Posts Tagged "Nizhny Novgorod"
Ivan & Nadezhda: Visiting from Surgut
RED SQUARE: Ivan and Nadezhda, 22, were crossing Red Square right before sunset, Nadezhda's bright dress making them stick out from the crowd. They said they live in the Siberian oil town of Surgut are in the middle of a long vacation. They came to Moscow to visit Ivan's grandparents after a week-long stop in a Nizhny Novgorod village, where Nadezhda was born. They were then headed to Prague. Ivan and Nadezhda said they were in Moscow last year and I asked their opinion of the city. Nadezhda was surprised at the amount of street underpasses under reconstruction in Moscow. They said that Nadezhda’s mom joined them on the trip Moscow, a city the mom hasn’t visited in 26 years. Nadezhda's mom was surprised by the changes in Moscow, in particular, the skyscrapers and refurbished parks. I asked Nadezhda and Ivan about their view of Surgut. Nadezhda would like to see a refurbished riverside in Surgut that she sees in her home region of Nizhny. Ivan, a future pediatrician, wants to see a specialized children’s hospital in Surgut as well as a refurbished train station. I asked how they met considering that Ivan grew up in Surgut in Siberia and Nadezhda in Nizhny. Ivan said that his friend went to study in Nizhny Novgorod and became friends with Nadezhda. The friend put the two in touch and then Ivan and Nadezhda continued to communicate by Internet until Nadezhda moved to Surgut. Ivan has a few more years to study to finish his medical training.
Ibragim: Returning Home to Ingushetia
NIZHNY NOVGOROD: Ibragim and his older brother Magomed left their homeland of Ingushetia with their large family in 2000 due to the war in neighboring Chechnya. They went to Nizhny Novgorod on the Volga in central Russia. Although Ibragim was only 5, he went to first grade with his 7 year-old brother. As outsiders in a new town, their father wanted them to be together so they could support one another. They went to grammar school together, practiced judo together, went to the gym together, entered the same university faculty and recently graduated together as economic crime specialists. Their father bought them land on the same street in Ingushetia so their future families will grow up together. They will likely work together in Inigushetia as well. Magomed has already returned to Ingushetia to start his new life. Ibragim will leave Nizhny shortly. Although there is a lot that unites them, they are nonetheless different. Ibragim, now 20, says his brother is more serious - focused now on starting a career and a family. Ibragim says he wants to focus for now on traveling and photography, a hobby he started last year. He plans to start photographing the mountainous regions of Igushetia when he returns home.
Vlad: Living in a Hostel
NIZHNY NOVGOROD: I was pretty surprised when Vlad told me that he gets up around to exercise at 6am in the center of Nizhny Novgorod with a group called Smile Team, which was formed a few months ago. He said he used to get up to do yoga at around 5am, but then joined Smile Team after accidentally meeting them one morning. But I was even more surprised when he told me that he was born and raised in Nizhny and has a job in town, yet lives in a hostel. He said he decided to rent out his apartment, which is only 100 meters from the hostel, so that he could have more money to enjoy life and work less. Vlad said that his father is currently in the midst of a long trip around the world. His father, who made decent money from his business, decided to take time off, transferring management to another person. Vlad, who works in marketing, said he wants to help change people's attitudes toward work and life. He says one of the biggest problems in Russia is that people aren't positive.
Snezhana: Mom & Pole Dance Instructor
NIZHNY NOVGOROD: ''It was a hobby that became a business. This is not striptease. It is a sport and I want to get it across to people that this is a serious activity that requires a lot of physical strength,’’ said Snezhana, 41. She was offering pole dancing lessons with her colleague Masha, 41, at an outdoor EDM festival near Nizhny Novgorod as a way to promote their year-old school. I asked Snezhana how she got into the business. She said she signed up for World Class Gym in Nizhny at about age 35, right after she gave birth to her second daughter. Later, she decided to join the pole dancing class offered by the gym. Snezhana was one of four students in the class. After two years, she and classmate Masha, decided to open their own pole dancing school, which they did last September. They teach four to five lessons a day, said Masha. Some are group classes, some are individual lessons. Among the students are Snezhana’s 7 year-old daughter (the youngest student) as well as Masha’s 22 year-old daughter. The eldest student is a 46 years-old.
Girl with Pet Rabbit
NIZHNY NOVGOROD: It was a beautiful evening in Nizhny Novgorod. As I stood high above the town by the Kremlin wall, I watched as the bright orange sun dipped behind the clouds as ships sailed along the Volga. As I made my way down the many stairs to the revamped riverside, I noticed many people - especially couples - walking slowly along the new pavement. It was like a pleasant tale from a book….except that this woman was walking her rabbit. She said she had dogs and cats in the past, but a rabbit is easier because you don't have to walk it every day like a dog and it doesn't leave as much fur around as a cat. To see some photos of Nizhny Novgorod, please click here.
