The Russian version of the name “Michael” is pronounced “Mykhayl”, spelled “Михаил”. The short version, the one you may use in a family, with a friend or a kid is “Misha” (“Миша” in Cyrillic). The same word is used for bears – nice ones, like in fairy tales. That is why there are a lot of teddy bears here. For fans Michael might be Misha.
“Misha” in Russian.
Orthodox icons and black ribbons on the photos and frames.
One second later two boys will join their mother, a woman of a serious size, to ask her who is Michael Jackson. She will reply that he is a singer, an American one. Their father, a rather thin and grey-ish looking man, will translate the phrase “Michael, we love you” into Russian, and the family will appreciate that he can read English.
Typical. Making a picture sort of “I was there”, even trying to make a smile.
The pile with printed songs texts. Written by hand: “Take, sing”.
BAD.
Michael Jackson`s CD was the first one I actually saw in my life. It was 1994, still at school, and one of my classmates brought a real compact disk – to show us. His father was a professor of English and German in Vladimir University (now he is the rector there), so if not often but sometimes he could go abroad, which was such a privilege. I didn`t quite understand why people might need compact disks, cassettes were okay. I never saw leaflets inside the CD pack before, and here was something really chic. I never heard music like that and I`ve never even dreamt about going abroad myself, though I was lucky enough to spend one summer month in a “pioneer camp” in Czechoslovakia several years earlier. In fact, that disk, of Michael Jackson, was among the first “foreign things” opening the world for me, and hope that doesn`t sound too pompous.
Typically this building is supposed not to be pictured, and the guard is quite strict about that. Russian police (“militsyya”) outside and serious security guard indoors.
Inside, I was several times there. In 2004 when I got my first US visa. In 2005 when I was rejected because even being totally law-abiding failed to show proper ties (ties!) with Russia. Then I was a couple of times there because of job, but I definitely have a strange feeling about the whole experience: being too Russian in some cases and too foreign in others.
More cultural clues:
The word “bear” is pronounced “Medved`” - with soft “d” in the end, spelled “Медведь” in Russian, and yes, almost the same as the family name of the present Russian President (Medvedev). For some reason a bear in Russian culture and folklore was always supposed to be called “Michael” – Misha or Mykhaylo. The zoological name is “Medved`”, but to describe a small or a nice bear you will say “Mishka”, which is the same as the male name “Misha” with a diminishing suffix “k”. That is back to why Michael and bears.
That`s all for today.
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