Week 2 and 3

I think it’s sensible to put the second and third week together as I have sort of forgotten what happened when. I will just go through some ‘highlights’ to give you an idea of what I have been up to. Workwise, it would have to be my first official work meeting outside the office. We met with a representative of the firm for which we are doing the project I am working on. The project I am working on involves a Dutch company that wants to acquire a Russian firm in order to expand its position on the Russian market. We discussed the progress of the project and the list of possible target companies we had identified as being of interest for a possible takeover. Not any life-changing experience, but still a ‘first’ for me. After the meeting, I started calling the companies to get some more information on them. This gave for some interesting responses, ranging from simply rude to very forthcoming. Another interesting event at work was the office meeting we had in which I got a good overview of what projects everybody is working on and some of the future projects.

I also met Vladimir, whom I stayed with when I was in Moscow two years ago. It was great to see him, although it also had a sad touch to it. Vladimir’s mum died five months ago of a heart attack and this clearly (and understandably) has caused much sorrow for him. I will never forget how well she looked after me when I was staying with the family and it’s a great shame I never got to see her again. But despite this, it was great to catch up with him!!!

I have also had my share of fun nights out in Moscow so far. Ilya and Sasha have been great in getting me involved in their social life and they have a fun bunch of friends. I get to savour the real Russian way of going out which ranges from standing outside in the freezing cold drinking to the more ‘normal’ bars and clubs. It’s also good for my Russian of course to be among Russian speakers. The guys at the office are also always ready to go out for a pint or food, which is great to get to know them a little better.

And finally, I went to the market with Ilya, Sasha and their mum. I hadn’t seen a Russian market before and it is quiet something. You can buy literally everything and the products are a lot fresher and cheaper than in the supermarkets. It reminded me again that by staying with a Russian family I really get to know the Russian way of life, which is great!