Siberia, Russia Part 5 - Khabarovsk and a Little Russian
In this continuing series, we cover my move from San Diego to
Chita, Siberia to be a professor at Chita State Technical
University. We pick up the story outside the airport in
Khabarovsk, Russia.
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk is an amazing city. Museums with works from Picasso,
Rembrandt and other masters. A bustling downtown area with
cafes, a lively music scene and architectural triumphs. Then
again, maybe not. We were far more interested in finding a hotel
with hot water and never ventured into the city.
Outside of the airport, we were a bit flummoxed by the fact
there appeared to be no taxis. We quickly learned that
practically any Russian with a car is also a taxi for hire.
After 5 minutes of egging each other on, Grae made taxi
arrangements and we were off. Apparently taking in out
disheveled appearance after 3 days of traveling, our driver
suggested the Intourist hotel. We readily agreed.
During communism, Intourist hotels were set up for exclusive use
by foreigners. Ours was fairly nice and, importantly, had
showers with copious amounts of hot water. You can see a picture
of it at http://www.lodging.ru/hotels/intouristkhab.asp. After
having returned to humanity with one of the best showers of my
life, it was time to brush up on my Russian skills.
I am a huge fan of ice hockey. During the eighties and nineties,
many of the best players were Russians. In interviews, they
almost always talked about learning English by watching
television. If it worked for them, it would work for me. Not
exactly.
As Grae showered, I flipped through the eight available
channels. Sitcoms were a non-starter, but I eventually found a
news channel. I see the images. I know what the images are. I
hear the words being spoken by the reporters. I have absolutely
no idea of what words go with what images. Okay, let's back up.
What words do they use over and over? Damn, do they have to talk
so fast? After 30 minutes, I have learned nothing, nada, zippo.
My respect for Russians playing in the NHL has never been
higher.
Might as well sleep on it. Yes, day three of the trip was
finally done. My original prediction of a 2-day trip was out the
window. Still, we were in Russia, so how much longer could it
take? Pull out a map and take a look at the country. It is twice
the size of the U.S.
Next - When Stairs Attack...