Posts Tagged "russia"
Lyudmila: Specialist Invited to Sakhalin
Lyumila and Pavel, 29, were looking for pigeons in the central of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk late on a Thursday. Lyudmila is one of the many young specialists invited from the Russian 'mainland' to work on Sakhalin, where the pay is high due to the remote location. Pavel, her husband, supported the temporary move. ''I told her its a great opportunity, a chance to gain valuable experience,'' he said. ''And it was a chance to visit the far end of Russia. Sakhalin is beautiful. You don't get this kind of winter in central Russia.'' Pavel said he is taking advantage of Sakhalin's snow and mountains by picking up snowboarding since he and Lyudmila arrived seven months ago. The couple plans on moving back, though, to Nizhny Novgorod when Lyudmila's contract is up to be close to family and friends. Pavel, the son of a military officer and teacher, said he is developing a project with friends back home and works from the apartment in Sakhalin. He and his friends hope to raise money via crowd sourcing to finish their project.
Maria from Sakhalin
She was sitting behind me on a small bus as we traveled through the center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. When I turned around to look behind me, I noticed her eyes. I asked her for her portrait after we exited the bus. She was suspicious, but let me take her photo, saying only that her name was Maria.
Alik: Kyrgyz on Sakhalin
Migrants from central Asia not only head toward Moscow and western Russia for work. With Russia trying to develop its Far East provinces, there is demand for construction workers in the region. And due to the tough environment and remote location, pay can be relatively high. Alik, 22 and a native Kyrgyz, was walking in the center of Sakhalin with his NY Yankee hat and work uniform. He said he was a construction worker for Russia's state rail company and has been living on Sakhalin for five years. He followed his dad, who has been working on Sakhalin for about 10 years. Alik's sisters live back home in Krygyzia. Alik said that he likes Sakhalin's nature, has a stable job and hopes to buy an apartment on the island. He said he already has a Russian passport.
Sakhalin Native, Ethnic Korean
She was running an errand at the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk post office wearing a pink coat and long pink scarf, black leggings and high tops. She had blue eye lenses and her finger nails were painted in different colors - green, yellow, blue. She said he was of Korean ethnicity and grew up on Sakhalin, one of many ethnic Koreans here. She has visited relatives in Korea. I asked if she spoke Korean. ''I don't speak very good Korean because I grew up here speaking Russian.''
Young Mother on Sakhalin
One of the first things that jumped out as I walked around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk was the number of people walking with baby carriages. This is most notable in the city's park, where I saw at least a dozen mothers and one dad walking their new borns. As one man told me, Sakhalin has been attracting young specialists from the Russian 'mainland' because of higher salaries and chance for an interesting experience. This young mother was walking her child in a baby carriage around sunset in the center of Yuzhno-Sakhalin. She said she was born on Sakhalin and has ''no plans to leave. I love the nature and life here is getting better. I think life on the mainland is more difficult.'' She also wants to be around her family and friends on Sakhalin. She said she didn't think about how difficult it might be raising a child - especially in a cold climate - until she had one. ''I probably won't have another child any time soon,'' she said. ''A baby needs constant attention. It is physically and morally exhausting.''
Ilya: Sakhalin’s Colorful Teenager
Sporting long, multi-colored hair, several facial piercings, penciled eyebrows and sneakers, Ilya, 16, was not someone I expected to meet on the cold, oil and gas region of Sakhalin Island. The teenager, who was taking his three-year old sister to the playground, said he attracted a lot of unwanted attention. ''It is difficult, but I am used to it. My mother is supportive [of my style], but not my father.'' Ilya said he has some Spanish roots and that his family was moving to Spain in a few weeks. While he said he was happy to leave Sakhalin ''as there is nothing for me to do here,'' he doesn't want to live in Spain either. ''I would like to live in Moscow or St. Petersburg,'' said Ilya, who wants to pursue a career in fashion.
Veteran Doctor on Sakhalin
Sakhalin: He was walking in the center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in a traditional Russian winter hat around 5pm, perhaps returning home from work. He said he was born in Sumy in Eastern Ukraine, studied medicine at Moscow's top medical university and interned there as a paramedic. For the past 37 years, he has been working as a physical therapist on Sakhalin Island, a Russian oil and gas province in the Pacific off Japan.
Vladivostok Girlfriends
Anya, Nelli and Nastya were walking in the center of Vladivostok, each wearing a trendy black winter hat with the words 'BOY,' 'New York,' and 'Vogue' written on them. The teenagers said they - like many others in the Russian Far East - would like to move to St. Petersburg, where the cost of an apartment is similar. ''There are more prospects for artists there and it is more developed,'' said Nastya, who loves to paint. ''There are more museums, plenty of places to walk around and it's close to Moscow.''
Sergei: Vladivostok Journalist
Sergei, 57, a Vladivostok journalist, has shelves at home filled with American films and western music and he knows rock-n-roll better than many westerners. He recalls the years albums were published and how many albums various groups recorded. The Beatles and Led Zepplin are among his favorite bands. He has coffee table books on The Beatles and Rolling Stones with photos. It doesn't mean he shares the same affinity for western or American policy. ''American culture is close to me - movies, music. I grew up on it. But I separate Americans and American culture from the American government.''
Lera: Vladivostok Fashionista
Lera, a Vladivostok high school student, was wearing black-rimmed glasses as a fashion statement as she walked the streets with her friend, both in Doc Martin boots. ''My classmates look at me oddly, '' she said, adding that she is happy to attract attention for her unusual style. Lera says she orders some of her clothing through the Internet because ''it is difficult to find interesting stuff'' at stores in Vladivostok.
