One Week and Counting...
Well a week from today, I will be boarding a plane to go to Moscow. I will spend my last night in Russia in Moscow awaiting my flight home. Although I will be alone my last night in Russia, I think it will be a great way to reflect over the experience before I leave it behind forever. This last week, I predict, will be really crazy. I have a lot of things to do. I have to pack, to finish shopping for gifts, to hold my last classes, to say goodbye to my students and friends, and to try and get as much pictures as I can. However, I wanted to take some time and write some closing words for this blog. I know that I haven't been the best blogger out there, but I've tried to capture the most important aspects of my time here in Russia. I hope that one day, I'll be able to read over everything I've posted here and remember what I felt and thought at the time I was writing the posts.
I'm not sure if I'll continue to post anything on this blog after I return home or in whatever I do after that. In fact, I have no idea really what I'll be doing in the near future. I have a few plans/ideas/options, but nothing is soundproof and nothing is set in stone. The next few months are going to be very challenging for me (maybe even more so then my time here in Russia) but I am looking forward to the future. For the first time in my life, I'm looking at a period of uncertainty with no fear. I feel as though I've grown as a person and am ready to face whatever my life has in store for me... Honestly I don't think I would feel this way if it hadn't been for my time here.
I'm not going to lie and say that my time here was what I wanted it to be, because it really wasn't. There are many things that I wish were different or that I could've changed about my trip here; however, that is not to say that this trip will not/has not effected my life. I guess if this trip would've turned out to be how I had imagined, I might not have learned as much as I did. You see before I came I had this sort of romantic view as to how my trip would turn out. After talking to several different people who had the experience of teaching and living abroad, I figured my trip would be as good as there's (and maybe in the years to come, I'll feel differently about it overall) but right now I have to say that I have mixed feelings about my time here.
Firstly, I'm so happy that I came here, which I guess is the most important thing, because I've learned so much about myself and the world. Truthfully, I feel that I've changed from the person I was and that is the most important thing to me. I've learned so much about myself in my time here, and that really is the greatest gift I received from being here. Still, though, I wish that I could've done more, seen more, felt more like a teacher and taught my students more urgent/interesting information, and overall did all that I could to live each day to the fullest here (I guess in some way I did the way that I know best, so I'm content with that). Really it would take me forever to really express everything in writing, and when I get home I may not want to express much in speech either. Not that I don't think all those reading this aren't interested, but I just don't think many of you, if any, would truly understand everything I think or feel because I don't yet.
As I said before, I have very mixed feelings about leaving this part of my life behind, but overall I'm ready. I'm ready to see what life has in store for me, what I can make out of myself, what I can do for this crazy fucked up world we call home, and what I can do to better it and the people that live in it. Challenges are ahead for me, and really all of us because that is what life is made up of, but at least I know now that I can handle practically anything and at the end look back on it and smile. So for all the "bad" times I had here -not having water for days at a time, freezing my ass off in -28 C weather for a month, eating the same thing day in and day out, and feeling completely and utterly alone a lot of the time - all I can do is smile and know that I got through them.
So this isn't as well stated as I would have like it to be, but I think right at the present moment I don't have the time nor the strength to write everything down. Perhaps some day, I will be able to better express to others all of this. For now all I can say is that I enjoyed parts, I struggled throught times, but at the end of an often frustrating, annoying, but beautiful seven months I lived and I'll continue living no matter what comes my way!
I look forward to seeing you all when I return home, for however long that is :)...
James
The Anticipation is a Bitch…
So here I am entering my last month here in Russia, and really the anticipation is just as bad as it was the month before I left home. This is probably for thousands of reasons, but the most pressing one is that everyone here and at home keeps talking to me about it. Everyone wants to know what my plans are for when I return, which is a really confusing subject for me to discuss. I have no solid plans and the world is open to me right now, but honestly I don’t see any clear direction. My whole life has been lived with having plan after plan lined up: first after high school, I had college to attend; then after college, I was leaving to Russia; but now after Russia, I have no fucking clue as to what I’m doing next. Of course, there are a million different things I could do and want to do, but life has no direct road for me to travel right now. This is so scary, and I’m not sure how to handle it. However, one thing I’ve learned from my time here is that I can handle almost everything, and this is such an exciting knowledge that I look forward to the uncertain future.
Even though I am looking forward to my return, for the obvious reasons (family, friends, and most importantly Taco Bell and Starbucks ;)), I am so afraid about leaving Russia. This country will always be dear to my heart, no matter what type of relations our country has with it, because it has aided in my maturing and becoming a little more the person I want to be. I believe, well I know, that it is going to be very hard saying goodbye to the country and the beautiful, caring people I have met here. It will be so odd waking up and not having plans with Lucy or hanging out with Alina, Olya, and Sasha. Plus, I have a routine here which will be hard to say ‘so long’ to. Not waking up every morning and eating breakfast in my room, getting dressed for the appropriate weather, and not making the short walk and long climb up stairs to the department will be very odd to me. It’s as if I’ve been living in a six month dream and that soon I’ll be waking myself up. I’m not sure if I’m getting this across to you all very well, because it’s such a hard thing for me to truly comprehend myself.
Honestly, there are many things I wish I had done differently with my time here. Mostly I wish I had been open more to meeting and becoming friends with people. Yes, I have friends here that I’ll never forget, but because I’m stupid I ran a lot of people off just so as not to have to deal with the pain of having to say goodbye. This is a very stupid thing, but I’m just happy I learned early enough to save some relationships that I almost lost. Everyone I’ve met here and those I’ve spent a lot of time with mean the world to me –almost just as much as my family and friends back home do. Yet, still, I wish I had just been more open to experiencing all aspects of Russian life, except the sauna because that just scares me, but luckily I still have a month to try and experience as much as I can. Thus it is my resolution to enjoy my last month as much as humanely possible and leave here knowing that I did what I could to enjoy myself. Of course, I’ll return to Russia someday, as I have not seen St. Petersburg or Siberia both of which I’d love to see, but that experience will be nothing like the one I’ve been living through.
Life is such an odd event that each living being goes through. I received an e-mail today from a great friend at home who is extremely excited about making her first trip outside the country, and her excitement made me remember my own. It seems so strange that only two years ago, I was getting ready for my trip to England. I was beyond excited about that trip as I thought it would be my only chance to see what life was like outside the States. Yet here I sit in my room in Russia and I still cannot believe that this life is mine. I keep anticipating waking up in my bed at home and being disappointed that this was just a dream –but it is not a dream, it is my life and I couldn’t be happier. Going from a boy who dreamt so much of living a life that was not his own, which to be truthful I still do a lot of dreaming like that, to living a life that I never even considered is such a fucking great feeling. I feel that I’m truly alive, which is a feeling that no drug could ever reproduce. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that dreams do come true. They might not be the exact dream, but a version of it and maybe even better then the original one. Every time I am walking the streets of Rostov, being surrounded by hundreds of Russians, seeing sights that nothing in the States can compare to, I just feel –alive. No other word would be better able to describe it then that one –ALIVE.
50 Days and Counting...
This is more of an update than a new post. I've just been getting a lot of e-mails from family and friends that refer to my previous post. Yes, I was in a somewhat sour mood as to the circumstance I was in, but all is better now. The water in my building has been working, sort of, for the past week and a half. I haven't gone longer than 18 hours without a shower, so please stop worrying. Also, just because I seemed to be a bit annoyed with everything in my last post, please know that it does not reflect my overall feelings of my time here. I'm happy that I came here and am happy to have gone through everything I have -both good and bad!
Oh and as of today, I've only got 50 days left of my time here in Russia. I am both happy and sad by that and don't really know how to react. At one moment, I'm really excited that soon I'll be home, but it worries me still... Then at the next moment, I don't want to leave Russia at all. I guess that's part of the whole experience. Thus the countdown, either wanted or not, has begun and I'm at the point where the finish line is visible. Let's just hope I come in at a decent time...
When I come to terms, to terms with this…
I haven’t moved in three days –well outside the walls of my confinement that is. The days are all blurred as of late, and all I find myself often doing is staring at the stark white walls for hours at a time. Once, I read a story about a woman who thought that the walls of her room were coming alive and trying to kill her. At the time, while reading it, I thought to myself how odd a feeling that must be: to be driven so mad that you think the walls are coming after you. However, now I see it as clear as I do when I look at myself in the mirror. The walls are my only friend, they are my only companion in this life or the next, and they will eventually win out and take me into their warm grasps. But I will not go quietly into that good night, no I will not. I’ll rage against it till my last breath escapes my lungs…
The water to my building has been turned off for two weeks, and every once in awhile when it is turned on its either the color of copper, with tiny chunks of dirt splattering against the white porcelain of my sink, or so cold that one cannot bare to leave their hands under the flowing liquid long enough to wash. At first, I laughed at the water being off, but then a day turned into two and then three and now fifteen. My body reeks; a stagnant smell of B.O mixed with lotion, cologne, whatever I could find to try and hide the smell. Everyone said it was normal, but how can it be normal to live without water –the life force for all creatures on this planet – for so long. I cannot stand the smell of myself, let alone allow another to smell me. Thus, I am reduced to sitting in my room day and night staring at the walls –their white chalky structure reaching out for me. I want to let them take me, to make me look as clean as their sterile presence. They are coming for me; they are coming for me…
Okay, okay, so it’s not as dramatic as that, but seriously this not having water thing is really beginning to piss me off. I can’t understand it. For over two weeks, yes two weeks, I’ve been playing tag with the water in my building. Everyday it has been off, from one hour to god knows how many hours. I think in the last two weeks I’ve been able to take a total of four showers, and two of those were only with freezing cold water. If it was the middle of summer that might not be a bad thing, but it’s not summer –it’s still fucking winter! I don’t want to sound like I’m bitching but I am, so deal with it; yet, I just feel completely dirty here and this is making me feel quite angry and annoyed. Now I know all of you, who are reading this, are probably saying to yourself, “James come on. It can’t be that bad. Suck it up, you’ve only got two more months…” But let me tell you this, “YOU SUCK IT UP!” I’d like to see any of you, and I do mean any of you, put up with this shit. I’m supposed to be living in a civilized country, it would be another think if I moved to some hut constructed village in Africa, so why the hell is there not running water? I know most of you, especially my female friends, would do nothing but cry and complain about this if it happened to you for one day. Well try fifteen! I seriously can’t stand the smell coming off my own body, it’s disgusting! I try all I can to cover up the smell with many different things but when you can’t take a bath or a shower –even long enough to do a military shower –the smell just lingers. I’m so embarrassed that I don’t even want to leave my room, but really it’s supposed to be ‘normal’ here. Well call me “spoiled,” “materialistic” or “high maintenance,” but enough is enough. I am an American, so maybe I am used to being granted the ability to take a warm, long shower at anytime I want. Excuse me, I’m sorry.
This is one reason that I haven’t posted much on the blog as of late. Because everything lately that I have wanted to post has turned into a bitch rant and so I just never posted them. Yet, I feel, after being told by several friends at home “how great everything must be in Russia,” that I needed to share some of the draw backs. Yes, I know that this issue isn’t a life or death type of situation and I know that for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years people lived without taking daily baths/showers, which is one reason I haven’t complained to anyone here about this, but I’m only a man, who is used to the comforts of “modern society,” and this is really bothering me. I just can’t wait to have running water, both hot and cold, more than one day a week!
So I’m going to try and get off that topic right now, because it’s not all bad. I cannot believe that I have been here for five months, with only two more to go. It’s unbelievable to me that this trip, my time here in Russia, is almost over. I am unsure how to feel about this, really. At one moment, like whenever I think about the water, I am so excited to be going home and cannot wait, but then at other moments, when I’m completely lost in the enjoyments of being away from home and experiencing a freedom I never have before, I cannot even think about leaving here –it saddens me. This is even a topic that is too hard for me to write about. This experience has been both a great one and a horrible one all at the same time, so I’m unsure really how to processes it into words to explain to anyone. I know that I’m so glad to have come here and that this has changed me and my life, but at the same time I feel a bit unhappy with my time here (mostly because I feel like I haven’t been used by the University in a way that was constructive for either them or me). However, I guess that’s what trips like this are supposed to be like. They are supposed to be great at times and then horrible at times, like life in general. This is a growing experience, so even the bad stuff will end up being good for me. I can already see this, but when you’re in the midst of the bad all you can really do is feel how horrible it is. Does that make sense? I’m not sure it does, but that’s what it’s been like for me.
Yeah! I just looked outside and it’s snowing again. The weather had been warmer the last few days and I was hoping winter was over, but I was wrong, of course. Oh well, I can still walk outside without feeling like I’m training for the Olympics. (By the way, you want to know why the Russians are always winning Ice Skating medals. Well here’s why: When you have to ice skate to work, school, and home everyday, you’re bound to pick up some cool moves…) Speaking of the Olympics, way too go America! We beat Russia in the amount of medals, so I’m happy. Why? Well because Russians are very proud people and every time they won a medal I heard about it. I heard through the whole 16 days of the Olympics, “Did you see how our hockey team beat the Americans,” “Did you see how our ice skater beat yours (like I own them),” “Well of course, we think the Russian should’ve won, not the Americans,” and my personal favorite, “We have the best athletes in the world and they are way better than the Americans!” Thus due to us ending up with more medals then the Russians, I’ve been able to say the following, “Well I’m glad that you guys think you’re so great but you want to know something? We “Americans” won more medals all around than you did. Oh and for your information, you guys lost the medal in hockey too!” (This happens to be a very touchy subject for them too, so I just have to bring it up –way to go Czech Republic!) So yeah, needless to say, the last 16 days have been rather heated for me whenever someone brought up the Olympics –isn’t it supposed to be a time when all countries come together and practice good sportsmanship?
Well I don’t know much else...or I should say I don’t have anything else to complain about and whatnot…thus, I’ll say poka (goodbye) for now. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to post anything more on the blog before I leave, but I will try. But if I’m unable to, I guess I’ll see you at the end of April!
The Waves…
Heaven be praised for solitude. Let me be alone. Let me cast and throw away this veil of being, this c loud that changes with the least breath, night and day, and all night and all day. While I sat here I have been changing. I have seen the sky change. I have seen clouds cover the stars, then free the stars, then cover the stars again. Now I look at their changing no more. Now no one sees me and I change no more. Heaven be praised for solitude that has removed the pressure of the eye, the solicitation of the body and all need of lies and phrases – Virginia Woolf, “The Waves”
When one spends as much time alone as I have of late, they begin to see life in a different way. Life for me now is not what life for me was. I have changed; changed into someone who many of you, who thought you knew me, might not recognize. Does this scare me? No not me, but maybe you. I can handle that many of you, who are reading this, may not relate to me the way you did before, or better I should say that I won’t be able to relate to you as I did before. I have grown, found a little of myself, but still not enough that I can say “James is this…,” and will not allow anyone or anything to change me back. I have spent many days and nights in complete solitude and as Virginia Woolf wrote over 70 years ago, “Heaven be praised for solitude.” I used to fear it, fear being alone long enough to let my mind wonder over everything that it wanted to but now I prefer time spent alone. This time has helped me in finding out many things, not only about myself but also about life in general. I, without anyone looking in on me, have found parts of myself I knew existed but because of the prying eyes was never able to acknowledge. I’ve also pondered over a lot of different subjects, including death and saying goodbye to those you love, and have realized that no matter how painful something is –a parting, a death, leaving somewhere/someone you know you’ll never see or talk to again – it is not the end. I, just like you, will continue to go on, to live. We all have things we must do, which keep us, like zombies, moving with the shitiness of life.
One reason these thoughts have been a constant droning sound in my mind is because in just two months I’ll be leaving Russia, and for what? I have no idea, as of yet, what I plan on doing. Many things are open to me right now, but at the same time I cannot just simply pinpoint what I want or what I don’t want to do. I’m excited about coming home because I do miss many things, but at the same time I feel that for me to stay in Pueblo, Colorado, and even possibly the USA will lead to me going crazy, at this point. So what will my future hold, who knows? I don’t, just like you don’t know what tomorrow will hold for you or your loved ones. I guess what I’m just trying to state within this blog, which might make no sense to some of you, is that by allowing oneself to truly grow, without others telling you (making you feel) that you should be this or that, you really find out about yourself and the world you’re living in. This is one of the many gifts my time in Russia has rendered me. I would like to go on trying to explain all I’ve learned, but none of you would understand it, not because I think you of as having a lower intelligence level then me (honestly, I feel incredibly stupid compared to many of you) but because what I’ve learned is different than what you must learn, or have learned, in this life. We are all separate, different from one another and thus living our own lives. Even though many times we feel that we are living a singular life with those around us, we aren’t. Each of us has been put onto this earth to live for ourselves and no one else. It may sound incredibly selfish, but we all should be selfish when it comes to our lives. If we don’t take advantages/chances for ourselves, because we are afraid that it may hurt someone we love (not in a physical way but an emotional one), than in the end it will only lead to your own unhappiness and destruction. I would like all of you to know that I love you more than words can say, but I will not live my life according to the rules that you, or society, try to lay down for me. I’m my own person and I know that now, so all those characters I was before I left will no longer be a part of me. I will no longer play the role of the student, the role of the child, the role of the writer, the role of the friend, the role of the-whatever as separate beings. They are all parts that make up me and even though some of those parts may offend those they weren’t meant for, I won’t try and hid them, I won’t be twenty different James as I was before, I’ll only be the one who I am now. You all can take or leave it, because we all must live in this world. The waves beat against us, forcing us to change, adapted, and eventually become the person we were meant to be. So as the tide comes in on my time here in Russia, I’m going to know so much more than I did before I came here about myself, about the world, and about the person that I want to be…
Russian Winter 101…
I had it coming, honestly. I should have known that whatever-higher-power-there-be was going to kick me in my ass sooner or later here in regards to the whole winter issue. Up till now, I have been enjoying a fairly warm winter, at times it was much warmer than in Pueblo and I often made jokes at the expense of my family and friends. Most of the jokes, I think comments is a much better word, went something like this: "Ha! I’m in Russia enjoying sunshine and warm temperatures, while you’re in Pueblo, Colorado and are much colder than I." I also often told those around me here about the weather conditions in Pueblo, and how everyone at home must be jealous of me. Well, no need to be jealous any more. If you haven’t heard on the news, because I really don’t know what the news in the States are saying about it or even if they’ve mentioned it, but Russia is in the midst of one of the coldest periods in its history. For over a week, all of Russia has been experiencing below average temperatures for this time of the year –in Rostov, it has been -25C for the last week (that is about -11F) and other parts of the country are even colder than that. It has been snowing practically non-stop and the wind chill alone is enough to freeze everyone to death; in fact, all over the country there have been deaths (over 40 so far) due to the cold.
Now it would be out of character for me to complain about such conditions…okay, who the hell am I kidding? I love complaining so I’m going to get a few things off my chest about this weather. First off, it is practically impossible, it must defy all rules of nature, to be this cold for so long. In Colorado, it may get cold, even freezing, but not for this long. After a day or two of dealing with this sort of weather at home, its over and the sun is out warming everything up. But NO…it couldn’t possible do that here, could it? That would be asking way too much. That would be like asking to find sliced bread here in the "supermarket," which you NEVER can. Now to be truthful, experiencing this sort of weather was fun for me the first few days, but now its just a pain… Every morning it’s the same thing, I wake up shaking because my room, even though I have central heating and a space heater going, has turned into a refrigerator; then I must put on almost every article of clothing, seriously I put on at least six layers of clothing before going outside; and then I must traverse snow and ice that lines the sidewalks, sometimes the snow comes up to my knees, because the Russian government won’t spend money or time on paying people to clean the sidewalks or streets (we Americans have nothing to complain about because at least we know if it snows a lot, the plows will be out by early morning at least attempting to clean the streets for us). This is enough to drive anyone mad, especially when mixed with a little cabin fever, which I’ve been dealing with for awhile now, and not to mention the fact I’m not the most sane person I know…
Anyway, on a lighter note…oh wait, there is no light note. Let’s see what else would you all find interesting, because I’m sure you’re all laughing at imagining my life right now, so laugh on. Although it is this unnaturally cold and drifting snow has almost made visibility out my window zero, I still have been out in the weather quite a bit. In fact, life goes on here and Russians are all walking around acting as if it’s the middle of summer, well except they are wearing a lot of clothing –they maybe crazy but they’re not insane, they know how to dress for this weather. Everyday, I have gone out at least once for a few hours to go shopping for food, look for something to keep me busy, or to come to the department to e-mail and do some work on the internet. I guess I have become a little Russian in spirits anyway, because although I find this all inconvenient I still continue to live life everyday. Of course, I can’t stand the coldness as much as my Russian peers and often have ran back into my room to spend many hours staring at the walls in the hope of not turning into an icicle. All in all though, I have to say that I wouldn’t have experienced life in Russia without putting up with its notorious winter, so I’m a little glad that I am doing it right now. Plus, wait till I get back, you guys are going to love some of the stories I have about this last week…
I have to keep some secrets about life here, or I’ll have nothing to talk to you guys about when I return. So with all this said, I need to start a small fire in my room’s trashcan or I’ll be coming back as an unflavored popsicle…
Look for pictures soon of the Russian Winter!
Let’s see if I can get through this one…
I know, I know, I know, I’ve been really bad about keeping this blog updated, especially lately, but sometimes it’s so boring to rehash all the stuff that has taken place in my mind. Yet, I started this blog in order to keep you all up to speed on what has taken place in my life and also what life here in Russia is like. Stating that I’m going to try and cover a lot of ground, including holidays, my trip to Moscow, and just my impressions of Russia and the Russian people now halfway through my stay. I can’t promise this is going to be at all coherent, as I’m dealing with a nasty cold I caught in Moscow; however, I’ll do my best to be clear and also maybe a little entertaining. So let’s get started…
David, my creative writing professor and good friend, told me before I left to try and stay in the town I’m living in, Rostov, over the holidays, especially Christmas. Well I tried, but sort of failed at it since I spent most of the Russian holiday season, which is December 31st to January 7th, in Moscow. He advised me to do this so that I would see the traditions and customs of the Russian people during their own special holidays, and although I didn’t follow his advise fully I still feel that I somewhat understand the people and their holidays well. In all honesty, they are the same as ours. Everyone has this sort of blindfold on about the holiday season and how great it is suppose to be –you know full of peace and love and friendship and all that nice pretty non-existing crap –but then when the holidays actually arrive it is full of drama and hateful speech. Yep, it’s the same here as at home, which although being at home during the holidays is often a headache waiting to happen, I really missed it this year and wished I was there. Now in Russia, New Year is bigger than Christmas, because of the simple fact that during Communism they were not allowed to celebrate Christmas. Since they were denied to celebrate Christmas for so long, the Russian people sort of adopted the New Year as their biggest holiday. During New Year, they give and receive presents, spend it often with their family before seeing their friends, and put the Christmas tree up for it specially. All I can say about this holiday is that I was expecting so much more from the Russians than I actually got. I’m mean this is a nation that parties all the time, for any little holiday or celebration they hold elaborate parties and often shoot off fireworks. With all that I’ve seen of the Russian mentality concerning parties, and what I’ve been told by students and colleagues alike, I was expecting complete madness. What I got was, in my humble impression, less that what we do in the States, especially the younger generations. I mean me and my friends at home typically go crazy for New Year, and here I hardly can say I had a great time. Don’t get me wrong, I had a pretty good time but I was let down by the build up everyone was dishing me. Anyway, I guess when you’re fond of something, like I am the way we Americans celebrate New Year, everything that tries to compare with it is less than spectacular.
Another reason that I may not have been too excited about the New Year celebration was because I knew that on the 2nd I had a long trip to Moscow coming. Alina and I, both having registered to take the GRE (let’s not talk about how that turned out, okay?), left to Moscow on the 2nd and we spent an entire five days there, not returning until early the 7th. Moscow was, quite simply, the best city I’ve ever seen. London and Edinburgh, although close to my heart, do not compare to the greatness of Moscow. This city has been around forever, and I do mean forever. There is so much history held within Moscow that its hard to try and ignore it. If you’ve ever stood in the middle of Red Square and just taken it all in, you know what I mean. That square alone is enough for anyone to stop and think to themselves, “Jesus, this is so amazingly cool…” I can’t really describe, at least in prose, what I felt while seeing Red Square. I had to go back twice and I still can’t really explain my feelings adequately about that place, it is just FUCKING INSANE, for those of you who aren’t up to date with slang that means “really good.” I’m sorry to use such strong language, but other than that two word expression words fail me when trying to describe this feeling. Not only was Red Square cool, but everything I saw in Moscow was really unbelievable. Several times I had to just stop and think to myself, “Man, James, look where you are. Can you believe this? Who would have ever thought?” The entire trip is still too fresh in my mind and its hard for me to write about it, although I’m trying through poetry because I feel that is my best way to express myself, that I feel myself coming to a loss of things to say here. I apologize but when I return home if any of you are interested in asking me about my trip, I’m sure I’ll be more than happy to speak with you (if for no other reason than that you all speak English as your native language and I miss the opportunity to speak with anyone and everyone, although I hardly do that at home…)
Since I can’t really put down what I want to say about Moscow, I guess I’ll change subjects and speak about my first real experience on a train and then coming back to Rostov. I have never traveled on a train, like many of us think of them as. In England and Scotland, I rode on trains but they were commuter trains and were quite uncomfortable. However, the train I rode on to and from Moscow was really different. It was a train with individual compartments, like you see in movies about the west, and they had places one could sleep. I found the train rides really relaxing, since I’ve always loved to fall asleep in moving vehicles (well besides planes). When I was younger, my mom, to put me asleep, would drive around for hours and I always loved sleeping while in motion. Well a train ride is so much better. You have hours and hours of traveling and a nice comfy bedlike couch that will help you spread out and relax. After studying some with Alina, on the way to Moscow, I put on my iPod and just laid looking out the window at the night sky passing me by. I feel asleep pretty fast and had a great sleep. My only complaint about the train is that the food is worse than plane food. I highly recommend, if any of you will ever be traveling on a train in Russia (hey don’t rule it out, things can happen and you never know), that you pack food for the ride with you. Trust me, you’ll be a lot happier and your stomach will be too. Traveling by train, in my opinion, really helped me to understand the Russians, and perhaps even feel a little more Russian, than if I had traveled by plane. This train experience will always be something that I remember and tell people, “You know, when I was 23, I took an 11 hour train ride across Russia. It was really something…”
On the way back, however, I was less thrilled with the train ride but that is only because something non-related with the train occurred. While Alina and I were settling in for the long ride back to Rostov, two police officers entered our compartment. Now if you’ve never dealt with Russian police or if you know little about them, let me fill you in on one very important thing. Russian police are all corrupt, everyone here will tell you that and its sort of a know thing throughout the world that if you’re foreign you should avoid the police. Up till this point, I had done a great job of escaping the police in Rostov. But this day, my luck ran out. The two police entered our compartment and asked to see our documents. No problem, right? I mean I have all the necessary documents to be here in Russia, including a valid passport and visa. Well the police did not thing that was enough. They kept trying to say that there was something wrong with my paperwork, which of course I knew there wasn’t. I had been reassured by many people at the University, including Galina, that my paperwork was in order and that I was legal here in Russia. Well the police kept trying to tell us that something was wrong with my visa and that I wasn’t suppose to be in the country at this time. Whatever! They told us that the fine for being in the country with an invalid visa was 2200 rubles, which is roughly 66 dollars. Luckily, Alina was with me and said that she needed to call her dad before she could pay them. Knowing that all they were after was our money, she did call her dad and all was resolved shortly after that. The police didn’t bother us for the rest of the trip and when we arrived in Rostov, Alina’s father and Galina both made sure they were punished by their superiors for their actions. A funny note about this run-in was that when Alina’s father approached the two police men, they became so scared and their faces showed it. Granted, Alina’s father is a big guy, but the expression on the police officers’ faces was priceless –just wish I had taken a picture of them.
That’s it for now. I hope you understand a little more about life here in Russia for me, although there is so much more that I’ll just have to explain when I return home. I also hope that you were entertained by my adventures, because even though at times I am rather upset by things taking place here in my life, I know in the long run they are only making me a stronger, better person. As of this date, I’m halfway through my trip here and even though I’ll be happy to return home, I’m sure that it will be hard for me to leave Russia behind. Until next time, have a great day and keep in touch…
