This Morning we arrived in Ekaterinburg, an industrial city
that was closed to the outside world during the Soviet period because of its
importance as a hub for military industry. It is located in the Asiatic side of
Russia, right across the Ural Mountains, which serves as the border between Europe and Asia. In
preparation for our group discussion, we read a piece by Mark Bassin called Russia between Europe and Asia: The
Ideological Construction of Geographical Space. This academic article
discusses the concept of continents and how Russians picked the arbitrary
border of the Ural Mountains and a small stream of little geographical
significance to align itself closer with Europe, the most metropolitan and
progressive part of the world at the time.
Back to Ekaterinburg. When we arrived at the train station,
we went to a lunch and then jumped on a bus for a tour the city. Our
first stop was at an old factory that was used to produce military equipment.
Today, chunks of the factory were being changed by the landowners into apartments because the industry of Ekaterinburg was transitioning from an
industrial city to an service oriented economy. En route to the factory, we saw
a giant phallic structure that stood higher than everything else. This was a TV Tower built during the socialist period to show the strength of the government,
but ironically, was left uncompleted at the collapse of the Soviet Union. Due to the cost of deconstruction being too high it continues to stand as an eye sore that is seen from any part of the city. This structure seemed very similar to the TV Tower of East
Berlin was meant to showcase the power of the socialist government.
Today, there is a competition to do something with the TV Tower before the World
Cup that will be held there in 2018.
Giant Phallus in Ekaterinburg
Ekaterinburg's Incomplete TV Tower
After the factory, we stopped by an abandoned water tower at
the side of a gas station. The outside of the building was a dilapidated white with graffiti everywhere. There were holes in the
ground and exposed steel frames that were covered by cement. As we went up the stairs
that had no guard rail and looked as if it was about to crumble at any second,
four little kids came running down the stairs. WTF. Super super sketchy. After we climbed to the top I took an obligatory selfie and admired the view of Ekaterinburg. To the north
there was a giant forest and to the south industrial complexes. On my way down,
I caught a view of the empty water chamber that was covered in graffiti. I climbed down and found some wooden planks that we could jump onto to enter the area. After we entered, the four kids started yelling at us in Russian trying to communicate with us! When it became clear that we couldn't understand what they were saying, within seconds they climbed into the tank with
us and showed us that they had just tagged the ground below us in white paint
and were waiting for it to dry. We then took pictures with one another, ran
some laps around the periphery of the tank and then waved good bye to our new
friends.
The White Tower
Our New Graffiti Artist Friends
We then made our way to the Ekaterinburg Museum when
students of the local university joined us for our tour. Many of them were
looking to practice their English and although the museum was in Russian and I
could understand a thing, I had an incredible conversation with Olga regarding the identity of Russian
People. We first spoke about the concept of freedom and how in the west it is
based on respect of each others space and free will to allow what the
individual wanted to do. However, in Russia, free will is not proved by the
ability for one to act on their own accord, but the ability to have the power to subjugate
others or to express your own freedom by using force. She said that she
believed that this mindset arose after being under Mongol Yoke in the early 13th
century. When I asked her about current events, she said that she was not in support Putin and blatant disregard for international law by seizing Crimea, but also stated that her opinion was shared by a small minority of the population that was only about 10% in size.
Although Putin's tactics may be frowned upon in the West, he is a strong leader that has
consolidated his domestic power.
With Olga we also discussed the difference of European, US and Russian philosophy. She said that the
thinkers of German Philosophy like Kant and Hegel thought of things in the
abstract whereas in the US, the philosophy is very practical and applicable in the frameworks of capitalism. However, Russian philosophy is hidden away in
literature. During literature humanities, a core requirement at Columbia University on
masterpieces of western literature, we read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I would love to reread that incredible text and gain more insight into the Russian psyche through their foundational texts.
Fyodor Dostoevsky
After our conversation and more grocery shopping, we went to
an incredible feast of a dinner at a local artists café. Meat Dumplings,
Vegetable Dumplings, Squash Dumplings, Duck Dumplings, Bread, Salmon Pie,
Salmon Steak topped with Caviar, washed down with Jaws Pilsner and followed
with a espresso and chocolate cake. After dinner we boarded the bus to the outskirts
of town to a local banya, a Russian bath. We arrived at a wooden cabin with a
sauna, pool, shower and wait, don’t forget the billiards and ping pong table on the
floor above. We changed into our bathing suits and I brought out my bottle of
vodka – to do it the true Russian way. I made my way into the sauna, which was
10 times hotter than the sauna at the Moscow Marriott (Disclaimer: We did not
stay there, crashed the hotel for free wifi and pool services from 1:30-3:30
our last night in Moscow). Alexy, our connect, pour water over the coals
and soaked birch branches in a pan of water. When it was my turn, I lied
down on the ground and they began slowly hitting me with the branches. The wet
branches rhythmically hitting against my body released all the tightness from
my muscles and the “beaters” applied more and more force, not only taking me to
Russian Sauna heaven, but filling my nostrils with a fresh scent of birch. After
finishing my massage, I ran out of the room and jumped into the pool. If it was
winter, we would’ve jumped into the snow.
Picture Coming Soon!
Before this trip, the only context that I had learned about the banya was through Anthony Bourdain's trip to the Banya on his show No Reservations. Although I love his show, his portrayal of the Banya as a masochistic Russian was completely misleading and makes me wonder what type of creative freedoms he has taken in other aspects of his show.
Living the Anthony Bourdain Life
No comments:
Post a Comment