Wednesday 2 October 2019

Straight into the deep end.

Back to Moscow after 8 months away. The most surreal, outer-body experience of a return and after nearly three weeks it feels like I never left. So much has changed during my time away and I’m still astounded by the speed this city is developing and propelling itself forward into a 21st-century, modern, technological metropolis. A European outlook is creating a city with more greenery, more pedestrian space and more respect for its surroundings. 

With unbelievably fresh eyes, naïvely tainted by a comforting and calm state of mind, which I eagerly acquired during my adventures in Parma, Rome and Vancouver Island over the last few months, I can’t help feeling much more detached from the life I led here before, and I am so excited to enjoy another side of the city. A side that I couldn’t let myself enjoy completely before while studying was my main focus, my main objective, my reason for being here. That’s a side note now. A project to finish physically, while I propel myself forward into creating a different life in this city. A different approach that I can embrace and nourish, using everything the last few years has given me. 

Distance has only highlighted the sharp societal contrasts I had become so accustomed to before I left, and it’s fascinating to see them again in a new light. Final year of studying and I'm seeing lots of engagement and wedding rings appearing among fellow students. Those deeply-engrained, traditional gender roles are always going to be hard to swallow coming from societies embracing non-binary gendering in full force, and for many young people here your mid-twenties is prime marrying time. Take away the importance of travelling and creating personal experiences for yourself in your twenties - a value we have had the luxury of being instilled in us through our upbringing - and it is the logical next step after finishing your degree. It’s so interesting how the concept of age can vary so much between cultures. 
And female and male roles here are also so set in stone. A puzzled look on my face as a lecturer told off a male student for not grabbing a chair for a female student who had arrived late (we have a chair shortage in our lecture halls, but that’s another story) and I was quickly reminded where I was. Come to think of it, I have always struggled with carrying my own chair, putting my coat on myself and, god forbid, opening a door while holding my own bag… 

Jokes aside, it is refreshing to be back in a city where I feel completely safe on my own at night and never feel threatened by offensive comments or unnecessary "attention" in clubs. My dancing shoes are back on in full force and I’m taking full advantage of the exciting, flourishing music scene the younger generation are creating here. No gender division among those really looking for change. And this 24-hour city has so much to offer. 

A new friend invited me* to his conducting of Don Giovanni on one of the Bolshoi Stages and then to a concert in my favourite concert hall in Moscow, Dom Muziki ('the house of music'), where he was conducting the backing orchestra for a Soviet Russian Icon. Alexander Malinin. A quick search engine gander** can tell you more than I could ever could. 

From the front row seat at the opera - stretch out my legs and my feet were on the stage - to two hours of top hits from a legend of the typical Soviet song - with three outfits changes including a sumptuous blue velvet jacket - and I was reminded of the cultural wealth on my doorstep. Impatient Russians waiting for the concert to start, while the latecomers cleared security checks on entry (a standard when entering most public buildings), didn’t hesitate, at 7.08pm no less, in initiating a persistent clap until orchestra members started filing onto the stage. (Eight minutes of waiting was the ultimate test of their patience.) 

And the concert was extended by at least 20 minutes to accommodate the stream of adoring women bringing him extravagant bouquets of flowers (as is custom at concerts here -see: https://arussianabroad.blogspot.com/2016/01/where-is-your-hat.html) between every song. I counted over twenty bouquets professionally stacked on top of the piano by the end and quick mental arithmetic (thank you A-level Maths) confirmed at least two-months’ of my living expenses in flowers on top of a piano I could only dream of owning one day. After the initial bemusement, I realised it was beautiful and heartwarming. His songs offer love, warmth and hope and he was a much needed beacon of light for many in a time of need, and still is. Undoubtedly so. 

With my hunger for culture truly satisfied, the cold and crazy daily schedule has me eating at least triple the normal amount and I realised - surprise, surprise - European food is the one thing I really miss. 
Desperate late-night messages to my close friend, Napolitan-born food guru as I struggle to navigate a variety of “cleverly” Italian-branded, yet Russian-produced, pastas and coffees has left me wishing I hadn’t been so generous in giving everyone packets of parmesan as presents when I arrived. Silly me. And a recent revelation, when I had a weird craving for my favourite Canadian breakfast, BAGELS. I can’t find them anywhere. Not even a crumb. Even the highly popular and equally highly overpriced supermarket Azbuka Vkusa (roughly translated ’the alphabet of taste’) with its array of imported European and North American products has seemed to overlook them. A potential business idea? Why not.  


Here’s to hoping they fix the heating in our building sooner rather than later, and if anyone fancies shipping over a couple packets of sesame seed bagels, I will more than happily pay for postage. 


Speak soon,


xx 




*(after relentless pestering from yours truly I should probably mention)


** I would HIGHLY recommend




fruit salad alla russa hmmm 

beautiful and inspiring Moscow film studios, which effortlessly transport you back in time

the continuation of Europeanisation at its finest - rental motor scooters that no one dares to use in Moscow traffic

the ultimate selection of ketchups - the perfect base to a Russian-style pasta sauce

the blue velvet jacket ft. a MASSIVE organ

one of the beautiful renovations I was surprised with upon my return