Day #36: Russians' bleak views of their own lives

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One of the most interesting aspects of a homestay is discovering what everyday life is really like for the locals. In my case, the homestay has been particularly interesting as my "family" have many friends keen to practice their English language skills, so we have spent a lot of time comparing life in the UK with life in Russia. On the surface, the differences are not that obvious - in many ways, life in Russian cities looks the same as life in European cities, though poverty is more visible.

Many Russians I met described life in Russia as very hard, and express envy for the apparent ease of life in Europe, although also great pride in being Russian. One regular complaint from the Russians I spoke to was that in Russia there is no middle class - there is the super-rich, and then there is everyone else, and everyone else has to struggle hard to make ends meet, even if they are what would be described in Western Europe as professionals. Teachers, lawyers, doctors and engineers live a hand-to-mouth existence, the same as manual workers (Russians I met complained bitterly about this state of affairs). A self-employed English tutor I met works 7 days a week, morning to evening, because she says she has to in order to survive. Housing is expensive, so homes are crowded. The majority of Russians live in the classic Soviet appartment blocks, often 15 floors or more high, and the homes I saw did not have bedrooms - instead, living rooms and offices have divan beds and are coverted to bedrooms overnight. This means it is common for a family to live in what in England would be classed as a one-bedroom flat. Many Russians I met had visited Europe and envy the houses. The Russians I met said that in Russia everyone lives in fear of illness, old age and especially disability, because the support offered by the state is very limited, and many in this situation end up begging on the streets.

Several Russians complained to me that this situation makes everyone selfish because everyone has only time to think of themselves and how they are going to make it through the month. No one will help out anyone else. No one is interested in politics, or the bigger picture. Everyone is only thinking of how to survive the next week or month.

Of course it isn't all bad - and especially the younger people I met are much more optimistic. However, the picture presented to me by the majority of Russians I met here was a rather bleak view of life in the country.

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