To Russia With Love (TRWLpodcast)

Part 1 of Bobok by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Read by David Schmidt.

Many people say the 90s in Russia were like the Wild West. David and Grant experienced the tail end of the crazy "lawless" times in Russia and tell their tails in this episode. Special guest interview with Kirk Faulkner.

David reads part two of "Sleepy" by Anton Checkhov.

David reads "Sleepy" - a short story by Anton Chekhov. Become a patron and partner with us in creating TRWL. As a patron gain access to all of our original music, including "Bayu Bayushki" as featured in this story. www.patreon.com/trwl_podcast

Part two of David reading Anton Chekhov's The Bet.

Part one of David reading The Bet by Anton Chekhov.

Right now Covid 19 and the Corona Virus are spreading around the world causing so many people to practice social isolation and put themselves in quarantine. Back in 2004 David spent 3 weeks quarantined at the hospital battling sickness. In this episode he tells Grant all about his experience and what "macha" means in Russian. Take care of yourselves out there. Stay home if you are able, check in with your friends, family, and neighbors and let's flatten the curve together! https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/new-maps-show-how-1889-russian-flu-rode-the-rails-to-circle-the-globe-in-months/ https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(08)00369-X/fulltext https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2014/08/11/mapping-the-1889-1890-russian-flu/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3867475/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1889%E2%80%9390_flu_pandemic

Some like it hot, some like it cold. A common myth about Russia is that it is always cold. David and Grant talk about the weather they experienced in Southern Russia and how the summer heat drives away the frost so often experienced during winter months in the motherland. Become a Patron of TRWL at https://www.patreon.com/trwl_podcast Articles Cited in this episode: https://www.russianlife.com/stories/the-russia-file/russians-celebrate-epiphany-in-ice-cold-water/?utm_source=Russian+Life&utm_campaign=c6d7a193c3-TWERF&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2e99ba62b2-c6d7a193c3-191314893&goal=0_2e99ba62b2-c6d7a193c3-191314893&mc_cid=c6d7a193c3&mc_eid=8251c08e25 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50677161 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/02/07/camel-pulls-car-out-of-snow-in-russia-saving-driver-video-a64435 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg41CuwLKxo https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/lowest-temperature-inhabited?fb_comment_id=957394674288768_2259891097372446 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/01/30/the-temperature-in-siberia-rose-more-than-100-degrees-in-two-weeks/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/01/16/in-the-coldest-village-on-earth-eyelashes-freeze-dinner-is-frozen-and-temperatures-sink-to-88f/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_Yupik

In this special Christmas Episode David and Grant discuss the Russian letter Ë and recall celebrating Western Christmas as well as Orthodox Christmas while living in Russia.

What's up witches?! It's Halloween here at TRWL. David and Grant talk about being cursed by witches and share a dramatic reading titled "The Dead Magpie" about fighting darkness with darkness. This is the final episode of Season 2. Be sure to stay connected with us through our social media.

SEX. In episode 7 we talk about sex. Erotica, cultural norms, nudity - David and Grant cover it all. We don’t get extremely explicit, but this one deserves a NSFW tag! Enjoy!

Grant visited Siberia without David back in 2004. In this episode he shares his thoughts about swimming in Lake Baikal, nude banya visits, and pooping your pants thousands of miles away from any double-ply toilet paper.

In this episode of TRWL David and Grant talk about the Second World War, known in Russia as The Great Patriotic War, through the perspective of 3 Russian songs.

What could a country in the heart of Africa have in common with Russia? Surprisingly, a lot. David tells Grant about his recent trip to Ethiopia, an ancient culture that he found remarkably familiar.

How drunk can you be and still operate a trolleybus? Which exotic animals are permitted on public transportation? Is marijuana an acceptable currency to pay for a taxi cab? We answer these questions and more in this episode devoted to our adventures with public transit in Russia. Links in episode: https://www.newsweek.com/russian-mayor-bus-public-transport-late-1286626 https://themoscowtimes.com/news/mayor-trying-to-persuade-residents-to-use-public-transport-arrives-to-work-2-hours-late-64095 https://themoscowtimes.com/news/camel-pulls-car-out-of-snow-in-russia-saving-driver-video-64435?utm_source=Russian+Life&utm_campaign=2228e73b83-Russia_File_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2e99ba62b2-2228e73b83-191314893&goal=0_2e99ba62b2-2228e73b83-191314893&mc_cid=2228e73b83&mc_eid=8251c08e25

In honor of International Women's Day TRWL celebrates Russian women. Grant hears from Alesha Dawson about her perspective on women in Russia. Visit https://www.screendoorreview.com/ to view the literary journal she curates. Articles cited: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180515-requiem-how-a-poem-resisted-stalin https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/03/08/this-womens-day-its-not-her-fault-a64741 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k_F68iT9b0&app=desktop https://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/lyudmila-pavlichenko https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women's_Day

Dave shares a Russian poem in celebration of spring. Enjoy!

It wasn't all fun and games for David and Grant while living in Russia. In this first episode of Season Two of To Russia With Love they tell about their encounters with the skinheads culminating in a stand-off between Grant and David and the Russian nationalists. Thank you to Andre Abramov for additional original music. Articles cited: www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4614 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/04/18/russians-are-actually-getting-less-xenophobic-at-least-outside-of-moscow/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fffbb4350121 en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/19243 https://www.sova-center.ru/en/xenophobia/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Russia

A Christmas greeting from David and Grant, hosts of To Russia With Love. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Keep an eye out for Season 2, coming soon in 2019! Merry Christmas.

In this special Halloween episode of To Russia With Love, Grant and David share some creepy, unexplained, true stories set in Russia; reminisce about their first Halloween in The Motherland; and celebrate the spooky and crazy holiday of Halloween. This is the final episode of the season. Thank you for sticking around with us and listening to our stories and musings. We'll be back in 2019 with a second season. In the meantime stay connected with us through social media by searching instagram with @trwl_podcast and facebook with @trwlpodcast or email us at trwlpodcast@gmail.com

Dave and Grant remember the first time they left Russia to visit the country of Estonia. While in the city of Tallin, they were able to relax a bit and enjoy the western culture outside of Russia.

A kidnapping, KGB spies, emotional breakdowns, and a stabbing. Hear Grant and David tie all these subjects together in this episode. Special thanks to Lindsay Morgan, Andre Abramovich, and ehohnke for special contributions with audio in this episode. Check out "The Saratov Approach", a feature film about the kidnapping of two Missionaries in the city of Saratov, Russia. Articles sited: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-10-19/news/9810190184_1_mormon-church-missionaries-ufa https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865560833/Mormon-missionaries-kidnapped-in-Russia-15-years-ago-reunite-to-tell-faith-filled-story.html https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/21/world/2-mormons-from-the-us-are-abducted-in-russia.html https://www.academia.edu/25837192/Suspending_Disbelief_Cults_and_Postmodernism_in_Post-Soviet_Russia_

David and Grant think about the vices that they observed in others, but also self reflect on the vices they partook in themselves after living half a year on their own in Russia. Crack open a beer(preferably a Baltika) and enjoy this episode.

Grant and David faced a tough few first months adjusting to the differences between living in the USA and their new home in Russia. Listen to them reminisce about how the food affected their day to day lives, and how they coped with the culture shock.

David and Grant talk about how after the first few weeks the novelty of moving to a new culture and nation wore off and reality set it. Things weren't as perfect as they thought it would be living in Saratov, Russia. Basic things like language and even access to water became roadblocks to assimilating to the culture of Russia in 2003.

The FIFA World Cup is currently being hosted in Russia so we at To Russia With Love decided to publish a few Sport Shorts - short episodes in which we share our thoughts about sport in Russia. In this episode, Grant and David discuss the recent matches involving the teams they are following including Sweden, Mexico and Russia. David shares his experience watching the Russia/Croatia game in a small Russian cafe in Mexico City.

The FIFA World Cup is currently being hosted in Russia so we at To Russia With Love decided to publish a few Sport Shorts - short episodes in which we share our thoughts about sport in Russia. In this episode, David shares some interesting facts about the 2014 Sochi Olympics which were held in Russia.

The FIFA World Cup is currently being hosted in Russia so we at To Russia With Love decided to publish a few Sport Shorts - short episodes in which we share our thoughts about sport in Russia. In this episode, David tells how the Soviet Union's decision to boycott the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics caused turmoil in McDonalds restaurants in the US.

The FIFA World Cup is currently being hosted in Russia so we at To Russia With Love decided to publish a few Sport Shorts - short episodes in which we share our thoughts about sport in Russia. In this episode, David and Grant reminisce about playing volleyball in Russia.

Grant and David talk about their first experience in Russia and how a trip to the Banya(Russian Sauna) sealed the deal for them to return and live in Russia.