The partner of the episode is Tea Boxes. Choose from a wide range of excellent teas: https://www.cajovebedynky.cz/ The guest of the WORLD podcast was Mikhail Urvantsev, with whom we talked about his childhood and growing up in Chelyabinsk, Russia. From a European perspective, the vast majority of events in Russia take place in Moscow - but how is life in the Urals, which is almost 1,800 km away from the capital? In the podcast, Mikhail tells you what it was like growing up in a housing estate in a nine-story block of flats, learning in a Russian school and facing pressure to go to college from a young age. Russian society seems to expect you to go and study them - otherwise you will be automatically demoted in their eyes. There is a lot of corruption and fraud in admissions, as most young people want to study in Moscow or St. Petersburg and the capacities of the universities are limited. For young boys, college education is also a way to avoid military service. In the podcast, Mikhail also shares some bizarre experiences that you probably won't experience anywhere else but in Russia. All this in a gray, panel city surrounded by factories. During his teenage years, Mikhail became more interested in the standard of living in his city, which allowed him to see Russian corruption and become politically active. This will tell you why Mikhail left Russia in the end. You will learn about this and much more in the entire podcast. We wish you a pleasant listening experience! Have an idea for an interesting guest or topic? Let us know! Invite us to a virtual tea and support our work at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/svetovi Rate our travel podcast THE WORLD at https://ceskepodcasty.cz/podcasty/sve... Instagram: / svetovi.cz Facebook : / svetovi Do you want to have your own podcast? Take a look at: https://www.megapecka.cz/ 0:00 Intro 0:55 How does traveling over huge distances work in Russia? 3:26 Most major events in Russia always take place in Moscow 5:04 How are Russian regions different from each other? 8:42 What does Chelyabinsk offer in terms of job opportunities? 10:36 In Russia, it is not common to have a part-time job while studying 11:36 Where is Mikhail's family from? 13:38 Life in a Russian nine-story Khrushchev building 18:16 How important is family to Russians? 20:35 How was Mikhail's relationship with his grandparents as a child? 21:53 What does Russian Christmas look like? 24:28 What is taught in Russian school about World War II? 27:15 What is taught in Russian school about Lenin and Stalin? 29:26 How do Russians remember the Soviet Union? 35:32 How does Russian education work? 43:38 How is the Russian war going? 45:53 Russians often don't work in the field they graduate from 47:48 How college admissions are cheated in Russia 54:01 How did Mikhail spend his free time as a child? 56:43 How do Russians meet and date? 57:54 Which social networks are used in Russia? 1:03:05 Mikhail's bizarre experience in Russia 1:06:22 What is Mikhail's relationship with religion? 1:07:25 About the Russian gopnik subculture 1:12:22 Is alcohol really a problem in Russia? 1:15:41 Mikhail's story about leaving Russia 1:36:35 Outro #russia #moskva #petrohrad #chelyabinsk #childhood