Conversion, Alteration, Change of Heart, Exchange, About-face, Innovation, Metamorphosis, Modification, Remodelling, Transfiguration, Transformation, Translation, Transmogrification, Transmutation, and, oh yeah, Synonyms

Probably one of the most annoying components of travel is conversions. Once you step outside your home country, everything changes. Voltage converters, plug converters and adapters, currency converters, and temperature conversions become a part of everyday life and another thing you windup toting along everywhere you go.

Before this year's batch of five American exchange students arrived in Moscow, everyone stocked up on converters for the electrical outlets so we could plug in those gadgets brought from home. But no more that 6hrs into our stay in Russia and one hair straightener, a surge protector, and a plug adapter had been fried by the 220 volt current that was not taken into account.

Everyday we are confronted with a variety of conversions. Whether it is converting the Cyrillic letters into sounds, exchanging English words for Russian, or altering our way of thinking when it comes to temperature, distance, and price, we constantly are reminded that there is a world outside the US and it can be very different than what we're used to.

Modern innovations have helped to minimize the hassle of conversions. Luckily, most computers are capable of handling up to 240 volts without incidence, and an assortment of voltage converters can be bought for other imported electronics. Most travel companies now sell plug adapters as well as converters and language translators can easily be found online. Calculators are our constant companion when it comes to questions of money. All-you-need-to-know phrasebooks line the shelves of bookstores and instruct you how to ask for directions, buy food, make hotel reservations, or rent a car. But there are some things that modern technology does nothing to change.

Traveling abroad is almost entirely about adapters and conversions. The definitions of adapt and convert are to change from one thing to another, and that is what a semester abroad does. It takes those students brave enough to step outside their national boundaries and transforms them as they experience a widely different culture, language and way of life. Despite the availability of guidebooks, travel magazines, and the travel channel, there is no substitute for actually living in a different country. There are some things that must be experienced to understand, and often you still won't fully comprehend.

Toasts - This Time the Drinking Kind

One thing I have learned in my short time here is that Americans may not be far off in their assumption of the love affair between Russians and alcohol. Many times we base our view of a country on a few characteristics we've seen represented in films. We associate Africa with elephants and lions, Mexico with tequila and tortillas, kangaroos and Australia, the Eiffel Tower and France. While these may be common aspects of a particular culture or location, it is by no means the sum of that place.


There are several things that most people associate with Russia: vodka, caviar, and the Russian mafia along with ridiculously cold weather and fur coats. I can now say that while only a few places in Africa commonly have elephants, and fewer still lions, and kangaroos may not regularly hop along the streets of Sydney, in my experience many of these iconic impressions of Russia hold to be relatively true. My parents will be happy to note that I have had no interactions with the Russian mafia, and my Russian classmates tell me that their influence in Moscow has diminished from what it once was. The other characteristics listed above have become relatively common, everyday things.

Russians love caviar. From my encounters with it I'm guessing it is an acquired taste. My classmate, большой Max (there are three Max's/Maxim's, большой Maкс or big Max, and two Maxim's that we denote by their nationality, Французский-French Maxim and Russian Maксим) brought us some red caviar to try on white bread and butter. I think he ended up eating the majority of the jar. There's a reason why Russians follow caviar with vodka, which they love with equal fervor. 

Looks delicious, right?

For all the animal lovers out there, if you have moral issues with the use of fur in apparel, stay away from Russia. Fur coats are everywhere. Every бабушка on the metro has a long fur coat or huge fur hat, and a lot of the younger generation elite sport exotic furs in a variety of colors. Its part fashion statement, part necessity. Today the temperature got down to -18°F and it felt like a wonderfully warm -30°F when considering the wind chill. When we saw all the Russians on the street were completely bundled up, we knew we were in for trouble. We haven't even had the desire to run across the street and buy some vodka to warm up.

Somewhere under there is an actual car.

Inna, our classmat

Vodka, and alcohol in general, is not just for warming up, it is a national past time. The selection at the small grocery store across the street rivals that of ABC stores at home. Drinking may very well be a national sport, and if it is, it is rivaled by toasting. While I love toasting bread, Russians enjoy toasting their friends, countrymen, and drinking companions. David, our Armenian-Russian friend entertains us with his twenty minute toasts, made even longer by the time it takes to translate and the fact that occasionally our translators wind up repeating the same thing in Russian instead of English. Russian toasts may be serious, or funny, or contain a simple message, "let us move mountains together", embedded in a story of a proud eagle flying complete with gestures and hand motions.

Some of the group out on the town.

Alcohol sold from a cart on the street.

Americans often associate guns with Russia, either as part of the mafia, military, or due to Russia's development of the iconic Калаш or AK-47. We had a tour of the MSAU, the university we are affiliated with, last week and part of that tour included a visit to the military science department where we were placed in a room full of guns and basically told to go wild. At least that's what I'm guessing was said since my Russian is progressing slowly and extends to asking where Mama and Papa are and if this is your scarf (Где мама и папа? Это ваш шарф?). 

Another iconic event. We have also had the opportunity to play Russian billiards which is similar to pool except the table is HUGE, the balls are bigger and the pockets are smaller. So, basically it is really hard.

Notice the giant table.

Katie and большой Maкс. An accurate representation of our respective playing abilities.

Russia also has iconic architecture. Aside from St. Basil's, there are countless cathedrals with similar onion domes. The mix of architectural styles is interesting whimsical buildings in a variety of colors and patterns are situated next to large, blocky, imposing structures that are no less beautiful.

 

As the world's largest country, Russia may very well be as varied as it gets despite the limited number of attributes commonly associated with it.

Toast, and not the Drinking Type

Every year, the American and French students leave behind a variety of goods for the next group’s use. Everything from a washing machine and microwave to curry powder and salt was discovered in the boxes left behind. When the communal goods were distributed the first week, I made sure to grab the toaster and gladly forfeited the microwave. I have a deep and lasting relationship with the toaster from home whereas the microwave and I never really hit it off. For those of you who don’t really know me, I don’t think I can convey how much, how deeply, the degree to which I love toast. I could easily and gladly live off of it. That being said, one of my first purchases in Russia was a loaf of bread and some jam. I quickly learned that the jam here is sweeter than at home, and some of it is more akin to an ice cream topping with its extremely limited gelatinous qualities and excessive sugar content.

With the toaster, the previous group left behind plates and silverware, and yet somehow what seemed like a ton of plates and knives on the first day has become a limited supply. This explains how after less than a week, the borrowing of plates and utensils to cook has resulted in ripping off a hunk of bread and dipping it in the jam becoming one of my main snacks is, bringing back memories of days spent sitting in the floor of my hostel room in Ghana sharing a loaf of sugar bread with Lindy, my sister and former roommate, and discussing how sweet the jam was there.

There are many differences between Russia and Ghana, and many similarities, just as there are differences and similarities to home. In all three эmo, рис, or rice is a common food, but the manner of preparation changes. At home my family traditionally has rice with gravy, while Ghana opts for a spicier alternative in jollof rice with pepper sauce, sausage (aka hotdogs), fried plantains, and salad. Russia on the other hand has a variety of rice dishes with vegetables and meat. These similarities extend beyond food into other areas of life. The crazy, spastic, disordered driving that I first gained exposure to in Ghana has a slightly tamer counterpart here in Moscow and the heavily populated areas of the US. No rules seem to apply. While the US has designated areas for parking with tickets given for parking in the wrong place or staying for too long, Moscow goes by the belief that you can park pretty much anywhere you choose. Half in the road, half on the sidewalk; completely on the sidewalk; the middle of the street (generally for shorter time periods); designated parking spots, anywhere is fair game.

As I grabbed my loaf of bread and jam and strolled down the hallway to the classroom to write this, I remembered a similar walk in Ghana where I devastatingly dropped the jar of jelly, breaking it and splattering the outdoor hallway with a sugary mess. While I may have traded my native country for my tropical home last year and then again for a much colder area of the world, I enjoy knowing that everywhere I may happen to go there are always some things that remain the same. Now if I can only find some margarine so I can make some cinnamon-sugar toast, my food of choice, closely followed by rice and gravy, plantain chips, pineapple, and those delicious pockets of potatoes or fruit found at various stands on the streets of Moscow.

Week 1:

Oбщежитие No. 5 - The Hostel

Wednesday marked the end of our first week in Moscow. University classes officially start on Monday and we are gearing up for the semester. This past week we have had Russian language classes everyday to help jump start our learning process. Starting at 9:00 each day, five Americans and one French student stumbled down the hallway from our rooms and into the small classroom on our floor. After three or four hours of instruction, we would once again stumble down the hall with the intent of taking a nap. Oddly, sleep has been hard to reach, and we would eventually give up and set out to explore the city.

After half a dozen trips on the metro, I now know the name of the nearest metro stop (Петровско-Разумовская), the basics of getting around, and how conversely to how they drive, you enter the metro on the left and exit on the right, then again I have yet to understand the flow of traffic and driving laws, much less parking which seems to be a free for all. The metro stations here are each unique,with plenty of marble and other ornaments such as statues, murals, stained glass, and gilding. 

In our spare time we have done a little exploring around the hostel, walked thirty minutes to the national park nearby, gone shopping with some of our Russian classmates for essentials such as coats, boots, and toilet paper, learned to ice skate and play what was described to us as an old Soviet skating game, gone to the movies, cooked Russian food, and begun learning how to cook American food with Russian substitutes. All-in-all it has been an interesting time.

National park. Many Russians come here for cross-country skiing and other forms of exercise.

Aптеке (pharmacy and grocery store) across the street from the hostel.

The five American students.

Pancake breakfast.

Possible outings for next week:

• Арба́т Street - Arbat Street. Pedestrian walkway. Hopefully good for gifts and souvenirs. 
• Дом книги - House of Books. Supposedly the largest bookstore in Moscow.
• Art and historical museums. Not sure which ones yet.
• Buy student passes for metro. Yay!