Before departing a two-year reporting assignment in Moscow, National Public Radio correspondent David Greene elected to make a trip to learn more about the vast nation.
So he took a 16-day trip across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The trip spanned 6,000 miles and seven time zones.
Greene passed by the world's largest lake, the world's largest forest and made stops in desolate Siberia. He met citizens who lived thousands of miles away from Moscow and felt detached from the country's central government.
What he saw and who he met changed his view of Russia. He'll share what he learned at "A View From Russia By Rail" at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Carroll Arts Center in Westminster. The event is sponsored by McDaniel College and will also feature photographer David Gilkey, who accompanied him on the Trans-Siberian Railroad journey.
Prior to the presentation, Greene shared with the Times what it is like to ride the Trans-Siberian Railroad, how Russians feel about their country and what day-to-day interactions in the country is like.
Cold outdoors, warm indoors
When walking the Moscow streets, Greene noticed Russians weren't a sociable lot. They rarely shared conversations and stuck to themselves.
Yet when inside their homes or inside a train car, Russians were eager to share food, drink and stories. Many of those he meet in the train cars will be featured in his discussion.
Quotable: "People don't smile much in public. But if you go into a Russian's home, it's the warmest place. You take your shoes off, and you're either offered tea or a shot of vodka and usually food. There's a lot of warmth and hospitality."
Quickly overcoming tragedies
Hockey is beloved in Russia. After a plane crash killed all players on the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Kontinental Hockey League team were killed last September, it was a national tragedy. Greene met Sergei Yovlev, a Yaroslavl native on the train. He could name every player on that team. He will be a focus of Tuesday's discussion.
When tragedies do happen, Russians try to quickly shake them off, Greene said. In his National Public Radio report, Greene said he covered a suicide bombing at a Moscow airport, where 35 people were killed. Greene's taxi cab driver had his clothes splattered by blood during the bombing. He didn't bother to change or wipe away the blood, he said in his report.
Quotable: "I think there is a sense of fatalism often that the tragedy is going to happen. There is a sense in taking pride to be strong enough to overcome it. It's stoic in a way. It's an unbelievable show of, 'I'm not going to let this affect me. I am going to carry on and recover.' "
Low birth rate
Russia is struggling with an aging population, Greene said. Low birth rates have caused problems throughout the country, including at universities in Eastern Russia, where there are plenty of empty seats.
Professors see closer ties with nearby Asian nations, particularly China, as a way to get additional students into courses. The students are willing to come, but the Moscow government hinders that process, Greene said.
Quotable: "One way universities feel they can make money is by bringing Chinese students who want to come. The Russian government is an impediment to that. I just think there is a feeling of disconnect to the Moscow government."
Pushing forward in difficult times
Many Russians are still struggling with poverty in the vast nation and aren't seeing benefits from Russia's vast oil wealth. Greene said what surprised him the most about his time in Russia was how they found a way to secure what they wanted no matter how difficult the circumstances.
Quotable: "I guess one of the things that surprised me is if you went to a village, for example, that was so downtrodden in some ways: No indoor plumbing, no heating. Yet people had a flat screen TV and a cellphone. And it just shows that the Russian life is very hard, yet it shows that priorities are different."
