Capturing Russia from white to black, north to south, east to west
Dima: Metallica Fan, Microbiologist

Dima: Metallica Fan, Microbiologist

MOSCOW: "I am a microbiologist by education and already work," said Dima, 23, who attended the Metallica concert in Moscow. "My mom and dad have been Metallica fans for a long-time, from the very beginning. My mom is a psychologist.'' Dima said he lives in the Moscow suburbs and belongs to a bike club.

Olga: Fashionista on Red Square

Olga: Fashionista on Red Square

MOSCOW: "Clothing should match," said Muscovite Olga in perfect English when I asked her to describe her style. She was strolling by herself across Red Square on a Sunday evening right before sunset.  Olga said she taught English to workers at western companies in Moscow such as Deutsche Bank and Boeing. She now teaches English privately.

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Dima: Physics PhD Student

Dima: Physics PhD Student

MOSCOW: Dima, 24, was quietly playing the harmonica while waiting for a friend, his guitar resting behind him. I asked the physics PhD student how he decided on the natural science. "It just happened that way," he said. 

Irina: Korean Language Student

Irina: Korean Language Student

MOSCOW: ‘’People are always smiling, the restaurants serve free water and there are toilets in the underground,’’ said Irina, 19, about some of the things that surprised her on her recent trip to South Korea to study the language. Irina, an Asian studies student, was going to take Japanese, but switched a month before classes started after attending a Korean cultural event in Moscow. She said her interest in Asian culture initially came from Japanese animation. 

Katerina: Opera Singer

Katerina: Opera Singer

MOSCOW: On her 5th birthday, St. Petersburg-native Katerina performed a ‘solo-concert’ for her grandfather at home. She said she loved to sing from childhood, but only fell in love with opera when she was 14 after hearing a performance in her hometown. Thereafter, she would occasionally attend the opera by herself.  Her interest didn't initially find appreciation. As she was a good student, her teaches encouraged her to study law. Her mom wanted to her to study languages. ‘’People said, don’t you want to do something serious?’’ Katerina said she insisted on attending a special opera school. Last month she again gave a solo-performance…this time at the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall. She is currently in the Russia-wide ‘Voice’ competition.

Anton: Eyeglass Frames Maker

Anton: Eyeglass Frames Maker

MOSCOW: ''I realized that I needed to create my own brand to be recognized on the market and to feel important,’’ said Anton, who sells eyeglass frames under his own brand Spunky. He said it all started when a friend asked him to buy some watches through Ebay. Later, when Anton lost his job, he returned to Ebay, this time buying Chinese-made sunglasses for resale in Russia. After some time, he created his own brand of frames made partially from wood. I asked why he chose glasses over watches. ‘’It’s less of a pain in the ass,’’ he said. ‘’Watches have a lot of parts.'' 

Sergey: ‘The Pastor’

Sergey: ‘The Pastor’

MOSCOW: Sergei, 25, said his friends jokingly call him ‘The Pastor’ because he always dresses in black. However, on this day, he said he was feeling ''bored'' and decided to dress more colorfully. A specialist in information security, Sergey was carrying a book titled ‘'Existential Psychotherapy.’’ He said he was reading it out of personal interest.  

Vsevolod: Backpacker on Scooter

Vsevolod: Backpacker on Scooter

NIZHNY NOVGOROD: ‘’Discover yourself through history,’’ is the motto of Vsevolod, the first backpacker I have ever seen on a foot scooter. He said he has traveled quite a bit outside Russia and is currently visiting Russian cities to learn about local history. Vsevolod said he took the foot scooter on this trip to Nizhny from Moscow. He said he is interested in visiting North Korea and Latin America. I asked about the most memorable moments during his many travels. Vsevolod mentioned meeting one of the men that drove generals around Red Square during the first Victory Day parade held in June 1945.

Olga: Fitness Enthusiast, Entrepreneur

Olga: Fitness Enthusiast, Entrepreneur

NIZHNY NOVGOROD: ''If you can energize people, they will bring their friends,’’ said Olga, 25, a fitness and health food enthusiast. In March, she invited friends and acquaintances to join her for morning exercises in the center of Nizhny Novgorod at 6am. At first, 2 came, then 5 and 10, she said. As summer rolled around, sometimes 20 would show up early in the morning. Two fitness events she organized on weekends attracted 160-170 people, she said. Olga found some like-minded individuals in two other cities to organize free exercises in the morning under her 'Smile Team' brand. Having gotten some people hooked on exercise, she is now trying to get them hooked onto her smoothies and health drinks, which she just started selling from a truck in the center of Nizhny. It’s the first steps in realizing her years-old dream of a health-food business.

Jiuletta: Italian Roots

Jiuletta: Italian Roots

MOSCOW:  I asked Jiulietta, who was walking her Spitz dog Chanel in a Moscow park, about her uncommon first name. She said that her great-great grandfather came from Italy to Russia before the 1917 revolution. He named his granddaughter Jiuletta. And Jiuletta was subsequently named after her grandmother.

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