Только Локо, Только Победа!

Who knew I might turn out to be a sports fan?

I went to a football match with some friends, and it may have been my favorite experience in Moscow so far. The Lokomotiv fans came into the metro station chanting, and they chanted in our squished train compartment all the way to the stadium.

The game was absolutely fantastic, or at least the people watching was. I hardly know what went on with the game. But the fans were what made it great. They screamed and jumped and chanted and swung their soccer scarves in the air the entire time. None of that stupid sports arena music being pumped through the stadium. And we won! There is a reason football is the most popular sport in the world.

A Collection of Babushka's Latest Racist Comments

-Why?! Why did you open the door?!
-(me) Because I looked at the security camera and saw it was you.
-But I could have been a Negro!

-You know Chechens? They're bad people. They'll stab you.

-Your toothpaste isn't Chinese is it? Everything from China is bad.

-You think she's pretty? She's Georgian! Look at her big nose!

-The only people who don't love Russia are fascists.

-Chinese are bad people. They have slanted eyes.

-Negroes are everywhere in America.

-I hate Washington D.C. because there are Negroes everywhere.

Matchmaker Matchmaker

A conversation I had with my host babushka a few days ago concerning Graham, the other American student living with us.

Babushka: So Rachel, you want Graham to be your boyfriend?
Me: What? No.
Babushka: Why not? He's a good man!
Me: Well yes, he is, but I don't want Graham to be my boyfriend.
Babushka: Why not?!
Me: Because I already have a boyfriend.
Babushka: Ohh, you have a boyfriend, eh? A boyfriend is not a husband. By tomorrow, he'll be saying "I don't love you" and "I don't want you anymore." And THEN you'll want Graham, eh?

Babushkas say the darndest things!

Bringing Out the Big Guns

Nationalism is the thing here in Russia. There definitely seems to be a "love it or leave it" attitude à la the Tea Party. (Unfortunately, this means I hear a LOT of racist comments against Chechens, Asians, Jews and anyone else not ethnically Russian). Flags are everywhere, from billboards to cheese wrappers. The militizia still wear those traditional furry hats.

Shared history is the common denominator between Russians. The hammers and sickles still remain on street decorations, and there's a certain longing for the "good old days." Some older people still revere Stalin. My old metro station had a carving that called Lenin the "sunshine of the people."

It's a strange mix of old and new, and I'm having a difficult time figuring out what to make of it all. I've always been wary of nationalism. Yesterday I climbed on old WWII tanks in a park, which was cool, but I couldn't help but wonder how many people that tank had killed. A certain degree of pride in one's country is admirable, but when families take their toddlers to climb on tanks, I think things have gone too far.

Now You Have Real Russian Brother

My initial host family was a joke. They were all sorts of crazy. They went to bed when I woke up, called me fat, screamed in public places and stole chickens from the synagogue. Crazy, I tell you. Additionally, my host brother, Mikhail, was a creepy. For some reason, he didn't like to be fully dressed. Awkward. Plus since he and his girlfriend slept all day and the dining table overlooked their bed, every meal required me to watch them cuddle on their cheetah print sheets. Weird.

This is Mikahil:

And this is his mother, the chicken-pilfering Inecca Simyonovna:

I ended up being trapped in my room most of the time due to the odd, uncomfortable dynamics of the family. It took a bit of prying, but the school thankfully allowed me to move. Already, things are much better. I'm living with another babushka, Irina Yakovlevna, and a guy from class, Graham. In the past few days, I've already felt more at home here and smiled more than I did the whole first week. Irina Yakovlevna is a typical Russian babushka who certainly likes things done her way, but the overall atmosphere is far more calming. I'm not trapped in my room anymore.