Even here in Moscow, I’ve found it so easy and fun to stay involved with my more technical passions. Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the premier of the American movie Apollo 11 here in Moscow. The movie was shown in the original English with Russian subtitles, so it was a great vocabulary exercise. I especially found it interesting that, where an American launch operator might say “copy that” to affirm a message or “all systems nominal” to verify the status of the flight, a Russian operator would respond with “understood” or “ready.” I think it demonstrated a key difference between Russian and English conversational language: English tends to use more words than Russian language.
The movie itself was fantastic. The theater showed it in IMAX, and it was much like an American theater with very comfy seats and a full array of over-priced snacks. The movie-going crowd was very diverse: everyone from 5 year old kids to professional Russian tech bloggers were present, and many folks were decked out in “space swag.” After the film, there was a discussion with several of the aforementioned tech bloggers, and NASA’s technical liaison to Roscosmos! It was fascinating to hear different perspectives and ideas on the benefits of human space exploration versus robotic exploration, future moon landings, and international collaboration and competition in space.
I also had the awesome opportunity to take a behind the scenes tour of the Russian Lenin State Library. It was so cool to see their system of organization, and mind boggling to walk through row after row of catalogues and antique books. One interesting difference is that many books cannot be checked out from the library, and that readers often need to consult a library for help with retrieving a book. There were many beautiful reading halls were library goers could enjoy their books, meet for classes, or use public computers.
Another favorite experience this week was attending the concert of a local musician, Kira Lao. Her concert was more like performance art than just music- she was very emotive and enhanced her songs with custom designed costumes and dancing. It was a bit experimental, and just outside my typical music taste, but I really enjoyed how she conveyed emotion and addressed current social issues in Russia through her songs. Afterwards, my group had the chance to talk with her, and hear about her life as a musician in Moscow, her inspirations, and her creative process. I saw her as a very determined, hard working, creative, and passionate young lady.
Last weekend, I went to the annual international Russian Army expo with some of my American classmates. It was so cool! There were live demonstrations of tanks, Russian flight teams, and other combat vehicles. I especially loved seeing the Sukhoi’s and MiG’s in action! In addition to the live demonstrations, there were acres of static displays, an exposition center with company booths, and even a live performance by the Russian Army orchestra. I don’t think we have an analog to the expo in America. The closet thing I can think of is the EAA airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but the Russian expo was entirely focused on military technology as opposed to civilian tech. It was neat to see how Russians show their patriotism and support of their military; just like many Americans are proud of our US military, Russians are also proud of their military! Lots of folks of all ages and backgrounds were in Army hats or T-shirt’s, and were excited to learn about the technology.
I missed the traditional American Fourth of July celebration this summer! It was a quiet Independence Day here in Moscow. Normally the US embassy hosts an event, but it is invitation only and we weren’t able to attend. So, instead, we all went to an American diner in the heart of Moscow. It felt just like going to a diner in the states, down to the checkered black and white floor tiles, red vinyl booths, and Elvis posters hanging on the walls. They served a pretty good burger, too!
We finished the week with a trip to the Cold War Museum. Other than the Museum of Cosmonautics, I think it’s one of the coolest museums in Moscow so far. The museum was located in a real bunker from the Cold War – a chilling 65 meters (~213 feet) below ground! It was deeper than the Moscow metro, and we could actually hear the rumble of trains from underground as they passed through the nearby metro station. In addition to being highly interactive and engaging, I found the museum especially interesting in how it presented information. History can usually be seen through multiple perspectives, and it was neat to see the Russian view of the Cold War. The exhibits focused on Soviet technical feats, main events of the war, the bunker itself, and even the typical procedure for launching a warhead (that exhibit in particular was somber and unsettling). It was clear that the museum was trying to present information in a neutral manner. However, of course the perspective of the CCCP as “the good guys” and the US as “the bad guys” was still evident in word choices, descriptions of things like the Manhattan Project, and even the background music of a short documentary (Whenever American tech/weaponry was discussed, the music was dark and foreboding, like Carmina Burana. On the other hand, Russian tech/weaponry was accompanied by more triumphant big band music.) On a whole, I found the museum very cool and interesting from a historical and cultural perspective.
I’m excited to visit more museums here, and hopefully find some more aircraft and rockets around the city!
Do vstrecha! (Until next time!)
215 feet below Moscow! 
The entrance to the Cold War Museum. 
Americans celebrating Independence Day in the Starlight Diner in Moscow. 
The Russian Army flight team “Strizhi” (Swifts) flying their MiG-29s. 
Couldn’t help taking a closer look! 
Some heavy-duty tanks. They smelled like a rocket launch! 
The Russian Army expo center. 
The Russian Army “Russkiye Vityazi” (Russian Knights) flight team, flying Sukhoi 30SM’s. 
Aesthetic book shelves at the Lenin State Library. 
A beautiful staircase inside the impressive library. 
The windows in the library stacks were made of special 3D glass panels, almost like Christmas ornaments, designed to protect the books from harsh sunlight. 
Biblioteca imena Lenina. The grand entrance staircase and main reading room. 
Movie premiere! 
A beautiful Russian mall. Malls and movies are very popular social spots, and are usually really pretty and well designed! 
Raf coffee (a Russian specialty) and Moscow Cake at Schokoladnitsa, the Russian equivalent of Starbucks.
RLASP in Moscow 