Posts Tagged "Khabarovsk"
Vlad: Dreaming of Asia-Pacific Region
Khabarovsk: Vlad was wearing a Kangol 'bucket' hat, bright sneakers and jeans as he talked with a classmate on the chilly streets of Khabarovsk. Vlad, 19 and a 2nd year university student, said he wants to pursue a career in marketing, which he says he is passionate about. When asked if they would like to stay in Khabarovsk, many students say they would like to move to western Russia, St. Petersburg in particular. Vlad said he would like to live and work in the nearby Asia-Pacific region as likes the culture and atmosphere. When I asked what changes he would like to see in Khabarovsk, he mentioned both tangible - more roads and a metro - and intangible - attitude. "I'd like to see more polite and positive people on the streets. That is the main thing for every place and Khabarovsk too."
Daniil: Back from Los Angeles
Daniil was walking back from school in the center of Khabarovsk with a winter hat that read 'DOPE.' I wondered if he knew what the word meant. As I stopped to talk to him, he said ''We can speak English if you like'' in quite a good accent. I asked where he learned his English. He said his parents sent him and his older brother to study in Los Angeles. His brother ended up living there two years before returning home. Daniil said he only spent a few months there and was ''surprised by the size of LA. You need two hours to get from one end to the other. It takes less than 30 minutes to get from one end of Khabarovsk to the other.'' I asked him what he would like to see in Khabarovsk. ''Big modern buildings, more parks and places to bicycle,'' he answered. Daniil keeps up his English by watching US movies and TV serials on his Apple laptop at home. ''I don't like Russian serials. They are made for old people.'' Daniil said he would like to make films or videos some day and prefers detective genre.
Elizaveta: Far East Village Girl
While in Khabarovsk, I poppoed into a new 'hipster' bar called Beer Beard and met some of the interesting patrons. Elizaveta, 18, was with her friend Zoya at the bar. She lives in a village of about 600 people some 30km from Khabarovsk. She studies at two universities in Khabarovsk and gets up between 5am and 6am to prepare for classes. She said she has been working since 11 - after her father passed away - to help her mom, a village school teacher. Her mom saved up and sent Elizaveta to the Black Sea in the south of Russia last summer for her 18th birthday - the first time Elizaveta flew on a plane and saw the sea. "I cried from happiness - like a child," she said of the experience. Elizaveta - like many other young people I met in the Far East - would like to move to St. Petersburg. "It is an amazing city...romantic..each street full of history."
