Sochi 2014 (or how Meri willingly went to a hockey game)

Hello, internet world! I am finally back after an almost two month hiatus. January was a busy month of travel and a Fulbright conference, but I would like to dedicate this post to my trip to Sochi a few weeks ago. I should say extremely spontaneous trip to Sochi, as my decision to go was made very spur of the moment in a very smoky (read: typical Russian) café in Voronezh with my American friend Eric.

After a week of in-service teaching to my colleagues, my host informed me that I had an additional week off before my regular classes resumed. It took me a few hours to put together the fact that I was 600 kilometers from Sochi with a week off. But then one of my students (Vika) from Sochi with whom I have become good friends invited me to come stay with her family during the games, and the rest simply fell into place. Eric wasn’t very keen on figure skating and I wanted to spend as little money as possible, so we agreed on the USA-Slovakia preliminary hockey game and then rushed to the train station to buy tickets for the next morning. I then spent the remainder of the day trying to hunt down an American flag to no avail. Instead I brought a nice paper purse-sized paper flag given to us by the embassy in Moscow. Whatever works, right? I then purchased enough food to last our 27 hour train ride. Yes, you read that correctly. For some reason the train ride is 14 hours longer than the drive. I will never forget the following reaction upon telling my mom I was going to Sochi.

Mom: Sochi? How far is that from you?

Me: Well, twenty seven hours. But considering how big Russia is…

Mom: SEVEN hours? Are you crazy?

The city of Sochi itself was more of an experience than the hockey match. Things like palm trees, recycle bins, and bus schedules made me immediately question if I had somehow left Russia. I even got bold and asked a policeman for help, and he told me to have a good day after giving me directions. I just sort of stared at him until Eric dragged me away (A taste of reverse culture shock?). I have never been through more intense security in my life and even the local express trains kept blaring out the numerous security measures taken on the train “for your peace of mind”. I was rather annoyed with the Western media’s reporting of the Olympics as everyone I interacted with was helpful, kind, and friendly.

By the time we arrived in Sochi, Vika was back in Voronezh, so her mother and sister (Julia and Tanya) met us. I expected that we would be crashing on couches in their family’s apartment. However, they are almost finished building a house where they generously put us up for the night. So after showering us with welcome gifts, Julia and Tanya brought us to their new home to settle us in. The house was so thoughtfully and carefully set up for us complete with a stocked fridge (probably enough food for at least a month), comfortable beds, and more presents. This, my dear readers, is a prime example of Russian hospitality! After gaping about us with awe at such generosity, we left our bags and made our way to the Olympic Park.

Note the palm trees

The Olympic Park had a really festive atmosphere and was absolutely enormous. We ran into many Americans (even families of some of the athletes!) and answered questions/translated for many of them.
 

Although we purchased the cheapest tickets we could get, and at the last minute, we somehow scored seats in the second row right behind the American team. I am not sure how this happened, and Eric and I spent the first few minutes wondering if we were in the wrong seats. We sat next to a bunch of NBC employees and interns and chatted with a few of them during the game. I left the stadium almost without a voice and definitely without a better understanding of hockey and in utter disbelief that I had witnessed an Olympic event.

Goal!

The next morning, Tanya was at our door and ready with an itinerary to help us see as much as we could before our return train. She met us at 7am, and a little after dawn we were already at the Black Sea. I was dying to go swimming but didn't have my suit with me, so I rolled my pants up and waded in as far as I could.

We spent the rest of the day walking around Krasnaya Polyanka where the major ski events were taking place. Tanya explained that the ski resort village, the shops and even the river were all created for the Olympics. 

After being given more presents, sustenance for the train, and open invitations for future visits, we rushed off to the train. I think we spent more time on the train than in Sochi, but it was definitely worth it for the experience of (probably) my only Olympics.