[quote]CSEagles1694 wrote:
Wow. This thread is eye-opening. They never covered this in my history class at school (I’m still in high school). I find all the '80s-'90s Soviet affairs interesting. I hope to visit Russia one day and some of it’s [former] satellite nations just for shits and giggles and see what it was like. Thanks for all the information.
CS [/quote]
Well fuck an A, my childhood is now textbook history. I was already dreading 30 this fall.
Just curious, have you read any of Ayn Rand’s work? I know she was an expatriate Russian and her work was largely influenced by living in under the Soviet regime … the way you described the “education” system earlier reminded me of her novella Anthem.
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]roybot wrote:
Let’s be realistic here: RV’s magnum opus is going to topple the Bible from the all-time bestseller list and create chaos. You are up against a self-described “future author” who is so confident in his material that any prospective publishers will be too gripped by his prose to spot the myriad errors in spelling and leave it to an army of proof readers to clean up the mess…but even God needs proof readers.
He (RV, not God) is so self-assured that I think “future author” means his future self has travelled back to warn his present self that his book WILL be published and brace him for the shock of impending success and overnight fame & fortune (as if he needed to be told that!). So RV will also perfect time travel at some point. Scared? You should be.
Just a friendly heads-up. Don’t mean to kill your dreams or anything…
[/quote]
I never REALLY thought that I could best the literary genius and all around awesomeness that is RV, but a guy can dream can’t he?[/quote]
Yes, you can dare to dream. Just know that your wildest fantasies are RV’s reality.
[quote]orion wrote:
That did not happen so much in other countries.
They got German and Austrian television, they knew.
It is mostly kids that are not possibly old enough to have seen any of it.
Those tv signals might have been transmitted with more power than necessary, but then, lots of valleys in Austria, we need strong signals.[/quote]
Those people are just delusional jackasses who need to wake up. I have to say that in all honesty, if I had to choose between living in the Soviet Union again of losing both of my legs, I would saw off my legs myself.
[quote]polo77j wrote:
Just curious, have you read any of Ayn Rand’s work? I know she was an expatriate Russian and her work was largely influenced by living in under the Soviet regime … the way you described the “education” system earlier reminded me of her novella Anthem.[/quote]
I have not read any of her work. I did not even know she was Russian as well. I will probably check out some of her work, though, now that I know about her.
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
It was also not uncommon for parents to “trade down,” which is where, say, a couple has a 3 bedroom apartment. They could trade that for two one bedroom apartments and gift one to their child. This usually happened when children of “wealthy” parents got married.
[/quote]
Furck! What happened to the extra bedroom?
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
As per request, I am starting this thread about growing up in Soviet Russia and post-Soviet Russia. The majority of my childhood was in Soviet Russia since I moved to America in the mid 90’s for grad school and decided to stay. Anyone else who would like to share their experiences with moving to America, or growing up in another country I would love to hear your tales. Also, any questions anybody may have, feel free to ask. This is a large topic, so I will do so in several posts starting with growing up in the Soviet Union, going to university (I started university before the fall of the Soviet Union and finished after.), and life in Russia post-Soviet Union.
I come from a family of 5: Mom, Dad, older brother, me, younger sister. My parents are both highly educated, or “Intelligentsia” Dad is an engineer and Mom is a mathematician and chess grandmaster. This does not hold the same significance that it does in America. Intelligence and education were not highly valued in the Soviet Union, the emphasis was on the workers. In America, my parents would have been in the top tier of income and social status. In the CCCP, the combined monthly income for our family was about 350 rubles a month (the average was between 400-450 and the highest earners got about 600-650). We lived in a 2 bedroom apartment that was no more than 50 square meters (appx. 540 sq ft) if that. My parents had their own bedroom and bed and me, my brother and sister slept in the other room. Before my sister was born, my brother and I shared the bed. After my sister was born, she slept in the bed and my brother and I slept on the floor.
Now, housing in the Soviet Union didn’t work the same as it does in America. Even if my parents had the money to buy a bigger place, the waiting list for an apartment (unless you were a high ranking party member or friend of one, you could forget about a house) was usually decades. Since we were intelligentsia, it would have been decades. Most people lived with their parents until their 30’s or 40’s just because of the waiting list for apartments. In many cases, it actually was faster to wait for a parent to die and inherit their apartment. It was also not uncommon for parents to “trade down,” which is where, say, a couple has a 3 bedroom apartment. They could trade that for two one bedroom apartments and gift one to their child. This usually happened when children of “wealthy” parents got married.
My next post will deal with food.
[/quote]
Fascinating.
I had (have) a lot of friends in Israel that made aliyah from various Soviet countries.
Without fail, all of them are the most anti-socialist people I’ve ever met and have really, really helped Israel, which has a strong socialist undercurrent (that is fading).
Without fail, they all also stockpile food.
[quote]SKELAC wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
As per request, I am starting this thread about growing up in Soviet Russia and post-Soviet Russia. The majority of my childhood was in Soviet Russia since I moved to America in the mid 90’s for grad school and decided to stay. Anyone else who would like to share their experiences with moving to America, or growing up in another country I would love to hear your tales. Also, any questions anybody may have, feel free to ask. This is a large topic, so I will do so in several posts starting with growing up in the Soviet Union, going to university (I started university before the fall of the Soviet Union and finished after.), and life in Russia post-Soviet Union.
I come from a family of 5: Mom, Dad, older brother, me, younger sister. My parents are both highly educated, or “Intelligentsia” Dad is an engineer and Mom is a mathematician and chess grandmaster. This does not hold the same significance that it does in America. Intelligence and education were not highly valued in the Soviet Union, the emphasis was on the workers. In America, my parents would have been in the top tier of income and social status. In the CCCP, the combined monthly income for our family was about 350 rubles a month (the average was between 400-450 and the highest earners got about 600-650). We lived in a 2 bedroom apartment that was no more than 50 square meters (appx. 540 sq ft) if that. My parents had their own bedroom and bed and me, my brother and sister slept in the other room. Before my sister was born, my brother and I shared the bed. After my sister was born, she slept in the bed and my brother and I slept on the floor.
Now, housing in the Soviet Union didn’t work the same as it does in America. Even if my parents had the money to buy a bigger place, the waiting list for an apartment (unless you were a high ranking party member or friend of one, you could forget about a house) was usually decades. Since we were intelligentsia, it would have been decades. Most people lived with their parents until their 30’s or 40’s just because of the waiting list for apartments. In many cases, it actually was faster to wait for a parent to die and inherit their apartment. It was also not uncommon for parents to “trade down,” which is where, say, a couple has a 3 bedroom apartment. They could trade that for two one bedroom apartments and gift one to their child. This usually happened when children of “wealthy” parents got married.
My next post will deal with food.
[/quote]
I am from Croatia.The first 14 years of my life,Croatia was part of communistic Yugoslavia.
This stuff sounds familiar.I am an anticommunist ever since![/quote]
To SKELAC: Don’t insult the people who’ve actually been through this stuff. Please.
On topic - I’ve been to Volgograd about a year and a half ago. It’s beautiful, peaceful even. Not what you would expect from a place that’s seen so much death.
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]polo77j wrote:
Just curious, have you read any of Ayn Rand’s work? I know she was an expatriate Russian and her work was largely influenced by living in under the Soviet regime … the way you described the “education” system earlier reminded me of her novella Anthem.[/quote]
I have not read any of her work. I did not even know she was Russian as well. I will probably check out some of her work, though, now that I know about her.
[/quote]
It’s pretty hard read for a non-native speaker. I had serious problems, 10 years ago.
As an aside, Rand was distant kin to my first wife.
[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
Fascinating.
I had (have) a lot of friends in Israel that made aliyah from various Soviet countries.
Without fail, all of them are the most anti-socialist people I’ve ever met and have really, really helped Israel, which has a strong socialist undercurrent (that is fading).
Without fail, they all also stockpile food.[/quote]
I know a lot of people who left Russia for Israel too. A lot of Jewish people were not treated too well by the Soviet government so I can understand them wanting to leave even more than I did. Pretty much all of us who can look past the propaganda of the Soviet Union very much hate socialism. And the stockpiling of food is also a common trait among us. Spending all of your childhood starving will do that. When I first came to America I weighed all of 110 pounds, and I am 5’10.
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
Fascinating.
I had (have) a lot of friends in Israel that made aliyah from various Soviet countries.
Without fail, all of them are the most anti-socialist people I’ve ever met and have really, really helped Israel, which has a strong socialist undercurrent (that is fading).
Without fail, they all also stockpile food.[/quote]
I know a lot of people who left Russia for Israel too. A lot of Jewish people were not treated too well by the Soviet government so I can understand them wanting to leave even more than I did. Pretty much all of us who can look past the propaganda of the Soviet Union very much hate socialism. And the stockpiling of food is also a common trait among us. Spending all of your childhood starving will do that. When I first came to America I weighed all of 110 pounds, and I am 5’10.
[/quote]
Also, all the Siberians (or rather Jewish folk sent to Siberia) wander around basically naked in what passes for winter in Israel and call us pussies as we get coats.
[quote]MaliMedved wrote:
On topic - I’ve been to Volgograd about a year and a half ago. It’s beautiful, peaceful even. Not what you would expect from a place that’s seen so much death.[/quote]
It really is a beautiful place. I go back at least once a year to visit my family. It is so much different now that it hardly seems like the same place that I grew up in.
[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
Fascinating.
I had (have) a lot of friends in Israel that made aliyah from various Soviet countries.
Without fail, all of them are the most anti-socialist people I’ve ever met and have really, really helped Israel, which has a strong socialist undercurrent (that is fading).
Without fail, they all also stockpile food.[/quote]
I know a lot of people who left Russia for Israel too. A lot of Jewish people were not treated too well by the Soviet government so I can understand them wanting to leave even more than I did. Pretty much all of us who can look past the propaganda of the Soviet Union very much hate socialism. And the stockpiling of food is also a common trait among us. Spending all of your childhood starving will do that. When I first came to America I weighed all of 110 pounds, and I am 5’10.
[/quote]
Also, all the Siberians (or rather Jewish folk sent to Siberia) wander around basically naked in what passes for winter in Israel and call us pussies as we get coats.[/quote]
LOL! I do the exact same thing here. I don’t even bother putting on long sleeves unless it gets below 20 degrees.
[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]polo77j wrote:
Just curious, have you read any of Ayn Rand’s work? I know she was an expatriate Russian and her work was largely influenced by living in under the Soviet regime … the way you described the “education” system earlier reminded me of her novella Anthem.[/quote]
I have not read any of her work. I did not even know she was Russian as well. I will probably check out some of her work, though, now that I know about her.
[/quote]
It’s pretty hard read for a non-native speaker. I had serious problems, 10 years ago.
As an aside, Rand was distant kin to my first wife.[/quote]
That is pretty awesome that she was related to your first wife. Is her work written in Russian or Hebrew?
[quote]MaliMedved wrote:
[quote]SKELAC wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
As per request, I am starting this thread about growing up in Soviet Russia and post-Soviet Russia. The majority of my childhood was in Soviet Russia since I moved to America in the mid 90’s for grad school and decided to stay. Anyone else who would like to share their experiences with moving to America, or growing up in another country I would love to hear your tales. Also, any questions anybody may have, feel free to ask. This is a large topic, so I will do so in several posts starting with growing up in the Soviet Union, going to university (I started university before the fall of the Soviet Union and finished after.), and life in Russia post-Soviet Union.
I come from a family of 5: Mom, Dad, older brother, me, younger sister. My parents are both highly educated, or “Intelligentsia” Dad is an engineer and Mom is a mathematician and chess grandmaster. This does not hold the same significance that it does in America. Intelligence and education were not highly valued in the Soviet Union, the emphasis was on the workers. In America, my parents would have been in the top tier of income and social status. In the CCCP, the combined monthly income for our family was about 350 rubles a month (the average was between 400-450 and the highest earners got about 600-650). We lived in a 2 bedroom apartment that was no more than 50 square meters (appx. 540 sq ft) if that. My parents had their own bedroom and bed and me, my brother and sister slept in the other room. Before my sister was born, my brother and I shared the bed. After my sister was born, she slept in the bed and my brother and I slept on the floor.
Now, housing in the Soviet Union didn’t work the same as it does in America. Even if my parents had the money to buy a bigger place, the waiting list for an apartment (unless you were a high ranking party member or friend of one, you could forget about a house) was usually decades. Since we were intelligentsia, it would have been decades. Most people lived with their parents until their 30’s or 40’s just because of the waiting list for apartments. In many cases, it actually was faster to wait for a parent to die and inherit their apartment. It was also not uncommon for parents to “trade down,” which is where, say, a couple has a 3 bedroom apartment. They could trade that for two one bedroom apartments and gift one to their child. This usually happened when children of “wealthy” parents got married.
My next post will deal with food.
[/quote]
I am from Croatia.The first 14 years of my life,Croatia was part of communistic Yugoslavia.
This stuff sounds familiar.I am an anticommunist ever since![/quote]
To SKELAC: Don’t insult the people who’ve actually been through this stuff. Please.
On topic - I’ve been to Volgograd about a year and a half ago. It’s beautiful, peaceful even. Not what you would expect from a place that’s seen so much death.[/quote]
I went through this stuff and also participated in Operation Oluja-a big victory! ;))
[quote]roybot wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
It was also not uncommon for parents to “trade down,” which is where, say, a couple has a 3 bedroom apartment. They could trade that for two one bedroom apartments and gift one to their child. This usually happened when children of “wealthy” parents got married.
[/quote]
Furck! What happened to the extra bedroom?[/quote]
You just had to give it up if you wanted to get your children their own apartment. Just one of the many injustices we had to deal with. I would also like to add that the value of the smaller apartments usually had to be less than the apartment being traded.
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
Fascinating.
I had (have) a lot of friends in Israel that made aliyah from various Soviet countries.
Without fail, all of them are the most anti-socialist people I’ve ever met and have really, really helped Israel, which has a strong socialist undercurrent (that is fading).
Without fail, they all also stockpile food.[/quote]
I know a lot of people who left Russia for Israel too. A lot of Jewish people were not treated too well by the Soviet government so I can understand them wanting to leave even more than I did. Pretty much all of us who can look past the propaganda of the Soviet Union very much hate socialism. And the stockpiling of food is also a common trait among us. Spending all of your childhood starving will do that. When I first came to America I weighed all of 110 pounds, and I am 5’10.
[/quote]
If you give an anvil to the communist to guard it for an hour,the anvil would get broken.These communists officials are the worst parasites!
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
That is pretty awesome that she was related to your first wife. Is her work written in Russian or Hebrew?
[/quote]
English, kind of. Very dense, hard prose.
Rand was a Jewess who hated religion. Apparently not a pleasant lady in person, although she had great economic ideas.
[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
That is pretty awesome that she was related to your first wife. Is her work written in Russian or Hebrew?
[/quote]
English, kind of. Very dense, hard prose.
Rand was a Jewess who hated religion. Apparently not a pleasant lady in person, although she had great economic ideas.[/quote]
Hey, don’t feel bad about understanding her. I still don’t quite get her prose.
