"Where the f** is Karakalpakstan?" I wonder when I hear about it the first time. It doesn't have anything to do with Pakistan, the country. Wikipedia explains: "Karakalpakstan is an autonomous republic at the northwestern end of Uzbekistan. It has an area of 160,000 square kilometres (62,000 sq mi) and a population of about 1.7 Million. The [...]
Our train stewardess is holding two bags under my nose, one has black instant coffee, the other one has coffee with milk powder and sugar. "With milk, but no sugar," I say in English. She looks at me confused. No one seems to order such a thing. She takes the initiative and [...]
The driver repeats her sentence in Russian for the fifth time, I repeat mine in English for the fifth time: "How much does it cost to Yaroslavsky Station?" We don't understand each other. By her tone, I realize that she is getting angry. She opens the door and points her finger outside. This is how I get thrown out of a Moscow street car. "You can't get far with English in Russia", I heard this before. How bad it really is, however, you can only feel when you're actually there. Whether it's the street car driver, the cashier at the supermarket, the kiosk person or train station staff, they all speak Russian and Russian only. Somehow you can make it work anyway, you just shouldn't be under time [...]