Welcome to Moscow

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Ok well today is day number 3. So i'll detail my adventures thus far. Got out of Dulles OK, landed at heathrow. Totally lost. circle through the whole of terminal 2 twice, including airport security, thanks to dickhead security guard who didnt' really help. the second time i ask him for help he tells me to just go to the gate and tell them i don't have a boarding pass. i tell them, and they respond that i can get on but i won't have my bags cuz everyone has gone home. great. so i get on the plane, hoping against hope that they've been loaded already. so i get to Sheremetyevo and hope that they come, but they don't. so i thankfully the woman at the lost and found speaks pretty good english so i get the forms filled out and leave.

here are the top ten events that show that russians don't give a crap about anything!

1. Four different old people just walk to the front of the line at Passportnyi Kontrol. We yell at them. they yell back like we're the jerks.
2. Woman at lost and found tells me to get a form stamped by the customs officer. I go to customs past two people sitting and reading the newspaper who don't so much as even look at me. she comes running after me telling me that THEY are the ones who stamp me. this is CUSTOMS. don't you think they'd be a little more diligent?
3. My driver speeds through moscow, almost hits three different cars. somehow i laugh and feel totally safe.
4. people are parked out in the middle-turn lane because there are no spaces in a parking lot at the university
5. some motorcyclists(who apparently all hang out outside the Univ.) are stopped in the middle of the road just chatting.
6. My bags were supposed to come between "1.30 and 7.30", arrived at 4, i was too late returning from Kremlin to claim them, so they call my director who informs me that they'll return "in a couple of hours." at 8 he calls me back to tell me they'll come "sometime after 11 or maybe during the night." apparently i've run out of money on my phone so Josh(director)'s calls don't reach me at 1.30am to tell me they're here. Rob comes up to inform me they're here. i rush down and get my stuff. Yes.
7,8,9,10. I'll think of something.

Anyway that was the story of the bags. finally got them, took a shower this morning and put on new clothes. Mmmm.

Did the kremlin tour yesterday, it was great. we didn't stay long enough though, cuz we had to meet our directors who finally seem to care about us. they pretty much abandoned Rob when he arrived three weeks ago, which doesn't bode well. But anyway...

today went to the philological office, to get Student ID and class schedule. have Russian Music class at 3 today, so i'm going to that after i pay for the vegetable burrito i just ate here in the Studentcheskoe Kafe.

Getting along well enough....the most important people speak english so i can get along like that. Haven't been eating very much but hey, i could stand it.

more to come later,
love you all,
Mark Markovich.

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Comments

[andrew]

eh
f1rst p0st. finally.

[mikhail]

if only...
he'd post again.

[Mom]

Hunger
Maybe those cargo pants will fit when you get back!!