h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Welcome, welcome! I see someone else has already fitted you up with all of the good stuff, but I just wanted to say hi!!

Also, I rather feel a connection with you, as you're another of the rather far northern researchers - I'm located in Alaska, you see. I just run around trying to find people north of about 55*Latitude and say hi. I'm not really a freak.

Also, I noticed that you were somewhat worried about what types of convos you could have here on H2G2. Quite honestly, there isn't a set format or type. People just talk about...whatever. I've been in conversations about taking over the planet, moose, rugbey, and everything else under the sun. Many of the researchers in close proximity to each other actually have meetings all the time, so you're in no way out of place.

That's about all - once again, welcome!!

Shanana

cool, thanks. and hi to you too! so, how late does it stay light by you? i love living in the north- right now it only gets really dark after 11pm. i want to go even farther north- to st.petersberg to catch the "white nights" (when it doesnt get really dark at all). last year i was there towards the end- you couldnt quite read a newspaper outside at 2am, but pretty close, it was amazing.

Well, we've not had a real night since about....late May, I'd wager. I love the "nights" we get up here, except that we call it "intense dusk". We get about four hours of it a night, but it's generally light enough to read by. The only problem is you can't see the aurora when there's no darkness. So it's a bit of a trade-off.

So how long have you been in Russia, and may I ask why you moved there?

Shanana

this time, i've been here since december. the why: well, i have belorussian ancestry (1st generation american mutt), and my mom started tutoring me in russian. when i graduated from college i thought, heck, i dont want to start "real life" yet. so i came to moscow for the summer, in a language program. i loved it, and when i went back to nyc at the end of the summer, i was bummed (plus i also met a boy over the summer). so i spent a few months saving money and doing the visa paperwork, and then picked up and left. i work here, i scrap to pay the bills, etc, so i guess it's kinda "real life", but since its in russia, it's always an adventure, so i'm happy. i have no desire to move back to the states in the foreseeable future, we'll see

That's so groovy. Alas, I'm still in high school with aspirations of being trilingual. I'm getting closer and closer to being bilingual in my heavy German studies and I'm thrilled because I actually get to go off and see some of Europe this summer - and hopefully practice my German skills when I visit. The ultimate goal is to get a job and live somewhere that's not the United States - or Alaska. I'd like to work as a foreign service officer, but I've no idea if that will work out. If it doesn't, I'll just do visa work and, like you, get a job and a life somewhere.

So, you've no desire to move back to the States, but what about visiting? Do you plan on returning to visit your family on a regular basis or anything?

sure, of course i want to visit. plus i want to take my boy with me and show NYC. (he's from a tiny farm village in moldova, so that should give him a nice shock i do miss my city, and of course my family, just not enough to live there. what i really really really miss is the food. not that the food here is bad, but in ny i could sit in my pj's on the couch and have delivered to me: authentic chinese (cantonese, hunan, etc) real mexican, the best indian, sushi, ethiopian, VEGGIE BURGERS, diner breakfasts, etc. NOT TO MENTION PIZZA, and bagels. there's ONE decent pizzeria here, and by the time it gets to your house it's cold. and forget about all the other things i just mentioned. so basically i want to visit nyc, and spend about two weeks eating myself silly, and then come back here!

good point.

One thing I have to disagree with you on - your claim of "authentic" Mexican food in NYC. I've had the stuff, and I can't say as it was bad, but it was *so* Anglo-ised it's not even funny. If you want *real* Mexican, you've got to go to Texas or New Mexico (Cali-Mex doesn't count). However, I've never had better Chinese food in my life than when I was in China Town.

But how do you live in a place like that? I mean, I got lost with just myself and a few friends in a week there. The thought of 6 million human beings swarming around me is mind-boggling. Then again, in my defence, Alaska only has 600,000 people. And Anchorage, the largest (aka, ONLY) city has almost 240,000. And I think Anch is too big! How did you survive being one of such a sea of humanity?

Shanana

well, you have to know which mex restaurants to go to. you dont go where the hipsters go. although i have nothing against marinated tofu-and-mushroom burritos, i agree they are not authentic. but when you go deep into queens and find the tiny lunch counter owned, run, and entirely for illegal mexican immigrants, it's pretty authentic, i think. the food even varies depending on what village in mexico most of the clientele is from (i did a documentary photo project, so i got to meet a lot of people in that community).
as for little-fish-in-big-pond syndrome... moscow has 13 million people! 8 million people ride the subway every day - more than the population of nyc! in new york i had so many ways to identify- my neighborhood- really tight-knit place- my circle of friends, and where we hung out, ditto. my school. so it never felt like sucha big place. i mean, when prospect park is your backyard and the metropolitan museum is where you hang out after school, it's not that daunting
here it's a little hairier, mostly 'cause my russian still isnt that great.

I think that's wonderful that you had such a great experience in a large city. I think my problem is that I've always been a part of suburbia or, most recently, living in the middle of nowhere. it's quite comfortable to be known by many, and yet still to retain a bit of anonyminity. That, and I need nature. The worst thing for me about visiting New York was that there was no real nature to speak of, and even the parks seemed... fake. And San Antonio has the same problem. AS does Houston. And nearly every major city I've been to (aside from Seattle - it somehow managed to stay beautiful). That, and there's no place to fish!

Then again, I love the fact that large cities are so diverse and places such as those lunch counters you were talking about exist. To see the mixing and mingling of cultures is something so gratifying and wonderful, it often gives me a thought that humanity is actually worth something. Then I remember the rest of reality. So here's my judgement: most of humanity is just fine. It's that 10% or 20% that ruin everything....

yes, i know exactly what you mean. it's true everywhere. most russians, for example, once you get to know them are wonderful. they are usually very warm, and form serious friendships quicker thant he average american (force-feeding you, taking you to their country house, etc). then you have the bastards who find out you're american and spend all their time trying to figure out how to scam you, etc etc. anyway...
you mentioned nature. when i was little, my parents bought a cabin in the catskill mountains, so i always had nature (even if it took a few hours to get there). a great thing about russia is that they are no suburbs as we know them. literally, you walk across the city line and you are in the country. a kilometer downt he road, and there are old women selling homegrown fruit from their gardens. and there's a lot more green here than in nyc, even right in the city. Last weekend, a bunch of my friends and i went to this sprawling area by the river, practically in the center of town. we had a barbeque there (unhindered by such things as public safety laws) and went swimming (thought the water is, umm, not the cleanest), and hardly saw another person the whole time, as if we were in the country. then we walked up the hill 10 minutes, and hopped on the subway. this town is nuts

That sounds lovely! Kind of reminds me of Anch. the way you describe the greenery within the city limits. The coolest thing about living here is the fact that we have over 100 parks within city limits.

also, sorry about not responding for so long. I was down visiting my uncle for two weeks down in Florida, which was lots of fun, as I was at a low enough latitude to enjoy the beaches and get into the water. there were a lot of bikinis, which seemed odd to me, but then again, it definately says I'm in Florida!! It was lovely, though, with the emerald waters, crashing waves, and bountiful scalloping. Plus the wonderful rednecks and the southern white trash (my family, aren't we great?).

It's nice to be back in cool weather again, though. But I noticed that it's gotten markedly darker in the past two weeks. Unfortunately, that means winter's approaching, doesn't it? I don't know about you, but I absolutely love the winter and all of the sports, fun, carnivals, mushing, eating, sleeping, and depression that does along with it....

That's a list from several Alaskans who are in the room with me.

Ok, I'm going to stop writing, as I've got to go back to my college decision-making again....

Shanana

i didnt notice that you hadnt responded in a while, since i was offline for a while as well.
i switched jobs, and there's a lot less time for idle surfing at this one but that's ok, cause the job
and the pay are way better, yippee!
yes, it has been getting darker, but i do love the winter as well so i'm not too upset.
well, good luck with the college process, i've got to get back to work....