Day 1& 2: getting to know Moscow as well as Russian food

The adventure has begun! I'm sitting here in the Member Committee office of AIESEC in Rubek (Russia, Belarus, Khasachstan), reflecting on my very first two days of being in Russia, and there is already so much on my mind that I don't even know where to start.

I arrived yesterday in the afternoon after a very uneventful plane trip, that I spent sleeping most of the time, due to the fact that I had been packing up to 2.30 am and I had to get up at 4.45 am to catch my train.

Immigration procedures were smoother than expected despite the almost shocking unfriendliness of the customs officer. - Russian authorities/ embassies really provoke the impression that tourists are tolerated, but not really welcome. That statement however, is not at all true for my hosts! The Russian AIESECers I met so far are role models when it comes to hospitality!

Yesterday after arriving at the flat, I first got to taste some Russian food: ‘pelmeni’- they look and taste a bit like ravioli, but just much more filling. So far I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of food. Today I got to taste another specialty which is called ‘borscht’, a beetroot soup that includes other vegetables, chopped ham and a bit of sour cream, yam. J As I have learned so far, Russian eating culture is a lot about meat, and it is also ridiculously cheap in comparison to Switzerland. Russian ice-cream is also very nice, as I figured out today. The only thing that I’m not really sure whether I like it or not is a brown , a bit like dark beer looking drink, based on bread, with an indefinable taste that is called ‘kvas’.

Also yesterday we visited ‘VDNKh’ , formerly called the ‘USSR Economic Achievements Exhibition’ which is commonly abbreviated in Russian to VDNKh. It is the country's largest museum, and has a huge park containing national pavilions for all the republics of the USSR, fountains, aircraft and rockets amongst other things, as well as amusement-park rides. Today it has now been renamed the All-Russia Exhibition Centre - but everyone continues to call it the VDNKh. After strolling around in there for a few hours, we got home after midnight, where I fell straight into my bed- tired but really happy and excited about the things to come.