First Day in Russia

It started with the dog getting free in the belly of the plane.
After the longest flight of my life (I only was able to sleep about two hours) we finally landed in Moscow, Russia. As we lined up to leave the plane the flight attendant announced: “The owner of the dog traveling with the luggage- please come forward. The dog has gotten out of the crate during the flight and the staff can not catch it.”

My eyes burned from a lack of sleep but I was excited to see what was waiting for me outside the plane. After successfully passing the health check (no temperature), we made our way outside of the airport. Russian flowed all around us. I was happy to see a familiar face, but also was excited to meet my mom’s cousin (Garick) and his son (Grisha). They met us with bouquets of flowers and kisses on the cheek. Garick handed my mom a cell phone to use while in Russia and we made our way to Peter’s apartment. The sprinkling of forests around the city took my breath away. The birch trees taller than anything in the United States. I can’t wait to go into the deep forests later this week. The first drive into the city felt surreal: billboards and traffic mixed with onion top historical buildings and Stalin’s sisters looming over it all. I thought Costa Rica was crazy driving, but Russia is probably the craziest. No speed limits, no seat-belt laws, people zoom in and out of traffic like there are no lanes. Police can pull you over for any reason and this usually requires a pay-off of some sort. I took it all in and felt like I was in a TV show or movie- watching it all but being a part of it.




I was so tired (noon Moscow time, 1am Davis time) but I decided to force myself to stay awake. If I could make it through half a day in Moscow and sleep at the regular time I would be able to fight jet-lag faster.

After settling down into Peter and Dina’s apartment we went to find coffee. Russian filled the street, cute children walked behind their parents, cars zoomed down the streets, and people sold beer, ice-cream or candy from kiosks on the street corners. After a latte and yummy beet salad- the sleep still tried to win me over- we went to visit with my mom’s relatives.

I felt dizzy from the lack of sleep but excited to meet relatives for the first time. We traveled by car (you learn to hold your breath and the corners of your seat, as you slide from side to side) to my mom’s aunt’s apartment. It is located in a quieter part of the city (an old brick building, with tall trees around it.) My mom remembered the floor her aunt and uncle live on. I didn’t have time to get nervous and I blame it on the sleep deprivation, but we made our way inside the modest apartment that my mom used to visit as a child. Photos of my family (siblings and parents) hang in the apartment. My great aunt and uncle met us with more kisses on the cheek and smiles. My great aunt Maya looked at us and kept repeating (in Russian only)- My Tanyachka, my Tanyachka you are here. After analyzing me they tell me I don’t look like my mom, but I am perfect. Along with my great aunt and uncle we are met my Garick and his wife (my mom’s cousins) and their child Grisha. Later Palina joins us with her boyfriend (my mom’s other cousin’s child’s child- quite the family tree) and the apartment filled with more Russian and people. They all instantly felt like family- laughing and joking. They only spoke Russian for the next few hours and I felt like I was in a foggy dream. I smiled and listened to stories here and there. I began to put together the topics of the conversation- understanding limited Russia- and fill my not hungry belly with Russian food they had prepared for us. I was happy to find out Grisha is a vegetarian. We started the meal with a toast. They toasted to me and told me in Russian that they know my mama is here because of my organization. It made me feel so part of the family already. Then we had homemade squash soap with sour cream. It was amazing. Plus homemade bread. Then rice with smoked salmon. They were happy I ate Reeba (fish). Then we had vegetables and a three-course dessert (chocolates, tea, cake, and an amazing baked dessert my great uncle made the day before for our arrival). Peter came with us and told my family he is on his last belt hole, he can’t eat much more. They told him, well we have the tool to make the next hole. Everyone laughed and I understood where I my gets her sense of wit and humor. They were impressed we want to go mushroom hunting and said if we can not find mushrooms they will plant them for us to find. The warmth and humor and connection with these people that share the same blood with me is amazing. Throughout eating for hours I listened to stories of my family’s past.

My great uncle Grisha told me amazing moments from World War II. He told me (through help with Peter’s translations) that he was a solider on the front lines. He was wounded by Germans and they took him out of the army. He was awarded a medal for being a hero and watcher of the city of Moscow. He even shook Stalin’s hand. After being exempt from the army he became an architect and began restoring buildings destroyed by war. This is how he met my great aunt (who was also an architect). They worked on restoring a building together and won another award. He told me this year on December 31st they will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. He told me my great aunt lost both her parents at 17 years old to the war. They were taken by officers- leaving my great aunt and my grandfather (who was 5 at the time) as orphans. They moved to Moscow and met up with family. My great aunt brought my grandfather up. When he left to USA in the 70s with my mom and family my great aunt was never the same. She is really sick and my great uncle told me after my dedushka left is when she started to fall ill. Since my dedushka escaped with his kids (my mom) and wife, the KGB sent a letter telling my great aunt and uncle to bring him back. My great aunt said she would sacrifice her life for my dedushka and didn’t tell the KGB officers anything. This resulted in the loss of her job as an architect. My great uncle told me it was ok because they had dogs and camping trips and more adventures. I shared the picture of Jaime with them and we related on the love of dogs. I told my uncle he has amazing stories. He told me- he is a unique individual. Then we hugged and kissed on the cheeks and he said he loves me so much and is so happy to have me in his home.

I left with a full belly, eyes tired with sleep, and emotional happiness. It is an elation that is hard to describe. I feel an incredible amount of luck to be able to experience this and have such an extended and loving family around me. Not many people are able to have this experience in their lifetime and here I am in Moscow, Russia ready to explore the places of my mom’s childhood stories and memories.