Word: nadezhda
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...olfactory essence of Luzkov to the masses, the English-language daily The Moscow Times reports. "Maybe after Russian women give their husbands this fragrance, it will inspire them to be more like Luzhkov, to get off the couch, take charge and make the lives of Russian women easier," gushes Nadezhda Petrukhina, head of product development at Novaya Zarya, the perfume factory which produced the cologne. With its solid square shape and silver cap, Mer's bottle symbolizes "the broad, masculine shoulders of a man" who's ready to shoulder responsibility, Petrukhina points out. But there's more than just smell...
...Nadezhda earns 3,000 rubles styling men's hair 39 hours a week in a no- frills state shop that serves as one of the neighborhood's social centers. Larisa, 19, also a hairdresser, was unemployed for eight months but now brings home 1,500 rubles from her job; Alexei is in high school...
...Nadezhda holds the family purse strings. She spends three to five hours a day scouring the local shops and farmers' market for the best bargains. "In the past, 10 rubles could have bought me 6 lbs. of meat," she says. "Now I can't even buy 2 lbs. for 100 rubles." Her monthly shopping list is short: 6.5 lbs. of meat at 125 rubles per lb.; 13 lbs. of sausage at 100 rubles per lb.; 22 lbs. of potatoes at 7 rubles per lb.; 90 eggs costing about 38 rubles for 10; and 3 lbs. of butter totaling 300 rubles...
Clothes are a luxury. Nadezhda shares her only raincoat with Larisa. Alexander and Alexei, 16, have learned to go without anything new. The Vaktins have no telephone, so contact with friends is limited. The wooden cabinet and rickety set of armchairs in the living room, which also doubles as master bedroom, were bought 17 years ago. There will be no money to replace the furniture anytime soon. The family's only entertainment is an old Russian- manufactured TV on which Alexander watches the latest sports and Nadezhda her favorite soap opera...
...more difficult than ever, the Vaktins still trust that the future will bring better times. For now, their children have enough to eat, their flat is cozy, and they have Elsa, an Alsatian, to keep the family smiling with her playful tricks and antics. "We can't complain," says Nadezhda. "But we hope things will get better." That is still mostly just a dream...