Darn Greenpeace Pirating Again!

by on Thursday, 10 October 2013


Today, on the 2nd of October, Russia surprised us all once again by charging Greenpeace activists with piracy. The merely peaceful, as the name suggests, organization is outraged by these charges which proceed the attempted boarding of a Russian state-owned oil platform in the Arctic on September 18th, 2013.

 

It’s not uncommon to see Russia follow its crazy and irrational stereotype but it’s always nice to know that a country, which I am from, is keeping up with its reputation. Russian investigators charged 7 people from all over the world with piracy and if found guilty, they could face 15 years of imprisonment.

 

Greenpeace is nothing but furious, calling this move an “outrage”, states the Voice of America. International Executive of Greenpeace, Director Kumi Naidoo, believes that it’s a way of silencing the protestors but the organization will not stop because of these threats.

 

The Greenpeace is brave to say the least. I honestly hoped that the memory of Pussy Riot will be a lesson to those that ever try to cross paths with the Russian government. Not to say that what the members of the Greenpeace group was bad, it was righteous and everyone should be able to protest about whatever it is they wish but when dealing with crazy; righteous very rarely wins. Clashes like this also just make many Russians ashamed of their government, which isn’t the nicest.

 

Putin is already trying to change his words, reports the Independent. Russia’s President stated that the activists “are clearly not pirates”. Does that sound a little bizarre considering that his actions show otherwise? Also, does everyone remember the time he stole a Super Bowl ring and said he didn’t do it? It seems like there is a developing trend here of this ‘truthful’ story telling.

 

Having a personal connection with Russia and being very passionate about its politics probably makes me sound more snarky and biased on this topic, but nonetheless, I feel the need to share my opinion. Most Russian news upset me to no end, and I would like to apologize on behalf of the population for these insane stunts that remind us all about former USSR. It seems like history has a way of repeating itself.

 

People can say whatever they want but I certainly believe that what’s happening is uncalled for. Russia’s race for power is nothing more but pathetic in the eyes of International politics. Being a superpower, a country like this should be able to put itself in the news for greater things, like healthcare plans and scientific discoveries, but instead it chooses to go down the ‘any publicity is good publicity’ path and gets it wrong every time.

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Childhood memory crushed by a new Russian Bill

by on Friday, 14 June 2013

Photo used under the creative commons licence from iesjeek's flickr
If I was growing up in Moscow now I would have never had my two favourite toy ponies. One was pink with a rainbow mane and crystals for eyes and the other one was purple and just as pretty. They were both girls. They loved each other. And I told everyone they were gay.

I didn't exactly know what it meant because I remember going around saying that not only my ponies were gay because they were girls and were in love, but I was too because I loved my sister (that's just illegal). However, that's not the point. The point is that if I was growing up now, I would of never heard that word used in any context.

I don't know how dangerous it actually is to teach children about homosexuality just yet but recently, a law has been passed that prohibits any sort of equality education. It goes so far as to say 'any foreigner mentioning homosexuality could be deported and fined'.

God knows what would happen to a poor child whose ponies are gay. For all we know, they will be taken away and to be honest that's probably the worst that could happen to you when you are 3.

It's pretty unbelievable to hear about this but then again, I expect even more to come.

If you are with me, and you want this to stop, please sign this petition. 

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Name for Practicality Rather than Individuality

by on Wednesday, 14 November 2012


Hearing your name mispronounced is not the most horrible experience when you have to go through it once but having to go through it many times a day can start getting on your nerves.

For all those that have names which are a bit more on an authentic side or for all those that are simply not British it can become very frustrating having to correct others on what you actually like to be called. So, a trend came in place where many simply choose to change their names from Ksenia to Katie or from Huyung Sup Lim to William.

It’s a matter of practicality, most would say. Using a ‘fake’ name to order a pizza because you don’t want to play Chinese whispers with every employee of the company is certainly understandable.

However, does adopting an Anglicized name even remotely bring you closer to those around you is a real dilemma. On one hand, it certainly would make your life easier as worrying about legal documents getting misspelt would end and your friends would be less inclined to twist your name into a silly nickname.

On the other hand, it takes away something that was once given to you and probably has a lot of meaning.  In most cases, you will miss people calling you your actual name and maybe even not respond when people will address you with your new name.

It’s a part of you and your personality; your name is your identity. It’s only reasonable that you have it and it does not change depending on where you go or where you move. If someone coming from a different country has no problems pronouncing names like Jack, Sarah, Hannah and Charlie, why can’t everyone just try to be as concerned with pronouncing other names correctly that don’t fall into the ‘popular name’ category.

A lot of people are stereotyped by their names as someone with a more ethnic name will come off as more foreign. That doesn’t however mean that it’s a good idea to change your name to something that others will feel is more fitting in the country where you are residing. Stereotypes like that shouldn’t even be a problem in the modern world where there is simply too much moving around from country to country. Also, if you think about it, it is now extremely popular to name your newborn with a rare name!

Through personal experience with my very complicated last name, I know that it is tempting to simply ask people to call you something else. Nevertheless, over time it gets easier as you start to realize that if you are putting effort into pronouncing everyone’s names right, they should have time to learn how to say yours.

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Cure For the Headache About Languages

by on Wednesday, 10 October 2012


When you first arrive at University and you are an International student, the question you hear the most is ‘Why is your English so good?’. 

Photo used under the creative commons license from Ian Lamont's photo stream
At first, you don’t mind telling people your life story about how it’s pretty much your first language. After a couple of days, you get a little annoyed as you feel like you have to repeat yourself all the time. After a few weeks, it gets to the point where you want to just put on a fake accent and say ‘what? I don’t understand you.’. Most international students have been there and most of them feel pretty much the exact same way.

However, it’s just really hard for us to comprehend that it is quite interesting that we know a different language fluently. It is pretty incredible that we lived somewhere else and it is really fascinating that we can pick up a phone and change the language we speak in, in about three seconds.

It’s not about trying to fit in, it really is just about knowing who you are.

So, after three weeks of being in Newcastle, when people ask me why is my English so good, I tell them: “Well, I am Russian who is really Chinese” and let more questions come my way. 

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Confusing Residence with Ethnicity

by on Saturday, 6 October 2012


Once you go through the trouble of getting your visa and sorting out your accommodation, you are still yet to register with the university. Well, my registration took a while but simply because of a simple dilemma… I was born in China.

As I stood in line, I was asked multiple times, what course I was doing and of course, why is my English so good. You tend to get used to questions like this because to be fair, there isn’t much else to small talk about when it comes to waiting in a queue.

Once I was called to come forward, I was quiet happy as my legs were aching from standing so much and my head was spinning from the excitement of officially becoming a student at Newcastle University. But, being pessimistic, I knew there was going to be a problem.

I overheard earlier that one of the girls had her visa registered for a different university and had to go through a different queue and wait another hour there for her visa to get checked. Thus, my worries were increasing.

While waiting and daydreaming about all things that could have gone wrong (for example, I didn’t print out my CAS, I forgot my passport photo and I needed to register with the police in the first seven days of being in the UK), I didn’t realize that the man holding my passport has disappeared.

Getting a little more tense, I asked one of the ladies who sat right on the edge of her chair as if waiting for her shift to end, where he was. She said there was a small misunderstanding and he was just gone to check what’s wrong.

In twenty minutes, I see my passport clenched in someone else’s hands and a worrying look on their face. They look at a computer screen and say ‘Yes, surely this isn’t right… She’s white’.

That’s exactly when it hit me, it must say that my address and contact details are in Beijing. “No, no, I live in China, I was born there too, it’s all right.” – and this is followed by a loud ‘ohhhhh!’ and a laugh from all members of staff around me.

So, having spent a little extra time and having encountered a somewhat funny confusion about my origin, I got my student ID and was free to go explore the city, which I was soon to call my home. 

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China- where all foreign comes to leisure.

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Having lived in China for many years now, it has come to my attention that the foreign population has increased dramatically over the past few years.

After the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing and the Expo in Shanghai, it seems like there is just no stopping the West. What is seen on the streets of Beijing is not simply tourism, but rather a cluster of European states and the USA simply migrating to the streets of Sanlitun, Lido and Wudaokou.

Looking back at the previous Chinese history where the ‘twin evils’ of foreign intervention and internal rebellion were the many causes of dynasty declines and where Mao famously rejected all foreign ideas, it is clear that China has come a long way from what it used to be.

Such foreign contribution to the Chinese society enhances the ‘pro-alien’ feeling on every corner of the cities. However, does this mean that foreigners will soon accept the Chinese too? Or will this love remain unreturned, with the assumption that if you know pingying and can say “Ni Hao” you must wear a straw hat?

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Packing Up and Starting to Find My Balance

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I never doubted that the day would come when I would have to pack up all of my things and move to England. My British education taught me that life as it is in China, in a tiny international bubble, is pretty much what it will be like there as well.

That view however, encountered multiple allegations from those that I know that have already moved. Their views on moving to a tiny (as it seems after China and Russia) island were most distressing.

Some have told me that you spend the first year surrounded by constant questions if you eat rice for dinner all the time or how come your family has more than one child if you live in Beijing. Others, said that it’s simply boring to live somewhere with no diversity.

Now that I’ve moved, I’m starting to form my own opinions and I have to admit, I don’t fall under any of the two categories. It’s still a long way for me to go until I actually form any sort of judgment but this blog is going to help me get there.

Slowly, I plan to discuss different experiences that I have had so far and try to break a few stereotypes about international students coming to somewhere as far away as Newcastle Upon Tyne. 

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