Expats Getting

Photos: Alexander Antonov

Moscow Dragons

There’s a quote attributed to William Webb Ellis, the man many claim is the inventor of rugby: “Football is a gentleman’s sport played by hooligans, and rugby is a hooligan’s sport played by gentleman.”

While the jury is still out on football players, gentleman is a title that expat rugby team the Moscow Dragons can certainly lay a claim to. Besides being a well-mannered, even- tempered bunch in person, the team has also raised significant cash for a wide array of charity projects, from several thousand dollars for the Bykovo Orphanage in 1999 to a recent $10,0000 donation to Maria’s Children, a non-profit organization that rehabilitates orphans and children with disabilities through art.

But the Dragons have a rough side as well. When these gentle giants aren’t bouncing orphans on their laps, they’re bouncing opposing players on their heads.

“We love rugby because it’s a sport that has many things to offer,” said club president Damien de Charry. “Fighting, patience, competition, winning, losing – everything that can be found in life can be found in rugby.”

The Moscow Dragons were founded in 1997. Today the club has an official roster of over 200 members, almost 50 of which are currently active and living in Moscow. Members represent a wide range of countries including France, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United States and even Georgia.

While there is a certain amount of player turnover, the register is always continuously replenished by new arrivals in Moscow.

“When rugby lovers get to Moscow, the first thing they do is look to see if there’s a local rugby team,” said Kevin Maloney, one of the teams original founders. “They’re usually very relieved to find that there is.”

Games and practices take place all through the year, with championships being held in the winter and summer. Besides the rugby, there are also numerous social events, from the now-famous Dragons ball, which raises money for charity, as well as numerous smaller, unofficial events in pubs around Moscow.

For more info, log on to www.moscowdragons.ru

The Wine Club

What's better than a good bottle of wine? A good bottle of wine enjoyed amongst good company. That's the philosophy behind Wine Club Marketing and Consulting, a club for Moscow wine lovers that boasts over 100 members and has been in existence since 2000.

“The initial concept was to get a few good people together and let them relax once a month with a glass of wine in their hand,” said Hrachia Atanesian, the group's founder and General Director. “We're going into our seventh year soon, so it looks like it caught on.”

The club meets once a month, usually at Latin-music club Voodoo Lounge, to experience wines from around the world. Although membership is open to all, eighty percent of the register consists of expats. A typical meeting brings together members of a wide variety of professions, from journalists and doctors to oil company executives, and the atmosphere is that of a lighthearted dinner where both the wine and the conversation flow freely. At the end of each tasting, a raffle is held, with several winners receiving wine-related prizes. Members also have the opportunity to take advantage of the club's ordering and delivery service, which delivers wine from around a dozen countries straight to their home or office.

The club typically focuses on one wine producing country per month. Wines sampled by the club come from Italy, California, Portugal, Australia, South Africa and France. The club does not hold tastings for wines from former Soviet republics, such as Moldova and Georgia because, Atanesian said, their quality is too unpredictable.

While some clubs have strict procedures for wine tastings, WCMC prefers to take a more relaxed approach.

“The main thing here is to have a good time, and of course, learn a little bit about wine in the process,” Hrachia said.

He is quick to remind about one important rule, however: no vodka.

“A person can smile and drink wine at the same time,” he said. “With vodka, that's impossible.”

For more information, go to www.wineconsulting.ru

Moscow International Choir

The United Nations might often fail to create harmony among the countries of the world, but it’s no problem for the Moscow International Choir. Composed of members representing nearly a dozen countries, the choir is a perfect way for music lovers to perfect their singing abilities, meet people from around the world, and perform in benefit concerts for various Russian charities.

“There are few opportunities in Moscow for so many nationalities to come together without needing to speak each other’s language,” said Chantal Cooper, the choir’s director.

The choir’s participants hail from a vast variety of countries – among them Sweden, the Netherlands, England, France, the United States, Argentina, Iceland, and Russia – and represent a great swath of professions, from teachers and hairdressers to diplomats and even a heart surgeon.

While some of the choir’s members are near-professionals with many years of choir experience, Cooper said that this should not scare of any neophytes wishing to give choral singing a shot.

“Beginners often underestimate their ability to sing, and can sometimes do very well if given an opportunity,” she said, adding that new members often practice after-hours with older, more experienced ones.

The choir is conducted by Sergei Sidorenko, a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, in a mix of Russian and English that seems to be understood by all. The repertoire runs the gamut from classical pieces such as Mozart’s “Requiem” and Schubert masses to Christmas carols, African American spirituals, Russian folk songs and even a medley of songs from British musicals, including those by Andrew Lloyd Weber.

Concerts, which take place twice a year, in December and June, are the focal points for the choir’s practice sessions. Cooper said that while the group sometimes gets off to a ragged start at the beginning of the season, performances are usually well above par by concert time.

“It never ceases to amaze how, from a hesitant beginning, the choir will always pull together and give a polished concert performance,” she said.

A large part of concert proceeds go to a charity decided upon by the choir’s members. Past charities have included Lifeline and the Kitezh Foundation.

For more information, contact Chantal Cooper at moscow.international.choir@gmail.com

Hash House Harriers

“A drinking club with a running problem” is what the Hash House Harriers call themselves, and the description is...well...pretty darn accurate. Since 1983, the Harriers have met once a week to run rampant through Moscow’s parks, splitting the air with cries of “On on” and perplexing local residents.

“It’s a great tradition to be a part of,” said David Breese, the club’s president. “There’s a lot of spirit and camaraderie, and it’s a great way to get some fresh air and exercise with some like-minded outdoor lovers.”

Despite the group’s strong Moscow roots, the Harriers are, in fact, a global phenomenon. The original chapter of the Hash House Harriers was founded in 1938 by bored British expats in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The organization enjoyed slow and steady growth throughout the last century, with membership numbers exploding in the 1990s with the advent of the Internet. Today there are Harriers chapters in nearly every major city in the world from New York to Tokyo, and even two chapters in Antarctica.

A “Hash” – what the club calls their weekly runs – could be described as a sort of treasure hunt, with beer being the treasure. One or more “hares” lays a trail with flour, signs or shredded paper for the rest of the group to follow. Though everyone runs at their own pace (there’s even a regular contingent of walkers), the idea is to follow the hare’s trail and keep the group more or less together. The runs are frequently punctuated by various activities such as sledding down snowy hills on garbage bags in winter and of course, the occasional beer to wet parched throats. Afterwards, festivities continue at a nearby bar or members’ residence.

One of the club’s most persistent traditions is its unique jargon, which varies little from country to country. “On-on” is perhaps the most common term, and means something akin to “lets go.” A “circle” is a sort of tribal meeting where nicknames are handed out and songs are sung. The letters “BS” inscribed on the trail let a runner know that beer is close by.

The Harriers are an open club – all that’s required to join is to show up for a run. According to Breese, many members have formed bonds that extend far beyond the usual running and drinking.

“We’ve had many friendships formed here, and people have found jobs through the group as well,” he said. “Believe it or not, there’s even been a marriage or two.”