I had arrived in Russia on a trip. I was uncertain how long I was going to be here. I had earned quite a bit of money from a paper route, and I could stay for a long time. However I thought I might only be here a short while, not long enough to learn any of the language. It occurred to me that it was still enjoyable to travel in a country where I didn't know the language. At least just looking at the strange letters of the alphabet was interesting. I had studied Russian a long time ago and I tried to remember a couple words and what they meant.

I was standing in front of a counter with a Russian woman on the other side. I was relieved when she spoke English. I began telling her I had been told I needed to sign my name to the Russian constitution when I entered the country. She said she had never heard of such a rule. She called over another person, who likewise was unfamiliar with such a rule. It didn't really matter to me – I just wanted to make sure I was doing everything correctly.