Myasokombinat

I've been awake for over 30 hours, so today has been a big long blur where I met the most interesting, softly passionate people from more countries than I ever have before. It's been over stimulating on a tired brain, but I'm revved up to see what this will be like when I'm not exhausted.

Today was the first day of the World Federation of Youth and Students festival, where my accepted application to participate in the regional program has seen me flown off to St Petersburg as an interim to Sochi. Our flight was at 6am, but for some ungodly reason we had to arrive at the airport at 2am. It is interesting to see how bureaucracy runs in different countries. The Japanese bureaucratic systems blew my mind, and it took me 3 months of cultural shock to get used to living there. From what I can see so far, in Russia there are many (perhaps pointless?) steps you have to go through before you get anywhere, and things may happen very slowly, but it will always get done. There are about 170 of us in St Petersburg, and though there are much better ways I think this could be run, it is effective if lacking in efficiency, but we do get everything done. Nothing is missed.

It is astounding how many people from so many different countries I have met in the past 24 (?) hours. I've had discussions with Davis from Uganda on the state of his continent and country, and his struggle to bring the ideas from these conferences into action in his country. I'm amazed at how little I know about Africa and its countries. He told me about its corruption, but that there are small signs that things are changing. The young people are getting motivated. The African deligation are so very accomplished - many of them are already diplomats. Davis has visited Perth for a conference, and Moses from Kenya has done work in Canberra. It's embarrassing that I'm speaking in English to a beautifully kind man from Uganda about Tony Abbott and the mining industry in WA, when I know barely anything about Uganda. Privilege is a brain numbing, shameful thing. I wish I could speak several languages like these wonderful people, but at least I can say I have travelled which gains so much life experience, and I hope I learn how to properly listen and ask intelligent questions.

Australians are so passive and disinterested. We have such issue with intelligence. Today I spoke over dinner with my room mate - a girl Ana from Costa Rica who is also an anthropologist. We discussed the ways in which you could better give welfare to indigenous people. Over appetisers I chatted with a German and an Englishman, comparing our healthcare systems. I hung out with a group of Indian and Pakistani boys, and they joked about the tensions between their countries, and then we all joked about colonialism as we waited outside the hermitage. It's so refreshing to have conversation - fun and inspiring conversation about things other than sport and shitty reality TV.

What's interesting also is that I feel I get along best with, or maybe 'get' the culture of particularly British, South East Asian and some Indian participants better than some other cultures of people, purely off the cultural expectations. This is also true in general for chatting to women over men. Culture is so interesting, and although it is easy to spark a conversation with anybody, and respect and a happy heart gets you many friends, some people you just mesh with straight away, purely off the expectations on how to act. I do thank Australia for this - many different cultures make up the tapestry of our country, and we have a relatively equal, comparatively feminist society which allows us to blend in relatively freely. We must cherish this, not try to destroy it.

This is going to be a really eye-opening, amazing experience. But right now my eyes burn and I have forgotten what sleep feels like. Time for some shut-eye.Read more