{"id":112,"date":"2008-03-29T11:21:23","date_gmt":"2008-03-29T15:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=112"},"modified":"2014-07-16T17:34:27","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T17:34:27","slug":"where-in-russia-is-it-possible-to-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/where-in-russia-is-it-possible-to-live\/","title":{"rendered":"Where In Russia Is It Possible To Live?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Good question! Of course there\u2019s more to Russia than the Red Kremlin of Moscow and the bridges of Saint Petersburg, though you sometimes tend to forget about the rest, especially if you haven\u2019t been there (which I suppose most tourist haven\u2019t, only in those cities located along the railroad going east from the capitol). Russians call \u201cthe rest\u201d <strong>\u00ab\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0438\u043d\u0446\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> and there\u2019s a standard joke going around that foreigners call it \u201cSiberia\u201d. I think it is very unfair that most of Russia gets almost none of the attention, not only because these unknown parts of this country are more beautiful (though often they are) but because they ARE this country. How about the white Kremlin in Tobolsk? Or the San Francisco-esque hills of Krasnoyarsk? Or the wide and long prospects of Novosibirsk? Or the religious mixture of Muslim and Orthodox traditions in Kazan? Not to talk about the amazing view of the Don in Rostov-na-Donu! The list of big cities in Russia \u2013 with over or almost a million inhabitants \u2013 can be made much longer. And though Russia is still overly centralized, with Moscow as the old faithful bellybutton keeping the whole country together, things look like they are changing, at least if the article <a href=\"http:\/\/www.expert.ru\/printissues\/russian_reporter\/2008\/11\/reyting_gorodov\/\"><strong>\u00ab\u0413\u0434\u0435 \u0432 \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0438 \u043c\u043e\u0436\u043d\u043e \u0436\u0438\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong><\/a> in \u211611 <em>(March 27 2008)<\/em> of <strong>\u00ab\u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u0440\u0435\u043f\u043e\u0440\u0442\u0451\u0440\u00bb<\/strong> is anything to judge by.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00ab\u0421\u0442\u0440\u0435\u043c\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u043a \u0440\u0430\u0437\u043d\u043e\u043e\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0437\u0438\u044e \u0432 \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u0438 \u0432 \u0433\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0436\u0430\u043d\u0430\u0445 \u043d\u0435\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0431\u0438\u043c\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> = \u201cThe striving for diversity in life in city dwellers is indestructible\u201d. Here\u2019s some diversity among city dwellers in the form of a Saturday afternoon walk in <strong>\u041f\u0430\u0440\u043a \u043e\u0442\u0434\u044b\u0445\u0430 \u0438 \u043a\u0443\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0443\u0440\u044b \u0438\u043c\u0435\u043d\u0438 \u0412. \u0412. \u041c\u0430\u044f\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e <\/strong>[Park of rest and culture named in honor of V. V. Mayakovsky] in Yekaterinburg.<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><br \/>\nThe article opens up bravely with the following sentences: <strong>\u00ab\u0412 \u043d\u0430\u0448\u0435\u0439 \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0435 \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c \u0443\u0436\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u0440\u044f\u0434\u043a\u0430 \u0434\u0435\u0441\u044f\u0442\u0438 \u0433\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0434\u043e\u0432, \u043e\u0431\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0430\u044e\u0449\u0438\u0445 \u0442\u0435\u043c \u043c\u0438\u043d\u0438\u043c\u0443\u043c\u043e\u043c \u0446\u0438\u0432\u0438\u043b\u0438\u0437\u0430\u0446\u0438\u0438, \u043a\u043e\u0442\u043e\u0440\u044b\u0439 \u043d\u0435\u043e\u0431\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c \u0434\u043b\u044f \u0441\u043e\u0432\u0440\u0435\u043c\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u0438.<\/strong> [In our country there are already about ten cities which possess that minimum of civilization that is necessary for modern life.] <strong>\u0418 \u044d\u0442\u043e \u0447\u0440\u0435\u0437\u0432\u044b\u0447\u0430\u0439\u043d\u043e \u0432\u0430\u0436\u043d\u043e. <\/strong>[And this is extremely important.] <strong>\u0411\u044b\u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0435 \u0440\u0430\u0437\u0432\u0438\u0442\u0438\u0435 \u041c\u043e\u0441\u043a\u0432\u044b \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043a\u0440\u044b\u043b\u043e \u0446\u0435\u043b\u044b\u0439 \u0440\u044f\u0434 \u0432\u043e\u0437\u043c\u043e\u0436\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0435\u0439 \u0434\u043b\u044f \u0441\u043e\u0437\u0434\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u0441\u0442\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0446\u0435 \u0433\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0434\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u0441\u0440\u0435\u0434\u044b, \u0443\u0434\u043e\u0431\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u043d\u0435 \u0442\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043a\u043e \u0434\u043b\u044f \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e\u0442\u044b, \u043d\u043e \u0438 \u0434\u043b\u044f \u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u0438. <\/strong>[The fast development of Moscow has blocked a whole number of possibilities to create a city environment in the capitol that is comfortable not only for work, but also for private life.] <strong>\u0414\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0433\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0437\u043d\u0430 \u0436\u0438\u043b\u044c\u044f, \u043f\u043b\u043e\u0442\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0437\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0439\u043a\u0430, \u0431\u0435\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0435\u0447\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0431\u043a\u0438 \u0438 \u043c\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e\u0435 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0433\u043e\u0435 \u2014 \u0440\u0430\u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0436\u0430\u0435\u0442 \u043b\u044e\u0434\u0435\u0439. <\/strong> [High housing prices, dense development, eternal traffic jams and many other things annoy people.] <strong>\u042d\u0442\u043e \u043d\u0435 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0447\u0438\u0442, \u0447\u0442\u043e \u041c\u043e\u0441\u043a\u0432\u0430 \u043f\u043e\u0442\u0435\u0440\u044f\u0435\u0442 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0435 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0447\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435, \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e \u0432 \u0431\u043b\u0438\u0436\u0430\u0439\u0448\u0438\u0435 \u0434\u0435\u0441\u044f\u0442\u0438\u043b\u0435\u0442\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0438 \u043c\u043e\u0433\u0443\u0442 \u043f\u043e\u044f\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0433\u0438\u0435 \u0446\u0435\u043d\u0442\u0440\u044b \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0442\u044f\u0436\u0435\u043d\u0438\u044f \u043b\u044e\u0434\u0435\u0439, \u0434\u0435\u043d\u0435\u0433, \u0431\u043b\u0430\u0433. <\/strong>[This doesn\u2019t mean that Moscow will loose its importance, only that in the next ten years there might appear other centers of attraction to people, money, benefits.]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">Of course there is always a choice, like in this picture \u2013 to either live in the newly built high rise building, or in the smaller but just as new town houses next to it, or to stay put in the house that your great grandfather\u2019s uncle Igor built with his own two hands before the revolution in the outskirts of the town that a 100 years later ended up in the city center along a busy street. Not always does everyone have the opportunity to actually choose.<\/div>\n<p>To me this article is very interesting because it puts the spotlight on the city in which I live in Russia, Yekaterinburg, and announces it to be the \u201cThird Capitol\u201d of Russia (a title which many cities in Russia in one way or another fight to claim), and focuses on it throughout the article. I think the article can hold some potential as reading material also for those not directly linked to this city, mostly because it shows (perhaps not quite the way I\u2019d like it to show it, but still) the \u201cmiddle\u201d of Russia. Though the journalists didn\u2019t talk to any truly ordinary residents of Yekaterinburg, they still tried and did a good job catching the general feel and flavor of the city. There\u2019s even a small part about our \u2018China Town\u2019, which talks about the area of the city where almost only emigrants live, something I, as a foreigner, can\u2019t help but to appreciate. Though I think that in the end the article\u2019s center of attention was not to look at Yekaterinburg as a whole, but to show off the things that are going well for and in the city, to promote it as well as other bigger cities in Russia that are doing exceptionally well economically right now. The idea was good, but I think I\u2019ll have to sum up my point of view using the Russian saying <strong>\u00ab\u0445\u043e\u0442\u0435\u043b\u0438 \u043a\u0430\u043a \u043b\u0443\u0447\u0448\u0435, \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0443\u0447\u0438\u043b\u043e\u0441\u044c \u043a\u0430\u043a \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0433\u0434\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [they wanted to do as good as possible, but it turned out like always].<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Good question! Of course there\u2019s more to Russia than the Red Kremlin of Moscow and the bridges of Saint Petersburg, though you sometimes tend to forget about the rest, especially if you haven\u2019t been there (which I suppose most tourist haven\u2019t, only in those cities located along the railroad going east from the capitol). Russians&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/where-in-russia-is-it-possible-to-live\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8,179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-culture","category-language","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6024,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions\/6024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}