair
in Sacramento, among corn stalks
like you would find in Grinnell,
Iowa, wearing my T-shirt from
Moscow, Russia.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Dome Architecture Around the World

After my travels around the world, I have grown to appreciate different types of architecture. Of particular interest to me have been the dome structures of churches and government buildings.

Here I would like to contrast a few structures that I have encountered first-hand and others that I simply find intriguing.

Here are some questions for you to meditate on as you go through the images:

What do you think? Which buildings do you find to be most similar?

What other dome-style architecture do you know of that seems similar to the forthcoming?

Do you have a favorite? Which styles and periods of architecture do you prefer?

Des Moine's Iowa State Capitol, Photo 1 of 2

Des Moine's Iowa State Capitol, Photo 2 of 2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_State_Capitol

Saint Petersburg's St. Isaac's Cathedral, Photo 1 of 2

Saint Petersburg's St. Isaac's Cathedral, Photo 2 of 2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Isaac%27s_Cathedral
Inspired by Villa la Rotunda of Vicenza, Italy