Part 1It’s a bit nerve-racking coming to a country which you know nothing about save the few lessons in World Cultures and American History. Although the latter was mainly about the cold war and didn’t necessarily paint a flattering picture. Most people I talked to seemed to have certain ideas and opinions, some of which were ignorant and borderline offensive. Of course it isn’t the first time I’ve heard such statements about places I wanted to go to or things I wanted to do. I tried my best not to let such preconceived notions (including my own) faze me. So with a few encouraging nudges from a favorite French teacher and well-meaning friends, I was off on a new adventure.
It started with a hitch.I’ve been blessed with wonderful friends wherever I go. And in Russia, I can add strangers to the list. I don’t know how hard my mom was praying, but I swear, whenever I was in a difficult situation, there was always someone to help me, right from the beginning. I was faced with a problem as soon as I touched down in Domodedovo airport in Moscow. Despite putting Yekaterinburg down for my final destination and having the luggage tags that said as such, I had to recheck my luggage for my connecting flight. Apparently my initial airline did not have any agreement with the domestic airline I was to take. Without knowing any of this, I coolly walked through passport control, past baggage claim and went straight to one of the official counters for my next flight. There, to my disbelief, the lady in the counter did not speak English nor did the lady next to her. They finally called in this older Russian male who explained to me in broken English the aforementioned details about luggage. I had to go to some subsection in the airport and retrieve it. None of the people I tried to speak to while searching for this obscure subsection seemed to know English including the information counter. My enquiries were all returned with a shrug. As I walked through the airport, a feeling of ‘what did I get myself into’ started overwhelming me. It was during this helpless state, a familiar looking woman and young girl stopped me. “Are you okay? You were on our flight, weren’t you?” she questioned. They had sat across from me in the nearly empty plane. I hastily explained my dilemma and they said they were facing the same. Fortunately, they were Russian American and they knew the language. So through their help, my first crisis on Russian soil was averted. I spent my remaining time in Domodedovo with this guardian angel and her child, filing away all the advice she had to share.
There’s only two weeks of summer. #Yekaterinburgjokes Or maybe it’s a pan-Russian joke. I’m not sure. Ironically, the summer I arrived in Yekaterinburg turned out to be one of the hottest on record. Normally, during the summer, skies are cloudy and there’s a high chance of rain like the day I arrived. Accompanying this mood is a brisk wind. To me, the weather had echoes of the UK, especially London. It’s not often the city gets warm weather so the locals savor the little sun they get. And you can see this in their clothing. As soon as there’s a hint of sunshine, short shorts and tang tops come out. However, this liberty in apparel choices often leads to coughing, sneezing, and all-round unwellness.
The Time I Couldn’t Find my Flat or How I Learned to Pick a LockI was a bit wary when I first saw the apartment building and its surroundings. It looked old, rundown and frankly, shady. There was graffiti everywhere. Still, it had its charm. Almost all the flats in a particular area look the same and you’d be hard pressed to find yours if you accidentally get off at the wrong stop. I say this because it has happened to me… once. When I couldn’t get past the entrance, I realized I had the wrong building. From then on, I kept the little magazine (store) near my building in mind as a landmark as well as the painted tires. They never steered me wrong, well, at least until winter. The unique thing about the apartment building (maybe all the buildings) is the security. There are three separate keys you must use to enter the flat. The first is almost like a button, you have to scan it to enter the building. The second key (perhaps not everybody has this) is longer, it’s for the door before your door. It’s a bit tricky to open and it almost seems as if you are picking the lock. And the third is obviously the key to your door.
When Language is No Barrier
I got a taste of the language barrier at Domodedovo and that was in the capital of the country. So one can easily imagine what it might be like in a smaller city. The English speaking population is miniscule. Despite this, I was surprised how little I relied on my google translate to help me along. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I kept buying Газированная вода “water with gas” rather than “drinking water” Негазированная вода and “yogurt” Йогурт instead of “milk” Молоко. I only knew a few unnecessary words and basic phrases that would do little to help me in real life scenarios. I mean, the word chuvak which means “dude”. It’s fun to say and a great way to break the ice and get some laughs, but it doesn’t assist in everyday conversation. For some reason, I learned to say “I don’t know Russian” in Russian. I learned to say it so well, I left several Babushkas and a hostel manager in Moscow confused. “But you’re speaking Russian?” Their eyes said.
Original link
It started with a hitch.I’ve been blessed with wonderful friends wherever I go. And in Russia, I can add strangers to the list. I don’t know how hard my mom was praying, but I swear, whenever I was in a difficult situation, there was always someone to help me, right from the beginning. I was faced with a problem as soon as I touched down in Domodedovo airport in Moscow. Despite putting Yekaterinburg down for my final destination and having the luggage tags that said as such, I had to recheck my luggage for my connecting flight. Apparently my initial airline did not have any agreement with the domestic airline I was to take. Without knowing any of this, I coolly walked through passport control, past baggage claim and went straight to one of the official counters for my next flight. There, to my disbelief, the lady in the counter did not speak English nor did the lady next to her. They finally called in this older Russian male who explained to me in broken English the aforementioned details about luggage. I had to go to some subsection in the airport and retrieve it. None of the people I tried to speak to while searching for this obscure subsection seemed to know English including the information counter. My enquiries were all returned with a shrug. As I walked through the airport, a feeling of ‘what did I get myself into’ started overwhelming me. It was during this helpless state, a familiar looking woman and young girl stopped me. “Are you okay? You were on our flight, weren’t you?” she questioned. They had sat across from me in the nearly empty plane. I hastily explained my dilemma and they said they were facing the same. Fortunately, they were Russian American and they knew the language. So through their help, my first crisis on Russian soil was averted. I spent my remaining time in Domodedovo with this guardian angel and her child, filing away all the advice she had to share.
There’s only two weeks of summer. #Yekaterinburgjokes Or maybe it’s a pan-Russian joke. I’m not sure. Ironically, the summer I arrived in Yekaterinburg turned out to be one of the hottest on record. Normally, during the summer, skies are cloudy and there’s a high chance of rain like the day I arrived. Accompanying this mood is a brisk wind. To me, the weather had echoes of the UK, especially London. It’s not often the city gets warm weather so the locals savor the little sun they get. And you can see this in their clothing. As soon as there’s a hint of sunshine, short shorts and tang tops come out. However, this liberty in apparel choices often leads to coughing, sneezing, and all-round unwellness.
The Time I Couldn’t Find my Flat or How I Learned to Pick a LockI was a bit wary when I first saw the apartment building and its surroundings. It looked old, rundown and frankly, shady. There was graffiti everywhere. Still, it had its charm. Almost all the flats in a particular area look the same and you’d be hard pressed to find yours if you accidentally get off at the wrong stop. I say this because it has happened to me… once. When I couldn’t get past the entrance, I realized I had the wrong building. From then on, I kept the little magazine (store) near my building in mind as a landmark as well as the painted tires. They never steered me wrong, well, at least until winter. The unique thing about the apartment building (maybe all the buildings) is the security. There are three separate keys you must use to enter the flat. The first is almost like a button, you have to scan it to enter the building. The second key (perhaps not everybody has this) is longer, it’s for the door before your door. It’s a bit tricky to open and it almost seems as if you are picking the lock. And the third is obviously the key to your door.
When Language is No Barrier
I got a taste of the language barrier at Domodedovo and that was in the capital of the country. So one can easily imagine what it might be like in a smaller city. The English speaking population is miniscule. Despite this, I was surprised how little I relied on my google translate to help me along. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I kept buying Газированная вода “water with gas” rather than “drinking water” Негазированная вода and “yogurt” Йогурт instead of “milk” Молоко. I only knew a few unnecessary words and basic phrases that would do little to help me in real life scenarios. I mean, the word chuvak which means “dude”. It’s fun to say and a great way to break the ice and get some laughs, but it doesn’t assist in everyday conversation. For some reason, I learned to say “I don’t know Russian” in Russian. I learned to say it so well, I left several Babushkas and a hostel manager in Moscow confused. “But you’re speaking Russian?” Their eyes said.
Original link
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