Post 18: An Interesting Discussion

Dear  #1,

I just got your text saying to check my minutes on the I-Phone. I don't know how to do this. Also, since I'm emailing you, I don't need to use the phone. My one text message this a.m. was VERY SHORT. Since I have my computer & WiFi, why do I need to use the computer feature on the I-Phone? 

On a more interesting note....

The night train was very luxurious. At least our pitiful little feet got a rest so that we were able to walk to the hotel which really wasn't so far, & it was on the station side so we didn't even have to cross the street! 

We are thankful to you-2 for footing the bill for this Ibis accommodation in St. Petersburg.  We know it doesn't come cheap! JJ is reeling at the cost of the hotel. Actually we are both reeling at the cost of everything. These poor Russians don't know what reasonable prices are. These rooms with 1 double bed  + 4 breakfasts costs $200+ per night! A Hampton Inn double (2 queen-sized beds) + breakfast is about $75. 

We are taking in everything with our senses. Metro - A+; Night Train - A+; Art Museum - A+; National Treasures and Parks - A+; Politeness/Helpfulness - B; Streets & sidewalks - D - (disrepair and smoking butt trash);  Air Quality - F (public smoking); General Building Repair - C -; driving and traffic - C - too many fasties and bullies; Multi-lingualism - C- ;  General personal appearance of populace - D+; Services - C; Utilities - C; Prices - F. 

Am I hard? Probably. We sense that Russians are very smart and seem driven toward a clear purpose. The street rhythm goes at a fast pace. The huge flaw in their national character is too much tolerance of their mediocre leaders and oligarchs who rob them blind and do not give quality infrastructure in return. The Russian mediocrity of the "2nd world" is probably due to a certain isolation & hence ignorance of anything superior, or at least reaching the quality of life in most of the Euro-Zone. Such an apathy for better leaders & government surely must install itself over eons of time in historical proportions. Do the Russians think life is pretty good now by comparison to what they knew "before?" 

The faces of the populace and general interaction suggests a profound distrust of fellowman, maybe with good reason. A smile from the Russian on the street is hard to come by. JJ pointed out that we had been cheated twice when we went for breakfast at McDonalds. I said I doubted that the staff members really meant to cheat us. But Natalia said that indeed they meant to cheat us, & that this kind of petty theft is commonplace. I said, "But, what could they possibly want with a muffin or a croissant? She said, "They can sell them to someone, or take them home to consume!" Does that say something about the price of everyday commodities? Is this shades of Jean Valjean...only post Russian communism? 

The trust thing enters into every little transaction from no hot water in a 2 star Moscow hotel, to holding a credit card at a hotel when the reservation was made by another person who already gave a credit card name & number. Does the unsmiling Russian see a potential swindler or trickster in every face he/she encounters? Because I'm old and rather silly I have fun forcing a humorous  grimace or smile here & there. There is some fun inside most Russians, but it must be teased out. 

All this being said, I sense that Mother Russia is a force to be contended with yet. When & if she wakes up, watch out! We western nations have no way to go but down & we're falling fast; She has no way to go but up. I always think progeny will give a pretty good idea of the soul of a nation. Those kids on our plane (coming back from Disney Land in Paris with their parents) were lively, but so well-behaved. Western kids? Well, frankly I don't think they're very promising from the public behavior I've observed. The adults in our western societies act like kids, are soft, and amoral. Yes, Russia could use a bit more serious practice of Christianity, that is, far & beyond her shallow superstitions, and based on the profoundest of our theological heritage. However, as of now Mother Russia's virtue lies in the fact that she isn't spoiled rotten as is Ma West.

We'll let you know what we're about.

Love,

Mama

Yes,

Trust is a real problem in this country and oligarchs are filling their pockets with little retribution to the people. Moscow has come a long way from the Soviet days, but you still, as a tourist, experience the unhappy surprises of what it is to travel here on leisure. It’s not great and it’s very expensive for what you get. I agree that the prices for hotels are excessively high. Marina commented that yesterday’s meal at Luce cost about just as much as two nights at the IBIS hotel+breakfast in St. Petersburg, just to give you an idea. But, then you come on a blue moon here so we can assume the costs for a while. It is unlikely that these kind of prices will go down because the entire economy is distorted by the artificial prosperity emanating from oil and gas exports. In addition, there is a low supply of budget hotels, so that even those charge super high prices, for what you actually get. As Marina rightly pointed out, should Russia encounter a sudden and lengthy drop in global oil prices, then the national economy will go down the drain and there could be serious citizen uprising against the corrupt political system currently in place.

Trust is a problem indeed. Even when we did the booking for the IBIS hotel on-line, we noticed that it was ‘too easy’. Anyone could do this for their friends and get away with a stolen credit card. Still, the hotel just needed to send us a confirmation query but not place you and Papa hostage. Marina pointed out that she did not receive any emails or text messages from the IBIS hotel. Had it not been for your emails to me, you might have been stuck in a bind.

Russians generally don’t smile. It’s not in their mentality to do so. Only those who leave the country for a certain amount of time get rid of this local habit. They mean well, but they also recognize that the country still has much to achieve to reach comparable standards with the west.

Pilfering and under-the-counter black market for foodstuff and other items is commonplace in Russia. Wages are extremely low. As Marina rightly pointed out, trust is very low and people seem to appreciate the short term at the expense of honesty or reliability. You get into a job, squeeze the maximum without getting caught and go on looking for a similar job. It is very difficult for employers to check applicant employment history. Many companies come and go. Forging documents and diplomas is commonplace.

Hygiene, particularly dental is poor. Most Russians still don’t earn enough to sort out these problems. Wealth is still distributed quite unfairly (5% extremely rich, 10% middle class, 85% subsistence level-- living between bread, potatoes and home cultivated produce). Sadly, most of the 85%, particularly males, tend to go for the Vodka bottle to forget some of their frustrations rather than behaving courageously and proactively. Alcoholism in Russia, particularly in the regions, where good jobs are hard to come by, is endemic. Life expectancy among the Russian population in Russia, outside Moscow and St. Petersburg is around 55 years. Women, who are also working more than men, and are less prone to the bottle, tend to live longer (around 65-70 years on average).

Meanwhile, the fat oligarchs are more interested in funneling money abroad and placing their ill-earned funds into lofty real estate e.g. Courchevel, Monaco, Nice, Cannes, Switzerland, etc. They buy very expensive cars and live in gated communities away from the decaying rest of the population. They send their children to private schools in Switzerland and arye not interested in improving the local scene. This was the problem that brought around the Russian revolution back in 1917. It appears that populations never learn.

You may ask why Putin is re-elected and the opposition is so weak? Well, Russians seek stability, even if their freedoms are placed in check. Marina, will, when you get back, relate to you how difficult these times were in the 1990’s and the rouble crisis which brought the country asunder under a drunk president (Yeltsin). Most people lost all of their hard earned savings during that time and criminality was rampant.

It’s only now that Russians are beginning to feel that stability is a good thing, even if that means that they have to tolerate a corrupt and often times ineffective political regime.  The Russians, who travel abroad, tend to come back with ideas on how to improve their lot here and try to invest into the economy , but these are middle class people, who have been able to break through the glass ceiling of being the remaining 85% of the proletarian population.

Many honest Russians deplore that their educational and medical system is crumbling and that the ultra-rich are not paying their dues as they should. They also deplore the absence of justice and punishment for white collar criminals and their ability to get away and hide in England somewhere on grounds of political and unjust repression.

The former mayor of Moscow, Lushkov, and his wife robbed the city blind. They are living a lofty existence in England in one of London’s most posh districts, even though it has become clear that they had their hands in countless money-laundering and embezzlement schemes. It’s definitely not reassuring for the ordinary population when the top crooks get away.

You understand that I am here to earn my keep and develop my business honestly, but that I have to fight hard to get paid by Clients. Tomorrow, for example, I have an important meeting to convince the Client to sign-off the act of acceptance and close the deal. I hesitate to want to work with them in the future as they are rather shady intermediaries.

The Italian deal seems to be happening, so that is a sort of good news. Tomorrow, I will pay for the cruise on the Volga.

I hope that you and Papa enjoy your trip to St. Petersburg, cover up as it may get chilly. Take a few mini-cruises along the canals, Peterhof, visit the Hermitage, walk along Nevskiy Prospect into Dostoevskiy’s steps. Enjoy strolling at a comfortable pace.

Be careful to take regular breaks to avoid blisters and take the time to observe the local scene and relax. You should have hot water at the Ibis.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

With best regards,

# 1