STRANGER IN MOSCOW

Anxiety took the better part of me as I headed off for Russia about a fortnight ago. I was anxious because none of my previous travels on duty was outside the continent of Africa.

The thought that I was leaving a country of just two million people and going to a city of over 12 million had my my mind working overtime with several thoughts of how things would be like - would it be a cramped place where safety could be compromised and crime heightened? A mere city of 12 million against a whole country of 2 million? These thoughts never left me even after leaving the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport on a six-hour flight to Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. And that was another thing - having left through an airport as small as ours in Botswana, I was shocked and in awe to see how huge and busy that airport in Ethiopia was.

With the hordes of travellers going hither and thither within the busy terminal, my anxiety hit new levels as I realised that I had to be on my toes and on the alert as that was no place for the stroll I was on at my country's airport. Besides, my connecting flight was scheduled to depart for Moscow in an hour and I had to put my best foot forward. Upon arrival at the help desk for my next flight, I was shocked to receive a hotel voucher and a new boarding pass instead - my imagination of seeing myself in Moscow the next morning dissipated quickly as I was told I would instead leave Ethiopia that morning for an evening arrival instead. I was in disbelief as such communication on the changes had just been made.

I was told to proceed to the foreign affairs office where I was then asked to go await further instructions on where I would spend the night. The thought of spending a night in Ethiopia with only a hand bag on me without toiletry and other clothes got me worried - my main luggage bag had been checked in for collection at my final destination. I had to to be a big girl and look beyond the inconvenience.

The little drive to the hotel made me appreciate the dark yet peaceful city. With a negligible number of traffic lights compared to Gaborone, we had a smooth and uninterrupted drive that saw us arrive at the hotel in no time. My arrival at the hotel coincided with dinner, and I was taken there immediately, my mind racing again, wondering how the food the was like. Well I felt like I was home - but with more of their fish which I enjoyed the most.

At breakfast the next morning, I met the lovely soul of John Musenze aka Johnnie from Uganda.

I had actually bumped into Johnnie the previous night but did not think he and I were headed the same direction. It was only during breakfast that I overheard him telling a waitress that he was headed to Moscow that I knew he might be part of the team that was travelling from all parts of the world for the SputnikPro new generation programme.

The programme is being implemented by Rossotrudnichestvo (Russian Cooperation Agency) in accordance with the Presidential Decree № 1394 of 19 October 2011. Its aim is to develop and deepen public, business and scientific ties between Russia and foreign countries, promote an objective image of transformations in Russian society, expand the number of young active foreign citizens with an impartial perception of Russia and to encourage them to strengthen partner relations between the Russian Federation and the states they represent.

I walked up to Johnnie and sat beside him; exchanged pleasantries and he immediately asked if I was also on transit to Moscow. We would then proceed to the airport where we met other programme participants from Zambia, Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina and Peru. We were very excited and chatted loudly about almost everything, the Moscow mood had gained great momentum.

We boarded the plane and after eight hours in the sky, we arrived in Moscow. The time was around 2000hrs and in my mind, the city would already be engulfed by darkness but not in Moscow, it was still as bright as ever out there.

When we left Domodedovo Airport to the hotel that would be accommodating us, it was almost 2100hrs, but darkness had still not set, I found myself wondering if people in Moscow ever sleep or if the sun there rises around 1000hrs! I was determined to find out the next day.

We were accommodated at Alpha Hotel - one of the biggest and most beautiful hotels I had ever laid my eyes on. The staff was very friendly and assisted us settle in smoothly. I did not want to sleep, I wanted to go out and see the city, but my body failed me, not after the long flight anyway, I needed to rest so I retired to bed.

I woke up around 0600hrs and when I looked out the window, the sun was already up, another shocker for me! So there is no such thing as night time in Russia? I wondered.

It was only during breakfast that Taza of Zambia informed me that the sun rose at 0330hrs, a shocker for her too. “What were you doing up at that time?" I asked her. She smiled and promised to tell me later. The issue was discussed at length during breakfast by many of us, especially those who were from Africa. We laughed at how the world was different. And it was during breakfast that we met participants from other countries - Mexico,

Tunisia, Qatar, Algeria, Lebanon, South Africa, Palestine, Namibia, Kenya and Serbia among others, and everybody was in high spirits.

Our hosts then decided to take us on a city tour to explore the beautiful views of Moscow and one thing I immediately realised was how the streets were so clean, giving the city a spectacular and refreshing look.

The traffic flow was also magnificent, allowing enough time to look at all the unique buildings towering over the beautiful city. We went on to tour the magnificent Victory Museum which is the main Russian military history museum. Inside the museum, we got to learn about the rich history on the major battles of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The museum serves as a remembrance of the defenders of the city, those who fought for Moscow and many artefacts are found there such as personal belongings of military leaders and soldiers, letters they wrote, weapons and uniform.

We then proceeded to the magnificent Red Square which is the city's most prominent landmark. It is surrounded by many historical buildings such a Saint Basil’s Cathedral and Lenin’s Mausoleum. Here we got to learn that the place was the scene of executions, demonstrations, riots and parades.

By the end of day, we had learnt a lot about Moscow and its origins, we met and interacted with many Russians who appeared impressed at seeing black people in their country. They excitedly asked for pictures, and we did not hesitate to pose for a few snaps, they were friendly and welcoming.

The next day, real business began, we started off with a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where we got to meet Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The brief meet and greet session was strictly off record but she did use the meeting to touch on relations between Russia and countries.

We then visited the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, the parent organisation to Sputnik News Agency and Radio, where we got to learn about everything news throughout the weeklong lectures. We held a wide range of discussions around the future of journalism, social media platforms and how to use them - headlines, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on news production among other topics.

We were given an opportunity to tour the Sputnik newsrooms and appreciate how they go about their daily news gathering processes. It was a very informative interaction as we shared ideas, learned about media laws and challenges in different countries and how to tackle evolving media dynamics.

Throughout the week and during lunch hours, we visited a local restaurant which exposed us to different Russian cuisines and the food was amazing. My taste buds agreed to everything they served, from starters to main courses. I believe what made the entire experience enjoyable was the fact that food was prepared using ingredients I was familiar with such as carrots, onions, cabbage and beetroots.

Participants of the SputnikPro new generation programme knew well that we had limited time in Moscow, so we ensured to always go out in the evenings and see places near where were we lodging. We visited clothing shops and nearby supermarkets to see the type of clothing and products sold. Others went clubbing and enjoying the city a bit more by hopping on the metro trains to get around.

A day before departure, we hit the market place in an effort to check out souvenirs to buy for our loved ones back home. It was at the market place where I saw my newly-made Nigerian friend Debola show off her bargaining skills. She asked for discounts on almost anything she wanted and she got what she wanted! The Russian people were very understanding and reminded me a lot of people in my backyard - loving and accommoding.