Thank god today is the day I will fly out of Moscow! I have been here for 11 days and 10 nights as per my endless hotel bill).
God, this place is so bloody expensive, I spent a little fortune only on wireless internet scratch cards (I had 9, all for 24 hours!). This was a bit silly because during daytime I was out of the hotel room anyway and didn’t really use the wireless. Moreover, the internet connection in the offices here is quite good – I even managed to be online on Skype which is quite unheard of in any other office I have visited so far. So, there was probably no real need for continuous internet access in the room but, for one reason or another, I have felt so depressed here ever since I landed so continuous connection with the outside (civilised!) world was really precious. Prejudices, haunting memories, the perspective of spending a few years in this place … who knows? I only know that I have felt quite bad and stressed out here. It’s very strange – whenever I am in Moscow, I have this need of stopping indoors – I really don’t feel like going out and visiting places or having fun outside. This time I only visited the Kremlin – this was the second time for me and, of course, I had exactly the same reaction as the first time – yes, you guessed, I did not like it. Totally hated it, to be more precise. That happened on Saturday and, as soon as the visit was over, I hurried back to my hotel room and did not leave it until Monday morning.
I remember the Monday I travelled to Moscow from Brussels, two weeks ago – we spent one full day travelling. First, the flight was delayed, we then spent 3.5 hours in the air, then it took us another 2.5 hours stuck in horrendous traffic jam from the airport to the hotel in the city centre. Oh, sadly enough, that was my birthday … :-( I remember hoping to god that something would happen to prevent me from ending up in Moscow. The girl in the airport in Brussels who was supposed to check our passports and visas upon boarding did not look in detail at mine. So, I was surprised to see her a bit later, when I was (uncomfortably) settled in my seat on the plane, hurrying towards me and politely asking me to hand her my passport once again as she had been a bit confused before. So I said to her “please, make sure you find something wrong with my visa, my passport or something …”. She smiled and said “you don’t really want to go there, do you”…. Unfortunately, everything was in order … :-(
People here are a bit rude and rough, expressions / words like “thank you” or “please” are extremely rarely used, they bump into you without a word on the streets, they shout at each other, queues are jumped on a regular basis, people are beaten up on the streets. People are shot to death. One morning, our taxi passed by a place which had been blown up by a bomb – an entire flat was completely destroyed, policemen were gathered and looked at the place in dismay, millions of little pieces of glass were scattered all over the place … Very violent and dangerous place this city … Oh, I forgot to mention the weather … When you look out of the window, all you can see is an endless grey. When it's not raining. And it’s so cold ….
Fortunately, I am no longer faced with the perspective of moving to and living in Moscow … I am no longer faced with that tough choice. Everybody is relieved and happy and I feel like I am living again :-) . Thanks everybody for the continuous support!
I didn’t realise that I could miss Brussels so much … It really feels like home. And I will be at home tonight! God, I can hardly wait! My flat, my bed, my things ....
All is well that ends well ...
4 comments:
hurrah for freedom and the peace of mind that living in a civilised country brings :-)
Now why do I detect a pinch of irony here ... :-)
You have no idea what this means because you have always lived in a civilised country ... Hehe ... Why don't you try Moscow for a change?
So Moscow is cold and dull. Well there's a surprise. Many Muscovites still have problems getting hold of what we call basics, that seems to include a dose of manners too by the sound of it. All in all you don't seem to have enjoyed yourself much on this visit. Poor you. Hopefully your next assignment will be more enjoyable. What you really need though is a couple of weeks in London .... now there's a civilised city. Only a few shootings and knifings in any one night, and no more than a couple of hundred muggings. Can't be bad. And the tubes at rush hour, they're so cosy. You get to meet all sorts of interesting people, real close encounters too ;-)
Yes, a truly wonderful place, London. All the air has been passed as fit for human consumption - by virtue of the fact it has been pre-breathed by at least a couple of hundred before it gets to you, and they seem to have survived. Same goes for the water, though that concept is probably best not explored in too much detail.
:-) Hmmm ... yes, you seem to make sense.
I feel I could easily survive London, though ... I have this feeling ...
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