Moscow Parish church behind th Moscow and Russian flags.
I have arrived and settled in to my new home in Moscow. Currently I am living in a temporary apartment off of Tverskaya in downtown Moscow. In comparison I suppose living on Tverskaya is akin to living somewhere on 5th ave. NYC or on Michigan Ave., Chicago. I live a few blocks from where I work, just off Pushkinskaya (Pushkin Square), and approximately four blocks from the Kremlin. I am currently in the process of looking for a permanent apartment in this same general area.
Since my arrival I have spent hours wandering the streets exploring the city and trying to get a feel for the city and the people who inhabit it.
Security forces stand guard in front of the Kremlin on May Day.
They seem to be a stern bunch, not smiling often and keeping to themselves on the streets and in the metro, but when interacting on an individual and personal level the Russians are generally friendly and warm people.
Moscow is a fascinating city. It is familiar in many superficial ways to the US and even more so to Western Europe but scratch just a little deeper and it has a feel all its own, unlike any other city I have visited. Moscow is a mix of the old pre-Soviet 16th, 17th and 18th century buildings, similar to those you might see anywhere in Northern Europe, combined with the Soviet era constructions and then overlaid with the glitzy consumerist feel of the post Soviet era. Red Square is a good example of how the three worlds mesh together to create this new and fascinating Russia.
Just because it's the funniest and clearest m/f marker on a bathroom door I've ever seen.
When in Red square you have the old: the Kremlin, the original foundations of Moscow, and St. Basil’s Cathedral, built to celebrate Ivan the Terrible’s victory over Kazan and even Red square itself is the old market square of Moscow. Then there is the communist legacy of Red Square: the childhood memories of nukes being paraded on May Day, Lenin’s tomb outside the Kremlin walls and the Red stars of the Soviet Union atop the Kremlin’s towers. Across from Lenin’s tomb and just East of the square there is an old and beautiful building now turned into a mall know as “G.U.M.” It is more than just a mall, however, it is a shrine that celebrates, in fact flaunts, all that capitalism and consumerism has brought to Russia. It radiates light and luxury but stands in stark contrast to the many Russians you see in Moscow who could not and will never be able to enjoy the luxurious goods offered in the glittering halls and archways of the G.
A WWII veteran walks with flowers on May 9th, the anniversary of the Soviet's victor over Nazi Germany.
U.M.
Moscow traffic is terrible, parking limited, driving scary and speeds outrageous. While I don’t feel particularly comfortable in a car or even crossing a major street here I do enjoy watching the mayhem safely from the sidewalk. The sidewalks also tend to double as parking spaces. As you walk down the street you will see cars pulled up and haphazardly strewn about the sidewalk. You get used to it very quickly though. The city was not designed for driving and only since the end of the Soviet Union has traffic even become an issue. You might think the side streets are better, and they are in terms of the number of cars present but the fewer cars on the road the faster the drivers feel they can drive. More often then once I’ve been on a relatively small street and seen a Mercedes whiz by me going 50 to 60 miles per hour.
Pushkin from behind on May 9
The weather, a required reporting topic for anyone who moves this far north in the world, has been a mixed bag. It has jumped from 70 degrees to 28 degrees in a matter of 12 hours and has snowed 3 times since my arrival. I woke to snow on my first morning in fact, which really made me question what I was doing here J. The scariest part Moscow snow in May is that I am the only one who seems to have a problem with it, for the Russians it is just normal Moscow weather. If it snows in July or August, which I am told does happen, I may have to find myself a new country to live in J.
Communist Party rally on May 9th.
I have begun learning the language, beginning with the alphabet. Russian is very phonetic and many of their words are actually English words Russified, so once you learn the alphabet it is amazing how much you can piece together from street signs. For example bap and pectopah look very foreign but are actually quite easy once you learn the alphabet. If you an remember that a lil’ b is a b (though a big B is a V) and that p is an r, c is an s, and h is an n then it isn’t to hard to piece together the words BAR and RESTAURANT pronounced BAR and RES-TOR-AN. Past learning the alphabet my Russian is coming along quite slowly but I’m learning new words every day.
I started working my first day in country and have been able to jump right into a lot of fascinating activities.
Masses of people make their way towards the Kremlin on Tverskaya which has been closed to traffic.
With elections down the road 2007 will be an exciting and interesting year to be in Russia. The office works in English and I am in the process of hiring my translator so that I can work and understand people outside of the office. I work with one other American, a Serb and seven Russians. It is a great, young and energetic team, and I am enjoying the new office and new staff immensely.
I have posted some pictures online. If you are interested in viewing them feel free to do so. The link is http://picasaweb.google.com/mpadraicmurphy The photos are of the city, taken while wandering the streets, during my first week and of the May Day celebrations that occurred last Tuesday.
Standing in front of the Communist party rally being held in front of the famous KGB headquarters the Lubyanka.
Next week the Russians celebrate May 9th - Victory in Europe Day - or as I like to say “we beat the Nazi’s Day.” It should be a rowdy affair but a bit dangerous for non-Russians (especially non-white, non-Russians) as nationalist hooligans tend to hit the streets in force. Still it should be an interesting day to watch how Russia honors and celebrates their victory and their heroes of WWII.
I put this list together rather quickly so if I have you are sitting next to someone who might want periodic updates let me know and I’ll add them to the list. I am sure I inadvertently forgot someone who would want see this either because they slipped past me or because I don’t have their email address. If you have no interest in getting updates just shoot me an email and I’ll take you off the list. I probably won’t send updates all that much but I know how annoying it can be to get these blast emails when you don’t want them.
St. Basil's Cathedral.
So if you don’t want to get them rather than sitting around and stewing about how annoying they are just shoot me an email and I’ll remove you �" no hard feelings at all. J Anyone and everyone are welcome to visit. Summer will be beautiful but flights are cheap in the winter.
That is all for now. Take care.
Mike Murphy
PS �" How could I forget Vodka…so here’s the deal.
Marshall Zhukov of the Soviet Army standing before the Kremlin. Underneath his horse is a crushed Nazi standard.
I haven’t had that much vodka yet, but I have learned about it during a foray out one evening. I am told (and have now experienced) that when you agree to drink vodka with a Russian what you are agreeing to is a minimum of 100 ml of vodka per person (about 2 and 3/4 shots). Think of it like going out and having a beer with someone in the US. You don’t order half a beer or a quarter of a beer you order a whole beer. It is the same in Russia if you drink vodka you don’t order 50 ml or 25 ml you order and drink 100 ml.
The vodka is brought out in a decanter (with 100 ml per drinker). You shoot the vodka (straight, no mixer or tonic or water), talk, eat salty food, drink the beer you also have ordered, shoot the vodka again, talk eat the salty food (perhaps cured salmon), drink your beer and then end by shooting your vodka again continuing to talk, eating salty food and ordering another beer.
The Walls of the Kremlin.
At this point you’re a bit more inebriated then you planned on being when thought you were agreeing to a single shot of vodka.
Photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/mpadraicmurphy
