An American woman who moved to St. Petersburg talks about March 8 and the differences between Russians and Americans

Olivia Capozzalo, an American with Italian roots, is from New York, studied Russian language and literature in Portland, came to St. Petersburg to study by exchange and decided that she wanted to live only here. Together with a friend from Brooklyn, she leads the She's in Russia podcast about Russian culture. How Harms helps to learn Russian grammar, how toasts and greetings in Russia are remembered and why the most important conversations take place in the kitchen - in the story of an American woman on the portal Paperpaper.ru

I have a school friend, her parents are from Ukraine. They moved to America from the Soviet Union. Sometimes they spoke Russian with children, and for me it was probably the first contact with Russian speech. I remember that I was very impressed and immediately liked the sound of the language: all these "W" and "W". That I did not understand anything was also of interest. Romance languages, I at least understand a little.

At Portland University, I studied Russian language and literature, my thesis was devoted to the poetry of Boris Slutsky. I visited St. Petersburg in June 2012 for the first time: I came for six months to study at St. Petersburg State University for an exchange. Under the terms of the program, she lived with a Russian family on the Petrograd side. It was an elderly couple, and I treated them like my Russian grandparents, they are great people. Grandma constantly told different stories: she is such a person that she always has a funny life story in store. She told about different periods of Russian history. She has an amazing memory. I was very impressed with the history of the blockade of Leningrad.

All the conversations took place in the kitchen over tea. Food for tea is a purely Russian thing. Americans only drink coffee, mostly filter coffee — not espresso or cappuccino. Grandma cooked pancakes for me. A lot of pancakes. And she insisted that I eat them all. It is very nice.

I remember well how I went to the airport and cried: I didn’t want to leave. Then she graduated from university in America and realized that I wanted to return to Petersburg. Moved here in 2014: I bought a one-way ticket. At the same time I traveled a little across Russia. Russians often say that Petersburg and Moscow are not real Russia, so I did not see real Russia.

Having moved, I did not know what I would do. At first, which is very typical for a native speaker, she began teaching English. Over the next three years, a lot has happened: in life and in career. For example, I was engaged in marketing, and for the last year I have been working in the field of cryptocurrency for different companies: I work on texts in English.

What has Russia taught you?

I wanted to speak Russian well, and it was very difficult. Russian is laconic. For example, there is the word "everything". Very convenient word. You can use this to say "enough" or "OK": "That's it, I'm ready."

The first author I read in Russian is Kharms, I love him very much. In the first year, the Russian language teacher used small texts from the Blue Notebook to show us Russian grammar. For example, we studied the genitive case on the example of the following text: “There was one red-haired man who did not have eyes and ears. He had no hair, so they called him red-haired. He could not speak because he had no mouth. <…> Nothing happened! So it is not clear who we are talking about. It’s better we don’t talk about him anymore. ”

Gogol's Petersburg Stories helped me to feel the connection between literature and the city: Nevsky Prospect, The Overcoat. When I walk around the city, it inspires me. I also like Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment: in this novel there are very vivid images of the city. The image is created scary, but it is also important. In addition, from the Russian works I like the stories of Chekhov, “The Master and Margarita” and “The White Guard” by Bulgakov. A very bright book for me - “Envy” of Yuri Olesha.

When I moved to Petersburg, I noticed the closeness of people on the street, unfriendliness. For example, in a grocery store, the cashier is not likely to smile at you. And this interaction may not be particularly pleasant. Now I'm so used to it that it doesn't seem to be a problem, but it is very different from my experience in America. These small interactions are daily, and this is important. Even a short conversation with a stranger can give a positive. I missed it here.

But how much do Russians put their hearts into congratulations for all the holidays! It’s enough for me that a person takes the time to write: “Happy Birthday”. Russian people write big messages with wishes - sincerely and with soul.

Here are more conservative values. I often come across this, but for a person from the liberal circle of America it can be difficult. There are people who think radically differently, and this does not always depend on age. For example, here on average marry at an earlier age than in America. It was amazing for me to work with people who are younger than me and are getting married and having children. I am at another stage in my life: still a child, I still do not understand what I want. All my friends in America do not think about children yet. Of course, I found people with whom we have common values.

March 8 and February 23 are also a vivid example of the difference: we do not celebrate such holidays. It was amazing for me when I saw for the first time that they were congratulating only men or women. As well as the fact that men shake hands with men, but not women. I understand that this is normal here, but when I meet someone, I initiate a handshake so that everyone is comfortable.

Who played an important role for you?

My friends and close people, my Russian grandparents, with whom I lived here when I came to St. Petersburg for the first time.

Last June, my close friend, who lives in Brooklyn, and I started working on a podcast. Every week on Tuesdays we have a new episode of the podcast on Russia, Russian culture and politics, relations between Russia and America. The podcast is called She's in Russia, our audience is English-speaking people who are interested in Russia.

For example, the topic of Russia's interference in the American elections has become very noisy. It annoyed me, did not like the trends in rhetoric on this topic - including in the American and European media. American journalists write about Russia very rude and restricted. For example, they create an image of the all-knowing evil superhero Putin. The podcast's idea was to give some answer to all this.

We are trying to cover the information more specifically and in detail, in nuances: before that, I study many sources in Russian. For example, a recent episode about the "Troll Factory" was released. We never take one side and try to present different points of view. And we talk about culture, customs, life. Recently made an episode about the Russian bath. The popular issue was devoted to Russian rap. Often I just tell something from my life. For example, we made an episode about Khrushchev: I talked about my personal experience, because I saw them from the inside.

What would you transfer from your country to Petersburg?

First, the New York bagels. I even started making them here myself and participated in the same Restaurant Day two years ago. Bagels need to be boiled in water before baking. They become soft and firm on the inside and crispy on the outside, not like bread.

But there is a delicious pizza. Neapolitan can try "22 centimeter" on Zhukovsky. The Forno Bravo is also delicious. The main difference between New York pizza - the dough is thicker and there is a crust.

Another would transfer the sun here. In New York, winter is not so long and dark, often sunny. For me, the hardest aspect of life in Petersburg is darkness.

Five finds in Petersburg

Salted cucumbers

My friend's grandmother knows how much I love pickles, and often gives me a huge jar.

Feasts and Snacks

For example, I did not eat herring at all. I like the local bar culture; I rarely drink, but I like the glass culture very much. And even a home-made feast is a whole culture: constantly toasting and clinking, long warm speeches.

Talk in the kitchen

Recently I had such a conversation, and I realized how much I like it. In my opinion, we discussed the presidential election. It’s not that there is no such talk in America at all: just here the kitchen is often the main place for guests. In America, it is more often a living and dining room.

Cheesecakes

They are not in America, except on Brighton Beach. But they are not selling the best, I tried them. When the girlfriend with whom we are doing the podcast came here for the first time and learned about these cheese curds, we discussed for a very long time how to start a business with cheese curds in America. The perfect dessert: like a little cheesecake. My friend and I are delighted.

Salt lane

I used to live in the area and often in the summer with a friend and I sat there. View of the Academy Stieglitz, a very beautiful place.

Why are you here?

Largely thanks to my Russian grandmother and grandfather, I enjoyed living in Petersburg so much that I decided to return. The language also greatly influenced my decision: it is interesting to live in a different culture and city.

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