Danielle's First Impressions of Sochi

My very first look at Sochi was at night after our 29 1/2 hour train ride. Mark's generous boss picked us up and drove us around a bit before taking us to see our flat for the first time. The first thing I remember is driving down one of the busy streets and noticing how beautiful this place is. The amount of trees was surprising. Many of the streets in Sochi center are covered with tree canopies. They are lit at night and it creates a beautiful ambiance. Remember, this was my very first impression of Sochi and I hadn't spent any time here yet.

We have been living in Sochi for almost three months now. It is a very interesting place. Out of all of the places we have been, we describe it as a mixture of three: Doha, Thailand and Mexico. Doha because of all of the ridiculous construction going on and the way it makes everything dirty. Thailand because of the sub-tropical foliage. There are evergreen trees right next to palm trees with squirrels running from one to the other. There are also magnolia trees, fruit trees and bamboo  growing everywhere. And, it's like Mexico because of all of the wares being sold on the street and the pushy people selling them. You name it, you can probably buy it on the street. We really thought of Mexico when we passed a couple of huge outdoor marts off of the side of the road selling ceramic crap. You could buy anything from garden gnomes and piggy banks to a life-sized horse or tiger and a gigantic ice cream cone. There is also an element of unsavory characters that reminds us of Mexico and is the first time we experienced it since living in Russia. This requires us to be even more aware of our surroundings than we did in Moscow.

Sochi has little flat ground. You are either going up or down a hill. This makes for some good work outs walking around town. What makes this place suitable for the Winter Games is how it goes from the sea to the hills to the mountains in a matter of 2 or 3 kilometers. This terrain makes it challenging to get around. We were told that last year there was snow on the palm trees by the sea. We will see how our first winter in Sochi plays out. So far, we have just had some rain; just enough rain to still love the rainy days. It has been quite pleasant so far.

The traffic in Sochi is unbelievable! We thought the driving and traffic was bad in Doha. It doesn't even compare to what we experience here. The infrastructure is just not enough to handle the amount of cars on the road. Plus, the quality of the roads is atrocious. There is a road that leads out what we call the "back way" from our apartment. We were driving it the other day and there was a stretch of about 150 meters that was literally under at least a foot of water and it hadn't rained in days. We were lucky to make it through. People park and drive wherever they want. If you double park and block someone in, it's ok; just leave your phone number on the dash. That makes it fine that you just inconvenienced someone by parking behind them. It is a free-for-all sometimes. Lanes are merely a suggestion around here.

If we had to choose one thing that we could really do without, it is the fact that we lose power so often. Some weeks, we are without power every other day. The longest we have gone without power consecutively is 2 1/2 days. We have been told that occasional power outages are normal. However, the outages that we are experiencing are not. We live on the thirteenth floor of our building, so losing power so often becomes very frustrating. The girls are starting to really hate walking up and down thirteen flights of stairs. And, so are we.

The people in Sochi seem to mostly be more accepting than what we experienced in Moscow. With the language barrier, we have had a lot of people try to help or just laugh at the awkward situation of not understanding each other. We don't get the attitudes toward us that we did in Moscow and this is genuinely appreciated.

All in all, Sochi is an interesting place. I am sure it will bring many adventures while we are here.

We Moved to Sochi

We moved to Sochi on September 13, 2012. We made the decision to take the train from Moscow to Sochi instead of flying. A couple factors went into this decision. Mark had quite a few business trips to and from Sochi before we moved. He discovered that the planes are very small and usually hot. We didn't want the girls to have any issues in the baggage area.

We had moved a lot of our stuff down to Sochi before we actually made the final move with help from some friends and a few business trips. Mark would bring down a bag or two each trip. With the help of our friends, we were actually able to get quite a lot down to Sochi. However, there is just some stuff you can't send weeks in advance so we still had a bit of luggage. We would have had to pay a lot of money in extra baggage, had we flown.

Financially, the plane vs. train options came out to about the same. We had to buy out all four berths in the train because of the dogs. However, since we did this, we had  a lot of room for the rest of our luggage. Even with buying all four berths, we paid about the same as we would have if we paid for two plane tickets, the extra fees for the dogs and all of the extra luggage fees. Plus, we had been wanting to take a train, so this was our chance!

Danielle booked the train tickets through Express to Russia www.expresstorussia.com. They were extremely helpful. Danielle started out by using the chat feature on their website to ask all of her ridiculous questions. Then we communicated via email and phone to do the actual reservation. Everyone she talked to spoke great English and were very happy to help. We would recommend this website to anyone wanting to purchase train tickets in Russia.

 Our Berth

The train ride was 29 1/2 hours. We got on the train at Kurskaya Station. The conductors assigned to our train car were very nice. They spoke less English then we do Russian but we managed to get on and get settled. We made sure to have the schedule of stops we would make in advance (provided by Olga from Express to Russia). The schedule showed where, what time and how long each stop would be. This allowed us to plan out which stops we would get out with the girls to let them do their business.

Our berth was very nice. We were in a second class berth and we were pleasantly surprised at the size and cleanliness of the train. They provided clean sheets and blankets, towels and a little travel kit which included a toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb, wet naps, cotton swabs, a shoe shine tissue and a shoe horn. We were very happy with the quality of the train.

The train left right on time and we were on our way. Our first stop was 2 1/2 hours after we left so we made sure to feed the girls dinner before then and were ready to jump out and explore our first stop. There were also a couple of girls who came around taking orders for dinner. We were surprised that there was this option as we had planned on eating the instant borscht soup mixes that we had packed. We were happy that there was an option for a hot full meal so we took advantage of it and ordered dinner. For train food, this was very good and again, we were pleasantly surprised.

We chugged along making our stops and dashing out with the girls, grabbing a coke or a beer from the local vendors on the platforms. We loved the train!! Our experience from beginning to end was excellent and we can't wait until our next train adventure. 

Metro Challenge

Having to get around on public transit has always been appealing to me. Once I learned that many of the Moscow Metro stations are designed by artists,  I gave myself a challenge: Visit and photograph EVERY metro station in Moscow.

I have been constantly looking online for things we need to experience in the city and I stumbled across this from www.essortment.com:

"The Moscow Metro is unlike any other metro system in the world. Stalin believed that instead of providing decent housing for all of the citizens of the USSR, it was better to build less living accommodations and more "palaces of the people". These "palaces" were public buildings, monuments, and parks that were architecturally impressive and decorated top to bottom in pro-soviet images and were meant to serve as a matter of pride and enjoyment for the Soviet citizens. The metro is one of the finest examples of this theory.

The downtown stations are filled with valuable artworks such as murals, statues and mosaics as well as crystal chandeliers and marble archways and benches. Each station was designed by a prominent Soviet architect or artist. It is said that much of the marble used in the metro systems were lifted from churches that the soviet government demolished. In fact, the famous, and now re-built Cathedral of Christ the Savior, provided marble and decorative elements for several of the stations".

Needless to say, this intrigued me even more with the Moscow Metro.

I have been on the metro quite a few times now and the artwork and "palaces" are not at every station, however I still plan on seeing my challenge through...EVERY station!!! Wish me luck and stay tuned...

Our First Month as Muscovites...

...Has been challenging, incredible and everywhere in between. For the first 7 days we were without hot water. Moscow has a municipal hot water system that uses large heating plants throughout the city to pump hot water to residents. Typically, during the summer months in Moscow, the city shuts down the hot water supply to one district at a time so they can inspect and fix any pipes that were damaged during winter. Some people will have a small water heater installed to use during this time. Checking to see if the flat has a water heater for this purpose is a huge point to clarify when looking for accommodations in Moscow. However, the majority of Muscovites resort to boiling water for their baths. Some even choose to forgo bathing all together. As a result, the hot sticky summer months can get "ripe" on the metro. The district our flat is in had already undergone these repairs. Yet, when Mark woke up for his first day of work, we were without hot water. Mark opted to boil water and take a sponge bath, camping style. Danielle opted to go to a friend's house and use his shower, as he has a hot water heater. Once the water came back on, nearly a week later,  Willy Wonka's Chocolate Waterfall began to flow out of the pipes. It took almost a full day of letting the water run to clear the pipes. At the end of the day, we were just grateful to have clear, hot water. Living in the States, we take for granted little things like this. We are definitely learning to appreciate just how good we have it at home.

We visited the Kremlin and Red Square our first weekend. There is so much to see there. We will have to take at least a few trips to get everything in. We have all seen pictures and video of soldiers marching, tanks rolling and numerous historical figures speaking in the square. It was breathtaking to think that we were standing where so many historical images originate. It was crowded with tourists and locals alike. Some were queuing to see Lenin's Tomb. Others were waiting to go into St. Basil's Cathedral. We just walked around, taking it all in, and taking lots of photos!

Entering Red Square

Panorama of Red Square (Facing South)

Moscow State Historical Museum

St. Basil's Cathedral

Lenin's Tomb and Mausoleum

Sunset in Red Square (Facing North)

We finished with a walking tour along the Moscow River which ended at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

Moscow River with the Kremlin on the left

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

The owner of our flat is very generous. She was very excited to hear that Americans were moving into her flat. Our first Sunday, she arrived at our flat, too early for the two of us who were still jet-lagged, and planned on showing us interesting sights around the city. She took us to a local Orthodox church that was celebrating their heritage. They had booths set up with local sweets, flowers, kvass, and numerous arts and crafts. We walked around the tents, tasted the sweets and listened to live traditional music. There were women selling flowers and children playing games as everyone enjoyed the sunshine. She then took us to an outdoor area where artists sell their paintings. We walked through the stalls, admiring the art and then headed home. We were very grateful that she took the time to show us around but happy to see our long first weekend come to an end.

SS Mikhail & Fyoder Church

We spent the next two weekends getting our flat settled, which meant finding all of the stores where we could find our creature comforts. This included going to two different Mega malls on opposite ends of the city. Both of these malls had an IKEA and Auchan and were mega-massive. (note: When viewing these websites, using Google Chrome as your web browser will automatically translate the pages that are written in Russian, or any other language for that matter) Getting to these malls required a metro ride to the end of the line, then a bus ride to our final destination. This is about an hour long trip. A metro ride costs about 28 Rubles ($.86). This price gets cheaper depending on the type of metro card you purchase and the amount of rides you buy at once. The bus also costs 28 Rubles  per trip. Once outside the metro station, it was easy to find the correct bus as they come every 15 minutes and are bright yellow with the Mega Mall logo on the side of them. We were sure to note the bus number we caught outside the metro station, as some Mega buses have multiple lines, servicing different metro stations. Our latest shopping "trip" turned into a shopping "day". From leaving our house, travel, shopping, travel again and back home was about 9 hours.

Mark has been working and Danielle has been Molly Homemaker. Mark goes into work at 1000 and gets off at 1900 (the normal Russian work day). He has about a ten minute walk to work and usually comes home for lunch. Danielle has spent the first few weeks getting the flat situated. She is sure to get the girls out often and take them for long walks through our neighborhood. She has also started dabbling in cooking and has made some pretty good meals! Our schedules have yet to adjust due to the strange work day and the fact that the sun does not go down until almost 11:30pm! For the first few weeks it was rainy or cloudy and overcast nearly every day. The past week has been hot one day and cold and rainy the next. There have been incredible thunder storms rolling through some evenings, where it's been hard to tell if there were multiple thunder crashes in a row, or just one, long, continuous strike for nearly ten minutes! There have been incredible downpours, followed by beautiful, partly cloudy, sun shine. Mark's colleagues have told us that this is NOT normal for a Moscow summer. Either way, it has been interesting, considering we walk everywhere and need to take the girls out often.

We plan on tackling the city one weekend at a time. There are countless recommended sights and we hope to collect most, if not all, of them. We have already ticked off our list things like Gorky Park, Arbat Street and took the girls on their first metro ride (details posted soon). Mark also went on his first business trip to Sochi where he toured the venues and explored the city. Wish us luck and stay tuned...

I Made A Beet...

Well...I cooked a beet, rather. I have started embracing the art of cooking. I am a self-proclaimed "terrible cook". It used to be, if I was making you dinner, we were having pasta or rice...something you can boil and call it good. Before a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn't even touch raw chicken! When we moved to Russia, Mark and I decided that I would try to do most of the cooking since he works all day. My goal is to shop and eat like the locals...for the most part. Another goal is to learn to cook and eat fresh and healthy. We have some options to buy imported items that we are used to but you definitely pay a premium for them. Surprisingly the produce here is very nice and if you buy local, it can be very cost efficient. Beets are one of the things that are very readily available and very cheap.

I had never eaten a beet before. I once tried the pickled variety, usually served on salads, and stayed clear of them after that experience. So, I wasn't even sure if I would like eating beets. Beets are known to be very good for your health. Check out  www.whfoods.com to see just how good they are. Since I had never even eaten a beet before, I had to do some research about how to cook a beet. Luckily, Google is my friend. I searched "How to make a beet" and I found this website that gave me step by step instructions. www.tipnut.com Here is how it turned out:

Step 1. Prepare the beets. Done.

I had planned on cooking the beet in its entirety...root and greens. But the greens froze in our fridge and they didn't look very good after that.

Step 2. Boil the beets. Done.

They took 45 minutes to boil but I went an extra 5 minutes for good measure.

Step 3. Plunge the beets. Done.

Step 4. Remove the skin and cut the beets. Done.

I used a rag that I was going to dedicate to beets since I planned on it being stained after this little experiment. To my surprise, no staining. Not the counter, not the cutting board and not even the rag.

Step 5. Serve the beets. Done and YUM!

We just ate them with a little butter, salt and pepper alongside chicken tikka and basmati rice.

I have to admit, they were pretty easy. They cook just like a potato but their texture is more like a carrot. Their taste is definitely unique. And to my surprise, they did not have any "dirt" taste whatsoever. Needless to say, this may just become a staple in our diet.

Language Barrier

We knew the language barrier would be difficult. We had no idea it would be as difficult as it has been. Using our experience in Doha, and information received from current colleagues before we arrived, we knew that getting around, and shopping and general life in the city would be a challenge. But, Mark expected life in the office to be a little easier, as the organizing committee is a bilingual environment.

However, Mark quickly learned that the office environment is primarily in Russian. Meetings, presentations and email communication are almost all in Russian. He uses Google Translate constantly. He has to copy and paste them into the program to translate them from Russian to English. If there is not a colleague nearby who can translate for him in meetings, he sits there and tries to figure out what is going on. He can request a translator from language services, but in the environment he’s in, meetings sometime happen quickly and he has yet to settle into a routine that would allow him to request the translator 24 hours in advance, as required.

So, why is it so much harder than we expected? Well, a number of things contribute to this. In Doha, nearly every server, cashier, attendant or any other service oriented individual was an expat. Usually, they were from the Philippines, India or Nepal. They went out of their way to do their best to learn and speak English to expats, because we stood out. We didn’t dress like local Qataris and we didn’t look like them. So, when we entered a store or restaurant, they immediately knew we didn’t speak Arabic, and the English conversation ensued. In the office in Doha, expats were the norm. Whether from the US, Australia, the UK, Italy or Greece, we all spoke English, not Arabic. As a guess, maybe only ten percent of the organizing committee in Doha was local. In Moscow, however, of the 600+ employees of the organizing committee, 18 of us are expats. Many of Mark’s Russian colleagues speak very good English. Yet, understandably, when the audience is predominantly Russian speaking, it is easier and natural to speak in Russian. All presentations are in Russian because the time and cost of having it officially translated is not efficient. Cyrillic does not translate to English directly. Even using Google, often times words are left out or added and the message is not clear. Thus, an official translation is necessary to be sure the correct message is sent; and as already mentioned, this is not possible for each and every PowerPoint or timeline produced. So, Mark is left to spend A LOT of time asking questions of his bilingual colleagues in Logistics and translating emails, documents and presentations. Mark has spent the majority of his first three weeks reading policies and operating plans; mostly through translating the documents. Some things are bilingual, but the majority is not. As far as getting around the city, we fit in very well…until we open our mouths. People approach us in stores and speak Russian to us because we look just like two of the 142 million+ Muscovites who call Moscow home!

It is completely understandable that many locals do not speak English. The only problem is we were given the impression that many in Moscow would speak at least some English and few would speak English in Sochi, or anywhere else outside of Moscow. The reality is few speak English in Moscow, or they are unwilling to speak English and expect us to speak Russian. This has made getting around difficult. Shopping has been an adventure. We use apps on our phones constantly. We enter words into the app so we can see the Russian translation to make sure what we’re looking to buy is milk; not yogurt, cream or some other dairy product. Also, we make sure the meat we’re buying at the shop is beef; not horse! Yeah, we figure we’ll try horse eventually. But, we want it prepared right and the horse that is in the canned meat section is certainly not going to be the first horse meat we try! Many in the shops do not speak English and getting assistance has been difficult. We do our best with our phrase books and translators, but it is not enough to bridge the gap.

Ultimately, we need to learn Russian. We are getting by, but every day is a struggle. The office environment is taxing due to the communication barrier. Life in the city is trying for the same reason. We started our first Russian language course TODAY, 13 June. Hopefully, things will get much easier as we begin to assimilate into the community. But, up to now, every day has been challenging. As always though, there have been many, many individuals that have gone out of their way to help us. We have found that many locals speak very good English, but they are self-conscious of their ability and feel uncomfortable speaking it. We have had people, young and old come to our aid when there was a problem or disagreement with things. Danielle had a woman help her order at a restaurant when Danielle's broken Russian from the phrase book just wasn’t cutting it. Another time, an older gentleman who we see almost every night (we'll call him our friend), helped us when another man was unhappy about us being in the park with the girls. In fact, when we saw "our friend" a couple of nights later, we tried to thank him for his help. All he could say was "I don't speak English. I am a communist." This one statement helped us realize that people are not giving us grief because we're Americans and they are Russian. They are giving us grief because they are assholes! It has nothing to do with Nationality, communism or capitalism. Some people are nice and helpful. Others, are not.


The point is that there are countless people who have gone out of their way to help us. The majority of individuals we have dealt with are great. Mark’s coworkers are also great. It is just difficult to communicate with them at times. We have only been here for three weeks and things are already getting better. However, more work is required on our part to make sure we are putting forth the effort to communicate in Russian. Our classes will help with that. So, if you’re looking to come and visit for an extended period of time, do yourself a favor and learn a few basic words or phrases. Это не так сложно. просто нужно время! 

Leavin' on a Jet Plane...

We planned on leaving for the airport with plenty of time built in for the usual last minute packing, running late and traffic. Mark’s mom met us at Danielle’s parents’ house and we all, with Danielle’s parents and brother, were heading to LAX to meet Mark’s dad and sister. We made it to the airport with plenty of time and we checked in with minimal problems. Aeroflot Airlines (Russian partner with Delta Airlines) has some interesting requirements when it comes to carry-on baggage. Typically, a passenger is allowed a carry-on bag and a personal item. We each had small, carry-on suitcases and a backpack. Apparently, our backpacks were too big for what they considered a personal item and some last minute repacking had to be done. Even with the repacking, we were required to check Mark’s carry-on. This just added to the already critical budget problems. Then came the time to get the girls set-up. They had both been doing a great job walking around the airport and taking it all in. They were a little nervous, but all things considered, they were taking it like champs! The attendant at the check in counter had little knowledge about processing the girls. She had to get her supervisor to help with the process and we actually had to help walk them through the process. Finally, some of our planning paid off! We had to remind them of a number of things that would be required by security, separate from the check in process. Everything was finally done and a concierge, of sorts, was assigned to escort us and the girls to be screened by security. The concierge, however, spoke little English, but he didn’t speak Russian either…probably Hindi, if we had to guess! The girls’ crates were screened and we gave the girls one last hug before securing them in their crates. We were assured by our concierge that he would be with the girls until they were loaded on the plane and, we think, he promised that they would be indoors, in a temperature controlled area, and would be the last to be loaded on the plane. We were quite nervous, as we were still more than two hours before scheduled take off and a lot could happen in the meantime. We sucked it up, took a deep breath and tried to regulate our energies, in an attempt not to upset the girls. We feel we were surprisingly strong, but once the girls left us, we thought we might lose it! Luckily, not even a whimper from the girls and they were off to take their first plane ride, just the two of them in the cargo area :)

We went back to the check-in counter to get our boarding passes, baggage receipts and to pay for luggage. With a little creative documentation, the supervisor who had been helping us, made it so even with the extra bag we had to check, we paid less for baggage than we would have originally. You’d be surprised where your support system will come from. But, as we said, you will need help with an adventure like this. We took care of the last of the “check-in” process and went to adjust our repacking job and take a seat before saying good-bye to family and getting into the security line. We still had a couple of hours, but the security line was backing up. So, after a brief rest and chit-chat, we said our final good-byes to family and, of course, the tears were flowing. That’s what moms do, right? While standing in line, we realized we hadn’t eaten all day and started to feel it. We made it through security and Mark stopped at an exchange window to get Rubles for once we arrived in Moscow and Danielle went to the gate to see if she could see the girls get loaded. We waited and looked and never saw the girls. We were in the long line to board when Danielle finally went up to the counter to, for the first of many times, remind the crew that we were traveling with our dogs and to make sure the whole world knew the girls should be on the plane with us. Danielle was assured everything was fine. We boarded the plane, reminded a couple more flight attendants to tell the pilot and ground crew about the girls, and we were off.

The flight path was interesting. We flew northeast, after a U-turn over the pacific and passed within about 30,000 feet of Boise, maybe a little west of it, at least. We continued that direction and, basically, flew right over the top of the world. The graphic that shows the flight path on the TV monitor had an arcing, shadowed area over the map to indicate the change from daytime to nighttime. Our path took us so far north that it never got dark. We actually flew OVER night! Mark tried to sleep a lot but was uncomfortable the whole time. Danielle watched a couple of movies and tried to keep busy. The twelve hour flight was made harder by the constant worrying about the girls. Every little bump of turbulence we hit, we could not help but think about how the girls were doing.

Upon arriving in Moscow, we were met at the airport by a driver that had been reserved for us by the Organizing Committee. Before we made it to the driver, however, it took a little over an hour to get everything together to get through customs. We made through passport control and headed to the baggage claim area. Our first priority was to find the girls even though our flight’s luggage was already on the carousel by the time we made it down the escalator. We grabbed two carts and started to look for the girls. We looked around to no avail, and finally asked someone. They finally understood we were looking for “собака”. They indicated we should go the excess/oversize baggage area at the end of the terminal. We went that direction, and just like it was scripted, a man came through the door with one of the crates, followed by the other. We were still half way across the terminal and we wanted to run to the girls. We got to them and they seemed to be in good spirits. We let them out briefly to say hi and to give hugs. But, they hadn’t been out to “potty” in more than 14 hours, so we were in a bit of a hurry to get them back in, get our bags and get through customs. All of our stuff was there and we made it through customs with no issues! There was no vet check, no one to check the girls’ paperwork and no one hardly even gave us a second look going through customs. We found our driver and finally made it to grass where we could let the girls out. This was no easy task, however, because our driver spoke no English and he was less than helpful with navigating all of our luggage through the terminal and across the street to the parking structure. We made it work, let the girls out and got the vehicle packed…barely.

We got on the road and we still had no idea where we were going. The driver could not tell us, all he could do was hand Mark his phone. On the other end was Mark’s colleague, Maxim, who had been helping us in finding housing. Up to this point, we still did not have a flat secured! Max told Mark the he would meet us at our flat. We didn’t know that the terms to the lease had been agreed to, so this was a surprise to us. It turned out, they hadn’t.

Max, along with two other colleagues, met us at the flat to help with our bags and help get us settled. We went upstairs to our flat and were met by a welcoming party. The real estate agent, flat owner and the flat owner’s “muscle” were all there; in addition to us and Mark’s three colleagues. Now, keep in mind, we had just spent about 19 hours in airports, in the air or in Moscow traffic and we were wiped out at this point. As we have mentioned, our budget was shot and the final question that hadn’t been answered was whether or not the landlady was willing to defer the deposit until Mark received his advance. None of this had been discussed and we’re not exactly sure what the agent had been doing for her commission all this time. But, that may be another topic (are we seeing a pattern here?) Again, with a lot of help from that support system we talked about, we got it done. Mark’s colleagues were ready with a loan for the very expensive taxi ride and had made arrangements for one of Mark’s allowances to be advanced. They also helped translate and negotiate our lease after they dismissed the agent to just get rid of her. After some tea and snacks, a lot of talking in Russian and smiling and nodding, we were left to get settled. We looked at each other and had no idea what to do. The only thing to do, really, was for Mark to get ready for work the next day. We spent the night on the floor. The bed had not been assembled yet and in its place was a very thin mattress on the floor. So, there we slept. Mark woke up the next morning, very sore, to no hot water for a shower. More accurately, he found cold water and colder mud. The “water” that was coming from the faucet more resembled Willy Wonka’s chocolate water fall than actual water.  That began the next chapter in our first couple of weeks involving housing. Stay tuned…

Visas...Part Deux

After nearly two months of couch surfing, we finally received our official invitations to apply for our visas. We were originally told to expect the invitations on 23 April. About a week prior to this, Mark received notification that the invitations would not arrive until 27 April. We planned to get our visa from the San Francisco consulate, as Danielle has family in the Bay Area who were gracious enough to allow us to stay with them. Delaying our trip to San Francisco by a week was easy enough. The calls were made for arrangements and everything seemed to be going smooth. A week delay in the grand scheme of things did not seem too bad, but little did we know...

Beginning in mid-April, the Russian Consulates no longer accept visa applications directly, at the consulate. They were in the midst of transitioning to utilizing a visa processing agency, as many other consulates do. However, the new system they were implementing was having technical difficulties. The Washington D.C., New York and Houston consulates had the new system up and running by the time it came for us to get our visas. However, the San Francisco and Seattle consulates were experiencing delays with the new technology and advised to check the website daily for updates to see if the new system had been implemented. It should be noted that each consulate has its own, separate website. The information on the website is different and the processes vary depending on location. So, we checked, checked and checked again. By the time we were ready to apply; the website had information of partial changes and advised the new service would be implemented 1 May. The site also had an automated form to schedule an appointment. It was very clear that no visa applications would be accepted without an appointment. It also stressed that each individual visa request needed separate appointments. This meant that we had to schedule two appointments and were not guaranteed they would be back to back. However, try as we might, the form did not allow for the user to request the San Francisco location to schedule appointments. Did this mean the new system had not been implemented in San Francisco? Or, maybe it was implemented, but they had no availability for applications. As the days ticked by closer to the day we were to head north, the site still did not allow for appointments in San Francisco. So, we weren’t sure which, of two locations, we were to apply to once we arrived in San Francisco; the consulate itself, or the processing agency. This may seem manageable and somewhat relieving that we would be able to get the visas one way or another. On the other hand, did we mention that 27 April was a Friday and the invitation didn’t actually arrive until Saturday, 28 April? Or, that Monday and Tuesday (30 April-1 May) were Russian holidays, so the consulate/agency would be closed until Wednesday, 3 May! We made plans to drive north to the Bay Area so we could go apply first thing Wednesday. We thought, one way or another, we would figure it out. We had to, after all, our flight had been booked for weeks now and we were set to leave 16 May!

We arrived in the Bay Area Tuesday night. We had time to catch up with family, plan our “attack” and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Our plan included taking BART into the city and then walking about 8 blocks to the agency, not the consulate…as every indicator suggested this was the place to go. Everything went as planned; we arrived at the agency (which was actually where we were supposed to be!) and began the waiting process, the same as the one for Seattle. No number to take. No stanchions to queue behind. No rhyme or reason. Being a seasoned vet at this and knowing how it worked, Mark asked out loud who was last in line. A couple indicated they were. We found a seat and waited.

The fees associated with the visa application vary. The standard fee is $170 for six day processing. The expedited fee is $280 for three day processing. When Mark was in Seattle for his first visit, timing relegated him to the expedited processing. He paid for three day processing and was told to come back the next day to pick up the completed visa. Mark saw numerous people apply for standard processing who were told to return in three days to pick up their visa. Armed with this information, we thought, “Hey, it’s only 2 May. Our flight leaves in exactly two weeks. Standard processing should be fine. Even if it takes 6 days, we’re still money”. That’s what we get for thinking! Our turn at the window came. We approached and supplied all of our paperwork. We provided the payment for standard processing. The attendant took all of our “stuff” and did her thing. She typed, clicked, shuffled and so on. She then pointed at a calendar on the wall next to her and indicated 16 May. We said, “yes, this is when the flight leaves”. She shook her head, and in her best English (which wasn’t much) said this is when we were to pick up our completed visas. Mark very nearly blew a gasket. The stress and waiting during this whole process was coming to a head.

We were able to decipher that there was ANOTHER holiday on 9 May. This is Victory day in Russia, commemorating Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in WWII. How could we have missed this?!?! Well, it wasn’t included in the information on the website, it is not common knowledge in the US and, we guess, we just had a few other things on our mind and didn’t expect nearly the entire first half of May to be taken up by holidays. If 9 May was the only day that the consulate was closed, it wouldn’t have been as bad. But, the holiday spans three days. This cuts our two week time frame in half right off the bat! The problem is multi-faceted. The agency (and consulate for that matter) requires cashier’s checks, or another form of secured payment, for the application.  We went to the bank in Southern California and got all of this taken care of before we left. We explained to the girl that we only had the payment for standard processing. She indicated that, conveniently enough, there was a bank downstairs where we could get cash to make up the difference and we could apply for expedited processing. We had no choice to pay the extra $110 (PER VISA) for expedited processing and thought, if nothing else, this allows us more time because the visa will be done by the end of the week. It seemed reasonable to think that two days to process a three day, expedited application would doable, considering the coming holiday. Surely, steps would be taken to “expedite” the application…right?

Mark went down to the bank to get the cash, because he could not sit any longer and Danielle was afraid he would lose it at any moment. At this point, it is important to note that we were out of money. Every bit of planning, researching and cushioning for contingencies had been exhausted and we now were dipping into money that was to be used to secure housing once we arrived in Moscow. Mark returned with the money. The girl behind the window did her “thing” again and then pointed to the calendar again. This time she indicated 11 May! At this point we were beside ourselves. Originally, we had paid for six day processing and were going to get them in seven business days. Now, we were paying way too much for three day processing and will get the visas in five business days! With Mark’s experience in Seattle, and the timings of visa availability, we are convinced this “agency” is nothing more than a way to earn more money. And, of course, there is the agency fee…on top of the visa fee…PER VISA APPLICATION! Money makes the world go ‘round we guess. We went to the next window to pay and were provided with a receipt.

So, beyond angry, out of money and having to figure out how we were going to make all of this work, there was nothing else to do but find the nearest Starbucks and drown our sorrows (thankfully we had a couple of gift cards). However, a pitcher of beer (or twelve) would have been preferred. We gathered ourselves. More accurately, Danielle kept Mark from imploding. There were still multiple hurdles. We had to be back in Southern California for the girls’ vet appointment for their international health certificate (that will be another blog topic all together!!!). We had to finish packing. We still had family to visit with before leaving for more than two years. We could not stay in San Francisco for ten of the 14 days we had left in this country! We developed a plan, as we always do. We had to lean heavily, again, on family and we found a way to make it work. We confirmed before leaving the processing agency that we could have someone else pick up the visas. We were assured all that was needed was the receipt and anyone could pick them up. We made arrangements for family to pick up the visas which helped us feel a bit better about the situation. We went to the post office and prepaid so that, once picked up, the visas could be sent to us, overnight. With our families support, once again, we knew we were in good hands.

So, out of money, out of patience and on the verge of losing our minds, we spent a couple of much needed days visiting with friends and family in the bay area. To ensure that the stress and frustrations did not consume us, we made sure to take in a few sights and wineries in Napa and Livermore, and enjoy the time we had before heading back to Southern California. We finished a whirlwind tour of visiting with loved ones and the visas arrived in the mail, Saturday 12 April…four days before leaving.

For those who are looking for information and are considering a similar move, what can we say?

o    Whatever time and money you think will be ample for your situation, add twenty percent to that…at least!

o    Make sure you make the move on your timeline. If your employer is insisting, pressuring or even suggesting you need to be in country sooner than you are comfortable, make sure they are making arrangements and paying for all of the incidentals, as well as flights, visas, accommodations, etc. But, as first mentioned, don’t do it unless you’re ready and comfortable.  We had a suggested start date and, after all of the delays and waiting, we purchased tickets prior to having everything in order. This was only done because waiting until the visas were secured would have nearly doubled the airfare. Again, we could have waited and then the employer would have waited. But, we lost focus and got anxious and paid for it because we had to wait on others. The original timeline was acceptable and we were comfortable with it. However, after multiple delays and having to depend on others, we were “forced” into acting before we should have, instead of resetting our timeline. Make sure you are comfortable with everything and don’t get tunnel vision on a date or a process that makes you lose sight of the bigger picture…your happiness. However, don’t forget that a big move like this is hard and you will probably be “uncomfortable” for a number of reasons. If you wait until you are comfortable with the entire situation, then you may never leave. Each person/family will have to work hard to identify the difference.

o    We were caught in a tough spot because of the first two points above. We planned with cushions in place, both time and money, or so we thought. As we hit roadblocks and hurdles, we spent more time without income. This, in turn, meant we spent more money, as being without a home base and nomadic, costs money. The combination of extending the move and decreasing the bank account is what made things more difficult than they had to be. Set your thresholds. Know what you are comfortable with and know if, when and how you are willing to pull the plug on the move. We never got to that point and don’t regret our decision. But, it’s important to know all of this before you start.

o    Have a support system. Loved ones, colleagues, anyone you can lean on for a shoulder, an ear or just information. You cannot do this alone. No matter how strong you think you are. :)

o    Know that your support system will be strained. If you are moving with a family, know things will get beyond difficult. There is no way to put into words how difficult this type of thing can be and each individual handles stress differently. If you are single, you will still struggle. You may have less stressors than a family, but you will still struggle. Be ready to persevere and come out stronger in the end.

So far, we have had struggles. We have had moments of asking “what did we do?” But, we had those in Doha too. We think that is inevitable. However, we have already seen and done things we would have never dreamed of. This is not easy. But, the rewards are seemingly endless. You WILL become stronger. You WILL grow. You WILL be sad. You WILL be happy. You WILL be amazed. You WILL meet incredible people. You WILL have fun. You have no choice. Who’s coming next?!?!

Couch Surfing

On March 30th, our lease was up and we officially moved out of our house in Boise. Our first night "homeless" was hectic, to say the least. We decided to stay in a dog-friendly hotel and get some much needed rest. We ended up staying in Boise another 10 days, couch surfing with close friends. Our last days in Boise consisted of re-packing, tying up loose ends, re-packing, spending time with friends, re-packing, eating at our favorite spots one last time and a lot more re-packing.

April 10th, we got on the road later than planned (of course) and drove down to California. On the way to Southern California, we met Mark's family in the Mojave National Preserve for a couple days of camping. Being out, away from civilization, was just what we needed after the couple of weeks we had prior. After a couple of days in the desert, we were overdue for a shower. We continued on our way to Danielle's parent's house where we would call "home" for the next month-ish.

Honestly, the only way you can get through a move like this is if you have an awesome support system. We have the best friends and family in the world and to anyone who helped us through this process...whether with an ear, a beer or a bed...THANK YOU!!!

If you are reading this post for informational purposes and are looking to move your life across the world temporarily, I will tell you one thing; have one home base where you can leave your life. We have some of our life in two 10x10 storage units in Idaho, some of our life at Danielle's parent's house in California and the rest we packed in 6 suitcases and brought it with us. We did the best we could keeping everything organized but it gets a little crazy not having your own "place". As grateful as we are for all of our couch surfing hosts, if you have just one "home base", it will make the process a lot easier. 

In the desert, like a turtle, with our life on our back.

And We're Back!!!

Well, this is our first blog in nearly 3 months and it's been a ride. This post is to let everyone know that we (us and the girls) made it safe and sound. We have a place to stay, internet and most of the necessary creature comforts. We are back into blog land and will be posting regularly because boy, do we have a lot to say! Stay tuned...

Navigating The Russian Visa Application Process

The goal of this post is two-fold. First, if someone finds this in a search and it can help them navigate the difficult process that is applying for a Russian visa, then mission accomplished. Also, we hope to have visitors while we're in Russia and they will need to apply for a visa. Either way, we hope to help someone get through the process with as few problems as possible.

The first step is to figure out how you're getting there. If you're going for business, your employer (or future employer) will issue an official invitation for your visit. This invite can be an actual document that outlines the reason for your visit, the dates of the visit and your itinerary. The invite can also come in the form of a telex number. If a Telex number is issued, all of the details of your visit (thus your invitation) is submitted directly to the Russian Consulate General, electronically. Either way, you will need the invitation to apply for your visa. If you are going as a tourist, you will most likely go through a travel agency and will have the appropriate travel documents with the appropriate details provided by your travel agent. If you book your travel on your own, you will need proof of travel details (ie: flight reservation, hotel reservation and travel itinerary).  As a tourist, the travel details take the place of an invitation/telex number.

Once you've received the invitation/travel details, you will have to fill out a visa application online at http://www.netconsul.org/ . Choose the link for the corresponding visa (business, tourist, student, etc) on the right side of the page. After selecting the desired visa type, there will be a link for a web service in the center of the page. Follow that link to access the application. You will be provided with a unique user name and password so you can save the application and access it for editing as needed.

The Russian Consulate requires you to fill out the application online, but you cannot submit the application online, nor by mail. After the application is complete, you need to print the application and sign it. You must present the application to the Russian Consulate with your original signature (no copies are accepted). Additionally, the application must be filled out completely online before printing. The application will not be accepted with any writing other than your signature. Another important detail  in submitting the application is to be sure that each field on the application is filled out or has N/A as the answer. Visa applications are not accepted unless they are filled out completely.

So, if the consulate general does not accept online or by mail applications, that leaves only submitting the visa application in person. There are five Russian Consulates in the United states, each assigned to a particular region.  There is one consulate each in New York, Washington D.C., Houston, Seattle and San Francisco. You can also use a visa processing agency to apply for your visa "in person".

If you choose to go through an agency, there are costs and, in our opinion, risks involved. You will need to send your passport, the visa application, invitation/travel details and visa processing fee(payable to the consulate general) to the agency. On top of this, you will have to pay the agency fee for assisting with your application. Some agencies don't accept rush deliveries from the USPS , thus they require you to send your documents overnight via UPS/FedEx. This is another cost incurred.  So, to sum it up, if you choose to use an agency, you will pay the visa processing fee to the Consulate General (a fee you will pay regardless of how you choose to apply), the agency fee, the shipping fees (including insurance costs for your passport) and you will have to send out your passport to an external agency for at least a week and hope it gets back.

We are fortunate enough to be an 8 hour drive from Seattle, so Mark chose to drive to Seattle to facilitate the application process himself. In the end, it was cheaper to pay for gas on the drive, pay for a hotel and pay for the rush visa processing at the consulate, rather than pay for the agency fees. Also, figured in this decision, was having the peace of mind of not having to send his passport out to an external agency. If you don't have the luxury of being close enough to a Russian Consulate General to apply in person, be sure to research the agency thoroughly. You will find countless agencies that provide the service when you search online. The fees vary, processing time varies and only proper vetting will ensure you are sending your passport, application and money to a reputable agency.

Once all of the above has been sorted out, and assuming you choose to apply yourself, in person, be sure to confirm the application details on the consular website. The consulate in Seattle was only open from 2pm-4pm to accept visa applications. They also have a varying fee schedule depending on how fast you need the visa processed. The consulate in Seattle did not accept cash or credit cards for fee payment. They only accept a money order or a cashier's check as payment. All of these details are spelled out pretty clearly and should not cause any issues, if you're paying attention to detail.

So, now you have your invitation (or equivalent info), you've filled out the application, decided how and where to apply, you've followed all of the directions on the consular website, have the necessary details covered and your form of payment is secured. The hard part is done. If you have all of the required documents and information, the rest is fairly simple and straight forward. This is information is in no way meant to scare anyone off from going through the process themselves. Hopefully, it will help prepare people who are starting the process and encourage and remind them to secure all information and documents before applying.

When applying in person, you may experience the following environment, as this is what Mark experienced in Seattle:

The Consulate is on the 25th floor of a downtown high-rise, at the end of a long, plain hallway. The main door has a large window so you can see into the foyer behind it. The door is locked and access is controlled by a gentleman sitting behind, what appears to be, bullet resistant glass in the foyer. The guy, who looks to have been reassigned after the wall fell and struggles daily to remember that he is no longer an agent of the KGB, buzzes you into the foyer. The man looks you up and down and you wonder if you'll be interrogated and possibly tortured, or if you'll simply be able to apply for the visa. The man just stares at you until you finally tell him you're there to apply for a visa. The man smiles and tells you, in the thickest Russian accent, that window number three is accepting visa applications. He points to another windowed door to your right and buzzes you in. He smiles again and gestures towards the door and again tells you to go to window three. Upon entering the long, narrow, generic waiting room, there were numerous people all waiting to apply for their visa at window three. The only thing to suggest Mark was in the right place was a stack of periodicals, all in Russian, on the table to the left. On the right side of the room is a couple of tall "cocktail" style tables, followed by a row of chairs. Just past the table on the left with the newspapers, is a line of windows. Now, there are four windows, all labeled sequentially in large numbers over the top of each, but only window three appears to be occupied.

There were about ten people waiting when Mark arrived. However, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to how they were queued. Some were standing against the wall, some were sitting in the chairs and some were standing at the tables. But, there was nowhere to "take a ticket" and there was no stanchions to line up behind. Everyone there just seemed to be patiently waiting while the individual at window three finished. Finally, Mark asked the closest person how the process went. The room was so small and everyone waiting was so quiet, that the whisper he thought he was using boomed and echoed down the room and back. Everyone waiting turned to look at Mark and smiled, as if he was not the first person to walk in confused and "yell" to figure out what the hell was going on. An older gentleman sitting along the right side of the room said, "You're after me and I'm after her", as he pointed to a woman standing on the other side of the room. At this point it occurs that maybe the two hour window allotted for visa processing may not be enough. However, in true international traveler fashion, the little "community" of applicants that Mark  just joined policed themselves, made sure everyone remembered who was next and helped each person who came in after Mark, just as they helped him.  Each member of the community was in this together and, with no signage and no one to answer questions, everyone had to help each other get through.

As the line progressed, Mark witnessed a business traveler, who clearly did not do his research, approach the window and say he needed to apply for his visa. He told the guy behind the window (who spoke very good English with only the slightest Russian accent) he had a telex number, provided his passport and said "you should have the rest back there", as he tapped on the window indicating the little munchkins with the wizard behind the curtain had completed the rest of his application for him. In spite of "Business Traveler Guy", who thought he was the most important thing on the face of the earth, acting like a complete ass, the guy behind the window very patiently and eloquently explained the process of going online and completing the application and returning once he had the required documents. BTG argued a bit, but in the end backed down and angrily stormed out. It's a good thing too. Mark was concerned for him that some ex-KGB type might come out of one of the adjoining doors in the small room and haul BTG off, never to be seen again. Most of the Community would have been OK with that. However, witnessing BTG's antics without being hauled away gave the rest of the community hope that this strange, somewhat disheartening experience would turn out OK.

Finally, it was Mark's turn to approach the window. He provided the man with all of his documents and his payment in the form of a cashier's check. Window Guy disappeared for a bit and came back with a document produced when he retrieved Mark's telex number. Window Guy gave Mark back all of his documents and asked him to proceed to window four where he will be provided a receipt. To this point, it did not appear anyone else was working behind any of the windows. However, when Mark moved over to the window, he saw a little old lady, sitting in a short chair so she cannot be seen unless one is standing at the window. This woman, wearing her loosely crocheted shawl, did not speak one word of English. She processed the paperwork and provided Mark with a receipt. She circled a date on the receipt which, after much gesticulating towards the calendar and the clock, Mark realized was when he was to return and pick up his passport and visa. Mark returned the next day to pick up his passport. This time, however, he was a confident veteran in the community. He found his place in line and watched all the newcomers struggle the same way he had the day before. Mark retrieved his passport and visa from Window Girl (a different agent at window three from the day before) and left without any issues.

If anyone finds anything in this post that helps them prepare for applying for a Russian visa, that's great! However, if you're reading this and never intend on traveling to Russia, please take this from Mark's experience. Despite all outward appearances and preconceived opinions of the people and their demeanor, and the somewhat unorthodox (aka-unfamiliar to Americans) way in which they conduct business, Mark realized in just a couple of short hours while applying for his visa, that we are not visiting his parents and grandparents Russia. Nor, are the people the gruff, standoff-ish "commies" so often depicted in TV and movies. The people are genuine and helpful and the experience left Mark with an overall good feeling of what is to come. He felt so good in leaving the consulate, he mixed in a "Spasiba" to Foyer Guy on the way out. The smile on Foyer Guy's face, as he responded with way more Russian than Mark's Rosetta Stone has covered to this point, made Mark realize his efforts to fit in and respect the language, people and culture he is joining,  will go a long way. With any luck, we will assimilate into our new community as quickly and easily as Mark did in his consulate "community".