Things you shouldn't tell your parents about Moscow 021606

Hi, there--
So, Monday morning I got up after barely sleeping and dragged myself downstairs to wait for Vadim. As he was late, I ran to the bakery next door grab some bread and to the "Produktoy" shop to grab a Fanta (which only has 31 calories! Amazing!). I am so proud of myself… no longer do I worry about saying the wrong thing in Russia. I am becoming more and more confident in my skills. I order and respond with no issue.
As I come back from the shop, there is Vadim. I get in the car and we exit the parking lot. It is snowing, as always. I laugh when I read CNN to see NY shut down. Moscow is constantly under a blanket of snow and it stops nothing, including Vadim. As we leave the parking lot, Vadim corners the car with the e-brake on a street with parked cars on both sides. At this point, I swear I am going to die. We come about 2-3 inches from hitting a car side on. I think… this is something I'm definitely not telling my parents. I started to think… What else is there that I probably shouldn't tell my parents about Moscow… I saved this until I left Moscow to send to you. Since the likelihood is strong that I won't be coming back… I'll give you the truth.. So, here we go, things my parents shouldn't know about Moscow:

Driving
-The driving situation is ridiculous. I see accidents all the time, and cars do not have the safety precautions we have. Aggressive driving is the norm… and I mean aggressive!
-The road conditions are crazy sometimes… the plows don't always plow. There is snow, ice and slush on the road, potholes and sometimes no lines. There are also some interesting road configurations. I can't even begin to explain them, but there are times when I could not tell you has the right of way. Like at a 5 point with no lights…
-Cars do not yield for pedestrians.
-My drivers blew red lights all the time and drove very uhhh.. I don't even know how to describe it.

Crime
-It is not unusual to find a corpse in the park or by the road side. (Source: Moscow Times)
-I've read stories about people going missing and never being found again.
-I've also read stories about people dying and the bureaucracy losing the body.
-Chechen rebels bombed the Metro a few years back.
-The police lie when they report crimes, and thus no one knows what the true crime statistics are. There has been anecdotal evidence of the police ignoring rape cases because they "do not want to make the city look bad." (Source: Moscow Times)
-The police are also known to accept bribes and refuse to return passports unless given a bribe.
-Mafia is everywhere. You see them in their brand new luxury cars. They are unmistakable. You especially see them around the casinos which are at least one to a block.
-Extortion and corruption are common in the business environment. Threats of violence and acts of violence are commonly resorted to in business disputes. (US State Dept.) Hahah, this is not what happens when I report exceptions in Moscow.
-There are a lot of scams, as to be expected. One that you hear about all of the time is called the "turkey drop." In the popular tourist destinations someone drops a lot of money in front of a tourist. When the tourist picks it up they accuse him of stealing their money. The tourist pulls out his wallet to prove he didn't take the money and they take the wallet.
-There are street gangs of kids who've been known to attack people on the street.

Overall Safety
-I was followed by a crazy homeless man yelling about Communist power and the KGB for about an hour and half one day.
-It happens quite often that someone gets drunk in a bar, passes out before they get home and dies of hypothermia.
-It is true that I see drunk men on the street and in the subway at all times of day, every day. You only ever see people with beer bottles though, never hard liquor.
-The dogs on the street should not be approached. They have been known to attack people and even sometimes start packs. They are all over and they can be aggressive. I've never seen any sort of animal control.

Diet
-I live on Fanta while I'm here. I rarely eat more than once a day. I've already lost 5 pounds.
-Last time I was here they confiscated 3 tons of radioactive food off of the streets.
-Sanitary conditions in the food markets are definitely sub par.
-Missionaries coming home from Russia are often found to have all sorts of parasites and such.
-Everyone on my team got sick from the food last time we were here.

Flying
-People privately sell and swap airline tickets-- like the two Siberian suicide bombers last year. A bribe of as little as 500 rubles ($17) can get anybody on board a domestic flight, according to aviation officials and media reports. (Source: Moscow Times)
-I've landed on runways that were not completely clear of snow and ice and prayed the plane would stop.
-My last Aeroflot flight was swaying when it hit the landing strip.

I guess these are things that you can say about most big cities in the world. I don't think there is as much corruption with the police or the mafia in most other cities, but that is fairly contained. Overall, I've never felt "seriously" unsafe… but maybe sometimes nervous with the slippery marble, unsafe driving conditions, crazy landings and odd homeless people. I have had no problems on the subway or with the police. They also think that I am Russian though, and this makes a big difference. My advice… Don't smile, look at the floor and carry a plastic bag everywhere you go. Voila! You are now Russian.

For once the Russian inefficiency is playing to my strength. I talked to my mom and husband tons while I was here, and we had some serious chats! I got my bill today. They only charged me 1 minute for each of the calls!!! WOOHOO!!! So, when we talked for an hour +, it was only $5 US! Ahhh… Russian inefficiency… Finally on my side!! It is my parting gift. ;-)
I'm now on my way to Cyprus (if they let me out!). No more worries about Russia.
Talk to you in Cyprus!
Amanda