Лекция: Journalism with a British accent

Предлагаю вам насладиться оригинальной, немного урезанной версией лекции от Тома Бартона. Подробнее и лекция на русском в предыдущем посте.

15:05

I will talk really simple, informal about my experience living in Russia.


15:06

My story started when i was 14 years old — I was in school and was very interested in studying war, a military history. As more i learnt about I realized that the story, I think, about my country isn't whole story. There is another country is also fighting. And it was Soviet Union, Russia. And i also saw about country itself and just realized how vast Russia really is. And I wrote an assay, when I was 14, for an exam that all students in school have. I titled it Cold Russia. I just described how vast Russia is: the extreme of climate, the size of the country, etc.


15:11

Years later, when I was 19 and I'd finished school, I wanted to go traveling for a gap year and there were a few people in my year, who also wanted to take that trip. I said: "I always wanted to go to Russia!" At first, my friends joked and laughed. But I said: "I'm going to Russia. I'm going in January" — because I wanted to see real winter. Anyway, one by one my friends said: "Ohhh... I'm sorry. I'm going to continue a university. I'm going to a job" — so I said them: "Ok, fine. I'll go on my own". I came up here on my own when i was 19. The first city was St.Petesberg. Then throw whole Russia: Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude.


15:20

The first impression was that Russians cities are the cities of flats. Because in the UK and the USA everyone has a house, so there are cities of houses. But I think flats is cool! They provide quality for people living in them, so everyone can share the same experience. In Britain there is a problem of social inequality so many people say: "My house is better than yours". And they always compare each other. But in Russia people have and I have, because, i live in a flat here, a common experience. We can say that we have an experience that many Russians share.


15:27

Moscow is expensive, very expensive. It's more expensive than London. I mean it suppose I’m foreigner and I have to pay a bit more than many of Russians, because you can deal with them — I can't! Yes, something is cheaper. Like a metro, it's cheaper than metro in London. I would say it because Moscow is a very big one city. It's growing, growing and growing. A lot of people from former USSR are coming to Moscow because they see it's that where they can make their future of themselves. It's very interesting because everyone here is somewhere else. London has a similar fact, but there are many people says (put his hand on his chest): "I'm a Londoner". They are really Londoners — they spent a whole life in London. But Moscow is a city where everyone is somewhere else.


15:31

Russian cuisine is amazing! You are really experts in soups. And i also love Russian bliny, but in England we have only one day when we maybe eat many pancakes as Russians do during a year — i think it's cool. So if i can try to bring pancakes back to England, I definitely will do. And your deserts especial amazing: cakes, torts.


15:33

Does anybody drink last night (laughing)? Drink is obviously a big part of English culture as a big of Russian culture. And it is one more thing we can share... When I was 19 I tried to understand more about Russian drinking culture, obviously vodka drinking. The first experience happened when I went to Ulan-Ude. I took a trip for a day out to little farm near the city. The family, we sat for hours drinking vodka and eating with them, before the stat said: "We have some rules of drinking vodka. The 1st — you will go round make a toast each person, the 2nd — when you started the bottle, you finish the bottle." So when we finished the bottle and I felt dizzy, so they said: "Oh, the bottle is empty... We're going for another bottle!". By the way, I think it is a very relaxed drinking culture — you know, friends seating around the table, there is no hurry, there is no rush. Many hours talking, toasting — I think it is a nice way to drink.


15:40

Let’s talk how the water heating works, especially in Moscow. When you arrive in Britain you see that everyone has a boiler in a house for heating water. If it is hot you can turn it off. But in Moscow you have no choice: all heating is on or all heating is off. But I think it is amazing, because nobody goes cold. In England someone who doesn't have a boiler has to wear more clothes, but in Russia everyone has the same service. On the other hand, I think it's really hot in Russians houses in winter. I mean all around wear T-shirts.


15:43

And another thing is about water, which everyone has at home. But in June-July hot water goes off for 2 weeks and I didn't know about it last summer. So i walked into the shower to take it and...Aahhh! And the same is for 2 weeks. I tried to stop showered, but I started to smell so bad. So I had to go to the shower. I have a difficult choice: freezing or smelling (laughing).


15:45

Another thing it's dogs in Moscow. We run some news stories on this. It estimated that there are 13 000 straight dogs in Moscow. And the population gets bigger and bigger. So the catchers can't catch them so fast. I'm not quite sure that is: maybe send them to Siberia or to other countries. It's an interesting thing: when you go to metro stations there is a big park of dogs and you think about keeping away. The most amazing thing I’ve seen in Moscow is when dog went into my metro carriage, stood next to me and walked away on the next station. Maybe this dog is super clever?

The metro itself should be one of the 7 wonders of the world. The design was to give luxury to the masses. And London metro is so disgusting. It's really boring. Everything there is for function — it works, but Moscow metro is a combination of functionary and beauty. On of my favorite station is Novoslobodskaya.


15:55

The next is weather. I'm an English man, so I love talk about weather. Everyone at home always asked: "Is it cold? Is it cold there?" — I answered: "It's July! It's +30 C". I would say that the reason I came there when I was younger is i wanted to see a real winter. In England you never get the extreme, but here you definitely get the extreme. When I was in Irkutsk I saw a real winter. My tears (due to wind) frozen and my eyes were frozen shut. Unfortunately, now people in Moscow say that we might never see strong winter again.


15:58

I find culture difference between us very fascinating. I started from English impression of Russians. Of course they realized the Cold war is over, relationships are getting warmer, but some of them still thinks that communism isn't over and something like that. A lot of them think that it takes about 8-9 hours to get here from London. They think it is really far away and it's a mysterious land somewhere.. Russians? Who are they (laughing)? But here is Russian impression of England: English humor is very strange (even special section about it in school books, am I right?), we always porridge breakfast and we never say goodbye.


16:01

Finally, you are very lucky to live in Russia now. I'm very glad to live in Russia now, too, because I would say now we are living in the history. In England all go round, round and round. The next few decades will be very interesting in Russia. Russia has unique geography, unique people, unique history, so you have a lot of opportunities.

16:06

Thank you (applause).


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