Capturing Russia from white to black, north to south, east to west

Posts Tagged "portrait"

Boris: Coffee Shop Owner, Vegetarian

Boris: Coffee Shop Owner, Vegetarian

SAMARA: Boris, 26, recently opened Blaser Cafe, a small coffee shop in the center of Samara with a friend. I asked Boris why they decided to start the business. “People here travel to Europe, such as Italy, where they experience the coffee culture and they want the same quality in Samara. The coffee culture is starting to take off.”

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Alexander: Roof Cleaner from Volga

Alexander: Roof Cleaner from Volga

SAMARA: It was a pretty amazing site....the sun was covering the Frozen Volga with a bright light on a late morning... when in the distance, a darkish figure was moving quickly across the white mass. It was someone riding a bike across the frozen river. I ran back toward the stairs leading to the Volga to catch Alexander getting off his bike. He said he lives on the other side of the Volga and crosses 5 times a week to clean snow off roofs. Alexander said he was on his way to work. I asked if it were difficult to bike across the ice. He answered that it was easy as he has been doing it for so long.

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Kostya: Oil Logistics & Barbershop Owner

Kostya: Oil Logistics & Barbershop Owner

SAMARA: Kostya has been working for one of the world’s largest oil producers for the past decade, but, despite the good benefits, he said he had been itching to do something on his own. A few years ago, he said he watched a video about opening a barbershop while drinking wine that really made him think…and act.

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Dima & Sveta: New Year’s Love

Dima & Sveta: New Year’s Love

SAMARA: Dmitry and Sveta were walking along the frozen Volga River on Woman’s Day, far from the rest of the holiday goers that were enjoying the beautiful sunset. Dmitry, who works for a local power company, said he met Sveta at a New Year’s eve costume party in the Samara suburbs to ring in 2014. He was dressed as a martian and she was dressed as a robot…

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Daughter Runs LA Music Store

Daughter Runs LA Music Store

SAMARA: This couple was returning home on Woman's Day from their walk across the frozen Volga with their 8 month-old dog.  They said it only took about 15-20 minutes to make the cross, which others complete via a boat ride across the ice. They said their daughter has been living in Los Angeles for the last three years with her Russian husband, having opened a music retail store.

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Ksenia & Danil: Samara Starbuck’s Lovers

Ksenia & Danil: Samara Starbuck’s Lovers

Ksenia and Danil, 14, were walking along the frozen Volga in Samara around sunset time on Woman's Day. Danil had given her five tulips, red and yellow, but Ksenia left them at a cafe fearing they would freeze if she took them on their Volga River walk. Both teenagers study English 6 times a week at an advanced high school and both have studied English abroad, Ksenia having spent 3 weeks in upstate New York. Danil would like to be a chemist while Ksenia said she would like to become an engineer. When I asked them what is lacking in Samara, they were quick to answer: ''We want a Starbucks in the middle of the city,'' said Danil. ''It is the best coffee in the world,'' chimed in Ksenia. Starbucks is in fact opening at the moment their first store in Samara, but it is located at the airport, a good 30 minutes from the center of town.

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Liza: 3rd Year Law Student

Liza: 3rd Year Law Student

MOSCOW: Liza, 21, was walking down Old Arbat street in Moscow with a bouquet of flowers ahead of Woman's Day celebration. A Chelyabinsk native who studies law in Moscow, Liza said she was given the flowers by a fellow classmate and was surprised by his gift. I asked how she plans to celebrate the March 8 holiday. "I have no idea how, but with my friends for sure.''  

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Svetlana: Moscow Poet

Svetlana: Moscow Poet

MOSCOW: Svetlana was walking down Arbat dressed in black and carrying a single red rose. She said she was a poet and had just finished a 3-hour walk with a friend, who had given her the rose ahead of the official celebration of Woman's Day. Svetlana said she now writes poems about Moscow and started to mention various poets she admired, none of whom I recognized. She then asked if she could recite for me a French poem. When I said I didn't know French, she said she would recite the Russian version of it. It may have been 8 or 10 lines long and it was about nature and waterfalls. I asked if she spends a lot of her time reading poetry. "Poetry isn't meant to be read, it is meant to be listened to," she said and then hurried off to meet someone.

Katya: Future Surgical Pathologist

Katya: Future Surgical Pathologist

MOSCOW: Katya, 14, passed me in the metro. She was hard not to notice. She was wearing a multi-colored coat, black stockings with white stripes, black hightops, purple and yellow scarf, green hat and maroon dress. And she was carrying a single orange-colored flower given to her at school by the boys as part of the Woman's Day celebration. Katya had just finished school for the day but was on her way to additional German language classes. Her English was already at a high level. I asked her what she would like to be when she gets older, certain she would say something like 'artist, designer.' She said she wanted to be a surgical pathologist. "It is interesting to know how the human body works and about diseases. I want to help the world to cure deadly diseases. Surgical pathologists know everything about the human body and their diagnosis are always right."  

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Nastya: Mom Beat Economic Hardships

Nastya: Mom Beat Economic Hardships

Khabarovsk: Nastya, 19, who grew up in a small town near Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East. Nastya's mom divorced shortly after she was born and had to sell cigarettes on the streets in late 90s to pay rent. Her mom, who studied accounting, later got hired to manage the books in a convenience store. In 2000, Nastya's mom took a big risk, borrowing money to buy the convenience store. Her mom's timing couldn't have been better. Russia's economic growth was about to skyrocket over the next decade. Her mom quickly paid back the loan and eventually opened a second store. When Nastya entered university, her mom agreed to give her spending money only in her first year. "It was her principle," Nastya said. "She said she wanted me to be responsible and independent. She said I will thank her in 5-6 years." After a stint working in a cafe, Nastya is now trying to earn money after classes by doing manicures.

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