Although Tatarstan is politically a part of the Russian Federation, I am constantly reminded that at the same time, it…
Riding the Bus in Russia
Many Russians have asked me with a smirk, "so, have you been on our buses? What do you think?," expecting…
If the Master and Margarita had a Sequel
Last night, I finally hit the halfway mark in the first full-length classic I have attempted to read in the…
#SochiProblems: Russians Respond
We've all seen the pictures of the apparently disastrous conditions of the Sochi Olympics, and if we're honest, many of…
The Realest Day on Earth
On a bone-biting, rainy day back in October, the millennium-old Elabuga received a new tag line that I have no…
Hope Unyielding 