Russian Blog

My favourite American expat in Russia (actually the only interesting one the blog of whom I tracked down) tends to write a lot about current affairs:Putin expressing his indignation over American plans of missile defences in Poland and Czech Republic, Putin threatening NATO to suspend Russia’s compliance with a treaty on conventional arms in Europe, the government brutally putting down the opposition march in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. And finally the Russian-Estonian dispute over a monument to Red Army soldiers. An American somehow doesn't fit in this almost authocratic country. That’s why I utterly admire Aaron Hale-Dorrell who works in Russia as an English teacher.Let's face it - comparing Russia and the USA is like drawing an analogy between night and day. I honestly don’t see much these countries have in common. The former haunted by the past burden of communism and the latter boasting about its ideas of democracy, freedom and equality. Funnily enough, a coincidence made me study both Russian and English;)

From Russia with love

After long research I finally came across a very interesting blog of an American guy staying in Russia: http://my-russia-blog.blogspot.com/. Somehow I couldn't find anything for a long time, maybe apart from a crazy half Afro-American family with two sons which decided to preach the word of God in Russia;) This makes me think that Americans don't fit Russia at all. They must be either crazy, or unpatriotic (the everlasting competition between the U.S. and Russia for the control over the world), or... unimagenably romantic (to fall in love with this treasury of the BEST literature in the world).
Anyway, the guy I found teaches English in Vladimir, one of the towns of the Golden Ring, a group of the oldest and most picturesque towns around Moscow. He seems to have a lot of fun there, beeing surrounded by other American teachers. Funnily enough he doesn't mention any unpleasant events which would normally be the main topic of a conversation about Russia. Well, I have to admit I haven't read all his entries yet, but so far so good.
What is more, his blog is a mixture of describing different trips he makes with his friends and a general note on the society and the state of affairs in contemporary Russia. I'll write more on that in the near future.
By the way, I really feel poeple are sometimes ignorant, namely one girl in the English Business class claimed today that Russia's economy in controlled economy! Please, if you're not sure what you're talking about, better say nothing! Perestroika was introduced over 20 years ago! It's not true any more that you can't get essential consumer goods at shops. The companies aren't controlled by the state neither. My request to some poeple is now and then: don't be illiterate, but take a book and improve your knowledge before you express such nonsense.