Unique Look at Russian Life Outside the Federal Cities

[jone]

The following album showed up from a cousin of mine on her Face Book account.  She knows that I have been in love with Russian culture since I was a young child.  Perhaps these pictures, which demonstrate a simple life in Russia, demonstrate how a mother sees her children:

[BC]

Wonderful images...... - it takes a gifted photographer to catch that 'moment'.

I know FSU photographers tend to use photoshop a lot, but these are dazzling, with or without.

[Chicagoguy]

Wonderful use of light.

[Ludmila]

Jone,
it's nice to hear you've been in love with Russian culture since early childhood. I'm wondering, what was that starting point, info, circumstance, phenomenon, or, may be, a person that triggered your interest back in your childhood ?
It's obvious, there's always been very little info about Russia, if at all,  AT ALL TIMES, and Russia has almost always been shown in a  negative light  in media.  At best, folks would just not know anything. But, very often, behave suspiciously towards Russians. ( some time ago, our lawn man, a VERY nice guy, asked me "What's Russia like? Is Russia a little bit like France?" :-)  :-) 

[mendeleyev]

Ludmila, and of course you told him that French was once the language of the royals and that many dishes of French cuisine have been brought into the Russian kitchen. 

Next you reminded him that we kicked that short tart Neopolitician or Neapolitan, or whatever ole squirts name was, and sent him and his not-so-grand army crawling back to the godforsaken hole from whence they came. 

However when it came to building monuments and things like churches and the Kremlin, we employed the best artisans from Europe which at the time just happened to be the Italians. Of course we appropriated all the notable Italian cuisine, unfortunately that meant just pasta noodles and pizza, but they sure do build pretty towers. 

We thought briefly about invading Germany and stealing their finest culinary accomplishments, but we already had cabbage, boiled potatoes and sausage so we left them alone.


 

[mendeleyev]

Jone, those are nice!

[jone]

Thanks for asking. 

As far back as I can remember I had a small obsession with Russia.  In my younger years, I read a book called "A Day in the Life of the Soviet Union".  It was an inadvertent Christmas Present from my parents.  This was the height of Reagan's administration and some of the final cold war leaders.  (I think this was the late 80's.)

The book was a photo essay of the people and how they lived their lives.  It showed the great diversity of cultures that make up Russia today.  Of course, then, the Soviet Union was much larger and had even more ethnic groups to meld into a country.  I related closely to the people who lived outside of the Federal Cities.

Growing up in the Midwest, we had almost no Russian influence.  All of the history was German.  (German was taught in one of the high schools in my city.)   When I went to college, as a freshman I took my first Russian language class.  It was fun.  I can still remember my Russian professor imbuing us with a love of Russia.

As I became successful in business, I reached out to people who were successful in creating infrastructure in Russia.  They became influences in my life and I have had the chance to enjoy many cultural exchanges.  Today, my Russian language skills are rusty.  My remembrances of living and spending time in Eastern Europe are fading (even though I spent part of last summer in Ukraine).  But I shall never forget the kindness that I found in cities outside of Moskva and Sankt-Peterburg, particularly in the Golden Ring (Золото́е кольцо́).

I should point out that Eastern Europe is now closely tied with my family.  My sister adopted a young girl 15 years ago who is now graduating from high school.  She is from the Murmansk area.   My father is influenced every day by an absolutely wonderful woman who looks after him.  She is from central Ukraine.  My son lived in Suzdal for a summer when he was growing up.  He speaks better Russian than I do.   Those of us who can remember when most of Eastern Europe was part of the Soviet Union still do not discriminate Russia from, say, Belarus or Ukraine.  The culture is very similar.

Some of the people who spend their time on this forum are true Russophiles.  I can relate.

 

[mendeleyev]

Loved that book, too! Thanks for sharing your story, Jone.

[Ludmila]

Jone, thank you for your sincere story. I enjoyed reading it. So, the pivoting point was that Russian professor, as far as I understood. Yes, Midwest is the heartland, of course. It comes as a surprise that there was an option of learning Russian in a college in the 80-ies. Meanwhile, I know people in Russia and here in America who dream that these two countries would become friends ( as it should be, and as it was at the dawn of American struggle for independence-- the Russian empire demonstrated to England its readiness to protect the young American colonies by just bringing the  Russian fleet near the american shores. And by being the first and only of all key countries to recognize them. Thomas Jefferson spent  years in Russia as an ambassador of the young colonies, appreciated the support,  and was a strong admirer of the Russian culture. If you google "Monticcello, Thomas Jefferson, Russia", you will read a lot of interesting info. But there're forces in this country who hate Russia more than Islam fundamentalists and terrorists and do not want these two great nations to be together ( even facing the same terror dangers). May be, further E.Snowden's revelations will show the American electorate and taxpayer why it is so ( even when Russia is no longer the Soviet Union and is more free market oriented in many aspects than the current USA. What it is, what is the reason for keeping  Americans at a big distance from the  Russians). I so hope that America and Russia would be friends and would be cooperating as partners and friends.

[onus]

Wonderful pictures!

I adore Russia outside of the big cities.

Same as the poster above i have long been interested in Russia. Ever since i learned of its revolution in school. Been stuck with it every since.