It has been a crazy couple of weeks here at camp. And not the ‘fun’ type of crazy: more like the ‘fml’ kind of crazy. It’s also been very, very busy. My teaching hours are far in excess of what I was told, and it’s six days a week once more. I have afternoons free, though these are usually spent in a coma, trying to recover before the next day of lessons! I have been getting some work done of course: the internet’s really bad, so I haven’t been procrastinating anywhere near as much as usual. As such I’ve gotten a fair bit of uni reading done, and am at around 32,000 words into my book. Ура.
Now, the kids: I have two groups, one of mainly kids in their mid-teens, and one of kids around 12 years old. The younger group are alright: their English is generally poor, but they try very hard and are pleasant to be around. The older group on the other hand is chock-full of super-‘Russian’ kids. There are a few reasonable ones in there, but oh my god the racism. Plus sexism and homophobia of course. I have kids talking about how they want black slaves, preferably women who are only allowed to wear underwear all day. Or then there’s the kids saying how ‘great’ it is when ‘skinheads’ kill Jews. What, the, fuck. But it’s not just that: they misbehave awfully in class, are selfish and cruel to each other. Yesterday they pissed me off so much that I said ‘enough’ and made them write essays. I hate making people write essays, but I needed to get some kind of discipline going again. Egads.
Cultural differences are astonishing. I need to point out that the way these kids behave isn’t some kind of genetic thing, or predisposition, or anything like that: Russians aren’t naturally fuck-wits. When they come across something from outside their universe—ie me, in this situation—they do try and adjust to it. They don’t want to upset me with my Western ideals. Thus one kid, who has some VERY strong views, asked if I was in Greenpeace before he started ripping trees out of the ground. They do try to anticipate what my morals and values might be, and do their best to not offend me. They just don’t know this way of life.
They do get used to my Western independence pretty quickly. This morning we all went out on the lake, and while I can’t row because of my back, they accepted that I don’t need a hand out, I’m perfectly happy to jump into the water or climb trees or leap between rocks or go hiking through the forest. But the contrast between myself and the Russian girls was just insane. I definitely confuse them as much as they confuse me.
I’ve actually run out of time as I have to go teach, but I’ll post this while I have enough internet to do so. I have a lot more to say on this sexism issue, and also on Russians jumping into bed. Confusingly.
12 responses to “Fake Russia”
hello , my name is vlad, i am in charge with baltic school , very sad to read this , you are not good and honest in lot of things , i am living in canada , i sand your thing to my friends , …. do not want to tell you reaction… not good at all… for shame … sad to know you are person like this …. sorry for you ..
Hello, vlad? To be honest you sound like a jerk who is one-minded and doesn’t understand anything. I don’t care that you live in Canada. Your English is crap and so is your opinion. It is obvious Laura is not lying — why would she make up something like that? Be logical (if anything). And if we’re still keeping it real here, I feel sorry for you; sorry to know that your world is so small, sorry that you are a loser and sorry that you have friends living in the same limited, puny world as well.
ok, Laura.
it’s not Vladimir.
I’ll be honest. You have not ever read russian writers, like Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Lermontov, Pushkin, Ryaskov and others. You said that russians movies are terrible, you said that you read Tolstoy, and you hate him. OK. Tell me what you know about Russia? Nothing I think.
I think you can not understand the actions of Russian people, and you make the wrong conclusions from these actions. Russia is not as tolerant to all kinds of distortions, but Europe, USA and others are tolerant. And you are completely tolerant. It’s not good. Unfortunately real men in Europe, USA almost gone…
Now there only fagots.
OK. I think you can’t say where is “Real” Russia and where is “Fake” Russia.
Hmmmm, real men you say? And I suppose a real man is a back-stabbing, life-sucking, brain-numbing sexist who only beholds his own interests at heart? Well, if this is the case then you really are a loser. If you haven’t noticed, the rest of the world is actually living in the 21st century these days and women can think for themselves – do everything for themselves really. You live in a sad, sad delusion and I feel sorry for you; I’m sure there are plenty of gay men in Russia, in fact I am sure of it. It’s just in your naivety and “righteousness” that you don’t see it behind the closed doors of you mind. News flash “Fake Vlad”, you can’t help been gay – you are born that way. By the way, you say there is no fake Russia? well you have kind of contradicted yourself there because you acted as a ‘fake Vlad’. I see a correlation here, “Fake Vlad” and “Fake Russia”. You are not so perfect after all.
Excuse me..
I said nothing about sexism. Since ancient times in Russia respected women. The same we can’t said about other European countries. All sexism jokes were sarcasm or parody. And you like Sheldon Cooper in TBBT, you can not distinguish sarcasm from a normal conversation.
Yes, in Russia we have a lot of gays and it’s awful. 21st century you said? This is capitalist notion. We have another development path, Russian path.
Homosexuality – is perversion. It arises because a lot of sexual immorality in the 21st century.
Born gay? Oh, God, give me strength…
Tolerant Europe are awesome in stupid.
I’m confused… How is the 21st century an invention of capitalism? I’ll take ‘tolerant Europe [sic] are awesome in stupid’ any day over the ‘Russian path’ (whatever delightful path that might be!!). Cheer up, nationalism is overrated 🙂
Laura, you are the one to be sorry for, you don’ t know Russians at all, so, don;t jurge us. The kids are talking about sertain stuff? they are making mistakes by going to the wrong direction or taking the wrong action? yes, they are kids, or may be you forgot, for the minute, where you have been working at? You are not the one who can be teaching children, so don’t do it-it’s not yours. Your world is so narrow if you can jurge a nation on those fact.
Заебался я писать на английском, так что просто напишу по нашему. 1. Надо быть конченым человеком, чтобы защищать геев. 2. Имел я в виду также, что и чисто определение говорить “О, это 21 век, это совсем другое” и в таком роде, чисто фраза – это уже капитализм, время не меняется, все точно также, как было и пятьсот лет назад, просто окружающая среда меняется.
Западники тут видно хотят задавить разумом, который к несчастью уже во втором поколении у них отсутствует.
В общем мне вообще не следовало заводить эту тему, слишком уж “провавилонен” мозг у людей, странно одно, вот если 15 лет назад в России не могли представить, что у нас будет много геев, а сейчас все само себя подразумевает. И что же, если сейчас мы не можем представить педофилию в норме общества, так неужели через 15 или больше лет и она будет в норме? Эх, жаль, что общество действительно деградирует со временем. Но все же в России еще есть шанс гомиков задавить, а вот на Западе уже… не думаю, что получистя, хотя кто знает.
Well, you certainly can’t judge a nation. But… that being said, coming from a Russian, Russia is pretty backwards. You know when you start considering other human beings as lesser beings… you’re well on your way back to the stone age. There’s a good reddit post that summarizes Russia’s problem: http://www.reddit.com/r/russia/comments/1jpagi/whats_up_with_the_whole_gay_thing/cbh4hju?context=1
I’m not sure I understood everything correctly, but I did not see a word judgment from Laura and do not know what there is a dispute about. Perhaps discussed some other post or that post was chaned… But…
I am Russian, I know Russian, and am often in the same horror of Russian people as Laura in her group.
Most of the Russian people are greedy and narrow-minded. Therefore Russia is living in such a deep hole. I am ashamed sometimes that i am living here.
I don’t understand how one cannot see it and how one can argue with that.
Wow, the comments on this are astounding.
I respect Laura for speaking up on things like this.