From Russia with skates: Ice dancer crosses the Atlantic
Too often, we take for granted what we have in Canada, rarely stopping to think about the freedoms we enjoy. Today, part one of a two-part story about a man who takes nothing for granted, a man who left his home and family behind, traveling thousands of miles to forge a new life in Canada.
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Lol they're writing about Moscow like It was 70's soviet union Moscow! How old is this guy?
I'm not Russian, but I don't like this article and Denis. He speaks as if he would have lived in Moscow during the communist era. And the Canadians will love this story, and Dennis will have a good start. He moved to Canada because of financial reasons. Moscow is a very exciting city, many people say " Moscow never sleeps". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doKpZnkZAwc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFucbIpEFoM. Incredible beautiful (but for me St. Petersbourgh is more beautiful), and every global companies are already there.
Last edited by plushyfan; 02-27-2013 at 03:03 AM.
He's a coach in Chillawack, BC
http://www.cheamskating.com/coaches.php
So maybe it was Soviet era Moscow.
There is apparently, another article in this series coming.
I
Last edited by dorispulaski; 02-27-2013 at 05:42 AM.
THX! I understand.Originally Posted by dorispulaski
I think he came to Canada sometime around 2007, when he was in his early twenties? He competed in ice dance in Canada with Natalie Rithaler in the 2007-08 season, but they did not make Nationals. Their coach was Victor Kraatz.
Actually I read recently that life in post-Soviet Russia hasn't improved as much as most Westerners think. Yeah, there are a lot of rich people in Moscow and Petersburg, some of whom found ways to make money off the post-Soviet collapse. But the average Russian salary is less than $800 a month, and most people are still living in the same crummy, tiny apartments common in Soviet times. Here's a relevant article: http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c39/266542.html. (It's from 2011, so a little out of date, but not much.)
Maybe.. But I think the situation is similar in New York, a lot of poor people live there. And in many other big cities. Maybe the apartements are tiny, but they can live in them. Moscow population of cca 10 million.
The situation has not changed in the countryside, but Denis lived in Moscow.
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In the Soviet era the pay was very low, but the life also was very cheap. In that era among people was not too much difference. Now there are many rich and poor people, who live in very different circumstances. This is the reason why many people love that era even today, everyone had a job, everyone had health insurance for little money etc. I know, because I was born and I live in a former eastern block.. But I'm sure Let's talk will tell us her opinion.
Last edited by plushyfan; 02-27-2013 at 03:34 PM.
First of all I am not sure how much of a career he would have if he didn't have the cache of being a Russian ice dancer with that training when he was younger. So he's done very well for being one of those Russians for rent or whatever that term was. "rent a Russian" so you know have some respect for where you come from even if Russian standard of living is no canadian standard of living and don't act like Russia is forever in post soviet disarray and there's been no improvement because there has.
Part 2 has the gem" Canada at it's worst is better than Russia at it's best!" Whoa! They certainly didn't mind their Russian coaches and ice dancers! This article is all about a Russian who hates Russia and canadian superiority to Russia In every way- except all their Russian figure skating coaches!!
While it's an annoying article in a lot of ways, the statement "Canada at its worst is better than Russia at its best," is attributed to Dennis' thoughts, I think, rather than being something all Canadians think?
It's somewhat hard to tell, since the reporter writes in a rather imprecise style.
^ Yes. it is hard to tell how much of this is Denis Kondrashin and how much is the writer of the piece. There are no quotes, but the writer attributes "feelings" to Kondrashin such as
http://www.theprogress.com/sports/193651421.htmlHe found the people [in the Russian immigrant community in Montreal] to be the same as the people in Moscow, consumed by the same petty jealousies and living the same inside-the-box lives he found so intolerable.
Worse, he found them unable or unwilling to acclimate to life in Canada. There was so much to see and do in this country, but they wanted no part of it. They wanted no part of the ‘weird’ Canadians either. Instead, they isolated themselves in their community, backstabbing the country and people who’d welcomed them with open arms.
It's because you are reading without filter. No barely intelligent journalist would ever use "average salary" idea to speak about level of life. It makes as much sense as "average body temperature" in the hospital. To put it simple- let's take 100 people, 1 of them is a billionaire in Moscow, 99 are folks in villages of Smolensk region. Their average salary will be just fine. $800 is nothing in Moscow, while in the village it's a hell of money, simply because the cost of life is different. The "crummy, tiny apartment"? Haha. You sould have seen what shoeboxes not super poor company workers rent in Tokyo for $800 a month. Does anybody here think that the life in Tokyo is bad and poor? Oh well.
If the dude were some communist refugee, I would pity him as much as all the rest of them. They went through a good deal of troubles to leave the USSR and now they can't afford vacation in Moscow because the city has become too expenssive for their "middle class" wallet. But this guy left in 2007, i.e. he is closer to my generation. And he left from Moscow, not from some village. If he couldn't succeed in 2007 Moscow and now whining about it, then he is just a loser talking.
Canadian consulate got closed in St-Petersburg. They used to be in a crappy location where the hystorical barracks of Izamilovskij regiment used to lodged, with drunks and hookers. While the Russian consulate in Montreal is enjoying their fancy residence: www.montreal.mid.ru/ Which means there are more people in Canada who needs the consulate service to visit Russia than in Russia- to visit Canada.
Having only visited Russia once, I'm very fond of Moscow. It seems like a large, cosmopolitan city with all the normal large, cosmopolitan city problems (some poverty, some luxury, some stressed middle-class.) Not that different from Toronto really, but it's a very aesthetically pleasing city. It amazed me that hundreds of people would wait outside a museum 9 o'clock on a Sunday morning in the cold to see art. Doesn't yell hell to me.
Chilliwack, BC's appeal would seem to be very different that Moscow's.
And it is warmer than Moscow, and has some of the best air quality in the world.
Chilliwack
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilliwack_(city)#Climate
Moscow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow#Climate
Chilliwack is a Canadian city in the Province of British Columbia. It has long been a predominantly agricultural community, but with an estimated population of 80,000 people, it has become more suburban. Chilliwack is the second largest city in the Fraser Valley Regional District after Abbotsford. The city is surrounded by mountains and recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are many outdoor opportunities in the area, including hiking, horseback riding, biking, camping, fishing, and golf. Chilliwack is the location of the head offices of the Fraser Valley Regional District.
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