D.C. to Moscow

  I began Wednesday morning by watching the sun rise over the Lincoln and Washington Memorials in Washington, D.C. around 5:30 a.m. EST. The sun stayed with me through about 11:30 p.m. (The second photo was taken at 10:45 p.m. outside of my dorm room) Thursday in Moscow, where the city is 8 hours ahead of the East Coast. The uneventful flight took 10 hours to get to Moscow. Upon arrival at Domodedovo airport there were no issues with papers or customs, so myself and the entire group sailed through the process. The other international airport in Moscow is Sheremetevo 2, which is located to the north of the city, but it has become run down in recent years and many airlines have switched to Domodedovo.

Staff members from Moscow State University picked us up at the airport, which is south of the city, for the 45-minute journey to the outskirts of the city. Our dormitory building is where the university houses visiting faculty so it is much nicer by Russian standards than student housing.

Upon arrival the first order of business was the assignment of rooms. Mine is on the 13th floor of a 14th floor building. Its size is typical of a single dorm room in the United States. It has a mini-fridge, private bath, , a computer, single-bed, a balcony that overlooks an industrial area / rail yard / busy highway, and an excellent desk for school work.

After settling in the group went out walking to a small shopping area to exchange dollars for rubles, get Metro tickets, and obtain dinner. This was my first exposure to the Russian culture and its people. I would compare the area we are staying to an industrial / blue-collar area of a major city in the United States. The majority of Russians that I saw appeared to be working class. Of course as the days continue my impressions will surely change as I have more to compare them against.

Despite all the warnings against appearing to be Americans it is impossible to shield our group from looking like a group of Americans. I witnessed many stares from young people to older adults. Not being familiar with the culture or language I am always on my guard to avoid being taken advantage of by a con artist, which - unfortunately - is a common occurrence. As mentioned by my resident director, "Always be aware of your surroundings."

I had an excellent - but small - dinner at a hole-in-the-wall type of restaurant. The fare consisted of cold marinated salads of fresh vegetables, and a small patty of seasoned veal meatloaf. I cannot wait for tomorrow and see what is available to eat downtown nearby the university.

Having been up for over 24 hours all of us returned to our dorms to unpack and crash for the night. This was easier said than done because of Moscow's northern position, the sunlight doesn't fully recede until well after 11 p.m. This only further messed with my body's internal clock. However, I did fall asleep after midnight, and as of 5:30 a.m. Friday I feel that I am back on my normal schedule and ready for the day's work.

The sign above us reads: "Higher School of Economics, Professors' Lodging." In Moscow everything is taken seriously so we decided to act serious while waiting for room assignments.