Coupe for four, pazalusta

That’s pretty much a good example of the butchered, mixed Russian/English I’ve been trying to communicate in for the last four weeks. At least I’ve been managing! (Hand signals/charades have helped, too.) The four of us are in one coupe on the train, and Bill is again sharing with some random folks.

The Rotary event wasn’t an official meeting, just a gathering of some of the club members for dinner – one of the best meals we’ve had. All in all, I think Chita was the city where we collectively had the best experiences. After the meeting, we hung out for a while and watched a short dance performance, which was a little… strange. There were about 10 of us left at our table, and one other table of three, and besides that, the restaurant was empty. There was a stage at the front, and we watched about four different dance numbers (separated by a guy singing the equivalent of bad karaoke), first two girls, then three guys, then two mixed dances. Again, Tracy stole the show and the dancers came and pulled her on stage.

We walked to a nearby bowling alley and played pool for about an hour, then headed home around midnight.

We started the next day at a television station. They took us to both studios, the control room, and we got to meet the station director. Five years ago, the station was completely funded by the government. She said now they’re about 30% funded, and have to generate the rest of the revenue. I asked about ad pricing, and they said a ten second, prime time spot was about $100. They’re broadcast by satellite, so technically the audience is limitless, but they estimate about 1.5 million viewers in the Chita region – this was the local affiliate of a national Russian station.

After the TV station, we broke up and Mark and Ora went to speak to a human right’s organization. Tracy and I went to the corporate headquarters of a drugstore company. They have 1,000 locations across Russia and are continuing to expand. It was a very interesting professional discussion for both of us – I asked some questions about their marketing and Tracy asked about the development of their business and construction of new locations. It’s a pretty progressive company – very concerned about consistent branding, using special promotions coinciding with holidays, and a discount card for pensioners and frequent shoppers.

We met back up for lunch and then went out to an orphanage with has received a lot of assistance from the local Rotary club. There were 60 kids there, ranging in age from three to 17. They were grouped into four “families” of 15 each for meals and sleeping areas.

We spent a short time there, then headed back to the city and walked and shopped for a while. Then, back home to pack and get ready for the train ride, which we’re already more than half done with! So, tonight in Irkutsk, then the flight to Moscow, two nights there, and home! I have no idea what my Internet access will be after the hotel in Irkutsk, so if I don’t get any more posts up ‘til I’m back in America, see you soon!!


Now, it’s almost over. Mixed feelings. I’ve had a really good time, and I know that a lot of it has to do with the people I’ve gone on this journey with – both in my team and those that have hosted us. It seems like the month went so fast, but at the same time, I miss the comforts of home, my friends and family.