TR to Moscow

[groovlstk]

If you can score some Ambien from your doc, it's a huge help on international flights. Nothing like popping one an hour over the atlantic and waking up what seems a few minutes later, refreshed and looking down at Europe.

[Sculpto]

Groov..one special truffle will do the same thing with no side effects..   remember I live in legal medicine land and I carry a card... mostly for my back but also as a sleep aid.

So.. less than a day and half till I am on the plane.. tonight I need to finish the laundry and finish packing and get my flat straightened out a bit so I do not come home to a mess since I need to transition immediately back into work upon return.  I should know better and have allowed myself one jet lag day but I wanted to maximize the time on the ground so I did.  I can deal with a couple of sleepy days at work in exchange for one more full day on the ground in Moscow.

[kievstar]

scultpo, have a good trip.

[Mishenka]

Hey Eric, what flight did you end up with?  Im having a  hard time finding a decent price on my flight. PM me with details.  Im getting prices of 1700- $2000. Tashkent is typically a $400 add on to the price of RT to Moscow. My last tix cost me 1500 from my friends at    http://www.flyfromusa.com/    Maybe I can fit in your luggage and you can drop me off at SVO2 so I can catch a flight to Tashkent! New York - MOSCOW - New York non-stop flight is $670.00 all taxes & surcharges included.



just kidding, have the time of your life!

Mishenka

[Diplomacy]

Eric:

Have a great trip and look forward to hearing how it turns out. 

[groovlstk]

Groov..one special truffle will do the same thing with no side effects..   remember I live in legal medicine land and I carry a card... mostly for my back but also as a sleep aid.

I know of no such truffles, unless they are of the white or black variety from Sandro's homeland 

Good luck, Sculpto.

[OlgaH]

I know of no such truffles, unless they are of the white or black variety from Sandro's homeland 

We also have truffles of the white or black variety in Russia, you can find it in confectionery stores 

[SANDRO43]

I know of no such truffles, unless they are of the white or black variety from Sandro's homeland 

The term tartufo (truffle) was adopted by the confectionery industry a long time ago for its appearance/shape similarity.

The initiators may well have been Ferrero (the makers of Nutella) who are located in Alba (Piedmont), Italy's capital of the VERY EXPENSIVE white truffle. Attempts at artificial cultivation have failed so far, they can only be found by roaming the woods, with the help of specially-trained dogs that sniff them out.

Savoy Truffle is a song written by George Harrison and performed by The Beatles .

[OlgaH]

Italy's capital of the VERY EXPENSIVE white truffle. Attempts at artificial cultivation have failed so far, they can only be found by roaming the woods, with the help of specially-trained dogs that sniff them out.

Like this one 

[SANDRO43]

Like this one 

Pigs have long been abondoned as truffle hunters here, they have the deplorable tendency of immediately gobbling up the precious tuber when they find it .

[OlgaH]

Pigs have long been abondoned as truffle hunters here, they have the deplorable tendency of immediately gobbling up the precious tuber when they find it .

I think it can help 

[SANDRO43]

I think it can help

IINM, muzzled pigs display a decided tendency towards irritability, and are more focused on harassing their handler than on finding truffles. But I'm not really a pig psychologist, so please proceed with your plan and report back your results .

[OlgaH]

But I'm not really a pig psychologist, so please proceed with your plan and report back your results .

I think it is better to address our issue of pig psychology to Debbie and Andrew Keeble 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1025428/Pig-Boots-The-worlds-porker-afraid-mud.html

[groovlstk]

In 2000 I smuggled some white truffles home to the US from a shop in Florence, but that was when the US dollar was still strong and Italy was still on the lira.

These days all I can afford is white truffle flavored oil  I don't know if it's possible to buy white truffles in even high-end gourmet shops here, the places I frequent in Manhattan to get good Italian olive oil and cheeses never have it.

[Sculpto]

LOL you guys are hilarious!

the tuffles I was referring to are the chocolate variety made with cannabis infused butter.  Tastes like chocolate and VERY relaxing.  (need a smiley with stoney eyes)

So, here is the update.. spoke with my girl last night my time.. she is excited and can't believe we will finally meet.    She was very nervous a week ago and seems to be totally calmed down and just excited and very happy.   

I got a call from the guy with the apartment just to confirm everything.  I was suprised he called me.  So, that makes me feel good also that I found an apartment guy who will also be watching my back.  I know the guy studied here in the US so I would guess he understands things a bit.

All my stuff is packed.. but.. its too heavy. Trying to figure ut what I don't really need.  After work tonight I will unpack and repack, probably twice. 

I also want to thank all of you guys for keeping me company the last few weeks as I have had a lot of nerves and the dialogue here has helped keep me focused and at least close to having my feet on the ground.  You guys are awesome!  I do have alot of work to get done the rest of the day so most likely this will be my last post for a while.  Have a great week everyone!

[OlgaH]

Have a great trip, Sculpto 

[SANDRO43]

These days all I can afford is white truffle flavored oil  I don't know if it's possible to buy white truffles in even high-end gourmet shops here, the places I frequent in Manhattan to get good Italian olive oil and cheeses never have it.

Well, hop on a plane, then : Domenica 12  novembre si svolgerà  la VIII  edizione dell’Asta Mondiale del Tartufo Bianco d’Alba (I think you can sniff out the meaning ). 

To Eric: have fun over there, we'll wait for your return here at the RWD Zoo !

[Diplomacy]

Lol!  No pig required to find Sculpto's truffle.  It smells like College

[Sculpto]

I am back you guys.. with a massive pile of work on my desk.. so, I will start to tell the story after work tonight.  I did keep a daily journal so I have lots of funny details...

I will quickly say.. Moscow is a cool city.. hats off to Muscovites who ride the subway daily with civility and patience.

Watch out for 7 year old fascists.

My sweetheart does cook and is rather good at it. 

I am exhausted and can not stop smiling. 

[Shadow]

Sounds like you had a good time. Lets hope that she is still remembering you with a smile (and a tear in her heart).

Reagrding the subway, it depends on choosing the right time. Sometimes it does look like all it needs in the tomato sauce to copy a can of sardines.

[Sculpto]

Shadow.. when I called her last night after getting home her words were.. "keeess you Errreek, I very meeess you".

Later this week when she gets settled into a new routine in Moscow without me we will discuss the next steps.  I am getting way ahead of my overall TR, but, she has invited me to Tomsk to meet her Mother, sister and friends.  We are debating K-1 or to try for a business visa.. there are risks to the business visa and if was to be declined it would probably mess up the K-1. 

Once I get the full story written up you will see there were a few small rough spots.. and I can not say she was on her best behavior the whole time.. but, from my perspective that is good.  If her couple of bad moods were the worst she has.. she is a champagne picnic compared to my x AW GF and times 10 compared to the X FW GF.  She says she can throw a bigger badder mood, but, not often...  and.. what is most important.. when she was being bad.. later on.. after I gave her a little space for a while (half hour at most).. she came back like a kitten, there was only one point where I got very upset and first thing the next morning she fixed me right up with tea, cookies, sweetness and the rest is a secret.    Keep in mind we never met before and moved into a one room apartment together and got through nine intense days with almost no time apart.  And, I made her speak English the whole time because my Russian stinks.. And, as you will see in the full TR, the reasons for the few things that bugged her and therefore me, were in fact pretty real and very easily forgivable.  She is EXTREMELY proud and very much not accustomed to having someone nurture her or be ready to actually listen to her when she has a problem.  It will take some time for her to get used to that.  So, anyway, I think everything is good and I need to keep focused now so I don't do something crazy like quit my job and move to Russia. 

[GoodOlBoy]

Welcome back Sculpto. Can't wait to read your TR. I still enjoy reading other peoples experiences and impressions of Russia/Ukraine. To me, it's almost like reading a good book.

[SANDRO43]

Sometimes it does look like all it needs in the tomato sauce to copy a can of sardines.

Tomato sauce with sardines ? Is this a Dutch delicacy ?

[Sculpto]

October 25th:
I am about 31,000 feet over Novio Scotia at the moment.  This has been the absolutely worst flight I have ever been on.  Delta screwed up somehow and the plane returned to New York three hours in, and then they circled us around for two hours over Long Island waiting out a thunderstorm.  The turbluence was almost unbearable and people were puking all around me.  I just put in the ear plugs and covered my eyes and held a scented wipe under my nose the whole time. 

So, now my body clock is all screwed up.  I stayed up the whole night before so I would be able to sleep on the plane and arrive in Moscow in the morning feeling fresh.  Now everyone on the plane is asleep except me, I will be a wreck by the time I finally get to Moscow 12 hours late. 

I had some anxiety thinking this bad flight is a bad omen but managed to get that negativity out of my head and convinced myself it is just another simple hurdle to prove my feelings for "A".

Fortunately I was able to borrow a mobile phone and got a message through to "A" so she would not be sitting around at the airport waiting for me the whole time.  I felt bad when I spoke with her to explain the plane had a problem.  For a second I thought she didn't believe me but then I could tell she realized I was having a terrible time.

(a few hours later)  I wish this pilot would move us up a few thousand feet, we are really getting bounced around.

Finally I managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours.  When I woke up we were over Latvia but it was cludy and I couldn't see anything.  Finally the plane landed smoothly.  Immigration and customs were easy.  I went out into the main terminal and there were dozens of drivers with names on a piece of cardboard.  I didn't see "A" so I just kept walking slowly through the "taxi drivers gauntlet"  Then, about 30 seconds later there she was, looking rushed but beautiful.  When she saw me she recognized me immediately and I got a giant hug.  She wouldn't let me go and we stood there hugging for what seemed like an eternity. 

We went to get the taxi and I felt i had lost my camera so I ran back into the terminal but didn't see it anywhere.  I figured I was simply out one good digital camera but I checked my backpack and somehow I had put it in there.  I didn't even remember putting it there.  Exhaustion!   The traffic in Moscow was ridiculous.  It took over two hours to cross the city and then the driver couldn't find the apartment.  Seems like street signs might be helpful.. LOL!  The apartment is a typical soviet era building and our little studio is on the seventeenth floor so the view is pretty cool.  Once we got inside we hugged again for a long time and then exchanged gifts.  I had a small writing journal probably made in Thailand with handmade banana paper which she absolutely loved, a sampler of Victorias Secret body sprays and the Amber heart I had made for her.  I planned to give her the heart at the end of the trip, but, the hugs and kisses got to me so I gave it to her.  I also told her that for the last six years I had felt my heart dead until I met her and she brought me back to life.  Her eyes got wet when I told her this story and why I had decided to make my heart in Amber and give it to her.  It is easy to tell an emotional story when it is true.    She gave me a bottle of Vodka from Tomsk and a small but perfect gift.. I had asked her for something small made from Birch wood but made in Tomsk.  She gave me a keyring.. seems like a nothing gift, but, actually it was perfect.  My old keyring was given to me by my Dad, made of walnut with a 1963 (the year I was born) Australian penny inlaid but I had lost it about two years ago.  So, her choice of gift was perfect.

The rest of the evening could be described as perfect but too private for discussion. 

[Sculpto]

October 26:
We went to the center to see Red Square.  It was very windy and a bit cold but I was still blown away by the monumental architecture.  It was a really intense feeling to be in this place I had seen on TV and in films and newsreels so many times.  We wanted to take some photos in front of St. Basil and Lenin's tomb but more stupid camera problems.  Batteries!  GRRRRR 

We didn't stay long because we had gotten a lazy start and it was already getting dark, so, we went back to the apartment and her girl friend came over.  I knew I was being scrutinized, but, I felt very relaxed and the three of us just hung out drinking Frangelica.  It was fun and I got to see another side of "A".  She is actually hilarious and very sarcastic.  We stayed up really late drinking and laughing.  Her friend stayed over and slept on the couch in the kitchen.

October 27:

We didn't wake up until 2 pm and then just hung out eating with her friend.  In the evening "A" had to go to a meeting with an old friend of her Father's that she hadn't seen in ten years.  Apparently this man is some kind of big shot in the police and would be able to get her an interview at a major newspaper.  So, she got dressed up and went to this meeting.  She got back pretty late and felt very bad for leaving me alone.  We ended up back in the kitchen talking and she suprised me by questioning me very directly about what we are doing. 

We talked about the future and different possible scenarios.  She suprised me by agreeing to the K1 process.  I had planned to wait until the end of the week to talk about it, if at all, but, she pressed me about my intentions and I could see she was worried I was pulling her chain and she wanted to know if I am really serious so I felt I might as well just get everything out into the open so we could discuss everything and then have time to think about it all during the week.  She told me she would rather not rush marriage but after I explained the K1 process and the amount of time involved she felt it would be ok.  It turned out to be a good decision to talk about it all in advance.  I just went by instinct.