Belly Of The Beast

(Yaroslavl – Ярославль - Russia)

I have been inside the "Belly of the Beast."

 I have been to Putin's Russia (I lived there 2 times while Studying Abroad and I visited there 3 times.)

I speak Russian.

 I continue to have regular contact with Russians inside Russia.

I continue to have regular contact with Russians outside of Russia (the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Cyprus, Moldova, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Bosnia, Israel, etc.)

I was taught Russian History and Politics by Russians in Russia.

5 days a week for 4 months I took "Russian Life Classes" where I would go with my Russian Teacher to a specific place and different place (with no advanced warning and no appointments) and learn about everyday Russian Life.

Being an American was and is something different and special in Russia and so I was allowed to just show up to a location in the early morning with no appointment and meet with either the Head or the Deputy Head of the Ministry/Charity/Organization I was at that day.

I visited:

OVIR (Office of Visas and Registration); The Ministry of Internal Affairs; The Local Branch of the FSB; The Headquarters of the Police; A Fire Station; A District Courthouse; A Wedding Palace; an Orphanage; a Correctional Colony; A Government Hospital; A Private Medical Clinic; A Private Dental Clinic; A Government-Run Medical Clinic.; A Government Institution for Disabled Children; A Private Woman’s Shelter; An Old Believer’s (Russian Orthodox) Church; A Russian Orthodox Church; a Muslim Mosque; a Jewish Synagogue; a Catholic Church; The Headquarters of an Oil Refinery; a Brewery; A Russian Travel Agency; The Main Branch of the Russian Post Office.; a Television Company; a Train Station; a Bus Station); an Airport; A Veterinary Clinic ; The Local City Public Transportation (runs the City’s Busses, Trams and Trolleybuses); a State University; a State Medical University; a Local Branch of Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics; a Theological Seminary ; the Local Branch of the British Council; an Art College; a Music College; a Gymnasium; a Special School for English; a Special School for Cadet Classes; a Correctional School; a Boarding School; a Theater; a State Puppet Theater; a State Philharmonic; a Circus; a Planetarium ; the Central Library; The Museum of the History of the City; a Football (Soccer) Team Stadium ; The House of Russian-German Friendship; a Motor Plant; A Private Charity that helps the Homeless; A Private Charity that helps Street Dogs; The Local Office of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Political Party; The Local Office of United Russia Political Party; The Local Office of Yabloko (Apple) Political Party and The Local Office of the Liberal-Democratic Political Party.

I learned the good and the bad of each of these places and found the vast majority to be Potemkin Villages (looks good from the outside, but inside or just below the surface there are cracks or problems.) By going there without any warning or appointments they couldn’t hide a lot from me.

Besides getting free on-the-spot access (with no advanced appointment) for Government Ministries, Schools, Universities, Hospitals, Jails, Factories, Business, Private Charities, etc. I was also regularly invited by random people to their apartments.

It sounds strange to say now, but when I was in Russia (all 5 times) I would get stopped in my School, in a Store, on the Street or on Public Transportation and be asked, by complete Strangers, to come to their apartment so their Family could meet an American.

If I went to their apartment I would meet their Family (Grandparents, Parents, Children, Brothers, Sisters) as well as their Neighbors. Typically I would sit in their Living Room while Lunch or Dinner was hurriedly prepared for me – I couldn’t say “No” to eating their food or drinking their Vodka as it’s a sign of disrespect.

I would get asked all sorts of questions as though I was an Alien just off of a UFO. The majority of Russians have long heard about Americans, but outside of Moscow they have rarely seen any in-person. It didn’t matter if there was a Language Barrier or what Political Event had just happened between the US and Russia – I was treated very warmly and like a King.

I also kept a small box of chocolates and a small American Souvenir in my School Bag because of these visits – since Russian Tradition dictates you bring a Host a Gift. I always had mu camera with me too.

It was a major Culture Shock when I returned to the US and no one cared who I was and didn’t treat me so special.

It wasn’t all so pleasant.

 I wasn’t allowed to leave Russia to go to my Grandmother’s Funeral. I had a Russian Student Entry Visa and Registration and my Russian Sponsor needed to apply for my Russian Student Exit Visa a month before I wanted to leave Russia – by the time I would get my Exit Visa the Funeral was long over.

I had to deal with the Local Police when the Boyfriend of my Friend tried to break down the outer door of my apartment (Russian apartments have a sturdy metal outer door and a cheap wooden inner door – because of all the crime.) I also had to call the 24 Hour Emergency Hotline at the US Embassy in Moscow to let them know what was happening and to have an American Official speak with both the Local Yaroslavl Police and later, the FSB.

The Boyfriend had been married a Woman in my Friend’s University Group and they divorced after this affair. He, like many Russian Men, continued to feel insecure because they were no longer seen as a threat to the World – after the USSR Collapse – and the fact that Russian Women tend to prefer American and Western Men over Russian Men. He had connections with the Local Police and so didn’t go to jail, but I did have it on the List at the US Embassy in Moscow so he wouldn’t be allowed to apply for a US Visa – a year after I left Russia the last time I had him taken off the List.

Since I was a Foreigner, I had to deal with the FSB for this case too. The FSB is the modern-day version of the KGB. I pretended I didn’t speak Russian well (even though I was completely fluent in it) and not one of them speak English so they had to have a Translator on the phone from Moscow. So, because of this incident and that stupid Guy I now have a FSB File.

On Victory Day (May 9^th) I was watching the Military Parade on Soviet Square and someone heard me speaking a Language other than Russian and thought I was a German and came up and spit in my face for having caused the Great Patriotic War (what the Russians call World War 2.)

I told them I was American and that the US and the USSR were Allies fighting together during the War. The Guy then apologized and told the crowd that was coming to his defense (despite the fact that I was the one being screamed at and spitted on) to leave me alone. He wanted to buy me a drink at a Café and I turned him down.

Being in Russia I saw my first dead body. I was walking to my School and a dead body was lying on the street. The Russian Passersby simply ignored the body and walked around it (Russians are good at “not seeing” what is right in front of them.) I stopped to make sure the Guy wasn’t breathing and used my cell phone to call the Ambulance.

It was also in Russia that I saw someone get killed (my 2^nd dead body.) I was walking in Moscow and heard a loud crack and people scatter. Ice was falling from a tall building and hit a Woman walking on the sidewalk near me. The ice crushed into her head and killed her instantly. Falling Ice was a constant and major issue when I was in Russia in Winter.

It was also in Russia that I saw Neo-Nazis in Saint Petersburg attack a Guy from Central Asia. I was on a bus going to Peterhof Palace outside the city and saw 8 Skin Heads beating up the Guy with clubs and their fists. I didn’t see how it ended because the bus continued on.

It was in Russia that I experienced Anti-Semitism. I went to a Synagogue. In 1997 it had been bombed by Neo-Nazis and so they were now very careful on who they let in. They didn’t trust my Russian Girlfriend (who was also my Translator since I didn’t speak Russian fluently the first time I visited) and asked me not to have her come anymore. They eventually found an English Speaker and I later learned Russian.

One day, while coming out of the Synagogue and heading to the Public Transport to go home I was followed by 3 Guys. They stopped me and asked if I was a “Yid” (in Russian.) I told them I was Catholic – they didn’t understand what that was even when I said it in fluent Russian so I started crossing and bowing three times as Russian Orthodox Christians do and they patted my back and walked away.

I have seen firsthand what the Russians call the “Russian Soul” (русская душа.) I have seen the good and the bad of the Russian Government and the Russian People.

Sadly, the same People who treated me so nicely and like a King are also the same People who murder innocent Men, Women and Children in Ukraine and don't think twice about it.