What's up witches?! It's Halloween here at TRWL. David and Grant talk about being cursed by witches and share a dramatic reading titled "The Dead Magpie" about fighting darkness with darkness. This is the final episode of Season 2. Be sure to stay connected with us through our social media.

SEX. In episode 7 we talk about sex. Erotica, cultural norms, nudity - David and Grant cover it all.

We don’t get extremely explicit, but this one deserves a NSFW tag! Enjoy!

Grant visited Siberia without David back in 2004. In this episode he shares his thoughts about swimming in Lake Baikal, nude banya visits, and pooping your pants thousands of miles away from any double-ply toilet paper.

In this episode of TRWL David and Grant talk about the Second World War, known in Russia as The Great Patriotic War, through the perspective of 3 Russian songs.

What could a country in the heart of Africa have in common with Russia? Surprisingly, a lot. David tells Grant about his recent trip to Ethiopia, an ancient culture that he found remarkably familiar.

How drunk can you be and still operate a trolleybus? Which exotic animals are permitted on public transportation? Is marijuana an acceptable currency to pay for a taxi cab? We answer these questions and more in this episode devoted to our adventures with public transit in Russia.

Links in episode:

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-mayor-bus-public-transport-late-1286626

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/mayor-trying-to-persuade-residents-to-use-public-transport-arrives-to-work-2-hours-late-64095

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/camel-pulls-car-out-of-snow-in-russia-saving-driver-video-64435?utm_source=Russian+Life&utm_campaign=2228e73b83-Russia_File_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2e99ba62b2-2228e73b83-191314893&goal=0_2e99ba62b2-2228e73b83-191314893&mc_cid=2228e73b83&mc_eid=8251c08e25

In honor of International Women's Day TRWL celebrates Russian women. Grant hears from Alesha Dawson about her perspective on women in Russia. Visit https://www.screendoorreview.com/ to view the literary journal she curates.

Articles cited: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180515-requiem-how-a-poem-resisted-stalin

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/03/08/this-womens-day-its-not-her-fault-a64741

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k_F68iT9b0&app=desktop

https://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/lyudmila-pavlichenko

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women's_Day

Dave shares a Russian poem in celebration of spring. Enjoy!

It wasn't all fun and games for David and Grant while living in Russia. In this first episode of Season Two of To Russia With Love they tell about their encounters with the skinheads culminating in a stand-off between Grant and David and the Russian nationalists.

Thank you to Andre Abramov for additional original music.

Articles cited:

www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4614

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/04/18/russians-are-actually-getting-less-xenophobic-at-least-outside-of-moscow/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fffbb4350121

en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/19243

https://www.sova-center.ru/en/xenophobia/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Russia

A Christmas greeting from David and Grant, hosts of To Russia With Love.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Keep an eye out for Season 2, coming soon in 2019! Merry Christmas.