An American in Moscow

Rubles

Money -- how much to take and how to manage it in Russia?  Some people are wondering how I'll be paying my rent, groceries, etc. in Moscow and if it will be difficult to get a Russian bank account.  All of the indications I've gotten from the ABA is that ATM's are all over Moscow, and it's relatively easy to withdraw money (rubles) to handle day-to-day living in the city.  I have a checking account at PNC Bank here in D.C. and, luckily, international ATM withdraws are covered by my checking plan.  I'll also be setting up a bank account at a Russian bank to handle rent payments, etc.  Depending on the bank, it seems to be pretty easy to set up a Russian account.  I've heard Citibank is a nightmare, but some of the local Russian banks are much better.  I'll wait to get a local banking recommendation when I arrive.  There is no checking system in Russia like the United States.  It's still a cash economy.  I just want to be able to go to my Russian bank to withdraw monthly (or quarterly) rent payments instead of going to an ATM and withdrawing $2,000 worth of rubles.  I'll have to wait until I arrive in Moscow to open the account, but once I do, the ABA will be able to wire funds from my U.S. accounts to the Russian account, which will be convenient.  Luckily, as Moscow is essentially now like New York, a lot of my day-to-day expenses can be paid by credit card/debit card, etc.  For markets and smaller mom and pop stores, I'll just withdraw rubles from an ATM, which gives the best exchange rate.  I don't know how much cash I'll carry into Russia, but I don't expect it will be too much -- just a mix of dollars and rubles to get me off and running when I hit the ground at the Moscow airport.  I kind of feel like I'm winging it, but I guess that's part of the adventure.  For those of you that know me, I'm sure that doesn't come as a surprise.

Packing...or lack thereof

As my departure date nears, the need for packing up for the trip increases...exponentially.  I hate packing.  If I am going on a one night trip, I usually wait until about 10:30 p.m. the night before I'm scheduled to leave to start, and then just usually throw some things into a small travel bag.  Russia, for 12 months, obviously has to be a little different in the packing department.  I just can't seem to get myself into the mind set to really dig in and start packing though.  We didn't get much guidance during our ABA orientation as to what to pack for our respective countries.  Everyone told me Russia was cold and to pack accordingly.  What the hell does that mean?  Sure, I could go buy a huge, puffy, North Face jacket, but then I'd just stick out like a sore thumb in Moscow as an obvious American.  Based on my rough calculations, I'll be taking 7 to 8 suitcases with me to Moscow.  Generally, the office is business casual (a good thing), so I'll be bring basic trousers and button downs for the day-to-day grind.  I'll also have to pack suits for meetings, conferences, and seminars.  That will take up one full garment suitcase.  Luckily, the apartment I will be renting in Moscow will be fully furnished, even down to the dishes, so it's mostly clothes only on the packing front.  I've got to get a plan and, more importantly, the motivation, to pack.  The spare bedroom is ground zero for the pack out.  Hopefully, I'll add a few pictures of the packing process soon.  If anyone has ideas, advice, etc. for a move overseas (especially Russia), I'd love to see it.

Making a choice

As some of you know (mainly my family and a few close friends), I've been struggling with deciding between going to Moscow and a recent offer to do rule of law work in Afghanistan.  The Afghanistan job would have entailed working in the Naghahar province in Jalalabad, near the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.  It intrigued me, as did the massive salary that was dangled in front of my face.  After going back and forth (i.e., being totally lured by the money vs. my longtime interest in Russia) I've made the formal decision to keep on track on go to Moscow.  I'm excited about exploring Russia instead of basically being in a minimum security prison in Afghanistan.  Can't wait to get to Moscow! My departure date is less than 3 weeks away and I have SO much to do, not the least of which is packing and getting all my affairs here in DC in order.  Anyway, thought I'd just formally announce on the blog that I'm 100% committed to Russia.  The reason I know it was the right decision is that after tossing and turning at night struggling with the decision, I've had two straight nights of deep, restful sleep after making the Moscow decision.  That tells me that I made the right call.

The ABA Rule of Law Initiative

I thought I should probably give a brief description of what I will actually be doing in Moscow.  I will be working for the American Bar Association ("ABA") Rule of Law Initiative ("ROLI") in Moscow.  My official title is Criminal Law Legal Adviser (a/k/a Criminal Law Specialist or Liaison).  The ABA has had a presence in Russia since 1990, and works to foster legal reforms in post-Soviet Russia as well as in the former Republics that made up the Soviet Union.  The ABA does work all around the world in the Rule of Law area, including burgeoning programs in the Middle East and China.  Central and Eastern Europe (including Russia) are part of what is known as the Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative within the ABA.  It's the longest running rule of law program at the ABA, and its alumni Liaisons are known at the "CEELI Mafia" and are spread out in international development jobs around the globe, including at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. State Department, and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private development companies. A good overview of the ABA ROLI program can be found here:  http://www.abanet.org/rol/europe_and_eurasia/

I've been told that my duties in Moscow will center on legal reform programs focusing on criminal procedure, criminal defense bar training (including jury trial and advocacy skills), indigent defense programs (Russia doesn't really have any pro bono programs for the poor right now), anti-corruption initiatives, and human trafficking.  I'll be working with at least two Russian attorney's who work for the ABA in these areas in Moscow.  Additionally, my Country Director, who runs the office and overseas all the programs (including legal reform programs outside my area) and a Regional Director (who supervises a large regional area, including Russia) also work out of the Moscow office.  Both the Country Director and Regional Director are U.S. lawyers.  I'm also excited because I will be traveling around Russia and will not be limited to just working in Moscow.  I think it will be a great way to see and explore the largest country on earth, while at the same time working to foster meaningful land much needed legal reforms.  I've been told to expect VERY incremental progress on these areas during my year in Russia.  I'll have to get use to that idea -- I'm accustomed to getting results done quickly in the U.S. justice system.  But I can't wait to get started.  Only one month until my departure date!

Skype

As you can imagine, communication with my family and friends while I am in Russia is a paramount concern.  In June 2007, I attended a week long orientation session at ABA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. where we covered the basics of overseas living, as well as tips and recommendations from former ABA CEELI Liaisons on the best way to stay in touch with our loved ones back home.  Almost unanimously, everyone recommended Skype, an online web-based, broadband calling system.  I'd heard of Skype while working in the the Department of Justice, but only because the criminal investigative side of the DOJ didn't have the ability to wiretap calls from one Skype user to another (I have no idea how this plays out on the NSA side of things -- my guess is they can and do wiretap pretty much everything, but that's a topic for another day, if not another blog!)  Anyway, I downloaded Skype from its website www.skype.com.  The program is free and easy to use.  Then, I went to Best Buy and bought a $41 pair of headphones/microphone combo and started making calls to my family and friends regular landlines and cellphones at about .02 cents per minute!  The best part is that Skype to Skype calls are FREE!  Unbelievable and incredibly economical.  I'll end my infomercial for Skype now, but I encourage everyone to download and use Skype.  You can call me in Russia for free!  I predict landline telephones will take the same path as 8-track tapes and will be a thing of the past within the next 5 to 10 years.