Entry 2: Talkin' Trans-Siberian Blues

The Trans-Siberian Railroad ¾ not to be confused with the far less impressive Trans-Iberian (stretching from the cork fields of Lisbon to the sangria rivers of Madrid) -- is both a far more impressive and far less impressive experience than people seem to realize. So far as I can tell, people seem to think about the experience the same way they think about backpacking across Europe: you travel from city to city, exploring each one as you go along at breakneck speed, getting into innumerable adventures along the way, meeting a variety of people from all over the world (even accidentally killing them, should they make sexual advances at you) and, eventually -- so the logic seems to go - finding yourself... whatever that means. After meditating upon the subject for some time (the reader may recall that I had several days on a train to devote to such pursuits), I believe I've finally hit upon the underlying misconception whence stems this entirely erroneous, overly-romanticized image: that the train was made for adventurers
As a matter of fact, the Trans-Siberian Railroad was made to serve an entirely utilitarian purpose -- getting people, primarily Russians, from one place to another as rapidly as possible (I'm reminded of the joke about "MARTA", the name of Atlanta's public transportation system, standing for "Moving Africans Rapidly Through Atlanta"). Now, obvious though this premise may seem, I feel as though most people don't necessarily understand its significance, nor all implications emanating therefrom: the train rushes along , not stopping in any one city for more than an hour (you certainly won't see anything more than the train station, provided you're not keen on missing your train and booking a new one), almost all the people you're liable to meet will be Russians going about their everyday lives -- certainly not looking to make an adventure of the experience -- they won't be riding for the whole length, and I can assure you that, one way or another, you will spend much of your time in abject discomfort. You will not be able to take a shower the whole trip, you will not be able to take your time in the bathroom -- or use it at all when the train is stopped -- you will be sleeping intermittently or irregularly, due to Russia's nights being either extremely long or extremely short, you will have a hard time procuring food of any substance outside of the dining car, and you will be hassled by train workers for just about everything you do or do not do. I remember a good friend of mine once proposed that we both take the Trans-Sib the summer after we graduate... I indulged him by saying I would, secretly thinking that it sounded like the world's most boring vacation and assuring myself that it would never happen. Nevertheless, here I am, taking the Trans-Siberian the summer after I've graduated and enjoying the experience massively... Why?
Despite all that I've just said, riding the Trans-Siberian Railroad has been, without a doubt, one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I've met scores of diverse, fascinating people, seen many different cities in trans-Uralic Russia, witnessed the dramatic progression of the landscape from Europe to Asia, and, perhaps just as importantly, gotten to know the people in my group extremely well. No experience seems to be able to bring people closer together in so short a period of time than being trapped together in a small compartment in a far-off land, being forced to find a way to while away their time together by telling stories, playing games, drinking together, and generally commiserating. Indeed, though I've only known these people for several days, I feel as though I already know most of them better than many people I've known for years. I only hope that my next few entries can give you, dearest reader, a more in-depth illustration of precisely all the ways in which the real Trans-Siberian experience -- or, at least, what you make of it -- far surpasses its stylized, idealized counterpart.