Back in Time: Apartment Living & Culture Shock in Bryansk, Russia

I realized in my previous post about Bryansk that I hadn't shared much about it's history. Archeologist believe that Bryansk (Bre-ANSK) dates back to 985.  This area has seen many different rulings over it's time.  During the 17th-18th century it evolved into an industrial center and remains so today.  In 1941 Bryansk was captured by the German army.   During that time the city was damaged due to heavy fighting in the area.  About 60,000 Soviet partisans fought around Bryansk inflicting heavy losses on the German army.  The city was returned to USSR forces in September 1943. That's quite a condensed version of all this town has seen.  You can check out an array of websites to read more if you are interested. Our time in Bryansk was a very difficult time for me.  Culture shock came on a whole new level.  Gone were ANY conveniences that we were accustomed to, even from our time in Moscow.  I felt my level of security went way down.  I was not comfortable going out alone and there were weeks where I didn't go out but once on Sunday for church and once on Thursday to teach English.  My solace was my wonderful Russian teacher and friend, Inna.  She came to our apartment twice a week to study with us.  She became a true friend.

  Now, our apartment wasn't much to look at on the outside.  Typical Russian standard.

Our entrance is on the right (below).  See the big gaping hole underneath the concrete?  Stray dogs lived under there.  I remember them being harmless, but they were a poor sad bunch.  

Our entryway.  Occasionally we'd come in and the power was out.  Think about navigating that in pitch black!  

Our elevator.  Oh how the graffiti kept us entertained!

"It's my live," "Gud Lak" along with misspelled curse words.  Hey, we had to have some kind of amusement in our lives!

Our apartment on the inside, as far as the furnishings, were nicer compared to where we'd been living in Moscow.  They were fairly new and had been purchased for colleagues that had lived their previously. We couldn't drink the water straight out of the tap.  You might understand why.

The water didn't always look like this.  Just every single morning.  The water was turned off every night from about midnight to 5 am.   We had to let the water run for a few minutes every morning until it was no longer rust color.  We had a hefty duty water filter in the kitchen for drinking water and tooth brushing.
On two different occasions we witnessed a funeral from our apartment.

It was one of the most eerie, but sad things we've witnessed.  A truck leads the way laying branches down as family and friends carry and walk the casket on a final journey through town for the deceased before being laid to rest.  A band follows the family playing eery funeral music as the family cries accompanied with waling.  The sites and sounds are sorrowful.

Remember how I referenced roaming horses?  Here they are in front of our apartment building.

The horses belong to the Romani people (Gypsies) that lived in Bryansk.  They would shackle the front legs in a way that the horse could still walk, but wouldn't wander too far.  The Romani's main mode of transportation was horse and cart.

Bryansk was quite an experience.  There were days of major culture shock, tears shed, isolation because I didn't feel safe going out alone, domestic violence happening above us and I was helpless to do anything, the government officials knocking on our door to "check up on us," poverty, remnants of Chernobyl and feeling uneasy about local foods sold (The Bryansk region received the highest level of radioactive fallout from the nuclear power plant accident in 1986.).  

Through all this I knew it was where God had placed us for the time.

The plan was for us to be there a minimum of 2 years.  I was finally at a point of acceptance with where we were and working through the difficulties.  We were there just 6 months when we had a job change. Those 6 months felt like a life time.  It was a difficult time, but I wouldn't trade that time for anything.  It was valuable in so many ways and has allowed me to be able to relate to other expats in similar surroundings.

I'll be sharing more about some areas of Russia in the future.  Jerry visited these areas on media coverage trips and has some amazing photos about some areas westerners know little about.

July 2001 takes us to our next location, Prague, Czech Republic.  I can't wait to share.  Prague holds a special place in our hearts for many reasons.