Stories from Russia pt 1

As all of you may not know, I was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. When I was only two and a half years old, my family moved to America. Since then, I have visited Russia a few times, and I'd like to share with you all my experiences there. Russia is certainly different from America, both culturally and physically. For one thing, the subways are incredibly clean and well kempt. Not only that, but they feature beautiful arcitechture like nothing you can find in an American subway. On the other hand, the streets are very dirty and dusty. White sneakers can easily be turned black in just one day. Russia also features some great historic sites, such as the Red Square in Moscow and the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg. I have been to both places, and needless to say they were pretty boring. I'm just not into the whole.. art thing. Being at the Red Square was nice, but all we did was walk around.

Where money is concerned, everything is fairly cheap to an American. Somewhere around thirty rubles amounts to one dollar. And considering how most people there make significantly less than the average American, living in Russia for people is difficult. Most people live in the city, in small apartments. When they go on vacation, they go to the country side, also called a "datcha". Due to the difficult living conditions, even cops need to break the rules to make money, which is why a lot of the authority figures are corrupt, and take bribes. You can easily get out of a ticket by simply giving the cop ten or twenty bucks, and continue speeding. Also because of the difficult living conditions, many people tend to be mean or rude for no reason.

This is pretty much the gist of what I saw when I was in Russia. I do have some in depth stories to tell, and I will get to those some other time. I hope you enjoyed this insiteful and interesting "lecture" on Russia. The funny stuff will continue tommorow.