Just a little about differences.

I asked the participants to STereotART to jot down their most memorable feelings and moments while preparing their tasks every day. Later, I wanted to use these notes as a basis for the "Project's diary", the non-official chronicles of events.
When teams submitted their first notes, the difference in the way they wrote them was striking!

It is not a rigorous approach at all to analyse a small piece of writing and attribute traits of national character to it. However, you just need to take a look at them to spot the difference right away.

• Russians: creative thinking prevails. The way those notes were written insinuates a vivid mind, strive for social activity, and the ability to perform better when under a time pressure.
• Koreans: discipline, good organisation and responsibility are those traits that differ the team greatly from The Another Russia. However, the promptness in obeying the rules of the project strictly defines the borders of the action field, thus limiting the overall creativity and non-standard thinking of the team.

I leave the following notes for your judgement:

January 10 

Our team members are uploading their works on the Cyworld Club! [DIABS]
Panic! Panic! Panic![The Another Russia]

January 11 

Checked how we’re doing on-line! Can’t wait to meet the Russian Team  [DIABS]
Much to do. Do not have enough time. [The Another Russia]

January 12

 Worked on PPTs, final check! [DIABS]
The main goal for today is achieved: we freezed ourselves to death. [The Another Russia]

January 13

Russia, Siberia, Tomsk

 Finished the PPT and sent it! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED  [DIABS]
Froze too much yesterday. Still moving slowly. [The Another Russia]

January 14 

Waiting for the meeting with Russian Team. Time scheduling~ [DIABS]
A couple of members of our group are balloons…[The Another Russia] 

January 15 

Finally!!!!! The meeting was really awesome. New participants, new friends. [DIABS]
silence or echo – perfect conversation^^ [The Another Russia]

Catching up with the all-Russia movement

December 10, Saturday.
Predetermined time: 14:00 local time.
Place: Major squares in Russian cities.
Event: non-violent protest against falsification of the results at the latest parliamentary polls.
Participants: Russian citizens. Thousands and thousands.

In solidarity with the mass protests in Russia, Russian citizens abroad decided to join the political action and go out to the streets of the countries they currently reside in. Not all, not everywhere, not in the same identical fashion with uniform slogans and demands, but in the same common outburst, with the same feeling of being deprived of the essentials of modern democracy - the right for free elections, the right to cast a vote for the party one decided to be worthy voting for.

In Korea procedures of legally permitting the protest actions require time and specific way of registering the organiser, or the person responsible for the event. Not being able to get the permit for the mass protest on time,  a group of activists decided  to proceed anyway. Of course, individual protests are less spectacular, catchy, or anything, but they are still protests. 

Now about how it all went:

1. At 2pm we gathered at the Seoul Press Centre building to write the slogans and to decide the route we should take.

2. We went on the streets and ran into the squads of policemen, dozens of police buses and a few water cannons.

3. Down to Cheonggyecheon and then to Insadong, we went strolling with banners in our hands saying 'Free Elections to Russia!'

4. People on the streets were quite sympathetic, asking about the event, supporting, sharing their opinion with us.

5. We even gained attention from the local press.

6. By the end of the action we gathered in one of the dumpling places in Insadong area to chat, reflex, and upload the photos so to share them with other protestants.

Thank you everyone who joined, and those who wanted to, who supported ouк modest action here, far away from the main political scene. 

Response to the picture of Koreans

What do Koreans think about Russians? (based on non-official poll among people I know and several-years' exposure to the country and its people)

Russia is big and cold. Very cold! This is the reason all people drink vodka. Russian women are tall and beautiful. Russian men are just big, as well as Russia itself. The territory from Vladivostok up to the very Ural mountains is called Siberia (even if it is not.) There is also Moscow which is a capital city of the country. Everyone* dreams about crossing Siberia and going to Moscow, and if to open the rail way through North Korea, there will be nothing to dream about any more.

There is crude oil in Russia. Too much of it. However, not more than natural gas.

There is also one representative of the nation notable for a his 'career trajectory' - Fyodor Emeljanenko (who is he anyway?) He, as well as many others, was born during the Soviet period. But times have changed. Russia became stronger when Mr. Putin became a president. What? Putint isn't a president any more? Well, it doesn't really matter! Still Russian army is the strongest, and one should be really careful not to fool around with this autocratic giant. 

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* inexcusably rough generalisation