So I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to depart for St. Petersburg. It's boring so I'm reading my itinerary pamphlet. Just in case I'm not nervous, here are some of the precautions that my school took the time to mention:
1. In Siberia polar bears sometimes come into the towns
2. Do not buy alcohol from unknown, dubios or strange kiosks. It might be paint thinner or suntan lotion.
3. If you mail a letter it will take at least two weeks to reach the outside world.
4. Keep your papers on you at all times. The police can make spot checks on the street to see your passport and visa. Seriously! It's like Arizona, but legal.
5. The Russian medical system is "hit or miss" in terms of getting a good doctor or someone who doesn't know what they are doing. It can take 2 hours for an ambulance to reach you. In a real emergency, take a cab.
6. Don't drink the water. St Petersburg has a parasite in their water caled giardia and if you even swallow the water while brushing your teeth you will have stomach pains. You also have to take pills for a month that turn your skin yellow. The tap water also may have a high metal count due to pollution.
7. Have safe sex. Russia has a 1% HIV positive population and a serious general STD problem.
So hopefully I'll survive :) If not, there's a 7-11 in my terminal where I can join some Danish boys for some 7am pineaple Bacardi breezes to help calm my nerves. Seriously, this happened.
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