Moscow Airport

Moscow was actually really easy because customs was way less intense than I thought. I went to the "I have nothing to claim" area (I learned that if you have more than 10,000 dollars you then have to claim it).-Fun fact interjection here! I was behind rapper Ice Cube in the stamp-your-visa line. He flew first class on my Moscow flight! It was so weird seeing him and his two bodyguards LOL.- They did search my checked bags, but they don't do that in front of you. I just gave it to the lady at the "I have nothing to claim"desk and she sent them back. I can only tell my bag was searched because the tops of all my chai boxes were broken off. The Moscow airport was much smaller than I thought it would be- they only had 20 gates in the domestic flight area (I think- maybe it's 20 all together). I had to take a bus to my plane, but there was no way I could get lost because once I gave the lady my ticket I went through the doors and there was a bus, not a plane. And, of course, everyone else got on the bus that was going on the plane. The flight to Krasnoyarsk was actually nice. It was very odd though, because my seatmates spoke NO English and neither did the stewardesses. I could tell the stewardesses I didn't want anything though, so I didn't look completely lost. Only when the girl next to me tried talking to me or asked me questions did I have to say "yeah, I don't understand Russian. . .(in Russian of course)." 

Oleg did meet me at the airport with his son Constantine. They both spoke really good English. I went through customs before I even got to them, so what they were actually going to do was show me around Moscow! But it was the city day ( the anniversary of the day it was founded) so all the major roads were shut down and traffic was way worse than the usual big-city traffic. So pretty much we sat at a cafe and they practiced their English for a while with me. I learned a lot from them, like the Russians won WWII with some help, I look European, school is canceled when it is below -35C because some schools have no central heating system, college is free here (and all you have to do is pass an exam to become a doctor- Constantine was 25 and already an MD.  Russians have no idea where Oregon is (we guessed that though), and most Russians smoke. I say it was a very productive few hours. 

All the appliances here are (I think) are funny because they seem to be just the opposite of what they appear. I almost took a cold shower because I put the water thing all the way over on the "red"/hot side and freezing water was coming out. Then I wondered why I had to turn the nozzle thing all the way from the  blue/cold side and thought "Maybe its backwards?" Yup. It was. :)