Вторая Родина

I'm sitting overlooking a city that has become more than just a spot on a map. It has become for me a second home. The small breeze blowing (and believe me, it's small), the smooth, pink sky, and yes, even the flies buzzing in the air, aren't just pictures for me to look at and think of living here one day. I'm living here now. The constant heartbeat of cars and people, moving 24 hours a day drives my energy each day. I no longer walk and feel as if my profile as a foreigner sets me apart from those around me. I've blended in and I move as one with the crowds in the subway and on the streets. I pride myself on giving directions to locals and tourists alike, easily naming streets and transportation routes. 

But perhaps the best feeling of all is the sense of complete peace I have with the city. I don't feel like a stranger walking its streets. I'm at home. And so I write this post (a hell of a long time after my last one) to recap what I've been up to, to attempt to capture in words the emotions I feel, and to calm my mind. In one month and one day, I leave this place, to return to the point from which it all started. But before then, I must reflect. 

This is for Liza, who has prompted me (and been prompting me for a long time) to write something. I'm sorry that I've delayed so long.

Saint Petersburg is a city everyone knows. As readers of Russian literature, as tourists, as anyone whose looked at a map, we know the name Saint Petersburg (or Leningrad). And while I've found my home here, it is more fitting to say I've found my starting point here. To say you've been to Russia, but have only been to Saint Petersburg is like saying you've tried eating a hamburger but have only tasted the bun. You can't say Paris is France, that New York is America, or that Saint Petersburg is Russia. They are indeed big segments of those countries, but a country is not a city. It's a soul. And a soul lives and moves and its parts are found everywhere. And that is where my journey into Russia began. "INTO" because St. Petersburg is located on Russia's western border. Everything east of it is inside (and north and south of course as well).

And so I set forth. I've visited Pskov, Izborsk, Pechori, The Pushkin Hills, Priozersk, Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Angasolka, Kultyk, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, and Moscow. Fourteen (not including St. Petersburg) cities, towns, and spots on the map of the Russian Federation. You don't hear a lot about these places, they are hidden behind the pictures that we see on the news and that we want to see. I came to Russia in search of truth, or at least more of it, about the Soviet Union, a topic which we are sadly uneducated about in the United States. We say "Evil Empire". Let's look at the town of Priozersk. In this place of 15,000 people (the size of my hometown), there was a furniture factory (making evil chairs no doubt). But with the fall of the Soviet Union and the depression of the 1990s, the factory has slimmed down its work force and the sound of progress in the town has slowed as well. But we rejoiced. Of course, there is a flip side to every coin. Instead of the official flood of news and state opinion, Russia is awash in a sea of information and everyday citizens are reporters, protesters, and advocates for one cause or another. My friends, students like me, go to protests and write. They are working to change their country in the face of many difficulties. This was an even more difficult task during the Soviet Union and the fall of that system allowed for the present day multitude of opinions and causes.

In St. Petersburg and Moscow, I cannot go hungry as long as I have rubles in my pocket. Every street is lined with a small shop or a supermarket, a café, or a restaurant. But in Angasolka for example, a mere dot on the map on Lake Baikal, there is one, small store that sells supplies for the village's inhabitants. I bought some canned corn and juice from there. But I was lucky that day. It was closed the next day or there was simply nothing on the shelves. So when I was hungry, I walked a good hour to the next town (Kulyk) and found a small store there where I bought some bread, cheese, and a beverage (I don't remember what it was now). But beauty there is as abundant as food in the cities. Baikal stretches out before you, reminding you that we are but human, mere guests in nature's realm.

And so I've traveled across Russia. And I've grown to the know the country better and better. But I cannot say that I know everything. There is still so much left to explore. But for know, I comfort myself in knowing that I've seen places and met people that will remain with me for the rest of my life.

 Because I am in love.

A relationship is about communication, understanding, patience, openness, care, and honesty. Russia and it's cities that I've visited have taught me each and every one of these. I count them all as dear friends now and hope to see them again soon. I have fallen in love with this country and the people, the language, the culture, the food (but not the politics). It has consumed me and I'm all the better (and happier) for it. The Russians speak of a вторая родина (ftoraya rodeena/second homeland or motherland) and I've found it here. I was born in the US and I'm happy for that (and lucky too), but since coming to Russia, I've found and felt a purpose and feeling deep down inside that I belong here. I didn't just study here, I built a life. I have friends, favorite restaurants, cafés, grocery stores, neighborhoods, cities, jokes, memories.It wasn't study abroad, it was life. I've lived here more than I've ever lived before.

I wrote back in my first post: that "to study Russian and Russia was to study something unique indeed." Those words remain true and I understand that more today than when I typed those letters. I was at that time driven by an interests in Russian politics. And yes, as a political science major is does still interest me today. But Russia is more than just the kremlin in Moscow and the people who speak on international television. Russia is a country with people, each of whom have a unique and fascinating story. And that is where I've found my interest and love directed, towards the people. I want to meet more Russians and learn their stories.

And so I move forward. In a month and one day I return to the U.S. But it won't be a long good-bye to Russia. I know I'll be back in a year. I just need a quick break and then I'll be back at it again.

Now, I just have to make the last month count.

Peace,

Joey

Finland!

There are some things that you just shouldn't do in Russia:

1. Loose any of the documents issued to you by the Russian government.

2. Visibly and verbally be drunk in front of the police.

3. Take part in a revolution (protests don't count).

Back in December, I did one of those things listed above and to save you the trouble of guessing, I will say that I lost a small little piece of paper called "прописка" (propeeska) or registration. The Russian Federation and the Soviet Union that preceded it has a system of registration for all citizens and visitors in the country. The law states that an individual has to be registered at a legal address within the Russian Federation. Besides the obstacles this presents to people wanting to travel within Russia or people wanting to move from one city to another, the system also adds one more little piece of paper (the slogan of Russian bureaucracy) to the list of things not to loose. 

And this list is already getting big:

-Passport

-Registration

-Migration Card

-Debit Card

-Student ID

-Key Card to University

And mind you, my passport is the biggest item on this list.

Ok. So one day I look for my registration and it is not where it is supposed to be. Cue freak out. After that, I accepted the fact that it was gone. And mind you, I didn't loose a copy, I lost the copy and my original. Not good. The only way to be issued new registration is to be issued a new migration card (a smaller piece of paper that says you have legally entered the Russian Federation). And, the only way to be issued another one of those little guys is to leave Russia.

All this leads to my being 'exiled' to Finland for a day. I was told by our program staff to take a little vacation to Finland and then come back to Russia to get new registration.

Well, why not!

So I left on the evening of the 23rd of December for Helsinki, the capital of the land of the Fins! I flew out of Russia in somewhat windy weather and arrived in Helsinki with some rain/snow. The flight from St. Petersburg to Helsinki goes something like this:

You sit down. The plane takes off. You drink your complimentary beverage. Then you leave the plane. Very short.

We land and I exit the plane and head for passport control. Luckily for U.S. citizens, we don't need a visa to visit Finland (as long as we aren't there for more than 90 days). So I passed through easily and headed for a bus that would take me to the airport. Bus found, payed with this funny money called the Euro (first time using it, very weird). I took my seat on the bus and sat near some people from England, two guys and a girl. It was wonderful.

The stadium. My hostel is behind it.

They were having a very animated conversation about a lot of things. And during the course of their conversation, they threw out every stereotypical word associated with an English accent: "flat", "mate", "bugger", and using "me" instead of "my". Needless to say, it was an enjoyable bus ride. Sadly though, I had to leave the bus and enter the wet world of Finland to find my hostel, Stadium Hostel (located in the old Olympic complex). It was cold, wet, and I was hungry/tired, not to mention completely lost. Not a good combination. But in my favor was the Finnish education system, giving people of all ages and professions the ability to speak enough English to tell a lost American how to get to a hostel. The kind, bearded gentlemen at the desk of a nearby building directed me to where I needed to go and I found the hostel, a most wonderful sight.

I settled in and watched a couple of episodes of the Simpsons. This was a great start to my exile. I hadn't seen the Simpsons in a loooooong time. So good. Yes, it was in English, but with Finnish subtitles. With nothing else to do, I decided to head to bed. One thing that I would like to note here is that Russia does not follow daylight savings time, meaning that when the rest of the world slid back an hour in the fall, Russian clocks kept moving forward. So while usually Finland would be an hour behind St. Petersburg, instead it was 2 hours. I did not think about this. Due to this absence of mathematical thinking, I ended up going to bed a lot early than I really needed to. I couldn't fall asleep and didn't know why...probably because it was 9 PM (or 10, I don't remember). Anywho, I also ran into a guy that was studying with me in St. Petersburg during the semester. Before leaving for the States, he decided to spend a few days in Finland. Chatted with him a bit and went back to sleep....

My alarm was set for 8 AM. That was St. Petersburg time. Meaning I woke up, showered, and was ready for the day at the magical hour of 6:30 AM. I didn't realize this until I saw that my computer clock and my phone were the same time. Then I checked the time in Helsinki. Whoops. Well, I was hungry and awake, so I decided to head out for the day anyways. But, unlike me, the rest of the Helsinki was not up when I started walking around. So it was quiet and there wasn't much to see at first. And it was wet. But honestly, it was very pretty. I even rode a tram!

Helsinki by itself is a small city. Only around 500,000 people I believe. After St. Petersburg, everything seemed small; the streets, the the buildings, and the distances from point A to point B. And being Christmas Eve, the city was decorated in full Christmas attire! It was also quite strange to be surrounded by Christmas decorations after being in Russia where New Years is the big celebration at that time of year. But festive and fun nonetheless. 

I was headed for a particular part of town, the central market square and the harbor. I trudged through the wet streets and came upon a bit of Russia in the middle of Helsinki. In front of me stood an orthodox church, a statue of Alexander II, and Russian tourists. The site was stunning. And the steps leading up to the church were breathtaking (quite literally, it's been awhile since my cross country days). I wandered around the square taking pictures and enjoyed the view across the city. I then found a small souvenir shop and bought a small viking for Rosa and Vladimir (my host parents) as well as some postcards. Souvenirs in hand, I headed forward to the harbor. As I mentioned earlier, Helsinki's size is small and it continued to take me a bit by surprise. I looked on the market square and it was small. Don't get me wrong, it was nice, just small. But before exploring the stands, I had to eat breakfast. So I entered a small cafe looking over the square and enjoyed a lovely breakfast of orange juice, a sandwich, a pastry, and some warm Glog (a Finnish specialty like apple cider). It was just what I needed.

Aforementioned café.

 

After breakfast, I headed back into the rain and strolled through the stands at the market. Mostly fish and other sea products were being sold, but some other trinkets were also for sale. I found another monument to Alexander II. I should mention that Finland was under the control of the Russian Empire for some time, but gained independence after the revolution (the Russian one, not the Finnish one). Therefore, there are hints of Russian-ness here and there. Continuing on. My goal of the day was to head to an island called Suomenlinna (your guess at the pronunciation is as good as mine). It was an island fortress for many years and now stands as a monument to Finland's past and a home to some people that live on the island. Access to the island is by ferry only, so I purchased my ticket and boarded the boat.

Twas a rough sea that mornin' my laddy. Ok, I'm done, I just wanted to say that. But seriously, it was a bit rough due to the weather, but an enjoyable right regardless. The harbor is just beautiful and is dotted with little islands that are themselves dotted with little houses. Very picturesque. It was about a 10 minute ride out to the old fortress. We arrived and I disembarked to start my adventure. Being Christmas Eve, all the museums, shops, and restaurants were closed. While disappointing at first, I soon realized that this meant that basically no tourists were here either. Therefore, I was looking at a day of being practically alone on a fortress island. Hot. Diggity. Dog. I started my adventure with a trip to a bathroom, only to be yelled at very sternly by a Finnish man. I didn't know what he was saying but the bathroom was closed. I continued on and eventually found an open bathroom.

The rest of my day was spent climbing onto just about every rampart I found. I'm not sure if I was allowed to, but being that there was no one around and that all the signs were in Finnish (and we've already established that I don't understand Finnish), I assumed it was okay. There were also plenty of little caves and tunnels that were fun looking into. I wish I had had a flashlight with me to go further into the tunnels, but I'll save that for next time. There were also plenty of cannons, so the little kid in me was very excited. I eventually made my way to the part of the island looking out onto the Baltic Sea. Now that was a rough looking sea. And the wind was blowing strongly. I greeted the sea and then bid it farewell as I needed to head back to the dock to catch the ferry.

The translation reads, "Do whatever you want!"

 It was a good adventure on the island. Will be fun to return with better weather, but it was nice having it all to myself.

This scene was much more captivating in person.

My next adventure was getting food and waiting for the bus to the airport. Getting food wasn't too bad, but deciding what I wanted took a while. I opted for buying buy, cheese, a pastry, and orange juice at a supermarket. I then headed for the central train station and sat to enjoy my meal. And enjoy it I did. But I soon discovered that I was rather early for my bus, so I needed to kill some time. I decided to walk around the station, taking in the sites when I came upon the following sign:

I made it extra large, so you can capture the moment in your head.

Being the good tourist, I took a picture of this and started walking away. At that moment, someone starting speaking Finnish behind me. Not understanding anything, I looked back, but continued moving forward. The chap then switched to English and we started talking about the poster. Turns out, its a campaign by the Finnish government to curtain excessive drinking. I don't remember the translation, but it was funny. We chatted about a variety of things. I told him my story about coming to Finland. He talked about Finland and where he was from. His name was Marcos. His English was good (especially his curse words). While we were chatting a man from Estonia came up and asked us for money for alcohol. He didn't really seem to mind that it was Christmas in fact he said that he would #(( @$ %(*^$($(^&^(). That was me blocking out the words he used 'cause they weren't that nice. He even spoke a bit of Russian, but it was really just to try to get money. Needless to say, he didn't get any from us and continued on. Marcos told me he was from Estonia. Estonians and Finns can understand each other, which is good, because the rest of the world can't understand either of them. We started talking again and got on the topic of Occupy Wall Street. Well, it turns out that Marcos was camping occasionally with Occupy Helsinki and the camp was really close to the train station. So with plenty of time to spare, I headed with Marcos over to the camp!

My excitement cannot be properly illustrated with words, but it was AWESOME! It was a small camp, but the spirit was alive!

Marcos lead me to the main tent where the people were gathered. It was a small group, only about ten people maybe. They mostly spoke in Finnish, but it was an enjoyable atmosphere. I sat next to a chap who I assumed to be Finnish, but he was in fact Spanish! So while the Fins were chatting away, we started up our own conversation about life and politics. It was very interesting and the moment was unbelievable. And eventually there was a bit of commotion outside of the tent. One of the Fins left and came back in with...a Russian!!! It was really refreshing to see and hear a Russian again. I realized right then and there that I missed Russia. The question you may be asking yourself is "What are they protesting against?" Well, the answer is simple, what we are too. The Occupy movement is about (among many things) taking money out of politics and reinstating the voice of the people, not the voice of the corporations. In Finland, there have been some instances of money taking precedence over the will of the people and so the people gather to make their voices heard. It's beautiful. 

Unfortunately, I had to leave that wonderful place and catch my bus to the airport. I bid farewell to all and returned to the train station. I checked the bus schedule and saw that I had a few minutes, good. I then noticed a piece of paper taped next to the bus schedule. It had times listed on it, but of course it was all in Finnish....My bus didn't come when it was supposed to, so I looked at this encrypted piece of paper for the answer. I used my map (in English/Russian/Finnish) to translate what the note was telling me. The news was a bit disappointing. Due to the fact that it was Christmas Eve, the bus schedule had been changed. I would have to wait another 2 hours for my bus. Darn. Well, not to let schedule changes keep me down, I sat down on a bench, turned on my computer and plugged my headphones in.

Christmas Eve, downtown Helsinki, I listened to my favorite Christmas tunes, looking up at the sky and thinking about home and Christmas's gone by...Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Bing Crosby helped me celebrate and pass the time. Thanks guys!

Right outside my apartment building.

My bus did come and I headed to the airport. I sat amongst Russians, waiting for the gates to open. I was happy to be with them again (the Russians). Their mannerisms, their language, all so wonderful. I even had a lovely conversation with the wife of the son of Dmitri Shostakovich. Random things happen. This meeting would eventually land me some free tickets to a concert, but more on that during another post. We boarded the plane and set off for Piter. When we arrived, I nearly ran off the plane, so excited to be back. Snow was falling, it was simply magical. I passed passport control and received a new migration card. Outside, I caught a bus to the metro and from there back home. That night, I slept very well. Back home in Russia.

Back from the East!

Hello dear readers!

   I have returned from my trip across Russia and I know can answer the question: "Что такое огромная страна?" (What does an enormous country mean?). It means that from one end to the other you will spend 8 and a half hours on a plane; all within the borders of one country.

It was an amazing trip and I learned a lot. I promise photos and stories, but ask your patience. I need to type up all my notes/thoughts and edit all my photos. I have a few posts to write about some things before the trip, so I will get those up as soon as possible.

From Russia. Yours truly,

Joey

Lake Baikal in the background.