E. Europe's Heat Wave: Russians Wear Shorts!

I consider myself fortunate to be staying in Moscow while it is enjoying its record-setting high temperatures :) It is the worst the region has experienced since Nixon Visited China, making the Soviet Union hot under the collar. It has certainly tested my limits as to what I can endure. It wouldn't be bad if my room and the classrooms were well ventilated. The picture to the right is looking toward downtown Moscow Friday morning around 9 a.m. The haze is caused by burning peat bogs outside of the city.

I'll quote from today's Moscow Times: "A heat wave in the western part of Russia, the worst since 1972, will last another 10 days, the country’s chief forecaster said July 20. Temperatures have broken July records in dozens of cities in the region, including Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara, while Moscow may break its all-time record of 36.8 (almost 100 F) degrees Celsius this weekend."


Just how hot is it? It is so hot, a colleague who lives in Miami is uncomfortable. Seriously. 


The reason why the temperatures are unbearable is because Moscow doesn't have high enough temperatures long enough normally to build buildings more efficiently for air flow or install air conditioners. Most buildings have very poor cross-draft capabilities. Some buildings are "air-conditioned," but when you step in side, it isn't the Western version of A/C. It feels stale and flat because it is kept very low.


A cultural note: European men do not wear short pants. That is what I was told and that is what I witnessed upon my arrival in June. However, the heat has caused European men to don shorts and flip flops. It was interesting to watch the transformation as the temperatures soared beginning early last week. Perhaps a new trend will take hold and the men will no longer be so stoic. The women escape the heat by avoiding hose and wearing sun dresses. (Fortunately for me I didn't listen to the advice and brought two pair of shorts. I haven't worn long pants now for about two weeks.)


Sadly the heat has caused over 150 people to swim in water seeking relief and then drown. Most have drowned because they were drunk and overly heated. Last week two small children drowned in a city fountain. 


The heat is also causing numerous fires. This one occurred about 1/2 mile from outside of my apartment. 

There is nothing better than waking up on a weekday morning to the smell of burning towers. It inspired me as I sweltered in my apartment finishing up a research paper on Stalin's use of propaganda in Moscow's Metro system.


I'm traveling to St. Petersburg today. It is expected to be about 15 degrees cooler because of its location on the Baltic Sea. Yeah!

Random Thoughts

As of today, I have completed three weeks of my adventure. I'll be departing for Cape Cod in two weeks. While I've enjoyed my time in the city and seeing the sights, I cannot wait to get home. Last Sunday I ceased being a tourist at the State Historical Museum on Red Square. There is only so much one can see or do before hitting sensory overload. Everything began to blur together and I was becoming frustrated so I went back to my apartment to relax and be by myself for the remainder of the day. It worked. I have been fine sense and am planning to do and see more sights later this week.

Here is a collection of random thoughts from this week:

Language Problem: After completing my second week of Russian language course, I find myself beginning to struggle. One problem is that the professor was under the impression that the students had a basic knowledge of the language. We didn't. And, therefore is moving at lightening speed. Secondly, Russian pedagogy relies on rote memorization as the foundation for teaching. I am a visual learner so it is difficult for me to process the language by only hearing it or repeating it. However, what I am picking up is being able to read the words, which was my goal prior to beginning the program. I wanted to be able to translate Russian posters from the 20th century. I am able to repeat simple phrases, such as "My name is Jeff" or "Where is the toilet, please?" Just don't ask me to translate, "Again, please, do I cut the red or the green wire first to defuse the bomb."


Drinking Problem: Russia has one of the highest rates of alcoholism in the world. After living here for three weeks I can see why this is a problem. A common 1/2 liter of beer costs 30 rubles ($1) if obtained on draft. Water or fruit-based drinks cost 40 rubles. Coke or Pepsi? 70 rubles. All of these beverages can be purchased just about anywhere from street vendors. Most restaurants sell beer and hard liquors. Even most mall food-court restaurants sell beer. In most grocery stores a 1/2 liter of common vodka can be purchased for less than 100 rubles, or about $3.25. In Moscow it is against the law to drink in public, yet everyday I pass a large number of people (mostly men) consuming a bottle or can of beer. I even seen several men openly drink beer on the Metro. Perhaps I'm being unfair to judge because I'm not suggesting that America has no problem with alcohol, because it does. American society tends to hide the problem and pretend that young people don't drink or that adults consume too much. There is a dichotomy between the societies where one hides it problem and the other is seen warts and all. 

Hot! Hot! Hot!: Moscow is currently experience an unusually hot summer, the hottest in recent memory. For the past 6 days it has reached above 90 degrees. The next five days are fore-casted to be above 95. Saturday will be 100 degrees. With a short summer season, very few buildings have air conditioning (or good ventilation) so it can become quite uncomfortable. Muscovites have a high tolerance for the warmth. In the school classrooms they are often closing windows, not opening them.  Europeans don't wear short pants and very few men above 30 wear T-shirts. Up to now I've played the role of a good traveler and have attempted to blend in with my surroundings. However, I may play the role of a typical American tourist and wear shorts for the next few days. I am too used to the cooler confines of Cape Cod and air conditioning, so it isn't easy to walk for 30 minutes on city streets to get to classes and then sit in a very warm and stuffy classroom for 4 hours of lectures. Then, I get to travel back to my warm and stuffy apartment for the evening. Ugh! As my resident director has stated often: "Russia isn't for sissies." I agree.

Mall Rat: On Tuesday following classes a colleague and myself spent over three hours in the very large European mall next to the Moscow River. While we looked around at all of the Western-based stores, the reason wasn't to shop. We were there for two things: Air Conditioning and Coca-Colas' with ice. (See above). In Russia as in Europe, ice is a rare find. Burger King sold it.

Cuban Cigar Crisis: Since there is no embargo on Cuban-made goods here in Russia I decided to purchase an H. Upmann cigar made in Havana, Cuba on Tuesday. However, as I've long suspected and have read critiques about them, the Cuban-made cigar cannot live up to its hype. Its mystique for Americans is its unavailability in the states. I usually smoke cigars made in the Dominican Republic, which smoke and taste the same but for a quarter of the price. But, a nice advantage about smoking cigars in Moscow is that you don't getting dirty looks from others, usually because they are busy smoking cigarettes. Many restaurants sell cigarettes and cigars from their food menus. The other day I sat in a the "no smoking" section of a popular restaurant. The only thing not smoking was the sign. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!