Does it seem logical to drive across a place as massive as Siberia?
There were lots of books about crossing Siberia by train, but because Russia was suddenly open you could go to these places that had been closed since the Bolshevik Revolution. So there was the ability to go places that were not open before. What surprised you about studying and traveling in Siberia? Well, I had a huge affection for Russia but I didn’t know anything about it. I had Russian friends who’d just say ‘No, you don’t know anything.’ I felt so intimidated. They said ‘Just do a first impression book, because you’re never going to figure it out,’ and they said ‘You’re never going to learn the language, the language is really hard.’ And they were right: I didn’t learn the language. It’s funny when you describe struggling with the different sounds of the language. I think there’s an occupational disease of language teachers–they’re so good at language that a Stockholm syndrome can take over: they adapt to your lousy skills and they learn how to communicate in your terrible langua
