Russia's Greatest Danger

I want to dedicate this post to two of my aunts: Leann and Tricia. The week before I left for Russia I went to visit my family in Memphis. You may remember seeing one thousand pictures of me posing like Elvis from that trip. Well right before I went to Memphis I had been reading in my St. Petersburg travel book and came across this line:

"The main threats on the streets come from local drivers, who see all pedestrians as a nuisance, and from manhole covers, which tend to rock or even collapse under your feet. This can be hilarious to watch on a movie screen, but is not so funny if it happens to you in real life" (Eyewitness Travel St Petersburg, 212). 

Yes, I just gave a reference for that because it seems so utterly ridiculous that I needed to prove I didn't make it up. Let me reemphasize what that said. The main threat to me on the streets of St. Petersburg is not the mafia, nor thieves, but MANHOLE COVERS. What? 

I guess that in reality this should make me feel very safe.

Anyways, back to my aunts. While in Memphis I was practicing avoiding walking on manholes and other such openings to whatever lay below me, so I told them about what I had read in the travel book. We all had a good laugh about it.

Then I came to St. Petersburg. Every single day I have walked from my apartment to the school past the manhole pictured below. About 80% of the time it is partially uncovered like so:

The other 20% of the time it looks to be securely covered, but is it? I wouldn't test it if you paid me 500 roubles! Then again, that would be like $16.

Good thing I was watching where I was going the first time I walked past it! Or I would have been proof that what is hilarious on the movie screen is not so funny if it happens to you. 

Luckily I was well practiced in the art of avoiding manholes thanks to the effort I put in before coming to Russia.