The Day I Decide to go Shopping in Moscow

Well, first of all, before I launch into the shopping expedition story, let me update you on my arrival to Moscow and the U.S. Embassy.

My Flight: The good, the bad, and the .... foggy?

I left Chicago's O'Hare International Airport at around 5pm (Chicago time) on a British Airways 747 jumbo jet. My destination: Heathrow Airport in London. Luckily my baggage did not go over the weight limit and the attendant manning the check in desk was friendly and placed me in a "great seat" for both legs of the flight. I had a nice man from Africa who spoke no english sit two seats down from me (I had the window seat). Once everyone had boarded, the captain announced that we had a very unusually light flight, so if we wanted to move around and occupy the empty seats we were allowed to do so. I would say the plane was at 65% capacity - the first time I have ever seen empty seats in the economy section of a plane! What I liked about this jet was that it had the new "On Demand" personal screens installed in the seat in front of you, which led me to watch several movies instead of sleep (Run Fatboy Run - a British comedy, Sense and Sensibility - great period film with Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson, and several TV shows). The staff on the BA flight was SUPER nice and attentive to any and all needs - they even roamed around the cabin with juice and water to make sure we stayed hydrated! Even when explaining that our flight would be delayed in arriving to the airport due to fog delays on the ground, the captain was cordial. We circled around a VERY foggy London (you could see the lights as a blur under the fog/clouds, indicating major roadways and the commercial hubs of the city) for about a half hour and finally left the plane at 6:45 am. My connecting flight left at 8:40am, so I was very anxious to get to my next terminal and make it for the flight.

Suffice it to say that after 6 hours in the air without sleep, I practically sleepwalked down the hall to the "Flight Connector" that would take me to the other terminal. I was supposed to leave terminal 4 (where the BA flight had landed) and take a bus to terminal 1, go through a security screening, and then go to the gate for the flight to Moscow. What actually happened was that I wandered down the path for terminal 4 (instead of terminal 1), went through security, found myself in terminal 4, checked my instructions, realized that I needed to be in terminal 1, ran back through the screening area, back down the path I mistakenly took, down the right path to the bus that would connect me to terminal 1. I rode the bus, disembarked, went through terminal 1's security screening, ran to the main part of the terminal and saw that the announcement board would not be posting which gate my plane to Moscow was at until 7:55 am. It was 7:00 and I was out of breath and half awake. I walked around the airport, had something to eat, and glared at the board until the magical time of 7:55. "Gate 38" appeared at 7:56, and I grabbed my carry on and practically ran to the gate, which was found on the other side of the terminal. When I arrived, the flight attendant was busily trying to explain that there had been a mistake and the plane sitting at gate 38 was not our plane. Our plane was going to be delayed (again - due to fog delays, our plane - which was being towed across the airport - had the lowest priority and had to wait on the side while higher priority planes landed or took off from the runways), and she didn't know for how long. She did make it clear that our plane would be found at this gate, so I walked back dejectedly to the main part of the terminal to await further instructions from the board. At 8:40 am, Gate 38 reappeared, and I, again - not wanting to miss my flight - hurriedly fast-walked to the gate only to find EVERYONE standing in two long lines waiting to board the plane. I decided to make a quick bathroom run while the line shortened, and when I exited the restroom and glanced at the board, my flight was CLOSING! AHHHH! I RAN BACK DOWN THE LONG HALLWAY, MY LUGGAGE SQUEALING BEHIND ME, CURSING MYSELF FOR TAKING THE FIVE MINUTES TO BRUSH MY TEETH AND THEN I ROUNDED THE CORNER and saw the line was still there. Another out of breath flyer came up behind me, commenting "You know I knew that they probably weren't closing the door, but with them, you don't want to risk it." I agreed and we both laughed in between gasps. I boarded and promptly fell asleep - no personal screens and empty seats on this flight. All I remember before falling asleep was the sound of the taped Russian translation of the crew's welcome. Before I knew it, we were touching down in the Russian countryside, our six hour trip to Moscow ending.











After going through another round of screening and passport control, I finally met my supervisor, Tim Birner, and we grabbed my two suitcases and made our way out of Domodoyevo Airport - located on the outskirts of Moscow. The ride into the city was pleasant as the driver knew the roads and expertly managed the traffic we encountered. I saw many buildings as we approached the Embassy, with Tim providing the commentary. I was here! I was finally in Moscow! I checked into the housing provided for me on the Embassy compound as well as got a run-down of checking in the next morning. I promptly fell asleep after unpacking my suitcases and welcome kit.

First Week
Although I cannot say a lot about my position or the work I have been assigned, I can say that this first week, so far, has been very busy but informative. There has been a lot of paperwork, many new faces, new tasks to learn and new assignments to complete. I've already had my Russian skills put to use! All in all, my expectations have been met and in some cases, exceeded. There is a lot going on in Moscow and many issues - not just the political ones - resonate in the various sections within the Embassy. It will be a very interesting and exciting time to be working in Moscow at the U.S. Embassy!

Sticker Shock
I blame jet lag for my lack of motivation to go on the metro or spend the evening sightseeing - but today I ran out of the roll of toilet paper that I brought from home and needed to go shopping. I and another intern decided to walk to the Ramstore, a 24 hour supermarket a few blocks from the Embassy compound. It had been lightly snowing all afternoon, so when we finally ventured outside the gates, the sidewalks were slippery and we trudged along in our boots past the metro station and around kiosks. The store, on the outside, looked deceivingly small, but once we made our way inside, we found the store not only extended back, but also down - into a basement the same size as the ground floor. As everything was marked in Rubles and I was unfamiliar with the exchange rate, I wandered around with my friend and picked essential foodstuffs not provided to us on our arrival, constantly asking her whether the price was reasonable. My basket was heavy when we approached the cashier and I hoped that my 800 Rubles (about $30), would be enough. It wasn't, and when I tried to explain to her in broken Russian that I only had 800 and not the 1000 Rubles the total indicated, she somehow understood and when to get the manager to reverse the sale. She dug through my bags and found the most expensive item - a package of 6 tomatoes on the vine - which cost me about 300 Rubles - that's 12 DOLLARS for six small tomatoes. WOAH. As she rang up my new total she gave me a lecture in Russian on how the packaged tomatoes are expensive and that next time I should bag my own from the bin. Meanwhile, those in line muttered under their breaths about my foolishness - but to be honest, I couldn't care less! I had just made my first purchase in a Russian supermarket! I gratefully thanked the cashier as I walked away, my arms weighted down with my bags full of food and toilet paper.

Pictures from my flight and apartment have been uploaded - see the slideshow in the adjacent column. I have signed up for several tours and excursions this weekend - followed by a Super Bowl party on Monday night - please, no spoilers! More pictures and posts to follow!

~Monica