Not strangers on a train

by Hannah Lobban (United States of America)

Making a local connection Russia

I elected to take the Trans-Siberian express route, but not to take the actual seven day Trans-Siberian express train. Instead, I'd do as the locals do, and take the platskartny (third class, open compartments) all the way across Russia, from Moscow to Vladivostok. I planned on stopping at various cities along the route as I had nearly two months of vacation. I also planned on using Couchsurfing on my journey. The first three legs of my trip- Moscow to Yekaterinburg, Yekaterinburg to Tomsk, and Tomsk to Novasibirsk- had been uneventful. The trips were all under a day and I was able to pass the time easily in my shared compartments. The next leg of my journey was from Novasibirsk to Irkutsk and was about a day and a half. I shared a compartment with a mother and daughter. The daughter was very shy at first, but the mother was quite friendly. She was an English teacher at a local school, and they were returning home from summer vacation. We chatted about where I was from and how I liked Russia so far- all common traveler questions. I told her I also was an English teacher in Korea and we started talking about our classes. The daughter was in middle school and tried her English lessons with me. At the end of the train ride when pulling into Irkutsk, the mother and daughter invited me to tea with them and helped me around the city for the first day. It was great being able to share with them before parting ways. The last leg of my Russian train adventure was from Ulan Ude to Vladivostok. This was a three day trip. Again, I made my way to my assigned bed and settled in. This time, I was sharing with a family. The father, mother, and daughter were with me, and the brother and friend were in the next compartment. While this family spoke only some English (and I no Russian besides a few trite travelers phrases), the father and mother were instantly welcoming to me. Maybe it had something to do with my being a 24 year old girl traveling alone. These trains provided boiling water and mugs for tea, but travelers were supposed to bring their own food. When it was time for the first meal, the family beckoned me to join them. I came down from my upper bunk with salami, bread, cucumbers and cheese. They offered me drinks, soup, tomatoes, and chocolate. We ended up sharing food every meal. They also would invite me to play card games with them at times. I even watched a movie with the daughter one time, though it was difficult with subtitles on a small screen and shared headphones. Overall, this family was entirely kind and friendly to me in a capacity I hadn't expected. I never encountered anyone I had issues with or that was unhelpful or mean, but I also hadn't met anyone like this. I will always remember the family from the train, and even though we parted in Vladivostok, they are one of my favorite stories.