День Победы: Victory Day

День Победы (Den Pobedy) is Russia's celebration of the end of World War Two. Every year on 9 May the entire country remembers the brave actions of their predecessors with parades and public festivals. Without Russia's engagement in this war, Hitler likely would have been harder to stop. When Stalin's Red Army opened the Eastern Front, Nazi Germany faced a war on two fronts: the Allies in the west and another Ally, Russia, in the east. Despite successfully helping to defeat the Nazis, Russia faced the most devastation compared to any other country in WWII: an estimated 20 million Russians died.


WWII for Russians was the worst wartime disaster they had ever experienced. In addition to the loss of 20 million people, the Russian countryside and psyche suffered heavily.

• The scorched earth military strategy was used by the Red Army to starve the approaching German army; this policy was repeated as the German army retreated Russia.
• Hitler deemed Slavic and some Eastern Europeans "subhuman" and thus instructed his armies to engage in ethnic cleansing. Meaning, many more innocent civilians and Red Army prisoners-of-war were killed.
• The siege of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) lasted for 900 days and over 1 million people died.
• Compared to many European and American soldiers who were treated according to international prisoner-of-war rights, Soviet soldiers were either killed upon capture or sent to death camps.

Proper remembrance of WWII means a lot to people living in Russia. I was lucky enough to see a major change in the regular Den Pobedy parade routine. This year, Saint Petersburgers were invited to show pictures of loved one who had given their lives in the defense of Russia. Thousands more people showed up than the city had expected . I went with a Russian friend who began to cry because she was overwhelmed with emotions during the touching parade. Her words, "They gave their lives so we could live."

Young Russian soldiers marching in the parade.

Saint Petersburg's rostral columns, commemorating the holiday. They only burn on very special occasions. 

The very beginning of the Victory Parade in Saint Petersburg.

Veterans/survivors in the parade. 

Veterans and survivors of the Leningrad Blockade. 

Just a fragment of the thousands of people who presented pictures of their lost loved ones. 

Photo Tour 3: Heaven as seen through a camera lens

Two weekends ago my amazing study abroad program took us on a little jaunt to two magical places in Russia. The first place is an area called Pushkin's Hills. In case you guessed it, this place has something to do with Russia's most famous poet--Alexander Pushkin. His family estate is located here along with the estates of family friends. Pushkin's Hills are a perfectly natural paradise because the government prohibits people to live or farm in the area. What made the visit to Pushkin's ancestral home even more meaningful is the history behind how his great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Gannibal, got the estate.


Gannibal began life as captured slave who was a gift to Peter the Great. Peter took a liking to the young boy's wit and accepted him as his own son. He gave Gannibal the patronymic, Petrovich, which is what Russias fathers give to their children. As the boy became a man, the wit Peter the Great noticed early on morphed into adept military knowledge. Gannibal ended life as a major-general, governor and nobleman in Russia. Pushkin was obviously very proud of his great-grandfather and even wrote an unfinished a novel about him, Peter the Great's Negro.


Unfortunately, it is not so easy to summarize Pushkin's life in a paragraph, so I recommend to check out his poetry and his life story. Pushkin was an enigmatic man whose passions in life were seen through his literature. A duel cut his life short at the age of 37.

In addition to visiting the estate of Pushkin and the surrounding territory, I also visited one of the oldest cities in Russia. Called Pskov, the city dates to the year 903. It used to be the western border of Russia and thus it was an important trade and military post. It has a traditional Russian kremlin (fort) which protected its citizens from invaders. From Pskov was Russia's first ruler who converted to Christianity and introduced a system of collecting taxes among the Rus tribes: St. Olga. After her husband died, she did everything she could to protect the throne for her infant son. She mercilessly dealt with invaders and strengthened Rus tribes in the area that later became modern-day Russia. She was a bad-ass ruler. Check her out!

And now, the pictures. They are so captivating that they speak for themselves.

The supposedly magical springs, where if you drink from each of them good things will happen. Specifically, you will gain health, wealth, and love. 

Beautiful panoramic view of Mikhailovskoye, Pushkin's familial estate. 

A valley of Mikhailovskoye. Magnificent. 

Saw this horse and buggy heading down the road and immediately felt as if I was in Pushkin's time!

This huge set of icons is one of the few kinds of iconography like this in the world. Seen in the cathedral in the Pskov kremlin.

View of Pskov from atop its kremlin.

Ancient kremlin (fort) walls and a typical Pskov-style church.

While this picture looks beautiful and serene, this passageway leading into the Pskov kremlin is called the Corridor of Death. When invaders entered, they did not have a chance to escape the ambush from Pskov warriors. Thus, not many attackers made it through this short passage. 

Beautiful metal map of ancient Pskov. You can see that it really was the western border of the Russian empire. On the top-left corner is the city's herald: the snow leopard. The big cat represents the city's long tradition of a strong military. 

Saint Olga, whom I mentioned earlier for her bad-assery.

This shield and sword commemorate the military triumph of a famous Russian warrior, Prince Alexander Nevsky, who defended Pskov. On the shield is the mighty snow leopard. And the sword is an enlarged version of the Prince's actual valiant saber. 

At Pushkin's grave.

The Pushkin family's summer home. 

Captured this scene on the way to Trigorskoye, an estate of Pushkin's friend. 

This church represents typical Pskovian style. Its rough walls reflect the imperfections found in people and its simple design tries to make people more comfortable while connecting with God. Since Pskov was an important city in ancient Russia, its architecture and iconography influenced style all over the country. 

A young, playful Putin!

**I tried to ensure all this information is correct; if it's not, I apologize!

A (historical) visit to the Russian countryside

So, lemme begin by saying that I truly lucked out with my host family. They are amazing and kindhearted people who have personality. I have greatly enjoyed living with them. And an added perk of living with them was the chance to visit their country home, called дача (dacha). However, because these are always city dweller's second homes, they range from country mansions to small shacks. The quality of the dacha depends upon how much money a family has to spend. My family's dacha is located a few kilometers from Lake Ladoga. It was great to get out of the busy city and take in Europe's largest lake.

Lake Ladoga also has an amazing historical perspective, too. During WWII, this lake's hard, icy surface allowed supply caravans to bring food and essential items to Leningrad during the Nazi blockade.** Had this lake not frozen solid enough for horse-drawn carriages and heavy trucks to cross it, Leningrad may not have survived the Nazi onslaught. The path leading from this lake the present-day St. Petersburg is called the Road of Life, and I, Morgan Richardson, traveled along it... Leningraders put up such a strong resistance to the Nazis that the city never fell despite constant bombings and widespread starvation.

So, it's easy to understand how excited I was to experience all of this history in what began as a simple trip to the countryside.

I also happened to go during Easter weekend, so I experienced the Eastern Orthodox way of celebrating the holiday. Overall, it's very similar to how Catholics and Protestants spend this day. But tastier foods are involved! Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter by going to church Saturday night and have a special ceremony when the clock strikes 12am.

This building is located behind my host family's dacha. It consists of a Russian bath house (banya [баня]), a wood shed, and a chicken coop!

Some of the many chickens that cluck at all hours of the morning. I'm talking to you, Mr. Rooster. 

My host family's dacha. Realistically, this is considered a cottage (коттедж) since it's large and has all the creature comforts. 

A few of the rows where my host parents tend their delicious fruits and vegetables.

The smoke/grilling house.

Barn where my host sister keeps her horse at. This is a few kilometers from the dacha. 

Her horse!

I believe this is an actual weapon used to defend Leningrad during the Nazi blockade. The caption says, "Protectors of Leningrad." 

Monument to the Road of Life, right in front of Lake Ladoga. 

Lake Ladoga with my host sister. 

We visited a museum dedicated to the heroic efforts of Leningraders. This is a propaganda poster that says, "We protect the city of Leningrad."

More information from this museum about the defense of Leningrad. This reads, "Leningraders defend their home city." 

Kilometer marker on the Road of Life. 

Beautiful table display for Easter (Пасха). The white trapezoid dessert is called paskha (пасха; I guess "little Easter"), and it's made out of sweet cottage cheese, sugar and dried fruits. Truly delicious. The letters on top of it are the initials for Jesus Christ in Russian.  

Here's the full spread of Easter breakfast. Another delicious sweet cottage cheese creation with special bread-cake and boiled eggs. 

Our dinner the night before Easter. 

This looks like an authentic grill! It surely made authentically delicious food. These skewers of meat are called shashlik (шашлык). This is Russian barbeque, and it's really good!

An authentic samovar sits behind this old sewing tool. 

My host dad proudly described this samovar's story to me. A samovar (самовар) is an integral part of Russian tea-time. Russians love tea, by the way. Samovars are essentially complicated and beautiful water-heating devices. This one is around 150 years old and still works! The figures in the picture are all the awards this one won while in a Paris art museum. Imagine how regal it looked long ago!!

The samovar puffing away. 

Tea kettle kept warm by the samovar's heat.

A monument to Soviet soldiers who lost their lives in World War II. 

**The story of how Leningrad-now-St. Petersburg survived for almost two and a half years under Nazi attack is amazing and inspiring. I urge you to check it out. 

Day 73

I like Russia.

I really enjoy living here.

I know I'm gonna cry when I pack my bags.

But...
         I'm ready to go home. It's such a weird feeling to have, to want two impossible things at once. I feel so greedy! And I also feel sad sometimes because an important part of me is missing. That part that always and forever will belong to America. My home.

Life in Russia is so incredible and different that I know I'll bring some new traditions home. Things that I never noticed in America are exhilarating here. The air smells different, the people behave differently, and the metro I take to get anywhere in the city--that's real different! But I miss what I took for granted back home: my car, warm weather and-- a real doozy-- personal space.

The old saying that you get out what you put in is very true. I can't believe I've lived in Russia for almost four months. I had very high expectations when I arrived that were all pretty much shattered. That's an incredibly terrifying feeling to realize the world around you doesn't care how you feel. As someone who's always in control of the situation, life in Russia has definitely given me patience and made me humbler. I came with high spirits which helped get me through my lowest points, but those bad days still come round. I was determined to make Russian friends and make this city my second home. I accomplished these goals. As much as my Russian has improved and I know my way around the city, however, I'm still a foreigner here and some folks make it known that I'm a foreigner. Nevertheless, that I'm thriving in Russia during an international crisis shows me two things

1. Ya never understand something until you try it.
2. Never take people's kindness for granted.

I'm a Russian Studies major who has been consistently surprised at life in the former Soviet Union...and it's been great. Overall. No number of classes or books could have prepared me for all the peculiarities of Russia that make it so unique. The excitement of never knowing what to expect pulls me out of bed each morning. I'm living life practically in someone else's shoes. I'm ready to switch back to my old, comfy shoes...but I know I'll get bored of them and look for another pair. Most likely a Russian pair!

Russia, America, and what some consider "World War III"

So, I'm assuming most of y'all have heard about the crisis in Crimea, Ukraine? Without getting political, I feel like as an American living in Russia during the nadir of post-soviet US-Russian relations, I can safely tell you that things aren't that crazy here. (You may recall that I'm a short, black woman in a land of tall Europeans, so I kinda stand out. If anything anti-American were to happen, it would happen to me!) Russia is not as crazy and on the brink of war as it may seem in some newspaper outlets. Russia is not a nation full of people who hate international laws. And most importantly, Russia does not hate Ukraine.

Let's talk fast facts about Russia and Ukraine:

• Russians and Ukrainians are both Slavs, an ethnicity common in Eastern Europe 
• Ukraine was the birthplace of Kievan Rus, a group of Slavic tribes who later became the modern-day Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples
• Since the late 1700s, Ukraine has been a part of the Russian empire
• Both countries were founding members of the USSR
• In 1991, Ukraine and Russia were two of the countries that signed an agreement ending the USSR
• The Russian and Ukrainian languages are so similar that speakers can easily understand each other. Think of Spanish and Portuguese
• There are so many ethnic Russians in Ukraine that some consider the country to be split between the west (pro-Western Europe /Ukraine) and the east (pro-Russia)

I, like the rest of the world, really hope that a war does not start because of the political crisis in Crimea. Instead of jumping to conclusions and trying to find people to blame, we should focus on what matters most: peace in Ukraine and comfort for its diverse citizenry. 

A photo tour 2

As I've gotten used to living here, I find less amazement in my surroundings. However, hopefully these pictures capture the wonderful world of "Piter."

**I apologize for the terrible formatting. I tried numerous times to fix it... :(

Still can't believe that I live here. This is one of the many well-lit and gorgeous buildings along the Nevsky River. 

The best breakfast I've had in Russia (and maybe ever!). My host mom is such an amazing cook. I LOVE Russian food. 

This statue is called the Bronze Horseman and is a tribute to the memory of Peter the First from Catherine the Great. St. Isaac's Cathedral is in the background.

They call this city northern Venice for a reason.

This wall memorializes the many people in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) who died during the Nazi blockade from September 1941 to January 1944. At the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery.
Here lie the people of Leningrad,
Here are the citizens – men, women, children –
And beside them the soldiers of the Red Army
Who gave their lives
Defending you, Leningrad,
Cradle of the Revolution.
Their noble names we cannot number
So many lie beneath the eternal granite
But of those honoured by this stone
Let no one forgetLet nothing be forgotten.

--Olga Berggolts




 Starting on November 20, 1941, people were only allowed 125 grams (0.27 pounds) of bread to eat. Daily. Part of a food rationing program.

An eternal flame at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery for those who died during the Leningrad Blockade.

The Kazan Cathedral; possibly one of the prettiest in the city. 

The burial places of two of Russia's greatest monarchs: Peter the First and Catherine the Great. Cool!

Lol, Tulsa pride. Found this on the shuttle that whisks us to class every morning.

Who's that young lass?!?!