Russia has a distinct, unmistakable character - merging European romanticism, Asian intricateness, and an inborn steel passion. Russia has had a complicated relationship with the rest of the world, but beyond the politics, there is so much more to its people, culture, history, and philosophy to explore. The empiric nature of Russia can still be seen in its architecture and the people's taste for modern luxury goods. Russian architecture reflects the grandiosity and expansiveness of its natural surroundings. While living in Russia, as much as I felt the sense of aliveness and ambition, I also felt the intimate shadows of my own human insignificance. Cities and towns in Russia are surprisingly flat. (Surprising because wilderness and Siberia should be filled with obstructing mountains). So whether in Moscow, St. Petersburg, or towns and villages in Siberia, one sees far out into the distance.
The size of Russia's natural landscape and structures dwarves the people. Standing in the middle of Red Square, even large crowds of 20-30 people look like gatherings of ants as they move from St. Basil's Cathedral (Храм Василия Блаженного) , Lenin's Mausoleum (Маэзолей В. И. Ленина), State Historical Museum (Государственный Истрический Музей), to the GUM (ГУМ) department store. Each time I visit Red Square, it feels as if I am time traveling as I begin my walk overlooking St. Basil's onion tops, through the Kremlin to end at the GUM. The Soviet-dressed, headscarf-wearing babushkas further accentuates the contrast between the brightly colored Kazan Cathedral next to the ivory and black trim of the European GUM department store...