Trans Siberian Express -- Irkutsk to Novosibirsk

Our journey to Novosibirsk begins very early in the morning. We boarded the Trans-Siberian Express at 8 a.m., and for 32 hours we cross 2000 kilometers of unknown expanse westward, toward the metropolitan Siberian center: Novosibirsk. The train is punctual and clean, although worn by decades of constant use. Our literature informs us that this line was built at the end of the 19th century, largely by prisoners banished to Siberia. Most of our fellow passengers will continue to Moscow - two days further on! We are stocked with two loaves of fresh Georgian bread, cheese, and vegetables. We also brought mineral water and two bottles of Bulgarian white wine. On the train, we couldn`t resist trying the Russian Pina-coladas in a can, and the tea which is served by the attentive hostess.

We feel fortunate to have a compartment for four to ourselves. We celebrate the privacy, without being disturbed. We begin the journey eagerly viewing the landscape from the dirty windows of the train. With an optimistic attitude, we determine to take advantage of the isolation to reflect on our trip, to discuss communication and the reallity of Siberia.
We contemplate Real-Virtual as a women's issue - and recognize that as women, we have different mannerisms for communicating than men. We try to summarize the situation - and interpret how it affects us, personally. We realize that we make consistent references about how we react in various situations, and acknowledge that we are maturing as a result of this experience. We came with slight expectations about the reality we would find -we wanted to experience the encounter.