I arrived in September. It was still fairly warm, maybe in the 50’s the evening our train pulled into the station. We (Michelle, the other American stationed here, and I) were met by Anton, the head of the International Department of Ukhta State Technical University – the university where we are teaching English for the year. One of the first topics of conversation was whether or not Ukhta is a city. The population here is roughly 100,000, so I replied that I would consider Ukhta a city, not a town. I grew up in Anchorage, which is home to about 290,000 people, so I was not about to dis on Ukhta for being a small city. It made Anton incredibly happy and proud that I would consider Ukhta a city, rather than a town or village. He explained that this was a debate that he’d had with previous foreigners, and that sometimes Ukhta is referred to as a town – something with which he firmly disagrees.
I think that it is a universal phenomenon for people to be proud of their home, and to want to boost, and perhaps exaggerate, its image and reputation to visitors. Additionally, I think there is a similar mentality among small cities and northern communities, maybe something like an inferiority complex. Something like, “we have something to offer too, if you take the time to look.”
As I collapsed onto the bed in my new apartment, I thought about how excited I was to get a chance to get to know Ukhta, and to see what special charm it had.
Anna's Fulbright in Ukhta, Russia 