I made my first business trip to Moscow a few weeks ago.  It was a remarkable experience and it’s always very interesting for me to indulge in different countries and cultures.

Traveling internationally has a great way to put things into perspective.  The world is a very big place, but at the core “people are people”.  What people want is to live, work and be in peace.  We all have that in common for the most part.  One of our drivers was kind enough to take a slight detour and drive by infamous Red Square as seen in the photo below:

The Russian people aren’t so unlike American or Japanese people as you might imagine, in my opinion.  I have found obvious commonalities in each of these cultures are a ‘hard-working element’.  It’s inspirational to go to a foreign country/city and just witness the people and business go-about their daily routines.  True, living in the United States, I sometimes get jaded and frustrated with American laziness and gluttony but I feel, honestly, if I think about it in comparison to other societies, American business is quiet efficient.

Another commonality between Russian and Japanese society is their consideration for visitors.  I absolutely admire this quality about these two countries which are distinctly different in some ways, yet quite similar in other ways.  The Russian people went out-of-their-way to try and communicate in English at the airport, in the restaurant or in the hotel.  They really did their best to make me feel at home.

If you ever do visit Moscow, however, be prepared for traffic!  Wow – this was something I was surprised about.  Although we had drivers for our travels and didn’t have to rent a car it was crazy just simply being a passenger.  There is massive traffic in Moscow that you should know.  Give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination and know the back roads, if possible.  I would compare the level of traffic congestion to that of Manhattan, New York (US).  However, the drivers in Moscow are aggressive, just like in Manhattan, but they have amazing skill to weave and dodge obstacles and they lack the anger that overcomes American drivers.  In Moscow I did not witness one single driver either honk their horn and/or ‘flip-the-bird’.  It seems as though this traffic mess is just accepted as a condition for living in Moscow.

To compensate for the traffic congestion it seems that law enforcement is quite lenient.  A result of the massive traffic is that people have to park their cars somewhere and, believe me;  they park them wherever they can find space!  You park on the sidewalk, sideways or in other areas because you have to.  Maybe I can go into the Parking Garage business in Moscow?

Finally, again, I appreciate all the hospitality of the Russian people.  Stereotypes and history is something hard to overcome but it seems that the integrated approach of a world economy is truly a reality.  I’m humbled to see it, and to be a part of it.

Великие люди

偉大な人々

Great People,

Kevin