SUMMER 2016
www.Moscowexpatlife.ru
Brits in Moscow
Brits in Moscow
HMA Dr Laurie Bristow CMG Abi Roberts in Moscow North Korea The Story of Night Flight Laika
Index Like us on facebook...
News
4-7. Community News
Community
8-9. Social Movers. Chris Helmbrecht, Don Craig & Maria Ushakova provide tips on Moscow’s social scene. 10-11. Moscow Business Networking Club 14. Photo report of St. Patrick’s Day in Moscow 15-17. Simon Green: Comedian Abi Roberts comes to Moscow 18-19. Lost In Translation. Nikita struggles with translations
Travel
20-21. Vincent Weightman: Vladimir and Suzdel (beautiful towns near Moscow) 22-23. Aleksey Lazarev: Kirillov Monastery (stunning monastery worth visiting) 24-25. Aleksey Lazarev: Plios (extraodinary small Russian town on the Volga) 26-28. Ian Luyt: North Korea
Culture
38-40. Dr. Olga Zinovieva: Constructivism in Soviet Architecture 44-46. The Chekhov Library
Useful Information
42-43. David Maltby: Getting a Residence Permit 44. Hot Water Cut Offs in Moscow 49. Hiring a Bike in Moscow
Education
46-48. EIS: About English International Schools in Moscow 49. ISM: Teaching On Puropse: Why We Invite Guest Sperakers To Moscow 50-51. The Seven Year Ditch
British Section
52-53. Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Dr Laurie Bristow CMG 54-55. The Reverend Clive Fairclough 56-58. Jonathan Salway 59. Aubrey Smith 60-62. Stephen Foreman 64-65. Pamela Omotosho 66-68. Chris Manuel 68. British Council Events 70. British Women’s Club
SUMMER 2016
Features
29. Simon Green: ‘Seeing Is Believing’ (about Deaf and Dumb people in Moscow) 30-31. Henry Smith: Anti-Aging 32-33. David Wansbrough: Icons 34-35. James Hogan: Laika the Soviet space dog 36-37. Kim Waddoup: The Story of Night Flight
Business
72-73. Chris Weafer’s column 74. Nodira Sadikova: Investment into Russia 76-77. Interview with Luke Conner, General Director of Conner & Company LLC 78. Luke Connor: The Panama Papers 79. Chet Bowling: Entrusting sales to professional staff 80-81. Kim Waddoup: Moscow Good Food Club in Sever Yug Restaurant, Hotel Standart 82-83. Kim Waddoup: Moscow Good Food Club at the Nikolas’ Restaurant
Lifestyle
84.Anna Jackson-Stevens: Summer in the City! 86. Moscow’s Bars Clubs and Restaurants
Essential Information
87-89. Community Services 90-91. Essential Information 92-94. Charities 95. Paying for your mobile phone
1
Editor’s letter
U
Moscow expat Life is very popular and copies of our magazine go fast. Order your copy on-line and have it delivered to your door. www.MoscowExpatLife.ru
2
ncertainty is something nobody likes, whether it be in business or in our private lives. Yet uncertainty is part of our lives in Moscow, it is nothing new. Now it is Britain’s turn, with the decision to stay in or out of the EU coming up on the 23rd of June. This is probably the most important decision which Brits have had to make since the Second World War. I can only hope that we have the wisdom to discover the facts and act impartially, which is very difficult to do considering the instruments of persuasion in the hands of the powers to be, the inherent lack of ability to see the global picture from a local perspective, and a natural desire to secure our short term security at the possible expense of considering the future. Our American colleagues have perhaps an even more difficult decision coming up which could be described as a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. All of this seems to put Moscow life into perspective. As Chris Weafer points out in his column, perhaps being off the front pages for a while is actually a positive thing for Russia, whilst a creeping reintegration of the country into the world’s geopolitical communities takes place almost unnoticed. In this issue it is the British community’s chance to shine. Seven British expatriates tell us of their lives, trials and tribulations whilst living in Russia. Being British myself, I find it difficult not to emphasise the shear ingenuity that we have shown over the years so as to survive here. The question is, why, oh why do we stay? Chris Manuel in his interview, compares living here to being on heroin, in the satisfaction attained when achieving a major success is so intense that it makes one come back for more, and more, and more. We are fortunate to have as our pastor Father Clive Fairclough, who in his interview reveals that he is not only no stranger to social networks but feels he is fulfilling his mission by using cutting-edge digital technology to communicate with his flock, and we are grateful to see his friendly face on our computer screens, through the portal ‘The City’ inviting us to Church. Under his stewardship St. Andrews church has become a community centre for all, and will be home on June 9-12 to a large celebration in honour of The Queen’s 90th birthday. Too many Brits have been interviewed or have written articles in this issue to mention everybody, so I hope you enjoy it, if you don’t, don’t blame me, I’m British! We feature no less than three articles on places to go for a weekend near Moscow, as we recognise that those of us staying here over the summer might not really want to explore Sudan or other exotic places (sorry Luc). Now that hotels and rail travel have improved dramatically throughout Russia, there is perhaps no real excuse not to get out and explore this vast country. Whatever you are doing this summer, enjoy it, while it lasts.
Colophon Publisher:
Kim Waddoup, kim@aigroup.ru
Editor:
John Harrison, editor@moscowexpatlife.ru
Business Development Manager: Anastasia Sukhova, anastasia@moscowexpatlife.ru
Designer:
Julia Nozdracheva, chiccone@yandex.ru
Researchers: Anastasia Soldatova Aleksandra Markova Alena Kizimova Natalia Alexandrovna
Administration: Alina Kurpas Marina Noskova
Свидетельство о регистрации СМИ ПИ № ТУ50-01602 от 15 января 2013 г. Выдано Управлением Федеральной службы по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий по Москве и Московской области Учредитель: ООО «Эй Ай Груп» Главный редактор: Джон Харрисон № 14, выход журнала 1. 06. 2016 Тираж: 30 000 экз. Цена свободная. Для аудитории: 18+
Contributors: Kim Waddoup Simon Green Nikita Chris Helmbrecht Maria Ushakova Don Craig David Wansbrough David Maltby Nodira Sadikova Vincent Weightman Aleksey Lazarev Ian Luyt James Hogan Dr. Olga Zinovieva
Editorial Address: 3rd Frunzenskaya 5, Bldg 1, Office 1 119270 Mosvcow, Russia Tel: +7 495 777 2577 www.moscowexpatlife.ru info@moscowexpatlife.ru
All rights reserved Printed by Blitzprint, Moscow Representative office: 127051, Moscow, Petrovsky Boulevard, Dom 10
Moscow expat Life occasionally uses material we believe has been placed in the public domain. Sometimes it is not possible to identify and contact the copyright owner. If you claim ownership of something we have published, we will be pleased to make a proper acknowledgement.
3
News AEB Flagship Conference The AEB held its 13th Flagship Conference ‘Russian Regions and Foreign Investors’. The conference took place on May 25th, 2016, in Moscow, at the Swissotel Krasnye Kholmy. We discussed the current state and perspectives of the Russian economy and the role the Russian regions should play in this process. For more details please visit www.aebrus.ru
Taxation Forum The AEB is pleased to invite you to Taxation Forum ‘Development of the Russian Tax System in 2016 and Prospects for 2017 – 2019’. The event will take place on June 29th, 2016 at the Ararat Park Hyatt hotel. It will highlight the recent changes in tax legislation and prospects for the next few years. For more details please visit www.aebrus.ru
Cadenza Institute
Contact : artcadenza@gmail.com +7 916 858 76 81 www.facebook.com/ CadenzaInstitute http://vk.com/ cadenzainstitute IG: cadenza_institute
The Cadenza Institute was founded by expat, Mr. Aguilar who understands the needs of the Expat community and bilingual Russian families to continue with a bilingual education in the Arts. Cadenza institute provides Music and Dance courses in the following subjects: · Contemporary music - Pop, Rock, blues, Jazz, Electronic, etc. Guitar, Saxophone, Drums, Vocals, Bass, DJ, Keyboard. · Dance lessons - Hip hop, Flamenco, Tango, African, etc. All teachers at Aguilar Institute Cadenza are energetic and experienced musicians who are passionate about teaching. Lessons are taught in English language*, max. 4 persons in a group but there’s also the option of individual lessons. *Russian, Spanish and Chinese also available on special request. The Cadenza Institute works in cooperation with ACM (Academy of Contemporary Music) to offer music summer courses in England for students from Cadenza Institute.
EIS
Encore Fitness
A new chain of health clubs, Encore Fitness, is proud to announce the opening of its flagship fitness centre at the Moscow City* OKO tower effective July 2016. With 3900 sq.m. of floors pace, the slick, ultra-modern two-story club will become the largest and most elegant fitness club in Moscow City. The club boasts a luxury thermal complex – the kind you’d expect to see in the world’s best spas, not a big-city fitness centre.
SWEA SWEA Moscow is a part of a global organisation with approximately 7000 Swedish speaking women living all over the world. We are a network for Swedish and Scandinavian women in Moscow that get together regularly for different activities where we get to know each other and explore the Russian capital. You can also join us for SWEA professional which is a plattform and networking for Swedish and International working women in Moscow. These lectures are in English. Please look at our website. moskva.swea.org
A 90th Birthday Party is worthy of celebration in any family. As an English International School, Moscow SouthWest is very conscious of its heritage, so after party games outside it was an opportunity to have a ‘Street Party’ inside, with the dress code being ‘Dressed as Princes or Princesses.’ The Guests of Honour were the British and Australian Consuls who enjoyed the party food organised by the PTA.
4
To Children With Love To Children With Love are working with Orphans in the Bryansk region. We need ongoing help as we stay with the children until after they leave their Orphanages. We change lives, this is our goal, and it works. Our sister organisation in Ireland, To Children With Love, is now working with very disadvantaged children in Ireland. They are not orphans but from very challenging family situations. Feel free to contact us, if you would like more information on our work, or you would like to donate to help us. Our Irish website is www.to childrenwithlove.ie, our Russian website www.tochildrenwithlove.ru
News British Football School British Football School will run 2 football training camps in July and August AT MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB! Based at the Etihad campus, this exciting football and English language programme is for 9-17 year olds. Participants will then receive a full football kit, training in world class facilities by UEFA coaches, English lessons and mentoring by qualified teachers and if lucky the chance to meet a legend! Call: + 7 925 433 5576 Email: camp@britishfootballschool. com Web: britishfootballschool.com/training/ holiday-camp
The American Women’s Organization The American Women’s Organization has been helping North American ex-pat ladies to socialize and have fun for 23 years in Moscow. If you are new to Moscow and want to get together with other North Americans please contact us at awomoscow@gmail.com
ISM
400 years of Shakespeare May 2016 marked the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. The International School of Moscow community celebrated the life and work of the great playwright with Elizabethan style performances and activities. A film crew from the British Council in Moscow captured some of the fun for an upcoming film about Shakespeare’s influence on international education in Russia. Classical Music for Charity Music teachers from The International School of Moscow recently held a charity concert at the Rosinka Conference Centre with all proceeds going to the Shuja Orphanage. Performing artists such as Alexey Scanavi and Dr. Paul Tkachenko, both teachers at ISM, performed a variety of classical pieces alongside their talented colleagues.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday Celebrations in St. Andrews Anglican Church and Centre. 9-12 June 2016
HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II 90th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS MOSCOW 9-12 June 2016
Thursday 9 June @ 7.00 A Gala Concert of Royal Music. This will be a unique concert honouring Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and performed by some of Moscow’s best musicians. It will be led by Judith Weir CBE (http:// www.judithweir.com/#!music/cx9x) who is the Master of the Queen’s Music. She the first woman to hold this title and is coming out from the UK to lead us in this magnificent event. The repertoire of this special performance will be diverse and based on music created for royal and British occasions over the centuries. Tickets 2500 Ru including champagne and canapés. For tickets visit www.grigoriankoncert.ru . Thursday 9 – Sun 12 Jun. An art exhibition to celebrate the Queen’s birthday through the eyes of young people from the international schools around Moscow. Thurs 9 June 1000-1800, Friday 9 June 1000-1800, Sat 10 June 1000-1800, Sun 1200 -1800. Entry 200Ru. Saturday 11th June. A Spectacular Street Party held in the grounds of St Andrew’s Anglican Church. St Andrew’s will welcome the British Ambassador and senior guests from all the commonwealth embassies to formally open the new Queen’s Garden (at the back of St Andrew’s church). This will be followed by a huge street party for 26 Commonwealth countries who will be invited come and enjoy national dishes and refreshments to share with friends from their nations. It will be spectacular afternoon of partying, entertainment, Scottish dancing and various circus acts. The party will be rounded off by the screening of quintessentially British State event the Queen’s Trooping of the Colour from Horse Guard’s Parade in London in St Andrew’s church. If your country is a member of the Commonwealth please contact your embassy for more details. Sunday 12 June @ 1100. An Ecumenical Service of Celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday. This will be a unique occasion as we will be celebrating it by enjoying a very traditional Anglican sung Matins which will include the Russian premiere of Judith Weir’s anthem which has been composed for St Paul’s cathedral, London in the presence of HM the Queen on Fri 10 June. For all further information on all the events, please visit: http://qbcmoscow.weebly.com
5
News Fedor Konyukhov’s ‘round the world’ flight preparation on a Morton hot air/ helium balloon June 2016, will witness Fedor Konyukhov’s ‘round the world’ flight on a Morton hot- air/helium balloon. Relying on advanced technologies, the well-known Russian adventurer plans to set a new solo, non-stop ‘round the world’ flight record. The flight will commence from the city of Northam in Western Australia. To become a sponsor of this project, contact Gabe at the Australian Cultural Center in Moscow gabriel@auscc.ru or on +7 916 522 9112 Official project site: http://konyukhov.ru/en/index.html The aeronautical expedition is supported by the Russian Geographical Society. This flight is Fedor Konyukhov’s first circumnavigation attempt in a hot-air/helium balloon. - The project is an excellent example of effective global cooperation from the best specialists from Russia, UK, USA, Australia, Belgium and Spain.
The history of world aeronautics have only registered two successful around the world flights: • March 1999 On their third attempt, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones set their ‘round the world’ flight record via the northern route. Starting from the Swiss mountains and finishing in the Egyptian desert, they flew 40,000 kilometers in 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes • June 2002 On his sixth attempt, Steve Fossett set his solo ‘round the world’ flight record via the southern route. Starting and finish in Australia, he flew 33,000 thousand kilometers in 13 days, 8 hours and 33 minutes. Fedor Konyukhov plans to set a new world record; retracing Steve Fossett’s flight route: Australia - Tasman Sea - New Zealand - Pacific Ocean - South America (Chile and Argentina) - Falkland Islands - Atlantic Ocean – South Africa (Cape of Good Hope) - Indian Ocean and finish in Australia. Overall distance approx. 33-35 thousand kilometers.
6
“Built specifically for this world record attempt, the Morton hot air/helium balloon has taken into account all the experience from previous ‘round the world’ flight successes and failures - elaborates one of the most famous contemporary adventurers, Fedor Konyukhov. - For example, all of the equipment nowadays, has become much lighter: implementing composite materials and nanotechnologies.”
Fedor Konyukhov’s expedition is supported by: Cameron Balloons, Breitling, Virgin Group founder - Sir Richard Branson, Toyota and many others. In 2015, Fedor Konyukhov became the Global Ambassador for Australia Zoo. Therefore, attempting his incredible feat, Fedor has also incorporated a fundraising drive to make his contribution toward the preservation of endangered species around the world. Many of the world’s species are in danger of extinction. The Wildlife Warrior team at Australia Zoo is at the forefront of groundbreaking research in the field of wildlife conservation, their techniques and results have made significant impact in wildlife circles throughout the world. A number of these threatened species are cared for by both Australia Zoo and Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors. We’re proud to be working with the zoo, to support Steve Irwin’s legacy and raising global awareness for the zoo’s mission.
News
XI Russian Open Polo
Championship at the Moscow
Polo Club
O
n June 25, 2016 the Moscow Polo Club will host the XI Russia Open Polo Championship – the most important tournament of the Russian polo calendar, organized under supervision of the Russian federation of polo players. Russian clubs will battle for victory in the longest running and most prestigious polo tournament in Russia. The event is more than just the highlight of the Russian polo season, it is also an important event for Moscow socialites, attracting a good VIP audience and receiving a lot of press coverage. Traditionally hosted at the Moscow Polo Club since its inception in 2005, the Russian Open is the ideal event to enjoy polo at its finest while enjoying the luxury associated with polo at the side of the field. Guests and players will be met by the Rodzianko family, closely associated with the revival of polo in Russia: Alexis Rodzianko, the President of the Moscow Polo Club and Misha Rodzianko, the Director of the Club and the best Russian player. Between the chukkers (periods)
guests will be invited to the field to participate in the traditional turf trampling ceremony, and the winners of the tournament, the best player and the best polo pony will be named at the end of the game. Address: Moscow Region, Dmitrov district, 56 km. of Dmitrov highway, “Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club” Guests gathering: 15:00 Game start: 16:00 Entry by tickets only: www. moscowpoloclub.com/tournaments/ (500 roubles per person or 7,500 roubles including access to the VIParea with brunch and beverages). Free for kids under 12 years old. For more information and photos please contact: Irina Efimova (Lugovaia) +7 (926) 823-1082 Irina.effimova@gmail.com Valeria Chernova +79165811390 ivaleriachernova@gmail.com
About the Moscow Polo Club: Launched in 2003, the Moscow Polo Club retuned polo to Russia after nearly 100 years of the sports’ absence during communism. The oldest and largest club in Russia relocated to the Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club in 2009 and now sits on 30 hectares of land, next door to a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. The club boasts two impeccable regulation sized polo fields designed by Alejandro Battro, one practice field surrounded by a 1 km track, and an outdoor arena and stables that can accommodate up to 80 polo ponies. The Moscow Polo Club hosts the majority of tournaments and meetings of the Russian polo season. The winter season lasts from midJanuary to mid-March. The summer season lasts from mid-May to midSeptember. The Moscow Polo Club also houses a Polo Academy, which has brought up a good number of Russia’s players.
7
Community Maria Ushakova
Don’t miss a fantastic opportunity to smell English roses at the newly built ‘Queen’s garden,’ here in Moscow! Our summer will start with a huge celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday at the Anglican church of St. Andrews. On the 24 of June, we pay our highest regards to the French community and it’s cultural legacy by organizing ‘La Fete de la Musique’ celebration, together with my friends from letheatre.ru and other partners and singers. Following the steps of the French Statue of Liberty, let’s move to the USA. As part of the 4th of July celebration, we will be throwing a huge party, with Country music; our favourite Dok & Dan beer and traditional American
Don Craig
So let me start by saying that life here isn’t for the weak of heart but if you have stuck around, then you know there are still things to do. The month of March was crazy with bad weather; you didn’t know whether or not to bundle up for an
8
food prepared by a great American chef, John Jr. Ludham. That’s only possible if Moscow Polo Club and the American Chamber of Commerce don’t steal my beer sponsor, Dok & Dan brewery away from me for THEIR regular yearly celebration activities:) But, after all, the founder of this Russian brewery is AMERICAN. Usual business: The Moscow Expat Travel Club gathers regularly for excursions and short trips around Moscow and beyond. One interesting trip coming up includes: a visit to the first Russian Arms and Guns manufacturer on the 23rd of June. Sometime in July, I am throwing a party at an exclusive villa in Tuscany, Italy, only 15 bedrooms, but, this should be a great experience! All the guests are millionaires and the villa belongs to a rich lady Х. She bought the entire city of Sienna, including its numerous thermal water resorts. I gave myself one
month to learn Italian, and I do hope my Italian friends will appreciate my efforts. I could even be useful to their expat community too. As Moscow expat Life magazine has already put the beautiful country ‘Armenia,’ on the map, we at some point this summer, plan to be visit that country for a wine and cognac special tour. I especially recommend you to visit Voskevaz winery, run by an amazing Oganesyan family of three sons! One is a fashion artist based in LA, the second is a jewellery artist, based in Moscow and the third is a wine artist based in Armenya. They are the most generous people I know! Also in July, I am organizing a Greek traditional dinner on one of the most beautiful roof terraces in Moscow, and luckily of my good friend’s, Tim Kasper’s apartment. He does not know about it yet, though:) I hope, once he reads this, he will approve my idea and support it:) Caterpillar – forever!
Where do I go out to eat in Moscow? Well, for now, I am not going out a lot, but, from August onwards, when the restaurant of my dreams finally opens, I will be eating at Maxim Syrnikov’s restaurant, as I absolutely adore this chef. Look him up, Maxim Syrnikov – he’s the best:) . I am still running the Moscow Amateur Theatre and I am planning to bring some shows from London to Moscow, but I need sponsorship! If anyone wants to sponsor my theatre, here is my email: maushakova@gmail. com And, never forget to support Kim’s magazine, that you are holding in your hands, it’s not an easy task to publish a magazine in such economically challenging times. I believe that only together, we may remain strong! Using the words of the Greeks who worked for the Italian mafia in the USA: ‘Una faccia una razza!’ :) Birds of same feathers flock together! Let’s flock then...
artic blast or find your spring jacket. April wasn’t so bad but you could see in the bars and restaurants that people just weren’t going out as much as they use to. With May came the holidays and Moscow became a ghost town though the late night clubs still seem to have a strong pulse as I can see the traffic and taxis lined up outside of Krysha Mira as I walk my new pup Scruffy in the morning down along the Moscow River. We opened the new off-shoot of Papa’s Bar & Grill called the Papa’Zoo Bar which is gaining
traction day by day with the Papa’s branded nightly promotions adding in live music to the mix, which, as you all know, is my signature move. Whether you like Rockabilly, Cover Groups, Latino, or just feeling like dusting off your instrument and coming over for a jam you can be sure to find something interesting at Papa’Zoo (Including our weekend New Year’s Ever Parties). The streets are coming to life for the summer season so as always I am looking forward to spending time and visiting all the great parks in and
around Moscow. Make sure though to get your supplies from your local super market before leaving since the Kiosks are disappearing quickly. Note for the future, those of you who love Vilnius or use it for you Visa run keep in mind that my friends and I will be opening a new ‘Donnie’s Bar & Grill’ there early fall 2016. Until next time take care and enjoy! Follow me ion twitter at @DonCraig777 & runaway777 on Instagram
Community Chris Helmbrecht
We are entering the best time of the year. The grim looks of Muscovites faces are changing to positive smiles and the skirts of the ladies are getting shorter and shorter. For us party makers this is one of the best seasons of the year. Lets start with one of Moscow’s best-kept secrets, Suzuran Bar at Sverchkov Ul.8. You will arrive and stand in front of a big metal gate and a door will let you enter the yards. On the left, just near the gate, you’ll find a pretty normal door with a small metal plate, saying you have finally found Suzuran. Ring the bell and enter into a stylish Avant-garde bar. Although the creators had Japan and Mangas in mind (Suzuran), the bar looks typically Berlin underground and besides rock music (during the week), they feature techno and techhouse. Suzuran is not a club, but a tiny secret bar, where you can enjoy delicious cocktails (choose your sin!) and listening to good music. Tables are free to take (if there is a free one). Most of all, this place is really friendly and comfortable. A real alternative to the well-known Mendeleev Bar. The Suzuran is one
of my favourite hangouts these days. Artel Bessonnitsa (aka ‘Insomnia’), will open its summer terrace and feature some of Germanys best techno DJs and Ibizas house DJs this summer. The small and cosy terrace will definitely be the favourite hangout of Moscow’s rich and beautiful. Russia’s most known fashion designer Dennis Simachev has opened yet another venue. What was meant to be a fight club and elite gym at first, turned into a club and bar as well. ‘Hooligan’ is beautifully designed and has a downstairs room with a fight ring, where the girls are dancing and a tech houseroom upstairs, with a terrace and an open fireplace, for cold summer nights. ‘Hooligan’ is just across from Jagger. Duran Bar, Moscow’s shining 1-year-old star, just opened a new room, which also features a terrace during the summer. ‘Liberty Room’ is meant to be a contrast to Duran Bars main room and features techno and tech-house. Yes, you’ve read about these music styles before in this column and it means that this is the hot stuff this summer. Techno is the new EDM! ‘Liberty Room’ and is meant to be the melting pot between the creative, tattooed, sneaker wearing and the suits and cocktail dresses. But don’t let that fool you. Its still the #1 place for the rich and beautiful and super hard to get in.
As the summer season starts, you’ll find Moscow’s coolest underground DJs playing on Rodnya’s roof as well as on the balconies of Time Out Bar. Both features the Who’s Who of Moscow’s best DJs and the occasional guest DJ from abroad. Open air of course. Try my favourite Moscow Mule, when you are at Time Out Bar. Looking for a busy weekday place with good cocktails and live music (every day!). The makers of Mendeleev Bar just opened a new venue, called ‘Kerosin,’ which is just what you were looking for. The only downer is the 500 rouble cover fee, but that also gets you a free drink. Motel is still one of the city’s hot spots these days. The owner of Rolling Stone Bar opened this stylish retro place last autumn and the bar/ club features various rooms, looking like a 1970s/1980s motel. It’s not so easy to get inside,
but definitely worth a try. What about Rolling Stone Bar and Gipsy? Kindergartens. The average age of the guests in these places is 21. So if you are somewhat of a paedophile, go check it out. That leaves me with my two living rooms and all favourite places in Moscow: Mendeleev Bar and Krysha Mira. There is not much more to say about these legendary venues. Great (and crazy) people, good music and fun. Both not easy to enter, but worth trying ;-) Here is my rundown on good places. Just Google the name + Moscow and you’ll find more information about it. In no order: Jagger, Hooligan, Duran Bar, Kvartira, Krysha Mira, Motel, Mendeleev Bar, Artel Bessonnitsa, Siberia, So Ho Rooms, Duran Abr & Liberty Room, Kerosin, Time Out Bar, 8 Oz (Sundays!), Rodnya, Lebedenoe Ozero.
Now enrolling for 2016-2017 school year! Camp with us all summer long!
+7(495)777 10 69 M 1905goda
M Arbatskaya
M Izmailovo
M Myakinino
9
Community
H
eld on May 18th the third Moscow Business Networking Club took place in NightFlight Bar & Restaurant. More than 70 Moscow executives from a vast range of businesses attended to make the most of the opportunity to meet new contacts with a view to future business. As always the NightFlight team produced an excellent buffet and ensured that the evening ran smoothly by keeping the glasses filled! The Offley port team ensured a free flow of delicious port-based cocktails.
10
In his opening speech Kim Waddoup re-iterated that “the principal of the Moscow Business Networking is for networking! No interruptions, no presentations and high quality colleagues all eager to make business.� Judging by the earnest looks on most people faces as they exchanged business cards it was a most successful event that will result in an increase of business. The next Moscow Business Networking Club will take place on September 28th Registration at www.MoscowexpatLife.ru/ Networking/
Community
11
News
Embassies of the World Dinner and Ball – Butterfly Ball 2016
T
he advent of spring in Moscow brings not only the promise of the sun and longer days but also the delightful occasion of the Annual IWC Embassies of the World Dinner and Ball. The Butterfly themed Ball of 2016 was held in the iconic Metropol hotel in the heart of the city. The grand stained glass roof hall with a marble fountain adorning the centre was a perfect venue for the Ball. By the time the Ball started, the evening had already kicked in with the Dinner that was hosted this year by the Chilean, Luxembourg and the Slovenian Embassies. Nearly a hundred more guests dined in the
12
Bryusov Hall of the Metropol as well. A live piano recital welcomed the guests to the Ball. After a bit of mingling, some guests took to the dance floor to the music and songs played by the Mokkojazz band. The evening was yet to heat up with riveting dance performances by the Ballet Sharm troupe, which commenced after the IWC President Victoria Seligo announced the Ball open. The dancers made the guests also swing to the music of Russkie Cadril. There was a very impressive array of Raffle prizes on display from gourmet chocolate hampers, luxury perfumes and silk scarves, designer hats, hotel and restaurant vouchers,
silver, enameled and costume jewellery to branded suitcases and voucher for men’s suit and women’s gowns! There were 163 Raffle prizes from 38 generous donors. The silent auction for the Bentley driving experience was very popular with the guests. All this was happening while the guests enjoyed a free flow of drinks including various wines, Martini, Bacardi and even beer. The delectable cocktail menu spread was enjoyed by one and all. The remarkable host of the evening held the evening together along with the DJ. The guests continued dancing to the singer Zaali’s foot- tapping songs.
News
Thank you to all our over two hundred wonderfully dressed guests for attending and to all the partners for their generous donations towards the event. We would like to also extend our special thanks to all our supporting Media Partners. This year we have raised 1.785 million roubles from the EDB event. All funds will go towards the charities supported by the IWC. This year’s dinner and ball was supported by: Participating Embassies: Chile, Luxembourg and Slovenia. Supporting Embassies: Australia, Canada, Germany, Hungary,
Moldova, New Zealand, Slovakia, The USA and Turkmenistan. Presenting Partner: The International School of Moscow. EDB Event Partner: Baccardi Martini, Magic Group, The Dokn-Dan Brewing, Peter Justesen, Danone. Photographers: Andrius Maiminas, MoveOne, CHILL MAKERS. Media Partners: Moscow in Your Pocket, Moscow expat Life, My Destination, Le Courrier de Russia. Raffle Partners: Asian Spirit, Audi, Baci Perugina, Bikram Yoga, Bentley Russia, Carré Russe, Catherine Chapeaute, Darbars, Dutch Jewellery
Creations, EisenBerg, Expat Salon, Glasremis, Imperial Tailoring, Lindt, L’Occitane, LuzzAccessories, MEDINCENTER, Metropol, Moscow Country Club Golf Resort, NewBy Teas, Palais de Thés, Peter Justesen, Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Sochi, Radisson Blu Moscow, Raiffeisenbank, Roberto Bravo, Samsonite, Shoes of Prey, Timeless values, Zavidovo Resort Complex. Silent Auction Partner: Exposed – A Space for Art, Bentley Russia. Gift Bag Partners: International School of Moscow, Lindt, NewBy Teas, Palais de Thés, Danone. Food & Venue: Hotel Metropol.
13
Community
Brits Abi
! o o T h Laug
it H s t r e Rob
Simon Green
N 14
othing had prepared me for the arrival of Abi Roberts, British stand-up comedian extraordinaire, who blew
s
To w n
in like a cyclone out of nowhere, and announced herself to an unsuspecting audience, including your scribe, in no uncertain terms. I was fortunate enough to be among the eclectic few who had descended into a basement club called Jim’N’Jacks, a characterful speak-easy comedy club in central Moscow, to bear witness to a maelstrom of hilarious anecdotes, delivered at the velocity of a Kalashnikov whose bullets hit home with relentless accuracy. Among the privileged few were an assortment of ladies and gentlemen of various persuasions, ranging from the UK, USA, Serbia and quite a sprinkling from Russia, equally split between
genders. Abi’s background hails from Wales and she studied Russian and Italian at the University of Swansea before embarking on her second journey to Russia, following a spell in the 80’s here with her stepfather who was an attaché at the British embassy here. In the early 90’s she returned to study opera singing at the unique and prestigious Conservatoire- the end product is amply and skillfully demonstrated at various points in her show. To get to this level was no mean feat as her first three weeks, she informed us in the audience, comprised of singing just three notes repeatedly to prepare her solar plexus for the inevitable onslaught later. This fact I could identify with from my own chorister days at Canterbury Cathedral, and our early days consisted of five notes, but we were lucky enough to have a couple of arpeggios thrown into the equation! I was fortunate to meet the delightful Abi both before and after her performance. First impressions,
Community with her wild frizzy hair that could easily have born witness to an electric shock at some point, were of a slightly demur person, dignified and intelligent, as well as maintaining modesty and decorum, almost to the point of being deferential. However, all that is thrown away in spectacular fashion, once she gets up on the stage, having first been ‘warmed up’ by the extremely vociferous and gloriously uproarious support comedian Nikolai. The lady I had just encountered underwent a startling metamorphosis before my very eyes as she proceeded to own the stage and audience alike. Thoroughly engaging, she encapsulated us, having first adopted her ‘stooge’ sitting in the first row – a slightly loud-mouthed American who became the unwitting agent into her plan, eliciting gales of laughter from the enthralled audience. Fyodor Dostoyevsky (which she reminded us had a metro station named after him) had this to say on the matter of good humour: “If you
wish to glimpse inside a human soul and get to know a man, don’t bother analysing his ways of being silent, of talking, of weeping, of seeing how much he is moved by noble ideas; you will get better results if you just watch him laugh.” Abi delivers in spades, and is a far cry from when she returned to Blighty after her stint here in the Conservatoire, and announced to her mother that she wanted to become a stand-up comic. We shared a good giggle at our respective mothers and their reactions to the exploits of their errant offspring, and Abi ventured that both our mothers would have had endless mutual topics to discuss about us in none too favourable a manner. I well remember announcing to my mother that I had decided to leave Barclays bank after just a few months of utter boredom, and her face was ashen with shock and incredulity, not to mention chagrin. “How can you do this to me, and what will the village say?” This had Abi nodding sagely as this was a more than familiar battle cry that was played with monotony of a
15
Community
broken record player. “They’ll probably congratulate me,” I retorted, but it fell on deaf ears. “Wait till your father gets home!” I often wondered if there was a special school that parents attended to learn clichés with which to lambast their wayward children. My Russian friend, Allyona, who sat next to me throughout, offered some interesting insights at the end while we both chatted with Abi with a couple of drinks to hand. Having heard Abi speak in impeccable Russian, she confided to me that Abi was a Brit who had sort of lost her identity as there was still a plethora of Russia in her ‘lost soul,’ demonstrated by her tales when she takes us through her experiences like sitting down before a long journey with loved ones; her avid descriptions of how revered family are here compared back home where we shove the elderly into an old people’s home at the first sign of ‘anno domini,’ whereas the ‘babushka’ is the revered matriarch of the household. Abi’s 1980’s and 1990’s influence is highly prevalent to the point when she returned home singing in a heavy Russian accent! Abi took us through her university life with a lovely mix of sassy humour, self-deprecation and pizzazz. Her sexual antics were something we
16
could all identify with, and I found myself wandering back to halcyon days when we were 18 and my alma mater, Kings Canterbury, organized a dance with Benenden Girls School, one of the finest ladies school in the country where no less a person than Princess Ann attended. Both sets of participants were squaring up to each other 25 meters apart, separated by the ubiquitous and inviting ‘punch’ bowl, not helped by some of us surreptitiously adding a few shots of vodka and cognac. Suddenly both sets of girls and boys, as if pulled by a magnet, joined forces on the dance floor, then pretty soon exited into the ample grounds for potential sexual discovery. The Headmistress, well versed in the shenanigans of youthful indiscretions, spent her time pulling couples out from behind trees and in bushes- literally and metaphorically! It was at this point that the ladies in the audience fell quiet while the men exclaimed ribald approval. Russian ladies are very coy about such private matters, while their British counterparts shed all inhibitions when fuelled with booze, a sharp comedian and a captive audience. Naturally this all changes when you manage to go through the looking glass on to the other side, and coyness becomes the
very antithesis- but you have to coerce them there first! Abi’s singing prowess plays a major part in her show, with various snippets and excerpts on display with welcome regularity, given her undoubted talents and powerful, resonating voice that was a joy to behold. Indeed, in our subsequent radio interview with our esteemed editor, John Harrison, he managed to persuade her to perform a 15 second aria with which to announce the broadcast. This tied in beautifully with her ‘blurred lines’ routine with Shakespearian theme, prompting a truly wonderful rendition of song, dance and sublime anecdotal offerings with which to bring her endearing act to a close amidst rapturous applause. As the great man wrote in The Merchant of Venice: ‘With mirth and laughter let all wrinkles come’ – and so say all of us. Thank you, Abi, for bringing a new dimension to Moscow life, hitherto unseen, and please come back here and play to larger audiences, as more Russians would love to be exposed to your unique brand of humour, play on words, and your brilliant ability to go to the edge of the envelope whilst still maintaining decency and decorum.
Community
in
So
r
k
St
16 0
’s rick Day 2 t a P
ko l n iki P a
17
Community
Lost
in Translation
I
’m lost. On my phone, on my map and in real life. I try to decipher the name of the street, but it is impossible to work out the display. Thanks to microtechnology, I can’t even work out if the characters are from the English or Cyrillic alphabet. by Nikita And then thank God, help arrives. I love the Anglo-Saxon expat always full of kindness towards others. An international communal glue. I crumple the map and we move together. The conversation is inevitable, with the usual routine questions: “Where are you from? How long have you been in Moscow? What are your impressions of the city?” Amazingly, it transpires though that my ‘guide’ is indeed Russian and not an expat. How is this possible with such a perfect British accent? I congratulate her. She explains that she teaches diction to Russians that already know English well and adds that the choice to become a Pygmalion was required, since it is no longer in fashion to work as a spy …captivating! I soon discover many aspects of Russians, specifically the local multilingualism and I categorise it. Those over 45, especially females might speak French; men over 65 tend to know German; under the age of 25, with headphones attached to their ear speak English well, but, as in any part of the world, do not know how to give directions, as they do not even know where they are. Russians between 25 and 45 years old are lovers of Italian and Spanish holidays and their respective languages. There are those who learn Polish and Czech since the Russian economic market still relies heavily on the former Soviet Union. Finally, there are all the foreigners coming from the Commonwealth of Independent States, who often speak Russian in addition to their mother tongue. I suspect that communication difficulties are not mainly due to the knowledge of languages, but rather to cultural or social factors. How many times have people asked a question in English or another language (or even in Russian) and been subjected to a shake of the head or even complete ignorance? It is not because people are necessarily rude or unwilling to help but because they do not know the appropriate response. This lack of collaboration in Moscow (like other big cities of the world) is because it is full of immigrants who simply do not know the
18
Community
city, or Muscovites, segregated in the suburbs, where housing costs less, who do not recognise any longer a city in perpetual change. Undoubtedly helpful for understanding Russian is the many words adopted from Western European languages such as Latin, Greek, French, Dutch, German and English. Once you learn the Cyrillic alphabet, these terms release their meaning: restoran, bar, kafe, taksi, aeroport, trotoir, aptieka,
"Moto-Courier Service" LLC Office: +7 (495) 626 63 63 Email: office@motomsk.ru www.motomsk.ru 9 Vasilievskaya st. Moscow | 123056 | Russia Egor Poukhov | Director Mobile: +7 (916) 929 81 29
biblioteka, supermarket etc. For fellow Europeans this makes learning other European languages much easier than we realise, especially when comparing it with some Asian languages, for which, after aeons of intensive study and the learning of numerous characters, can still result in only the very basic of understanding. The communication, however, is not one-sided: often, we ourselves are questioned in Russian. How strange – since we are
not Russians and we would expect that this shows, almost like being a Caucasian in Africa or in Asia. It’s like if an Italian in Rome would ask for directions to a man in short sleeves, shorts, socks and sandals! Clearly, not an Italian. But in Moscow it is possible, because the city is a melting pot of ethnic groups, like London or New York, with different languages, religions, traditions and customs. The moral is: learn the Cyrillic alphabet, dust off the basics of a second European language which will guarantee you elementary communication. Trust in the gestures of a Russian, or take up Russian classes – one to one, in groups, in private schools or for the more ambitious at University, and let yourself be carried away by the charm of this challenging language with its complex grammar. Satisfaction, sooner or later, will come. And even though you may not read the beloved Pushkin in its original language, you will feel, more integrated and autonomous in your stay in Moscow.
All your mail in and around Moscow delivered within one hour! ∙
Accurate and timely mail delivery is an important component of any business and without doubt Moscow poses many different challenges. Heavy traffic and bad weather both regularly cause problems which can result in customer dissatisfaction and the perception of poor service from customers and suppliers alike
∙
Moto-Courier Service LLC has been established to deal with these issues smoothly and efficiently and to ensure that your company can deliver it’s promises and keep your clients satisfied and happy
∙
Moto-Courier Service LLC has the right experience and capacity to deliver a first class service within the boundaries of the Moscow MKAD and beyond
∙
Our clients are important to us and we offer a true partnership arrangement. Your needs will always be our top priority
∙
We operate the whole year round
19
We speak English
Travel
A WEEKEND TRIP -
Vladimir and Suzdal Vincent Weightman
W
e all love a holiday but we’re not all blessed with the money and time to enjoy them as often as we would like. Moscow is surrounded by affordable and interesting places to go to on day trips or weekends that will have you returning to work feeling like you have been away for a week. These places are easy to access (regardless of your level of Russian), culturally rewarding and an incredibly relaxing way to spend a day or two away from the hectic, hustle and bustle of real life in Russia.
Vladimir and Suzdal 1. Get there early and drop off your luggage These two centres are close to each other; the easiest way to get there is by train to Vladimir, from
20
there you get to Suzdal easily. The early morning trains tend to be quite quiet with the 9:30 train from Kurskaya station getting you into Vladimir at a respectable 11:15. When you arrive, the train and bus station are opposite each other and if you are travelling with luggage, it’s well worth venturing to the top floor of the bus station to dump your bags for a bargain 100 roubles per item. That leaves you free to explore Vladimir baggage free, and is especially useful before embarking on the short but steep, uphill walk towards Bolshaya Moskovskaya (the main and only real street) in Vladimir. 2. View of the Valley in the sunshine Go straight to the dominant and commanding Cathedral of the Assumption and walk straight past it (don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere!) to the ‘smatrovaya ploshchadka’ / observation deck overlooking the valley below. A manmade beach, pokes out of the dark green forest that covers as far as the eye can see, while the shimmering, light blue water of the Klyazma snakes its way towards and through the horizon. The air is clean, the sky is clear and if it was raining, you could easily be confused into thinking you were
looking over the glorious and picturesque west coast of Scotland or Ireland (famous for similar scenes). 3. Walk part of the Gulag route and enjoy an ice cream Following the walk, the sights and the postcard photography session of the outside and inside of the mightily impressive Cathedral of the Assumption, it’s time to relax and refuel. Whether you stop for lunch, beer or just a coffee, it is imperative that you make the walk up towards the Golden Gates of Vladimir (a 1795 reconstruction of the 1164 original) armed with an ice cream. Russian ice cream is creamier than Western ice cream and a delicious indulgence that locals can’t get enough of – you’re doing lots of walking and on holiday so treat yourself!
Travel
4. Taxi to Suzdal and Kremlin visit Head back to the bus station, grab your bag and jump in a taxi to the idyllic oasis that is super Suzdal. Say or show any taxi driver your desired address (a variety of accommodation can be booked easily online ranging from the very respectable Godzillas Hostel to the beautiful Svetliy Terem Guesthouse), then sit back and relax. 600 roubles will see you the 25km’s to your door and taxi is an intimate way to view the rolling, green countryside and classical farming methods as an eclectic range of traditional izba’s, community factories and other landmarks of the past are pointed out by your tour guide come taxi driver along the way. Suzdal’s Kremlin is a relaxed and sprawling green, grassy area with an impressive range of photo
worthy onion domes, bell towers and a reasonably priced refectory restaurant named Trapeznaya for when hunger strikes. Regardless of when you visit, give yourself a good hour and a half to wander aimlessly around and at least ten minutes to admire the incredible blue and gold peaks which the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral has to offer as the clock tower bells chime happily. 5. Relax by the river with a Medovukha Do as the locals do! Whether you’re floating about on a rubber ring in the sunshine, jumping in from the bridge joining the Museum of Wooden Architecture and glorious Kremlin or simply dipping a toe in from one of the many, manmade platforms dotted along the moat like Kamenka river that wraps itself around this diamond of the Golden Ring – no trip is complete without feeling the cold, refreshing water of the river lazily ease the worries from your head, body and mind! To reach peak relaxation, grab a Medovukha (honey beer) and sit in the sun
whilst watching old dedushkas and babushkas scything grass for hay as their well-fed, big cow stands patiently, waiting to carry a load off to market, and busy little chickens root around freely looking for bugs. It’s like you’ve been taken into a whole new era, never mind place. Return to Moscow at a reasonable hour on Sunday, get home and have a good night’s sleep. When you wake up on Monday, and head to work – take a second to reflect and try to remember a better (or longer) weekend.
21
Travel
Photos and text by Aleksey Lazarev
The Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery and the ‘Russian North’ National Park lazarev.alexsey@gmail.com
T
his stunning monastery is located on the banks of the Siverskoye Lake near the town of Kirillov, in Russia’s Vologodskaya region. Its history starts back in 1394 when the monk Kirill Belozersky created a cave on the bank of Siverskoje Lake. Up to the 18th century, the monastery served as a fortified outpost on the road from Moscow to Arkhangelsk in the North. It was also a famous pilgrimage centre, one of the largest religious and political centres in Russia, and a hideout for political opponents, as many monasteries were in Russia. The centre includes: the ‘Big Uspensky Monastery’, ‘The Small Ivanovsky Monastery’ and the New Town. The most interesting building is the ‘Big Uspensky Cathedral’, built in 1497, with frescos dated 1641-1650. The cathedral was, astonishingly, erected within the five summer months of 1497. In the period of 1612-1617 the monastery withstood the attacks of Polish and Lithuanian invaders. Its current appearance is thanks to the commands of Russian Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich (1645-76), who ordered that a mighty fortress be built in the location. Construction of the fortress took 30 years, and it became the most powerful stronghold in Russia in terms of size and artillery firepower.
22
Travel
How to get there: The best way is to go by train from Yaroslavsky Station to the town of Vologda, and then by buss (129 km). You may also go by car from Moscow (about 600 km). In summer you can cruise along the Volgo-Baltu Canal. But in this case you will have only a 3-4 hour stop for sightseeing, which is not enough. This is a long weekend trip.
There is an ancient wooden church in the New Town, built in 1485 which you should also see. Thanks to its history and picturesque landscape, Kirillov and its vicinity have been declared a national park: ‘The Russian North’. There are a lot of Hotels and Guest Houses in the area, and rooms can be booked on the internet.
23
Travel
Travelling to Plios Photos and text by Aleksey Lazarev
See a historic town on the Volga The small town Plios is in north eastern Russia, 71 kilometres from the regional town Kostroma. It is located on the Volga river just in the mouth of the small river Shokhanka. Plios was founded in 1410 by the Moscow prince Vasilii I, the son of Governor Dmitri Donskoi. Vasilii came first to Kostroma to escape from a Tartar khan. He ordered the construction of a
24
customs strong point on a bank of the Volga from where the enemy could be seen from far away. From the end of the 18th century for a hundred years, Plios played a vital role in the printed cotton trade. But from 1871, due to the construction of the railway between Ivanovo and Kineshma, Plios went into decline. It became a small provincial town where people enjoyed country life and folk arts. One of the most famous
Russian painters Isaak Levitan spent three summer holidays here. Besides. The town was visited by the famous Russian painters Ilya Repin and Aleksei Savrasov, and the opera singer Feodor Shalyapin. In 1982, Plios and its vicinity were declared a state historical and architectural National Park, which now includes The House of Isaak Levitan, The Museum of Landscape Art and the Ivanov Area Folk Arts Exhibition.
Travel
How to get there: The best way is to go by car (400 km). Budget trips are possible by bus from the bus Terminal at Tschelkovskaya (Metro station). The bus departs at 11.15 and 18.50. Guided tours by car or mini-bus are affordable. lazarev.alexsey@gmail.com
25
Travel
Travels in North Korea Sylvain Cheze
26
Pyongyang. Day One. The first thing that strikes one is the relative proximity of North Korea. The capital, Pyongyang is only a 90-minute flight from Beijing. Condensate drips from the ceiling of the Air Koryo Tupolev but otherwise it’s quite a comfortable flight. No photos allowed, we’re told. The cabin crew is immaculately turned out in the airline’s new navy blue uniforms. The service on board is pleasant, and the meal consists of a cold mini hamburger and local cola. The in-flight magazine has no advertising, no frequent flyer promotions, in fact there’s nothing commercial about it. Rather, it’s a procession of photographs of monuments, factories, farms, kindergartens and the military. Welcome to North Korea!
Travel
Pyongyang has a brand-new airport. We land in bright sunshine. Immigration is brisk and we pass through quickly. Customs is more intense. They ask to see any books, magazines, other printed matter. Mobile phones are taken away “for registration” (foreign phones do not anyway work on the local network). Laptops and iPads are opened and inspected. “Do you have any movies, any YouTube material?” The customs official looks through my apps and files. I have the movies Searching for Sugarman and The Quiet American on my iPad. He plays each one for a few seconds, smiles, and hands the device back. The inspection is professional and pleasant and we’re out in the arrivals hall in about 30 minutes to be greeted by two guides assigned by KITC, the Korean International Travel Corporation. No independent tourism is allowed in North Korea and all travel must be arranged with KITC and accompanied by their guides. We introduce ourselves. “I am Miss Pak and this is Mister Kim”, the guide announces. Officially, it’s the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK. You may take photos of the airport
building, our guide announces. However, she adds, there are three restrictions to photography in North Korea: no photos of the military, no photos of construction sites, and photos of the statues of leaders must be full-body shots (no close-up head shots, no pointing hands, etc). The double roadway into the city has little traffic: a few trolleybuses and trucks. It’s a nice contrast coming from the seemingly perpetual congestion of Beijing. We pass teams of men and women repairing the road verges. The work is all manual: people are squatting with hand tools or pushing barrows. On first impression, the countryside looks like parts of Central Asia, with similar trees and fields. They apply white paint around the bottom of trees just like they do in that region.
Pyongyang is cleaner than any city I’ve visited. I imagine this is partly because there is no private commerce in North Korea and consequently little or no consumer trash. This also seems the kind of place where the penalty for littering is severe. Everything appears well maintained, albeit a bit worn and outdated. Billboards consists only of propaganda slogans or painted images of leaders in various modes of pointed guidance: “Let us brilliantly inherit and develop the glorious revolutionary traditions of our Party!” And so on. There is a constant flow of pedestrians walking or waiting for buses, or cycling. Some of them look up and return a wave but most ignore us. Pyongyang hosts a few thousand tourists every year and has done so for several years; consequently, the rather scruffy foreign tour groups are probably no longer a novelty. Our first stop is the Arch of Triumph, built to commemorate the resistance to Japanese rule. The guide informs that “this is also the spot where our Eternal President, Comrade Kim il Sung, first addressed the people upon his triumphant return to Pyongyang”. Hence the name: Triumphant Return Square! The square is marked by a large mural, which depicts a young Kim addressing an apparently enthusiastic crowd. The arch is modeled on the more well known one in Paris. Only that it’s 10 meters higher, we’re told. She rolls off dates and numbers with fluency: there are exactly 25,550 granite blocks in the structure. Each block represents a day in the life of the Great Leader up until the day the arch was opened, his 70th birthday. I’m amazed by the apparent strength of feeling towards the Japanese. Their occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945 is something that few of us in the West have any knowledge about; the hurt lingers on in North Korea some two generations later, kept alive no doubt by the incessant propaganda. We pass through the city center, which, to my surprise, is filled with
27
Travel
modern high-rise buildings. I had expected shorter, drab structures, something more akin to the 1970s, communist-style. The area bustles with traffic, although nowhere near the congestion of most capital cities. There are small kiosks dotted about, but no shops evident in the center. Maybe they’re simply not noticeable due to the absence of advertising. Maybe it’s because as rumored few of the new buildings are occupied. However, there are however flags and banners at every turn. Sweep away defeatism, self-preservation, expediency and self-centeredness! There are few privately run cars in North Korea. We’re told these cars have an orange number plate, and I see only one during my five days in country. North Korea manufactures its own brand of cars and the “Pyeonghwa” (meaning “peace”) is pointed out. Trolleybuses and trams are also made locally, mostly engineered from Soviet models (and, more recently, from Chinese and Korean ones). I have a sense of déjà vu, having seen the same assortment of public transport in the former Soviet Union. There are traffic police at every intersection. They are smartly turned out in blue and white, a bright contrast to the drab olive of the military. The women twirl and pirouette in jointed movements, with style, salute the occasional big-shot; they seem conscious of and to enjoy the attention the process brings. You may take photographs of the traffic police, we’re told. We check into the Yanggakdo International Hotel: 47 floors high, over 1,000 rooms, with a casino in the basement, and a revolving restaurant on the top floor.
28
Everything has been arranged by KITC, so check-in takes only a few minutes. The guide informs us that we may walk around the car park, but must not leave the hotel premises. Foreign tour groups appear to be the hotel’s only occupants this week. “Please hand in your passports”. Yes, for registration. That’s the last we see of our documents until we leave the country at the end of the week. The hotel is comfortable and clean and reminds me of the large Soviet-era hotels in Russia and Ukraine although I read subsequently that a French company built it in the 1990s. The hotel is located on an island in the Taedong River, which splits Pyongyang, and the view down the river at twilight is spectacular. Like any big city the view is of skyscrapers, monuments, mass housing and factories. Just no advertising and few street lights visible anywhere. We head out immediately to visit the Grand Monument of the Leaders on Mansudae Hill. Tomorrow is 9th September, the anniversary of the founding of the DPRK in 1948, and one of the year’s big occasions on which to pay homage to the Leaders. There are busloads of people heading up to the statues as we arrive. A steady tide follows, groups of soldiers (“No photos, please,” we’re reminded) and what appear to be organized groups of office or factory workers. They wait quietly in line, each group carrying flowers. Our group is asked to buy a bunch of flowers at a kiosk on the way up. “Five euros” we soon understand is the standard price for flowers for foreigners when bowing to monuments in North Korea. The
guide announces the procedure: we approach the statues in a line abreast; someone elected by the group goes forward to place the flowers; everyone must bow in formation. It’s all rather dignified, no chatter, no emotions showing, almost like a ritual. I look at the faces of the people, but it’s impossible to say what they are thinking. Most avoid eye contact. For most, my sense is probably nothing at all; this is just something you do if you live there. The groups walk up in line, place flowers, bow and walk off. We do the same. This is definitely one of the most bizarre experiences I’ve had in my life. We bow to these two ordinary blokes whose legacies endure within the incredible mythical world they created. The statues are in bronze, large and very impressive. The Eternal President, Kim il Sung, points into the distance, while The General, Kim Jong Il, his son, looks on with satisfaction. They are smiling and the spotlights draw attention to and exaggerate their teeth. There is little time for camera adjustments and we snap away until we’re called away. It seems impolite to go back and get closer once we had retreated from bowing, so a telephoto lens comes in very handy. I make sure I have the full bodies covered in every shot: arms, legs and teeth. Day one over, we head back to the hotel in our little tourist bubble. At dinner, I pick my way through the smoked fish and shredded cabbage and try to make sense of the kaleidoscope of images in my mind. The one that stands out most is the image of large bronze teeth grinning down at that silent procession of obedient beings.
Feature
Simon Green
‘SEEING IS BELIEVING’
A
nyone who travels on the metro as regularly as I do can’t have failed to notice some people communicating in sign language. Russia’s population is around 146.5 million, and 90,000 are deaf and dumb. I often wondered how they cope with Moscow’s frenetic lifestyle, and indeed how they’re integrated into society here. A chance meeting at one of Moscow’s many social events on offer went a long way to answering my curiosity. Meeting the softly-spoken, attractive, and demure Irina, I wasn’t the least surprised to learn she’s a successful Operations Manager in the logistics department of an e.commerce company. Dig a little deeper and an altogether different picture emerges, transporting her from an ordinary to a rather extraordinary person, for Irina, despite being a totally normal person as you and I would know it, was in fact born to a deaf and dumb mother, had a deaf and dumb step-father as well as a deaf and dumb sister: a massive encumbrance to most people but not Irina – no shrinking violet she! Irina was born to her 23-year mother here in Moscow. The would be father had absconded when mother became pregnant (not an uncommon occurrence), resulting in a blank birth certificate where his name should have been, and the mother steadfastly refusing to discuss his identity to anyone. Irina’s aunt took them in, assisted by the grandparents, but as she already
had two children of her own, this soon resulted in a precarious fiscal situation. It’s worth mentioning that when she was born, doctors and “the authorities” deemed it better to move her swiftly to an orphanage, but this was declined in no uncertain terms. Irina and her mother subsequently moved to a small village in the Tambov region where the locals viewed them with disdain as she was not only born out of wedlock, but they were also seen as ‘different.’ After initially learning the deaf and dumb language, Irina began talking aged one, so was put into kindergarten at the earliest opportunity where she excelled at singing, dancing and poetry. Meanwhile mother married when Irina was four to a man with the same affliction, whom Irina has always had affection for and even today still calls him papa. A year later and twins were born- one normal (Inna), the other also deaf and dumb (Rita). When Irina was seven her mother and stepfather made the painful decision to send Irina to live with her aunt despite Irina’s protestations. Overnight she went from a loving atmosphere to an aunt who was austere, totally undemonstrative of any form of affection, and as a final coup de gras, had an alcoholic husband who was prone to physical and verbal abuse. I observe her looking a touch lachrymose at this juncture, but she regains her composure as she compares the tempestuous atmosphere at home to the encouragement received at
school, culminating in her being talent spotted by music scouts and offered a position at a top music school to study piano and flute despite having neither instrument available at home. Fast forward to today and it finds Irina living happily with Rita, and having regular visits to her mother and grandmother. Rita hopes to get married one day and have a family of her own. She’s extremely active and gregarious, and has a close group of friends as well as securing a job at Auchan who are sympathetic to these people’s plight- kudos to them. Rita recently went to France with her aforementioned friends, and they had a rendezvous with their French counterparts. Incredibly, they could all communicate with complete understanding despite any potential language barriers. As for Irina, who is in her mid-thirties, I ask whether she would like to settle down and have children and if so, what the risk would be of bearing a child who is also deaf and dumb. It’s totally random, she says, no one knows for sure, but there’s a 5050 chance of that happening. One thing is abundantly clear: these people, despite their difficulties, are courageous and determined to make the most of what little they have, and are an inspiration. Whilst they might not be able to hear and speak, they can still see and are able to bring happiness to all around them with skillful communication among those in their close-knit world. As Ludwig van Beethoven declared: Music is like a dream- one that I cannot hear.
29
Feature
Ageing
and Health Henry Smith
Key facts
• Between 2016 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22%. • By 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than 5 years. • In 2050, 80% of older people will be living in low- and middle-income countries. • The pace of population ageing is much faster than in the past. • All countries face major challenges to ensure that their health and social systems are ready to make the most of this demographic shift.
P
eople worldwide are living longer. Today, for the first time in history, most people can expect to live into their sixties and beyond. By 2050, the world’s population aged 60 years and older is expected to total 2 billion, up from 900 million in 2015. Today, 125 million people are aged 80 years or older. By 2050, there will be almost this many (120 million) living in China alone, and 434 million people in this age group worldwide. By 2050, 80% of all older people will live in low- and middle-income countries. The pace of population ageing around the world is also increasing dramatically. France had almost 150 years to adapt to a change from 10% to 20% in the proportion of the population that was older than 60 years. However, places such as Brazil, China and India will have slightly more than 20 years to make the same adaptation. While this shift in distribution of a country’s population towards older ages – known as population ageing – started in high-income countries (for example in Japan
30
30% of the population are already over 60 years old), it is now low- and middle- income countries that are experiencing the greatest change. By the middle of the century many countries, e.g., Chile, China, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation will have a similar proportion of older people to Japan. A longer life brings with it opportunities, not only for older people and their families, but also for societies as a whole. Additional years provide the chance to pursue new activities such as further education, a new career or pursuing a long neglected passion. Older people also contribute in many ways to their families and communities. Yet the extent of these opportunities and contributions depends heavily on one factor: health. There is, however, little evidence to suggest that older people today are experiencing their later years in better health than their parents. While rates of severe disability have declined in high-income countries over the past 30 years, there have been no significant change in mild to moderate disability over the same period. If people can experience these extra years of life in good health and if they live in a supportive environment, their ability to do the things they value will be little different from that of a younger person. If these added years are dominated by declines in physical and mental capacity, the implications for older people and for society are more negative.
Ageing explained At the biological level, ageing results from the impact of the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time. This leads to a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity, a growing risk of disease, and ultimately, death. But these changes are neither linear nor consistent, and they are only loosely associated with a person’s age in years. While some 70 year-olds enjoy extremely good health and functioning, other 70 year-olds are frail and require significant help from others. Beyond biological changes, ageing is also associated with other life transitions such as retirement, relocation to more appropriate housing, and the death of friends and partners. In developing a public-health response to ageing, it is important not just to consider approaches that ameliorate the losses associated with older age, but also those that may reinforce recovery, adaptation and psychosocial growth.
Common health conditions associated with ageing Common conditions in older age include hearing loss, cataracts and refractive errors, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression, and dementia. Furthermore, as people age, they are more likely to experience several conditions at the same time.
Feature Challenges in responding to population ageing
Older age is also characterized by the emergence of several complex health states that tend to occur only later in life and that do not fall into discrete disease categories. These are commonly called geriatric syndromes. They are often the consequence of multiple underlying factors and include frailty, urinary incontinence, falls, delirium and pressure ulcers. Geriatric syndromes appear to be better predictors of death than the presence or number of specific diseases. Yet outside of countries that have developed geriatric medicine as a specialty, they are often overlooked in traditionally structured health services and in epidemiological research.
Diversity in older age There is no ‘typical’ older person. Some 80 year-olds have physical and mental capacities similar to many 20 year-olds. Other people experience significant declines in physical and mental capacities at much younger ages. A comprehensive public health response must address this wide range of older people’s experiences and needs. Health inequities The diversity seen in older age is not random. A large part arises from people’s physical and social environments and the impact of these environments on their opportunities and health behaviour. The relationship we have with our environments is skewed by personal characteristics such as the family we were born into, our sex and our ethnicity, leading to inequalities in health. A significant proportion of the diversity in older age is due to the cumulative impact of these health inequities across the life course. Public health policy must be crafted to reduce, rather than reinforce, these inequities. Outdated and ageist stereotypes Older people are often assumed to be frail or dependent, and a burden to society. Public health, and society as a whole, need to address these and other ageist attitudes, which can lead to discrimination, affect the way policies are developed and the opportunities older people have to experience Healthy Aging.
Factors influencing Healthy Ageing Although some of the variations in older people’s health are genetic, much is due to people’s physical and social environments – including their homes, neighbourhoods, and communities, as well as their personal characteristics – such as their sex, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. These factors start to influence the ageing process at an early stage. The environments that people live in as children – or even as developing foetuses – combined with their personal characteristics, have long-term effects on how they age. Environments also have an important influence on the development and maintenance of healthy behaviours. Maintaining healthy behaviours throughout life, particularly eating a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, and refraining from tobacco use all contribute to reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases and improving physical and mental capacity. Behaviours also remain important in older age. Strength training to maintain muscle mass and good nutrition can both help to preserve cognitive function, delay care dependency, and reverse frailty. Supportive environments enable people to do what is important to them, despite losses in capacity. The availability of safe and accessible public buildings and transport, and environments that are easy to walk around are examples of supportive environments.
31
Feature
ICONS David Wansbrough
I
cons challenge non-Russians accustomed to living in the reality of the here and now. We are used to the Andy Worholesque images of our times. Surrounded with sensory stimulants, we avoid the worship of idols and yet buy goods when prompted to by TV images. We respond to stimuli. Icons don’t work on the level of stimulus /response. They have no symbolic intent and don’t embody simile or metaphor. The first time I walked into a church in the Russian countryside (just when they were allowed to reopen) I saw candles shimmering on the aklad of a single icon, and I became aware of the potency of another world perception. The icon did not exist in our notion of time. The effect was of a strange inner quietness. In front of it old women looked through it in adoration. The picture itself wasn’t to evoke or convey a mood, but it unlocked years of hidden pain in the pilgrims. Tears trickled down wrinkled cheeks. The emotionless simplicity of the icon of the Mother of God holding a child-man affected some hitherto
32
suppressed pains that were irrational and deep. My friend Marina Penkrat whispered, “We must not intrude on their private grief. We should leave them to their prayers.” Outside she was subdued. Marina knew tragedy. “Don’t you see that the Mother of God is the highest aspect of the feminine self that you and all mankind must come to acknowledge? She is no one and everyone. She holds the world- sacrifice. These women may have washed the corpses and dug the graves of brothers and fathers and lovers. Who else but the High Holy One knows of their endured silent grief?”
The miraculous is uncomfortable.
Once, with Gaiewska the writer, on a bridge in Dimitrov, we decided to enter a church in a swamp. It had no treasures. No priest would serve the forgotten parish that had once been the site of a seemingly divinely- assisted victory against a larger French army. Women gathered and prayed for a priest to teach them to pray with songs
Feature
more acceptable to God. They went outside to share a picnic. They saw a shining object floating on the river far upstream. It came closer and bumped against the jetty. It was an icon! Who had thrown a treasure into the river? I looked at it. It was worth a fortune. Ancient and archetypal. Simple and majestic. Soon, when word got round, priests wanted to be posted to the church that had been built on a foundation of barges filled with logs and sunk by Kutuzov to celebrate a victory in the reeds against Napoleon. I’ve come to accept that there is much that can’t be rationally understood. Life is miraculous. The strangest mystery is that icons when copied transfer their properties to their offspring. Just as songs when repeatedly sung assume great power, so too do icons when copied through the generations acquire an ambiance, a numinous; perhaps the accumulation of the devotion of those who have looked through them to glimpse the realm of Holy understanding.
33
Feature t troubled. Do no ght and joy un ou th of k ts or en w t m do no them the rudi their happiness, God has given deprive them of t no ‘Love animals: s: they are do al , im em an th not harass periority to su do ur y, jo yo r ei on d th lf le se ur troub t pride yo arance on it an nt. Man, do no h by your appe te rt in ea s e d’ th Go e t fil ns de agai greatness, d you, with your without sin, an u.’ KARAMAZOV te foulness af r yo THE BROTHERS of s ce tra e th e leav y, 1821-1881 vich Dostoevsk ilo ha ik M or od Fy
a k i a L g n i r e b Remem
James Hogan
S
ome of us a long way into our adult years can recall particular events from our childhood days with the same clarity as though they had occurred last week. As I write these words, I am transported back to a frosty winter’s evening in 1957, standing by my father’s side in the middle of the Irish countryside side gazing up at the cloudless night sky watching what appeared to be a moving star as it crossed overhead. I was too young at the time to fully appreciate the significance of what I was seeing but I have never forgotten that evening and it has since resonated in my life down the years in ways I could never have imagined then. The date was the 3rd of November 1957 and the ‘moving star’ was the Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 as it transported through space the dog Laika, the first living creature to orbit the earth. I had a dog of my own at the time and was thrilled by the idea of Laika’s amazing space adventure. Soon after, however, the joy turned to tears when it became known that Laika would not be returning to earth and was destined to die in space. Laika’s space flight made headlines around the world and was for a
34
time the topic of conversation for people everywhere from Manchester to Moscow. It gave a boost to the Soviet space programme but there were also widespread protests outside of the Soviet Union by members of the public in different countries and by international animal welfare organisations, especially when it became known that it was never intended to bring the dog back and that she was to be sacrificed in this way. Protesters gathered outside Soviet embassies across continents as well as at the United Nations in New York. In Britain, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was inundated with calls about the issue to such an extent that it overloaded the charity’s telephone system so they advised callers to instead make their feelings known to the Soviet embassy in London. So, how did it come about that this humble little stray dog from the streets of Moscow found herself the centre of global attention? This was of course the era of the cold war, with intense competition between the Soviet Union and the United States in every walk of life but especially in what became known as the space race. A month before Laika’s flight the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, had been successfully launched to great acclaim and the Russian premier, Nikita Khrushchev, was keen to capitalise on the prestige gained through this achievement by staging something more spectacular to celebrate the anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution. He duly persuaded Sergei Korolev, the head of the Soviet space programme, to accelerate his plans to put a living creature into orbit and so the space
programme went into overdrive, with round the clock working to try and achieve this objective. It had already been decided to use a dog for the programme and a group of stray dogs from the streets of Moscow had been rounded up and were undergoing intensive training at a facility in Moscow to prepare one of them for the demands of the flight. The reasoning behind using a stray dog was the belief that the harsh conditions it had to endure living on the streets would make it better adapted to cope with the rigours of the flight. It was during this process that Laika was selected as she was found to have a placid temperament and responded best to confinement in the space capsule. After the training was completed, Laika was transferred to the launch site in Kazakhstan. Due to some technical issues, three days before the launch she had to be strapped into the capsule, which was then installed on the R-7 rocket. And so, on the 3rd of November the rocket blasted off from the Baikonour Cosmosdrome and Laika began her fateful journey into space history. The early reports by the Soviet space agency of Sputnik 2’s progress were upbeat but later on a damage limitation approach had to be adopted when criticism about the use of a dog in this way began to escalate around the globe. The official version was that Laika would be humanely euthanised within the capsule after a week or so. In reality, Laika had already died just a few hours
Feature post-space life: she went on to have pups, one of which, Pushinka, was given to President Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, by Nikita Khrushchev. Pushinka subsequently had offspring of her own so it is conceivable that there are dogs today living somewhere in the United States who are the canine
La
ik
a
into the flight, due mainly to a failure of the cooling system within the capsule, causing it to drastically overheat. It was not until years later that this was finally acknowledged. After Sputnik 2, the Soviet space programme continued apace, leading eventually to successful space flights for other dogs who were safely returned to earth, including Belka and Strelka who have been immortalised by the taxidermist at the Cosmonauts Museum in Moscow. An interesting footnote to this is Strelka’s
Re
ng
eri
mb
me
Re
m
em
be
rin
g
ancestors of a Soviet space dog. In the months that followed, Laika’s flight was commemorated across the Soviet Union and beyond by postage stamps, books, songs and even a brand of cigarettes. Sputnik 2 continued to orbit the earth for another five months before re-entering the earth’s atmosphere and burning up. The ultimate goal of the Soviet space programme was finally achieved on April 12 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the earth. For some, Laika’s flight was a symbol of mankind’s heroic endeavours to explore beyond the confines of our earthly existence, ‘going forth where no one had gone before,’ but for others it represented yet another example of our ruthless exploitation of other living creatures for dubious benefits. Even
ika
La
those who worked closely on the space programme had their misgivings: in 1998, Dr. Oleg Gazenko, one of the Soviet space scientists who had worked on the Sputnik 2 programme, said in an interview about Laika’s flight: “The more time passes the more I’m sorry about it. We shouldn’t have done it… We did not learn enough from this mission to justify the death of the dog.” Today, Laika is commemorated by a monument erected in 2008 adjacent to the institute in Moscow where she underwent her pre-flight training. Whenever I’m in Moscow I make a point of visiting it because of the emotional attachment I have to her memory. I’m obviously not alone in feeling this way because when I was last there the monument was decorated in red roses left by previous visitors. I have spent a good part of my life working to promote compassion and respect for the other living creatures who share this planet with us and Laika’s fate was one of the defining events that influenced me in this regard. She is assured of her place in the annals of space exploration but, whether it is expressed by monuments, red roses or animal activism, Laika will be long remembered too by those of us who care about the ethical issues that surround the way we use animals to serve our interests in the modern world. NB. Laika’s monument is located in the courtyard of the Institute of Military Medicine at Petrovsko-Razumovskaya Alley 12A, which is close to Petrovsky Park. The nearest metro is Dinamo on the green line.
35
Feature
The Story of Night Flight Kim Waddoup The Swedish-owned nightclub Night Flight at Tverskaya 17, next to Pushkin Square opened up back in 1991, and quickly became part of the Moscow expat landscape. It is now so well established and integrated that it seems almost inconceivable that the club wasn’t there at some time in the past. However, it was not all plain sailing setting up Night Flight, there were many unforeseen challenges involved. Moscow expat Life met with three founding members of the club; board members Sonny Lundkvist, Yuri Giverts, and General Director Anna Cherny who told us about the early days.
T
he original idea for the club was Sonny Lundkvist’s. “At that time [the late 1980s] I travelled to the Soviet Union regularly as I was in the travel business, I had a travel agency in Stockholm, and I arranged tours to Leningrad. We started to work with a hotel called Karelia there, and worked with a manager there who asked us one day to tell him about discothèques, because he had heard that we had discothèques in Sweden. So we did, and they had a nice place in the basement where they opened what I think was the first discothèque in the Soviet Union, called Eldorado, on the 1st of September 1989. I was young, 22 at the time, I had no money at all, but we started talking about starting something in Moscow, after all, that was the capital of the Soviet Union. We then met some people in Moscow, and about 6 months later we found the place where Night Flight is
36
today, at Tversakaya 17, which at that time was called the Ice Cream Café. It was a government run outfit, run by a company called Tver, which handled restaurants in central Moscow.” Yuri Giverts explained: “This governmental company participated in many joint ventures with foreign companies, like McDonalds, Baskin Robbins, Pizza Hut and so on. I was asked by the Moscow Minister of Trade if I could participate in negotiations with some Swedes who wished to open a night club in Moscow.” Things went faster when Yuri came on board, Sonny added, and 6 months later, a company was formed, but not without some blood, sweat and tears. Yuri explained: “even to register as an investor was not so easy, because you had to have a lot of different approvals. For a foreign company to start to work in the centre of Moscow, even in the restaurant business, meant official permission from the KGB. We also
needed approval from a whole range of different Moscow organisations, from the department of business of the Moscow government, to the technical department, and finally, you had to register the company in the Ministry of Finance. This was really complex, you had to know how to prepare the documents, and identify the key points. You had to describe everything, who the foreign partner is, what kind of investment these partners will be making, etc., etc. Then they would check everything, invite you for special meetings, when you had to defend all the points in your plans.” But gaining permission to register and open the business was not the end of the story. Yuri elucidated: “The biggest problem was when we started to create
Feature our own product. At that time, the shops were totally empty. The Swedish partners had to bring everything in, to build the club. I mean EVERYTHING – glasses, porcelain, candles, toothpicks, screws, wallpaper, EVERYTHING. Of course we also had to bring in normal alcohol, which was authentic and not criminally-produced. This all came in on several trucks, and arrived on the 15th of August 1991. Now it just so happened that on Monday August 19, 1991 there were tanks on Tverskaya, because the Putsch had started. It was not funny at all. We came to Pushkin Square and put our hands on the tanks. The guys who were in them did not even understand where they were. We said: “guys, please don’t kill people.” Sonny at that time was in Stockholm. “We sent some Swedish builders with the materials to Moscow. I remember so well how on the morning of the 19th, we got a phone call from one of them, who had walked to the Intourist hotel to make an international phone call to Sweden. He said that the team was asking: ‘what is happening, there are a lot of tanks in the streets,’ I bought a ticket and flew straight to Moscow. I remember the girl at the check-in desk at Stockholm airport said: ‘But you cannot go there, there are tanks on the streets!’ I said that I must go, I think I was the only person on that plane. I was met at the airport by our lawyer at the time, but he could only take me as far as Sokol as the streets were closed from then on.” Despite everything, Night Flight opened on the 25th of October 1991, which was a major achievement. The first clients were foreigners, “many of
whom did not have a place to meet, eat and drink”, Yuri explained. Sonny added: “From a market perceptive, we were not crystal clear about the business concept, but we knew it would work. We were young, and didn’t really know what kind of clients would come, what kind of girls would come, we could not have known as this was a first at the time. But it worked!” On the opening night, Sonny and Yuri said that they were in a state of shock. Anna Cherny described the situation: “It was absolutely chaos, the bar upstairs was completely packed, it was difficult for people to get through all these people to get to the bar to try to buy some drinks. But that was nothing in comparison to what was happening outside. There was a queue which started outside the Mayor’s office at Tversakay 13, the entrance fee was $15.”Yet things did not get out of control partly thanks to the strong Swedish contingent of staff who were not only managing but working behind the bars. The club was a real success, and has remained so. When asked why, Sonny and Yuri point out security as being key: Yuri: “We had a few strict rules, firstly that the club should be a very secure place because at that time the criminal world was very active in Moscow. We hired a private security company, the best in Moscow, and we requested help from the Moscow Police. There was always a policemen with a gun right outside the front door, and the gun wasn’t a toy.” Sonny talked about another key reason for success: “We only employed girls, as bar waitresses, attendants, no men at all, but all the girls had to speak English, and that was difficult, because very few people spoke good English at that time. And by the way, we had a rule, and the rules was quite strict, that the club was only open for men who were over
30, and girls older than 21, although according to Russian legislation we could have allowed entrance to girls over 18, but we followed the European legislation. All the girls and men, everybody, was a guest. Everybody paid, and pays the entrance fee, it is not our responsibility what people do in their free time, that is not our business and we have never afforded any special favors or privileges to anybody. We have no private rooms.”Anna added: “From the very beginning, all the girls were from Moscow, 80% of them were students from quite good educational establishments like Moscow university, Moscow Institute of Foreign Languages, some were interpreters, and we had two guys who were military interpreters.” There have been a few more surprises since then. Sonny recalled one incident: “One interesting situation, which could only have happened in 1994, was when one guy, a famous banker, decided to drive his Mercedes, at full speed, into the entrance. He was under 30, and because he couldn’t get in, decided to come in another way.” The bank offered to pay all expenses, and they settled with us so well that it enabled us to import a whole new entrance from Sweden, it was even flown in, which I think was another first.” The next major event was the opening of the restaurant, which opened on 8th of March 1993. Again for the restaurant it was the right time, there was not a lot of choice then of where to go if you wanted to have good food in Moscow. “The most important thing to remember,”Yuri commented, “is the friendship and partnership between the partners. Everybody is still together, we are still friends, we trust each other, just like it was when we started, and that is the most important thing. I can tell you one joke about the opposite to that situation. Some foreign partners came to Russia and started to create a business. They wanted to work with Russians, because the foreign partners have the money, and the Russian partners have local experience. After two years, the foreign partners had the local experience and the Russian partners had the money. So we have a good example of the opposite situation.”
37
Culture
Dr Olga Zinovieva
Romanic Constructivism of the 1920s in Moscow
C
onstructivism in Moscow architecture appeared and disappeared very briefly. Some people find it astonishing that constructivism appeared at all in Moscow, with its fantastic architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries. The Soviet period, however, witnessed huge changes to Moscow’s architectural stock with massive residential and public buildings projects.
38
The main (Moscow) Soviet architectural schools were: 1918-1932 – Constructivism 1932-1953 – Stalinist architecture (Art-Deco) 1953-1987 – Post WWII Modernism (Nikita Khrushev, Leonod Brezhnev) 1980s-now-Perestroika, post-modernism (Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin)
Culture In March 1918 the Soviet government decided to return to Moscow; back to the roots. There are many theories why this took place: one theory is that the administration in St. Petersburg was not supportive of Bolshevik power. But Moscow had not been the capital for 200 years, which meant that there were not enough public offices and living facilities for the bureaucrats, and we know that after each major change over in administrations, the number of bureaucrats grows. The whole country was in political and economic disaster. There was nothing to eat, the winters were quite cold, the ‘bourgeois’ class was quite strong. Add to all of this, there were problems in Moscow of not having enough office space. There were great ideas of creating a new ideology and of expanding the revolution to other countries. The country suffered from a brain drain, as huge numbers of educated people left for Germany, France the United States, Latin America and China. There was also a chronic shortage of construction materials. The authorities wanted to build, but what with? A general plan was created, and to make way for new projects a lot of the old, existing residential areas and public spaces were demolished. A lot of churches were demolished, the ownership of many properties changed hands and a lot of people were relocated into private homes and apartments. All statues to the Tsars were demolished or transferred to the Soviets. For example, the Obelisk to the Romanovs and their servants, constructed in 1914, designed by Sergei Vlasiev, was changed into the Obelisk to the Revolutionary Philosophers and Writers in 1918, and then to the ‘Obelisk to the Romanovs’ in 2013. The idea of simplicity and practicality was attractive to the Soviets, who wanted to build a lot of social housing, but this was not absolutely new. A lot of architects in the West were thinking about the same thing; trying to use aspects of geometry to solve social problems which had existed since the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. Hannes Meyer, a member of the German Bauhaus movement which was one of the groups which preceded the constructivists and which shared the same general ideas came to Russia. There were a lot
39
Culture of Germans working in Moscow at that time, and some Americans. Meanwhile, the French architect Le Corbusier was creating buildings that would be imitated by Russian constructivists. In Russia, architects like Nikolai Vtorov were moving closer to simplicity, as modern materials now allowed the construction of buildings with larger windows and simpler designs. At that time, a group of Russian artists and designers, who not only came from academia, and had to work very hard to learn a lot, also became involved in architecture. They created an avant-garde ‘constructivist’ group in Moscow. This group included Vladimir Tatlin, and Kazimir Malevich.
Vladimir Tatlin, for example, visited Paris, like so many artists have done, but unlike many other talented young men, he had to save up the money for his visit to Paris by working; in his case, as a sailor. He had to work to be able to paint. Malevich firmly believed that geometrical shapes should be the basis for constructivist architecture. Tatlin’s tower was never built, it existed only on paper and as a model, because there were no construction materials at the time sufficiently strong to build it. Some major projects were built, such as Vladimir Shukov’s radio tower at Shabolovsky. The style was used in the construction of communal apartments, such as the ‘Nacomfin’ building at Novinsky Boulevard 25, designed by Moisei Ginsburg and
40
the ‘House on the Embankment’ designed by Boris Iofan, at Serafimovich 2. The living units were designed to be supremely practical, with communal kitchens, kindergartens, everything to maximise the amount of time citizens could spend working. University campuses were designed using this very functional style. Lenin’s tomb could be considered to be constructivist, as on the functionality level, the tomb was used to keep the idea of Lenin alive for generations. By 1932 however, Stalin started a terror campaign to get rid of all his competitors, political, ideological and architectural! Lenin’s
tomb turned out to be the coffin of constructivism, and the style which replaced it was, unsurprisingly -Stalinist. Constructivism became known as ‘formalism’ and was banned because it did not use symmetry – the architectural language of power – to sing the glories of the state. Although short-lived, constructivism had a profound impact on architecture in the 20th and 21st centuries. Sir Norman Foster’s sketches for the famous ‘Gherkin’ Tower in London remind one of Tatlin and Shukov very much. Many of the ideas of the constructivist architects can be seen in the design of skyscrapers and modernist office buildings throughout the world. Simplicity of design, practicality and strength. Constructivism in the Soviet Union never made a formal come back, but by 1953, although still being criticised, Khruschev and later Brezhnev approved of simple architectural designs which looked remarkably reminiscent of forms of constructivism in social housing programmes. Constructivism provided a better understanding of forms and shapes, it promoted the aesthetics of simplicity, it
worked well with social education and housing programmes. The messages that it promoted were: equality, be happy with what the state does for you, no private life, industrialisation, the state serves the people, and dream cities.
Useful Information
No Hot Water?
H
ave you just woken up, turned on the shower and had the shock of the month? If so, you are not alone! If you are confused why there is no hot water – cast your worries aside! This is not just affecting you and your flat. Hot water in most apartment blocks in Moscow is cut off by the Moscow City Council for infrastructure repair work. The hot water pipes are repaired, we think. The good news is that you can easily find out when the hot water will be restored. There are two websites which will tell you when your supply of hot water will be turned on, or you can find out when, in the future, your hot water will be turned off, if you want to plan a holiday for that week or two. You could buy a small water heater and get it installed. So to find out when your hot water will be turned on again go to: http://www.moek.ru/ru/naseleniyu/otklyucheniegoryachej-vody.html You will see a large graphic in the middle on the screen. On the top of that, there are two boxes. Type in, IN RUSSIAN, the name of your street, and in the next box, the number of the building. Hey Presto, the information comes up, and you can see when the supply was/will be turned off and when it will be turned on. http://www.moek.ru/ru/ This site does exactly the same thing.
41
Useful Information
Residency in Russia – David Maltby
F
‘Bид на Жительство’ (Residence Permit)
ollowing on from last month’s Temporary Residency story, I’ve now completed the full Residency (Вид на жительство) application process. Compared to previous experiences, this was a much improved and streamlined procedure. First news is that the Federal Migration Service operation is now centralised in a modernised office on Novoslobodskaya, specifically ул. Новослободская, д. 45, корпус Б Ul. Novoslobodskaya D. 45, Korpus B (Ul. Novoslovobodskaya, D. 45, Korpus B). There are two levels of service. The first is a ticketing system which allows 45 or 90 people through per day, depending on what they want. Obviously, with the thousands of people seeking residency here, this is not a practical solution. However the good news, for those with some cash to spare, is that there is a commercial alternative. You pay 34,000 roubles and get instant attention, support through all the process, with prioritised processing. This is done by a company called OOO Galleon, but to all intents and purposes at this stage, they’re working as the front end for the Federal Migration Service. I’ll describe my experiences here as an applicant who qualifies by virtue of being married to a Russian citizen – I’m no expert in these matters, and I’m not talking about the quota system, stateless people applications and so on. So let’s define Permanent Residency: Permanent Residency, called ‘вид на жительство’ (vid na zhitelstvo) in Russian, allows a foreign citizen to reside permanently in the Russian Federation and the right of free entry to, and exit from, the Russian Federation. Once a foreign citizen becomes a permanent resident, he or she can work in Russia without a special permit. Permanent residency means that a foreigner never has to go through the hassle of getting a visa again. Permanent residency can be issued once you’ve lived in Russia under a temporary residence permit for one year. Permanent residency is granted for a period of five years. This can be renewed indefinitely or converted to citizenship. At this point, I should mention the Russian language test. I think it’s not a good description, as the test covers language, history, legal and socio-economic topics. Minimum pass level is 80%. Personally I found it a
42
challenge. On successful completion you will be given a certificate. Be aware that the certificate has to say ‘вид на жительство’ on it. The language certificate for Разрешение на временное проживание ( Temporary Residency) is a lower standard and is not acceptable for the full residency application. The agent specifically checked for that. The first step is to go to the commercial process windows, on the third floor at Novoslobodskaya. There are no signs, but you can see windows with no number displays – that’s where to go. The agent will ask you to sign 3 forms which she will print for you; A Dogovor which is your agreement to pay for the process A Dogovor for the medical A data protection form. There is an initial payment to be made of 3,500 roubles for the government fee. This must be done through Sberbank, in addition to the 34,000 rouble commercial fee I mentioned above. You next need to agree the date and time for your medical tests, which the agent will arrange for you. This is also a much improved process. Instead of going to 3 different clinics in different parts of Moscow (as I did with my temporary residency), you go to one clinic in Semyonovskaya, take all the tests (Fluroscan, Blood test, Skin test, drug/alcohol) and it takes about 40 minutes. The clinic will give you copies of papers but the results are sent directly to Novoslobodskaya after 5 working days. You then need to go back to Novoslobodskaya, and there are some documents that you’ll need to submit. There is no longer a need to submit your Degree / Diploma, and, even better, they don’t ask for your home country criminal record. That was an expensive and tedious process, so great that it’s no longer needed. The documents that you do need are; 4 photographs, with the usual bio-metric specifications that all the embassies ask for. You can also have the photos done at Novoslobodskaya – it’s included in the price. Your medical Spravka, if you did that process separately, if not FMS will have received the correct paperwork directly from the clinic if you opted for that service.
Useful Information A notarised copy of your passport with a Russian translation. Your passport should also have your correct registration stamp, of course. If your passport has less than six months validity, forget it and get a new passport first. 2 copies of your RVP Разрешение на временное проживание page in your passport. Your Russian language certificate. YFMS, when they granted the temporary residency, will have asked for your proof of address and proof of income after one year. They will have given you a Spravka, which is your declaration of income and proof of address. You will need to provide this document now. Proof of income or a Spravka (bank statement) from the bank showing that you have 216,000 roubles or more in the bank. On my first attempt, they rejected my Spravka because it didn’t have my passport number, date and place of issue on it. This is because I provided proof of income as my statement. If you provide a 2NDFL form, you won’t need that. Individual Entrepreneurs can also provide their tax return. Marriage certificate. Apartment ownership document or your rental agreement. I believe that there is an option to complete an application form yourself, but if you’ve gone the commercial route then the agent will be doing that for you. So, you reappear at the commercial windows, and hand over your paperwork. The big advantage now is that the agent takes copies and progresses your application through the system. They’re responsible for the application accuracy and monitoring process. You will need to wait while the agent completes the application form on her computer. When this is done, she will give you your form and documentation back, then she will make an appointment with an Inspector for you. In my case this was 5 days after assembling the documentation. She will also ask you to sign 2 copies of a Dogovor, your contract with them for the process, and a data protection document. She will also give you an A4 piece of paper with a bar code on it, for the next stage. This bar code is your entry key back into the rather greyer world of the FMS. The appointment with the Inspector takes place on the 4th floor. My advice is to go early. You need to show your A4 bar code to the receptionist. There are a fixed number of ‘non-commercial’ appointments per day – 30 or 60, depending on the individual, I was told. However, armed with your barcode, the receptionist will then take you to another electronic ticket machine, print you the appointment ticket and she will sign it. My appointment happened right on time. On the 4th floor, you’ll find a display with the ticket numbers displayed. There’s a waiting area in front of 4 doors. There are a lot of people there, but not everyone is ‘commercial’ and you will have your appointment
anyway. When your number comes up, go to the door indicated, where your inspector will command you to sit and demand your file. If, like mine, your file was complete, documents in order, and your Inspector is happy – that’s it. You will be given a document receipt, and told to come back in six months’ time. Naturally enough the ВнЖ (residence permit) completely replaces the РВП (temporary residence permit) so your visa will need changing too. For me that’s done in the FMS office Sokol office, but you’ll need to check that out for yourself. It’s not happened for me yet, but if the visa for РВП is anything to go by, it took 2 days and it was free. So there you have it. 5 years with no visa hassles, work permit included and you have the option to renew, or if you are really keen, progress to citizenship. As I said in my previous article on temporary residency, there really is no need any more to engage expensive consultancies to do this process with you. Everything has been significantly simplified and made a lot more customer friendly. Sure it’s more expensive than it was, but the extra 34K is well within most expat’s reach. If anyone has any questions, email me at David.john. maltby@gmail.com and I’ll try to help. The FMS web site is at http://www.77.fms.gov.ru/ services/residence .
43
Culture
The Chekhov Library: A Mission of Freedom
T
hese days, we have no time to read, and books have become the symbol of the past. That is the message that modern society constantly gives us. Before we dismiss books altogether, however, we should perhaps remember that there have been many forecasts that they would disappear with the appearance of digital technology, but that has not occurred. Libraries and the massive contribution that they make to urban life is also easily dismissed, however those in the know, tell the opposite story. The history of the A.P. Chekhov library on Strastnoi Boulevard would make Anton Pavlovich Chekhov smile. The library was originally created in a building built next to the Strastnoi Nunnery at the end of the 1880s. A connection with A.P Chekhov was formed right from the start of the library’s existence, because the editorial offices of the magazine ‘Artist’ were located in this corner-shaped building, and it was here that, ‘Cherny Monakh’ (The Black Monk), which Chekhov wrote in 1894 was published first. One of the first of Moscow’s cinemas was opened in 1914 in the building, and from 1919 to 1938 Latvian ‘half emigres’ had their own library and theatre in the library. In 1938 the members of the club and the theatre were arrested and the library was in 1939, turned into a large library No. 81, which was subsequently renamed No. 64.
Return to Chekhov In 1954 an epoch-making event took place: a directive of the Soviet of Ministers on 14th June 1954, renamed the library the ‘A.P. Chekhov Library.’This was no accident, as this part of Moscow breathes of Chekhov. The writer lived and worked nearby. The hospital where he practiced when training to be a doctor and the famous MKhAT theatre in Kamergerskii Pereulok, where Chekhovian drama flourished, and where the writer met the love of his life are all nearby. Here, in very centre of the city, Chekhov’s seagull soars over us. It was the actors from the MKHaT theatre, in particular, the famous Alla Tarasov, who pushed for the library to be named the Chekhov library.
44
Alla Smirnova
A machine gun in the window The library, under the directorship of the first chief librarian Ksenia Pyshkina, adopted to the war as best as it could. These were hard times for the library. The library staff managed as well as they could, working without weekends off. They served the library’s readers even when there was no lighting, heating and in sub-zero temperatures. No time limits were placed on the working day. There was a machine gun in one window of library 81. People came into the library to find out the news, and inside, life continued as usual. Lectures and discussions were organised. A record from one of the lectures reads as follows: ‘After the lecture, two blood donors volunteered to give blood.’ The librarians organised mobile libraries which toured the hospitals and workshops, and also collected books for liberated areas where libraries had been destroyed by the fascists. After the war, the library played a major role in the psychological rehabilitation of soldiers and invalids form the front, it also helped young people and teenagers whose schools had been shut down, to finish their education and enrich their lives by acquainting them with the masters of world literature. What is the ‘Chekhovka’ most famous for? For its famous literary evenings. In the 1960s on Tuesdays, special evenings with writers, so called readers’ conferences’ were held. Amongst the speakers were Yury Trifonov, Yuri Nagibin, Andrei Voznesensky, Bulat Okudzhava and many others. Photos from the most memorable of these events cover the walls of our reading room. These legendary evenings were 100% organised by members of the library’s staff, who deserve a great deal more credit that they are usually given. We should not forget that at the time, creative initiatives were not welcomed, they were punishable offences in those days. Nevertheless, ‘Chekhovka’ managed to remain an island of freedom. The library became a sort of ‘passage to fame’ for unknown writers. If you could ‘do’ the ‘Chekhovka’ you could make it in the outer world.
Culture
Classics of the 21st Century During the rapid changes of the early 1990s, social institutions didn’t manage to adequately keep up with the cardinal changes taking place in culture. A major change in the ‘global cultural decorations’ was taking place. Soviet literature didn’t comfort anybody then, and social institutions had no wish to embrace the only alternative – commercialisation. Libraries and theatres were run down. Then the idea of a ‘mission’ appeared unexpectedly. Russian librarians began to learn from the experience of librarians abroad, where ‘missions’ represent concrete goals and tasks that libraries can work for. Ruslan Elinin and Elena Pakhomova who were the directors of the library in 2013 created a new project, which was simultaneously a mission: ‘Classics of the XXI century.’Then the library was given a new lease of life – it was given a new building in which the Chekhov culturaleducational centre was created. But this new project was no simple thing to organise. There are no great prestigious literary awards and titles around these days which could give writers a certain status, and there are fewer literary stars available whose lectures would guarantee a full house. Now we have to find these new people ourselves. Over 3,000 books have been acquired as part of the ‘Classics of the 21st century’ project. The basis of the collection are books belonging to Ruslan Elinin which he began to collect in the 1980s. One of the main attractions of this collection is a series of 50 books of poetry, which consists of works which the poets presented at the club. Not only poetry, we remember that Vladimir Sorokin’s first book: ‘Marina’s Thirtieth Love’ was published by ‘Chekhovka.’ Many authors of the so-called ‘unofficial’ literature were published here, which was a bold and controversial decision for the library to make. The Chekhov library continues to break new ground, to allow progressive yet little known authors, and artists, the chance to speak out. At the same time, we haven’t forgotten the past. The library’s round table talks, dedicated to the jubilees of poets and writers of the XIX-XX centuries continue to spark interest in the wider community.
The internet gave us new possibilities to communicate and show our personal creativity. Sites dedicated to modern poetry and prose sprout like mushrooms on the web. But ‘Chekhovka’ doesn’t intend to become a victim of new technology. Quite the opposite, it uses it to its own advantage. Much of this is due the ideas and projects of its young leader, Elena Pakhomova. In the past, the Chekhov library created a unique video archive of over 150 videos of writers’ and poets’ performances. In 1995, the library and the TV company ‘ART’ created ten films about modern poets drawing on the library’s resources, which were shown on regional television networks. The library’s current project: ‘ipoems – poetic videos’ is a continuation of this project. Now we have a collection of various video materials – films, clips, short films, connected with modern poetry in both everyday life and textual concepts. What is important is that ‘Chekhovka’ continues to attract young readers, viewers and listeners. What can be a better mission than to supply young minds with material that will become our reality tomorrow. The library organises a host of other activities, which are simply too numerous and varied to mention here, however it is also important to remember one very important aspect of the library – its atmosphere. ‘Chekhova’s’ atmosphere has an inimitable friendly and homely feel about it. People do not spend day after day of their lives here simply to use free internet, but because they can get advice on the next book to read. In this sense, the librarians are doctors of a special kind, they simply know what would be the best thing for you to read next. The library has been very generous to the ‘English Language Evenings’ and ‘Understanding Russian Culture’ evenings. The former provides a platform for foreign lecturers and experts to speak to Russian lecturers, professors and students of English about western cultural traditions, literature, current events, whilst the latter provides a platform for expatriates to find more out about Russian culture, from Russian experts who speak English fluently. The Chekhov library continues to amaze us all.
The Chekhov Library’s web site: http://www.chehovka.ru/
45
Sponsored Article
Education
‘The Seven-Year Ditch’ By Paul Keach
50
Education
H
ave you heard of ‘The Seven-Year Ditch?’ No, it’s not the latest statistics on marriage but it refers to the age of our children when we are most likely to stop reading to them. To no longer find the time to read to your child at this age is not only a disservice to them but to yourself as well as you are missing out on the chance to revisit so many fantastic tales from childhood. Oxford University Press published a ‘Books Beyond Bedtime’ report and coined the term ‘The Seven-Year Ditch’. Their UK-wide research, involving nearly 1000 parents and school children aged 6 to 11, found that 44% of seven year olds are rarely or never read to at home. It was saddening to then discover whilst researching this article that nearly half of ‘reluctant readers’ of this age said that they would enjoy reading more if their parents read with them. A survey run by one of our British Schools Foundation sisterschools asked parents ‘How often do you read to your child?’. Our statistics are not far off the UK national average that the ‘Books Beyond Bedtime’ report shows. 61% of respondents said they
read to their children regularly, more than four times a week. 31% said that they read to their children occasionally, once or twice a week, and a commendably honest 8% admitted that it was not very often that they read to their children. Some parents responded something along the lines of ‘My children are now older and they don’t need me to read to them anymore.’ Although children may not need you to read to them in the sense that they can read the words for themselves, they will benefit from you reading to them for other reasons. Reading with your child, whatever their age, is a chance to be close to them, share some sofa space and find common ground in the world of fiction (or non-fiction) and imagination. When we read to our children we teach them tone and intonation; we pause at commas and full stops; we add personal details and memories such as ‘oh, Hedwig is a white snowy owl, not a barn owl like the one we saw on holiday at …’ Our children will take this knowledge and confidence in reading aloud back into their classroom and additionally perhaps when they next read on their own, they will hear your voice reading it and it
will give them even more pleasure from reading. Cressida Cowell, author of the wonderful ‘How to Train your Dragon’ series stresses this point. ‘Reading a book with a child, even an older child, is the most important thing you can do for improving literacy and communication skills because books read to a child in their parent’s voice will live with them forever. Sharing a book with your child, whatever their age, communicates how important books are.’ 10 minutes of reading with your child each day is certainly one of the best ways that you can support your child’s education. James Clements, a former leader from an outstanding inner city primary school in the United Kingdom who was involved in the ‘Books Beyond Bedtime’ report provides food for thought when he points out that parents nowadays spend a lot of money on academic coaches and tutoring out of school hours. ‘Yet,’ he says, ‘it’s a real shame that parents don’t realise that just ten minutes of reading with their child each day is one of the best ways they can support their education. Reading together six days each week means an extra hour of support for a child. It’s definitely cheaper than one hour with a tutor and it could make a much bigger difference.’ Often the reason for not reading to our children is that we are too stressed or tired after work. This may be an honest reason but it’s not an excuse. We live in an age where ‘9 to 5’ jobs rarely exist. Reading can be a fantastic stress reliever. Even on days when your time is really limited, sparing 10 minutes to read to your child goes a long way in developing their passion for reading and building this special bond between your family and the amazing world of literature.
51
Brits in Moscow Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation,
Dr Laurie Bristow CMG Interview by John Harrison
52
Brits in Moscow
Ambassador, what are your first impressions of Moscow and Muscovites?
Russia still presents significant opportunities for British companies, both now and in the future.
I was in Moscow 2007-10 as Deputy Head of Mission. It’s great to be back, and it’s a huge privilege to return as Ambassador. What I like about Russia is the incredibly rich culture, history and hospitality of the country and its people. Living in the historic Residence opposite the Kremlin reminds me of that every day. I aim to encourage a shared respect for each other‘s culture, traditions and history. One of our favourite places to relax in Moscow is in Kolomenskoye Park.
What can the Embassy do to help British business here?
How important are UK-Russian business ties now in this time of great international turmoil?
How important, in your opinion, is culture in international relations?
We believe there are roughly 1000 British companies working in Russia, and many jobs in Britain and Russia depend on our economic relationship. The football World Cup, due to be held in Russia in 2018, adds more cities to the list of potential areas for prospects for UK businesses. One of the most important parts of my job is to support UK companies to develop economic relations with Russia. Despite the economic situation in Russia, and the sanctions and Russia‘s countersanctions, particularly on food products,
This is an extremely important part of our relationship with Russia. It‘s something that matters to ordinary people, and it‘s something that catches the public’s imagination. The Cosmonauts exhibition last year was a huge success, and the BBC’s War and Peace is currently showing on Russian TV. We have some great exhibitions being held right now, in London’s National Portrait Gallery and Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery, with an exchange of paintings of people who have shaped the way we think about
My colleagues in the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) department work hard to help British companies to increase their trade in Russia. UKTI has three teams, in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Ekaterinburg. They have also successfully led major business delegations to other Russian cities, such as our largest ever trade delegation to Perm in autumn last year.
the world. I’m particularly pleased that the famous Chandos portrait of Shakespeare is being shown here in Moscow on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death. Our diplomatic relations go back even further. Every time I walk into the Embassy, I see on the wall the name of my first predecessor, who arrived in Moscow 450 years ago. It gives a sense of perspective.
I understand that the role which Embassies play is a political role first and foremost, however many British expatriates feel that they would like to somehow be closer to the Embassy, perhaps on the level of social events. Do you have any plans to bring the embassy and the British community closer together? The Embassy and Consulates are here to represent the UK in its relations with the Russian government and Russia more widely, and to support British interests here. That includes our support to the British business community and our consular support to British citizens who get into difficulties. We also work with community organisations such as St Andrews Church and the international schools to support the British community.
Free Classifieds! Advertise for free in Moscow’s community Classified Advertisements http://moscowexpatlife.ru/classified-ads/
53
Brits in Moscow
Interview by John Harrison
Father Clive Fairclough How did you come to be in Moscow, in brief Well usually priests serve for 5 or 6 years in their first parish, and then move on. An advert came up in the Church Times, for a job in Moscow. I said to my wife Joe, do you fancy going to Moscow? At the time it was a bit of a joke, and she said: “well that’s interesting, tell me more about it.” She had already worked out that the set of skills that I had exactly matched the set of skills they wanted and she said that yes, you should do this job, and secondly, I would like to travel! It took me a long time to decide because it meant a massive change for us, and I actually went on a week’s retreat before I did decide to accept the post.
Father Clive, we are living in Moscow in 2016, and we are faced with a situation where people communicate with other in a new way; especially expats – online. How do you communicate with your audience? When I arrived here I found out that the way that somebody was replied to when they showed interest in the Church was rather out of date, people filled in forms which were entered into a data base by my secretary who is only paid for two and half days a week work, then that person was sent an invitation using a piece of software called MailChamp. To get a message out to just one person involved a lot of work. When you
54
are trying to grow a church, people need to know what you are doing, because the Christian life, or life in general, is about having friends. So we developed the concept of a relational Church, a relationship with Christ, a personal relationship with ourselves, and a relationship with others – a key issue for all of us - and a relationship with creation. So we needed a new way of communicating to new people, and to ourselves that reflected that relational attitude, and we found it – an amazing piece of software called ‘The City’, which we bought. It is designed by Christians, and it gives the individual a possibility to be cared for and guided by us on an individual level. It gives me the possibility to address different sections of the community in different ways. It’s a hub, a basis upon which the church can communicate with itself. The key to this, which is also based on the theological principal of the body of Christ, are groups, which each individual can join as he or she chooses. For example, there is the Pilgrim group, where you can take part in 6 weeks of bible studies. So the newcomer feels that first of all we are alive, that we care, and he or she can be part of something. People understand that we are six day church, not a one day church, but that is only the beginning. Communication these days is about people choosing what you want to watch, which is classically different from being told what to watch by BBC 1. We also have a Facebook site, which we are using specifically
for evangelism. I use it by posting articles on it, which I think people will be interested in reading, if you are thinking about faith generally, and encourage you to think about your spirituality. We also use it for events. I also repost articles and topics on Twitter. Then there is the website, where you can find out more information on a range of topics. So, we decide how we want to set up these communication channels, but it is up to people themselves to decide what they want to click on. Which is completely the opposite of what it used to be. I think the word to describe the way we communicate is organic. Something grows because you put it in the ground, you encourage it with the sun and water, and it grows. The Pilgrims group, for example, is organic. We developed the concept we launched it in October, and we now have 5 Pilgrim groups. That is organic growth.
Has the fact that the way we communicate has changed, changed you? At the same time as being surrounded by technology, people say to me, well Clive the technology is great, but what about you?, you are supposed to be talking to people face to face. The answer is yes, I am a priest with a pastoral heart, and if I can do pastoral work 24 hours a day, I’d be talking to everybody all the time, because that is my calling in life. But the messages are so loud there that you have to remind people
Brits in Moscow
seven times, before they take notice. You have to use all the opportunities you get given to do that.
But your high tech approach is pretty rare in the Church of England? Yes, I have only been in the Church of England for 10 years, but judging from the feedback I am getting from the Diocese of Europe, they are very enthusiastic about this. But I have to say that the personal side is still the most important. I make it quite clear to people the limits of technology. This will tell people what we are doing, about events, what books to read and so on, but in the end of the day its about you talking to a small group of people in The Pilgrims, or making an appointment to talk to the chaplain. If somebody rings me, I look at my diary and we fix a time to meet, that is my number one priority.
Do you feel that your work here is also to do with bonding the community of Christians together? It is a massive challenge and first of all we have to show respect to our Russian Orthodox brothers and sisters. I feel, and I will always consider myself to be a guest here, I like to behave like a guest. I am the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to The Holy Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and this has changed my worldview as a westerner of the east. There are huge numbers of different denominations in this place. I basically try to encourage community. We did some market research with Moscow expat Life magazine, and we received what I thought was a pretty good response, and one thing we learned from that is that people are interested in community. We work very closely with MPC and with other groups. The natural bridge for us is the
British embassy, because I am also the honorary chaplain to the British Ambassador. If you imagine this to be a village church, we are the embassy’s church. But not only the British embassy, there are 56 members of the Commonwealth who have threads, some stronger than others, of Anglicanism so that is the next target. Then there are the Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders, and now I will slowly work on the other 52 countries! But the Anglican Church is a welcoming church; we don’t have rules and regulations. If you wish to be baptised or confirmed in our church then there is a process, but for me, it is all about community.
Some Brits say that they have a problem relating to the Church here as it is too ‘establishment.’ It is a problem for the Church of England as a whole, because they do have the chattels of being the established Church. But if somebody comes to you with that particular understanding, you have to ask why do they think that? Is it a barrier they are putting up for themselves, perhaps they are not sure about becoming a Christian, or is it because they don’t really like the establishment? Of course people do have a choice, there are lots of evangelical churches in Moscow, and there is the Roman Catholic Church.
So it goes back to my main point, that it is up to people to choose. What I hope, is that when somebody walks through the door here, they get a welcome, a smile, if they want to learn more, they can come and talk to us or go onto The City. It’s impossible to judge anybody; it is their journey, not mine.
What makes the Moscow diocese different from your previous appointment? It is two jobs, it’s being a chaplain, and it’s being the Ambassador’s Honorary Chaplain. This is a wonderful opportunity to grow on my own Christian journey. For me it is a journey of great humility, because some of my fundamental understandings of the East have been massively changed and challenged, because for 20 years, I had looked at Moscow and said: you are my enemy. Now I am here as a guest and a friend, and that has dramatically changed my view. I am completely immersed in the way of life, I’m reading a wonderful biography of the Tsars, I go the opera when we can afford it about once a month, I’m making some fantastic Russian friends, and they are great people with great love, and passion and culture, and I am thinking that this is what it is all about. It is extremely challenging here, because of the environment as a westerner, but we have a lot to learn.
55
Brits in Moscow The Constellations company in 2016
Interview by John Harrison
Jonathan Salway What made you come to Russia? I was working as an actor in the UK. You probably know that an acting career in the UK is slightly different from an acting career in Russia, where actors can work in the same company for a long period of their careers if not their entire careers. In Britain you’re very much a freelancer going from job to job. So I’ve worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company, in The Mousetrap in London, been on many tours and worked with some great directors like Richard Eyre and Michael Grandage. But there I was, teaching drama in a school in between acting jobs, and somebody approached me and said that he worked for an organisation that goes over to Moscow every summer for three weeks to do a summer camp, and they could really do with some drama. So I was invited over.
What year was that? That was 2009, and it went very very well, it was a school summer camp outside of Moscow, in beautiful fresh air. In my lunch breaks I remember reading bits of Chekhov, as a trained actor it seemed to be the done thing to do. I was invited back by a Russian school, a state school with a pretty good pedigree in theatre and I came back quite regularly then, and started to do productions.
56
I organised shows for a student Shakespeare Festival for older students, which won a few awards. I think it might still be running. My life story in the UK was changing and I decided to risk it over here. This is such a good environment for theatre that I came up with the idea of the Moscow English Theatre. Just before coming here, in 2009, I started doing a lot of work with a touring company in Italy and Germany. We did Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, Oscar Wilde that kind of vintage English repertoire shows on four week tours. Then I came to Moscow and saw that the level of English that people have here is higher than it was in Italy and Germany, the theatre culture was stronger, so I thought let’s have a go at starting the Moscow English Theatre and see if it catches on.
How did you get people to work with, how did you start? A lot of emails to set up meetings. I felt that we could start off in a humble venue, with a small cast, get our foot in the door and build up a reputation that way. But Karina (my partner who is running the company now) had a very different angle. She said, no, we need to get into a decent venue straight away, so that we could become associated with that theatre. So we wrote to the Moscow theatres; we were looking for small venues, ones with around 100-200 seats. I think
the Mayakovsky Theatre was one of the first ones we wrote to and they wrote back almost immediately. We met with the managing director there and he asked us about what kind of show we would be doing there – we gave ourselves the remit of a contemporary small cast English/ American drama that wouldn’t often be seen here and could be manageable economically, and he said, well, OK, come on board. At first I didn’t think that it was going to be financially viable, because hiring theatres anywhere is not cheap, and we realised that we would have to fill two thirds of every performance just to cover costs. He offered us some dates, we looked at the space and decided to go for it. Our first performance was Educating Rita, and we flew Emma Dallow in to play Rita (after auditions that we held in London), in March 2013. Emma was trained at Central School of Drama in London, and was perfect for the part. The show sold out over four performances so we were greatly encouraged to continue – yes, we thought, there is an audience here! Then we did a two-man show, called Space Oddity, which I acted with Gavin Robertson; a very different piece to Rita, a quirky physical comedy style of theatre but equally popular with Moscow audiences. We’d played it at the Edinburgh Festival and toured the UK with it and we adapted it slightly to suit Moscow audiences.
Brits in Moscow Emma dallow in Educating Rita, 2013
The following year we did Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange a play about aspects of the British psychiatric treatment system, which had been a big success in the West End in 2000. This was a psychological drama about a black teenage boy getting psychiatric treatment in the UK. The play deals with the fact that there are more blacks proportion-wise in the UK getting psychiatric treatment than whites. I was nervous about putting it on in Moscow, but I was wrong, we had a huge response as in our globalized world the play had a universal appeal. We had to fly a director and an actor over, and we had an actor here who had been trained at the Royal Academy of Scotland. Gavin then came over again and did a one-man show called Bond and we adapted Luke Kempner’s London and Edinburgh one man hit show about Downton Abbey – audiences loved it. We delved into children’s theatre last year with our adaptation of Treasure Island which we plan to play again in the future. Our current production is an English language premiere for Moscow. It’s a play by Nick
Payne called Constellations and it has been a success in London and New York. It’s a love story interweaved with physics – yes, physics and the multiverse. We’ve played it twice now at the Mayakovsky to happy sell-out audiences and it’ll be returning in the autumn so watch this space – well, follow us on Facebook or at www. moscowenglishtheatre.com.
Who is your audience? Russians mostly. I wasn’t really thinking about the expat audience when we started, but we naturally appealed to the expat audience as well, and I think it’s about 60% Russians and 40% expats. Some of the foreign embassies, like the Australian embassy, have been big supporters.
What about you, do you make enough money to live on this? I supplement it with a little teaching as well and I go into several schools to offer masterclasses which is something I really enjoy. I think as an actor to be reminded of the enthusiasm and spontaneity of young students is always inspiring. I do a lot of radio voice overs and we supply actors for that as well – anything from commercials to video games. I do some TV also, I got a nice little role in Londongrad recently which gave me some kudos with my students – that was always the way in the UK, do some meaty theatre roles and they don’t respond but a small part on TV and you’re a hero. We’ve obviously been affected by the turbulence in the rouble exchange rate, as we sign contracts
Tosin Olomowewe and jonathan Cliffe in Blue/Orange 2014
57
Brits in Moscow Emma Dallow and Jonathan Bex in Educating Rita, 2013
with actors in GBP. There is about a three-month time line between us booking them and taking money in through the box office, and we have been caught out on a number of occasions when the rouble has plummeted, so we have to be very careful. And it means more and more we look at using UK or American trained actors who are resident in Moscow.
Jonathan Bex and Gavin Robertson in Space Oddity, 2013
Are you going to stay in Russia? I have family here now, a wife and a three-year-old daughter. Russia gets such a bad press, which is quite unjustified. All the actors I have had over have had such positive experiences, without exceptions.
What are your plans for the future? We’d like to play in a bigger theatre, and we’d like to tour more. So far we had a hugely successful tour, taking Rita to Kaliningrad and we think there is an appetite for this sort of thing outside of Moscow. We will be looking for more
people to help us expand especially in the marketing field. We have the opportunity to use the larger space at the Mayakovsky Theatre, which seats about 230 people. We are thinking of using larger casts, with perhaps 5 or 6 people, and then one or two of them could be Russians who speak English very well. One play we are looking at is ‘Who’s Life Is It Anyway?’ which is a fascinating 1980s play about euthanasia as I know now Moscow audiences can take any theme. Elephant Man is another show we’d like to bring over. We are interested in shows that Russian audiences haven’t been exposed to, and which the companies like the Royal Shakespeare Company don’t do when they are here. I also want to get back onto the International festival circuit which I have been part of in the past and start taking shows that we develop here to festivals around the world.
What is the difference between Russian and Western audiences? Some plays depend on linking things that happen in one act with something that happens a few acts later. Russian audiences get these links, so sometimes it is a surprise to see, oh, wow, the Russian audience has been following it. There is a beautiful tradition of flowers afterwards, which you don’t get in the West, and there is the slow clap which is regarded in Britain as being rather derogatory. But it’s the warmth of Russian audiences, which is so amazing. www.moscowenglishtheatre.com.
58
Brits in Moscow
Aubrey Smith
If you had the opportunity, would you like to go back and live in Moscow?
What happens to our children when we leave Russia? How do they feel about their new environment? In this interview, nine year old Aubrey Smith, the son of pioneering expat Mark Smith, who now lives both in Germany and Russia, tells us a little of his life in Berlin.
Aubrey, you were born in Moscow, and when you were eight last year, you moved to live in Germany. It must be quite a change? How is it different? I think Berlin is more of a kid’s place than Moscow. There are lots more things for kids to do here than in Moscow.
What’s the weather like? It’s usually nice, but it does get cold, of course nowhere near like as cold as in Moscow, because in Moscow there’s usually a lot of snow, but there isn’t so much here.
What are the people you meet in Berlin like? Some are nice, some are more serious.
What are the things that you really like dong now in Berlin? I like cycling to school very much. I like cycling to new places and exploring them. You can cycle everywhere in Berlin, its great. In Moscow the school was great but we had to drive there every day, it was a long way out.
Yes, I’d like that.
More than living in Berlin? I’d like living in both countries, when I’m older and I have some time, I’d maybe like to live in Moscow.
Do you speak German a little bit now? I speak German but I’m not fluent. I’m learning at school.
Do you like the school you are going to now? Yes, I like it very much actually it’s a very good one. I’ve got lots of friends there, it’s a nice school. Lessons are mostly in English. I’m doing lots of interesting stuff, and right now we’ve got these programmes where we go to fun places. Like we have April Fool’s Day today, and we have this very fun place in Berlin called Magic Mountain, which is fantastic for kids. You can climb there, and do all sorts of things, its really fantastic.
Do you miss your friends in Moscow, are you in contact with them at all? I used to be, but I am a out of touch at the moment, but I hope to getting in contact with them again via Skype. I went to the British International School in Moscow, and I liked it a lot.
Would you like to live anywhere else in the world that you know about? I think I would like to live in Florida. It’s a lovely hot place, and it’s really beautiful, the weather is really good.
When you were living in Moscow, what were the favourite things you liked to do? Well we lived at Patriarchs Ponds and I liked to go down and play around the pond, and in winter I would ice skate on it. In Berlin there is no snow, but in Moscow the snow was amazing. Half my family is from Russia, I really miss them actually, but we are organising for my grandma to come sometime, and my cousin and my auntie are visiting us soon.
What advice would you give anybody who wants to go and live in Moscow of your age, of what to take with them? They should take ice skates, and skis so that they can have fun in the winter.
59
Brits in Moscow
Interview by John Harrison
Steve Foreman How long have you been here? About 7 years
Full time here in Moscow? Pretty much full time yes
Why did you come here? I ran into a Russian oligarch, who said you must teach me English, (Russian accent) “You don’t understand, I was brought up in the Soviet Union. I didn’t think I would need English, the only place we were allowed to go was Bulgaria. So now, everyone around me, my 14 year old daughter, everyone, speaks English. It’s embarrassing,” he said. He said“come to my villa in Saint-Tropez this summer and just speak English to me every day for two months. You will stay in a four star hotel nearby, everything provided. I have two targets for this summer – learn English and lose some weight.” So that summer there were three of us. Me. Him; a billionaire, and his massive personal trainer called Vitalik. And by the end of the summer I lost some weight and Vitalik learned English.
So what’s that got to do with coming to Russia? Well, I managed to parlais two months into four as he then asked me to teach him French so he was the first person to get me a visa and I came over to Moscow with him.
So you have been teaching all the way through? More or less. Or interpreting, translating, proofreading, in company-training.
So how did you get into this comedy thing? I just heard about a year and half ago that somebody was doing stand-up in English in Moscow. It got started by a guy called Ivan Yavits who is in his late twenties, I think. He’s a university lecturer, and he just ‘stood up’ one day and started performing, I think initially as a way of keeping things interesting for his student.
60
But you had never done it yourself? No. But I remember thinking that if I were still in London, I would have tried it by now, because I always loved it so much. So I went along and there they were. By the time I joined, there were already 5 or 6 guys involved, some of them wanted to be actors so they wanted stage time or a creative outlet. But around November 2014 a whole bunch of guys started at the same time. Me, an Italian, a Canadian and some other English guys; all at once we were quite a big group, we were doing open mikes every weekend. By February, we found a place that would host us regularly Jim n’ Jacks on Myasnitskaya. It’s very Darwinist, stand-up. If you can’t hack it you fall away, there’s only so many times you can stand there and not get the laugh you were hoping for – three or four times, maximum. Though some people stick at it, even if they are not funny at all. And that’s a pretty sad sight. That’s just some form of masochism. Or selfflagellation. And public. To each his own, I guess.
But how do people understand your humour, it is a foreign culture and humour hardly ever translates? I think you’re being a bit extreme there. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I‘ve tried Open Mics in Russian five times now. My performances were, well, they received a mixed response. One of the main reasons is that the audience is very young and all concentrating far too much on appearing cool. That’s the number one priority for the evening. Not having a good time or having a laugh. Whatever. Hell, I was probably a bit like that too, when I was 19. And there is a different mentality of course, and sense of humour. About a year ago I said “is everybody having a good crisis? Sir? Madam? Having a good crisis? (I meant economic) Russians are great that way - they often answer ‘Aaah, this is my third.’ Then someone older walks past and says, ‘your third? Ha! This is my fifth! In time of Brezhnev - no toilet paper for two weeks, that, my friend, is crisis.’” I just got a polite round of applause but hardly any laughs. It was a case of ‘oh, that was quite clever, wasn’t it…’ But where was the involuntary physical reaction? The laugh. I realized I had a lot of work to do to win them round. You can’t make someone laugh that doesn’t want to laugh. So I quit.
Brits in Moscow
So how does it work in English? How do Russians understand the humour when it is in English? We have to slow down a little, that’s for sure, telling stories is better, obviously wordplay is out, puns are out as well. Adrian, a Canadian guy who has left now would just tell these hilarious stories about travelling on the Metro or running into the cops or running into babushkas or his kooky landlord, and they went down really well. Russian audiences love hearing about foreigners struggling with the peculiarities of day-today Moscow.
said ‘hey, when are you going to give me my own radio show?’ But it just so happens that they recently rebranded – to Capital FM. I went to see the new program director and he’d already been thinking about doing something like that – something along the lines of a comedy hour. So now every Thursday evening we do a show called: CAPITAL FM Standup. It’s on 105.3 FM from 7-9pm. I then post the show as a podcast and people from overseas are downloading it. There are not many podcast with a tag of “expats” out there. This is one of the first few. We talk about any funny things connected with Moscow,
So it’s not the humour that you would do in London, you have adjusted it, it has become Russianized? You are adjusting yourself culturally to be able to engage? It’s knowing your audience. Very important. Doing your best for them.
So you have all sorts of different kinds of nationalities coming and doing humour, different kinds of humour? The scene is quite healthy now, we have had quite a lot of new blood recently. We have a Jordanian, an Italian, some Americans.
How many people come to these events? It depends, the biggest crowd we got, ever, was probably about 100. I host a show at Stand Up#1 on 21 Novy Arbat at 7pm on Fridays. We’re talking about 2030 people, usually. As the name suggests – it’s the first dedicated stand up comedy club in Russia. Yes yes – in this land of smiles! For me this is certainly a huge cultural moment. Up there with accepting Christianity from the Byzantines or at the very least, the fall of the Berlin wall. Tell us about this new project you are doing in radio. I was interviewed by Moscow FM last year and I stayed in touch with them and at the beginning of the year, for a laugh
61
Brits in Moscow
and now we have listeners from outside Russia. We have a thing where I say a Russian word and Cris Righi, my co-host, has to guess what it means. Like ‘белоручка’ (beloruchka), - “white hands” which means somebody who doesn’t like to get her hands dirty. Or ‘зобмoящих’ (zomboyashik), – zombie-box. So television. Cris already had radio experience when we started so he really helped me slip right into it.
Are you thinking of staying here for a long time? It’s quite difficult to get out isn’t it? A bit like sending troops into Afghanistan, you can get in, but you can’t get out.
They keep on sending more! Oh dear.
You could end up staying here as long as I have unless you find somewhere else in the world that is as good as Moscow, right? Christopher Hitchens once described London as lying in a warm bath. You’re just lying there, thinking ‘should I stay here? Should I get out? It’s comfortable. But in an ‘already-dead’ apathetic kind of way. The whole of British society is designed to lull you into this anodyne, obedient, middle-England suburban, semi-conscious state. Which always just left me asking ‘is this all there is?’ In suburbia no one can hear you scream, right? It’s not for me. I like the buzz of Moscow, it’s alive. Growing, growling, grizzling, impatient, self-important, scarred, wounded. There’ s a certain energy here that I miss, for all it’s faults. And I know exactly what they are. It’s nothing Chekhov or any of those other clever bastards hadn’t already mentioned over a hundred years ago.
Have you changed over the seven years you have lived in Moscow? Probably a little bit yes. I prefer the shorter version, these days. Shall we say.
62
If you went to China for 3, 4 or 7 years, would the same thing happen to you there? Well you’re the person to answer that.
I don’t think so, because these two cultures are just close enough for there to be some cultural overlap. But with Chinese culture, in my experience, the gap is too wide, and you will never ever be Chinese. And you won’t look Chinese. It’s definitely not Europe, but it’s close enough to get your feet under the table. I was having dinner with my brother and some of his neighbours once and he announced that I was living in Russia, and everybody said: “oooh,” as Russia always manages to keeps itself in the headlines for one reason or another. One woman asked: “so what do you think of Putin?” I was like: oh yeah, love him, LOVE HIM. What else could I say? So I asked: “What do you think of him?” At which she snapped back; “I think he’s a brutal dictator who should be assassinated!” My brother works in international relations – so very politically engaged – looked over his shoulder at me from the stove with an expression that said: “Don’t Steve. Just don’t!” By this I mean, he knows I’d take great pleasure at destroying all arguments and objections one by one but I’d just end up humiliating her in front of her friends and teenaged children and most likely ruin the evening. So best to just nod and smile. Where to begin? Crimea isn’t half as bad a state invasion as the Gulf. What’s a little land grab between friends? Compared to over 100,000 people killed, maimed or otherwise fucked up for the rest of their lives? Yet, it’s OK for us in the West to assassinate people we don’t like? I could go on and on, of course.
Anything else you want to say? So people can download the Moscow Expats Podcast on itunes or listen on soundcloud.com/belkovsky and of course come and start your weekend with us - with a giggle at 7pm on Fridays, 21 Novy Arbat at Stand Up Club#1 maybe even take part. Get on stage and see how you do!
Brits in Moscow
Interview by John Harrison
Pamela Omotosho How long have you been here for? I’ve been here for about a year and eight months. Before then I came for four days to look at a school for my son. I have three gorgeous daughters Yasmin, Farah and Soraya, who are in the UK, and a gorgeous son, Guy, who is just 7 years old, and here with us in Moscow. We moved here because my husband was posted here, to the British Embassy.
You are a lawyer, do you have a family background in Law? Yes, my father was a barrister and a QC, and we have seven lawyers in my family. I’ve been in England for 30 years. Like my father, I attended Kings College London in 1986, was awarded a Masters degree in law, and have worked as a lawyer in London since then. My daughter Yasmin, went to Kings College and my great grandfather’s brother studied Medicine at Kings College in the late 1800s.
How did you feel about moving to Moscow? I was very apprehensive. I was worried about the weather, about everything. But now I have lived here for a while I have to say that this is one of those amazing cities that far outweigh any negativity about it, this is my experience. I can’t get enough of it. I can’t tell you how amazing the friendships are that I have had since I have been here. It has been very heart warming. Two weeks after I arrived, I was at the supermarket in Kievskaya, I went with my daughter, and we were full of concerns about what to expect. We were trying to find our way around the store, and working out what to buy and were looking at vegetables, when this elderly lady tapped me on the shoulder, and I thought, ‘here we go!’Then she started speaking animatedly in Russian, and showing me where to choose better looking vegetables. She held my hand, and guided me to a section where there were better looking tomatoes. She selected the most amazing plum tomatoes and weighed them, and gave them back to me. I just looked at her and thought: ‘I didn’t expect that.’That was the first incident that made me think, Moscow is really not what I have been told to think it is. From then on I have only met wonderful
64
people. One Russian shop worker friend even knitted me some mittens as a Christmas present. It was very touching and completely unexpected. So now I have some good friends here, and we have such a laugh together. For example, when I go off to the Arbat, there is a Russian lady who works in one of the kiosks who I have become friendly with. She loves to tell me what I think must be the gossip. I have no idea what she is saying most of the time, but in a way it doesn’t matter because there is a language of laughter and love, which I understand. She once asked me if I will take a selfie with her and I agreed. She invited me into her kiosk, brought out a palette of make up and we had so much laughter getting ready to take that photo together. A few weeks ago, I had some friends over, and we went on a walk down the Arbat, and my daughter said: “mummy, there’s a lady calling out to you”, my Irish friend was rather surprised as we went off together, talking and laughing to each other. I have made another good friend, from the Caucuses, who doesn’t get a lot of time off work, and I was surprised how little she knew about the culture around her. So I took her to the theatre, as she told me she has never been to a theatre before. We saw ‘Singing In The Rain’ together. She loved it! We went to Novo Devichi convent together and have been to Tsaritsino together. We link up every couple of weeks and do something interesting or just have a meal together. I have learnt a lot about Kyrgistan from her.
What else do you do here? I do my writing. I wrote my first children’s book before I came here, and I have started a second one here. Actually, I lost my mum in 2013, and I needed an outlet for the grief I felt. My daughters convinced me to start writing for children as they always loved the stories I made up to them when they were young. That’s how I found a passion for children’s writing. My first book is entitled Mrs Lovelyday & Darcy. I used to take my daughters for walks in a lovely lane in suburbia, and we often walked by a little cottage with a yellow door. And I said: “I wonder what goes on behind that door…” and that was the idea behind my first book. I started writing my second book ‘Hester the Hamster’ while sitting at a
Brits in Moscow Audio Book Cover of ‘Hester the Hamster’
farmhouse shop in Ware, Hertfordshire while my daughter Soraya was taking exams for her boarding school. We came over to Moscow not long after that, and I carried on, perfecting it. I self-published on Amazon and it went it went to the number two in its category for children’s books, which was quite a surprise. A friend suggested that I do audio books, and that has worked really well. I have done a couple of readings in the international schools here. I have a third book as well, which is almost finished. Once I have done these three books, I shall take a break from children’s writing.
the years. I like the sense of tradition here, I love the way that youngsters look like youngsters. You go to the galleries, and the Metros stations for example and the elderly are visible working. I went to the Novo Devichi convent, and the older woman could not tell us enough, they are a wealth of information. The older women are carriers of culture and one respects them. I love to see them holding their children’s hands coming back from school. Maybe I have a blinkered view about it, but what I see is something that is lost in many countries today.
Do you work here as a lawyer? No, I am unable to.
Are you worried that taking a long break might adversely affect you’re a career? It’s a double-edged thing. Personally for me as a lawyer, I’ve been qualified now since 1999, that’s 17 years, and I am really enjoying this break. It has been wonderful to be released from constant pressure and stress. I can feel the stress that my daughter is experiencing, as she works towards qualifying as a Barrister. I don’t regret having made the decision to have this kind of break at all.
Do you think that understanding Russian culture makes it more possible to understand where Russians are coming from? Yes completely, and it makes me like them all the more. I have a better understanding of Russia. This is a very cultured city, a place of depth. I see Russians as extraordinary people, having gone through what they have gone through over
65
Brits in Moscow
Interview by John Harrison
Chris Manuel Why did you come to Russia? I was working for a contractor in London, and we won a tender for a construction project for a subsidiary of Gazprom. The project was in a remote village called Krasnoe Znamya to which I, and my project team, travelled in the middle of a winter blizzard. I will never forget the bitter cold or how surprised we were to see the Union Jack flying from a flag pole at the factory gates; our first taste of Russian hospitality. Our American Client had promised us a lot of things including satellite communications, a vehicle, accommodation and basic building materials such as wood, metal and plaster. We arrived on site to find that none of these promises had been fulfilled and that our accommodation was a one-room apartment for the six of us. The Russians amazed us with their flexibility, ability to adapt and what they could achieve with the most basic of tools. Due to the lack of plaster we decided to dry line the walls and ordered 50mm x 25mm sections
66
of wood. We were surprised when two days later it appeared on site weeping sap and then discovered that it had just been cut from the local forest and processed for our use. It was also our first experience of working with tradeswomen on construction sites and the seventeen that we had did more work than the entire 130+ men. These ladies then went home to look after their families. They truly had our respect and gratitude! The worst thing about the whole experience was that we had no communications with Moscow, or the outside World and were unable to contact our families. Personal messages to our families and orders for materials had to be hand written and driven to Moscow from where they were couriered to the UK or telexed. We did however have an amazing time and completed the project in 1991, having been adopted by the village and attending the weddings and local events. In addition we worked in a local Children’s home with materials that had been kindly supplied by our Client as
Brits in Moscow
well as providing toys, educational materials and clothes donated by schools in the UK. I carried out further construction projects after that, and despite not sharing the same religious beliefs, ended up working for a Mormon humanitarian aid organisation called CEBIX. We worked on construction and renovation projects for hospitals and children’s homes and shipped in medical equipment and supplies that was cleared courtesy of the Salvation Army. In early 1995 I was working in a children’s hospital in the 1905 area of Moscow. Many of the children were in incredible pain as at that time they were rationed to one morphine vial per day. The care from the truly dedicated doctors and nurses was wonderful despite often lacking the most basic of medical needs. We had fantastic support from an Irish Pharmaceutical company who provided us with demerol and morphine for the hospital and the deliveries were brought into Russian courtesy of the Irish community and the generous spirit of a customs official. There is one funny story related to this time, involved a barman of Rosie O’Gradys. A package of morphine was delivered to his home and his mother decided to open the package and upon seeing the vials decided that her son had become a drug dealer, and reported him to the police. After a number of calls to the Irish Garda we managed to get things sorted out and the shipment was released. He was given a heroes welcome and much ribbing about his ‘drug dealer’ status! The generosity of the Irish community was, and still is, incredible and without their help many children would have suffered needlessly. I had become very attached to a little girl in the burns ward who reminded me of my daughters in the UK. It came as a profound shock when she died and I returned to the UK swearing that I would never return. Life however often throws curve balls at you and an old boss of mine and I formed a fit out company called
OfficeScape. An opportunity arose in Russia and I returned in late 1995.
What are you doing now? I left the contractor’s world in November 2015 as I felt that the business was no longer about the quality and the speed of work, and projects are now run by bureaucrats, lawyers and accountants often with little regard to the needs of the site. There are also the Technodzors (Technical Inspectors) who have a position of power, which is often abused. The net result these days is often a poor quality projects, executed by a low skilled workforce and managed by people with little pride in the end result.
67
Brits in Moscow
So you have set up English Workshops? Yes, I was working for a fit out company called Shafran, which had an in-house joinery workshop. The CFO decided to close the workshops as they no longer fitted into the corporate culture of the company. As such I offered to take them over and was surprised when this was accepted and we formed English Workshops. Since then, we have expanded the production base and are now working on projects in the hospitality, residential, commercial and retail sectors.
You mentioned a lot of problems in connection with working here. You have accrued a huge amount of experience; you could do well in almost any other country. So why are you still here? The ability to do business in the construction sector is extremely frustrating and these days many project managers know little about the technical side of the business although plenty about the bureaucracy. I am also often frustrated at universities that teach their engineers outdated technologies. One has a lot of emotional highs and lows when working in Russia and it is a bit like being addicted to a drug; once you have been on it for a couple of years, it is very difficult to leave and get it out of your system.
Has Russian culture changed you, made you more Russian? No, although my respect for Russians is immense. In my opinion they do some things incredibly well, and some things badly and often Russian logic just defies credibility. On the plus side there is exquisite bone china such as Lomonosovsky (LFZ), innovative rocket and aircraft designs, the amazing ballet dancers, the great orchestras, art and museums and then a wonderfully warm population.
68
On the other hand the things that drive me nuts are the bad roads, the fact that you have to carry a pram/ pushchair down the steps of the underpass as they have designed the wrong width for the tracks, the appalling driving, the fact that when demand drops the prices rise rather than the fall as is the norm, the short term greed, endemic corruption, etc.
Have you become more understanding of the Russian point of view of the world? It often seems that Russians have a chip on their shoulders and that they do not realise what they have. A lot of Russians believe that the West ‘has it in for them’ whereas in reality most in the West don’t give Russia a second thought. I am however often appalled at the lack of common sense with Western Politicians when it comes to dealing with Russia and its sensibilities. Russia is one of the richest countries in the World, with a great cultural heritage and yet sometimes the people do not seem to realise this.
So are you going to stay here for the rest of your life? I was seriously thinking of leaving Russia late last year, however when I took over the workshop I felt a new zest for life. My plan is that once the English Workshops is on a solid footing, then I shall return to my passion, which is project management. This time however I will return to the Client side as this gives me the opportunity of addressing the problems with construction and fit out from the inside. I do sometimes have regrets about not accepting past opportunities in other countries in the past although on the up side I have three wonderful children in Russia and a forgiving wife! I suspect that I will be here for some years to come and look forward to future challenges!
Brits in Moscow
The UK-Russia Year of Language and Literature 2016 The British Council in Moscow The Year programme kicked off in January with the launch of a massive open online course (MOOC) based on Shakespeare’s works. In February, a new TheatreHD season began. Cinemas in 40 Russian cities and across the CIS hosted live screenings of the most impressive productions performed at the Royal National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the Barbican. In April, famous characters from the Bard’s works were bought to life in the interiors of carriages on the Filovskaya line of the Moscow Metro. Exhibition “From Elizabeth to Victoria. English Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery collection exhibition” The State Tretyakov Gallery 22 April - 24 July Portraits of some of Russia’s greatest cultural figures, including Tolstoy, Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London and visitors to the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow will have a chance to see portraits of Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth I and many more famous Britons. As part of the parallel programme to the National Portrait Gallery exhibition in Moscow, the British Council will present an educational programme, including 11 lectures on key figures, instrumental in forming the history of Great Britain. Photo exhibition: ‘Shakespeare Lives in Domodedovo Airport’ From 23rd April to 30th June, 2016 visitors to one of the largest airports in Russia - Domodedovo - will be able to visit a
unique photo exhibition “Shakespeare lives in Domodedovo airport”,dedicated to the life and works of William Shakespeare on his 400-anniversary. The 17th New British Film Festival In October-November 2016, the British Council together with CoolConnections will hold the 17th New British Film Festival, with screenings set to take place in 30 cities across Russia for the first time. As part of the UK-Russia Year of Language and Literature and to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, a special programme of films will be shown, including screenings of Maxine Peake’s Hamlet, staged at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. There will be screenings of a range of documentary and short films, and a series of discussions and round tables on the development of the international film industry with the participation of invited experts and Festival guests: New British Film Festival Talks. Details of the programme will be announced in autumn 2016 at www.ukfilms.ru Literary Seminar at Yasnaya Polyana Autumn 2016. The British Council together with Russian partners are delighted to announce the launch of a major annual seminar dedicated to contemporary British literature. In autumn 2016, the first seminar will be held at Yasnaya Polyana, the museum estate of Leo Tolstoy. The seminar will involve leading British writers, poets, critics, journalists, literary specialists and translators. Participants
will discuss how the UK Publishing industry works, literary trends in prose and poetry alongside academic approaches to the study of literature. This project aims to facilitate the development of professional dialogue between representatives of literary and academic communities in the UK and Russia, encouraging young specialists to conduct independent research and to create platforms for knowledge and experience exchange. As part of the seminar a series of presentations, discussions and round tables aimed at wider audiences are planned. Translators, publishers, university staff, graduates, journalists, literary critics and those with a professional interest in British literature will be invited to take part. 18th Non-Fiction Book Fair In November 2016, a delegation of British writers and publishers will take part in the 18th Non/fiction bookfair. Stimulating discussions, innovation in British literature, an art installation celebrating the connections between the Russian and English languages and much more will be presented at one of Moscow’s biggest literary events. These are only some of the events coming up this year, for more details and these and other events, please see the British Council’s website: http://www.britishcouncil.ru/en/ programmes/arts/uk-russia-year-oflanguage-and-literature-2016 For further information, please contact the British Council at moscow@britishcouncil.ru or +7 495 287 18 16.
69
The British Women’s Club
W
ith regular meetings, activities and events, the British Women’s Club is a welcoming, friendly, non-profit social club that aims to support newcomers and long-stayers — with British backgrounds — in Moscow. Our members are based all over the city and we get together weekly to make new friends, help each other out, organise group activities and just to provide a familiar and supportive voice in this sometimes challenging city. Most of new our members find us via our website. We meet weekly for coffee, and are very welcoming to new faces. We organise regular activity groups, including mosaics, writing, mahjong and a book group, and we also set up one-off events. In the last couple of months we’ve organised trips to try out dogsledding, ice skating, jewellery making and several museum tours. We’ve also celebrated the Queen’s 90th birthday with a rather fabulous high tea! Our new chair is Nova DudleyGough, who is fairly new to Moscow but very experienced in expat life, having lived outside the UK for twelve years in locations ranging from Borneo to the Netherlands. “Moscow can feel overwhelming, but I felt like I hit the ground running with the support of BWC. I was invited to join the committee and was soon
70
setting up events and clubs. It is an honour to become Chair after such a short time here, and I intend to do the BWC proud. I’ve never before encountered such a supportive expat group on a posting — and we have fun too. What’s not to love?” Wendy Soucy is the new vice-chair of BWC. A long term resident of Moscow and fluent Russian speaker, she is the perfect foil to the new Chair: “I have been in Moscow for nearly 4 years and the BWC has been a real lifeline. It’s a very informal but warm and welcoming club. In this time I have seen many lovely ladies come and go but the warm atmosphere always remains the same. We like people to bring suggestions for activities and as we all pull together we are always busy with our various activities. It’s fascinating to get together with other women who have experienced so many cultures and different lifestyles and to share the trials and tribulations of managing family life from afar.” Membership of the club is fairly static at the moment, but we did see a drop off about a year ago as postings came to an end for quite a few people. Remarkably, since then our members have stepped up and members have got more involved as a result. As the saying goes; birds of a feather flock together! Coffee mornings are well attended, new groups have
been created and been a success, and we continue to hold major events such as our Christmas Bazaar, and summer cocktails. We encourage our members to get involved with our oneoff activities and most end up being over-subscribed, which is a very flattering position to be in. We are trying to choose events — and their timings and locations — on what is most suitable for our members rather than letting tradition dictate the kind of things we do. We’ve held food market mornings to show some of the wonderful organic and local food available here in Moscow, as well as beauty bar events to encourage our members to try locally owned salons and products. While the majority of our members have British passports, we do welcome associate members who have a close link to Britain. We meet every Tuesday morning at Shokoladnitsa on Old Arbat (next to the Government souvenir shop) and there is always a committee member around to assist with any questions or queries. Some of our forthcoming events include a silver workshop, a tour of Moscow State University botanic garden, and of course our regular nights out at Chicago Prime. You can always reach us via our website - www.moscowbwc.org.uk or email us at bwcmoscow@gmail.com.
71
Business
The Tale of The Russian Economy and Kiosks
By Christopher Weafer
A
s usual, the arrival of spring and the prospect of summer always lightens the mood in Moscow. This year that positive trend is also getting a boost from the better rouble exchange rate, a more optimistic tone from state officials and the relatively improving trend in the economy. I say ‘relatively better’ because the economy is still in recession but the pace of decline is much slower than was the case through all of last year. The State Statistics Service announced that the economy fell by only 1.2 percent in Q1 over the same period of last year. That compares with an average decline of 3.7 percent for 2015. There is always an ‘however’ when any article about the economy starts with good news. This one is no exception. A big part of the reason for the much smaller decline in because the Statistics Service has changed the way it calculates some data and has moved the reference base from 2008 to 2011. That makes a difference and has ‘technically’ improved the headline result. The second point to make is that the sector which led last year’s decline, i.e. retail and consumer activity generally, is still reporting a five to six percent drop year on year and that is on top of last year’s ten percent decline. So most individuals and households continue to experience a lifestyle deterioration, albeit at a slower pace than previously. But so as not to be branded a kill-joy, it is fair to say that the economy has now definitely passed the worst and that is a reason to be hopeful. The country has proven to be much more resilient than many had expected given the scale of the oil price fall and sanctions which forced the country’s banks and corporations to return almost $250 billion to international creditors over the past 24 months. At today’s exchange rate that is about one-quarter of the entire GDP. Most other countries would have collapsed under that pressure so resilience – or maybe stubbornness – is a very apt description. But surviving and passing the bottom are still a long way from meaningful recovery and growth. These are two entirely different issues. Moving to a sustainable growth trajectory will require fundamental changes in the way the economy works. A return to the old model of trickle-down
72
oil wealth will no longer drive the growth required. Relying on that course will certainly lead to near stagnation, or growth so low that it will feel like stagnation. The better news is that at least it appears that a growing number of officials in policy-making, or policy influencing, positions have more openly embraced that fact. A very good analogy to understand where the economy is today and how the transition will feel is to consider what has happened to the kiosks in Moscow. As people who have lived in the city in the 1990s and noughties know well the transition from the Soviet-era centrally controlled economy to free (er) enterprise resulted in the emergence of thousands of kiosks in perekhods, street corners, train stations, etc. These quickly became a core part of the emerging retail and service sector. It was the easy route to follow to satisfy people’s demand for goods and services while a more structured retail sector, such as shopping malls and fixed shop units, developed more slowly. Residents of Moscow at one point were almost entirely reliant on these small units for such services as photos, key cutting, electrical parts, buying flowers and the innumerable units selling women’s clothing the nature and purpose of which being unfathomable to most males. Kiosks made life convenient. Now that they have been so abruptly removed life is much less convenient and most of us complain that we don’t know where to go anymore for these life easing goods and services. Of course you can still get everything but it takes greater effort and more time. Kiosks were always an anomaly. The proliferation of these units is not something you see in major developed cities in Europe or the US. They emerged as a stop-gap to satisfy a public need during the unique period in the country’s history which was the transition from communism to consumerism. But, complain as we will, it is time to move on to a more normal and regulated economic structure. Eventually there will be more corner shops and fixed location convenience stores and the convenience of life will return. Online retailing, or E-Commerce, one of the fastest growing segments of the economy, is already replicating, actually enhancing, the convenience of consumer life. But there is a transition period during which life will be less convenient. Arguably it would have been better to
Business
ease out the kiosks rather than bull-dozing them so quickly. This is where the analogy with the economy is evident. The strong growth recorded in the economy in the noughties was primarily driven by double-digit growth in retail, financial services and some other related sectors such as construction. All of which was indirectly funded with the $3 trillion worth of oil and gas export revenues not so much earned as injected into a low base economy. Economic management could not have been more convenient. Hydrocarbon wealth was the economy’s kiosk. Now that revenue stream has been sharply reduced and with the unexpected speed at which the kiosks were removed. Managing the economy is a lot less convenient for the government and it too is now looking at alternatives. The oil kiosk is no longer available or, not as abundantly as before, so new locations for revenue have to be found. The indications are that a great deal of hope is being invested in the import-substitution or localization plan which, in theory, should not only see the economy become self-sufficient in basic goods but create a broader manufacturing base from which to grow non-extractive industry exports. It is the right strategy to pursue but, as with life without the kiosks, it will require a new approach and will be frustrating during the adjustment period. But, also as in the case of the kiosks, there is now no other choice; the oil wealth driver is gone forever. As was seen in 2013, even $110 per barrel average oil can now longer grow the economy as it previously did. As for the outlook for the oil price and for the rouble exchange rate over the summer months? Both look overstretched currently. As everybody now understands, the primary driver of the rouble exchange rate is the oil price. In turn the primary driver of oil, over the medium term, is what actions the Saudi’s take at the June OPEC meeting, what happens to US shale and Iranian oil production and how soon the Canadians can put out the devastating fires and restore the oil flows from the Alberta Sands. A big part of the reason for the rise in the oil price in recent months was the favourable (for oil) trend in these factors. But the fires will be put out and US shale volumes are more likely to stop falling or even start to recover with a near $50 oil price. The greater likelihood is that the price is near a medium peak and will slide lower in the summer and early autumn. The rouble has not strengthened as much as the oil price
since early February mostly because currency traders are also sceptical about the sustainability of the oil rally. Still, the safer bet is that both will slide in the coming months. Let me finish with another however. The threat of a steep rouble collapse, as was the case in late January, has also now eased. The trading range is more likely to be relatively narrower for the rest of this year than was the case in 2015. The rouble too has passed the worst but, as is the case with the economy and life without the convenience of kiosks, the way forward will be frustrating and difficult for some time to come. At least now we can be more confident that there is a more positive way forward.
73
Business
Nodira Sadikova
FDI in Russia inflow to Russia down 92%
T
he total volume of FDI worldwide increased in 2015 by 36% compared with the previous year and reached $1.7 trillion. In countries with economies in transition, the flow of foreign direct investment decreased by 54%. The largest decrease in foreign direct investment in this group was observed in Russia. According to ‘Interfax’ excerpts from the World Investment Report prepared by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), FDI flows into Russia have been declining rapidly since 201. In 2015, FDI influx fell by 92% compared to 2014. The Russian Ministry of Economic Development is forecasting worsening investment indicators in 2015-2016 with a slow positive increase by 2017. Earlier, the Ministry forecasted a decline in investment in fixed assets of 10,6% in 2015 and increase to 3,1% in 2016, 2,3% in 2017, 3,2% in 2018. According to a previous official prognosis of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, capital outflow in 2016 will account for $70bln, and $60 65bln. in 2017-2018. The updated macro prognosis will be released in September of this current year. However the Central Bank of Russian Federation presented different figures which indicate that capital outflow could reach $89bln in 2016, and $78bln in 2017. Based on this year’s IPA survey, developed economies remain important sources of FDI, but they are now accompanied by major developing countries such as the BRICs, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Korea and Turkey. Indeed, China is constantly ranked as the most promising source of FDI together with the United States (figure 3). Among the developed economies, the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, and France are ranked as the most promising developed economy investors, underscoring their continuing role in global FDI flows. The Russian Federation took almost the last position as the least promising investor home economies for FDI. Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister, expressed hope for greater understanding from the West. “It is the responsibility of the government to enact reforms quickly to diversify the Russian economy and to replace the diminishing income from oil prices,” Trutnev said.
74
Figure 1: Russia Foreign Direct Investment. Source: Trading Economics, The Central Bank of Russian Federation
Figure 2: Russia Foreign Direct Investment. Source: Trading Economics, The Central Bank of Russian Federation
Figure 3: Increasing importance of developing country investors 2014 -2016: Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) selection of most promising investor home economies for FDI in (Percentage of IPA respondents selecting each economy as a top source of FDI). Source: UNCTAD
Useful Information
Hiring a Bike in Moscow OK, so summer is here – at last – and it’s time to get on the bike. But you don’t have a bike, and don’t want to buy one in Moscow. Maybe the cheap alternative to public transport is rather expensive in Moscow; it is almost impossible to pick up a reasonably priced second-hand bike here. Perhaps you are worried about your new twowheeled steed being stolen, or don’t have room to store your ecological personal transportation system during Moscow’s long winters. Don’t worry! You can still exercise those leg muscles, and show them all you care both about your health and the environment. 300 renta-bike points have opened up in Moscow and have been operating successfully for a few years now, which is nice for those of us who come from London, Paris, or just about every major city worldwide, which all have such schemes. In Moscow, you have to pay a deposit first, then it’s pay as you go. You can register online, or at a terminal,
which each pick up point has. In either case you need to pay a deposit of 1,200 roubles for a season (May 1st to 31st October), 600 for a month (30 days), or 150 roubles for 24 hours. That’s just the standard charge, then you pay an hourly rate on top of that, from 30 roubles for an hour, to 3,000 roubles for 48 hours. All the details are on the ‘velobike’ site, however only the registration part is in English. To register on line, go to www. velobike.ru/en and hit the red button at the bottom that says ‘directly.’ You register with your name, email and mobile number. Then you wait to receive your login and password. After that, you pay a refundable deposit and book your ride. On line booking works faster than if you book at one of the payment terminals. Once you have your login and password and have paid your rental charge, you type them in (the login and password) on the keyboard of any of the bikes’ handlebars and you are away. So DON’T LOSE YOUR LOGIN
AND PASSWORD! I did last summer and had to start all over again. See where the nearest pick-up and drop-off destinations are online first. You can download Apps for your smartphone, but they are not in English. The bikes are a bit chunky, but feel solid and reliable. There are more and more cyclists on the roads now in Moscow and cycling here is probably as safe as in any other large city world-wide, although you may have to overcome a slight fear barrier the first time you head out into the open (crowded) road. Enjoy the good weather whilst it lasts and get cycling!
75
Legal
Interview with Luke Conner,
General Director of Conner & Company LLC Conner & Company LLC – List of services • Corporate finance: M&A, banking and financing, restructuring • Commercial legal services: drafting and review of commercial contracts • Onshore and offshore structuring and tax advice • Registration of Russian companies • Services for High Net Worth Individuals, including assistance with international property acquisitions and the financing of private jets and yachts • Intellectual property matters: trademark licensing and registration • International trusts and estate advice • Litigation • Divorce and matrimonial services • General legal services: witnessing of documents, swearing of affidavits and statutory declarations, UK passport assistance • Providing assistance to Russian law firms on English law matters Contact details: Luke Conner General Director Conner & Company LLC info@connerco.ru www.connerco.ru +7 (968) 756 3168
76
Business You used to work for a large international commercial law firm, what made you set up your own, eponymously named firm?
What did your mentors advise? They told me that they strongly believed that I would have far more success as an individual than within a large organisation. This was encouraging because none of the large organisations were offering jobs. They also advised that there is nothing quite like being your own boss, and that whilst it comes with its own stresses, it also has a wide range of benefits. In short, they were absolutely right, and I am glad that I listened to them.
So you set up Conner & Company? Yes, I set about it right away but, obviously, the process does not take place over night. There was a lot of work to do with company incorporation, setting up bank accounts, work permit and visa applications, taking tax advice etc. Eventually though, I managed to get it all sorted and after doing some freelance work, I started working for my own company as General Director earlier this year.
I can definitely say there has never been a dull moment. Although, I would be lying if I claimed that it had all been ‘plain sailing’, I have had an excellent response from the potential client base, from foreigners and Russians in Moscow, and even from further afield. I have come across some administrative and banking problems, the sorts of things that could, and do, happen in any country, but the experience has generally been very positive.
What sort of services do you offer your clients? The legal sector has many components and subcomponents. In my view, especially in the large firms, lawyers end up over specialising in one tiny area. I have been fortunate enough to have a significant level experience in a wide range of legal fields and in a number of different business sectors. Consequently, I can offer my clients expertise in mergers and acquisitions (i.e. buying, selling and merging companies), in corporate finance (raising debt and equity financing), in banking and also in general commercial work. In recent months, I have acted on several corporate acquisitions for Russian and foreign clients. I have also acted for clients on a wide range of commercial contracts, particularly in the logistics sector. I recently assisted a Russian banking organisation with a complex financial process. And I have also helped individual businessmen with litigation matters and even with divorce proceedings in Russia.
How do you differentiate your law firm from competitor firms and what is your vision? My vision for Conner & Company is to maintain a significant level of independence. By this, I mean not only that my firm will be separate and very different from the large commercial law firms in Moscow, but it will also have more of a boutique feel. What this means is that clients will always
be dealing with the decision-making lawyer, directly. They won’t have to go through costly junior lawyers, just to end up eventually with a simple answer from an even more expensive, senior partner. Moreover, we will be able to deliver a greater level of privacy and confidentiality because far fewer people will be involved with each process. Further, the client will still be able to get expert advice, even on complex transactions and matters because we maintain a small, but closely managed network of partner organisations who can assist us, when required. For instance, we have already worked on a a number of complex structuring and tax projects for clients, and for the tax elements we used a private firm of accountants and consultants, set up with a very similar vision to our own.
How do you see Russia as a potential market for the future? As a general economy and market, I see great potential for the future. It is just a question of the Russian people grasping that potential, and reaping the benefits. Unfortunately, the current climate is difficult and there is a risk that the economy will stagnate whilst business people postpone projects and investment, and foreigners steer clear of Russia for the time being. We need to remember that Russia is not in a vacuum and needs to react to the rest of the world, where unfortunately the outlook is also not necessarily entirely positive. However, I have great hope, and I meet investors every week who are coming up with innovative concepts and ideas, and are raising finance with some success. The legal market is a microcosm of the wider Russian economy. Lawyers face the same pressures as other business people, but they also have to deal with the inevitable changes that will be required to legal services worldwide. For instance, there is a lot of pressure on lawyers to modernise and innovate, particularly in the IT sphere, and also huge pressure on costs. These are areas in which Conner & Company will be aiming to deliver best practice for its clients.
77
Sponsored Article
I had always wanted to set up my own law firm, but, like many lawyers, I was probably a bit too comfortable with the status quo and the relative easy life of a salaried role. What I really needed was an impetus for change (for which read – kick up the backside). Then the sanctions hit Russia, followed by the rouble crisis and weakening market sentiment. These had a drastic effect on the M&A and finance sectors, two of the areas in which I specialised as a solicitor. Consequently, I suddenly found myself out of work, having spent many happy years in Russia and was faced with a stark choice: either leave Russia or somehow work out a way in which to stay here, but in gainful employment. After much deliberation, and speaking with several close friends and mentors, I decided to set up my own law firm.
And how have you found things since getting started?
Legal
Luke Conner
The Panama Papers By Luke Conner
I
n early 2015, an anonymous whistle-blower approached the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in Germany (SZ), and having requested and received certain security assurances from SZ’s investigative journalists, proceeded to facilitate the largest data leakage in history. The leaked documents related to 214,000 so-called ‘letterbox companies’ and contained 11.5 million files, including emails, pdfs, photo files and excerpts from the internal database of the Panamanian law firm and corporate services provider, Mossack Fenseca. Confronted with a task of almost unimaginable enormity, SZ approached the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), who had helped with the Wikileaks investigation and the Lux Leaks investigation. The ICIJ proceeded to share the investigative research amongst its member newspapers and broadcasters and, in April this year, over a year after the original whistle-blowing took place, information started to be made public and Mossack Fenseca announced to its clients that it had suffered a security breach. The leak has since received worldwide coverage and is commonly referred to as ‘The Panama Papers’. Much has been written about the Panama Papers in the local and international media. Most
78
of it focuses on celebrity use of offshore structuring and alleged tax evasion by footballers, film stars and businessmen. Now that the dust has settled following the original scandal, this article aims to look at the background to the papers and to see whether there is anything that we can learn from what happened. Theoretically, Panamanian companies and the nominee directors provided by their corporate service providers, were supposed to provide anonymity to the real beneficial owners of such companies, which the Panama Papers suggest were often held through other offshore jurisdictions. Much has been written about the potential for clients being able to cover up illegally obtained funds and avoiding UN sanctions. However, there are a number of entirely legitimate reasons for an owner trying to hide his/her identity: inheritance and estate planning; securing assets from kidnappers and corporate raiders; and incorporating joint venture structures in a neutral territory. Indeed, it should be noted that Panama has not been blacklisted by the U.S. or the EU as a destination for American or European funds, although the French government did react by reinstating it to a list of tax havens. In the meantime, Mossack Fenseca and its partners strongly
denied claims of wrong-doing, pointing to their large compliance department and stating that their systems had been hacked from outside of Panama, indicating that the leak was not an ‘inside job.’ Mr. Fonseca, one of the firm’s founders, stated that much of the information being cited was false and inaccurate and the firm appeared to push the blame onto its own clients, many of whom are themselves professional services firms, implying that the clients themselves should have carried out anti-money laundering and know-your-customer checks. So what are the main takeaway points from this episode in remote Panama, which Russia’s most famous expat, Edward Snowden, described as the ‘biggest leak in the history of data journalism?’ Firstly, whether the result of a hack or a data leak from an employee, the Panama Papers demonstrate an obvious need for all businesses to keep their IT programming and security up to date and under regular review, whatever it is they are doing. In the modern era, it is extremely easy for large quantities of information to be downloaded and stolen very quickly. Secondly, offshore structuring and tax havens are going to come under ever increasing scrutiny, which means that national governments are also going to have to review their internal tax legislation. This may be no bad thing.
Business Chet Bowling is co-founder and managing director at Alinga Consulting, a firm specializing in outsourcing accounting, audit & tax and legal services.
Chet Bowling: “Entrust sales to professional staff”
Chet Bowling
It goes without saying that the professionalism of a service provider is the strongest argument in favour of working with him or her. This is especially true when it comes to difficult and complex services. Nobody needs an unqualified accountant or auditor. Furthermore, you’d be disappointed to be promised one thing by a sales manager only to receive something entirely different when the service is delivered. If that’s the case, why not entrust sales to professionals – the experts who serve your clients? This is exactly what we do.
T
Advantages of this approach: • Professional accountants or consultants can easily choose the optimal service model right away. • There is no gap between the expectations of a customer and the actual service delivered (all issues are resolved directly and ‘on the spot’). • Project managers feel a greater sense of responsibility for fulfilling the terms of the contract. • A project manager’s area of responsibility is expanded (growth in status and powerful nonmaterial motivation). As a result, the quality of service improves for clients. The primary risks associated with this approach concern potential demotivation of project managers due to their lack of knowledge and skills to solve new sales challenges, as well as the absence of a transparent system to evaluate and compensate this work. Understanding this, we have introduced a separate ‘team’ bonus for our project managers that is paid based on the results of work with prospective clients to achieve the goals of the division or group. We
have also instituted a training system that gives the project managers the soft tools required or the sales efforts. Successfully combining the functions of an expert in providing services with those of a seller requires more than being a professional in one’s field; one must be able to communicate with clients, be proactive, see a customer’s difficulties, help to generate demand, and offer the best solutions. Therefore, our training aims to develop the classic skills of a good seller: handling objections, leading negotiations, holding presentations, producing business correspondence, drafting commercial offers, etc. Both our own specialists and external consultants conduct training. I note that the prevailing approach is supported by the HR functions (training, assessment, incentives and compensation, and orientation), a mentoring system and the company’s top managers. For example, I personally conduct the orientation training that is devoted to the principles of customer service. I believe that our model can be successfully used by many companies from various service sectors.
79
Sponsored Article
he approach in which a sales person searches for clients, guides them to sign a contract, and then the technical specialist or project manager delivers the service – has two main shortcomings. First, the KPIs of a project manager and the sales professional are different. The risk here is that there will be a mismatch between the expectations of the customer and the actual result of the services rendered, possibly leading to the loss of the client. Second, in accepting a client without the opportunity to develop a relationship and influence the model for how that client is served, project managers view their task exclusively as that of service delivery. For them, the customer is merely the beneficiary of their efforts and there is not a sense of responsibility towards the client. In perfecting our service model, we rejected the idea of having a separate sales division and instead assigned sales roles among our marketing specialists and project managers. The former work to find prospective clients from among our existing business contacts and determine areas where they can benefit from our services. They also put together preliminary proposals. This information is then passed along to our project managers who carry out negotiations and sign contacts. While rending services, project managers become familiar with the customer’s challenges and take part in the search for an optimal solution.
MGFC
Kim Waddoup
Sever Yug Restaurant, Hotel Standart The ratings from our MGFC members were:
Food Suitability: Quality/Suitability of the drinks: The service standards: The general rating of the meal:
F
oodies love new culinary experimentation and we were eager to try the new Sever Yug Restaurant located in the newly opened Standart Hotel on Pushkinskaya. With Tverskaya and most of Pushkinskaya looking like a battlefield as work for the new pavements started, intrepid members of the Moscow Good Food Club made their way to Moscow’s first Design Hotel. Located on the first floor, the Restaurant Sever Yug features large windows looking over Pushkinskaya and a bright show kitchen presided over by Executive Chef Angel Pascual. Angel comes from Catalan and arrived in Moscow speaking very little English or Russian.
80
7.5 8.1 7.95 8.2
However he fell in love with the staple products of Russian food and as a culinary master he has taken some relatively simple products and breathed his magic upon them! We were welcomed by a well deserved aperitif of Cava Catalonia ‘Marques de la Concordia’ accompanied by canapés consisting of Mini Chicken Burger, Serrano Ham with white mushrooms & cucumber, roots with Smoked Salmon and cream cheese and Codfish a L’Orly with Sauce Bernaise. Old and new members were quickly meeting and talking in true Moscow Good Food Club relaxed style. At precisely 20:00 we were called to our seats. A beautiful long table had been prepared for us and members eagerly awaited their
culinary voyage. First course was the Chef’s signature dish, his own discovery of Buckwheat Humus with Sun-dried tomatoes. Having heard a lot about this dish, members were most inquisitive to discover what is was and how it tasted. Most agreed that it was a masterpiece of creative cuisine. This was perfectly paired with a Torres Mas Rabell Alquimia Catalunya DO. To follow was Octopus on Sautéed Cabbage with Ginger. Probably the most provocative dish of the evening it consisted of bite sized chunks of crispy octopus on a bed of relatively sweet cabbage with ginger decoration. This dish caused a great deal of discussion but in true style, all plates were cleaned. This dish was provocatively paired
MGFC
with a Hacienda Zorita Vega de la Reina, Verdejo. Surprisingly a red wine, a little young but a superbly well balanced complementing the octopus and sautéed cabbage. The next dish again was greeted with anticipation, whilst quite simply entitled Quinoa with Champions it was a delicate dish bursting with flavours. The main course was another sensation, not only for the beautiful presentation of the Lamb marinated with Pomelo, bread crumbs and Truffle Honey Butter served on hand crafted plated that more resembled the White Cliffs of Dover than a plate. The effect however was spectacular. Soft, fragrant lamb that melted in the mouth with a broad mixture of complementary flavours from the accompanying pickles and butter. The crowing jewel of this dish was the Hacienda Zorita Criado en Barrica a most perfectly balanced
white. Another indication of Angel’s provocative style of recommending a well balance and mature white wine with the lamb. Dessert consisted of a delicate Chocolate Pancake with Caramelised Buckwheat. This worked for some members but left others unimpressed. After a delicious and controversial dinner, it was time to call out and thank the kitchen team who had worked so hard to prepare the meal. This was followed by the presentations of the Critiques from our eminent members. The comments were lively and constructive with Angel Pascual being able to offer his explanations of his reasons and choices. The meal was excellent and the wines well above average. Some of the tastes and combinations were debateable but all were unanimous in their praise of the brave style from
Angel. The service was extremely friendly but one can see that the restaurant is very new and that the slick teamwork that is so necessary for this style of dinner was lacking. With training and experience this will improve quickly. Congratulations to Angel Pascual and his team, we wish you great success with Sever Yug! However the evening was not quite completed as we had asked our erstwhile members to mention their favourite restaurants in Moscow. The recommendations included:- My Wife’s kitchen(!), Bjorn, Mari Vanna, Café Margarita, Orangetree, Funny Cabany, Erwin, Twins, Donna Margarita, Zodiac, Baan Thai, Cantinetta, Mos, Café Pushkin, White Rabbit, Chicago Prime and Pinocchio. Moscow Good Food Club. Good Food, Great Wines and Wonderful Company!
81
MGFC
Kim Waddoup
Nikolas’ Restaurant The ratings from our MGFC members were:
Food Suitability: Quality/Suitability of the drinks: The service standards: The general rating of the meal:
I
n Moscow we are quite spoiled for choice, with the wide range of restaurants and specialities at our disposal. So it was refreshing to receive an invitation for the Moscow Good Food Club to visit a restaurant that spoke of it’s family background, and with most produce coming from their own farm. Before we introduce the restaurant let us introduce the farm. Located 130 kilometres from Moscow the family farm now produces most of the supplies for the restaurant including meat, vegetables and fruit. The family prefer to take the pick of their crops to their own restaurant in the centre of Moscow, instead of selling it at market.
82
7.2 8.2 7.85 7.33
With this background information, the intrepid members of the Moscow Good Food Club made their way to Nikolas’ restaurant located on Bolshaya Polyanka conveniently located directly opposite the metro. Nikolas’ restaurant is named after the family patriarch, the Grandfather and many of the recipes are said to be of his origin. On the ground floor there is a cosy café/bar that stocks some amazing German beers but our destination was the first floor. It is not a large restaurant; it seats a maximum of 40 people in a lovely Russian country style. Aperitif and canapés of Roast Beef, caviar of eggplant with walnut and salmon tartar were served to welcome us. As the guests arrived, friends greeted
each other and new members were immediately welcomed to the fold. On being called to our tables, we were served a generous helping of Beef Carpaccio with an ingenious carrot tartar. The Carpaccio was served a little too cold (almost frozen) but as it warmed to room temperature we were able to experience the deep taste of fresh beef directly from the family farm. Whilst the serving was most generous (almost large), our members know how to please a Chef and all the plates were clean when returned. The Carpaccio was served with an excellent Takun Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva from Chile. Continuing with the theme of local specialities, we were next served a generous helping of Salad Olivier with crayfish and chicken. The Olivier was
MGFC
superb with crispy vegetables and a light dressing. The only comment from some members that whilst the crayfish was delicious, there was not so much of it! The Olivier Salad was paired with a Centine Rose from Italy, a very pleasant light rose that surprisingly complemented the lightness of the salad. The veal kidneys in Madeira meat sauce caused some lively discussions with some loving the unique flavour of veal kidneys, whilst others could not overcome their aversion to offal. Nevertheless, those that enjoyed the kidneys also commented on the suitability of the deep Finca Nueva Crianza from Spain. Sometimes Chefs and sommeliers are challenged when pairing to traditional foods. The main course was Pozharksky cutlets with potatoes Pushkin and mushroom sauce. Two massive, crispy cutlets were served on each plate but this failed to defeat some of our more tenacious members who proceed to polish off their plates in great
style. This course suffered slightly from a kitchen challenge, resulting in many of the plates not being served as warm as they should have been and a rather weak wine; Gran Bateau Blanc from France which failed to breakdown the strong flavours of the cutlets. Despite the criticism it was an enjoyable dish of humungous proportions. Veterans of the Moscow Good Food Club know to keep some space for dessert and this was a good policy as Honey Cake was served next. Layers upon layers of light honey pastry made the cake look even commercial, but the taste was original with the flavours of country honey permeating through the pastry. Paired with a Merlo Louis Galud, a semi-sweet from France it was an amazing combination! To finish an interesting and traditional meal we were served with a home made Cranberry liqueur that summed up the original flavours of a most enjoyable meal. As always our erudite members are asked for their critiques of the
meal. Whilst maybe not up to the haute cuisine of some previous meals, the Nikolas’ restaurant provided us with a memorable meal that was enjoyed by most. The service, whilst very friendly, struggled slightly with the numbers resulting in some meals being served cold, a small criticism that can easily be rectified by the young and talented team. ‘Many changes have taken place in Moscow over the last years (most for the better!) List 5 things that have gone and that you now miss in this great city’ – was the question now asked of our slightly inebriated members and their comments included: Kiosks, stray dogs, ladies in high heels, ambulance taxis, telephone booths (who needs these!), street musicians on Arbat, free parking and shawarma by every metro! Our grateful thanks to the Aleksandrov family, to the staff of the Nikolas’ restaurant and to Juliana Titaeva their charming PR lady who arranged the evening.
83
LIfestyle
Summer in the City!
A
Made in Russia
few of my favourite pastimes and places, cosmetics and dresses – made in Russia. Hemlines rise, cyclists appear and pavements disappear as they are turned into terraces - just a few of the signs of summer in Moscow. Set up for the season starts over May holidays, one of my favourite times to be in town and with warmer temperatures comes a jollier mood, which might be measured in proportion to the extreme climate contrast: -30 to +30. That’s an exaggeration. It was once the case, even 25 years ago but Moscow is milder now and I think inhabitants are gentler too. The sheer length of the winter, including an extended filthy thaw contributes to the sense of liberation – a load lifted after shaking off that sheepskin, unravelling the woollies and stepping out of sturdy footwear. So how to spend summer in the city? Well first you need a tan and Moscow has a selection of ‘beaches’ to choose from. They are riverbanks of course; no long stretches of white or golden sand but waters’ edges have been developed sufficiently imaginatively to create the illusion of a seaside resort. One of my favourites is Royal Yacht Club Beach Club, superbly located near Vodny Stadion, so if you scoot out of work punctually you can catch the evening sun in just over 20 minutes by metro from Pushkin Square. Arkady Novikov’s restaurant Vodny makes this a designer destination, loungers are for hire but not obligatory, you can recline on your towel to languidly admire luxury marina life. Need to get back in shape before baring all? I like to run outside and kept it up in thermals for much of the winter on sunny mornings, when
84
the pavements were clean. I vow to try VeloBikes this year but I’ll also play tennis opposite the Soviet Army Theatre in Ekaterinksy Park. The club has soul and well-kept clay courts. Dress code is taken seriously as are the refreshments, veteran instructors quench their thirst over well-deserved chilled beers in between lessons. And what to wear now you’re toned and tanned? I can’t get enough of Russian Fashion Roots in Modny Sezon; it’s like a dressing up box, full of frothy party frocks, beaded headdresses and irresistible stilettos in ice-cream pastels. There’s plenty for him too so you can bring your other half along for a perusal. Boutique owner Asya Ryazankina (pictured in dress) has an eye for local talent and is her own best brand ambassador. Moscow rays can be raw so why not pop next door to Organic Shop in
Okhotny Ryad and stock up on some potions to prepare your skin for its new golden hue. Inspired by the wildlife in Siberia, cosmetics by Natura Siberica are taking the world by storm. They don’t yet have a range devoted to sun protection but I’ll start with a seaberry and honey body scrub and keep a bottle of oil for hair, soul and body – also from the Oblepikha Siberica line – handy in my beach bag. I’m tempted too by Caviar Gold day cream made from northern black caviar and Siberian gold with a light SPF factor for decadent moments in the shade. By Anna Jackson-Stevens PR specialist
Classified Advertising NIGHT FLIGHT
SCANDINAVIA
“Superb food at sensible prices prepared by excellent chefs with friendly, efficient service”
“Comfortable, calm restaurant with high quality cuisine offering many Scandinavian specialities”
17 Tverskaya St M. Pushkinskaya Cuisine: Scandinavian, European +7 495 629 4165 www.nightflight.ru
7 Maliy Palanshevskiy Per. M. Pushkinskaya Cuisine: European, Skandinavian +7 (495) 937 5630 www.scandinavia.ru
CHICAGO PRIME
STARLITE DINER
Moscow’s most popular steakhouse & bar. Top steaks, efficient service and large wine list
Moscow’s original diners still serving our favourite food
Strastnoy Blvd. 8a M. Tverskaya Cuisine: American, Steaks +7 (495) 988 1717 www.chicagoprime.ru
Jade Tsoy Beauty Specialist Hello, my name is Jade, I am a fully qualified beautician with professional qualifications. For your convenience I make all treatments in the comfort of your home Tel: +7 916 786 3488 E-male: fint0702@mail.ru
US Dental Olympiyskiy prospect 16, bld.5 Tel: +7(495) 933-86-86; +7(965) 150-50-20 www.usdentalcare.com
Russian Language School
8a, Strasnow BulevardM. Pushkinskaya Cuisine: American +7 (495) 989 4461 www.starlite.ru
KINGS MEAT Bacon, Sausage AND Delicatessen Sandwich meats locally produced delivered to home or office www.kingsmeat.ru sales@kingsmeat.ru English speaking staff Tel: +7 495 741 49 10
Residential Development Projects Investment Opportunities in the Tula Region
CADENZA MUSIC SCHOOL Tel: +7916 8587681 E-mail: artcadenza@gmail.com facebook.com/cadenzainstitute vk.com/cadenzainstitute
11 Arbat Street (floor 6) 119019 Moscow RUSSIA Tel: +7 495 691 56 46 E-mail: info@ruslanguage.ru
Moscow Good Food Club Moscow’s premier Dining Club
Inter-Cultural Training How to make the best of Russia on a cultural and business level. Individual and corporate packages available
John Harrison Tel: +7 916 521 3110 harrisonj@outlook.com
This space costs just R.8,500 for 3 months!
Please contact David Morley Tel: +7 925 367 9241
Elan Languages Quality professional translations
Tel: +7 (495) 627 57 34 info@elanlanguages.ru www.elanlanguages.ru
Moscow Networking Exceptional Networking for Exceptional business people www.MoscowexpatLife.ru/networking
Contact Anastasia on +7 916 697 2289 to advertise here!
Moscow’s Bars, Clubs, Cafés and Restaurants OSTERIA DELLA PIAZZA BIANCA
SCANDINAVIA 7 Maliy Palanshevskiy Per. M. Pushkinskaya Cuisine: European, Skandinavian, $$
Moscow Good Food
Club
“Comfortable, calm restaurant with high quality cuisine offering many Scandinavian specialities”
REAL FOOD RESTAURANT Crowne Plaza Hotel/WTC Krasnopresenskaya Nab 12.
Moscow Good Food
Club
Full a la Carte menu incorporating healthy dishes made from organic ingredients. Open kitchen and excellent food & wine
Moscow Good Food
Club
True Italian cuisine from Executive Chef Giuseppe Todisco
Good Food
Club
Typical Italian traditions for food and hospitality. Food care is the most important aspect, with freshness and simplicity as the main characteristics. Feel and breath Italian culture and true Italian cuisine.
17 Tverskaya St M. Pushkinskaya Cuisine: Scandinavian, Moscow Good Food European, $$$ Club +7 495 629 4165 www.nightflight.ru
“Superb food at sensible prices prepared by excellent chefs with friendly, efficient service”
Moscow Good Food
Club
Moscow’s most popular steakhouse & bar. Top steaks, efficient service and large wine list
KATIE O SHEA’S STEAKHOUSE & BAR Groholsky Per 25, Bldg 5 M. Prospekt Mira Cuisine: Irish, $$ Genuine Irish pub with great beer, food and atmosphere
Krizhizanovskovo 20/30 M. Profsoyuznaya Cuisine: Indian, $ www.aromass.ru +7 499 125 6276
Moscow Good Food
Club
“The most authentic and best Indian food in Moscow. Delivery service also available”
TORRO GRILL Multiple M. Taganskaya Cuisine: European, $$$ Some of the best steaks in Moscow. Great service, great drinks and great prices
Moscow Good Food
Club
Comfortable and classy restaurant with creative dished from the Finnish chef.
Muzey, Kosmodimianskaya nab. 52/7 (next to Swisshotel)Moscow Good Food M. Paveletskaya Club Cuisine: Italian, European, Pan-Asian, $$ Extremely comfortable Italian restaurant serving high quality creative & traditional Italian cuisine, personally cooked by Chef Marco Lachetta
WINE RELIGION
AROMASS INDIAN RESTAURANT
STEAKHOUSE & BAR Strastnoy Blvd. 8a M. Tverskaya Cuisine: American, $$
22, Tverskaya M. Tverskaya Cuisine: European, Russian, $$$$
Tverskoy bulvar 26, bldg 2 M. Pushkinskaya. Cuisine Scandinavian, International $$$$
MUZEY RESTAURANT
NIGHT FLIGHT
“Casual but elegant restaurant offering an entertaining gastronomic experience”
CHICAGO PRIME:
86
Moscow
CHEKHONTE
ITALIANETS 13, Samotechnaya Ul, m. Trubnaya, Cuisine Italian, English menu price $$$
Lesnaya street 5a M. Belarusskaya Cuisine: Italian $$$$
ORANGE TREE RESTAURANT
Michurinsky Pr.16 M. Universitet Cuisine: European Bistro $$$
Moscow Good Food
Club
New style of European bistro with creative food and a large wine selection.
CAFE RUSSE Ritz Carlton, Tverskaya St 3, M. Okhotny Ryad, Cuisine: Euopean $$$
Moscow Good Food
Club
Casual dining in an elegant atmosphere, top chefs and extensive wine list
STARLITE DINER 8a, Strasnow Bulevard M. Pushkinskaya Cuisine: American, $$ Moscow’s original diners still serving our favourite food
Community Services Business Clubs/ Organisations
The Association of European Business (AEB) CEO: Dr. Frank Schauff Web site: www.aebrus.ru
AEB is an active community of about 630 members, providing a network for sharing opinion and experience. The AEB is an advocate of its members’ opinions, generated in 40 industrial and crosssectorial committees, sub- committees and working groups.
ITA Italian Trade Agency Director: Maurizio Forte Web site: www.italtrade.com/rossija
The ITA supports the internationalization of the Italian economy. We have been working in Russia since 1966.
French-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFR) General Director: Pavel Chinsky Web site: http://www.ccifr.ru The Danish Business Club in Moscow Chairman: Kasper Ditlevsen Daytime job: Commercial Director – Uhrenholt Russia & CIS Web site:www.dbcmoscow.camp9.org
The Danish Business Club has both corporate and private members, almost all of whom are based in or doing business in Moscow. About 80% of our subscribing members are Danish.
The French-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is aimed at developing economic cooperation between Russia and France. We organise a large variety of different events for our members to meet each other, such as sector committees, business presentations, B2B meetings, cultural events.
Moscow expat Life is very popular and copies of our magazine go fast. Order your copy on-line and have it delivered to your door. www.MoscowExpatLife.ru
87
Community Services Business Clubs/Organisations
Polish Business Club President: Alexander Janeczek CCIR (Camera di Commercio Italo-Russa) Director: Marisa Florio Web site: www.ccir.it/ccir/
The Polish Business Club was created 15 years ago to develop contacts between Polish and Russian companies, and to provide business support; such as help in renting an apartment, how to get medical help and advice on where to go in your free time. The Club’s main mission is business development in Russia.
British Business Club President: Don Scott Web site: www.britishclub.ru
Russia continues to offer massive opportunities to British businesses, but it takes stamina to see them through. The BBC offers a small sanctuary of Britain to help in these times.
We organise and attend a lot of trade exhibitions each year and help all of our members establish themselves in Russia.
Canadian Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA) President: Lou Naumovski, National Chairman, Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association, Vice President and General Director Moscow Office, Kinross Gold Corporation Co-President: Nathan A. Hunt, Founder, Chairman, CERBA Moscow, Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association Web site: www.cerbanet.org Moscow Chapter Contacts: alex@cerbanet.org; radmila@cerbanet.org Phone: 7 (495) 7621240 Italian Business Club (ITAM) President: Giovanni Stornante
The Irish Business Club Chairperson: Avril Conway Web site: www.moscowirishclub.ru
The members of the Irish Business Club are a mix of both Russian and Irish professional people and private individuals. It takes some time to understand the Russian culture and to make friends. We try and help in these respects as much as we can.
We organise social and professional events for the Italian community. We bring Italians together, help their integration when they move to the big city, facilitate the exchange of ideas, experience and opportunities between the Italian and other business communities.
The Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association has a network of seven chapters located in Moscow, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary Vancouver and Almaty, and a membership base of over 200 corporations and individuals in a wide range of sectors. As an association, CERBA provides an extensive network of contacts with frequent networking events, informative seminars on pertinent topics in the Eurasian market for Canadian companies, an annual National Conference, a quarterly printed Newsletter, committees of the Canada-Russia Business Council (CRBC), access to annual trade missions, as well as market intelligence, advocacy on government policy, and active, Canada-focused sector committees.
www.cerbanet.org
Wirtschaftsclubrussland e.V: We are a business club for bilateral and multilateral business connections between the EU and Russia and Central Eastern Europe. Being part of the social entrepreneurship “Closing the distance” our network reaches from Europe to China. Our Mission: We connect people and cultures – building bridges
Wirtschaftsclub Russland CEO: Dr Karin von Bismark Web site: www.wirtschaftsclubrussland.org
88
Dialog opens Markets Our Values Respect Responsibility Trust Open with us new chances and markets around 70 theme events every year. Meet us and become a member www.wirtschaftsclubrussland.org.
Community Services Women’s Clubs/Associations The Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA)
International Women’s Club of Moscow (IWC)
SWEA is an international organisation, with 7,500 members in 34 countries all over the world. The fact that the 90-member strong Moscow chapter fits into a large international organisation, has many advantages. The main purpose of the SWEA in Moscow is to act as a network for members, to support Swedish culture and Swedish languages. The majority of SWEA’s 90 members in Russia are accompanying spouses, even though the trend is that more and more women come here by themselves for career reasons working for Swedish companies.
The American Women’s Organisation
The International Women’s Club of Moscow is a not-for-profit organisation which exists to promote friendship and cooperation between women and men of all nationalities. Explore our website to find out more about our events, how to join, and the charities we support.
Since 1993 the American Women’s Organization of Moscow, has provided support to expatriate women, and/or spouses, of all North American countries including the United States, Canada and Mexico. The aim of the organization is to provide social and cultural opportunities during your tenure here in Moscow. The members are very friendly, open and always willing to share their experiences. General meetings are held on the first and third Wednesday of each month and commence at 11:00 a.m. Newcomers are always welcomed and encouraged to attend any of our meetings. If you would like additional information on the American Women’s Organization of Moscow, please contact us at awomoscow@gmail.com.
President: Victoria Šeligo, the wife of The Ambassador of Slovenia. Web Site: www.iwcmoscow.ru
The American Women’s Organisation President: Judy Peacock
The German’s Women’s Group This is a new German-speaking group which organises meetings for German and Austrian women. Meetings are held every second Wednesday. The group supports newcomers and those who have been here longer.
Founder: Monika Michaely Email: info@ deutschegruppemoskau.com
Since 1993 the American Women’s Organization of Moscow, has provided support to expatriate women, and/or spouses, of all North American countries including the United States, Canada and Mexico. The aim of the organization is to provide social and cultural opportunities during their stay here in Moscow. The members are very friendly, open and always willing to share their experiences. General meetings are usually held on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 11:00 a.m. Newcomers are always welcomed and encouraged to attend any of our meetings. If you would like additional information on the American Women’s Organization of Moscow, please contact us at awomoscow@gmail.com
De Tulpen
Presidents: Olya Kalmykova and Desiree Dekker Web Site: www.nlclubmoskou.nl
President: Cecilia Oskarsson Web Site: www.moskva.swea.org
The Main goal of the Tulips is to provide a social platform for the Dutch speaking ladies in Moscow, do things of interest together and have fun! When you are abroad, one’s own culture becomes so much more important. If anybody wants to connect with us, please find us on the Dutch Cub web site. If people want to go and visit museums, they can do that one their own. But if they want to speak their mother tongue with other people here in Moscow, then here we are.
The British Women’s Club (BWC) BWC was set up in 2000. When British women arrive here they may need help and support from each other to understand basic things like where to shop for food, information about schools and to get to know other Brits. Mainly it is a help group, because it can be quite a shock settling here if you don’t speak Chairwoman: Russian. Women generally introduce Fariba Zoulfaghari themselves before they move to Web Site: Moscow. And we let the ladies know www.bwcmoscow.org.uk on what is going on in the city.
89
Essential Information Emergency Phone Numbers Fire fighters 01 Police 02 Ambulance 03 Emergency Gas Service 04 Intercity phone calls 07 Information 09 Time (automatic clock) 100 Emergency rescue service 937-9911
Pharmacies (Apteki)
+7 495 937 6477
Finding a pharmacy in Moscow is definitely not a problem. In fact, quite a number of them are open 24/7. The prices vary from one pharmacy to another, but the difference is not very significant.
American Medical Centers
What to do if you lose your passport
Medical help International SOS (The Moscow Clinic, 24 hour service to its clients)
(24 hours service) +7 495 933 7700
European Medical Center (French, British and American experts) +7 (495) 933 66 55 International crisis Line Tel: +7 926 1133373 This is a free English-speaking telephone counseling service for expatriates in distress. Available 08:00-23:00 daily. In case you ever have to call the fire fighters, the police, or an ambulance, make sure that all family members can correctly pronounce your complete address in Russian. Post a piece of paper with your full address details and phone numbers in Russian and translation into your native language on the wall next to your phone. Also make sure that your children know how to reach you or another adult you trust in case they get lost or have an emergency. Note that in Russia there is difference between the police (militsiya) and the traffic police (GIBDD, formerly GAI). The police are not responsible
90
for regulating traffic or handling car accidents, and the traffic police do not handle criminal offences that are unrelated to traffic.
Your first step should be to contact the nearest consular department for your country of origin. You will also have to go to a police station in order to obtain an official form confirming the loss or theft of your travel documents. We recommend, however, that you contact your embassy or consulate first, as they may be able to help non-Russian speakers with the necessary paperwork. In the case of a child’s lost passport, both parents must appear with the child. Once you have a new passport, take it, along with your plane ticket (if you do not have a return ticket, you will have to buy one before you are issued a new visa) and the police form to the company that issued your visa support documents. If you have a copy of your lost visa, you should also provide it. If the agency refuses to help you (although it is their legal obligation to do so), then your consulate should tell you what to do.
Important:
For ease of processing we recommend that the police report states that your documents were lost, not stolen.
Essential Information Getting to Moscow’s Airports
The Aeroexpress train departs from the left hand side of Paveltskaya station. Single journey tickets come as flimsy paper receipts with bar codes in them. Don’t lose your ticket as you need it to get out of the station at the airport. Return tickets come as plastic cards. Tickets cost from 320 roubles. The journey takes 40-50 minutes, and they run reliably and regularly, every half an hour from 06:00-24:00. On the way home, this is a convenient way to beat the taxi mobs, however there is only the taxi if you arrive during the night. Leaving your car in the longstay car park costs 600-700 roubles a day depending on the season, although information on the airport’s site is not clear on this score.
Vnukova Airport
http://www.vnukovo.ru/eng/ 8 (495) 937-55-55 Getting there:
M
oscow is served by three major airports: Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo. You can get a taxi (fares range between 1,200 and 2,300 roubles, and generally, the service is good. The operators speak English, but the drivers may not. A taxi back can also be booked, and this saves a lot of hassle and possible agro when dealing with the taxi drivers at arrivals. All 3 airports are now served by ‘Aeroexpress’ shuttle trains. The service is good but not 24 hours a day. The three airports are: Sheremetyevo Airport http://www.svo.aero/en/ +7 495 578 6565 + 8 800 100 6565 + 7 495 956 4666 for flight information Sheremetyevo has become much more accessible thanks to the opening of the Aeroexpress from Byelorusskaya Station. Aeroexpress costs 320 roubles and they leave every half an from 05:30-00:30. Long term parking costs 250 roubles a day according to the airport web site. If you are getting a taxi or driving your own car there during the day it is advisable to leave a minimum of two hours to get there from the centre.
Domodedovo Airport
http://www.domodedovo.ru +7 495 720 6666 for flight information Getting there:
1. By airport bus from Yugo Zapadnaya Metro. You need bus 611, 611с or 611ф, (611f) (express). You need to listen carefully to the pre-recorded stop announcements. Your stop is Airport Vnukovo. Busses run every 10 minutes or so the journey to the airport takes about 30 minutes. You can also get a ‘marshrutka’, (mini-van taxi service) route 45 which will take you to the airport faster. Fare is 100 roubles plus 10 roubles for each piece of extra luggage. 2. From Metro Oktyabrskaya (the Circle Line) (subway) Route 705m ‘marshrutka’ runs between Metro Oktyabrskaya (Circle Line) and the Vnukovo airport. They take 35-40 minutes, although Moscow traffic is Moscow traffic, so at peak time leave at least an hour. Fare is 130 roubles plus another RUB 10 for every extra item of baggage. 3. By Aeroexpress Train From Metro Kievskaya (Metro) (exit to Kievsky Train Station). Once out on the Train Station forecourt, go round the corner of the Station terminal building and a few yards down on your left-hand side you will see the entrance portico of the Vnukovo Aeroexpress Terminal. Tickets cost 320 roubles for standard fare, and can be bought on line, if you read Russian. The journey takes 40 minutes.
91
Charity List of Charities Below is an incomplete list of Charities operating in Moscow which foreigners are known to be involved with. If you wish to list a charity in future issues, please write to: editor@moscowexpatlife.ru
Kidsave Contact: Alexander Mzhelsky, +7 985 970 9019, a.mzhelsky@kidsave.org Kidsave® is a non-profit organization working in Russia since 1999. Our programs create strong and lasting connections between children and adults, with the goal of giving orphans and young people graduating from institutions opportunities to develop the skills necessary for a successful future. ________________________
Downside Up Contact: Elena Lubovina, Tel. +7 499 367 1000, +7 499 165 5536, lubovina@downsideup.org About 2,500 children with Down syndrome are born in Russia annually. In 85% of such births, parents give their children up to maternity homes, often following doctors’ advice. The abandoned children are sent to state institutions with no chance of ever leaving them. But there is an alternative! The children can live in their families and join early
92
intervention and education programmes. Children with Down syndrome, no matter how different, have a vast learning potential. Downside Up invites you to help make life better for people with Down syndrome ________________________
Kitezh Contact: Katya Gurkina, +7 916 975 1603, kitezhcentre@ yandex.ru, www.kitezh.org/ en/index.php Kitezh is a network of therapeutic communities that give children from orphanages loving foster families. The aim is to create a developing environment for the education and care of orphans and children in crisis. The first Kitezh village is in Kaluga Region, 300 km south west of Moscow, and the second village, Kitezh-Orion, is located 60 km in the same direction. ________________________
Musical Experimental Theatre ‘Open Art’ Contact: info@metopenart. com, www.metopenart.com
Open Art was created in September 2001 for people with learning disabilities. Open Art is based on a unique combination of different art forms and directions: • Music • Dramatic art • Choreography • Art Design • Poetry • Dramatic improvisation • Ethnic art The Musical Experimental Theatre Open Art is open for participants from Moscow and Moscow region. Open Art has developed methods which are being used in rehabilitation centres and institutions for people with learning disabilities. Open Art also organizes courses and seminars for specialists in Moscow. ________________________
and educational support for both physically and mentally disabled children in Russia. The larger goal is to support changes in society and legislation in order to create social and medical support programs, which would allow parents to raise their children at home rather than living in institutions. ________________________
Diema’s Dream
Vera Hospice Charity Fund
Contact: +7 495 942 4003, sa5557@yandex.ru, sergey@ddfund.ru Diema’s Dream was established in 1998 to provide financial, medical,
Contact: Maria Bakhtina bakhtina@hospicefund. ru, Ilya Kaukin kaukin@ hospicefund.ru Tel +7-965-372-57-72 website: www.hospicefund.ru
Moscow Animals Contact: info@ moscowanimals.org, www.moscowanimals.org Moscow Animals – devoted to the welfare of homeless animals. To adopt a dog or cat or if you would like to help local animal shelters by making a donation or volunteering your time, please visit the Moscow Animal Website or email. ________________________
Charity List of Charities Since 2006, Vera Hospice Charity Fund is the only nonprofit organization in Russia supporting palliative and hospice care for children, adults and elderly. ‘Vera’ fundraises to assist hospices in Moscow and other regions of the country. By 2015 the total number of hospices under the care of ‘Vera’ has reached 40. The foundation also provides direct aid to over 300 terminally ill children and their families and finances the work of in-home care units for them. Other programs include social and educational support programs for hospice employees, hospice care awareness, and volunteer fostering activities. ________________________
legislature and provide full financial and activity reports. ______________________
United Way Contact: + 7 (495) 780 9718, info@unitedway.ru
Contact: +7 (495) 500 40 42, www.nastavniki.org/ru
The Fund supports charities offering programs aimed to meet the social needs of the following sections of society: • children at risk • disabled (children and adults) • refugees and homeless • elderly people Our mission is to foster responsible philanthropy in Russia by supporting local charity programs aimed at solving the most critical problems. The Fund is a permanent source of financing for efficient charitable organizations. Charities receiving funding have to demonstrate financial transparency to the highest possible degree. In turn, we guarantee to the donors full adherence by the foundation to Russian
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Russia is a part of Big Brothers Big Sisters International, one of the most efficient mentoring programs for children. In Moscow BBBS helps children living in institutional care (orphanages) and disadvantaged children. A volunteer becomes a Big Brother or a Big Sister to a child, visits him or her once a week for at least one year. Studies show that children who have a mentor have higher self-esteem, are more stable emotionally, have better motivation to study and show more initiative. Currently there are 162 matches in Moscow. Please keep in mind that you need a good knowledge
MPC Social Services Web Site: www.mpcss.org MPC Social Services is one of the longest serving charitable organizations in Moscow. It is a registered Russian charitable organization and an established 501(c)3 non-profit in the United States that addresses poverty and hunger, and provides medical care and education for Moscow’s poor, including women, children, families, pensioners, economic migrants, and refugees. ________________________
Big Brothers Big Sisters
93
Charity List of Charities
of Russian to become a Big Brother or Big Sister because the children don’t speak English very well. ________________________
Nastenka Contact: +7 (495) 980-5377, +7 (495) 585-41-01, www.nastenka.ru The charitable foundation helping children with cancer ‘Nastenka’ was founded in 2002. The main objective of the foundation isto increase the quality of diagnostics and treatment of children with oncological diseases, as well as to revive the tradition of charity in Russia. For 11 years, the foundation has helped thousands of sick children and purchased large number of expensive modern medical equipment for a hospital: two ventilators, an x-ray machine, a dialysis machine, blood separator and much more. ________________________
To Russia With Love
homes, are likely to harm children and leave them ill prepared for life in the outside world. Ideally, all of these institutions should be phased out as soon as possible by means of extended family support, fostering, the provision of small family units, and lastly, adoption. However due to the number of children in State care in Russia, our immediate goal is to secure for each child, a long term stable solution whilst working side by side with the local administration. To Russia With Love is privileged to be allowed act as a guardian to many children without parents, who live in these very institutions. We work to build children’s self confidence, assist them to reach their full potential to become strong adults, successful parents, thus breaking the cycle of abandonment and in turn go forward as role models in society. ________________________
Contact: www. torussiawithlove.ie
To Children With Love
The very best of institutions, orphanages, large childrens
To Children with Love’ or ‘Детям с Любовью’ was
94
www.tochildrenwithlove.ru/en
founded in 2009 to focus on fundraising in Russia, in the belief that the best and the most sustainable initiatives should and can emerge locally. With a board composed of Moscowbased trustees, a celebrity patron and a growing base of corporate sponsors, the charity has, since 2009, worked hard to establish itself as a unique entity in the world of Russian children’s charities. ________________________
BIG Change Charity Contact: http://bigchange.ru/ en/about/. Or call Big Change at +7 - (499) 317-44-44 BIG Change Charity is a Moscow charity that provides individualized education and training in life skills to teens and young adults who have lived for years in orphanages. Big Change helps their students: - prepare for vocational school or university - choose a vocation and find a job - broaden horizons, interests, relationships - become productive members of society
- live full and independent lives. ________________________
Children’s Hospital Fund at Speransky Pediatric Hospital № 9. Contact: +7 499 256 64 44 (office); +7 916 117 3215 (mobile). www.childhospital.ru The Children’s Hospital Fund was founded in 2001 to support Russia’s Biggest Pediatric Burns Center at Speransky Hospital, Moscow. The fund provides medical equipment and materials for skin grafting and prevention of burn scarring. This NGO is running a pioneering psycho-social program, vital in cases of changed appearance or bereavement. The fund is supported by well-known businesses, banks and charitable organizations, including Moscow expat women’s organizations. The European Burns Association recognizes the achievements of the fund. The fund needs sponsors’ help to continue its charitable programs!
Essential Information Paying for your mobile telephone at a terminal
There are many different makes and models of pay machines which handle mobile phone payments in use in Moscow, however most of them work in the same way.
Step 1.
Identify the service you need: The first ‘home’ screen will ask you what kind of services you want. The Russian words: ‘ ОПЛАТА УСЛУГ’ (payment for services) are what you want.
Step 2.
Identify the service you want: You will be presented by an array of services which indicate the various services which the company operating the terminal has signed up for. Fortunately, to keep things simple, the logos for the most popular mobile telephone companies are displayed on the top row.
Step 3.
Having identified your mobile telephone ‘operator’ by its logo, you will then be asked to key in your telephone number. Having done this, you hit the button which says ‘ВПЕРЕД’ (NEXT). On most terminals this is coloured orange, but make sure you don’t inadvertently press any other buttons which may download various entertainment programmes onto your phone.
Step 4.
Pay. You insert notes into the machine and the amount you have paid comes up on screen minus commission. You then hit the button: ОПЛАТИТЬ (PAY).
That’s it! 95
Essential Information What do the numbers on the red number plates mean? They are Russian Diplomatic codes signifying countries. All vehicles registered with foreign embassies have to use them. 001 - Great Britain 002 - Germany 003 - Canada 004 - USA 005 - Japan 006 - Spain 007 - France 008 - Belgium 009 - Greece 010 - Denmark 011 - Italy 012 - Luxembourg 013 - Netherlands 014 - Norway 015 - Turkey 016 - Australia 017 - Austria 018 - Algeria 019 - Egypt 020 - Rwanda* 021 - Argentina 022 - Afghanistan 023 - Myanmar (the former Burma) 024 - Bolivia 025 - Brazil 026 - Burundi 027 - Ghana 028 - Bangladesh 029 - Guinea 030 - Zambia 031 - Peru 032 - India 033 - Indonesia 034 - Jordan 035 - Iraq 036 - Iran 037 - Ireland 038 - Iceland 039 - Cambodia (the former Kampuchea) 040 - Kenya 041 - Cyprus 042 - Congo 043 - Costa Rica 044 - Kuwait 045 - Laos 047 - Lebanon
96
048 - Libya 049 - Mali 050 - Morocco 051 - Mexico 052 - Nepal 053 - Nigeria 054 - Venezuela 055 - New Zealand 056 - Pakistan 057 - Burkina Faso* 058 - Senegal* 059 - formerly Syria. Now code 133 is used. 060 - Somalia 061 - Sudan 062 - Sierra Leone 063 - Thailand 064 - Tanzania 065 - Tunisia 066 - Uganda 067 - Uruguay 068 - Philippines 069 - Finland 070 - Sri Lanka 071 - Chad 072 - Switzerland 073 - Sweden 074 - Ecuador 075 - Ethiopia 076 - Angola 077 - Democratic Republic of Congo (the former Republic Zaire) 078 - Colombia 079 - Cameroon 080 - Guinea-Bissau 081 - Portugal 082 - Bulgaria 083 - Hungary 084 - Vietnam 086 - Poland 087 - Korean People’s Democratic Republic (North Korea) 088 - Cuba 089 - Mongolia 090 - China 091 - Romania
092 - formerly Czechoslovakia (nowadays Czech Republic (148) and Slovakia (149)) 093 - Serbia 094 - Benin 095 - Gabon 096 - Guyana* 097 - Mauritania 098 - Madagascar* 099 - Malaysia 100 - Niger* 101 - Singapore 102 - Togo* 103 - Central African Republic (code 106 used earlier) 104 - Jamaica* 105 - Yemen 106 - formerly Central African Republic. Now code 103 is used. 107 - Palestine 108 - Nicaragua 109 - Mozambique 110 - Equatorial Guinea 111 - Sovereign Military Order of Malta (earlier code 111 belonged to Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon)) 112 - Malta 113 - Cape Verde 115 - Zimbabwe 116 - United Arab Emirates 117 - Côte d’Ivoire* 118 - Namibia 119 - formerly Republic of South Africa. Now code 137 is used. 120 - Oman 121 - Qatar 122 - formerly Arab League. Now code 503 is used 123 - formerly Liechtenstein 124 - South Korea 125 - Chile 126 - Panama (earlier code 126 belonged to UNESCO; see code 512)
127 - Israel 128 - FYR Macedonia (earlier code 128 belonged to EU) 129 - Albania 130 - formerly international organizations 131 - Holy See (Vatican) 132 - Lithuania 133 - Syria (code 059 used earlier) 134 - Estonia 135 - Latvia 136 - Bahrain 137 - Republic of South Africa (code 119 used earlier) 138 - Armenia 139 - formerly Georgia. Now code 158 is used. 140 - Saudi Arabia 141 - Slovenia 142 - Uzbekistan 143 - Kyrgyzstan 144 - Croatia 145 - Azerbaijan 146 - Ukraine 147 - Moldova 148 - Czech Republic 149 - Slovakia 150 - Belarus 151 - Tajikistan 152 - Turkmenistan 153 - Kazakhstan 154 - Guatemala 155 - Bosnia and Herzegovina 156 - Eritrea 157 - Paraguay* 158 - Georgia (code 139 used earlier) 159 - Brunei-Darussalam 160 - Gambia 161 - Vietnam 162 - Mauritius 163 - Dominican Republic 164 - Montenegro 165 - South Ossetia 166 - Abkhazia 167 - Djibouti
Think Big Accepting students between the ages of 2 and 18. Academically driven, UK-qualified teachers delivering an internationally-recognised, English curriculum. Students receive a clear pathway to top UK and international universities through GCSE, IGCSE and A Level qualifications. A wide range of arts, sports and academic extra-curricular activities to develop skill and character. Conveniently located, both Rosinka and Krylatskoye campuses provide excellent facilities, healthy lunches and a bus service.
www.internationalschool.ru
COBIS, CIE, Edexcel, AQA accredited and recognised as "Excellent" by the UK Independent Schools Inspectorate. Call +7 (499) 110-40-91 to book your school tour today!
Kuala Lumpur - Manila - Marbella - MOSCOW - Nanjing - New York - Pamplona - Sao Paulo - Tashkent - Yangon