Russia, June 15, 1998
Laura is My St Pete Connection
Laura is the new Russian woman
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Last year, I traveled to Russia without a worry or a word of Russian. This
country is not kind to the unprepared traveler. While getting a quick and
painful lesson in the harshness of Russian life, I met a wonderful friend,
Laura.
She and her family took me in when I was deep in culture shock, and they put up with my crazy antics. I owe her family a big thanks. To the left, is Laura (in red), her sister, and their parents. This is her graduation, and since Laura is usually in jeans, not dresses, I didn't recognize her when I first saw this photo. She and her sister are still in school (or at university, as they say here), but they are very street smart. My host-brother, Dima, says that all Russians have to have a little hooligan in them to survive here, and I believe him. Laura wants to stay in Russia and work for a Russian company, while her sister is trying to get into an American university to improve her chances with a Western firm. They are a microcosm of young Russians' nationalism. The next generation here are rejoicing in being Russian, as opposed to being Soviet, yet they embracing the West as never before. The two of them are future movers and shakers in Russia. Be warned! As you can see, the dacha is under construction. Her father works on it every summer weekend, but there are few summer weekends that far north. Her mother spends the days there picking wild blueberries and mushrooms, and working in the dacha's garden. Dachas provide a large amount of most Russian's food supply both in the city and the country. The dacha is in the 'Sports Zone', as I call it. The land around this dacha is allocated to coaches like her father, who work for the Russian national sports program. In Russia people work, play, and vacation together, communally. Now try that in the states!
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