So, it has been an interesting trip so far, to be sure. And it has already been bookended to this point by some pretty dramatic events.
The day before most of us flew into the country, Domodedovo airport was bombed by terrorists. We were not flying into that airport but supposedly the bombing was meant to target foreigners. It didn't affect our trip at all but certainly made for an interesting welcome to Russia.
This morning in class, Dr. Malashankov informed us that the French-American students were grounded to the hostel because of riots in the center of Moscow. I'm not entirely sure what the riots are for right now, although it is my understanding that they are some sort of protest against foreigners. They are nowhere near our hostel but the idea of being restricted because of unfriendly political activity is intriguing.
Last night, we were heading home to the hostel and we were stopped by the Russian police. We were told to expect this because they are allowed to stop anyone at any time and require identification. I was sort of surprised it hasn't happened sooner, we're not exactly inconspicuous when we go out. We just handed them our passport and papers, our Russian friends bribed them a little, and everything was fine. Certainly a new and unusual experience and much different than the type of system we are used to dealing with. Russian justice is its own unique brand. As Dorothy might say, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..."
No, we most certainly are not.
Marie, a couple of months ago a Russian soccer fan was killed by a young Muslim. That tragedy brought thousands of fans to Manezh Square and it soon turned into a mob. Many people who "didn't look Russian" got hurt. Anyway, today was the day the Russian Nationalist movement was advertising over the Internet as the day for another demonstration on Manezh Square. As a precaution, the city increased the presence of police and military squads downtown Moscow. The reports I've seen so far indicate that everything is quiet and there are a lot of tourists downtown. Some of the entrances to the Red Square are blocked though.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention that the word "foreigner" in Russian has developed in recent years to include citizens of former Soviet Republics (Ukraine, Latvia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, to name just a few). It used to mean "citizens of counties other than the Soviet Union." So these "foreigners" who come to Russia to make money (often in criminal ways), they take advantage of their knowledge of the Russian language and culture, finding opportunities to stay in Russia for long periods of time, oftentimes moving their families over. Many of them are in Russia illegally with fake documents. So these are the foreigners that some Russians are upset about and not the foreigners from the West who come as tourists or as exchange students, like you guys.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info! We never felt concerned for our safety and I know that the grounding was merely an extreme safety precaution. It was, however, very interesting as I have never been in that kind of situation before. It was a unique part of the Russia experience, to be sure.
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