Moscow…the magical city

After the jars of PIVO (or beer) I had enjoyed in the beautiful medieval city of Prague, I could not imagine any place on earth that would be more fascinating … till I stepped foot on Moscow. There is only one word to describe the Russian city – Magical. Okay two words – UNBELIEVABLY MAGICAL.


I have been mesmerized by Moscow or more specifically the Saint Basil’s Cathedral (more fondly referred to, by my mum and me, as the “Onion-shaped mosque”. I know, I know, it’s a Cathedral) since my secondary school days. My eldest brother used to travel to Moscow for work then and had shown me pictures of the architecturally unique Cathedral. It looked mystifying and fairy-tale like to my young mind. Looking back, whilst I was intrigued by the city, it never occurred to me that I would get to visit Moscow one day. It just seems so faraway and unreachable.


I was thrilled therefore when my boss decided to send me to Moscow for the World MBA Tour. I have been to numerous countries (25 to be exact, making Russia the 26th. Holiday no enough J) and many more cities (and many of them more than once too) and really, few places can evoke so much fervor and euphoria in me these days. In the last few years, I have been having the ‘been there, done that. Seen it all’ sentiment even when I landed on cities that I have never set foot on. Moscow changed all that. I was like a wide-eyed virgin traveler once again. Everything was new and fascinating and refreshing once more. Da-di-da-di-da.


Nope, I did not hit for the Cathedral immediately (Leave the best for the last, isn’t that what they always say?!). I checked out the infamous Moscow’s metro stations first. They did not disappoint me. The Stalinist stations are marble-faced, frescoed and come with gilded works of art. Bas-reliefs and life-size statues are a common sight. Walking through the stations, I felt as if I was in some Parisian museum or art gallery. The statues, the chandeliers, the ornate mosaic wall images - how can metro stations be so classically beautiful?! The plunging escalators added to the sense of suspense and exclusivity as they bring passengers down to what seem to be an endless journey into the centre of the earth (the stations were meant to double as air-raid shelters that’s why). Some nine million Muscovites use the metro every day and why not. I would too.


Remember those news images during the Cold War, of disillusioned Russians in long queues staring at shelves empty of all but a few drab goods? The Oh SO famous GUM or State Department Store that once symbolized all that was crappy about Soviet shopping is now (since Perestroika or restructuring), a bright and bustling mall filled with brand-name shops. Benetton, Yves Rocher, Hugo Boss, you name it, GUM has it.


Moscow’s most famous street is none other than the 1.25km long Arbat Street. Dotted with old European style houses and tourist oriented shops and cafes, it’s a must for all tourists. Here’s where you purchase your postcards, get your portraits done and sip your coffee or in my case, drink the much desired Russian Vodka. On the topic of drinks (don’t get me started haha), you can buy alcohol almost everywhere in Moscow (isn’t that so MY kind of city). Occasionally distilled from potatoes (wheat or rye otherwise), the infamous Vodka is an all time favourite of Russians. As for beer, my heart goes to Baltika. It comes in nine incomparable brews, labeled ‘1’ to ‘9’. Yum seng, Yum seng, Yum yum seng!


You can’t miss them. They are EVERYWHERE. And I’m not talking about the Russian men whom by the way (don’t get me started…beer after all goes so well with men. Hm… Sometimes) are tall, burly and definitely very manly. Hm…Hm…Anyway, I’m talking about the Matrioshkas, the painted wooden Russian playthings. Dolls within dolls, they make for an interesting souvenir to take home. In keeping with the times, the dolls are now painted with the latest movie, sports or political characters. George W Bush looks kinda cute for once. As a potato-shaped wooden doll, David Bechham is still cute. And dear Harry Potter is as endearing as he is on screen.


Okay I admit, I couldn’t and didn’t keep Saint Basil’s Cathedral till the last. I couldn’t help it! Apart from the World MBA Tour, the only other reason why I look forward to Moscow was to fulfill my teenage dream – to see the ‘onion-shaped’ Cathedral for myself. The ultimate symbol of Russia did not disappoint me. It’s amazingly GORGEOUS. The mismatched colours on the domes create a yummy lolly-pop effect on the Cathedral. You can never get enough of it. Think chupa chups! Nine of them too! On a more serious note, the Cathedral was created between 1555 and 1561 to celebrate Ivan the Terrible’s capture of the Tatar stronghold, Kazan. It is made up of nine main chapels and the design is wholly Russian style. It was alleged that Ivan had its architect blinded so that he could never duplicate the ‘chupa chups’ effect ever again. Boo Boo.


The Cathedral is of course located right across yet another must-see venue, the Red Square. Made up of 400m by 150m worth of cobbles, the square is strikingly dignified in the day and absolutely spectacular under the floodlights of the freezing Russian winter nights. Soviet rulers used the Red Square for their congregation, celebration and military parades. In fact during the Cold War, the military parades at the square were choreographed to remind the West of Soviet military might.


At one end of the Square is the Kremlin, the ‘home’ of the Russian political power. The Kremlin grounds boast of several Cathedrals, Museums and government buildings. It also houses the Kremlin palace and the world’s biggest bell. Putin was not in when I was there. Well, at least I didn’t bump into him.


The other site that blew me off was the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Completed in 1997 (Yes just seven years ago), the amazingly striking piece of art sits on the site of an earlier and similar Cathedral of the same name. The original Cathedral, built to commemorate Russia’s victory over Napoleon was destroyed under Stalin’s order in 1931. He had wanted to build a palace and a 100 metre tall statue of Lenin in its place. Unfortunately or should it be fortunately, the plan did not take off. Instead, occupying the prime piece of land for the subsequent 50 years was the world’s largest swimming pool! The Moscow mayor (he probably can’t swim) is behind the construction of the current Cathedral.


Been there? Done that? Seen it all? Let Moscow change your mind.

Take a Break, have a Beer and Pick up New Skills!

"PIVO”, this is the first Czech word I learnt and an extremely essential one. Pivo kept me company throughout my month long stay in the beautiful medieval city of Prague. Nope, it’s not a blue-eyed Czech man. It’s better than one. Pivo is the Czech word for ‘Beer’. Cheaper than mineral water in Prague, I couldn’t think of a better excuse not to have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner…well, pretty much throughout the day. That’s just one of the many highlights of my recent stay in the UNESCO World Heritage listed city. I was of course there for a more noble reason - to pursue the TEFL or Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate. Many a time though, admittedly, I have to remind myself that was THE reason why I was there. Even as I drowned myself in Grambrinus, my favourite Czech beer and Becherovka, a bitter-sweet Czech liqueur.

The Czech Republic is located deep in the heart of Europe. Full of fairy-tale castles and chateaux, it’s one of Europe’s most historic countries. Its capital, Prague, has a magical feel about it. Walking and deliberately getting lost through its cobbled streets was like history lessons coming to life for me. I felt as if history had stopped back in the 18th century as I took in the sights. The city had enjoyed two architectural golden ages, a Gothic period under Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, and a baroque period during the Habsburg Counter-Reformation. Unlike other Eastern European cities which were battlefields during WWII, Prague has escaped almost unscathed. Free of traffic except for horse-drawn carriages and framed by a colourful array of historic buildings of Romanesque or Gothic origin, Prague’s old town square ranks among the most legendary public spaces in the world. Most streets are pedestrianised and being summer, café tables spilled out into the cobbled streets. The square was my regular hangout at lunch time. My course-mates and I would munch our hotdogs, enjoy our pivo and bet on who’s a Czech man and who is not amongst the sea of tourists. By the way, the answer lies in the eyes, their eyes, that is.

And how can I not mention the infamous Charles Bridge. It's an enchanting 520m long structure not to be missed. Graced by 30 statues dating from the 18th century and hordes of buskers, peddlers and artists, it is most romantic in the evenings. Well that’s where I could be found most evenings. It’s where I discussed the finer points of teaching with my course-mates of course. Ahem.

As luck had it, my school is located right in the old town square. In fact, I had to walk across the square each day for my classes. School was attended by close to 50 “I need a break from work” type adults; all aspiring travellers cum teachers. I was the only Asian amongst the Americans and Brits and the first Singaporean in the school. As many of my schoolmates have never been to Asia and know little about Singapore, I took the opportunity to wow them with the Uniquely Singapore Brand videos and TVCs. I also had the opportunity to publicise Singapore Education as I was consistently doing well in my grammar classes.

The course was challenging. The techniques taught in TEFL certificate course include giving instructions, eliciting, modelling, highlighting, checking, correcting, blackboard use, voice projection and manner. Included in the course was an overview of classroom control, cultural awareness and dealing with problem students. We were also taught how to use coursebooks effectively, how to plan lessons and syllabi, how to test and use communication activities including games, music, role-play, etc.

This course also gave us a chance to make practical use of the theoretical knowledge by teaching eight lessons throughout the course. We were assigned different types of lessons and opportunities to practice teaching with different levels of foreign students. We also had to look for a Czech student to practice one-to-one teaching. I taught mine over jugs of pivo of course.

All work and no play? That’s not my style. Weekends were spent exploring the beer gardens, the Czech Castle, the Jewish quarter and the neighbouring towns of Ceski Krumlov (the pearl of Bohemia), Kutna Hora (famous for its prosperous silver mines) and Karlovy Vary (the largest and oldest of Czech’s many spa towns). Oh yes, I also found time to enjoy an opera, a violin recital and a weekend visit to Frankfurt where I enjoyed more drinks with colleagues Gevin Png and Alan Tan.

It’s been an enriching and memorable experience. Pivo anyone?