What I Would Have Done Differently

When you go on a long trip, and that essentially is what this has been, you can look back with 20:20 hindsight and declare that some things could have been done better, or at least differently. I’m in that position, nearing the end of my stay in Kazan and Russia and have decided to catalogue the list of mistakes I wish to correct, or replay so that I can get a better outcome.
The first, and most obvious, is that I would have done this sooner! And that includes moving to Aukalofa, starting and finishing the B.A. at least two years earlier, etc. For a start, I would have had more money and had a happier girlfriend. I would also have been two years younger, which may have helped with acquiring a new language. Who am I kidding; Russian is acknowledged as being one of the harder Indo-European languages to learn. Compared to Russian, French, Italian or Spanish are a doddle.
Secondly, I would have brought cash instead of traveller’s cheques. The commission charged on changing traveller’s cheques into local currency is high – it can reach 10%, even when you find a bank that is happy to cash them. Cash may be easier to steal, but it attracts a much lower exchange commission.
Thirdly, there was a travel scholarship I didn’t know existed until AFTER applications for it closed. Even $1000 would have been useful, assuming I’d got it. If ever you are in the position of being a student planning foreign study, look at ALL the possible sources of money that exist, especially the travel ones. The useful information is often hidden in obscure corners of the university campus, far from enquiring wallets and minds.
Fourthly, I would have checked that power supply for the laptop before I packed it. Murphy’s Law can strike at the worst possible moment, and the old adage of “measure twice, cut once” can be applied to more than just carpentry. Similarly, and fifth, wandering around Shanghai with the cables for the digital camera was asking to lose them, considering I was operating on adrenaline as opposed to sleep. I think I should have been ruder to the Chinese, too.
Sixthly, I should really have read up on the weather here before packing. The rain isn’t hard; it would qualify as “showers” or “light rain” in New Zealand. The heavy overcoat would have stayed at home. This would have lightened the suitcase by about 2-3 kilos, plus given me a bit more room. I also would have brought more long sleeved shirts, instead of just the five I did. I have to wear summer shirts part of the time. This hasn’t been a problem only because the winter has been surprisingly mild. This is the second warmest December on record, and they’re on track to have a brown Christmas.
Seventhly, I would have done a lot more language practice before I left. Spending several days waiting for my ears to adjust to Russian was not fun or productive. I thought I had a handle on the language before I arrived, but I was more than a little bit wrong. Large amounts of listening practice should have been done before I left.
I’m certain I chose the right city to learn. Moscow and Saint Petersburg, lovely though they may be, are BIG. Moscow is also the most expensive city in the world. Here I knew nobody, so was basically thrown in the deep end. This was both good and bad, for the usual reasons of not knowing anybody. It is cheaper than Moscow, but it meant that I had to find, or be found by, people with whom to practise my Russian. I know somebody in Moscow, a native, who would’ve been happy to help, but he also wants to practise his English, and that would probably mean my Russian wouldn’t have been spoken at all. Plus, in a smaller city, people are friendlier, and I get to see another face of Russia.
I think I should have spent fewer days in Warsaw and even less time in Kaliningrad. They’re both nice cities (actually, K’grad is a bit of a hole but it could be nice, if they finish the improvements) but I would like have seen more of Poland and maybe even some Lithuania. I definitely want to see more of Russia. I’ve taken the night train here, so I haven’t seen that much out the window – kind of obvious, that – it was night and the countryside was dark, nothing to see. I would like to have caught Mashina Vremeni in concert; apparently they played in Kazan for free one day before I arrived.
Naturally, if I’d had more money (and more confidence in my command of Russian) I would have taken a cruise on the Volga, but where too? Astrakhan is about 3½ days down river, and Moscow the same up river, if The Lonely Planet is to be believed. Prices quoted in my (Galina’s) copy suggest that it is a cheap form of travel. Still, a quiet cruise on a quiet river would have been nice, even if I’d been sharing with Russians.
My only problem with the Russians is the language barrier. I can now hold a fairly reasonable conversation and understand most of what is said, provided there’s not too much background noise, but early on I was crap. Russians are like people everywhere, and generous hosts desperate to create a good impression. No wonder Russian officialdom has always been suspicious of foreigners: the locals would be too busy leering it up with the visitors to get any work done.
So my advice to everyone is “Go to Russia – you’ll have a really good time”. Next Post: Packing up.