Our furniture saga finally came to a close on Saturday, as the delivery arrived without much incident. Well, unless you count the ride that we had from the hotel to the new apartment. Olga ordered a 'taxi' for us on Saturday so we could lug our six suitcases with us over to the hotel. Given that most taxi cars here are fairly compact, her assistant asked if we would like a Gazel for the transport. Her assistant explained that this is similar to a minivan and everything sounded good. Fast-forward to Saturday morning when we walk outside to see that the Gazel is something akin to what you see in the MASH series used to transport supplies. Or as Olga described it 'what you would see transporting potatoes around the city'. At least the driver had a great sense of humor about it, as he asked if we were moving furniture from the hotel.
I had my doubts as to whether the movers could actually get some of our furniture into the lifts here, but they did. Five guys showed up and within four hours all of the furniture was in its rightful place and all but a few boxes were emptied. We threw a few extra Rubles in and they mounted our flat screen for us, which was quite nice. I joke a lot about the inefficiencies here in Russia, but Russians in general are quite resourceful. Example. The guys didn't have a drill to mount the TV...not a problem. They went down to the security guard and asked if anyone in the building was doing renovations. As luck would have it, they found someone who was and indeed had a drill in his possession. In they come with their new comrade and a few minutes later it's all over. Olga explained to me that it is very common here for people to not only borrow tools and such from their neighbors as well as to lend each other money. I can't say that I've had that many neighbors that I would be willing to lend money to. As a matter of fact, I didn't even really know our neighbors in NYC and we lived there for two years!
After two days of searching through things and finding the right place for each item, I can happily report that the move is complete. We both wondered aloud a few times as to why we brought certain items, such as the US power cords and the small radio for the kitchen...neither of which will work here and neither of which would have made the trip had it not been for the fact that someone else was doing the packing!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
A Bit More on Russian Service
Olga and I are finding out that we took for granted the level of service received in the US. Not only was there a distinct correlation between the amount paid and the quality of services rendered, but there was an expectation of SOME level of service. If you've been keeping up with the posts, it will come as no surprise when I say that we have thrown those expectations out the window and are now accustomed to the Russian service levels. A few examples.
First, the delivery of our furniture. OK, to be fair this is partially to blame on incompetence in the US, partially due to inclement weather (we assume this is why our shipment ported in Hamburg) and to the level of service delivered here in Russia. The updates we receive on the progress of our furniture shipment are directly correlated to the number of requests sent by Olga (we have come to expect a response after the fourth request). We have also become accustomed to the cryptic responses that we receive, such as 'We need two additional business days for it to clear customs'. This is response to where is our stuff? No mention of whether it is in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Warsaw anyone??? When Olga finally hit her level of tolerance, she phoned the lady at the shipping company who replied with, get ready, 'You're from here, you know how it is'. Oh boy.
Second, our apartment is supposed to have a video-phone for security purposes. The company that supplies the service has come to pick up the phone twice in order to repair it, but has to send it out to another company in order to have it worked on. Oh goody, two levels of service!!! no idea when it will be repaired, but our landlord assured me that 'this is just the way it is here'.
Third, the connection of our Internet and satellite TV service was fun for several reasons. I was left on my own with our landlord who, although he speaks fluent English, is not totally up to speed on these two things. Add to that two young men who were here to set up the service that apparently understood most of what I said, but refused to speak any English. OK, I can't be upset about the fast that they wouldn't speak English because for all I know their English is as strong as my Russian. The interesting part is that when they could not figure out which cable in the main junction box ran to our apartment. At this point they suggested that we use a different service provider because the Internet is run through the phone! Problem solved. Well, it was the next day when two different young men came to the apartment and hooked it all up.
Even with the complaining in the last two posts about the lack of service here, it's still a fascinating country. Most of the people are pleasant and the food is great. And I'm looking forward to the season at the Bolshoi Theater (maybe I'll even understand some of the announcements this time!).
First, the delivery of our furniture. OK, to be fair this is partially to blame on incompetence in the US, partially due to inclement weather (we assume this is why our shipment ported in Hamburg) and to the level of service delivered here in Russia. The updates we receive on the progress of our furniture shipment are directly correlated to the number of requests sent by Olga (we have come to expect a response after the fourth request). We have also become accustomed to the cryptic responses that we receive, such as 'We need two additional business days for it to clear customs'. This is response to where is our stuff? No mention of whether it is in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Warsaw anyone??? When Olga finally hit her level of tolerance, she phoned the lady at the shipping company who replied with, get ready, 'You're from here, you know how it is'. Oh boy.
Second, our apartment is supposed to have a video-phone for security purposes. The company that supplies the service has come to pick up the phone twice in order to repair it, but has to send it out to another company in order to have it worked on. Oh goody, two levels of service!!! no idea when it will be repaired, but our landlord assured me that 'this is just the way it is here'.
Third, the connection of our Internet and satellite TV service was fun for several reasons. I was left on my own with our landlord who, although he speaks fluent English, is not totally up to speed on these two things. Add to that two young men who were here to set up the service that apparently understood most of what I said, but refused to speak any English. OK, I can't be upset about the fast that they wouldn't speak English because for all I know their English is as strong as my Russian. The interesting part is that when they could not figure out which cable in the main junction box ran to our apartment. At this point they suggested that we use a different service provider because the Internet is run through the phone! Problem solved. Well, it was the next day when two different young men came to the apartment and hooked it all up.
Even with the complaining in the last two posts about the lack of service here, it's still a fascinating country. Most of the people are pleasant and the food is great. And I'm looking forward to the season at the Bolshoi Theater (maybe I'll even understand some of the announcements this time!).
And the Saga Continues
Well folks, 71 days now here in Russia and still no furniture. For those of you short on memory here's a recap. The moving company pushed us to have our furniture packed in NYC earlier than we had wanted (5/23 to be exact) under the guise that our shipment would arrive in Russia and be delivered within 10 weeks. Since that initial time quote the moving company has been able to consistently set time lines and expectations to which they have come nowhere close to meeting. After they packed our furniture they then informed us that there is a worldwide shortage of shipping containers and that our shipment would arrive in St. Petersburg on 7/23 (about 9 weeks, which is within the quoted 10 weeks). Shipment makes an unexpected stop in Hamburg, Germany and does not hit St. Pete until 8/5 (now outside 10 weeks).
We have been informed that our furniture is still in St. Pete and that it should arrive in Moscow on Thursday. Two days to clear Moscow customs (I don't even want to ask them about why it has to clear customs again once it hits Moscow) and then it will be delivered at 9AM Saturday morning. If they actually manage to hit that date it will have been 86 days since they picked up our stuff in NYC. Ten weeks? I think not.
It is quite important that we receive our shipment prior to August 19th, as this is when we begin our well-deserved vacation! I came to this country with three goals. First, to learn the language and the culture. Second, to find a job with a Russian company. Third, get as many stamps in my passport as I can from countries in Europe, Asia and Africa before returning to the US. I'm making some progress on the first goal, although Olga may have a different view on that. Haven't even begun to work on item number two. Will add Germany and the Czech Republic to my passport this month for item three! Our plan is to hit Berlin, Prague, Munich and then back to Berlin before returning to Moscow on the 28th.
After that it's back to work for Olga and on to the US for me. That's right folks, I'll be taking a tour of three US cities on my 14 or so day jaunt. First to NYC on 8/31 for that all-important new visa! Then to Chicago on 9/3 to see some old friends, hopefully catch a baseball game and enjoy some good wine. From there it's on to good ol' DSM, IA on 9/7 to see the family and more friends. Back to NYC on 9/14 and then back home to Moscow sometime shortly thereafter. I'd love to see as many friends as possible on the return trip to the US, so feel free to email me to let me know if you will be available during my time in any of the three cities.
We have been informed that our furniture is still in St. Pete and that it should arrive in Moscow on Thursday. Two days to clear Moscow customs (I don't even want to ask them about why it has to clear customs again once it hits Moscow) and then it will be delivered at 9AM Saturday morning. If they actually manage to hit that date it will have been 86 days since they picked up our stuff in NYC. Ten weeks? I think not.
It is quite important that we receive our shipment prior to August 19th, as this is when we begin our well-deserved vacation! I came to this country with three goals. First, to learn the language and the culture. Second, to find a job with a Russian company. Third, get as many stamps in my passport as I can from countries in Europe, Asia and Africa before returning to the US. I'm making some progress on the first goal, although Olga may have a different view on that. Haven't even begun to work on item number two. Will add Germany and the Czech Republic to my passport this month for item three! Our plan is to hit Berlin, Prague, Munich and then back to Berlin before returning to Moscow on the 28th.
After that it's back to work for Olga and on to the US for me. That's right folks, I'll be taking a tour of three US cities on my 14 or so day jaunt. First to NYC on 8/31 for that all-important new visa! Then to Chicago on 9/3 to see some old friends, hopefully catch a baseball game and enjoy some good wine. From there it's on to good ol' DSM, IA on 9/7 to see the family and more friends. Back to NYC on 9/14 and then back home to Moscow sometime shortly thereafter. I'd love to see as many friends as possible on the return trip to the US, so feel free to email me to let me know if you will be available during my time in any of the three cities.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
To the Dacha We Will Go!
Ksenia (childhood friend of Olga) and her husband, Valery, invited Olga and I to their family's dacha last weekend. For those of you unfamiliar with Russian culture, the dacha plays a very important part in the family life here. A dacha is a summer house, located in the countryside and normally furnished a bit less extravagantly than the permanent residence (i.e. may not have indoor facilities or running water). In addition, the dacha is not typically suited for use during the Russian winter.
The dacha we stayed at was quite nice and had all the furnishings of a permanent residence, including a sauna in the back. I have to admit, it was nice to get out of Moscow and all the craziness that goes with it. The traffic was terrible, but that is to be expected here.
Things started slowly, with Valery making drinks for the ladies before he and I went to collect and chop wood for the fire (I still have all fingers, even after wielding the axe). Oh, did I mention that everyone was speaking Russian? They call it 'total immersion', I call it 'daydreaming'. But I digress. We needed a fire because the dinner was going to consist of 'shashliks', which is the Russian version of shish-kababs. Fire complete and food in process of cooking. My job here is done. Whilst Valery tended to the shashliks, I wandered off to find the wife (since he speaks about as much English as I speak Russian, our conversations were brief).
We sat down for dinner and Valery set down on the table what I had been trying to prepare myself for.....a bottle of vodka. Oh boy. I'm suddenly having flashbacks to my first visit to Russia about 7.5 years ago when I was initiated into the Russian manner of drinking vodka. Trust me when I say, the flashbacks are not great.
Shot one is done as Valery toasts...something. Ugh, warm vodka. All the memories from that first experience are flooding back into my head. Shot two (about 5 minutes later) and another toast. Seriously, warm vodka is tough on the stomach even when followed by cucumbers. Half way through the bottle and not done with dinner, this is not looking good for the American.
The weather turned chilly, so we moved inside to play some spades after dinner. Olga taught them the gist of the game, since the Russian I have learned does not cover cards. Anyway, Valery assures us that he brought only one bottle of vodka, so that makes me feel pretty safe. After about 15 minutes into the game, Valery and I are winning in strong fashion and the bottle of vodka is bone-dry. I'm happy on both accounts. Then he reaches into the cabinet and pulls out a second bottle of vodka. Note to self, just because he only 'brought' one bottle does not mean that there is only one bottle in the place. Into the second bottle and I am feeling a bit more confident in my Russian (who wouldn't be?), so I propose a toast to good friends and good food. I think I got my point across even though the grammar was most likely pathetic.
Fast forward some period of time. I'm not sure how long because we have now finished the card game (Valery and I won quite handily), the second bottle of vodka and we have started on some homemade moonshine. This is not going to be good. Time to take a walk. Oh sure, why not. I'm feeling very light on my feet. Off we go. While we are on the walk we pass a little store at which time I decided that I desperately needed a beer. Right, that's a good idea. So I get a bottle of beer and proceed to finish that off as well. Now I'm EXTREMELY light on my feet and want to go back to the dacha before I find myself extremely heavy on the ground.
The good news is that I did make it back to the dacha. The bad news is that when I awoke my head felt as though someone had used it as a gong the entire night before. The score is now vodka 2, American 0.
The dacha we stayed at was quite nice and had all the furnishings of a permanent residence, including a sauna in the back. I have to admit, it was nice to get out of Moscow and all the craziness that goes with it. The traffic was terrible, but that is to be expected here.
Things started slowly, with Valery making drinks for the ladies before he and I went to collect and chop wood for the fire (I still have all fingers, even after wielding the axe). Oh, did I mention that everyone was speaking Russian? They call it 'total immersion', I call it 'daydreaming'. But I digress. We needed a fire because the dinner was going to consist of 'shashliks', which is the Russian version of shish-kababs. Fire complete and food in process of cooking. My job here is done. Whilst Valery tended to the shashliks, I wandered off to find the wife (since he speaks about as much English as I speak Russian, our conversations were brief).
We sat down for dinner and Valery set down on the table what I had been trying to prepare myself for.....a bottle of vodka. Oh boy. I'm suddenly having flashbacks to my first visit to Russia about 7.5 years ago when I was initiated into the Russian manner of drinking vodka. Trust me when I say, the flashbacks are not great.
Shot one is done as Valery toasts...something. Ugh, warm vodka. All the memories from that first experience are flooding back into my head. Shot two (about 5 minutes later) and another toast. Seriously, warm vodka is tough on the stomach even when followed by cucumbers. Half way through the bottle and not done with dinner, this is not looking good for the American.
The weather turned chilly, so we moved inside to play some spades after dinner. Olga taught them the gist of the game, since the Russian I have learned does not cover cards. Anyway, Valery assures us that he brought only one bottle of vodka, so that makes me feel pretty safe. After about 15 minutes into the game, Valery and I are winning in strong fashion and the bottle of vodka is bone-dry. I'm happy on both accounts. Then he reaches into the cabinet and pulls out a second bottle of vodka. Note to self, just because he only 'brought' one bottle does not mean that there is only one bottle in the place. Into the second bottle and I am feeling a bit more confident in my Russian (who wouldn't be?), so I propose a toast to good friends and good food. I think I got my point across even though the grammar was most likely pathetic.
Fast forward some period of time. I'm not sure how long because we have now finished the card game (Valery and I won quite handily), the second bottle of vodka and we have started on some homemade moonshine. This is not going to be good. Time to take a walk. Oh sure, why not. I'm feeling very light on my feet. Off we go. While we are on the walk we pass a little store at which time I decided that I desperately needed a beer. Right, that's a good idea. So I get a bottle of beer and proceed to finish that off as well. Now I'm EXTREMELY light on my feet and want to go back to the dacha before I find myself extremely heavy on the ground.
The good news is that I did make it back to the dacha. The bad news is that when I awoke my head felt as though someone had used it as a gong the entire night before. The score is now vodka 2, American 0.
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