Providnitsas - the cabin attendents

We had read that it is wise to give the attendants some kind of gift coming on the train. We didn’t have the time to get some chocolates, and didn’t have any cash to gift them with (we were stuck with only dollars for days and days with no way of exchanging, but to pay for something in the dining car and get Rubles back, at a horrid exchange rate.) Then I noticed that one of the attendants had a stiff neck – she kept rubbing it. I offered a massage. Funny how actions speak louder than words, particularly when you are non-verbal due to lack of language! The other attendant scheduled her massage, then their relatives (for it soon became apparent that the attendants were either best friends or relatives with the traders in our car, sharing food, lounging around gossiping) got wind of my skills. Knock on the door, “massajii?” I never refused, and through the five days, I treated a number of people, including a woman who had an inflamed tooth, using my oil of cloves (Thieves) and Advil. She slept well for the first time on the train, and asked for more when we got to Moscow! It was all we needed to break down the cultural barrier between us. Joplin and McKinely started playing chess with the people next door; the mom whooped Joplin, and her son whopped McKinley. Then he went on to whoop Joplin. By the time we reached Moscow, we were all great friends, and have a strong motivation to practice our chess skills!