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Eerily warm in Russia
By Angela Hood
Happy new year from balmy Russia! OK, not quite balmy, but it's been unseasonably warm, and as I write this it isn't even below freezing and there?s no snow on the ground. It's just not right!
The state of the federation
But then, not much has been right lately, with well-respected but outspoken journalists getting shot and former spies getting poisoned. Society is just as polarized here as in the US. There are those who\believe the government is corrupt and behind the crimes. Then there are those who believe Russia's billionaires in exile or Western intelligence services orchestrated the whole thing.
 | | Matt and Angela Hood convey holiday greetings from Russia. |
There are other similarities with modern US society these days. One of the big debates is about illegal immigrants from the near abroad (former Soviet countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia). The government granted a registration amnesty for illegals about a year ago, but now there is a backlash limiting where and how many of them can work here. In the new year non-native Russians who comprise the majority of those working in food markets will be forced to find other work. In reality it means they will likely have to pay higher bribes to police, local officials, and document forgers.
Ded Moroz and Snyegurochka: Grandpa Frost and the Snowmaiden
Matt and I had the opportunity to play the Russian equivalent of Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Ambassador's holiday party
It was a lot of fun, with the kids really getting into it. Russian children have to earn their gifts from Ded Moroz by reciting a poem, singing a song, or doing a dance. The children were more than happy to comply, even with a Ded Moroz with a uncommon accent!
Another tradition I learned about is that some parents actually hire a Ded Moroz to come to their apartments and deliver gifts. He comes on New Year's Eve by the front door. But I was told that it's best to sign up for an early delivery because Grandpa Frost has a nip of vodka at every door. I guess he doesn't waste his time with cookies!
Surreal sights
During a botched trip to Kiev, we stopped in the middle of the night at a city that has a stuffed animal factory (the plush toy variety). As we waited, I looked out the window at the strangest sight. Local factory workers sell their goods to passengers passing through. In order to display them, they cover themselves from head to toe in stuffed animals and walk slowly around. They looked like giant puppets, with large and skillfully crafted stuffed animals dangling off of them. Many of them were so covered in toys that it wasn't possible to discern any human parts underneath.
If you only see one tourist attraction in your life...
 | | Matt and Angela at Giza, where it is supposed to be warm! |
A book we checked out from the embassy library in preparation for our trip to Egypt said that if a person had to choose only one world tourist attraction, the Giza plateau is it. I was prepared to be disappointed by the physical scale, or an overrated feeling of historical significance, but I wasn't. It was our first trip to the Arabic world, and we were pleasantly impressed and surprised. Although the traffic was crazy and there were some infrastructure issues we'd expected, everyone we encountered was very welcoming and friendly. Egyptians seem to have a great sense of humor, and love to smile. They're direct and accepting of other cultures, at least in the tourist areas. But even when our friends who live there took us off the beaten path a bit, children and parents smiled and waved at us as we passed by. Our cab drivers discussed religion in an accepting way. And, we saw the sun, which was a nice change from Moscow in 2006!
Angela Hood is a former Silver Spring resident and yoga teacher. She works for the State Department and lived in Russia during 2006.
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