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Travels in Russia

KLM Rocks Across Europe!
Santa Claus in Moscow
Television Is a Time Suck
The Reality of Irrelevance
Salute Mayor Luzhkov
Impeachment Happens
I Am Not The Only One...
I'm Back! Did Ya Miss Me?
Chechnya Burning
Weddings in Winter
The Jews Are Here!
Gailyn Goes to Town
Is There a Central Bank?
Santa Barbara is Real
Nick's Thanksgiving in Russia
Den' Rozhdeniya = Birthdays
Those Crazy Expats
It's Just a Few Drops of Vodka...
Elections Are Always Rigged
The Blind Leading the Blind
Good Russian Grooms
You Say 'Boris Berezovskiy' Fast
Too Cold to Care!
Russian Oil Towns
Sneaky Siberian Tigers
Which Way is St Peterburg?
Where am I again? Oh, yeah...
I Love Me Some Vodka
It's a Gosorg Halloween
Hunger Comes to Us All
Why Don't They Just Learn English?!
Post-Crisis, Life Goes On
Is Yeltsin 'The Man'?
Murmansk - Brrrr!
Taganka Hides Her Secrects
These are Communists
It's a Power Vaccum
The Commies are Back
Propaganda is Good for You
You Better Buy Russian!
Sex Ed Soviet Style
Party over, oops outta time!
Russian Healthcare in Moscow
What Russian Financial Crisis?
YE Prices in Russia
The Hungry Duck
Russian Caviar Mafia
Magical Mushrooms
Shhhh! We're Bear Hunting
Soviet Street Scams
Bez Dollarov
A Koshka Konspiracy
On The Dacha
The Banking Implosion
Surviving Army Life
Shashleek is Steak on Steroids
Dacha Thinking
Beach Weekend
Dos Vedanya
Hello from Vladivostok
Equality Means Only She Works
Jogging is an Extreme Sport
Russians Have Reunions Too
My Folks in Massive Moscow
Better than Fireworks
Miners Are Real Men
The Russian Mafia is the Roof
No One Smiles in the CIS
One Year Anniversary
Russian Brides Rock
Laura is My St Pete Connection
Change is in the Wind
Chuck Norris' Beverly Hills Casino
The Expat Woman's Predicament
Street Food is Yummy!
Spring Flowers Make June Leavers
The Provinces Are Provincial
Ever Take an Elektrichka?
The English Invasion
Nuttin Like New Money
Rules Are Made to Break
All Black is Russian Fashion
Easter Memories = Easter Dinner
Politics, Russian Style
Theresa Tries to Russify
I Go to Gay Clubs Worldwide
I Hide on Women's Day
New & Shiny: Nizhny Novgorod
Psst! Wanna job in Moscow?
Fili Park Has All the Bootlegs
Web Page Reactions
Take a Break at Dom Odaha
Expat Living in Moscow is Swank
Why Are You Remonting?
They Look Like Telephones...
In Need of a Decent Hairstylist

Readership

Russia, January 1, 1998

Smashing Bottles in Red Square

Russia is the place to be on December 31st!

Cheering in the new age of broken resolutions

The Party Crew

A moment of sobriety

Drain those bottles!

The evidence for the interrogation

Rob broke a bottle, I swear!
Wow, its New Years Day and my whole body hurts! Even after sleeping all day I still feel like a truck hit me. What an evening I had!

Ok, it all started at work. Around 2 pm ,when I came back from lunch, the lights went down and the champagne corks went up. My co-workers decided it was time to party. With champagne, chocolate, and shouts of 'Snovum Gordom,' which very loosely translates as Happy New Year, we enjoyed ourselves. Later, with a slight buzz I stumbled home, avoiding the lines at the stores and money exchange booths. People we snapping up last minute party favors, and all the dollars they could afford. The Russian Government is redenominating the rouble, dropping three zeros, and making the population nervous.

Once home, I crawled into bed for a pre-party nap. At 8 pm it was time to prepare. I made guacamole, from a $6 avocado, and a smatana/dill dip with Ann providing buterbrod, or little open sandwiches. Our guests provided two types of salads, one called fish under a blanket, that were quite tasty. They also brought a superb cake and several bottles of alcohol. Both being my downfalls.

Our guests made an interesting evening. Two ex-PCV's their wives, and a couple one of the wives knew. One ex-PCV spent his service in Uzbekistan, with his wife moving there to be with him. The other PCV did his service in Russia, meeting his wife here. The couple were Russians, her being a professionalsinger. So the nine of us (the three housemates and the six guests) did several toasts too many before the stroke of midnight approached.

At 11:45 we taxied to Red Square, just in time to see an amazing sight. Unlike the big, boastful fireworks displays of the West, here there were small rockets and firecrackers, set off by the crowd, and a real feeling that we were celebrating together. I sure was celebrating! I remember spraying everyone with champagne, smashing the empty bottle on the Square (a tradition here), taking way too many photos, and peeing in the entrance to an underground mall (also a tradition here).

Now how I got home from Red Square and into my own bed is a mystery to me.

1998-1999 New Years on Red Square

By Gailyn

For New Years, we went over to our friend Wayan's house for a party. We played the new trivial pursuit- women against the men- of course the women won as usual. We left around 11:30 to go to Red Square for new years- the place to be- it

was wild. First, as you walk under the St George's gate into Red Square you scream at the top of your lungs for good luck. When we arrived in the square there were probably a thousand people there screaming and setting off fireworks with all those people around it was wild.

People had bottle rockets- generally that means you put the rocket in a bottle and light it- not in Russia- they hold the rocket in their hand and light it and it takes off from there hand. There were screamers- which is set on the ground and numerous lights go into the air screaming into the air. We saw one woman that had a firework land in her hood and it was smoking people were trying to help her get it out- this sounds terrifying- but she was laughing and all the people around her were laughing having a great time.

So to get the picture there is broken glass everywhere, fireworks going off an inch from you, smoke all around you from the fireworks, people yelling, and screaming- utter chaos- but I have to admit we had a great time. Rob and I talked about it later and that could never happen in the states- the cops would be checking for breakable containers before entering the square and of course, fireworks would not be allowed.

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1 Comment

Hey! Accidentely found yar site an' was surprised! It's great that you visited Moscow and have seen "real life" which mass media never shows (unfortunately). But to tell the truth, saint-Petersburg is a much more fun on December 31st!! You shloud try goin' there some day. That's where I live an' if you are willin' to do that I could show everything with my friends.

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