Posts Tagged "russia"
Valentine’s Day in Vladivostok (2)
Vladivostok: It was unseasonably warm on Valentine's Day in Vladivostok with the temperature breaking above zero Celsius and the sun shinning bright. That didn't seem to worry these two young lovers, who walked, ran, hugged and kissed on the ice for a good half-hour. They said the ice normally remains thick enough to stand on until the end of February. They exited the ice safely.
Valentine’s Day in Vladivostok
Artem and Yulia were slowly strolling along the seaside in Vladivostok at sunset on Valentine's Day eve. Yulia was carrying a bouquet of nine roses. They said they met via Russian social media about two weeks ago and had been writing each other since them. Today was their first date. ''I don't normally meet people through social media,'' Yulia said. ''He was lucky.''
Aniket: Moscow High School Student
Aniket, 16, was standing near a metro in Moscow dressed in a colorful outfit. He said he was half Indian and half Russian. ''My dad came from a poor family in Rajistan. He was studying and working as a courier, when one day, a friend said to him 'Want a job in Russia?' It was right after the Soviet collapse and Aniket's dad took the opportunity, working about 10 years for a company in Moscow that sold Indian tea. Aniket said his dad met his Russian mom at that job. Now his dad runs his own business selling Indian tea and spices in Russia, Kazakhstan and Canada. Aniket, who plans on studying economics, said he may help run his dad's business when he finishes his university studies.
Zhenya: H&M Employee
Zhenya was walking through the crowded Moscow metro around 4pm on a weekday in his 'Bronx' hat and leopard-pattered jacket. He said he was born in the south of Russia and now works at H&M located in a nearby mall. He invited me to visit the store.
Vlad: Rapper from Siberia
Vlad, 26, works in a fast-food kiosk in central Moscow around the corner from the $7.50-a-night hostel bed he is staying at. He moved to Moscow less than two months ago from the Siberian steel town of Novokuznetsk to pursue a rap career with his friend Misha, one of the three people he shares the hostel room with. ”We hit a ceiling there,” Vlad said. ”In Moscow, there is a chance to grow.”
Olya: Music Student from Moscow Suburbs
Olya, 15, was asking commuters for money as they exited the metro in the center of Moscow. She was carrying a violin, so I asked why she didn’t play for money. ”It is quite cold and my fingers go numb.” She said she just started a music academy and will study for four years. Olya said she lives in the Moscow suburbs and is one of 11 children by the same mom.
Uzbek Vegetable Seller
He sells a Russian speciality - pickled vegetables - at an outdoor market near a metro station in Moscow. He said he was one of seven children born in western Uzbekistan, an arid region with few jobs. ''I am the youngest,'' adding that he was in his early 30s and divorced. He said that one brother died recently in a car accident back at home. Another brother recently returned to Uzbekistan, so he is the only one from his family in Moscow now, perhaps explaining why he works seven days a week. He said he took off on New Year's day - Russia's biggest holiday - only because the market was closed. I asked the last time he had a day off aside from New Year. ''I don't remember. I don't want to take time off. I need the money.''
Ashot: Skateboarder, Vegan
Ashot, 34 and of Armenian heritage, sticks out even in a big city like Moscow with his long curly hair and beard...''like Jesus'' as he put it. A devout vegan, Ashot was just a few exams away from finishing an economics degree at the prestigious Oil and Gas University in Moscow, something that could have led to a lucrative career. However, after six years of study, he didn't show up to take the last exams in the summer of 2001. He wanted to skateboard, something he had been doing since the late 1980s, when it was still a rarity in the Soviet Union. He gave up skateboarding shortly thereafter, working as a driver. Ashot returned to the sport again in 2012, doing jumps alongside kids half his age, because ''it is my true love.'' I asked him if he would finish those exams if he lived all over again. ''Probably not. I never wanted to study. It was my parents desire. I wanted to be a sportsman. I don't want a career where I am rushing around all the time. I just need enough money for food and travel.'' For more on Ashot, you can see his FB page here: https://m.facebook.com/vegsportfood
Korean Food Kiosk Owners
Alexei and Alexander first met at a karate school about 17 years ago in a town of 40,000 in Russia’s Far East. Alexander said they soon became friends and ended up attending a marine university together, working afterwardsy as quality control and commercial managers on ships that caught crabs near Kamchatka…
Nadezhda & Igor: 4 Months Together
Nadezhda was walking through the Yaroslav railroad station around 9 am on a Saturday morning, slightly ahead of me. I was on my way to a town outside Moscow...she was on her way to see her boyfriend Igor before he took a suburban train back home. Igor said they met four months ago through a friend and that they were a perfect match. I asked what they had in common - besides an apparent love of music (both were wearing headsets). ''Everything. We are the same person, just different sexes.''
