I made it to Moscow although it was not the best flight I ever took, that’s for sure. One thing interesting about Aeroflot Airlines, they leave the cockpit camera on during takeoff and landing so you can see the runway and see the plane takeoff and land. Although I only thought this was interesting for a minutes. As we were gaining speed and about to lift off the ground at JFK all of a sudden the pilot slammed on the brakes and the plane slid sideways down the runway! Everyone in the plane went flying forward as we slid. A few moments later he made a very excited announcement in Russian over the public address system, for some reason his earlier announcements did not sound quite as excited as this one, I think I know why! About fifteen minutes after that one of the cabin crew made an announcement in Russian and then in English that we were in line for takeoff and that we would be taking off soon. Well two hours late we took off, had a very bumpy flight but ultimately arrived in Moscow safely.
I had a meeting this afternoon to prepare me for the next few days. Some of you will really appreciate this, they told me not to speak Russian to the baby, they said when Americans try to speak Russian, they just confuse the children, have they heard me speak? I am allowed to say yes, no and stop in Russian to the baby, that’s about all they want to hear from me. All those hours I spent trying to learn this language, all for nothing.
There is one phrase I can use and I plan on using it often, I can say ‘I don’t understand’ in Russian, I’ve already used that one today when I went to try to get something for dinner. Buying food in a supermarket is a ritual, I point at something that looks like I can eat it and hold my finger up to indicate I only want one. A young Russian man took pity on me tonight and helped me with the food I thought I wanted, he made a suggestion, it was a little Russian pizza, it wasn’t bad.
Tomorrow I’m going to take a walk to the Red Square in the morning then I leave for airport to go to Astrakhan at 2 PM. I’ll post again when I can. Chris
So glad you made it safe and sound. It was good to hear a strong voice from you after such a long and hard day. It sounds like you have people in country to help you through this difficult process. That is a real blessing. Do not hesitate to reach out to anyone who will be willing to come to your aid. Even the small acts of kindness, like the guy helping you choose an edible pizza mean a lot. Stay strong. We are all praying for you!
ReplyDeleteRoseann
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear that you have made it (ahem) "safely" to stage 1. Well, survived anyway - which is a big bonus when flying. Your flight sounds as though normal Soviet-style service has been resumed - no more pandering "to the customer" for you! Just another check on your intestinal fortitude. Let us hope that your flight to Astrakhan is not in an open-cockpit, propeller-driven aircraft. Note - that was only said in jest, just in case that it turns out to be the case. :)
Maybe you should try to sneak some Russian in when you are not being observed. Perhaps what they wanted was for the little one to not learn strings of profanities and how to order alcohol - given your earlier flying experiences.
But I think you know that the advice/instructions you receive and whether or not you follow them are not necessarily the same thing. Go with your instincts as to appropriateness of it and "damn the babushkas".
Maybe even through in a few choice remarks of concern that they only seem to be wearing 3 layers of clothing rather than the customary 4 you expected. Child abuse!
Seriously, though, you know that we are travelling along vicariously with you through this journey and that we are really pulling for you. Here's hoping that everything progresses relatively smoothly in the upcoming processing phases. Irrespective, I think that you possess a much higher degree of resolve for the bureacratic battles than the rest of us (combined).
Wishing you the very best through the coming "high stress" days.
Julian
P.S. I am certain Sara will leave you a much more appropriate "serious" comment later on.
How does one say "Happy Valentine's Day" in Russian?
ReplyDeleteI second most of what Julian said. We are definitely thinking of you and wishing all the best!
Sara
Wow, so much for getting rest on the flight. I bet it was difficult to relax after such a rough start. I hope you enjoy your walk through red square. It is pretty interesting and hopefully your second flight will go better. The domestic airport is not nearly as nice as Moscow Intermational. Traveling in Russia can be an adventure, just think of the stories you'll be able to tell some day!
ReplyDeleteI'll be thinking of you tomorrow.
Paula
WOW...glad to hear you arrived safe! A nice walk around the square sounds nice, hope it's not too cold! Waiting to hear some good news soon...Love, Lisa
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