Today, I went back to America, even if only for a few hours. We had our orientation at the American Embassy this morning followed by lunch in a steakhouse (don’t worry, their soup and salad was sufficient for the vegetarians among us), a trip to the American Center, and a party at an Embassy employee’s apartment.

At the Embassy they served us Oreo Cookies and Dove Promises. The floors were smooth and grit-free, corners were right angles, everything from the doors to the light fixtures was exactly how it would be in America (which raises the question, how in the world did they get the supplies to Moscow? A whole fleet from the Air Force or Navy?). Out of the window, I could see a Weber grill and someone mowing the grass.

It was a day full of English and chatting with fascinating people doing fascinating things in fascinating places throughout the country.

And to think, I hadn’t been looking forward to it because I thought it would be a drawn out recap of the security briefing we had in DC followed by some awkward small talk.