The last stranger to smile at me was a sweet, English man who checked my luggage at Heathrow Airport. “You’re going to Russia at an interesting time,” he said to me. “I know,” I responded.

In reality, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. I thought since I was born in Moscow and lived through the collapse of the Soviet Union, that I wouldn’t fall victim to culture shock. With that in mind, I completely disregarded the impending presidential elections and although I knew of the growing hostility toward Americans, I didn’t quite understand it until I arrived to St. Petersburg.

Today is Sunday, the day of the presidential election. Before I left the States, I noticed the overwhelming political propaganda that continuously bombarded the TV, newspapers and Internet.

When I arrived in Russia, with only a month left before the “vibori,” the only propaganda I saw was a few tacky posters at the metro station and a billboard that read “I will make it a priority to vote on March 2nd” with a clock and a check list pictured in the background.

But who were the candidates? Why weren’t they making speeches and campaigning effectively to get their names out? When I asked my Russian professor these questions, she smiled but I could tell she was a little upset with the answer she was going to give me.

She explained that although people will vote, in the end, everyone already knows who the president will be. There will be no committee to monitor the election’s validity, nor will any questions be raised on why President Vladimir Putin supports Dmitry Medvedev, who, by the time you read this, will be the fourth president of Russia.

After speaking with the native college students and listening to various professors discuss contemporary Russian life, I honestly can say I’ve never been happier to live in America.

With the Russian population dropping by 10 million since the early 1990s (now it’s around 141 million), 60,000 people missing annually, a low life expectancy (58-59 for men and 72 for women), 30,000 to 40,000 motor-related and 30,000 food-poisoning deaths a year, it’s no wonder you won’t see many smiling faces walking down the street.

There are so many homeless, a large gap between the rich and the poor and an enormous drop in birth rates, although the government offers women $10,000 to birth a second child.

All citizens must pay 10 percent for “social security” that has absolutely no benefit on them personally, as well as four percent toward their own pension fund which they may not live to receive, considering one must be 60 to collect it.

Although I’ve had a number of unpleasant experiences and rude run-ins, St. Petersburg is a beautiful and historical place that, in the last month, has taught me to appreciate my life more than ever before. And for that, I am thankful.

- Anna Krakovski is a variety staff writer studying abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia. In the last month, she has had a run-in with the mafia and has almost been pickpocketed four times.