It's kind of funny to hear all of disfigurements with peoples' rooms. One student had their a glass frame in the bathroom fall down and shatter while they were gone. Katrina has no curtains over her window, forcing her to deal with the 20-hour day in Moscow when she sleeps at night. Dan and Isaac's room has no shower curtain, causing the bathroom to flood every time they need to bathe. Kailey has no lights above her head. My room has a door handle that I am forced to use as a wrench, because it falls off every time I pull too hard. All of the beds are basically leopard skin couches from the 1950's. We are given a pillow with the softness of a baseball mitt that has yet to be broken in. I heard from one student that the rooms were supposed to fall in line with communist ideology. You were not supposed to have lavish living quarters. What you got is what you got, and you should be happy that the state is providing you with a quality education. Personally, I think that Stalin was trying to be cheap (but that may just be my inner-capitalist talking).
Today, we were given a lecture by Professor Alexander Vashenko. He spoke about Russian Art History. I found the material very interesting, and despite the fact that he had a heavy Russian accent (which I usually find difficult to understand) he was very clear in the way he taught. It was neat to be able to trace the gradual transition to the communist revolution in Russian artwork. He first described Orthodox Christian art, which focused on Virgin Mary, who they refer to as "Mother." The idol of the mother was exemplified in Russian culture with the term "Mother Russia," which refers to their country as a protector that forgives struggle. In the 18th Century, the Age of Reason brought a greater focus on leaders, especially Catherine the Great. By the 19th Century, art focused on social issues such as the exploitation of workers and women's suffrage, a movement that came to be called "Realism." Art gradually became democratized until the Soviet Revolution, which is what will be discussed the next time we see him. The lecture reminded me of the interest I had in my Neoclassic to Contemporary Art History class in Geneseo. It was so fascinating how art is a such a clear representation of the general temperament during the time period
We also went to the Contemporary History Museum in Moscow. Despite this bland name, the museum was actually very engaging. Funny side story: Michelle (a group member) dropped her sunglasses over the gift shop counter when it was closed. When Alona asked an attendant if she could open it to get the sunglasses, the lady told us that it was locked and closed forever. It wasn't until Dr. Goeckel told the director that he wouldn't pay until she got her sunglasses back that he finally got the key and angrily opened up the shop. In America, a worker wouldn't hesitate to do something nice for the customer. The mentality is different in Russia. Instead of "the customer is always right" it seems as though low-level workers are taught that "the boss is always right." They are told to follow rules and that the rules are inflexible unless their higher-up says otherwise.
Goeckel told us that the museum used to be a propaganda display to celebrate the October Revolution. I can only imagine the Soviets contrasting the oppressive and unequal rule under the tsars with the communist utopia they are currently living in with the help of Vladamir Lenin. It seemed as though the museum was still trying to put a positive spin on Russia under Soviet leadership. The tour guide was very interesting and informative. It had to be the best museum we visited so far, but she left out major parts of Soviet history. For example, the tour guide mentioned that Tsar Nicholas II and his family were "put in jail" after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, neglecting to say that he was shot dead with his wife, his son, and four daughters in July 1918. She made little mention of the Gulag, the purges, and said that the death of Stalin was a time of sorrow for all except for the political prisoners that were released when Khrushchev took the reigns. She emphasized several Soviet accomplishments such as the New Economic Policy, Sputnik (the museum actually stuffed and put on display the dog that the USSR put into space), free universal education, and the industrialization under Stalin. I think this was a great opportunity for me to learn how the Communist Party tried to convince their citizens of their own success. In high school, we were taught "United States good; Soviets bad." It was easy to see how someone who went through the Russian education system would walk out of that museum thinking just the opposite.
Going back to MSU, I realized (and reminded myself several times) that I needed to do laundry. I was on my last pair of underwear and the amount of t-shirts I packed was disproportional to the unexpectedly warm weather in Moscow. Buying detergent was a difficult accomplishment in and of itself. I had to search along the counters of the MSU cleaning supply shop, only to realize that there was only powdered detergent available to use. I had to consult with Dr. Goeckel about which one to buy, as the one I had originally purchased was apparently not laundry machine safe (only in Russia can you buy laundry detergent that doesn't work in laundry machines). I eventually went down to the basement with my garbage bag full of clothing only to face the wrath of a 60 year-old lady who only spoke Russian. She was apparently the laundry room attendant and between her pointing and screaming I could gather that there was a laundry line that I had unintentionally cut. Running out of the room, garbage bag in hand, I went to eat dinner and checked back periodically to see if the line had gotten any shorter. After my fourth time checking, I finally received the golden opportunity to do my laundry. I noticed that the washers and dryers were basically the same model as in Geneseo (the signs were even in English). There were two differences, however: 1) To use both a washer and dryer, it costs 160 Rubbles (about $6) 2) Instead of the dryer lasting for 60 minutes, the Russian dryer had a time limit of 40 minutes. The result: being overcharged for a load of moistened laundry. Once again, this brings to mind another joke (queue corny Russian accent): "In Soviet Russia, you don't wash laundry. Laundry washes you."
No comments:
Post a Comment