One of the most amusing things I've noticed so far in Russia is the complete lack of care for health and safety. Whereas in England, not so much in America, the 'elf & safety police are always out in full swing, that is totally not the case here. Literally all the pavements are wonky and a total trip hazzard. I've tripped up so much and it's always unexpected. They don't cordon off roadworks so you can just walk on the surface that they've stripped and are laying pavement on, or you have to brave walking in the street (not a good idea!).
If any of the buildings or pavements here were replicated in England they would be completely shut down and done over and whoever owned them would be in so much trouble! It's hilarious!
Russia is also totally not disabled friendly. There are no ramps at the ends of streets, no elevators in buildings that are 5 stories high, no flat entrances to buildings, and even no elevators on the subway! So women with strollers have to struggle down the escalators with their buggies. I noticed this the second I arrived as I trudged down 3 flights of stairs to immigration. The streets are all uneven and a wheelchair would not be able to make it down any of them!
The one thing they do seem to care about is fire hazzards. We got given in our halls these masks which apparently can keep us alive in a fire for 35 minutes. They look like the kind of masks that the scientists wore in E.T. when they made "alien contact" or hazmat suits. I think I'd look totally silly wearing one of them, but they insist we have them in our rooms and know how to use them. The fire alarm, which they tested earlier today, sounds like the air raid sirens you used to hear in England during WWII. No jokes at all. I heard it and immediately was transported to 1944!
Moscow so far does seem like a building site though with lots of construction and renovations going on. Though it's difficult to say whether they're modernizing things or just making them worse. Lots of roads and buildings are having work done to them, even my dormitory is being worked on! Becuase it's so spread out and such a large city the building works seem more intense. But definitely they don't care about safety!
Peace out y'all xxx
