Svetlana Smetanina is a professional journalist. She graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in journalism, and since then has worked at “Kommersant,” “Gazeta,” and “Moscow News.” Her professional interests cover a wide range of topics. She writes articles on politics, psychology and personal relationships. But most of all, she enjoys writing about everyday life. For the last year and a half, she has written the column “Surprised by Russia,” which she herself conceived. In her own words, she would like to tell foreign readers about the things that often escape the attention of the serious media. In the first instance, this is the everyday life of Russians with all its problems, sometimes serious, sometimes funny. She is sure that Russia will never cease to surprise the world. For questions or comments, please write svetlana.smetanina@gmail.com.