I just returned from a two week stay in a small city (+-100,000) in southern RU.
My last visit was little over 5 years ago.
I was startled – pleasantly so.
Five years ago if there was one word I would use to describe this little sleepy town on the seaside, it would be 'dormant', maybe even slightly bleak. Today, I am happy to say that I can describe this city as almost 'vibrant'.
For those who don't know me, I have been married 6 years to a woman from this town so don't expect a standard trip report but rather highlights of differences I noted this time 'round.
InfrastructureA few months ago I read an article describing increased funding for infrastructure. I thought well.. good for the big cities like Moscow, St. Pete and other large cities. My thoughts though were quite wrong. Everywhere I looked, water lines, sewers roads and communal properties were being improved. Instead of rag tag workers dabbling here and there, crews of men (and a few women) sported new bright orange uniforms doing just about everything that one could imagine. From digging ditches, laying new asphalt, to mowing lawns not a day passed that I did not see some kind of work in progress. Even sprinkler systems and new pavements for parks were being installed. Not tens, but maybe even hundreds of workers throughout the city with shiny new tools and powered equipment, really getting things done.
Note the kids playing on their freshly laid skateboard track.
Some workers planting flowers.
Finished.
An Emerging Middle ClassInside apartments, names like Samsung, Philips and other name brand electronics screamed at me. Retail outlets like Metro, IKEA, Media Markt, Auchan have sprouted all around the major cities. I counted a handful of each driving on the main ring around Moscow – and we only went half way. A visit to one of the new shopping centers can only be described as very crowded. Of course these big stores and malls were not present in the little city I visited, but well within reach of a modest mini-bus ride. I don't believe I visited one household that did not have a microwave.. washing machines were more common and that says a lot in itself.
One word that drove me a little nuts was OKNA.. but let me tell ya it's a huge business nowdays. The old wooden windows and doors are being replaced by good quality triple pane insulating glass with plastic/aluminum frames. This is the first visible sign (from the outside) that the apartment owners are doing quite ok. Add a rapidly increasing number of split system air conditioners and satellite dishes and you sorta get the point. None of this was apparent five years ago.
Not to mention the driveways filled with foreign cars. Renault, Peugeot, Ford, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes etc. not just parked in front of nice dachas but in quite 'normalna' high rise apartment courtyards. Lada has taken a back seat on most roads.
The white one is a Lexus SUV.
Many, Many new houses are being built just about everywhere. A few, obviously by folks with considerable means.
Nice eh?
Condo anyone?
My dream house..
Flying over Moscow.. every one of the houses you see in this pic is newly constructed.
A couple we know invited us out for the evening. We're not talking wealthy but they seemed to take great pride in taking us to a great shashlik place, a couple bottles of good Ctandart followed by a few hours at a private banya (where the 'bosses' go) with beer, salt fish and good sauna fun, a ride on the river in a 50 ft (guessing) pilot boat at 4am then dancing till sunrise.. whatta night! - A priceless, unforgettable package that would likely not have been possible years ago, but somehow 'doable' today.
I debated with another friend about cars.. He has a little Lada in great shape and is buying a bigger western car. I was able to convince him that there was no need whatsoever doing so but he finally said “hey.. you're right, but I want to drive around in a western car too now.” - while I thought seriously about buying his little Lada and pondering the feasibility of building a log cabin dacha/banya to live in...
All in all it seems like 'trickle down' economy is working extremely well.
AttitudesA lot more people are smiling nowdays. Not ear to ear grins but perceptible. Cashiers are still the worst but after a few visits it is possible to evoke a smile from time to time. The younger generations seem to smile a lot easier at the right moments.. The young stewardesses, flower and kvass girls smiled. One young woman at the internet cafe was a toughie but after while I was able to catch a nice grin.
Folks just having fun at one of the local beaches. Note the firemen playing lifeguard in their van (nice to know). Instead of Speedo's, skivy's were pretty popular with the young guys.
Here the beer was cheap, but shashlik 80 rubles per 100 grams if I read the sign right.. - no thanks.
Icing on the cake was the customs guy when I departed. SVOII customs are paid not to smile, but this young guy looked sternly at my passport, asked me a couple of questions that I was able to answer in very basic Russian, then smiled and said “Irish OK..” I said spasibo, gave him a thumbs up signal and he returned the gesture. I've noted over the years that when one tries to speak the host nation language, even if very limited, it is highly regarded. During my first visits I knew hardly a handful of RU words so maybe that is the difference. Huge Hint Hint for anyone heading east!
Overall, I think there has been a huge shift from pessimist attitudes to optimism. The economy surely has a lot to do with it..
Some other notes..Cars stopped when folks crossed at crosswalks. Stoplights were mostly respected. Rumbling of boom car stereo system were often heard.
I didn't see any prices quoted in EUR or USD.. everything RUB except for the duty free shops at the airport and even they did not hesitate to take my last rubles.. funny they gave me EUR change back.
Banks are now on every corner. ATM's are everywhere.
Even the local Kiosk is sporting a new roof.
Mom and Pappa stores seem also to be getting along nicely.
FamiliesDuring my first visits, I really can't remember ever seeing a baby carriage or pregnant woman on the streets. Today it's quite commonplace. In this 100K city, someone told me that this year there were well over 800 births and at least another 800 plus women pregnant. I wasn't able to find out the male/female ratio though LOL. Think even if I did I would keep it a secret.
.. all in the fanciest of baby buggies. Need I say more?
Weddings are more popular than ever. We lived near one of the town memorials and judging by the car horns and flowers left there is no lack of men or women that want to get married. Cameramen seen hanging out of rapidly moving cars was commonplace.
You can't really tell from the picture, but tires were squealing.. marriage is a serious business nowdays.
A day's catch of flowers at only one of the local memorials.. 5 or 6 marriages worth.
The local department store wedding dress section always, and I mean ALWAYS had a woman either trying or fitting a wedding dress.
HealthcareSadly, the hospitals seem to be a bit 'left behind'. We visited a doctor friend at her workplace. She is a surgeon and greeted us at the ER. For some reason, it was quite empty.. and this was one of the better hospitals in the area. After a short consult regarding a very minor condition I was however impressed with her knowledge and diagnosis, after all she had performed most of the operations for my wife's family and friends over the years and they all survived. As a western man comforted by technology and fancy machines it would probably take a bit of effort to actually become a patient but if in true need I would not be hesitant to place my life in her hands. When you figure that in our local western hospital the ER is filled with folks that really don't need to be there it sorta makes sense. Strangely enough, the operating rooms were quite visible from outside the hospital, lined with wall to wall windows instead of hidden deep within.
Judging from the appendectomy scars proudly touted by some young women with short shirts to match their short skirts, surgery seems to be still more practical than cosmetic. Seems to work though and that's the main point I guess.
My visit to the dentist was a dream.. from disposable slippers to digital x rays beamed to your chair TV screen, they simply have all the modern gizmo's. I dunno, but most aspects of healthcare seem to be handled by women and I must add that they are experts and even beautiful. This time around I had a root canal done and felt absolutely nothing, not even the needle. I'll book a flight to RU rather than have another cavity filled here.
CultureThe Market is still the biggest thing going. I think this is why my wife enjoys living here. In RU though it's every day and not once a week. Anything you could ever want or need is there to be bought.
Notice how they all seem to be smiling?.. and I didn't even say 'cheese'! Note the Intourist sign.. dunno about that..
drooling yet?
Poultry section.. often with innards outwards for inspection and proof of health without any form of refrigeration.
Hardware section..
Western RomanceThis trip there was only one woman we met that seemed to show any interest at all in a relationship with a western man. Many were interested in visiting though and first trips for some to visit us are already booked.
DownsideVodka still rules with beer in second place.. Younger crowd sadly included. Did not see many folks living on park benches though and the one obvious drunk with wetted pants was feeding his bread to the birds, maybe more sign of personal desperation than destitution.
I did see one or two babushkas collecting bottles and such from trash, but even this was quite 'tame' in comparison to those I saw in Paris scavenging trash for a meal.
I spent part of an evening with five babushkas in the apartment courtyard. I went home after five 1.5 liter bottles of beer were emptied and the final count was fifteen when they went home.
'Roof' is still present but at least cannot account for all of those fine dacha's being built.
'Favors' can still be had. -but even this is sometimes necessary, like opening up the flight I would have normally missed (plane was luckily still on the ground)..
'Scrounging' is still a way of life. I caught the stewardesses scavenging unused in flight meals, probably for their layover needs. (quite good salmon, caviar and cold cuts I must admit, even better than western airline meals). Probably the same with most jobs.. Personal profit vs corporate gain.
Just about anything can still be 'had' for a price, albeit the price has probably risen considerably, probably beyond the means of the common man.
Gambling halls everywhere.
Kredit, Kredit, Kredit.....Not as obscene as payday loans but getting there quickly.
My return flight to Moscow was in a 737. Not as exciting as the TU134's I flew before. Seems they have now been delegated to charter duty.
Looking to the future, it won't be long before life in RU meets western standards. With the rate of change I witnessed, I'm thinking along the lines of 10 years or maybe less. Considering this, I personally find thoughts of eventually living in RU more and more appealing and even almost exciting.
Other interesting (and random) items:I purposely walked near any police man or woman I saw, never carried my passport and even asked directions. Nothing happened and I was never asked or harassed in any way.
My rotten Russian language abilities are enough to get around quite well, increasing my desire to increase my abilities in this area.
Seems I even look like a Russian. I was asked several times for directions by other Russians.
I wore short pants (those that go down to your knees) and sandals most of the time and was never stared at (it was quite warm).
UA friends that visited us on their return trip from Kyiv (Kiev) said that they did not appreciate the opulent luxury they experienced in Kiev but did enjoy their visit to this 'more normalna' small RU city. We discussed this in detail and came to the conclusion that even Moscow is more agreeable because it is so large that the number of HumVee's (sp?), Bentleys and Rolls are more easily diluted by the city's vastness.
The 18 hour train ride from Moscow to our home city was both worthwhile and interesting. It's difficult to appreciate the vastness of this country from an airplane. I did fly back though and the patchwork of large farms was also impressive.. much like flying across the USA. (does the US still export grain to RU?).
Seems they are building a new rail or metro line from Moscow to SVO.
When arriving at S VO 1 you will see a sign saying that the transit bus to SVO 2 will be at entry 4 of the next building to your right. I found it at entry 2 instead so take everything with a grain of salt.
My 2 GB Sony Walkman MP3 player is now full with all my favorites. The local music stores had them all for the price of 75 to 100 rubles per group. Yes, per group.. Like AC/DC or Hendrix, or Def Leppard, or Doors, or Pink Floyd or Phil Collins? All their albums (yes ALL albums) on one or two CD's.
When leaving via SVO2, they now make you take your shoes off, but at least give you disposable slippers.
SVO2 has not changed one bit.. still a dreary place, but is nice to be able to smoke in the airport, even after you get to the gate. There is a lot of construction going on though.. this too shall pass..
Internet access sucked except for Moscow cable which worked surprisingly well/fast. World Wide Web takes on new meaning when you see Moscow buildings linked together. Spiderman was here..
View from our friends balcony. Outskirts of Moscow.
Few, if any women wore nylons.. and still looked great (it was quite hot though).
A man we know described his occupation as an audio/video pirate.
The best way to get around is by minibus (6 RUB) or taxi (15 RUB) anywhere within town limits.
The Guilty Party (maybe)
It's all these guy's fault I guess.. Think gas is cheaper than in US nowdays too. We Europeans can only drool..
I remember well when the Scorpions song first came out. I loved it and still do, but instead of wind I am thinking more along the lines of a hurricane.
I could go on and on but think this is enuf to chew on for now.
