A Short Anecdote about an Acronym you haven't Forgotten

Reflections on Russia - A Short Anecdote about an Acronym you haven't Forgotten
During my first week in Moscow, they made sure to show us around the city. We hopped on a tour bus with Jon, the regular director for Moscow programs and made our way about the city, briefly taking stops at достопримечательности, also known as points of interest. After making brief stops at key tourist destinations such as the Kremlin, Red Square, Christ the Savior, the Peter the Great statue, the Novodevichy Convent and Swan Lake, we came to the Лубянка metro stop, the stop we would get off at every day as we commuted to the Higher School of Economics. Aside from Детский Мир, a famous children's toy store, presently under renovation, one other significant building stands out, the headquarters of the former КГБ. Jon shared an interesting fact with us while on the tour bus: this former KGB building goes eight stories underground, but it was the tallest building in Moscow of its time. It could see all of the way to Vladivostok.

Note: If your Russian geography isn't up to par, Vladivostok is a city in the easternmost part of Russia near Japan, thousands of kilometers away from Moscow. The joke here is that the intelligence of the KGB was so extensive that they could observe any part of Russia in a given instant.

My First Impressions of Moscow

My first few days in Russia were great. I was suprised to find out that I knew more Russian than I thought, but also that I have so much more to learn! I was able to negotiate purchasing cell phones and plans for two of my fellow group members without any assistance! I later bought my own phone and plan (see below for the number). I lived in the dorms for the first three days. The first night was the big quarter final for soccer, Spain versus Russia. I chose to stay in on the first night, away from the large, drunken mobs of potentially unruly Russian football (soccer) fans. The following day, we acclimated more to life in Moscow and were allowed to explore on our own. I visited Детский Мир, an extravagant children's toy story suggested to me by Russian friends online. It was great to imagine what a Russian childhood might have been like.

I now have a Russian cell phone number. If you'd like to call me, incoming calls are free for me: 7.915.179.4828