I've been meaning to mention two very interesting sites I've come across recently. The first is abandoned.ru (thanks to Veronica at Neeka's Backlog) - photos of abandoned industrial sites in Russia. These can be things of haunting beauty. I dream of bringing back some similar photos from our coming summer vacation in Moldova, which has plenty of abandoned construction sites, mostly residential and office buildings.
The second is the homepage of Vladimir Dinets, a Russian now living in America who has traveled to some of the most interesting places in the world and brought back some outstanding photos and writing. He also has some interesting observations about life in America. For example:
A bit extreme, but he's definitely on to something.Life of an average American is more controlled than the life of any citizen of Russia, China, or, say, Afghanistan. Teenagers here can't skip school to spend a lazy afternoon in a forest with a girlfriend, because you can't get anywhere without a car, you won't get a license until you are 16, and having sex on public lands is a crime. Your every step is recorded by security cameras, credit card companies, and your neighbors, who would immediately inform the officials if they don't like the way you raise your children or the plants you grow in your backyard.
In most countries, you see European, Australian, even Israeli tourists more often than Americans. One reason, of course, is that most Americans don't have vacations to speak of (just a week or two), so if they ever get abroad, they are limited to the most accessible tourist traps. But even those who can travel don't do it. People here are generally scared of the world, and only go to a few popular places like Florida, Hawaii, or Cancun. Internet access is slowly changing things, but the United States are still a "closed" society.
And finally, I just found an excellent blog that defies categorization and promptly made up a new category for it on the blogroll on the right-hand side of your screen.
I am going to be giving the email-to-blog feature (more exciting for me than for you, I know...) another try tomorrow morning upon arrival at Sheremetyevo, unless the exhaustion of a redeye flight or the customs officials prevent me from doing so.
2 comments:
It's always interesting to see how each person takes away from a country, in terms of impressions.
One cannot begrudge the Russian tourist his own, but I must say, I, as a well-travelled British girl who now lives in the US, his impressions made me smile on the wrong side of my mouth.
What he describes by this "controlling" society, where you have credit cards (a system based on trust), lack of sex on beaches (a system based on public accountability, in this case, decency), lack of truancy (erm, your guess is as good as mine, perhaps "a system based on good education"), is nothing short of describing everything positive about the West. And if he thinks street webcams, and the like are "government" operated (the overwhelming majority of which are privately operated), he'd better go to Stockholm right quick. You can't turn a street corner without a police street camera noting your movements.
The bit about "you can't drive cars until you're 16" was to me, worthy of a chuckle.
See, in most countries, you can't drive (legally) until you're 18. Actually, scratch that. You can't BEGIN learning to drive, until you're 18.
Then they make you go to government-only driving schools which often charge U$2000 for the privilege of teaching you what almost every public high school does in the US for free: Driver's Ed.
My ex-Belgian boyfriend has some doozies of stories about this lovely rigamarole, I can tell you.
But hey, if people are so unregimented, and expect "liberties" where in truth they mean, "lack of infracstructure and laws", then yes, the US isn't for you, and forget Germany (my mother's country).
Sheesh. You'd think it was Colditz over there. Still.
Cheers,
Victoria
I'd like to see where Victoria gets her information from.
Her first mistake was in dismissing Vladimir as a "Russian tourist". He has resided and worked in the U.S. for some time, and he is also attending a university there.
Secondly, I'd like to know what she identifies as "most countries". Parts of Europe?
Thirdly, Vladimir simply stated the fact that, "Your every step is recorded by security cameras". Victoria rambled on and assumed he meant government operated cameras.. What the heck? I quote, " And if he thinks street webcams, and the like are "government" operated (the overwhelming majority of which are privately operated), he'd better go to Stockholm right quick."
Her comment on truancy and education is a laughable joke. If she would only check her statistics she would see that the U.S. educational system is failing miserably next to most countries in the world- third world countries included, according to CBS news and other sources.
As a United States citizen, who has lived here all my life and traveled extensively, I'd like to discredit Victoria's comments. And I'd like to ask where in the U.S. are free driver's educational courses taught? My parents paid four hundred dollars for my high school driver's ed course.
Post a Comment