Age of Technology? Not yet.

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a small, 20th century Russian village. On my way to the metro this morning, I passed a milk truck, to which clientele bring their own bottles, which are then filled by a tap that leads directly to the truck.


Even when I am reminded that it is indeed the 21st century, and I do live in Russia's 2nd largest city, I never quite escape that feeling of being in a country slightly behind the rest of the world. I just read an article in the New York Times about how sales of smartphones (iPhones, Blackberries, Palm Pilots) continue to rise, despite the recession. The timing of reading this article was extraordinary: later in the day, I went in to meet with someone, who, assuming I did not have internet at home, offered me use of their ethernet anytime I liked. This assumption was in no way presumptuous, as the majority of St. Petersburg residents do not have home internet access and are notoriously slow in their email responses. And to think that a Russian would be able to respond to your email instantaneously via his/her Blackberry is laughable — many cell phones don't have voicemail, let alone internet.

After the initial shock of going from a 24/7 connection to having to call people repeatedly if they didn't pick up their phones, I have come to prefer this way of life. A delay in response is seen as expected, rather than rude. Call didn't go through? No matter — try again in a few minutes. Call didn't go through again? Wait and see if you get a call back. It's remarkably stress-free, and I like it.