Lessons Learned

After a week on the road, Natalie and I have finally arrived in Saint Petersburg, Russia. We’ve braved Brooklyn and taken on Moscow, connecting with old friends and exploring new places. Here are lessons learned in this, our first week.

Lesson One: Make sure your cab driver knows you are going to Brooklyn, not Manhattan.

Sipping glasses of Shiraz, Natalie and I said goodbye to friends at our going away soiree in the Seatac airport. Somehow we had managed to get our bags down to just 50lbs each, check them in, and were enjoying our last few hours in the PNW with good company. We were then herded onto the plane where we immediately fell asleep until touching down in New York City the next morning. Despite being somewhat groggy, we managed to find all of our luggage and cram it into a cab headed for Brooklyn…or so we thought. Just before being dropped off on Madison Avenue in Manhattan (vs. Madison Street in Brooklyn) I read the correct cross-streets to our cab driver who (I swear) stared at me for a full 3 minutes before exclaiming “You never said Brooklyn!” Now I know, always tell the cabbie Brooklyn. But really, how many Madison Streets can there be?

Lesson Two: Go to Red Square 3-hours early. Or Don’t. (You’ll still have an epic New Year Celebration)

After 24 hours spent exploring Moscow and fighting jet lag, we decided there was no other way to celebrate a Russian New Year than to head to Красная Плошадь (Red Square). From the crowds, the fireworks and speeches from Medvedev, it is on every Russophile’s bucket list. Hopping off the metro at 10:30 p.m. we were met by a massive and unruly crowd attempting their way into Red Square. Between the wall of police who stood in front of a wall of metal detectors, and the mob filling the square, there was little hope that we would make it those extra 20 feet into Красная Плошадь. Rather than head home or argue with the police, most Russians decided to set up camp right there and begin celebrating. Fireworks were going off all around us, people were cheering and singing, and you could hear the popping of champagne bottles. Joining in the festivities, we befriended a troop of Russians visiting from Nizhni Novgorod and celebrated in true Russian fashion. There is no greater way to bring in the New Year than to be surrounded by such history and such joy.

Lesson Three: Pack Light

Certainly this is something every traveler knows. And while I’ve done the 9-month backpacking trip where all you take is all you can carry, moving is a whole other animal. Between baggage check and the many cab rides we had to take, luggage expenses were adding up. Fortunately, I had bought us the cheapest train ticket from Moscow to Saint Petersburg that I could find, although cheaper definitely meant less storage space. I decided to inquire at the train station about checking our luggage in a baggage car, which would also be a true test of my Russian. After a dismal trip to the station where every cashier and information desk sent me to someone different, I gave up on the idea of a baggage car and decided to interpret their ramblings as “figure it out on the train.” We managed to catch our 3:00 a.m. train, but just as I has feared, there was no place for all of our luggage to go. Despite a serious show of strength in which we hoisted as much luggage as would fit in the overhead space, we were left with one giant suitcase weighing somewhere between 80-100lbs.  There was no space left and no strength left to find it a home on the crowded train. And just like that, our neighbors had a quick discussion after which the man grabbed the massive suitcase (despite my protests that it was too heavy) and, as though it was a feather, tossed it up into his own overhead storage space. Somehow our pitiful situation had cracked their cold Russian exterior and we were saved! It was when the woman across from us gave us chocolate that I really knew they loved us.

Lesson Four: HIV has no stereotype

Met at the train station by an E.V.A. employee, we caught our final cab (hallelujah!) to the E.V.A. office and our apartment. With little idea of what our living situation would be like, I can easily say that the apartment beat all expectations. Spacious, filled with HIV prevention paraphernalia, and very Russian, it was no stretch to imagine this as our home and work place for the next year. After dropping our luggage in our room, we joined a celebration for a women’s HIV support group. To begin this experience surrounded by women from all different walks of life, yet who are all infected by HIV, was a reminder that this disease has no one face and no one stereotype. Throughout this next year, as I listen to the stories of women and children affected by HIV, I know that my own story will change and grow because of them.