A final note

My loyal readers, I'm afraid our time is almost at an end. Tis a sad day, but do not shed tears for me. I have one last thought to share. Perhaps you wonder why I chose to learn Russian in the first place, or why I am fascinated by the culture. Allow me to explain.

In my personal world, I believe in knowledge. I also believe that complacency breeds ignorance. It is my goal in life to never stop learning. My biggest fear is living, as so many do, by going to work, eating, sitting in front of the television, then sleeping to repeat the cycle. To me, that is not living.

I find that after 21 years in this country, I was becoming trapped in the repetitive routine of daily life. When I woke up in the morning, I knew what the day would hold - life had lost it's mystery and the anticipation of something new. That is when I began researching other cultures. For in the US, we experience things in pretty much the same way. If I wanted new, I would need to branch out into new cultures, explore new horizons.

I started with languages. Growing up, I always had a knack for learning languages quickly and effectively. I have cycled through spanish, french, italian, german and chinese, but I was not impressed and did not pursue my studies to completion. I wanted a challenge (but not so challenging as chinese) and I feel there is no more beautiful language than Russian. As I studied the language and learned the culture I was enchanted.

The cities and people are so immersed in culture - their customs are so intricate and large in number. This was something I could learn for many years to come. It is my hope to one day move from this country to another. It may not be Russia, but I am sure that it will give me the sense of excitement and anticipation that makes life worth living!

It is not all money and problems, you must experience new things, push yourself out of your comfort zone an into the world. I guarantee you will like who you find inside as you become more involved in the outside world. I'm not saying you need to learn a foreign language or move to a new country, you can start small - start a conversation with a stranger, learn to ride a motorcycle, whatever it is just keep living and do what makes you happy.

Live each day for the mystery and surprise,
learn to live
and never die.

My work with the Crescent News has taken me to places I've never imagined, pictured is a mutton busting at the henry county fairgrounds in September 2013. (photo/Jenny Reolfi)

Propaganda and you

While discussing American cinema with a citizen of Russia, it was pointed out to me that the US always uses its enemies as the bad guys in films. It is almost never another American. North Korea, Russia, and Middle Easterners are our most common enemies. 

My friend tells me that this is not so in other countries. I was a taken aback! I honestly cannot recall an action movie where the villain did not have connections to one of the aforementioned countries. This led me to thinking, what is our aversion to fighting crime that originates in our own backyard. With our constant stream of political news feeds, is it really necessary to perpetuate an us vs them mentality. Can we not be united without a common enemy? 

When you think of propaganda, you think of Soviet Russia or WWII posters - you don't think of date night at the movies. You think oppression, fear and dystopian societies. 

Few thing in America are as idealized as the military - soldiers are always painted as the unsung heros. Which is great, they do give a lot to keep us safe (I mean no disrespect) but there is a reason we see things this way. Everywhere you look, tv, radio, billboards, small towns in particular are always pushing national pride and an almost idealized worship of the military. Imagine if we treated scholars with such reverence, How do you think that would affect our society? (Photo/CC) 

Mind your manners

As mentioned in my last post there are many unspoken rules as to how to act in social situations, i.e. bring a present when visiting a friend, finishing a bottle of vodka.

That's only the tip of the iceberg. Now I will tell you of a few other rules to follow!

The handshake: In a business setting, only men shake hands. For a woman to do so is seen as unfeminine and undesirable. When shaking hands with a friend on the street, you must first remove your gloves. It is too impersonal to touch with the layer of cloth in-between.
When female friends meet they kiss each other on the cheek, alternating sides.

Flowers: You must always give flowers in odd numbers for luck. It is only acceptable to gift someone yellow flowers at a funeral.

Brudershaft: A drink to brotherhood! This is a custom I had to search on youtube before I fully understood it. It is when two people intertwine arms and drink from the other person's hand then, when the booze is gone, they kiss. My (inaccurate) phrasebook told me this is common in business practice - my friend in Russian laughed and told me that it is only used with males and females who feel strongly for each other. To use it in business would probably dissolve some partnerships.

Here we see two men performing Brudershaft. As stated above, it is uncommon for men to practice this custom together, but that does not mean it does not happen! (Photo/CC)

Alcohol and you

Did you know that in Russian, it is considered rude to put the lid back of a bottle of vodka after it's been opened? One must have a strong constitution to have friends in Russia. For a host will always offer a toast to your good health, then your friendship, then whatever else they want!

Russia is notorious for being avid drinkers. Perhaps it's to keep them warm in their harsh winters, but it's probably because the people are generous and some of the most hospitable people in the world. Never plan on just a ten minute visit, for anytime you are invited to someone's home, you will be offered a meal, a dessert, some tea, and probably some alcohol. It is considered rude to refuse.

I think this is where the expression, "Killed with kindness" comes from! Although, I guess being too kind and too giving are good flaws for people to have. Oh! You must not forget to bring a gift of some kind when visiting as well (a sweet of some kind is most common - usually that is the dessert that you share).

My warning to you is this: Don't start something you can't finish - and if someone breaks out a bottle of vodka make sure you have more than two people or you are in for a rough night!

Belaya Rus Vodka - In Russia it is rude not to finish an opened bottle, bottoms up! (photo/CC)

Vladimir Putin

Why does Vladamir Putin always look like a complete and total badass in his photographs here in the US???!

Seriously there are photos of him hunting tigers, riding horses shirtless and doing other extremely exciting things. Compared to photos of our president, he is a wild adventurer who is made of manliness. Not to say our Obama doesn't have his moments, have you seen the photo of his reaction to a kid dressed as spiderman shooting him with "web"? Priceless.

I guess I'm a little envious. Our politicians worries so much about being Christian and proper in order to get votes - that it's easy to forget they are people too. I think that the facade of being perfect detracts from the issues at hand.

I think Obama has started us moving in the right direction - making the office a little more personable (photos of him playing soccer with kids, the spiderman thing) but we are a long way from seeing unscripted vacation photos. England is so involved in the with Kate and Harry's relationship that I think Harry might feel like a third wheel sometimes. Vladamir Putin's photos make him look like a man that anyone could look up to.  We are out of touch with our representatives - we blame them for all of our problems and ignore their successes.

Perhaps if we were able to relate to our candidates more, we would respect and perhaps even grow to love them as we see in places around the world.

Vladimir Putin showing off his fishing skills (Photo/CreativeCommons)

Controversy over Sochi Olympics

There has been a lot of controversy over Russia hosting the 2014 olympics due to the law that makes being gay a punishable offense. If I recall correctly anyone even being accused of being homosexual can be jailed for up to two weeks - regardless of their national origin.

What this means for the olympics - athletes from any country could be jailed on unfounded accusations potentially skewing the games in favor of certain countries. There have been videos and photos of peaceful protests being quelled with excessive force sparking outrage around the world.

George Takei (Sulu from Star Trek) is spearheading a campaign to move the olympics out of Russia while this policy is in place. Takei has an outstanding number of followers and supporters so who knows how that will turn out.

I think it is important to remember that what is publicized in the news must be taken with a grain of salt. More like a salt lick really. News stations broadcast the beatings and political statements, but those are just the extreme views. Just as not all Americans agree with every political policy here in the United States, not all Russians agree with this law that enforces inequalities. We should not judge a country's people by the opinions of its government.

There have been many protests of the anti gay law in Russia, the sign above is crying out for change. (photo/CCLicense)

Russians and food

As a society, I like to think American's know a thing or two about food.

We have such a unique mixing of cultures and people that the food industry is our burrito, if you'll pardon the pun. As I was deciding whether I wanted Italian, Chinese, Mexican, or perhaps good ol' down home hearty Midwestern food (deep friend and covered in cheese!) I realized something!

Not once have I sampled authentic Russian cuisine. I honestly had no idea what even qualified as Russian cuisine. Vodka? So I did some digging - Beef Stroganoff, and soups (Borch) are the main things that I found.

Maybe I'm just spoiled by all of our options, but I was left wanting. So I asked Artem what classifies as Russian food. He told me it is very rare to eat a meal without bread, especially meats. It is uncommon to eat just a pork chop - they turn everything into sandwiches!

They also enjoy Pickled Watermelon (o.O), mushrooms, and fish. They eat a lot of fish.
It is popular practice to go into the forest with your family and go foraging for mushrooms. This is called "Mushrooming."

After learning a little bit about the cuisine, I think I'm going to let them keep the pickled watermelon and I'll just have a burger instead, my stomach is not as adventurous as my heart.

There is nothing I love more than a good piece of pie. It seemed like the time to use this photo because... well sometimes a gal just needs a couple dozen slices! Photo by Jenny Reolfi

Russians and Art

When I think of Russia, I think of big beards, fur coats, silly dancing and men saying "Comrade." However, just like not all Americans are obese, flag flying, gun toting, freedom fighters - very few (if any) Russians fall into popular stereotypes.

In fact, I have found just to opposite. In my talks with Artem and Lila and so many others (they are very social on vk) I have found them to be very well rounded. They seem to place more value on the arts, music, science and philosophy than American students.

For example, Artem is a 25 year old Geologist, that is his job, however he spends his free time singing with an opera choir, playing guitar, practicing chess, or attending discussions on politics, literature, and foreign language studies at the local library.In addition to all of those things, he writes poetry and composes music.

Lila is still in high school where she has taken a particular interest in poetry as well. I am beginning to think poetry is a common theme amongst Russian people (new stereotype?)  She is also an accomplished dancer and has a strong desire to learn languages.

It seems strange to me that the people of this country do not value the arts as much as I think we should. Science is great, but the arts show our humanity and give us a sense of self. Not to mention the city's are more vibrant with interesting people and museums and the architecture. I kind of wish we American's were more interested in personal growth.

Cathedral in St Petersburg, Russia. Photo by Artem Sadadinov.