Posts Tagged "streetphoto"
Ivan: Philosophy Student
This university student was eating some street food with two mates. I asked him if he cared about the ruble volatility. He said the ruble volatility didn't interest him as he doesn't have a source of income. His parents are state workers and he doesn't think it interests them either. He heard that the ruble drop could lead to higher inflation next year, which is a bit worrisome. He said he is majoring in philosophy because he is interested in such questions as what is man and understanding the world around him.
Georgian Flower Seller in Moscow
This Georgian sells flowers at a kiosk near a Moscow metro station with her fellow country women. There are about a half dozen of them working different stalls, which remarkably are opened 24 hours. The women call out to people passing buy, offering both imported and local flowers. Most of these women were born in Abkhazia, but haven’t seen their homeland since they had to flee during the Georgian-Abkhaz war in the early 1990s. When I mentioned I was in Abkhazia in September, they started to call out names of places in Abkhazia like Ritz Lake and Novi Afon Monastery, asking if I went there. They were keen to see photos, which I showed them on my phone. This woman, who said she was over 70, mentioned that she had traveled a bit around Europe and didn’t see any place that had better natural beauty than Abkhazia. I asked her about the flower business and she said it has been tough lately because flower prices have risen sharply. For instance, flowers from Ecuador are up 50%. I asked what she would do if she loses her job. She said she would go Georgia to live with her children.
Ukrainian Chestnut Seller in Moscow
She was working a food stand at a Moscow Christmas market in central Moscow, turning occasionally a lever to create music and attract customers. In asked her if she was worried at all about the ruble. "Of course I am, we are all concerned because prices will go up. It probably worries us migrants more than Russians." I didn't realize she was a migrant, so I asked where she was from. 'Eastern Ukraine, Kharkiv.' She said she works in Russia a few months and then goes back home in accordance with visa rules, one of the 3 million or so Ukrainians that work in Russia. I asked if the currency instability impacted her mood. She said people have been through this before. "You have to keep living regardless of whether you are in a good mood or not." At the end of the conversation, she told me she was from western Ukraine.
Vladimir: Old-Fashioned Police Officer
Vladimir Ivanovich stands by the Kolomna Kremlin in Moscow region dressed in an old fashion Russian police uniform. He is as much a tourist attraction as he is a city worker. Before becoming a guard by the Kremlin, he said he was a senior engineer and traveled occasionally with work. Like tens of thousands of other engineers, he said the economic turmoil of the 1990s forced him out of his job.
German: Automotive Student
German, 16, was riding his 22,000 ruble ($400) bike around the historical Russian town of Kolomna. He said he was studying at an automotive technical school about an hour bus ride from Kolomna. He said there were about 25 students in his class, one of whom was a girl. He said girls study economics .... (If you have ever walked into a Moscow bank, you will almost always find women behind the desks). I asked if his father was also involved in the auto industry. 'I don't have a father,' he replied.
Roman: Wander with a Story
Occasionally, people I photograph tell some unusual stories, that I question their validity. This was the case with Roman, who approached us in a church in Kolomna (Moscow region). Quite knowledgable about history and religion, Roman said he has been traveling around Russia for the last few years after his wife and daughter were killed, leaving him with nothing really to live for as he put it. He said he was Uzbek by nationality, but raised in an orphanage mainly in Russia. He went into the army and served in Afghanistan. He said he was headed to the south of Russia where it would be warm and where the people are hospitable and may settle there.
Harlem in Moscow
She was walking with her friend at a Moscow park and asked me if I knew where the ice skating rink ticket booth was. I said no, taking notice of her Harlem hat and blue eye lenses. I then asked her if she knew what/where Harlem was. She said no. I asked her why she bought the Harlem hat. She said she simply liked it. I could understand her, recalling the time I bought a jacket with Japanese writing, having no idea what was written on it.
Nikolai: Unicyclist, Magician (2)
I have seen a few people in Moscow on a unicycle over the years, but almost always at a park. Nikolai was riding near a metro station and I asked why. He said he was a student at Moscow's circus and arts academy and was trying to improve his riding ability. He said his parents realized early on he wasn't headed for an academic career and enrolled him in Moscow's only grammar school with a circus focus. Nikolai says he hopes someday to organize his own circus show and knows his life will always be some way connected with the circus and/or magic performance.
Ukraine War Refugee
He said he had a good life - an apartment, car and his own small store - until fighting erupted in his hometown of Luhansk. A bomb damaged the roof of his store and he left for safer territory in Moscow, where he now sells boiled corn-on-cob at popular Moscow park. Half Russian, half Ukrainian by nationality, he will get Russian citizenship and says may end up settling in Russia, but he misses his home town and previous, stable life.
Islam: Afghan in Moscow
Islam grew up in Afghanistan in a family of 10 children. A good student, he was sent to study in Russia for six years during the 1980s just as USSR troops were in his country. He returned to Russia in the 1990s as the Taliban took power. He now works in trade at a massive Moscow market that feels like a Asian melting pot. He counted off several countries where his siblings live - Austria, Norway, Canada. Of the 10 children, only two are in Afghanistan. He says he is getting to the age where money is less important and the desire to do some good greater. Islam says he would like to return home someday to help young people looking to start their own business.
