Poccnr, Nyet?
I mentioned last week that I'm rebranding St. Petersburg, Russia for a class this quarter. Like the Olmecs and Magritte in previous courses, you have to become an expert on these things in a week. I chose St. Petersburg because all I knew about Russia were stereotypes of vodka-guzzling, fuzzy-hat-wearing men named Zangief who play a mean game of roulette.
If you've ever seen Enemy At The Gates (if not, rent it tonight, it rocks), you might remember that the Russians successfully defended Leningrad from the Third Reich for three freakin' years. Actually, St. Petersburg has gone through two name changes since its creation in 1702: Petrograd and Leningrad (it changed back only in 1991). It's called the "Venice of the North" because the Neva River slices through it, and its spectacular Russian art and architecture rival the great European cities. Daily life is chilly considering it's the northern-most major city on this planet; the reward is three weeks in the summer with the sun never setting - the famous "white nights". But it's not all nutcrackers and matryoshka dolls. The transition from communism has been rough - the average citizen makes only $100(US) a month. Limited housing makes it common for people to live in communal apartments, where several families might share the same kitchen or bathroom. Still, the unique architecture and culture make St. Petersburg Russia's window to the European world; I'd like to visit during the white nights one day.
So I'm hoping to save the city from losing its identity to globalization, but did I mention that this quarter includes a 5:30 AM Tuesday morning class and Thursday night one-on-one meetings at 12:10 AM? I've given up on trying to find a normal sleep pattern, and the bag of marshmallows I ate last night probably helped fuel my dream of a talking astronaut dog. When a zero-gravity daschund tells you the pressurized cabin is losing oxygen, you listen.
Thursday, July 15 at 9:37 PM
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