Posts Tagged "story"
Lesha: Agro-Engineering Student
Fedya was wearing a 'From Brooklyn' winter hat while walking in a Moscow street underpass. He said he and his sister moved to Moscow from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. His mom passed away and his dad lives in Uzbekistan. Fedya has worked the last four years as a courier, racing around Moscow. He said he just entered university to study ecology, adding it should be a needed profession in resource-rich Uzbekistan. On a side note, NYC (Queens, not Brooklyn) is home to a large diaspora from Bukhara.
Vladimir: Retired Belarus Musician
Vladimir, 63, was playing in front of the Minsk food market on a cold, sunny December weekend. He said he retired from the state orchestra and occasionally plays at some private events, but prefers playing what he likes on the streets. He said he worked once as a musician on a US cruiseliner, a job his son found for him. Vladimir said he even played on the streets of NYC, once taking his trumpet to Chinatown, where he played a few hours. He said he prefers classical and Russian music though to American Jazz. "Russia has a lot of soulful music."
Liza: Chinese Language Student
Liza, 17, is also studying Chinese, but for a slightly different reason than Valeria (previous portrait). Liza said she like Asian cultures as a child, including some Chinese songs. She said she felt there was a good future in learning Chinese and was confident she could find a job. There are about 1,000 studying English at her university but about 100 studying Chinese. "It's good to learn English, but it is also good to learn Chinese.
Anton: IT Programmer for USA
Following up on my previous post about IT outsourcing to Belarus...Anton is one of the thousands of Belarusian programmers working for foreign companies. He and a team of about 27 work on the design and performance of US clothing company Lands' End website. According to some statistics, Belarus programmers earn on average 1/5 of a US programmer. Anton said the biggest event in his life in 2014 was becoming an officer in the airforce and finishing his military service.
Alex: Santa and Skater
A few more holiday shots ....Alex was heading toward the Moscow metro around midnight a few days before the New Year's holiday, carrying his ice skates and wearing a Santa Claus mask. He said he recently lost his job - explaining why he was out so late before a work day - and was 'trying to find himself.' Having studied hospitality because he enjoys commmunicating with people, he said worked at a state-owned company under a former military official that didn't appreciate his lighter-hearted style. It wasn't as if Alex were new to such a strict environment - he said he had done his year of mandatory Russian military service. Alex said the service was in some ways a good school in preparing one for life. 'You are with complete strangers and you have no where to run. You have to learn to live with them.'
Valeria: Lover of Animation
Valeria, 17, said she is a big fan of Japanese culture and wanted to study the language at university. As it wasn't offered at university, she signed up for Chinese, the closest thing in her view. She said every Friday fans of animation in Minsk meet, which is where she met her boyfriend. She said 'finding her soul mate' was the most important event in her life in 2014.
Anfisa: Teenage Blogger (2)
Stanislav, my previous portrait post, is one of those stereotypical Russian stories about the Soviet generation. Anfisa is one about the Apple-toting, Internet savvy, post-Soviet generation. She was sitting by the window in a Starbucks, typing away on her Apple laptop at 4pm on New Year's Eve, when most Russians are preparing for their New Year's celebration. When I asked what she was up to, the 16yo answered she was writing a blog post for her readers, summing up her year. A portrait drawer and fashion lover, she said 2014 was a breakthru year as her Instagram followers jumped to 22,000 amid interest in her drawings. She said she plans on blogging more. "Before I was a nobody and had nothing to say. This year has changed me so much. I am inspired." She said she plans to answer her followers questions about herself in the future through youtube videos.
Anfisa: Teenage Blogger
Anfisa, the Starbucks-loving and Iphone-toting Moscow teenage blogger, was born in the USA and has a native Chinese grandfather (perhaps the result of Russians escaping to China after the Communist revolution). One of six children, she said she has been drawing from an early age, inheriting some skills from her dad and Russian grandfathe, a sculptor.
Vitali: Love at First Sight_
Katya and Vitali, 18, were taking selfies near a Minsk metro when I saw them. I asked Vitali what the most memorable event was in his life in 2014 and he basically answered 'right here, right now because Katya and I have met.' I asked him what he meant, and he answered that they met a few months ago via social media and wrote often. They met for the first time that day I photographed them. I asked what they had in common. "Everything," Vitali answered.
Alexander: Orphan from Minsk
He was selling New Year's gifts in Minsk near the tractor factory, a less attractive part of the city. He said he put up his Christmas tree on Dec. 1, like he does every year. But this year, his girlfriend helped him clean up his apartment, throwing out alot of his old stuff. He said it was the best days of the year. He told me he rents the apartment basically for free - part of a state sponsored program to help orphans. He said his parents are alive...and that as a child he admired his dad .... But alcohol and crime changed everything. He said he has seen a lot, but tries to keep a positive outlook on life. However, he said many orphans will succumb to crime and drugs because they look up to gangster types.
