Laura Rose-Saunders, a leading Student TRG member, is spending a year of her degree in Moscow and we persuaded her to let us know some of her experiences. Here is her first report:
‘Russia can not be understood by the mind alone’ these words by the poet Tuchev are no truer today than when they were first written. For the last nine months I have been living in Moscow on my year abroad and I can say that I one hundred percent agree with Tuchev, Russia is an enigma.
Studying languages always gives one the chance to travel, experience different cultures and meet new and interesting people, and of all the countries Russia is by far the most interesting and at times the most frustrating place I have ever visited. From the second your plane is landing you are completely aware that while Russia may have borders with European countries it is far from being a European country.
At once I noticed that Russia far outstrips the United Kingdom in its love of forms, formalities, red tape and bureaucracy. During my time in Russia I have come accustom to the fact that all times I must carry my passport, visa, registration slip and migration card as the police have the right to check people’s ‘dokumenty’ and fine them as much as they choose for not having your documents about your person.
Furthermore there is no chance of slipping away for a spontaneous romantic weekend in Petersburg or an unplanned holiday to Far East as in Russia whenever I want to travel I have to give 10 working days notice prior to departure, register in the new place and re-register the next working day in Moscow or face the prospect of a fine or even, in extreme cases, deportation.
Something I’d never thought that I’d hear myself say, but I do miss good old health and safety. Despite being a country so controlling of well everything it is completely non-existent! Resulting in me frequently slips on the ice and nearly landed in a pothole the size of a Lada and no concept of ‘a recommended daily allowance’. Healthwise people are left to their own devices if I chose to not eat fruit but replace it with chain smoking 10 rouble packets of cigarettes and replacing water with 95 rouble bottles of vodka that would be my choice and no one would tell me different.
Having read this you be may starting to get the impression that my year in Russia was some kind of hellish bureaucratic drunken nightmare that I had to endure in order to pass my degree, however this could not be further from the truth. Granted the red tape side did drive me insane but the positive experiences far overshadowed it.
One of the greatest joys I had while in Russia was getting to travel and explore this enormous country. Being formally run by Communists means that the transport network is cheap and effective; it cost me about £20 to get to the Ural Mountains and about £15 to get to Sochi and the Caucasus. While the hotels may have been somewhat interesting, I once stayed in one where the window didn’t shut and the hot water didn’t work, it all added to the Russian experience.
There is one last thing I feel I need to tell you before you decide whether or not to visit this wonderful country- the current hairstyle of choice for the majority of the population is the classic 1980s mullet. However if you can stomach this and all the red tape then a trip to Russia is an experience that, trust me, is worth every kopek.
