Posts Tagged "Moscow"
Danila: Moscow Teenage Dog Owner
Danila, 19, was walking along a pedestrian street in Moscow, on his way to meet his girlfriend, a dog at his side. He said he bought the dog ''because I really like this breed...but he is still not well trained.'' Danila said he enjoys skateboarding, BMX biking and computers and is now in his second year at Moscow's information and communications university. I asked why he chose that study. ''My brain is wired that way,'' he said.
Moscow Woman Checking Her Looks
She was standing next to a kiosk not far from the Moscow Kremlin shortly before midnight. Aside from the kiosk worker, who was reading a book, and three police officers on the other side of the street, there was no one around. She was just standing there against the kiosk at first…three shopping bags at her feet. Probably in her 60s, she might have been homeless.
A Moscow Father
The soft, fluffy, snow was falling non-stop in Moscow on February 3, quickly covering my courtyard. I couldn’t pass this up, so I grabbed my camera and headed for the exit to take some photos. I wanted to capture people walking through the snowstorm – a typical Russia image. I ended up finding something that was not a ‘typical’ Russia image…though it is becoming one in my view.
Alexei: Moscow Hipster, Apple Specialist
Alexei was holding a screwdriver, fixing some electronics equipment at a stand in a Moscow mall, when I notice the tattoos all over his hand. I stopped to chat with him. The 24 year-old said he went from bartending to becoming a certified Apple sales manager because he loves their products. ''I know all about Apple. It's not just my work, but my hobby.'' He said he got into repairing Apple products simply by watching Youtube videos. His first repair was an LCD screen. As for the tattoos, he said he has his parents, grandparents and brother's birthdays imprinted on the fingers on his right hand as they are the important people in his life.
Alexei: Crimean, Brother to US Navy Officer
While walking around the shopping mall near my house, I was struck by a food stand near the elevator: ‘Bakery by Men’ it read. In a country where the president flies in jets, cruises on submarines, practices judo and rides horses, ‘Bakery by Men’ seemed bold. I stopped by to talk to the guy working the shop that day. Alexei said he had moved to Moscow in early March 2014 from Sevastopol…just days after Russia began the process of annexing the region. He said he was planning to come to Moscow at the end of February as he had fallen in love with a girl from Moscow that he met through social media network Vkontake.
Sergei: Tattooed Youth
Sergei was crossing the Moscow River near the Moscow Financial District via a pedestrian bridge when I passed him. He immediately caught my eye as his face and hands were covered in tattoos that he said he designed himself. Sergei said he was turning 18 next month, unemployed, but looking at any job offers. I asked what he would like to do, mentioning that the tattoos would limit the jobs he could find. ''I would like to become a model,'' he answered. He said chest and legs were also covered in tattoos and that his brother was living in Brooklyn....not far from my home.
Japanese Ballerinas at Starbucks
As I have mentioned before, Starbucks in Moscow attracts an interesting crowd. These two young women were enjoying a salad and coffee as they played with their laptop, when I interrupted them. They said they were from Japan and had come to Moscow to study ballet. Russia is well known for its excellence in ballet, so not a surprise they would choose to study here. They said they were finishing their third and last year in Moscow and would like to dance in Europe.
Vlad: Fisherman in the Cold
When it is cold outside - like it was in Moscow today - you need to keep moving to stay warm. Thus, Vlad's weekend job as a Moscow street performer wasn't easy today - his goal was to pretend to be a statue of a fisherman and pretty much stand still over the course of a few hours. A metals trader who studied atomic power station construction, Vlad said he likes that his statue performance ''makes people happy and makes them smile.''
Homeless Sleeping in Bank
Sasha: Economics Student from Siberia
Sasha, an economics student, said one of her most memorable events last year was a tough, real-life lesson in personal finance. Like many others, her family's dollar mortgage became a burden when the ruble tumbled. Thus, Sasha said she spent a lot of time running back and forth to banks to get the mortgage converted to rubles. Sasha, who wants to develop and market new consumer products, said people should not take a mortgage in foreign currencies.
