My Trans-Siberian Journey: I found my Doppelganger in Kazan'

Have you ever been to a Cuban restaurant only to find Mexican sombreros and a map of South America tiled on the floor with the word "Cuba" written all over it? Craving spice and tortillas, James and I set out in search for something besides Borsht and dill. Side note: In Ekaterinburg, I ordered Borsht and rice, and received a shot glass with my meal. My Russian isn't perfect, but I am positive I didn't see anything about vodka coming with my meal. Interesting...

Anyways, what we found in Kazan' was a Cuban restaurant that was definitely confused as to what kind of brown it was supposed to be. They were playing some Latin flavored music, a much appreciated shift from the usual techno beats we have been enduring throughout Siberia.

I was excited to see someone as excited I am about dancing, even if I am the only one on the dance floor. Strangely, I was the one urged to come dance, and this gesture sparked a new friendship.

She had pushed the tables and chairs out of the way, and created a makeshift dance floor. Soon, we got some other locals to join in and dance with us. There was one Russian guy who was especially good at partner dancing, but for whatever reason, when he started to dance with me he preferred to bump and grind like an eager pre-teen. I enjoyed my dance with my new friend, Gulnaz, much more.

After we finished our Mega Mojito, which was not as strong as it appeared, I swapped contact info with my new friend and asked her in Russian where they were going next. It seemed like she said that they were going home because she had an early train the next day. However, she invited us to go on a walk.

I am so glad we did, because not only did I get to enjoy a night tour of this beautiful city of Kazan, but also a full on photo shoot! We found roses by the Kremlin which adorned our photos for the rest of the night. My doppelganger in Kazan’ is just like me: loves to dance and take pictures. What else do you need in life really?

My new best friend, Gulnaz

She later invited me to come back to Kazan’ in 2013 for a volunteer expo that she is working for, and I just might take her up on her offer. It is not every day that you meet someone who you are just destined to be good friends with. Come to think of it, I think they gather volunteers, ask them to blog about their volunteer work, then they get voted on... hmmm... what do you think, people? Is this something up my ally for my time in Ukraine teaching English to the homeless kids?

I am glad I studied Russian – otherwise, I may not have met a new great friend.