Monday, October 8, 2007

Self-Reliance - 1998


Photo: Quilt made by a friend from silk remnants of dresses that had belonged to her mother.


The topic for today is people, their likes and dislikes, their hopes and dreams. The first posting is entitled "Self Reliance in Russia," and it was written on November 23, 1998.


Self reliance is an American virtue and a Russian necessity. The Russian economy has shattered into dysfunctional pieces that don't fit together, and government officials don't seem to know what to do

In the city of Yekaterinburg there are 1.5 million people, and 1.5 million stories of coping in times of trouble. Mikhail Chukhaev, in his mid 40's, has just seen his savings wiped out -- for the second time in his life. His reaction is, "It's like I'm young again." When pressed to explain he says. "I started with nothing, except confidence in myself. And that's what I have now. I'll have to work hard, but I can do that."

Chukhaev doesn't expect to get much, if anything, from his bank account that has been frozen since August, but Elena Strekotina hasn't given up hope for hers. Banks seem free to decide about honoring withdrawal requests under certain conditions. Strekotina has filed a petition explaining that she'll be married soon. Her fiance has just finished medical school and has no money. His mother, who's also a surgeon, hasn't been paid since June. Surely the bank will try to find a way to return her savings.

Irina Medvedeva is a partner in a firm that imports goods from Germany. Or, to be more precise, used to import goods from Germany. The swift devaluation of the ruble caught her, as it did so many importers, with the need to pay nearly three times as much as expected for ordered goods. Her business is economizing every way possible. The office rent is lower if they don't take a key to the restroom on their floor, and so they are doing without that. The partners take turns spending short hours in the office. They also have other jobs.

Alla Pavlova and her husband spent their summer growing tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, beets, cabbage, squash, and hundreds of pounds of potatoes. Now that the first frost has sweetened the carrots and beets, and caused the heads of cabbage to close, it's time to harvest all the crops. It looks like there will be enough to feed them and their relatives through the winter.

At Urals State Technical University in Yekaterinburg there is a class about a foreign country, the United States of America. Students in this class were recently asked to write an essay about "the American dream." And then they wrote about something which sounds just as unattainable to them -- what Russians call "a normal life."

Alexandra Beliaeva says that she's heard of something called the American dream, but she's not exactly sure what it is. "I think American people want to have a quiet and well-off life, to have own business, good children, and so on." But, she adds, that since Americans have better living conditions than Russians, "their dream is not so big and far as the Russian dream."

What Russians want, Beliaeva says, include such things as steady work and wages, an apartment that doesn't have to be shared with relatives, good service in shops, and clean streets. Dasha Shvetsova adds a wish for "modern conveniences, like hot water every day." She also would like very much "to trust government and the banks."

Marina Mokolenko is one of several who think that Americans want to have big families. "All of them try to have a big family of five to seven persons." If Americans can afford luxuries such as a comfortable house with a garden or a swimming pool, and 2 - 3 modern cars, she reasons, then surely they must want lots of children to enjoy such things.

About the American dream Anastasia Shurnova says "maybe it's life without problems." Then she adds, "maybe not." She's a little surer about the Russian dream. "It's just a wish to live calmly, be sure of the future, have something to eat, clothes and a place to live." Shurnova speculates that maybe the "Russian dream" is normal life for Americans.

Anna Bakhareva doesn't think economic success is all of what Americans are after. "More important," she says, "is the ability to be free to express your opinion about anything." She also doesn't think that personal economic well being is enough for Russians. "Some people think that the so-called New Russians are living a normal life because they've got enough money to buy cars, clothes they like, etc. But even they can't be sure their children will still be alive tomorrow." What Russians really want, she thinks, is to be able to have confidence in tomorrow.

Socio-economic and political instability has had a profound effect on many students. Irina Verlennikova says, "we don't make plans. We don't know what will be tomorrow." Olga Soukhareva thinks that Americans must be proud of their country, because she sees in the U.S. the stability she yearns for.

As disparate as lifestyles are in the U.S. and in Russia, several students think there are similarities between the people. Elena Sivakova says, "I think the most important thing is a good family. And it doesn't matter in what country you live -- in America, or in Russia." Evgenia Shikunova replies, "I think all people want to be happy, healthy, and live in peace."

Each in their own way, these students are trying for what they call a normal life. They take their studies seriously, doing their best to prepare for an uncertain future. They can't count on anything except themselves. Self reliance is the one assurance they have.

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