How Juan from Spain moved to Russia & found love

Juan is from the small Spanish town of Finisterre. He’s a Spanish teacher and has lived in the UK, Japan and Italy, but couldn’t find his place or fit into society anywhere. So, he sent his resume to schools in different countries and received responses from several, but chose St. Petersburg, because he was suddenly interested in getting to know Russia better.

His family was worried: “What are you doing! It’s so far away! So scary!” But, he wasn’t afraid.

“The image of Russia that Spaniards have in their heads was created by the Americans during the Cold War: Russians are aggressive, communists and blah-blah-blah. At customs, there were, indeed, people with very serious faces asking, 'Why are you here? What do you want to do here?' But then, all that passed and I started living just like in Spain.”

Petersburger Juan

Juan adores St. Petersburg. When the World Cup was held in Russia in 2018, his sister and other relatives and friends visited the city. Everyone was impressed by the architecture, the ‘White Nights’, the ‘Swan Lake’ ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre, as well as all the local stores and restaurants.

During these nine years in Russia, he has never once regretted moving. Although, it was difficult at the beginning.

“At first, I worked at a winter camp with children. I had poor clothing: a thin Spanish jacket and sneakers. I had to walk from the subway to work. The snow was knee-deep. I walked and didn’t understand: Why don’t they cancel classes?”

For a Spaniard, it was hard not to see the sun for several months. Even an optimist like Juan almost gave up then. But then, Katya came into his life.

Russian wife

When Juan told his family he was coming home with a Russian girl, they expected a blonde with blue eyes. But, when Katya from Yakutia arrived, his mother quietly asked: "Is this Asian girl really from Russia?" – "Yes, Mom, from Siberia!" Juan replied with a laugh.

"I gave my family a lecture about how huge Russia is, how many ethnic groups it has and how people don’t all look alike."

Juan admits that, without his Katya, he could have even died multiple times. During his first year in Russia, he was very sick and Katya found doctors and took care of him. Any issues or problems with documents or management – they would solve everything together.

Juan hasn’t been to Yakutia, his wife’s homeplace, yet. He prefers to spend summer vacations in Spain and is simply afraid to go there in winter, as it’s actually the coldest place on the planet.

"I really want to attend ‘Ysyakh’, the Yakuts’ main national holiday, which is celebrated in June. I hope we’ll go next year."

Lost in translation

"The Russian alphabet is easy, similar to Greek; I learned it in two hours. But, Russian grammar – wow! Cases, prefixes: ‘приехал’, ‘переехал’, ‘наехал’, ‘объехал’…!"

But, Juan didn’t learn grammar from a textbook; it was life that taught him. He constantly talked to people on the streets and, if he lacked words, he used gestures and facial expressions.

"There was once a tragicomic incident. My stomach hurt badly and I was looking for a hospital. I saw a sign that said: ‘Стоматология’ ('Stomatologiya'). For some reason, I thought 'stoma' had something to do with internal organs. So, I went in, gesturing that it hurt here. The receptionist didn’t understand, we started talking with our hands and then I noticed that the walls were covered with smiles; no, it seems I went to the wrong place! Of course, ‘стоматология’ means ‘dentistry’ in Russian!"

Love for Bulgakov & Tolstoy

Juan now speaks Russian very fluently, but admits it’s not enough for his goal to read Russian literature in the original. So far, he has only read ‘And Quiet Flows the Don’, ‘Crime and Punishment’ and, in translation, ‘The White Guard’ by Bulgakov (now his favorite Russian writer).

“And I almost read ‘War and Peace’. Almost, because I got completely confused with the names and patronymics: they were like ‘tugudu-tugudu’ to me. But, I found a way out: I watched a TV show and memorized who was who by the actors’ faces. I aced 'War and Peace'!”

Fascination with Soviet history

Since childhood, Juan has been interested in World War II. He picked this up from his older sister, who would read historical books and watch documentaries.

"She is ten years older than me, I respected her a lot and started listening, reading and watching all of it, too. Lenin, Stalin and so on. Then there was the movie 'Enemy at the Gates' (2001), a Hollywood movie about Stalingrad. But, despite American propaganda, it’s still a powerful movie and I wanted to see it all with my own eyes."

During the pandemic, Juan visited Volgograd (what Stalingrad is called now). He was deeply impressed when he saw an actual building still bearing bullet and shell marks.

“I understood not in words, but through my skin how many people died and at what cost this victory came to the Russians.”

Russians & personal space

Juan believes Russians initially seem closed off, as they don’t trust people right away. He says that, in Spain, everyone becomes fast friends quickly, but might promise a lot and not deliver. “A Russian will always help, but you need to get closer,” the Spaniard notes.

"I have a personal metaphor: Every Russian has their own ‘Berlin Wall’ in front of them. You can overcome it in two ways: either climb it step by step or break it down. I already know your mentality, I understand where to wait and where to joke – I always break down that wall. That’s why you always treat me very well!"

After 10 years in Russia, he believes his fiery Spanish temperament has calmed down. Now, when Juan goes to Spain, he spends the first few days wondering: why are they speaking so loud? And why is everyone smiling for no reason?

“But, after a week, it passes and I become a regular Spaniard again. Who, however, will still return to St. Petersburg!”

The full version of the interview (in Russian) can be found on the ‘Nation’ magazine website.