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| Photo:Matt Hood |
View of Lake Baikal, the largest fresh water lake in Asia and the
deepest lake in the world |
Russia
There again and almost back
Happy belated July 4th! I hope everyone had a lovely day off getting to enjoy some good weather and food.
Although I had borscht instead of watermelon, I found my own way to celebrate independence. I took a little excursion over to the convent where Yeltsin was buried just a couple of month ago and laid down an even number of flowers (even numbers for funerals) to thank him for doing his part, however flamboyant, to transition the country peacefully into a new era.
His passing really didn’t get the respect it deserved in Russia. We only had one day of national mourning with flags at half mast. His body seemed to be rushed into the ground before people had too much time to debate his legacy, or discuss how differently the break-up of the Soviet Union might have gone with someone else at the helm. But Yeltsin had nearly single-handedly chosen Putin as his successor and put him in a position to rule for the following 8 years. I guess the Putin administration didn’t want to dillydally and allow people to focus too much on that, considering the negative public view of Yeltsin that is still pretty prevalent.
Success border-crossing to Ukraine
Matt and I finally made it back to Kyiv last month after our incident in the fall in which the Russian authorities unjustly refused to let us leave the country and pulled us of the train in the middle of the night. Although it had been 8 months, our same border guard, Denis Denisov, stopped by our cabin to say hello and assert that he must have been right after all since we had new visas. Since we already had our passports stamped and were on our way home, I decided it was safe to disagree with him. I told him we had new visas issued because we knew there would be more cowboy border guards on the way again. He laughed. I laughed. And Matt gave a sigh of relief when the train pulled away from the border without another incident.
Lake Baikal: 20 percent of the world’s fresh water
In early May, we packed some enormous backpacks and took a 6 hour flight from Moscow to Irkutsk, just north of Mongolia in Siberia. The airport we flew into is the most dangerous in the world, so that was the part of the trip that had me the most worried. Little did I know the trail we were going to hike was a little more challenging than the pictures could display. We had some great guides who safely saw us over slopes aptly named “Devil’s Bridge” and “The Scraper.” We walked through idyllic meadows and pristine forests for a couple of days without seeing civilization or other tourists. It was a great break from the megapolis of Moscow, and felt a million miles away from the rest of the world. (Photo)
St. Petersburg and Kizhi
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| Photo:Chris Farrell |
| Angie and Matt Hood in front of the “tallest all wooden structure in the world” on Kizhi Island. |
We found another place in Russia recently that also felt far away from modern civilization. For the summer solstice, we took the train north with some of our brave visitors from the US and spent a few days enjoying White Nights in St. Petersburg and a day on Kizhi Island another 400 km to the north. The sun did not set on us for 4 days, which was incredibly invigorating. I had been wanting to go to Kizhi for years to see the tallest all-wooden structure in the world (so the guide said) (see photo). It’s 22 onion domes are straight out of a fairy tale, as is the remote island that took us another hour by hydrofoil to reach from Petrozavodsk.
Evolving US-Russian relations
As my time in Moscow dwindles down to only a couple of weeks, I’m very thankful for having been here during another interesting time. I don’t know that there is ever a time that isn’t historical in some way, but US-Russian relations have evolved quite a bit just in the past two years. The Russian economy has grown so much in the past five years with energy prices at all-time highs, that its GDP should surpass France’s by the end of this year, becoming the 10th largest in the world. Rather than taking pride in this fortuitous reversal, Russia still seems to be measuring itself by its relationship with the US. To get the attention from us that they so desperately crave, Putin has turned to bullying tactics. He makes only slightly veiled statements attacking the US and its policies whenever possible.
On a recent bike ride along the Moscow river to a place where Moscow State University students and senior citizens alike go to sunbathe called “Unboring Park,” it dawned on me that one of the qualities I’d always thought Russia and the US shared might be quite different. Since my first visit here in 1995, I have always thought that a strong characteristic both Americans and Russians share was pride. I think we are proud in the US. We’re proud of who we are and what we have historically represented to the world. With pride, we don’t need others to agree with us. We’re proud whether other countries see us the same way or not.
I had always thought Russians were similarly proud. They have their great literature, artists, unique religion and epic battles. They have a great deal to be proud of. But watching numerous Russian women out on a stroll in Unboring Park in their high heels and transparent shirts, I came to wonder if it isn’t pride but something closer to vanity. A great deal of weight is given to others‚ perceptions here. In politics, Putin seems to still be measuring Russia’s worth by the way the US views its strength. Rather than focusing inward and fixing health care, education, or raising pensions, Putin is threatening another arms race with the US to make a point about our proposed missile shield in Eastern Europe.
Orphans and kittens
And although the government has bought itself out of its Soviet era debt and incredible wealth is visible all over the streets of Moscow, so is incredible poverty. This spring while delivering a donation to a nearby orphanage I met its energetic director. When I asked him if there was anything the kids at the orphanage needed, he said that above all they needed time and attention. So with about a dozen American volunteers, we started going to the orphanage every Saturday and teaching mini classes to different groups of kids there aged 7 to 17. Although they’re a pretty impressive bunch, they still have a hard time living independently when they turn 17 and get forced out on their own. We teach them cooking, sewing, and play games with them. They were incredibly hospitable to us, and seemed to enjoy our company. A good friend of mine at the embassy will be continuing the program after I leave.
Matt and I and another friend of ours from the embassy found a way to help some other small creatures here. There are a large number of stray animals in the city. After being out-smarted by them for may weeks, we were able to catch kittens from several litters, get them fixed and find them homes. Plus, we had the added benefit of the opportunity to play with some kittens for a few days!
Get-togethers in the US
We fly out in only a few weeks, and will be in DC for a few a days, and KS for a couple of weeks visiting family. I’ll send out separate emails soon, but we will do a couple of get-togethers so that we’ll have more of a chance to visit with you all. I hope you’ll be able to join us!
Angie
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