We both have pretty laid back personalities so neither of us were freaking out when we were lost in a huge city where we were vacationing. Oh, and we didn't speak a word of Russian. We wandered around, laughing and taking in the sights. We even had our pictures taken next to a great Russian Orthodox church.
A few weeks later when we were back in St. Petersburg, and it had been a rough day for Miki. The kids had been unruly and her lesson didn't go well. Tensions had been palpable within the group and she was feeling more homesick than normal. It happened to all of us from time to time. I guess it was just Miki's turn that day. After we had finished teaching, we all gathered in the small classroom where we kept our things. I asked Miki if she'd like to go to my host family's place for lunch. I had recently switched host families. My new host family's place was within "Russian walking distance" of the school we taught at. In order to get to my old family, I'd have to walk a mile to the metro, take a 45 minute ride, and then walk about six or seven blocks to get to their apartment. To get to my new family's place, it was only about a mile and a half walk. This new family consisted of a mom who didn't speak a word of English and her ten year old son, Vlad, who was the most annoying person I have ever met. Miki agreed and we packed up our stuff and started walking.
It wasn't unbearable cold that day. Since our trip to Moscow, it had become a bit warmer in St. Petersburg. It was still chilly enough that we wore our frock pea coats. The air smelled like Russia, a mixture of car exhaust, cigarette smoke, and cold. We could see hints of spring as we walked. The city was still gray and dirty but there were various patches of grass growing green and lush. There were even some wildflowers that popped up sporadically. The sky wasn't completely overcast, like it had been for the first two months of our trip and we were treated with the sight of the blue sky. It was a dramatic changed from when we first arrived there and we enjoyed and treasured the colors.
When we arrived in the apartment, I opened the first door that had three locks and the second door immediately behind it with two. We walked in, took off our coats and shoes and walked into the kitchen. The apartment was small but well furnished. The kitchen was to the left, next to Vlad's room where I was staying. There was also a living room where Vlad slept with his mom. I guess him mom slept there all of the time. She didn't have a room to herself. I rummaged around the fridge and found some cabbage wraps and put them in a small pot of water to warm. Microwaves are a luxury in Russia and we had all learned how to use a stove to heat our food.
Miki and I chatted while I cooked the food. Suddenly there was a firm knock at the door. Miki and I looked at each other for a moment then I went to go answer it. I looked through the peephole. There were two police officers standing there, wearing bullet proof vests that had the words полиции written on the front. They were both carrying what looked like automatic weapons. I didn't know anything about guns at the time and I still don't know much but I knew those guns were intimidating. I looked at Miki who had an expectant look on her face. "It's two police officers with bullet-proof vests and automatic guns." Miki's eyes became wide. "What should we do?" she asked. "Let them in, I suppose." I replied and began to unlock the doors.
The two men stepped in without being invited in. They asked me something in Russian. I replied in (very bad) Russian, "Я не говорить Россию" which meant, "I don't speak Russian." It was about the only thing I knew how to say fairly well in Russian since I would say it about 20 times a day. The police officers asked me something again in Russian and I replied again, "Я не говорить Россию." I then I attempted to add, "Я учитель английского языка" which meant I was an English teacher. I didn't know how to say it as well and I fumbled with the words. I then reverted back to my old standby, "Я не говорить Россию." They still seemed confused and I gave up and started talking in English. "Look, I don't understand what you're saying. I'm an English teacher. I'm living with this family. My friend and I are here having some lunch." I walked into the kitchen and gestured to the food on the counter. Miki hadn't said a word. After making one more attempt to talk to me in Russian, (I replied with a snarky, "I still don't understand what you're saying") they seemed to realize they weren't getting anything from us.
The one officer went to the phone to make a few calls. The other propped his automatic gun up against the wall and sat down at the table next to Miki to fill out some paperwork. Seeing as I had nothing else to do, I went back to the stove and tended the cabbage wraps. After a few moments, I turned to Miki and said, "I think they're done." She looked at me and tried not to laugh. I brought the wraps to her and we began to eat, continuing the conversation we were having before the cops showed up. The cops would talk to each other in Russian and every now and then would try to say something to us but would only receive looks of incomprehension. Neither one of us were frightened or nervous. We were as casual as if these two were our lunch guests. We even offered them some wraps and they laughed and shook their heads.
After about fifteen minutes, the officers stood up and began to look like they were ready to leave. I stood up and walked them to the door. After they crossed the threshold, I waved to them and said, "до свидания" which meant goodbye. The officers laughed and waved goodbye. The moment after I closed and locked the door I looked at Miki, who was still sitting at the table. At the same instance we both burst out laughing. I doubled over where I stood and Miki doubled in her chair. I walked over to the kitchen, still laughing, when Miki said, "Kelly, we just had lunch with Russian cops." I stopped laughing long enough to reply, "Yeah. They weren't much for conversation."
Love you.
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