Red Inklings

Photo by Mikhail Mordasov

Thanks to a Fulbright grant, I’m living in Velikiy Novgorod, Russia until July 2009.

My task: sociological research on what young Russian mothers think about “mother capital,” a government initiative to grow Russia’s dwindling population by providing a one-time payment of roughly $10,000 to women having two or more children.

The weather is rainy, the streets pockmarked and muddy, and the storekeepers never have change, but the hospitality is as warm as ever. Yesterday, I found out there are electric samovars, and that tea tastes better with a side of smooth cognac. Last weekend my boyfriend Alex visited from Moscow and we went to the banya, the Russian version of a sauna (just add communal beatings with birch branches), and ate some delicious blini. It’s good to be back.

The necessary disclaimer: Though I am a Fulbright recipient, this blog is not an official Department of State website. What I write here does not represent the Department of State or the Fulbright Program.

My boyfriend Alex is also in Russia for the year; you can read his sporadic musings from Moscow at http://nemowatching.vox.com/.