Sweet Rubles

Apartment moving

2010-04-16T17:15:00.002+04:00

I recently moved from one apartment to another in Moscow, and I would like to contrast the experience here with that in the United States. There were two stages I want to describe: finding the new apartment and moving to it. The former was costly and time consuming, while the latter was quite simple and inexpensive.

Most apartments in Russia are owned by individuals – meaning the apartments in one building are all owned by different people – somewhat like the condominium concept in the States. So when you are looking for an apartment, you cannot simply go to your desired neighborhood seeking “for rent” signs (although there are flyers at bus stops advertising apartments or rooms, but I think this is a bit dodgy). While there are some websites on which owners advertise directly, most people who are offering an apartment use an agency, and thereby if you want to rent an apartment for yourself, you should also use an agency, which usually charges one month’s rent as commission. This means there are four people involved in the transaction: the owner, owner’s agent, renter, and renter’s agent. I spent more than a month rejecting bad offers from my agent, but after I nudged up my target price a bit she finally turned up something nice in the neighborhood I wanted for a reasonable price. Well, reasonable for Moscow, which has sky-high real estate prices; it is among the top six most expensive cities in the world for housing, according to various publications. Prices to buy in Moscow can range from (these are very quick, “back-of-the-envelope” figures) $4000 per sq meter for basic to $10,000-$18,000 per sq m for just fairly nice, depending on quality and location, of course. During the economic crisis, rental and purchase prices in Moscow came down only in the elite housing segment. Prices for apartments in the low to mid-range stayed mostly the same, and continued to rise a bit due to inflation (which has eased to below 10% with the economic crisis).

When signing the lease, one usually has to pay the 1st month’s rent and either the last month’s rent or a security deposit equal to that. Thus, along with the agent commission, you are shelling out three months rent all in one shot. In Russia you usually must make these sorts of payments in cash or by bank transfer (like a wire transfer or EFT); there are no checks or bank drafts. It is a little nerve-wracking to carry around that kind of cash, just in case you find your dream apartment that day and need to sign the papers immediately before someone else snatches it. In my case, after signing the lease agreement, receiving my keys and handing over several thousand dollars in cash, the owners of my apartment asked me if I would prefer to pay the monthly rent in cash or by bank transfer. While making a bank transfer requires a visit to my bank branch, I find it preferable to meeting with them each month to pay in cash (which I did at previous apartments), as I don’t have to set a specific time to do it. There is a branch of my bank (well, the bank through which my company pays my salary, a story for another post) in my neighborhood that is open until 8pm on weekdays and till 5pm on Saturdays.

Once I found my new abode, moving was a breeze. Although I don’t have a lot of stuff, it was more than would fit in a car, so I looked into getting a van or similar. I was ecstatic to discover that I could get a truck with driver and one mover through Gorodskoi Taxi for $60 for two hours (but note that the driver only drives, he does not carry anything, hence I needed at least one mover). I use this taxi company frequently, so I already knew their service quality, and I was able to order the truck and mover through their website. The last time I moved in the States, the truck alone cost more than $60; I drove it myself and imposed upon friends to help me move, something I have done too way many times – my eternal gratitude to Brett, Brian and Dan, who helped me with countless moves (and with an honorable mention Chad and John).

Is free sauce a right? How about SIM card portability?

2010-04-09T15:52:00.008+04:00

My gf was slightly bemused when I lamented that I had been charged for ketchup to go with my fries in a restaurant. I think it is understandable when you order additional sauce that is not part of a menu item, or if you are in a McDonalds or similar, but usually in Russia if you are at a regular restaurant, if you order french fries and ask for ketchup, they just bring you a bottle or a small dish. However, recently I was at Bilingua, a cool artsy-bohemian restaurant/bookstore/live music venue to see some acquaintances' play (a band called Karamadjongi - don't ask me what it means). I ordered juice and french fries. When the fries came, I asked for ketchup, which was promptly brought in an ornate serving dish with handle on a saucer. When the bill came, I was shocked that I had been charged $1.00 for this ketchup! But since the service was excellent - quite unusual in Moscow - and I had ordered very little, I did not complain to the waitress, instead later complaining to my gf, who responded, "That is an American thing, having ketchup with fries, so of course you have to pay extra for it." But this is not the case at other establishments here. Perhaps they charged me for the ketchup because I ordered so little - maybe if I had ordered an entree they would have provided the ketcup for free.

She joked that I was complaining about Russia too much...but I said I often remark on things that I like in Russia that we don't have in the States. For example, I note the relative freedom and low cost of mobile phone coverage. Unlike in the States, in Russia you can buy a SIM card by itself and use it with whatever phone you like. Contracts are not required, you can pay as you go, which most people do. I really like this aspect of Russia - in the States when getting cellular service, it's a big deal, you have to be sure that you want this exact phone, with this type of service, from this specific carrier for 1-2 whole years! What kind of free country are we running there! When I left for Russia I had 3 months left on my cellular contract, so I called them and asked them to cancel the service, but of course I understood that I would need to pay for the remaining three months regardless. They said that I could not cancel it ahead of time, and that they provide service in Russia - for $4 per minute! I asked if they really thought I would spend $4 a minute - I'm moving there, not going there for a couple of days! They again said I could only cancel when the contract ended. My friend Brett had to spend 2 hours getting them to do this, since I was out of the country. I should note that I recently discovered that T-Mobile has a decent pay as you go plan in the States, which is nice for someone like me who is only there for a couple weeks at a time. I had to buy a phone with it, but they offered one for $15, so not a big deal.

Happily in Russia I have a Russian pre-paid SIM that I put in an iPhone (which is not limited to only one provider here) and it costs about $30 a month for basic service. If you want a data plan and internet access, then its about $50. Nice. And I can change phones or providers anytime I want. Although, buying an iPhone costs more than in the States (even more than the US price without an AT&T contract).

So, that is my rant today on some pros and cons of each country. What do you think: Is free sauce or SIM card portability more important? I choose SIM card portability, comrade.

After the subway bombings

2010-04-02T17:15:00.001+04:00

It was an interesting week in Moscow after the subway bombings. It was a bit surreal for me, as up until 2 months ago, for several years every day I rode the subway line (the red, or sokol’nicheskaya line) on which the blasts occurred (and at the time they occurred). From my point of view inside Russia, Foreign Policy magazine published the best take on the aftermath of the story: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/03/30/the_moscow_bombings_dont_matter

With my blog being focused more on the economics of everyday life, I will turn to more prosaic, yet important details. Things returned to normal quite quickly, and it appears that Moscow reacted with amazing efficiency to the tragedy. One victim recalled that there were already ambulances outside the subway when he emerged seeking help (http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/if-i-hadnt-gotten-out-id-be-dead/403099.html ). The city dispatched a multitude of free busses to help transport people diverted from subway, which had sections temporarily shut down; the Moscow metro carries anywhere up to 8 million passengers a day, with the red line carrying over 1 million, making it the 4th busiest line. The subway had resumed full service by evening hours.

Both the federal and city governments announced compensation payments for those injured or to the families of those killed in the attacks. A colleague who braved the commute following the blasts related that he saw the entire range of human reaction that you would see anywhere else in the world, ranging from sympathetic, cynical, hysterical, incredulous and finally merely annoyed at the massive inconvenience of the stalled morning commute.

I think Muscovites’ biggest reaction had to do with taxi drivers: there were accounts that they had charged 2-3 times more than usual to stranded passengers trying to get to work. It was such big news that Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church even publicly condemned the behavior. However, numerous people then came forward with tales of kind drivers ferrying people for free, and many people donated blood to help the victims. As a friend of mine said, these kinds of events bring out both the best and worst in people.

If you would like to speculate about the city’s reaction from automobile traffic, I can give you a recount: A friend who drives to work described the morning commute on Monday as busier than usual, with the evening commute eerily peaceful. Tuesday’s traffic was light all day, and Wednesday brought heavier than normal volumes all day.

The mystery of friendly employees

2010-03-25T16:01:00.018+03:00

Tireless readers of my blog may remember my post from a few years ago when I described a tour of the US Embassy in Moscow and a visit to the "Starbucks" there - the only one in Russia at the time. As it turned out, it was not a real Starbucks, but rather a coffee stand that used Starbucks beans.

Fortunately for me (as a former Seattle resident addicted to espresso drinks), Starbucks has since been sprouting coffee shops in Moscow at rates similar to their expansion elsewhere. They joined an already bustling local coffeeshop market, but differed in the convenient "takeaway" or "to go" cups. Walking down the street with a Starbucks coffee cup elicits incredulous stares from most people, as Russians view sitting down to coffee or tea (and accompanying tasty treats) as a luxurious event to be savored. Unfortunately, while Russians excel at providing all kinds of tea (and perhaps due to this tea preference) coffee in Russian-born coffeeshops is equivalent to instant coffee. As the saying goes, people from Seattle only go to Starbucks when away from home (how I miss Uptown Espresso), and so I rejoiced at the arrival of Starbucks. It tastes just like it does anywhere else, and they have soy milk!

On to the economics: while a tall soy mocha in the States costs around $3.50, the same in Moscow costs more than $6!!! That's right, more than six dollars. And I pay it, gladly. I am not the stereotypical expat that tries to recreate the home country here, but in the case of coffee, I gotta have it. Granted, at these prices, not every day, although my Russian colleagues find it funny that I go there so frequently.

I must applaud Starbucks for a truly amazing achievement: they have convinced their employees in Moscow to be friendly to the customers! Anyone that has been to Moscow knows that customer service is an unknown concept here (but you can find very friendly service elsewhere in Russia). I should note they were not able match this achievement in North Dakota; my visit to a Starbucks in north Bismarck several years ago was most unpleasant, the employees there were really annoyed to have to deal with these customer-type people that kept interrupting their conversations.

In the coming weeks I hope to unravel the mystery of how Starbucks gets their Russian employees to be friendly. On a side note, in this post I may have offended Moscovites and North Dakotans. Being that I am sort of both, I believe I can get away with it. Anyway, sometimes the truth hurts.

Bulgarian Customs

2006-07-29T19:58:00.000+04:00

I recently spent three weeks in Bulgaria. While it is a popular vacation spot, particularly the Black Sea coast, I was there to get a new visa in order to re-enter Russia. When one changes the type of visa (as I was changing from student to commercial) one must leave the country in order to receive the new visa. My student visa ended June 30, and my commercial invitation would not be ready until the 2nd week of July, so I had to leave Russia for a while. I’m very fortunate to have a good friend in Moscow, Nick, who is from Sofia, and who welcomed me to visit his family, as he is spending the summer there. I had a great time with them.

I also have another Bulgarian friend in Moscow, Peter, who was getting married during this time in his hometown in Bulgaria, called Montana, by the way, honest. His wife, Lena, is Russian; they had already married last year in Russia, but this event was for his family and friends in Bulgaria. I was very honored to be invited to their wedding (and Nick was the best man). Not speaking much Bulgarian, I had some trouble following what was going on, but I will try to describe the wedding customs.

Initially there was some debate how to start the wedding, because usually the groom has to visit the bride’s family and buy her from them. Since the bride’s family was not in attendance, they decided they would invoke another custom, where the bride and groom disappear before the wedding, and everyone is left to wonder where they are, what is going on, and then the best man eventually turns up with them. There was a particular wedding dance that was done when they returned, and was repeated about once every hour (from 5pm to midnight). At the reception there was a small carpet covered with roses that the groom carries the bride over; the best man and maid-of-honor then roll up the carpet and present it to the happy couple. There are of course the toasts and various first dances. The custom of gifts is interesting; later in the reception, the bride and groom visit each table to greet all of the guests, clink glasses, and receive their gifts. The best man, maid-of-honor, and family follow after the couple also greeting the guests and clinking glasses, as well as collecting the gifts as they are passed back by the happy couple. Unlike in America, the happy couple must stay at the reception until the very end.

Aeroflot - not as bad as you heard

2006-07-29T19:43:00.000+04:00

I recently flew on Aeroflot for the first time – a round trip. I had heard many horror stories from friends who had flown it, but I found the experience to be quite comfortable. Compared to the airlines in the States, the seats were softer and there was more leg room. The flight crew was polite and helpful, as well as the ticket agents. Also, my dear readers may not believe me, but the takeoffs and landings on both legs of the trip were among the smoothest I’ve ever experienced. When we landed in Sofia for example, I was reading and I thought the bumps I felt were part of the descent through air pockets; however I looked up to find we were on the ground taxiing! The only thing that had me worried was how Russians applaud upon landing. Maybe the smooth flights I experienced were unusual?

Where the Day Takes You

2006-06-09T16:08:00.000+04:00

Living in Moscow and being involved with Rotary can bring unexpected and inconvenient, but also rewarding experiences. My host Rotary club asked my Rotaract club to help with a small group of Rotarians visiting from Greece. Information was sketchy, but there were four people coming for some fundraising dinner, and there was supposedly the son of an ambassador in the group. Further details there were not, we’re getting info from the secretary of a Rotarian who is handling the visit. I volunteered to meet them at the airport, and offer to show them the city, invite them to our Rotaract meeting; simply find out what help they need in Moscow.

On Tuesday mid-day I make my way out to the airport, an hour and a half by subway and bus. Rotary has hired a small van and driver; I am to meet him at the airport and we will attend to our guests. I meet the driver and we wait for the passengers from Athens to exit passport control and customs. We wait for an hour, no one. I call the gal from our Rotaract club who coordinates our international activities, to tell her what happened. She contacts the above-mentioned secretary and finds out that a car from the French embassy has picked up the guests. I am to take the van to the embassy, where they are waiting for me. Fortunately, the driver, Anatoli, and I are getting along quite well, and we have fun chatting as we make our way through famous Moscow traffic jams to get to the embassy. He tells me that he has been instructed to await instructions from the guests, whether they need him or not after the embassy. So I ask him to wait as I go into the embassy, I will call him on his cell phone to give him an update.

Next thing I know I am sitting with these Rotarians from Greece and the wife of the French Ambassador to the Russian Federation in their private section of the embassy drinking very good espresso. It turns out these Rotarians are all French, but live in Greece and have formed a French-speaking club there. Then in walks the Ambassador himself. Quite an exciting thing for this poor kid from North Dakota who is studying international relations. Being a Rotaracter, however, I don’t feel overwhelmed, and am grateful for the timing, as when they asked me what I’m doing in Moscow, I can say I was studying but will soon start work with an investment bank, which doesn’t sound too shabby. Something I couldn’t have said a week ago.

The Rotarians ask me if I have any plans for the evening, they are looking for something to do. I invite them to our Rotaract meeting, and they are very pleased to accept. We have a few hours before the meeting, and they ask if we can see a bit of Moscow, maybe go to Red Square. I reply that this is no problem, I have a van waiting outside.

You just never know where the day will take you.

Sushi and Martinis

2006-04-07T20:32:00.000+04:00

Sushi and martinis are extremely popular in Moscow. Of course, there are restaurants offering just about every cuisine of the world here, but currently, especially among the young professionals, it’s sushi that is the default. Sushi is so ubiquitous that a Russian friend asserted that it can now be considered Russian cuisine.

Advertising

2006-04-04T23:42:00.000+04:00

In case you haven't noticed, the google ads at the top of my blog are getting more and more strange. If this continues, I may have to discontinue the service. I haven't earned anything yet for having them there, so there doesn't seem to be much point. It was obvious that they used to be chosen by key words in my blog entries, for example when I wrote about coffee shops the ads were all related to coffee. It was kind of fun to see what kind of ads each new entry would bring. Now the ads just seem to be a showcase for all that is strange on the internet (besides me and some of my safely anonymous blog commenters, anyway).

Reports of Starbucks Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

2006-03-14T18:06:00.000+03:00

There is an adage that Seattlelites only go to Starbucks when they are away from home, which is true in my case for the most part, as although I drop in from time to time for some of their non-coffee beverages, I am a loyal client of Seattle’s own Uptown Espresso, Home of the Velvet Foam â. If you’re from Seattle, there’s Uptown and Ladro, and where you go says a lot about you - kind of like how a guitar player plays a G chord. Anyway, fortunately for me the coffee shops in Moscow keep me satisfied (with prices just like in America, or even higher in some cases), unlike my trip to Atlanta five years ago. After a week suffering through what Atlantans consider espresso, I was ecstatic to come upon a Starbucks during a layover in the airport terminal in Memphis.

Our Rotaract club recently had an interesting excursion to the American Embassy in Moscow. There was much anticipation of a visit to the :: Starbucks :: – there were reports that one had opened inside (keep in mind that the embassy in Moscow is one of America’s largest, there are apartments, a recreation center, post office, and convenience store inside, and that’s only what we were permitted to see). I understand that Starbucks would like to enter the Russian market, and given the number of coffee shops here, they might have an interesting time of it. We already have Coffee Bean and Coffee Mania, in addition to some local creations, including a chain whose name is ‘coffee house’ – not translated into Russian but simply sounded out in Cyrillic (КОФЕ ХАУС) – and which has a similar location strategy to Starbucks; there are at least five within one square mile in central Moscow (that I’m aware of). The cool thing about Moscow coffeeshops is that they serve alcohol, should you want some whisky with your caffeine. The smoking sections are larger than the non-smoking sections in most of them, except for Coffee Bean, which is all non-smoking. Coffee Bean is celebrating 10 years in Moscow this month, by the way, which I mention to dispel the impression of a continuance of Soviet times.

Unfortunately for Starbucks, an enterprising Russian has been busy for the last several years registering trademarks of foreign companies and then selling them back to their owners. Starbucks had registered their mark several years ago, but by Russian law if the trademark owner does not open a business under the mark within a certain period, it reverts to open domain and can be claimed by someone else, which is what happened to Starbucks. They have taken the guy to court as they don’t want to have to pay for their trademark. I understand this guy got around half a million from Samsung in this way. If he wins the court case and Starbucks doesn’t purchase the mark, he said he would open a coffee shop under the name.

Back to our excursion and anticipation of brand exposure. There were reports that since technically the American Embassy is American soil, and therefore outside Russian jurisdiction, Starbucks had opened up a shop there. I was imagining the kiosk-style Starbucks one finds in airports, but in fact it turned out that it was a regular coffeestand, and the only thing Starbucks about it were the beans. No familiar green and white uniforms or extensive menu, and sadly, no frappuccinos, they had only lattes, espresso, and cappuccino. No mochas! I didn’t ask if they had soy milk. Being that my Rotaract colleagues know I am both a coffee drinker and from Seattle, several had me order for them, although. I kept trying to explain that they could easily pick themselves, as there was nothing complicated on the menu like at a real Starbucks (double tall, half-caff, nonfat, no whip, vanilla latte please). Upon receiving his tasty beverage, one of my Russian friends remarked, “Tastes like America.”

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2006-01-26T16:53:00.000+03:00

Well, actually just trains and automobiles. I wanted to write a little about transport in Moscow. There is of course a subway system (metro) which is quite convenient, although sometimes not the most fun to ride if it's very crowded. But it's fast and makes Moscow, which is quite spread out, seem a lot smaller. There are trains called "electrics" that connect Moscow with the outlying cities of the area, and of course regular long distance trains to connect with other cities and countries. The road system in Moscow is organized in a "wheel and spoke" system, there are three "ring roads" with the Kremlin in the center of the wheel. Like many large cities, Moscow is famous for its horrible traffic and long delays.

There is a bus system of course, and also trams. Those who ride without tickets are called "hares," as in rabbits, or what I like to translate as "jumpers." On the trams there are usually conductors, who check to make sure you have a ticket, which costs 15 Rubles (about 50 cents, although the price is going up this month). If you don't have a ticket, the fine is 100 Rubles (about $3.50). On the newer busses with automated turnstyles, in which you must insert your ticket to pass, they have signs on the window with a line crossed through a happy jumping rabbit. Although I see people just squeeze underneath the turnstyle to get through. There are also "route taxis," mini-vans which follow a set route, usually a bus route or variation thereof, which hold around 15 people. The fare is 15 Rubles, and they usually get you there a bit faster than the bus since they don't have stop as often. All public transportation stops at 1am, so if you are out late, or at any time of day simply don't want to wait for public transport, you can just stick your hand out and any number of cars will stop. You tell them the destination and negotiate a fare and away you go. If you don't like the fare or the driver (or the driver doesn't like you) you just try the next one. Very convenient.

The New Moscow

2005-12-04T14:37:00.000+03:00

Just wanted to illustrate how Moscow has become a world capital. Sure there are still the old Soviet style buildings around, but so much business activity is happening here, real estate is developing fast. This location is on the Moscow River, and some big accounting firms have offices here. The little building with the green roof is the hotel where Rotary Club Moscow International meets. This photo was taken in October, hence the nice autumn scene.

Rotaract Moscow International is now Official

2005-11-28T17:22:00.000+03:00

On what was Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S., I had the honor of becoming one of 20 Charter Members of Rotaract Moscow International. My host club in Russia, Rotary Club Moscow International, sponsored the creation of this Rotaract Club, which includes students and young professionals originally from Russia and several other countries including Bulgaria, Colombia, and with me, the United States. The language of the club is English. The Rotary District Governor (who is from Sweden, as this District is a joint Swedish-Russian District) attended to make the club official and presented each of the newly inducted members with Rotaract pins. Also in attendance to help celebrate the occasion were fellow Rotaracters from other clubs in Russia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy, as well as Rotary exchange students from Canada and Taiwan, who are currently living in Siberia. Our guests had the opportunity to see some of the attractions of Moscow as well as visting our club’s service project, an orphanage for deaf & blind children in the town of Sergeev Posad, which is about 60km from Moscow.

I am quite new to the club, and so have not yet done much service, as all of the work in creating the club and determining its first project was completed before I started participating in October. I’m very pleased to be part of such an energetic and enthusiastic club, and hope to contribute much while I am here. It has also provided a way to get acquainted with like-minded people of my own age, many from Russia, and helps me integrate into life here. For example, at the social evening on Friday, in which we welcomed our fellow Rotaracters from other clubs, someone was asking the Canadian girl if Americans and Canadians make jokes about each other. The Canadian hesitated, since I was at the table, but a Russian girl from my club said, “Oh don’t worry about Steve as he is Russian for this year.” Another case concerns two Bulgarian guys who are in my club. We have commiserated over the difficulties of learning Russian, as although Bulgarian is a Slavic language, they found many aspects of Russian quite difficult before they achieved fluency, such as the case declensions (which Bulgarian doesn’t have), and they have been encouraging me in my struggle. When they discovered that I knew a little of the Macedonian language (which many consider to be a dialect of Bulgarian), they were very pleased, and were happy to hear me speaking a language so close to their own. They then taught me a Macedonian dance that we performed for the gathering (representatives of each country were doing some skit or performance indicative of their culture), making me sort of an honorary Bulgarian for the evening.

More on Real Estate and Finance

2005-11-28T16:09:00.000+03:00

I wanted to give a little more information about Real Estate here, as it is somewhat different than in the U.S. The majority of apartments here, whether low or high cost, operate similar to condos in the U.S. While in Seattle you can just look for an apartment building in the area you want, and see if they have vacancies, here the owners of apartments in each building are all different. This is why it is more effective (although more expensive) to go through an agency, which works with many different apartment owners, from individuals to firms. I tried to contact individual owners directly, but only a few want the hassle of fielding inquiries and handling everything, so the amount of apartments available direct are limited. However, I'm sure there are some avenues I'm missing, just from being new in the city. Until last month, often when a builder was putting up an apartment block, it was often financed by future owners, rather than banking, as financial services in Russia are still developing. Because of some high profile scandals where builders just collected money from people and never completed the buildings, the law was changed to limit such financing tools. In some ways, finance and banking are quite advanced here; you can pay for most utilities and cell phones, cable tv, etc. through ATMs with debit or credit cards. Most banks offer debit and credit cards, as well as automatic payroll deposit. However, mostly only western firms use the automatic deposit, because a lot of people here have two salary figures: an official one that is booked at the firm, and another that is on side, not booked, to avoid taxes. This makes it hard for people to gain credit in order to buy an apartment or car; usually they have to convince their employer to provide them with a letter that explains their full salary, which banks here generally accept in lieu of payroll
documents. On the less developed side, when I tried to pay for my university tuition, I had planned to just use my Visa debit card, however the bank my department uses only takes MasterCard. This is particularly ironic since I'm studying in the Department of World Politics and the bank is called International Investment Bank.

Concierge

2005-11-27T17:13:00.000+03:00

I should clarify my mention in the post "Location..." below of a concierge in my building. The word conjures up an image of a guy behind a shiny desk with a snazzy uniform. However what I have is different; it is a little room off to the side of the entryway, very Russian-style, staffed by guys who are dressed for dirty work, so my assumption is that they are more like "supers" than a concierge. I still need to find out what they do for the 250 Rubles (about $9) a month. So far the apartment is working great, except my landlady has the flu, so I haven't been able to get her to sign the document I need for the university and immigration authorities. Hopefully this week; well, it has to be by the end of the month, if I want to stay legal.

Red Tape

2005-11-24T19:26:00.000+03:00

No pun intended. Something I haven't written a lot about is one of the stereotypes we may have about Russia, and that is the beauracracy. It ounds terrible, I know, but sometimes stereotypes start for a reason. Add to the
Russian system that I'm dealing with a university, and you can imagine the extent of the entanglements. For example having to go to three offices to deal with what to me seems like one transaction. Usually one of your visits will be to someone who does nothing else but put an official stamp on paperwork someone else has completed. I've been working on extending my visa through to the end of the academic year, and since I had the bright idea to move during this, it has gotten more complicated. Every foreigner has to register with the local police in Russia. I had a registration for my last place, and now I have to have my new landlady sign a form that I must give to my university, who will then extend my visa and run the paperwork by the police. I guess my landlady has never rented to foreigners before, because she is very confused about this, and understandibly uneasy about putting her name on a form that will go to the police. We're meeting this weekend; I will show her my previous registration and hopefully this will help her understand.

Then there is trying to get the student-price subway/bus ticket. I had been
purchasing my bus/tram tickets through the department where I had Russian language lessons, and this was very easy. However, now that I'm not a student in their department any more, they naturally don't want to sell me a subsidized ticket. So I asked my new department about this, they said I had to go to a particular metro station to apply. The metro station told me I had to get documents from the university first, and then go to a different metro station (even though I have a friend that told me the first metro station is where he got his student ticket). Ask a question five times and you get five different answers.

When I first arrived in Moscow, my friend Kirill helped me buy a metro card
(subway) and told me the three month price is the best deal, which he was exactly right about. However, this is a price for the general public and the student price is even cheaper, so I want to obtain one if I can. Even this great card, which you just pass over a detecter at the turnstyle to get into the subway, has its drawbacks. Sometimes it will refuse to work, so it is necessary to carry with you a receipt that shows how long the card is valid, so you can show it to the attendant and they will open a gate for you. The card is designed so that it can't be passed between friends all getting on the subway at the same time, so once you use it, it doesn't work again for 7 minutes. Logical, yes, but sometimes for no reason it won't work, even though you haven't used it for hours. If this happens, you get an entirely
different kind of beep at the turnstyle, so showing your receipt will not get you in. Sometimes you get a nice lady monitoring the turnstyle who will let you pass, when she sees that you weren't trying to use it twice. Other times the lady will make you wait there for the full seven minutes and try again. Alas, all part of daily life in Moscow.

Location, Location, Location

2005-11-23T12:58:00.000+03:00

I just moved to a new apartment. For those that don't know, the first month I was here I lived in a dormitory at the main building of MGU (pictured below in a post from July). While interesting from a historical and architectural point of view, it wasn't the most comfortable. And once the semester started and all the students who were away for the summer returned, it got quite noisy. There was also the daily humiliation of having to show your pass or "propusk" to guards twice before getting into your dorm. And if they were bored you would have to produce your passport and student ID as well, and answer some questions. And guests are only allowed if they are also MGU students. So I rented a room from a Russian guy looking for a flatmate. However, it wasn't in the most convenient location to the university, and I prefer to live alone anyway, so I found an apartment closer to MGU. The real estate market here is really bad; it is difficult to find something for a reasonable price, and you have to use an agent, the pleasure of which will cost you one month's rent as commission. After looking for three weeks with no result and then becoming worried I would have to subject myself to the dorm again, an agent turned up a nice apartment for me. It's a little pricier than I would like, at $550 per month, but it is quite nice, I'll post pictures of it soon. It is a large one-room apartment, which here means in addition to kitchen, bathroom, and entry-way, you have one room that doubles as living room and bedroom. So not quite a studio and not a 1 bedroom. I have a washing machine and the building has a concierge. I'm not sure yet what they do, but I have to pay them 250 Rubles a month for it. I've been there just a few days, but so far it is nice. A good home is important, of course, and with around seven months still to go on this adventure, it's good to have a nice home to come to at the end of the day. Now if I can just sort out the complicated mission of registering my place of residence with the university and the police, I'll be all set.

Bill Murray and Jim Jarmusch are Geniuses

2005-11-19T11:45:00.000+03:00

Although slightly of the topic of this blog, I saw the film Broken Flowers last night, and had to remark on what a great film it is. It was Russian friends who suggested seing it, so I guess it's not totally unrelated to my blog theme.

If you liked Bill Murray in Lost in Translation, or Jim Jarmusch films such as Dead Man or Stranger Than Paradise, Broken Flowers is a must see. Jim Jarmusch captures the poetry of everyday life, something absent from most films, which create artificial reality. For example, seeing wrinkles on the back of someone's suit coat, because they had been wearing it all day; normally everyone's hair and clothes are perfect in films. He also brought out performances of stunning realism and subtlety from every actor, down to those without even any lines to speak. Bill Murray was simply brilliant.

If you see this film and like it, try to find a movie called The Razor's Edge, starring Bill Murray. It was made back in the 80s, and didn't do well because despite a brilliant performance, people just weren't ready to see the SNL alum in a serious role.

Roundabout

2005-11-08T13:07:00.002+03:00

Remember the Chevy Chase movie European Vacation? Although overall pretty
weak, there were some great moments in it. I am thinking of the part in
Paris where he was driving and got stuck going in circles in a roundabout
for several hours, because the other cars wouldn't let him over. That's how
my Russian language is at the moment. I studied it for three years in
college, and had some interaction using the language from time to time since
then, but I am far from fluent. Russian is considered a difficult language
for English speakers to learn, and because of this you can raise your
eligibility for certain US Government jobs if you can show proficiency in it
(or in languages like Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu). This difficulty has been
commented on by other foreign students here, and these are people that can
speak three languages fluently, and are frustrated by the slow rate of
progress in their Russian studies. Every time I think I'm making progress, I
am presented with something new that changes everything, or someone on the
street or in a cafe asks me something that's all pops and buzzes to me.

I am often told that I speak Russian well, but people are referring to my
accent, which is minimal. They then go on to ask if I am a spy. However, I
would get caught pretty quick, as people can usually tell that I am a
foreigner after a few moments as I often say things that sound odd in
Russian, because I have not used the appropriate construction. This is the
reason I am finding it difficult - the way thoughts are expressed in the
language; you cannot simply translate the individual words and apply correct
grammar and sentence structure (unlike German, there is no rigid sentence
structure, in Russian eventually you just learn by experience what order
sounds the best according to the situation). A very simple example is job
titles. I have a Russian friend who is in banking - his business cards have
Russian on one side and English on the other. In English, his job title is
Account Manager; in Russian it is something like Manager for Work with
Individual Clients. Another example is that my Russian teacher told me the
other day that I can't say "I worked for a ballet company" in Russian. I
have to say "I worked for an organization which is occupied with presenting
ballet performances." But that is not precise, as it implies that the
organization only presented performances, and did not perform itself, but
since it is a troupe of dancers, I must use another sentence to say that.
Usually I just say it is an organization like the Bolshoi Ballet, which of
course everyone knows here and understands what it is and how it works. Then
a Russian friend told me that I can say it how I originally did, that
teachers just like to make things more difficult. But it will be some time
before I can tell the difference

There is an old language student joke: Man, those guys have a different word
for everything. I have glimpses of future fluency while sitting in lectures
like Theory of Law and Government and every so often I'll understand an
entire sentence. If you want to know what it's like to learn by immersion,
try watching the Antonio Banderas movie The 14th Warrior. I forget the exact
plot of the film, but there is an episode where the hero is traveling north
with a group of Vikings, whom he is going to help defeat some enemy. At the
beginning of the trip he doesn't know their language, but over the course of
the journey he learns it, and the way the filmmaker showed this process was
quite good. For now I'll just keep on keepin' on.

Homeless Dogs

2005-11-08T13:07:00.001+03:00

There are many stray dogs in Moscow. It is interesting that the same word
"homeless" in Russian is used for both people and dogs. A Russian friend
said that they used to send dog catchers out, but since most of the caught
dogs ended up being put to sleep, people felt bad, so they stopped doing
that. I see people feeding the dogs sometimes, and they hang out in certain
places, like a particular part of the MGU campus. They are generally quite
friendly, unless something disturbs them. A friend told me he saw a couple
of dogs sleeping in the grass and then a bicycle went by and they got up to
chase it. I was having a snack before class the other day, just standing on
the sidewalk, and a couple stray dogs came up to me and very politely looked
at me, smelling the food, and gave me looks of "Hey man, can you help a
fellow out?" I saw a big dog in my subway car the other day. She was just
lying on the floor taking it easy. I wondered if she knew where she was
going.

Rotary

2005-11-08T13:07:00.000+03:00

I haven't explained much in my blog about Rotary, so I will try to correct
that. As this whole trip is under the auspices of Rotary (thank you
especially to Rotary Club University Sunrise http://www.usrotary.org/ in
Seattle, and District 5030 www.rotary5030.org, which sponsored me), in
addition to university study, I have the pleasure to be involved with Rotary
in Moscow. There are eight Rotary Clubs in Moscow, and my host club is
called Rotary Club Moscow International "RCMI" (www.rc-mi.org). Its
membership is mainly expats, and the language of the club is English. They
are very active and involved in many great charitable projects. The first
time I attended a club meeting, the president came up to me as soon as I
arrived and said, "OK Steve, you're at Rotary now, you can relax." This club
is also chartering the Rotaract Moscow International Club. Rotaract is
designed for young people, college students and people early in their
careers who otherwise aren't ready to become regular Rotarians; as a Rotary
Ambassadorial Scholar, I am automatically eligible to join a Rotaract Club.
This club is also very active, and once their charter is official in
November, they will already be doing good things; they will be offering
support to a school for deaf and blind children in Sergeev Posad, which RCMI
is also quite involved in. Once they are chartered, I will post a link to
their website.

Studies

2005-11-03T15:19:00.000+03:00

This is the building at Moscow State University where my department is located and in which my classes take place. And I have to take back my comment in a previous post about clean public restrooms; the restrooms in this building are terrible - and it's byotp.

It's All Greek To Me

2005-10-22T13:23:00.000+04:00

Finally started classes this week. Two lectures and a seminar class, junior/senior year level, all in Russian. I think I got about 60% of what was said. Fortunately the professor for the two lectures was very nice and she said I should just come visit her during her office hours and she'll try to help me. In the lecture classes, which were Constitution of the Russian Federation and Theory of Law and Government, and which were basicly one long class, some of the students were giving reports on ancient law and codes, like Hammurabi and and some codes from the middle ages. Russian students talk during the lectures, and the professor just talks loud over them. I knew that this was normal here, but the extent of it was surprising. In the seminar "Image of Russia," which is about media reporting, this wasn't as prevalent, perhaps because it was a much smaller group or because the presenter was guest professional from the media. I will also have Russian language lessons three times a week, as I really need it. Fortunately, there is an Russian language instructor in my department, so it is very convenient. While a little scary, given my level of Russian, it is nice to have the suspense over with, and to know my schedule and actually move forward. I asked about what books I might need, the administrator told me to ask the professor, and the professor told me to ask my adviser, which I don't really have yet, I just work with the program administrator. It seems that here, they don't have a list of books neeeded for each course as in the US, I think the students just use the library, and the professor said some of the books are quite large, and it's easier to have the students make such reports in class, rather than having everyone read everything. Oh well, I'll find out more bout this soon. Sink or swim! I'm glad I'm doing this purely for gaining knowledge, rather than to get grades and a diploma, because I would be in trouble otherwise!

Another Belated Photo from August

2005-10-18T13:19:00.000+04:00

Nicolas (Belgium), Gunhild (Norway), and me with the Sergeev Posad Monastery in the background, which is described in a post below from August.

The Obligatory Red Square Photo

2005-10-18T13:16:00.000+04:00

Taken in August. From left, Gunhild (Norway), May (Taiwan), me, and Kirill (Moscow).

Walkin' Blues

2005-09-27T19:41:00.000+04:00

Muscovites either walk incredibly fast or at turtle speed. I guess there is a certain logic in this, if you're in a hurry, you're in a hurry, and if you've got plenty of time, why waste energy. However, it seems that Muscovites have about two gears lower than I do, and I can manage quite the leisurely stroll when I want to, and I'm still lapping them. Quite the obstacle course on the crowded streets of the center of town. Or perhaps it's similar to George Carlin's observations about driving speeds - that you yourself are the only person on the road driving at the correct speed: "Look at this idiot, just look at this idiot, just creeping along. Whoooa..look at that maniac go!"

Movies

2005-09-27T19:32:00.000+04:00

The HBO show Sex and the City is very popular here. It is available on DVD and is played every night on one of the broadcast channels. Unfortunately my tv reception isn't great so it's just a dull blur most of the time. DVDs are a bittersweet pleasure here; it is possible to get the latest films on DVD for about $4 while they are still in theaters - however, they generally only have a Russian language track and no extra features, obviously, these are the bootlegs. You can get normal, non-bootleg versions with multiple language tracks for the same price as in the U.S. Unfortunately, the selection of titles is very poor. I went to the biggest store here for such things, a giant facility called Gorbushka, which sells electronics, computers, DVDs and CDs. As is customary here, it is not just one store, it is row after row of individual kiosks. While there is some variety, for the most part, they all have the same selection of movies and TV shows. So while you can get the latest films and Sex and the City, The Simpsons, Babylon 5 and the original Star Trek here, the later Star Trek series and The West Wing do not seem to be available here. Although, I haven't asked at every kiosk yet, in some ways, it's like the old days, where you have to go to a dozen different stores to eventually find the one thing you want. Russian tastes go for action films, Van Damme and Steven Segal are popular, and comedies are harder to find.

Stairway to Heaven

2005-09-24T13:13:00.000+04:00

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post is public restrooms. When I visited the Russian Far East three years ago, my group was fascinated by the horrible state of public restrooms. Of course, restrooms in people's homes were immaculate, but whether in a cafe, museum, or anywhere, they were generally so bad sometimes one didn't want to use them, and in fact I rarely saw any of our Russian hosts using them, I guess they just held it all day. One of my teammates started documenting the variety of conveniences on film, and later gave each of us a calendar with a different horrible restroom pictured for every month. A clean restroom was a rare occurence to be celebrated. Perhaps it's different there now, I understand a lot has changed in the "Wild East" in the past three years.

However in Moscow, clean public restrooms are in abundance. The strange thing is that, often to get to these nice restrooms, you must negotiate a narrow, winding staircase. For some reason, they don't like having the restrooms on the same floor as everything else.And if you can't wait to get to a cafe or something, there are even porto-johns scattered throughout the city, the use of which will cost you 10 Rubles (about 25-30 cents), and are cleaned frequently by the attendants to whom you give your 10 Rubles. Think about that the next time you're feeling unhappy in your job.

Little Differences

2005-09-18T17:10:00.000+04:00

The time has gone by somehow quickly and slowly at the same time, and I realized I have not made a post for about a month. In case you were thinking I'd taken to Moscow like a native, I thought I'd share some of the little differences that annoy me, but fortunately I still find amusing, rather than frustrating.

* In any government building, you will frequently find on staircases one stair that is a sustantially different height than all the rest. Quite dangerous if you're not prepared for it. * Here cars will not stop for pedestrians unless they have a red light. Even then, it's best to look around even when you have the walk signal. What's annoying is the walk signals give you no warning that they are about to change; they give one blink and then the other traffic gets the green light. So if you're in the middle of the intersection, you have to sprint to not get hit. This will be interesting to deal with during wintertime. * Moscow has so many people (15 million, unofficially) that sometimes the large amount of people can be overwhelming. However, if you bump into someone, you don't need to waste time saying you're sorry, and likewise you will get jostled without apology. With so many people, there's no way to avoid it, so logically, it is just expected. Only if you step on someone's foot is a "pardon me" necessary. * Russians do not have clothes dryers. Many Russians have washing machines in their homes but prefer to line dry their clothes (I realize clothes last longer this way, but line drying takes so long). This brings back memories of my early childhood in North Dakota, but we eventually had a dryer. I don't know how I'm going to get my clothes dry in winter. The laundromat at the university has dryers, maybe I'll use it from time to time. * While there is quite an evolved coffee culture here, one that a Seattlelite can appreciate (except for the lack of soy milk), very few places give coffee to go. I asked at one cafe I frequent, and the girl looked at me like I'd made a joke. She went on to explain that I could get a sandwich or pizza to go, but not coffee. * Most buildings here have double doors at the main entrances. However, they are never both unlocked, no matter how busy it is. So people going in and people going out have to go through the same door. I haven't been able to figure this out; if they don't like having both doors open, why have double doors? Perhaps it's a way for the guards (all public buildings and many stores have guards posted at the entrances and inside) to control foot traffic, I don't know. I need to ask someone.

McDiplomacy

2005-08-14T20:39:00.000+04:00

I'm not embarrased to say I have already visited McDonalds, mainly
because the first time it was not my idea but that of my Belgian
friend, Nicolas. Another one of my fellow foreign students here, Julia
(hailing from Germany) remarked that McDonalds is like the American
Embassy. How right she is, it sums up all the great and not so great
things about America; the success of the mediocre, catering to the
masses, plastic; but also, of course, consistency, accessibility,
equal opportunity, bright colors, happy meals. What can I say, I like
McDonalds and they are everywhere here, Russians love them and
tourists are comforted by them. Here a hamburger, six chicken
mcnuggets, and a coke cost about $3.40. And everything tastes just
like it does in any other McDonalds in the world. Except here you can
get curry sauce with your mcnuggets, and the pies are still deep
fried, not baked (I found this in England also). Here they know this
stuff isn't healthy, why make a pathetic attempt to make the pie
marginally more healthy by baking it, and in the process ruining the
taste? In this case I'm enjoying the "little differences" Vincent Vega
so eloquently spoke of in Pulp Fiction.

We traveled about 60 km outside of Moscow yesterday by rail to visit
Sergeev Posad, a city in which there is a famous ancient monastery,
with a large walled compound containing many beautiful churches and
other facilities. It receives many, many visitors - tourists and
pilgrims alike. Across the street from the monastery there was a
restaurant named "American Pie," which had a big poster from the movie
of the same name on its outside wall, facing the monastery no less. As
we were entering the the gates of the monastery, Nicolas joked that
maybe there is a McDonalds inside. Fortunately there wasn't, but after
we left the monastary and explored the town, what did we find on the
main street about a kilometer from the ancient holy place? A
McDonalds. It was a good thing we had already eaten.

We have just entered Russian airspace

2005-08-02T19:49:00.000+04:00

I'm old enough to remember at time when hearing those words from the
cockpit of your airplane would be cause for panic. However, now it is
as normal as if the pilot said we'd crossed into the Mountain time
zone. Getting through immigration and customs was a breeze in Moscow
compared to Vladivostok three years ago. I don't know if their
procedures changed or if it is the universal difference between
operations in cosmopolitan and provincial areas. I was met at the
airport Friday night by a couple of people from the university, and
was joined by some Chinese students who are here on a similar language
training program. Whisked to the dorm at the university where I was
dumped off, relieved of my passport (so I could be properly registered
with the authorities) and left to fend for myself until Monday
morning, when I had to register in several offices and pay for my
dorm. Got familiar with the Metro (subway) on Sunday, when I managed
to contact an acquaintance who generously met me and helped me buy a
cell phone and set up service. Befriended a Belgian guy and Norwegian
girl as we went through the registration process yesterday at the
language school. They both speak fluent English, of course, which is
nice for me. Although I'm comfortable speaking Russian, it's far from
perfect and it's nice to have a break. I should mention how great it
is to have kiosks on every corner where you can buy fruit, vegetables,
bread, hot food, ice cream, and all kinds of water, juice, soda, and
beer. The Russians really know how to do some things well. For
example, when we were waiting at the airport for the Chinese students,
I saw a guy walking around drinking a beer, right in the terminal
waiting area. You can walk down the street here drinking a beer
without getting in trouble. I understand it's like that in Europe as
well. I'm not a big drinker, but I think that's plain cool.

I've arrived

2005-07-30T11:39:00.000+04:00

I'm in Moscow, writing from an internet cafe. Since I'm on the clock,
that's all I'll say for the moment.

Off to the airport

2005-07-29T00:20:00.000+04:00

I'm heading to the airport. If you don't hear from me for a while,
don't worry, it may take a couple of days to sort out internet access.

craigslist rocks!

2005-07-25T06:24:00.000+04:00

I just have to comment on how great a resource craigslist (www.craigslist.com or for Seattle direct http://seattle.craigslist.org/) is. I don't know how we got along before the advent of the internet. I remember getting things done and finding information through newspapers and bulletin boards in various places, but nothing beats craigslist! I recently sold my guitar amp and drums on it and last year I found my room-mate on it (someone who had spent the previous year in Moscow at the same university I'm attending). Friday I posted some free furniture, within 10 seconds of the post hitting, a guy called wanting everything, and was ready to come pick it up immediately.

Moscow State University - Main Building

2005-07-13T04:06:00.000+04:00

This is where I'll be spending a lot of time in Moscow.

Preparing to depart

2005-07-13T03:38:00.000+04:00

I will be departing from Seattle on July 28. So nothing of note to say yet!