Traveling Delta Style

Based upon some urgency that was never explained, TCM International wanted me to do whatever I could to complete a commitment I made to them to go to Russia to teach. I have worked for TCM International since 2001 when Arletta and I went to Austria for my sabbatical. Since then I have been to nearly every one of their ten in-country schools to teach.

Just a side note. TCM International achieved accreditation with NCA, the organization that accredits colleges and universities in the USA. That gives you a little idea of the high caliber of education this program provides.

Back to the Russia trip. The Russian embassy claimed it was not happy with my passport, not enough clean pages to suit them. Every other country just stamps over the visa items, but not Russia. They want two clean pages on which to paste their page size visa and then a clean page to stamp arrivals and departures. So my summer trip to Russia was canceled. I was still in the Czech Republic when Mike Crull, director of TCM International, send me an e-mail pleading with me to reconsider. Our negotiations were resolved when Mike said TCMi would buy my plane ticket.

Meanwhile a few days before I was to leave my wife developed terrible cramps in her abdomen. She had her appendix removed many years ago, so we knew that was not the problem. We took her to the doctor and he ordered a cat-scan. We went in for the cat scan with the promise that we would have results in two or three days. Meanwhile the pain persisted. By Thursday before I was to leave I was in a bad state of affairs. How could I leave my wife in this condition and be gone for a week? We had no children nearby who could stay with her. What if she required surgery and I am 10,000 miles away?

Arletta improved somewhat on Friday and so we decided I would go. She would not find out for another week what the problem was. Oh the marvel of modern medicine. She could have died while some technician drank his coffee and munched on his bagels or doughnuts! Even in America we are not too high on serious patient care.

I left Kansas City about 12:30 pm on Saturday. I would fly almost straight through to Moscow and arrive there about 10:30 am the following day. Remember there is a nine-hour time difference. I did not get to Vladimir until 5:00 pm Moscow time.

The flight over was interesting. I often wondered why they designated planes certain sizes. I think I now know. I was in a Boeing-boing 767 and I think there were 767 seats jammed in the plane. You needed a shoehorn to get into your seat. My knees abbutted the seat in front of me and when the person in front leaned back his hair was in my face. When it was time to eat your face was in your food. The plane was full, so there was no wiggle room for anyone. The food was passable, but the service and food on Northwest greatly outshown Delta.

Finally, the return trip provided its own challenges. Just getting through the Moscow airport took three hours. It was a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing. First they X-rayed all our luggage. Then we had to wait while everyone's luggage was hand searched. Finally, just before we were allowed to enter the boarding area they searched our luggage again. Those Russians don't trust any one.