Most people I have spoken to about this trip have responded excitedly, saying that it will be incredibly interesting. In a marked contrast though, one of the person who I will be travelling with seems to have encountered different responses. Somewhat more of a polar opposite, in fact. So between then two of us, we have received responses ranging from "Oh wow, I wish I could go with you!" and "Oh, you will love it!" to "Oh, it's so dangerous. You must be careful!"
For a while, I wondered about these contrasting responses. I pondered over cultural differences to try to figure out if one culture was more wary of Russia than the other. Does one nation publish more "big bad Russia" news than the other? I suppose they must. After all, some nations have more interaction with other nations than others, and such interaction easily turns into conflict, which makes for good news headlines. So we are naturally conditioned by what we encounter on a regular basis. I also wondered if it had to do with how well travelled people are, hypothesizing that the greater the travel experience in different cultures, the less of a factor fear becomes. On the other hand, perhaps it is in fact the greater experience and knowledge of the realities in certain places that breeds wariness. Who knows? My musings are unlikely to arrive at anything resembling a reliable conclusion. And alI know is, there are a few places in the world where I would turn down the chance to travel to, but not many.
And Russia, is not one of them. Far from it in fact - more on that later. When I this job, it was a given that I would one day 'have to' travel to Russia. And that indeed came to pass before too long.
Visa and corpses
Before I could get too excited about the trip though, I needed to sort out my visa application. While there was a possibility to get the company's travel agent to arrange for the paperwork, a couple of phone calls with them was enough to convince me that I would be better off sorting it out myself. I don't think they were used to getting such requests from us. The fact that I was a non-EU national applying in an EU-country added to the uncertainly.
One of the supporting documents I needed to submit was of course, a letter of invitation. Because I was applying for a multiple entry business visa, this complicated the process somewhat. Copies of my passport and other information were sent to our contact in Moscow for the preparation of the letter of invitation. It would be ready in about two weeks, she said. Two weeks?? To prepare a letter? That threw a spanner in our travel plans. Our trip had to be delayed, and different things moved around on the calendar to make it work. Why two weeks? Because my information had to be submitted to the Russian foreign ministry, and in the end, my invitation to travel to Russia was extended by the Foreign Ministry.
The other document I needed was proof of insurance. And not just your average travel insurance either. There were very specific items which the insurance must provide coverage for. Most notably, my insurance must cover repatriation of my remains. That is to say, should I inconsiderately decide to drop dead on Russian soil, I'd better make sure that someone is prepared to pay to get my rotting corpse out of the country. Really cheery stuff.
I was a bit frustrated with the visa centre at the Russian consulate in the beginning. Faced with a specific situation they had never encountered before (the whole non-EU national thing, compounded by the fact that my nationality is not commonly seen here), it seemed like no one was in a position to provide any information. The best (and only) advice I got was to send in my documents and they will see. There were certain administration fees set out online, but there was also an unknown "consulate fee", which as far as I was aware before I received the invoice (after submitting all my documents), could be anything from EUR 30 to 200. When I did send in my visa application though, it all went as smoothly as anyone could hope for. I got back my passport with the visa attached with a few days. We did pay for the express service, which helped.
What's on your hard drive
Prior to the trip, it had come to our attention that laptops were scanned at the airport upon arrival. More specifically, the hard drive of the laptop is copied. Truth or rumour, I was uncertain. But it was enough of a risk that some people choose to travel without a laptop even on business trips, or travel with a newly purchased 'empty' laptop. Neither was an option for me, so I contacted our security team for some last minute advice, partly to understand what information could be accessed by such a scan and what I could do to minimise the risks. From the conversation, I learnt that it is a fact that laptops are scanned and / or copied - and we know this because it was confirmed by the security police - but it is not done as a matter or course. Whether it is random, or targeted at specific people or profiles or flights, or time of day, or phases of the moon, no one knows. At least, they're not saying. I got a few tips about cyber security and was told to just exercise caution with my laptop. It made me think a bit more about what I store on my computer and ended up spending half an afternoon going through and deleting random crap that I had accumulated over the years.
I also spent some time reading about the precautions that some people take when travelling to Russia and China. From the forums, there seems to be a much heightened awareness and caution in play when travelling to these countries. My main concern when I travelled to China was that I could no access Google, and that data traffic would be monitored, but it seems like there is a whole lot more that I did not think of. Most of it was probably not relevant to me anyway, because I was there on a personal trip. In any case, some of the precautions taken regarding passwords and information storage etc., is right out of a Bourne film. I picked up a few of the more 'ordinary' tips, which are easy enough to follow and makes good sense in general anyway.
Who're you going to call?
My address book on my phone has increased tremendously in the last week with numbers of people whom I could call in an emergency or if I need help or advice about anything. The most interesting one though, is the company's travel emergency number. The number itself is not interesting. That the number exists was interesting for me when I first discovered it some time back. Leading up to this trip though, I discovered a travel risks portal on the intranet which creates a risk profile of any given country and sets out some advice and practical information, such as warnings, business etiquette, getting around, to and from the airport, etc. Safety issues aside, it is a very good way to get ready for any upcoming trip.
To fear or not to fear
It is a business trip, so that will take the most of my time but it's my first time in Moscow so I am also determined to do the tourist thing. I'm going to see and do as much as I can when I am not working. And this is the part that gave me pause. Dare I venture off on my own or would that be reckless? With all the horror stories that some people tell about things that happen to foreigners, should I take heed? With the corruption and fake police and everyone out to get you.. hmm... yeah, I dare. To sit in my hotel room for fear to venture out, I would have to transform into someone else because that would not be me. Not that I dismiss the dangers. I am not stupid and I know I need to be cautious. Some of the horror stories must be true. No smoke and all that, right? So I set out to educate myself on the risks. I read travel advise, blogs, travel guides about Moscow. I looked up Meetups, social activities, read random write-ups about what's on in Moscow. I looked up runner's tips and jogging routes. And I talked to people. And bit by bit, I tried to form a picture of what life is like in Moscow and what is safe or not safe to do. Armed with this information, travel guides, a Cyrillic alphabet cheat sheet, metro maps and other maps, and phone numbers of people whom I could meet in my free time (more on this later), I have decided that am ready! I'll be careful and no do anything reckless, and trust that Someone out there is looking out for me, but will be out exploring when I have the chance.
It's good to have friends
It is a major added bonus that I have things to look forward to in my private time. By coincidence, someone I know from way back when (well, not really way back, but a while back anyway) will also be in Moscow while I am there, so we will try to meet up.
Then, a friend who is from Moscow, actually the only two Russians whom I am truly friends with (and her husband, of course) has put me in touch with a couple of her friends in Moscow (she herself does not currently live in Moscow) who have so kindly agreed to take me out and show me around while I am there. That would really add a lot to the trip, and does a lot for my peace of mind and makes me look forward to the trip that much more. Even if it does not work out and I ended up not meeting anyone, just knowing that it's planned makes a difference. I am lucky to have friends!
My Russian fascination
I was always only ever going to look forward to this trip though. I have always had a fascination with Russia. Not a deep fascination, but a fascination non the less. St Petersburg has always been high on travel lists, in at some point in my life I want to go there kind of way. Once upon a time, it was my "if you could go anywhere in the world" destination choice. St Petersburg is still on the list and I know Moscow is not the same, but still.
Part of my St Petersburg fascination has to do with Nicholas II. That little part of history has always captivated me and I recently (only a few days also) finished reading Nicholas and Alexandra, which traces the life of Nicholas and the fall of the Russian monarchy. So I feel rather preoccupied with Russia at the moment. The book is of course set 100 years ago, but there is so much in it which I recognise in what I know about modern day Russia and resonates strongly today.
The other thing which fascinates me is the Trans Siberian express, which is also on my list. Siberia in general fascinates me, my favourite animal in my childhood or early teens was the Siberian tiger.
All that said, I feel like I am arriving in Moscow with a clean slate. I have some information and certain pre-conceived notions about the country, the city and its people but I have no expectations. Well, not true. I expect to continue to be, in want of another word, fascinated. Other than that, I am a blank canvas and eagerly await what impressions will be painted on me.
Upon arrival in my hotel, I will just add from what I have seen of the airport and the highways, ignoring the Cyrillic alphabet, I could be anywhere in the world. Although, from the driving style, I know I am not in Sweden!
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