Second World Problems

The "Second World" refers to the former communist-socialist, industrial states, (formerly the Eastern bloc, the territory and sphere of influence of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic) today: Russia, Eastern Europe (e.g., Poland) and some of the Turk States (e.g., Kazakhstan) as well as China.
Source

blue = 1st
red = 2nd
green = 3rd

• When your eggs are covered in chicken poop
• When you have to drink instant coffee because you don't have a coffee maker, and coffee filters are hard to find
• Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube videos are "not available in your country"
• Your hot water kettle is caked with white calcium/mineral build up
• When you can't find heat protectant hair spray anywhere  :(
• When a guy follows you off the metro for 10 minutes because you have a "friendly-looking face" and later that day a taxi driver jokes that he's going to take you to his house if he can't find yours (because I couldn't remember my address, to be fair...)
• Every night you get home and your hair smells like cigarette smoke
• Most shops in the city don't carry iPhone accessories- especially not for the newest model
• When it's too windy to use your outdoor clothes line (I'm on the 5th floor, so if something falls it's bad news for me)
• When you don't have AC, but you don't want to open your windows because so many flies and other bugs will come in...
• When you check the weather before doing laundry because you hang your clothes to dry outside
• Bread expires in 3-4 days because it's not full of preservatives (but they sell it in smaller loaves, so it's not so bad) 
  
• When you can't tell if you're tanner or just permanently coated in street dust
• You can't go outside with wet hair because everyone will stare and old ladies will yell at you that you will get sick
• You can't text while walking because the sidewalks are treacherous...each step is on a different level, full of potholes, and sometimes random obstacles like broken pieces of concrete, glass shards, or pipes sticking out of the ground! When cars park on the sidewalks (which is very frequent) you have to walk on the road, and with the crazy way that people drive, that is DEFINITELY not conducive to a leisurely text-and-walk experience
• You can never get everything charged at once because a) all the plugs are single, so there are less of them, and b) you have to use bulky converter/adapters and you probably have more devices than converters
  
• Somethings are much cheaper (fresh vegetables, public transportation), and some things are much more expensive...definitely sucks when something you wanted turns out to be prohibitively expensive- like cereal or coffee creamer or athletic clothes. 

Bonus: this is more of a personal struggle, but I'll share it here anyway...
Apparently, some of the people in my apartment building weren't paying their building maintenance fees (usually $2-3 per month), so the building owner installed a thing in the elevator where you have to pay to use it. This isn't super uncommon in Georgia, but usually it's 5 or 10 cents per ride, and ours is 20 cents! So it adds up fast. This morning, I try to leave my house and I realized I never have taken the elevator down by myself. I just found out, however, that it's free going down, so I decided to ride. There was no "ground floor" marker, just buttons 0-10, so I tried floor 1...the doors open and it's a concrete floor with broken wooden beams and scattered construction tools...so I tried floor 0 and it's literally just dirt and sand with pieces of trash laying around...I didn't even stick my head out of the elevator. I was scared that a rat or a vagrant or someone would run into the elevator so I just hit "close doors" as hard as possible. The exit is on floor 2. 
Then, struggle part 2 came when I got home- I was carrying bags and tired so I decided to pay the 20 cents and take the elevator up to the 5th floor where I live. I was curious if other coins would work, so I tried a Russian rouble- it didn't work. After about 5 seconds, though, the doors close, the lights turn off, and the elevator just sits motionless. Now I was in the dark, holding grocery bags and my purse, and terrified that I would end up back in the basement. I dug around my wallet for a big coin and found what I thought was a 20-cent piece. I shoved it into the box but nothing happened...so I guess it was some other coin? I didn't want to waste any more money, so I looked for my phone but with all my bags I couldn't find it rolling around the corners of my purse for probably a whole minute. Finally I got my phone and turned the flashlight on, found a 20-cent coin, and got to my floor...but that elevator really should have a motion-sensor light.
 

St. Petersburg and Tbilisi: a Brief Comparison

In Tbilisi...the women wear fashion sneakers
In St. Petersburg...the women wear high heels

In Tbilisi...people walk fast
In St. Petersburg...people walk faster

In Tbilisi...people are short (especially women)
In St. Petersburg...people are around my height

In Tbilisi...average people do the "dirty jobs"
In St. Petersburg...immigrants (sometimes Georgians) do the "dirty jobs"

In Tbilisi...people everywhere sell their homemade and homegrown products, and Western stores and companies are celebrated politically, but often stand empty, although Georgia thinks it's BFFs with America
In St. Petersburg...everything is for sale and being marketed in the 'Western' style, although Russia paints itself as the opposing pole of the West

In Tbilisi...I will always be an outsider
In St. Petersburg...I could physically blend in, and at least attempt to communicate with people in the language of their hearts and homes

In Tbilisi...I feel constantly watched, guarded, and sometimes overprotected, but generally very safe
In St. Petersburg...I sometimes felt threatened by Georgians and other immigrants (a generally irrational fear born of pervasive systemic racism)

In Tbilisi...tourists didn't become significantly noticeable on a daily basis until mid-June, and they're mostly from Poland, Ukraine, and Russia
In St. Petersburg...I was constantly inundated with tourists from all over the world

Ossetian Food: The Top 5 Must-Eat in Vladikavkaz

"I may never have the opportunity to try this food again!" gives you the right to eat as often and as much as you want- as long as it's local.   -Samantha's rules for traveling

Caucasian food in general is known across Russia as some of the most flavorful, varied, and difficult to make. It could be loosely compared to the popularity and attitude towards, maybe, Indian food in the United States. Ossetia is no exception to great cuisine! You can't miss the local specialties in Vladikavkaz that are difficult to find in the rest of Russia (and nearly impossible to find in the rest of the world).

1. Shashlik
The classic, of course, is shashlik- found throughout the region. Each nation put their own spin on the shish kebab-like dish. The most important part of shashlik is the act of actually making it. Usually people make a day of it, and it is a great opportunity to go up into the mountains and spend quality time with locals cooking you lunch! Snack of beer or homemade wine, smoked cheese, vobla (dried fish), or crackers while the shashlik is being prepared, and pair the meat with a bowl of tomatoes, cucumber, and dill for the full Caucasian barbecue experience!

 

shashlik cooking on a mangal grill

A guide to shashlik-mashlik.

2. Pirogí/ Пироги

A fresh, juicy tsaharadjin pirog-
beet root leaves and cheese

(note the accent is on the i- not to be confused with the Polish pierogi or the Russian pirozhki).

A pirog is a circular "pie" stuffed with various savory fillings, usually including Ossetian cheese.

"For Ossetians these pies mean much more than just simple, festive food. The round shape of this pie signifies the universe; and the hole in the middle is the creator. Ossetians put three pies on the table, one for each of the three elements: air, water and earth." -http://ossetians.com/eng/news.php?newsid=410
(also explains the different types well at the end of the article)

 Often, a table is set with three pirogi in reference to the Holy Trinity. The full sized pies are so massive it's hard to finish one by yourself, so grab some friends and pop into one of the many restaurants serving traditional Ossetian food! Alternatively, many bakeries sell pirogi, and often they have a smaller 'personal pan' size. The general consensus is that the best spot for pirogi in Vladikavkaz is called Tri Piroga (3 pirogi), on the corner of Ul. Markusa and Ul. Kirova- they even have a website!
 

Tri Piroga storefront sign

no clue what kind of leaf that garnish is

3. Dzykka 

Next, we have dzykka. I ordered this because in my frantic searching for Ossetian cuisine before I went, it came across my radar. It's a sour, sticky porridge made of sour cream (or cream) and wheat or corn flour. The first bite was gooey and hot, sticking to the roof of my mouth and feeling like I was eating gobs of unflavored peanut butter, or sour playdoh...it is very heavy. This seems like a breakfast a farmer would eat before several hours of working in the fields. Not a great side dish. A few days later, however, I found myself craving dzykka's hearty warmth- this is the pinnacle of Ossetian comfort food. 

4. Lula Kebab

This is probably the most famous "Caucasian" meat dish. If you're looking for meat, go for this close cousin of shashlik, traditionally made with lamb.
 

served here in a bread bowl with a spicy, tangy adjika sauc

More info on the kebab here

5. Local Beer 
Ossetian beer (bæegæny) is widely considered to be especially delicious. Unlike its southern neighbor, Georgia, which claims the longest unbroken tradition of wine making in the world, Ossetians focus more on the hops. Be sure to check out some local breweries!

traditional style drinking vessel

Recipe: Chechen Pumpkin Tarts- Khingalsh' (Рецепт Хингалш)

Fall is here again! Pumpkin-everything season is upon us. Instead of the typical breads, muffins, and lattes, try tickling your taste buds and impressing your friends with this interesting alternative.

Khingalsh is a delicious Chechen snack, often eaten with tea or after a meal as a dessert. The simplest description might be a pumpkin tart or pumpkin crepes, but really it's quite unique. 

this is what a pile of real khingalsh looks like...scroll down to see my attempt

I tried this dish when I was in Chechnya, and would have described it as stretchy, thin, buttery blini (Russian style crepes) filled with pumpkin puree. It is just a smidge sweet, rich and buttery, and, if made correctly, a huge crowd pleaser!


Ingredients
Dough:
Flour                   4 cups
Water                  1 1/3 cups
Salt                      1 tsp
Baking soda        1/3 tsp

Filling:  
Pumpkin guts      1 can or fresh from a 1.5 kg pumpkin
Salt                      1/2 tsp
Sugar                   3-4 tblsp
Butter                  ~2 sticks 
Spices- every chef has their own preference. For a sweeter flavor, add a dash of cinnamon and a capfull of vanilla extract. Some people add onions and a salty cheese. Caramelized onions can add texture to the sweeter variation, or you can even add a dash of thyme!

Here's how you do it:

Make the dough...

1. Sift the flour, or whisk it a lot if you're like me and don't have a sifter or don't want to deal with washing it

2. In a separate bowl, combine water, salt, baking soda, and a handful of your flour. Stir until it is watery but consistent. Let it sit for about 20 minutes, covered with a damp cloth (optional).

3. Make a pile on your work space with the rest of your flour.

4. Dollop a small ball of the gooey dough into your flour pile, roll it until it is well coated in the flour. Roll the dough ball out with a rolling pin into a large, thin circle
 

this is too ovally- aim for a more circular shape
also, do this in a pile of flour

 Make the filling...

1. Scoop out your pumpkin innards, take out the seeds (it can be helpful to soak pumpkin slices in water to loosen the flesh), or dump a can of pumpkin in a bowl

2. Add whatever spices you desire- I used cinnamon and vanilla because I am a sugar addicted American- plus sugar and salt. 
Taste this mix and adjust it to your preference!

3. Spread the 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto one half of the rolled out dough circle

5. Fold the dough over so it makes a semi-oval shape- like a cheburek or an empanada. Crimp the edges to seal it.

6. Put the khingal directly on a pan at medium-high heat. Do not grease the pan. Each side should fry for about a minute.
7. Prepare two bowls- one full of recently boiled water, and one full of melted butter.

8. When you pull the khingal off the pan, dip it first in the bowl of water, then either dip it in the butter or put it on a plate and brush it liberally with butter

9. Brush or pour remaining butter over khingalsh

10. Slice them up...and bam! Enjoy your khingalsh.

The Top 10 Can't Miss Things to Do and See in Vladikavkaz

1. Prospekt Mira

Prospekt Mira is the wide, leafy pedestrian street in the center of the city. 5 lanes: a central tree-lined aisle where the restless youth and cantankerous old men alike sprawl, gossiping, on benches; a tram line on either side (careful not to walk in the tracks when a tram is coming); a car-width road on either side blocked off from traffic, a favorite of skateboarders, roller blading children, and young mothers pushing baby carriages. Shops, cafes, and restaurants flank the roads- including a Subway (sandwich shop) which was closed the entire time I was there...the local options are better anyway!
Which leads me to...

2. Cafes/Restaurants
Other than the mountains, the reason to go to Vladikavkaz is the people. The North Caucasus is a place like no other, and one of the most interesting things to do is people watching. Sitting at a popular cafe or restaurant gives you a great vantage point, and on Prospekt Mira there are several good places with outdoor seating.  Try Americano, with its small outdoor porch, or Lookoom, an Uzbek chaikhana (tea house) with a patio running the length of the building. My favorite people watching spot is the corner of Prospekt Mira and Ulitsa Maksim Gorkovo- muscular young men idle their muscular 4-wheel-drives (cars are much cheaper to import into Georgia than Russia, and there are no customs fees for moving a car from South Ossetia to North Ossetia- since South Ossetia is run de facto by Russia- so don't assume that all the drivers of the nice cars with RSO license plates are actually from  South Ossetia). Most of the cafes and restaurants (there are very few bars) close at 11 or midnight (one Vincenzo is open until 1 am!)- the town even turns off the free wi-fi on Prospekt Mira from 11 pm to 8 am. After Vladikavkaz winds down on a Friday or Saturday, the restless youth gather at this corner to soak up whatever remnants are left of the night, and there is an electric energy in the air. 
Follow Ulitsa Maksim Gorkovo down a ways, past the lovely Vincenzo cafe (try the pastries!), and Magiya cafe to see the next point on the list...

3. Children's Park 

Right around the middle of the pedestrian Prospekt Mira, there is a side street that leads to the Children's Park! According to the Internet, this park is called "Детский парк Tropic Land" (detskiy park- children's park). Overlooking the Terek River, the area consists of a Ferris wheel, bumper cars, and a bunch of other 1950s-style amusement park attractions. There are lots of food stands too- corn, soda, beer, chips, hot dogs. There were even two entrepreneurial girls running an adorable donut cart when I was there!

4. Adult Park...?
All along the east bank of the Terek, fanning out in either direction from the Children's Park, is what I like to think of as the Adult Park. It's basically just an outdoor recreation area maintained by the city. It has statues (like the bronze arm wrestlers below), benches overlooking the river on which young couples sit too close together and get old people's tongues clucked at them, and a little wooden archway tunnel of love. It is said that a couple who walks through the tunnel will fall in love- but the locals I talked too were also saying something about snipers...so maybe watch your back if you choose to walk through there...
It's actually a lovely wooded area to stroll through, and I imagine in the winter there are places people ice skate, cross-country ski, and maybe sled!
 

5. Eat your Weight in Pirogí
First rule of traveling- "I may never have the opportunity to try this food again!" gives you the right to eat as often and as much as you want- as long as it's local.
Caucasian food in general is known across Russia as some of the most flavorful, varied, and difficult to make. It could be loosely compared to the popularity and attitude towards, maybe, Indian food in the United States. Ossetia is no exception to great cuisine! The classic, of course, is shashlik (see #10 below!), found throughout the region, but you can't miss this local specialty in Vladikavkaz that is difficult to find in the rest of Russia!

A fresh, juicy tsaharadjin pirog-
beet root leaves and cheese

Pirogí/пироги (note the accent is on the i- not to be confused with the Polish pierogi or the Russian pirozhki) are circular (representing the sun or the universe) "pies" stuffed with various savory fillings, usually including Ossetian cheese. This guide explains the different types well at the end. Often, a table is set with three pirogi to represent the Holy Trinity. The full sized pies are so massive it's hard to finish one by yourself, so grab some friends and pop into one of the many restaurants serving traditional Ossetian food! Alternatively, many bakeries sell pirogi, and often they have a smaller 'personal pan' size. The widely agreed upon best spot for pirogi in Vladikavkaz is called Tri Piroga (3 pirogi), on the corner of Ul. Markusa and Ul. Kirova- they even have a website!
This great line from the Wikitravel article on Vladikavkaz explains the phenomenon well-
"You may wonder what all the pizza boxes people are packing on the plane to Moscow are about, it's pirogi for the huddled masses in Moscow."
I didn't fly, so I can't verify the accuracy of that statement, but I brought back three boxes with me to Georgia!

Tri Piroga storefront sign

6. Nightlife
Vladikavkaz is not a very nightlife-filled city. They turn off the city wi-fi on Prospekt Mira between 11 pm and 8 am to deter people from loitering there too long, most restaurants close around 11, and there are only a handful of bars and clubs. My favorite cafe chain, Vincenzo, does have one location open until 1 am! And then, of course, there is a small smattering of clubs open very late, maybe all night. My recommendation is to try and exhaust yourself during the day so you don't even have the desire to go out at night, because especially without local friends, you'll be hard pressed to find places to really party in the style of a mid-sized American or Russian city. I've also heard rumors of an extremely elite, exclusive underground club, so if you've got your Rolex and Armani on, you might want to ask around for it.
I visited one nightclub, club Faraon, on a Thursday night, and it was pretty dead, but still interesting. A few people were dancing upstairs to heavy pumping EDM, and lots of people were downstairs singing karaoke. Around 3 am a bunch of new people started arriving. Here's a clip I found of a dance off at that club:

7. Museums
There are several interesting museums in the Vladikavkaz city center!

• North Ossetian Republic Art Museum; Prospekt Mira 12 
• North Ossetia State Joint Museum of History, Architecture and Literature; Prospekt Mira 11
• North Ossetia Museum of Modern History and Culture; Ul. Kirova 48  

You need to speak Russian or find a translator to help you because the vast majority of the displays in all these museums are only in Russian.   

8. Fiagdon Valley- City of the Dead
More or less the entirety of English-language info on the Internet about the city:
http://www.amusingplanet.com/2014/07/dargavs-city-of-dead.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dargavs
http://www.rt.com/op-edge/madina-blog-valley-dargavs/
http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/dargavs-russias-city-of-the-dead.html
http://www.chillhour.com/dargavs-city-of-the-dead 

It is exceedingly difficult to find coherent information about this place and how to visit it. Many locals believe (I think, incorrectly) that this area is still off-limits to foreigners, so you might have to push to get a ride out there. Fiagdon is the name of a river and a valley/gorge in North Osseta-Alania, near Vladikavkaz. There is also a small settlement of about 1000 people bearing the name. The area boasts gorgeous mountains and ancient Caucasian watch towers, but the real gem is the City of the Dead, just outside the village of Dargavs. About an hour's drive from Vladikavkaz, there are few tourists. Due to ancient legend warning that entering the City predicts certain death, locals tend to avoid the place as well. Some of the buildings are said to date back as far as the 12th century.

 

9. Biragzang hot springs

Hot Mineral Springs in Biragzang, North Ossetia-Alania

These natural hot springs are filled with minerals that have supposed healing powers. I went at night (a friend knew the manager and let us sneak in at 2 am), so I didn't even realize what a gorgeous setting the pool is in, but the steamy waters glide over your body like silk and feel restorative and invigorating in any season or time of day! There is a small fee to enter, but it's well worth it.
To get here...ask a local to drive you- in Russian, it's "Birangzang goryachi tselebni istochnik"
Near this place, towards the border with South Ossetia, is an amazing monument. Carved into the shiny black rock of a high cliff face overhanging the road is a horse and his rider (an Ossetian Saint) leaping out, stretching above the road.

10. Shashlik in the Mountains

Vladikavkaz's best asset is its stunning scenery. The North Caucasus mountain range pads the city from the south and east, providing an abundance of excellent shashlik spots. Shashlik is both a food and an activity- similar to an American barbeque or picnic. Shashlik means stocking up on chunks of raw meat (chicken, pork, really anything on hand), marinade, onions, tomatoes, and probably a large handful of dill. You'll also need drinks- sodas, beer, maybe a bottle of your neighbor's homemade chacha or wine. Don't forget the skewers, charcoal, and little mangal grill, and head up into the mountains. Grill up the shashliki and enjoy your afternoon of relaxing fun!
A guide to shashlik-mashlik.

This is a wonderful source for information about life in North Ossetia! (In Russian)

Just Caucasus Things Pt. II

And check out the first installment here

I have been informed that this is in fact a fraction-
they work 24 hours out of the 24 hours in a day...
no indication how many days a week they work
(this format is pretty common in much of Europe, also)

"dzmaaaaao"

I don't actually know anything about this, but the
Signagi PD has this and a golf cart

bahahahaha this is my best pun ever I die everytime I read it

 

A Guide to Women's Fashion in Chechnya

Do not wear pants. Do not even pack pants. Do not do it.
I assumed that wearing jeans was safer than a short skirt. That is not true.
Well, I guess, to be honest, "safe" is a vague term.
I am confident I was the only woman in the entire Chechen Republic wearing jeans. Oh boy.
If your goal is to fit in as much as possible, here's an easy guide based on my completely non-scientific, observational analysis:

Floor length skirts             90%
Mid-calf skirts                   8%
Knee length skirts             1.9%
    (mostly Russian tourists and me)
Pants                                  .1 %   
    (literally only me in jeans my first night and one Russian tourist in classy white pants the next day)
Long sleeve tops               70%
Short sleeve tops               30%
Hijabs                                20%    (mostly young women)
Platok                                40%
Bare headed                      40%

Me trying to blend in...took this off immediately
when I realized my jeans were a DEAD giveaway
(plus only older women wear their platki like this)

I was so concerned that my clothing or my foreignness or my camera would be equated with ignorance, indifference, spectacle-ism- that my very existence in my natural form would be offensive.
I dropped my backpack off at Aldar's apartment, and before we set off into the blazing hot Grozny day, he asked me if I had any other clothes I could wear...here it was, the inevitable moment I'd been dreading.
My outfit- a simple, loose, quarter-sleeve dress with open neckline (no cleavage, but collar bones), reaching just above my knees- was wrong. I had expected to stand out a bit, obviously a foreigner, but was shocked at just how undeviating these Grozny women were from their conservative fashions.
By wearing this dress, this stupid dress that seems overly modest in my American university town, I was showing a disregard for their Islamic tradition. I must be offending men by showing so much skin, angering wives with my pale, chubby limbs of temptation, and insensitively flaunting my freedom and independence to the women educated enough to realize they were being oppressed by Kadyrov's mandates and the cultural norms that are keeping Chechnya the retrogressive backwater everyone fears.
I was both embarrassed and defensive. I started rifling through my backpack, trying to piece together some sort of alternative, but I just hadn't brought to Georgia any skirts long enough or necklines high enough- it was summer, for goodness' sake! I hadn't expected to need this level of modesty. I began inventing outfits by wrapping scarves around myself and layering shirts to combine sleeves and high necks, but about ten minutes into this disastrous fashion show, I gave up.

"No," I told Aldar, "I'll just wear this," and as my spark of confidence waned, "it will be okay, won't it? The police won't yell at me?"
He just laughed, confused, "The police? Why would the police yell at you?"

Humans have a natural tendency to make analogies. Faced with unfamiliar problems, we rifle through our memory banks for a reasonable comparison in order to take some uncertainty out of the situation. Here, I was drawing upon my most recent experience in a conservative Muslim nation- my childhood in Saudi Arabia where the religious police, the muttawa, strictly enforced the Islamic dress code.
Grozny, however, had much less in common with Riyadh than I originally assumed.
The police here were friendly and cordial, excited by me as a rare tourist and never apparently finding me particularly irreverent, disrespectful, or offensive...one even asked me out...
While my clothing invited plenty of stares, I wasn't the first foreigner these people had seen, and I wasn't breaking any laws. My jeans or my knees or my collar bones were not the shocking Western intrusion I had expected. My assorted body parts would cause no revolution.
There were, however, two assumptions that commonly followed me- first, of course, that I was a foreign tourist; second, that I was a slut. I try not to be offended by this, it is simply the result of their reality. In Grozny, women dress a certain way. Always. That is the reality. Most women are, also, not sexually promiscuous, due to cultural norms, religious rules, and close monitoring from parents, brothers- the community as a whole, really. When a women then sweeps into town carrying with her an enormously different social reality, and her clothing reveals this cultural divide, it is only natural to assume that she is "easy". A similar phenomenon occurs in Georgia, another conservative society.
The American women on TV wear jeans, and they have one night stands and get wild in bars. I'm an American wearing jeans. If it looks like a duck...there's that analogy tendency again.

Anyway, Aldar laughed off my concerns of police getting involved in my fashion choices. I brought a scarf in my bag- I had covered my hair the night before in an apologetic attempt to offset the jeans and it had seemed to work, but I quickly realized that even here only about 60% of the women covered their heads, and of them, it was about 40/60 full hijab to Russian style platok (scarf) which leaves a slice of hair exposed above the forehead. Aldar did, however mention my cross. The small, wooden Georgian-style cross of Saint Nino hung on a plain black string. I hadn't even thought about it the night before in a high-necked shirt, but now it contrasted starkly with my pale, exposed chest.
"I can't take it off," I tried to explain, the knot on the string was permanently fused, and I had been wearing it for more than a year- I didn't want to cut it, "will it be a problem?" I asked, again imagining mobs of angry Chechens swarming me, decrying this intruder, tearing off my cross...but the vision passed quickly,
"No," he insisted, "of course not, but people might stare at you. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable," I tested this idea for a moment,
"People will stare at me anyway...won't they?"
"Probably," he shrugged his shoulders, "If you don't mind, it's not a problem,"
Turns out, once again, that I was neither as shockingly special as I thought, nor was Grozny a town of rigid, draconian, Islamists ready to pounce on any outsider who didn't conform to their social norms. I was probably only as or less controversial than a woman in Tbilisi wearing an abaya and niqab, or the girl who wore a crop top and chunky wedges to my politics seminar. I was breaking the rules, and almost no one breaks the rules in Grozny, so it's unusual, a little startling, maybe you want to snapchat your friends the strange new development in town, but no one is going to throw a fit over it.

I don't want to dismiss the issue of dressing appropriately in Chechnya. I was stared at almost constantly (which in part was due to my clothing and part just being a woman alone- especially in the evenings), and I did feel incredibly uncomfortable at times. It would not be difficult to come prepared with an outfit or two to blend in a little better- but if you don't, no one is going to stop you and ask you to change or yell obscenities at you. In fact, you'll probably just get catcalled or asked on a date. Maybe you'll even find a couple of locals to tour guide you like I did!

Either way, here is how young women dress in Chechnya, and what I suggest you attempt to wear:

• NO PANTS
• Long skirts (past the knee; mid-calf is fine, but full length maxi is most common and stylish)
• Cinched waists 
• Belts or ribbons around dresses
• Shirts tucked into skirts with wide elastic waist bands
• Long sleeves (quarter or short sleeves can be seen in the summer, but no shoulders showing)
• High collars/necklines- no chest showing

Don't forget- there are many women in Grozny who are not Chechen, and many not even Muslim. The local/Muslim women mostly dress according to the Qur'an's rules of modesty- nothing exposed but the hands, feet, and face, and nothing too form-fitting. This has transferred into the style of secular society. While Russians/Christians or the non-religious may not follow the rules of the Qur'an, they understand regional style, and showing ankles, elbows, and hair become normal, but so do floor length skirts and conservative necklines.
Don't make the mistake of confusing modesty with not being fashionable. The young women of Grozny are extremely beautiful and many wear expensive, high end clothing in the latest fashions- often custom made dresses in the case of the wealthiest families. Their hair (if they choose to show it) and makeup are meticulous. 
And if you want to wear a cross, go for it- there's even a big, pretty, new church in Grozny you can visit and, maybe for a moment, fit in. 

**If you can read Russian, this is an interesting article about women's headwear in Chechnya**


Here are some pictures of people in Chechnya...sorry these pictures are poor quality, and definitely only show a very small slice of life, but they're authentic.

UPDATE: I just found this website that shows some Grozny street style! It's in Russian, but there are lots of pictures, and that's what's important.

oooh scandalous

families enjoying the night outside the mosque

teenagers taking a group picture

my bichebi tour guides

high fashion on a Friday night at Grand Park
shopping mall- the place to see and be seen