How was Russia? The answer that keeps striking me is "different." 1) People of Moscow and St. Petersburg view the rest of the country as the "provinces" (think "fly over states" or Alabama, Arkansas, and Idaho and you could relate). 2) An average vehicle in Moscow seemed like a 5 series BMW and the separation of wealth felt oppressive (think the 1% in the U.S. reporting incomes higher than $550,000/year and you could relate). 3) People rarely smile toward strangers, those that do smile are seen as "a bit off" or "proud." | |
4) Fear of making errors or mistakes is entrenched in the psyche - sometimes seemingly paralyzing students from even trying (it happens in classrooms in the states, even in my classes). 5) Lessons to students and questions asked of students seemed fact or knowledge based with little need for comprehension, application, critical thinking, synthesis, or even evaluation. 6) In two weeks in Russia, I saw one object in the sky - a helicopter an hour south of Moscow from the train (limited disposable income, few private pilot licenses, flying lessons, and controlled airspace?"). There are a few pictures below with captions to remind me.