Summer is approaching (or at least it should be), and summer in Russia is a special time. It's light from 4am to midnight, and people take full advantage of the brief respite from the cold and snow. Everyone wants to be outside as much as possible, and people go to their dachas or just hang out in parks in the cities. Summer here is really unique, and I'm sad that I'll miss it.

Here's a song that really reminds me of summer in Russia. It's called Жить в Кайф (roughly "Live in Bliss") by the Belorussian artist Max Korzh. Max is a year older than me, and he makes a lot of pop hip-hop songs that relate to life for average young Russians. This song tells Max's own story of choosing to drop out of university to chase his dream of making music, and I really like the song's themes of freedom and dreams. Dreams are very important to Russians--I've been asked many times by students and just people I meet, "What is your dream?" which is not an easy question to answer on the spot. I remember the professor in a Russian culture class at Ohio State saying that Americans have plans; Russians have dreams. When I listen to this song, I feel the unbridled thrill of throwing caution to the wind and chasing a dream. See what you think.