Lessons From My Time in Russia

I learned something about a place no matter how long or short you visit. Of course, my observations of a particular locale would be more nuanced if it was beyond a casual visit on holiday. Of all the places I have visited, no place intrigued me as much as Russia. Despite the country's outsized role on the global stage, Russia still receives relatively few international visitors due to its strict visa requirements. Much like in China, traveling within Russia means dealing with Soviet-era local registration policies. But I often tell people that my time in Moscow is one of my most exciting and rewarding experiences thus far.

Kuskovo Palace in the outskirt of Moscow.

To my disappointment, most of my American friends often reject the idea of visiting Russia for political reasons. Citing Russia’s LGBT policies or interference with American politics, they often cringe at my fascination with Russia. At the same time, I often have to remind them that they often have no qualms with visiting places like the United Arab Emirates, where homosexuality is a crime, or China, where the systematic oppression of political dissents and certain ethnic minorities is well-documented. Like Rick Steves often says, we shall not limit our travel purely based on politics.

For me, this strange unfamiliarity made Russia a great travel destination. A famous anthropologist once said that the job of a good traveler is to “make strange familiar and make familiar strange.” I want to share some of my personal observations about my time in Russia (specifically Moscow) and how Russia taught me and made me a better traveler going forward. I hope you might find some of my conversations interesting!

Russia Is Not The West

As silly as it sounds, I often did not think about how enormous Russia is. Geographically, most of Russia’s landmass lies east of the Ural Mountains. European Russia is the beating heart of the country culturally and politically. When we think of a typical Russian, we may think of white individuals like President Putin or Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is easy to forget that Russia has just more than 190 nationally recognized ethnic groups within its border, ranging from Tartar to Uyghurs. Walking around Moscow, I was always surprised by how diverse ‘Moscovites’ are. Russians are always proud to point out the Russian-speaking world's geographic extent and racial diversity.

Due to the Russian language's reach and perceived sphere of influence, today’s Russia positions itself as a counterweight to the West. For them, Russia is an idea bigger than its defined national boundary or those who hold citizenship. Even among my cosmopolitan Russian friends, Russia is a concept of the sort that is greater than Europe or the West. The nostalgia for the Soviet Union or the glory of the past empire is alive and well. For many, Russia is the opposition to Western values, whatever way one may wish to define it. Unlike other European nations, aspiration for EU membership is nowhere to be found. Instead of integrating, Russia is proud of its difference from the rest of the continent. During economic hardship and political turbulence, Russia developed a unique form of nationalism based on nostalgia and a siege mentality.

Reconstruction Over Preservation

For years, I have been fascinated by the concept of “facadism”, a practice of preserving the facade of a historic building while gutting all the interior and structure behind it. It was a controversial idea among the architecture community since it is considered a “Disneyland’ approach to creating an urban fabric. My personal view of facadism completely changed after living in Moscow. Here in Russiam, instead of preserving the existing facade of their historical buildings, an entire historic structure would be razed and rebuilt in reinforced concrete. The buzz phrase in Moscow was ‘scientific reconstruction,’ a term long-time mayor Yury Luzhkov coined.

Mayor Luzhkov’s advocacy coincided with central Moscow's ever-rising real estate prices. Even during my six-month stay in Moscow, I witnessed the destruction of three different 19th-century noble palaces near our apartment in the city center. In their places, concrete structures rose from the ground to approximate their predecessors. But very often, developers would add a couple of floors at the top, disregarding the architectural integrity of the so-called reconstruction.

While most Russian architects and intellectuals decried these pervasive practices, average Russians seem indifferent or supportive. For some, reconstruction is the physical manifestation of renewal from the wrongs of the Soviet period. The most vivid illustration is the Cathedral of Chris the Savior at the bank of the Moskva River. The giant marble-clad structure we see today is a perfect replica of the 19th-century original, which the Soviets dynamited to make way for the enormous Palace of the Soviets.

Newly reconstructed Cathedral of Chris the Savior in Moscow.

Of course, the practice of reconstruction was not unique to Russia. Famously, the Japanese often demolish and reconstruct many of their wooden temples every few decades to symbolize renewal. But unlike the Russians, Japanese reconstructions are carried out by an army of traditional craftsmen and artisans who prioritize authenticity over profit. In Moscow, Mayor Luzhkov’s policies amounted to the wholesale bulldozing of Moscow’s architectural heritage. The government even went beyond historical reconstruction to initiate the ‘fantasy construction’ of the unbuilt palace of Catherine the Great in Tsaritsyno and the long-demolished tsarist wooden palace in Kolomenskoye.

Ultimately, this unfortunate attitude toward historical monuments goes beyond the authenticity of physical structures. It indicates Russia’s attitude toward its heritage and profit-driven policymaking. This cavalier approach to heritage may not be apparent at first for casual visitors. But it may only be a decade or two until this “Disneyfication” of Moscow becomes unrepairable.

Icy Facade Is The Best Defense

One Russian stereotype that is alive and well is their perceived stoicism and borderline hostility toward foreigners. When I arrived at passport control, I understood how different social etiquette is in Russia than in the United States. Smiles and small talks are not received well within Russia. As someone conditioned to smile at strangers and say hi to store clerks, I often received blank stares and slight puzzlement in return. Of course, I was pre-warned, so I did not take it personally. I often attribute this to the collectivism and authoritarianism of the Soviet years. The history of government surveillance and secret informants has certainly impacted the general psyche of the population for generations.

Vodka is the best social lubricant in Russia.

One of my most vivid memories of Moscow was visiting a relatively upmarket grocery store near Lubyanka. Given my toddler-level knowledge of the Russian language, I most often resorted to gesturing and body language to aid my communication. Unlike most Americans, I never assume anyone speaks English while abroad out of general respect. But to my surprise, the store clerk never attempted to communicate in return. She would speak to me in Russian with a perfect poker face and then wait for me to respond in Russian. No matter how desperate I gestured, she never once reciprocated. I felt a sense of helplessness.

Of course, I have been to plenty of countries with a serious language barrier. But Russia remains the only country I have been to where there was no attempt at communicating despite my best efforts. That said, I could personally attest that Russians were a warm and lovely bunch once I got to know them. They are always full of surprises, and I love them all dearly. We should judge books by their cover!

The Russian Time

Early on, one thing that dawned on me was that the Russian sense of time is much like what you would experience in Southeast Asia. Except for the Moscow Metro, nothing seems to be on time. Be it a social meet-up at a restaurant or the final project presentation, at least half the participants would be late. Interestingly, everybody complained about it, but nothing was ever done. My friend Meghan and I always marveled at how Russia was once a formidable superpower. I sometimes think that the whole country was run as one unorganized chaos.

Why were Russians often late? Well, traffic was often cited. As any Moscovite would tell you, the worst way to travel within the Russian capital is by car. Looking at the map of Moscow, all roads lead to the Kremlin. Despite constructing the concentric ring roads and broad boulevards, the infrastructure could not cope with the ever-increasing traffic. As a Soviet city, Moscow was never meant to be a city of cars like American cities. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, private car ownership has been going over the roof since it has been a symbol of personal success in the newly capitalist Russia. Perhaps the best evidence of Moscow’s chronic travel gridlock may be its world-class metro system.

Be Vigilant But Not Be Intimidated

I will never forget my first night in Russia back in 2010. I was traveling with my cohorts from graduate school and a teaching assistant, Masha, who is from Moscow. As a welcome to Russia, we were treated to a lovely dinner at Mari Vanna, located in one of the most sought-after residential neighborhoods in Moscow. After a beautiful meal, we decided to walk back to our hostel near Kotelnicheskaya Embankment. As we reached Pushkin Square, which is one of the busiest public plazas in the world, we saw a gang of about five or six young white (presumably Russian) men began to assault a random man of Central Asian descent who was just emerged from the staircase of Pushkinskaya Metro Station.

When I said ‘assault,’ I meant punching, beating, and smashing a guy’s head with vodka bottles. It was violent, and before long, the guy was on the ground, bleeding from his head, and appeared lifeless. As Americans, our first instinct was to help and confront the perpetrators. However, Misha told us to walk along and pretend nothing happened. In her words, it is not to ‘get involved in Russia' or ‘get into trouble. When we asked whether she should call the police or the ambulance, she resolutely told us not and warned us never to approach the police for assistance unless you have no other choice.

For me, that was such a startling introduction to Moscow. I later learned from various sources that racially motivated assault was quite common in Moscow, particularly against blacks of those from Central Asia. While a logical person may be terrified of this city, I decided not to allow myself to be terrified. My fascination for Russia was so profound that I felt invisible. While the danger of personal safety sometimes lingered at the back of my mind, I learned to be vigilant without being paranoid. Many people often describe me as brave in terms of my travel. After nearly a decade, I still attribute my time in Moscow to one of the most life-changing experiences. For that, I am always grateful.

History Could Unfold Before You

My stay in Moscow coincided with a nascent mass political protest against the disputed election result of the 2011 legislative election, which then morphed into a general demonstration against the rule of President Putin and Prime Minister Medvedev. The protest somehow cobbled together a weirdly broad coalition of political dissents. From the Communists and the Russian nationalists to the LGBT rights activists, the protests seemed to spring up from different corners of Moscow every few days. Among my cosmopolitan Moscovites and Russian friends, there was genuine optimism that a real political transformation was imminent. Even as a foreigner, I could feel Russia was on the cusp of change.

A demonstration by Russian nationalists with flag of tsarist Russia.

Political rally by Communist Party of the Russian Federation (КПРФ).

Due to the proximity of my apartment to Lubyanka, the headquarters of the Federal Security Service (ФСБ), I even got caught up in mass demonstrations unwittingly a couple of times. Of course, little did I know just how things would turn out. Looking back, I felt weirdly privileged that I got a front seat to one of the most pivotal moments in the modern political history of Russia. I have always read that President Putin’s motivation to interfere in the 2016 American presidential election was partly attributed to Hilary Clinton’s support for the 2011 protest. And I couldn’t get over the fact that these protests that I was a part of inadvertently led to the age of Donald Trump.

Be Direct And Firm

Working with Russians could be both an interesting and frustrating experience. For about a year, I got to work exclusively with a group of Russian students, and I could say that they were quite a handful to handle. Given the Soviet legacy, you would think Russians are conformists and wouldn't try everything to fit in with the social norm. In reality, it was the exact opposite. I have never met a group that was more imaginative and individualistic. None of them was afraid to voice their opinions and ideas. As Americans, we always think we are the most free-thinking bunch, but I can tell you that we cannot hold the candle to the younger generation of Russians.

One of the best illustrations of the post-Soviet Russian mindset was this documentary movie that came out when I was living in Moscow: Exporting Raymond. Created by Phil Rosenthal, the movie followed his experiences navigating the cross-cultural differences between Russia and the United States. In particular, I found the following scheme featuring a Russian costume designer to be particularly representative of my experiences with working with my lovely Russian friends. They are outspoken and fearless, no matter how absurd their ideas might be.

When I first saw this video, I laughed because it reminded me so much of my experience in Moscow. Like the costume designer in the video above, almost all my Russian friends are strong-minded and have no problem offering up their ideas, no matter how outlandish and pointless they could be. Sometimes, I felt I needed to take control and reign in the meandering conversations and workflows to get work done efficiently. Before long, all my reserved demeanor went away for the better. I left Moscow more confident and credited Russia for toughening me up in the short few months.

Embrace the Weirdness

Sure, every country has its quirk, and all things are relative. I bet many foreign visitors to the United States would find the American healthcare system and gun culture to be bizarre. But in Russia, every day was full of surprises. Life in Russia is full of amusement and adventure, from the manned escalator at metro stations to the oddly large bathroom at the Museum of Great Patriotic War. Truthfully, with such an interesting city to explore, it was quite difficult for me to focus on my schoolwork.

The bathroom at the Museum of Great Patriotic War.

An exhibit at Vorobyovy Gory Metro Station.

I regretted not blogging back in the day. Moscow opened my eyes to the “Second World,” and this experience encouraged me to explore the lesser-known corners of the world. It was also during my time in Russia that I came to be acquainted with two of my favorite travel destinations: Georgia and Estonia.

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