The easiest way to distinguish Berlin from Saint Petersburg (and, really, Germany from Russia) is that Berlin rests on an even plane of development, solidly first-world, and even at the upper spectrum of first-world in terms of public transportation, recycling, etc. Russia, on the other hand, rests on the first-world industrial plain tentatively, but endangered by what can only be described as gaping holes that fall right back down to second- or third-world standards. The lack of drinkable water is the most notable of these. Berlin was comfortable and welcoming not only because it, as a major Western power, was understood, but also because there was no danger of these holes and things were roughly as expected. In Russia, these discrepancies really throw one right off balance, and it’s incredibly disconcerting.
Russia is also just a scarier place. I think that this is understandable, given its history, the difficulty in getting into the country, the notably corrupt police force and the care which one is advised to exercise at all times. In Russia, you better hope that you have your spravka (information/ visa) with you all the time, just in case you’re stopped by the police. I’m not entirely sure what happens if you don’t have it, but I believe it might involve at least temporary Russian jail time, and from what I’ve heard that is not something pleasant. In Germany, we didn’t even need a visa to get into the country, and while technically you’re meant to carry your passport at all times, Tom and children reassured me that it really wasn’t all that necessary. I think the phrase ‘don’t worry’ might have actually passed their lips. Don’t worry? Why ever not? Oh, of course, because its not Russia. The amount of tension I am currently carrying in my shoulders is a very good indication of how worrying Russia really is. I don’t think that I’ve been this tense on average since I played violin, and that was a muscle thing. I don’t think its terribly healthy. Of course, the language does make it more stressful, but I don’t know German either; granted, most people speak English, but it just didn’t seem to be as big a deal.
Customer Service exists in Germany. It doesn’t exist in Russia. Although really, after I got over the first shocks of cashiers being unhelpful and even downright rude, in a strange way I appreciate their honesty. They don’t feel like they have to pretend to be happy to make your day better; their job is to ring up groceries, not flatter anyone’s ego. And they’re really not all mean, they just aren’t dedicated to customer service. On the other hand, not having to worry about having the right change was a huge relief. It honestly adds about three grey hairs to my head every time that I have to worry about if I have enough small bills in my purse as I get in line at the grocery store. So basically, people in Germany are nicer to strangers, as a general rule.
At this point, I will take a moment out to make a small disclaimer; everything I say about Russia are basically wide-ranging conclusions based on relatively limited personal experience. I may well be wrong in some, if not all, of my assertions. Unfortunately, its very difficult to write about anyone else’s opinions, so inevitably they have to be mine, as incorrect as they might be. Please take them with a grain of salt.
To continue. I believe that Russian society is more to the point, less melodramatic. Germany was more colorful, more out-there, but also probably a little more useless. It could also simply be that Russians don’t see any point in making something more than it really is, and just buckle down and deal with it. Overall, Russians certainly seem more distant in public. I have a related quote from my Russian history professor, about how in Communist time “Russians were taught to not really be sincere, they developed a multi-layered conscientiousness in which we knew what to say in certain situations, which is why foreigners were so strange, because they were sincere. We couldn’t be sincere.” A tendency to be ‘zakritii’ (closed) in public is certainly something to be noticed in Russia, and not so much in Berlin, but every Russian that I know is very friendly once you get to know them.
Enough comparing for now. One thing that was very interesting to note about coming back to Russia was to see what I’d forgotten, but also how welcome so much of it newly was. Walking home from the metro the rows of apartment buildings were positively welcoming. I’ve realized sometimes, when I think about it, that although Russia is a harder place to live than a lot of others that I’ve been to, I actually like that about it. Not always; in fact, probably not even most of the time. But challenges make one grow, and constant challenge (in theory, perhaps also in practice) means constant growth. Plus, its always interesting. There are a lot of things that I really love about Russia.
Now back to current times. Recently, especially the last few days, the weather’s been getting colder. A hat and gloves have actually been necessary, and there are times when I actually don’t have all the feeling in my hands. My roommate said that it smelled like snow two days ago. Needless to say, I’m very excited, both at the prospect of real winter and at the possible indication that global warming isn’t all that bad just yet.
Today is a national holiday, ‘National Unity Day’, which is sort of an artificial one. It was designed to replace the Communist national holiday celebrating the revolution, and it technically celebrates the regaining of Moscow from the Poles in the 17th century, an event which modern Russians probably care little about and possibly don’t even know that its ‘why’ they’re celebrating. But it’s a holiday, so why not be happy! In what my professor described as ‘typical Russian’ fashion, the holiday fell on a Tuesday this year and many people used that as an excuse to make it a four-day weekend (as did, I think, the State, since we had school off on Monday too). Very sensible, in my opinion.
Now, in an exciting new development, I can start adding pictures that I’ve actually taken in Saint Petersburg onto the blog! My lovely, wonderful and very surprising parents bought and sent me a digital camera for my birthday, but it took much longer than expected to arrive; I picked it up about a week ago. And now there can be pictures! The ones I’m putting on today should give you all an idea of where I live; they’re all from around my neighborhood, some from off our balcony. The last one is the remains of the watermelon stand near my house, finally closed down as it actually just got too cold, the end of Watermelon Season. Enjoy!!
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