Capturing Russia from white to black, north to south, east to west

Posts Tagged "nyc"

Russia-NYC Series 35

To anyone in NYC, these hats stand for the Yankees. In Russia, where baseball is basically non-existent, its simply stands for New York City. Valentin and Sofia, first-year law students, were walking together in snowy Moscow when I passed them. Valentin said he and Sofia recently met in university. Valentin said he wants to continue studying after getting a law degree and go into politics because there a lot of things he would like to change. One issue close to his heart is secondary education, which he feels forces high school students to learn useless material. 
 

Russia-NYC Series 34

Yura and Murat, 12 years old, were on their way to watch a Russian tennis championship match in Moscow with two other friends. Dressed in a NYC sweater and winter hat, Yura and Murat said they have each been playing tennis for several years, but prefer BMX biking, a sport that seems to have become more popular in Moscow in recent years with the opening of new, outdoor extreme biking grounds.
 

Russia-NYC Series 33

The young man on the left in the NYC shirt and his uncle come from a small village on the shore of Lake Issyk Kul in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan. The young man said he graduated with a law degree, but as there were no jobs at home, came to Russia. He said he worked 2.5 years on Yamal Peninsual, Russia's main gas producing region, which lines on the Arctic circle. He loved the region's nature, but found it tough to bear -45c. Now he works as a cashier in Moscow and says he is satisfied with the work and pay. He dreams of earning enough to buy a car and build himself a home in is village in Kyrgyzstan. He then showed me a few photos of his village at the foot of Lake Issuk Kul with the Tian Shan Mountains rising in the background. 
 

Russia-NYC Series 32

Alexander was in the metro on his way out on a Friday night when I noticed his ‘Where Brooklyn At’ baseball cap. He said his work actually has him focused on the Asia-Pacific region rather than across the Atlantic. He said he occasionally moonlights as a DJ at small spots in the city. 
 

Russia-NYC Series 31

Anton, on the right in a t-shirt with the Empire state building, was sitting with two friends on a bench in the southern city of Stavropol following a walk around town with some girlfriends. A highschool student, Anton said he occasionally took part in rap battles with his friends. (The second friend, sitting on the right, didn't want to be photographed.)

Russia-NYC Series 30

Gino was hanging out with a friend in front of the Kremlin wall in Moscow on a sunny summer evening in his Brooklyn hat. Gino, who speaks very good Russian, said he and his friend were from Congo and that he has been living in Russia for about 5 years. He said his mother lives in Washington, DC and he hoped to visit her this year. His says his future plans on where to live and what to do are still undecided.

Russia-NYC Series 29

She was leaving the rocky Sochi beach at dusk with her friend when I saw her in her NYC shirt. She said she was an architect and had worked on Olympic-related projects. With post-Olympic work in Sochi coming to an end, she said she would be heading back soon to St Petersburg.

Russia-NYC Series 28

Toma, in a black NYC shirt, was working with a friend on the Sochi boardwalk, where they draw temporary tattoos and make hair braids. A hardrock fan, she said she grew up in Moscow, but moved with her family to Sochi, which has a large Armenian diaspora. She said she had Armenian heritage.

Russia-NYC Series 27

Andrei, in his NYC shirt, was selling souvenirs near the top of Mount Akhun, which offers a panoramic view of Sochi. His girlfriend Alexandra joined him on this slow business day in late August. The highschool students met in their Sochi neighborhood and said they enjoy the same type of music.

Russia-NYC Photo Series 26

Karina, a political science major, was walking toward a Moscow park with friends when I saw her in her Brooklyn jacket. This looks very much like a real Brooklyn highschool football, something that Travolta and the gang would have worn in the TV serial "Welcome Back Kotter."

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