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Russia
Cheboksary
In all three trips to Cheboksary I've made until now, I've come to the Chuvash Republic after some time in Mari El. Almost any place would seem highly developed after the post-Soviet blues of Yoshkar-Ola, but something very special is going on in Cheboksary. In many ways, the city reminds me of Cluj. The streets are dominated by young people, who often work abroad in the summer. The economic power of this mobile demographic has led to the opening of trendy new restaurants, cafés and cinemas, and the local government has renovated streets and façades to match. Foreign languages are widely used here, and people seem just as ready to speak in English, French or even Japanese as Russian.
However, the indigenous Chuvash language I come to study is almost invisible, and it is necessary for one to seek out special university departments and little-known bookstores. Only on this third trip did I finally succeed in getting some Chuvash practice in the city itself, without having to go out to villages further south in the Chuvash Republic.