Prologue

There is a Russian movie, a romantic comedy titled "Piter FM". It is a story of a young architect who is getting ready to leave St. Petersburg and go to Germany, because they offered him a job there. So he has a few days to finish all that needs to be finished, and one must admit he has got a lot in his hands: his ex-girlfriend with whom he is still in love is going to get married and she still had some of her stuff in his apartment, his boss won't let him leave, and that's not all, but I won't retell a whole plot of this film here, I'll just say that besides being a romantic comedy this movie is also a movie about the city. The director and the screenwriter are in love with St. Petersburg, and so does the main character. They are fond of the city, they admire it, they breathe with its air, and you can feel it in every frame, in every shot, in every single second of the movie.

I was born in St. Petersburg. I had left it when I was one and returned here only when I was seventeen, so I've been here for more than thirteen years now, and I have to admit: I don't know this city. I don't speak with it, I don't understand it, and I don't even like it. But, at the same time, I envy those who has a real connection with St. Petersburg, or Piter, as we call it. So I decided to give it a shot and try to get closer to it. I want to get to know it. I want to ask it questions and hope to hear answers. I want to learn how to like it. This is why I start this blog, and I really think that this time we'll be able to be friends. Me and the city I live in.