The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Texas A;M University Press (April 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585444049
• ISBN-13: 978-1585444045
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  

By : Sharon Hudgins
Price : $22.95

 

The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far East [Paperback]

 

Buyer Evaluations

Sharon Hudgins and her husband took teaching jobs in Irkutsk and Vladivostok, two significant cities in Siberia. They had to adjust to life in post-Soviet Russia, a far cry from the way points had been at the University of Maryland, where they held teaching positions.
Hudgins is a food and travel writer, so there is significantly detail about the food, cooking and grocery supplies in Russia. In reality, numerous chapters seemed pretty a lot 1 party soon after an additional with the hospitable Russians, who adore a get-together with fantastic food and drink, and party challenging all night. It's a beneficial way to ignore the intermittant electrical energy, lack of running water and other infrastructure complications that plague the crumbling post-Soviet urban landscape.
The most interesting part of the book was a stint in Ulan-Ude, capital of the Buryat Republic. The Buryat are a Mongolian folks, cousins of the Mongol Horde of Genghis Khan. The only Tibetan lamasery (monastery) is in Ulan-Ude. The Buryat Republic borders Lake Baikal, the deepest, oldest lake in the world, residence to unique species of flora and fauna and a fascinating location to read about.
This is a fascinating travel book, with a lot of enjoyable anecdotes and stories about horrific train rides, scary food (a sheep's head with the wool nevertheless on it, and blood pudding in a sheep's stomach, no way to say "no thank you" to the amiable hosts who are putting on a real spread for their guests.) If you are interested in Russia, in a part of Russia most Westerners under no circumstances take a look at, you should read "The Other Side of Russia."

From 1993 to 1995 Sharon Hudgins and her husband Tom lived and worked in post-Soviet Siberia, teaching at the university level through the University of Maryland's overseas programs. Originally from Texas, they had formerly worked in Germany, Spain, Greece, Japan, Korea under the exact same plan in which he taught economics and she taught cross-cultural communication. Ms. Hudgins was specifically interested in Russia and her 1st master's degree was in Soviet-US relations. Each she and her husband had also learned the language, which created communication possible. This book is about the two years they spent in Siberia, especially in Vladivostok and Irkutsk.
Ms. Hudgins' descriptions are rich with detail and the book is complete of anecdotes that transported me immediately to the world she describes. I had at all times heard about the inefficiencies and breakdowns that had been popular in Russia. But after I read about their living conditions, the reality of it hit me quickly. In both cities they lived in high-rise apartment buildings, a commute of 1-1/two hours each way to their jobs. These high rises were built with shoddy materials and shoddy workmanship and had been nowhere near food shopping or any other conveniences. The elevator never worked and they would have to walk up and down eight floors. But the worst factor of all was that heat, water and electricity were intermittent. They would suddenly be without having heat in the middle of a Siberian winter. And even when the undrinkable and polluted water did come via their pipes, it could be cut off at a moment's notice. Very same with electrical energy. As a result, they learned to be quite inventive, specially in their preparation of meals.
Speaking of food, in addition to all Ms. Hudgins' other accomplishments, she is also a trained food writer. And so her descriptions of food had been some of the most memorable parts of the book. She and her husband are skilled gourmet cooks and befriended some Russian individuals who had been also decent cooks. There is a lot of fascinating food descriptions and I was fascinated by the time and difficulty they took to prepare even the simplest meal.
1 incident in certain stays in my thoughts. They went out to countryside to order fresh milk at a farmers' industry. In this Siberian area the farmers milk their cows, fill a pail and leave it outside to freeze. Still, they put a branch of a tree upright in the pail. Later, they lift the frozen milk out of the pail. It now looks like a huge popsicle. These "popsicles" are then loaded on a wagon and brought to market place. The Hudgins bought milk this way, carried it house on public transportation and it actually stayed frozen the complete time. Naturally they had to boil it prior to they used it. But they said it was delicious.
A different region which especially interested me was the education system. Formerly, it was all about privilege and favoritism. Men and women paid teachers for excellent grades. Bribes had been considered a truth of life. And students themselves could in no way certainly have an understanding of the thought of plagiarism. But now that the Soviet era was more than, this was gradually changing.
Yes, there had been a large number of challenges that the Hudgins had to meet. But they did it all with a spirit of great will and adventure. That's why this book was a pleasure to read. It is only 295 pages extended, but so dense with insights and specifics, that I purposely took my time reading it.
I surely identified with the Hudgins and know my understanding of Siberia has undoubtedly been enriched. Highly suggested -- specifically for armchair travelers such as myself.

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