road works-not

Back in Moscow, albeit briefly, and start out very grumpy as I appear to have been completely re-Londonised in my time away.  Horribly flustered by heaving chaos, queue-barging and being stood very close to whilst going through Domodedovo airport passport control. And in the centre of town find that all the pavements have been (half) dug up, making walking about a bit haphazard (as well as a hazard), as if some disruption to everyday life must always be essential here.

And of course, the rumours are that the works - commissioned by the new mayor, Sergei (I will stop corruption) Sobyanin - are happening because his wife owns a brickworks, and yes you have guessed, all the pavements are being bricked. And now the city has run out of bricks.

Which is so typically crazy that you have to laugh, so then I remember that this is one of the many reasons I like Moscow and find I am very glad to be back.....
  

goodbye view!

The minor cheating, failure to make repairs and general all round low-level difficulties with my landlord's agent have finally blown up into a major row; after her failure to pay a phone bill which left me without internet for several days, the problem became how the flat is clearly perfect, and I am someone who breaks everything (non sequiturs being the hardest thing to deal with in any language). It is never a good idea to argue via a translator - not because he wasn't good, but because you can never have a really good shouting match or have the satisfaction of knowing you have scored even a single point. In fact, her increasingly litany of damages done by me, including many non-existent ones, led as expected to the possibility of calling the police, threats of arrest, locking me out of the flat, checking my papers and even deportation. All of this, of course, because she is planning to appropriate (well, steal is the more accurate word) my deposit.

The thing is, when you are used to the rule of law (however inadequate or problematic) it is hard to remember that in Moscow she could easily carry out her threats, through a simple bribe to a corrupt policeman. Which in turn is part of a bigger problem; when ordinary, civilised people, such as the people I work with, cannot make an impact on even a small injustice - for there is absolutely nothing to be done despite vague suggestions of involving lawyers. And that, in turn, makes it hard to believe, (in the way I am used to without thinking) in the possibility of having any effect on the world. This is sometimes called russian fatalism; but it is both more complex and more everyday than that. It makes it hard to plan, to have aims or ambitions, to believe you can have some control over present and future events, because it is proved again and again that things will most likely go wrong.... or at least strangely sideways.

All you can do in situations like these, is to try and respond well: and my colleagues are doing just that - being very helpful, sorting out a temporary home at short notice and helping me my stuff. Much appreciated.

Will be sorry to leave this place, not for its IKEA corporate look, but for the great location and the absolutely fabulous outlook on not just one but two Stalinist skyscrapers. Goodbye, view.

the sins of the few

I am aware that several stereotypical aspects of Russian behaviour have been trying to ‘bite me’ recently. Some of these have just been some pretty boorish manners (of the speaking on mobile phones at the opera variety). Others are more irritating, including the on-going difficulties with my landlord’s agent who – on being caught in a minor act of cheating over an electricity bill – now throws tantrums and bullying fits like a child in the playground over everything and nothing. And, of course, there is exposure to more ‘complicated’ issues, such as the seemingly intractable problem of bribes needing to change hands for certain language proficiency certificates.

But, what I notice most is the embarrassment, frustration and anger of many of my Russian colleagues. Embarrassment when a few Russians behave badly; frustration and anger when a lack of moral principles is shown; and all of these emotions shown at the ongoing endemic problems with bribery and other illegalities here - which are offensive to most ordinary people; as individuals just trying to behave well themselves, because of the image of Russia it perpetuates to the rest of Europe, and because there is nothing they can do about endemic corruption...

I have illustrated this with a image of two cars representing the extremes of wealth and poverty in Moscow. but of course, both cars are parked high on the pavement at an angle which prevents any pedestrian passing....