My Visit to St. Petersburg, Russia (May 28-29)

I arrived this morning to St. Petersburg, Russia around 1:30am. As I waited in line for passport control, I felt nervous about possibly being harassed for having a USA passport. When it was my turn to check my passport, the agent did not even greet me. She did not even speak. She had a straight face! She took awfully a long time to verify my visa. After about 15 minutes, she printed a sheet and placed it in my passport and placed it on the desk. She didn't say "welcome," nor "have a nice trip." That was my first impression. I proceeded to exchange money then to pay for a taxi to my hotel. I paid 17 euros for about a 25 minutes drive. The driver (Stefan) was from Armenia and drove like a maniac. He asked me about the USA and was happy when I told him that I am from Miami. As we entered the city center, I noticed that it preserved a blend of historical buildings and contemporary architecture. I asked Stefan how much does an average worker make per day. He said about 3000 rubles. The housing costs are about 2000 rubles per day. I soon realized that the cost of living is very high. Services range between 2000 and 3000 rubles. When I compared the ratio to the USA and to the Netherlands, it dawned on me that I am fortunate to live in countries which allow me to have the power of acquisition. As I walked the streets of the city, I noticed that the trams and buses are very old and outdated. As a dark-skinned person, I didn't feel any form of racism nor discrimination. On the contrary, people were open to speak to me when I asked them questions. There is a plethora of churches in St. Petersburg, but I didn't see anyone entering nor leaving them. They stand as marvelous structures of a sociological past. For the most part, people are slender and slim. Many people move around by foot, bus, tram, or metro. I will continue the journey tomorrow...