Driving in Russia… and stopping.

Today was another first in my life! As Larissa and I were driving all over the city today, she was talking with me about my experiences driving. Most of the signs are the same or similar, stoplights work the same way, drivers are more aggressive here, police stand on the street instead of pulling you over in a car, etc.

She asks me about how well I understand the laws and if I've ever been stopped. Nope. Never been stopped. And then the ГАИ (guy-ee) spun his baton at me. I'm not kidding. So I pulled over to see what the problem was. Turns out I changed lanes in a crosswalk without signaling as a woman stepped into the crosswalk from the other side of the street. Larissa and I decided it was a lame reason to stop me, but we think he was bored and hoping for a bribe.

So I got out of the car, and crossed the street to his car… and got in his car with him… yep, in HIS car. We talked (PTL that I can get along in Russian now) for quite a while. He wanted to see my apartment contract, my return plane ticket, my passport (of course, none of which were with me). Well, the fine ended up being 100 Rubles! (like $4) He wanted me to pay him right in the car, but I suggested that I'd pay at the bank.

Paying at the bank was another adventure in and of itself. Zhanna came with me to help me fill out the paperwork. We got advice from 2 or 3 different people at the bank to find the right form, fill it out, find the right line to stand in and get it taken care of.

The bureaucracy is amazing, but I really am getting used to it, and in fact the slower pace of life is kinda nice in some way…