Groveland Twp.- At Garret Sans? party to celebrate his graduation from Brandon High School, his aunt presented him with a few gifts.
The first he opened was a disposable camera and a note telling him to pack it. The second was a paper airplane and an incomplete sentence: ‘We’re going on a trip to…? The third gift, a book, showed him where they were going? Russia.
‘My mouth dropped open,? recalls Sans, 18, sitting at home now, with pictures from his trip.
Sans and his aunt, who works at Wal-Mart headquarters in Arkansas and gives all her nieces and nephews a trip as a graduation gift, left Detroit Metro Airport on Aug. 17 at 9:50 p.m. for a 7-and-a-half hour flight to Paris, where they caught a 3-and-a-half hour flight to arrive in Moscow at 6:30 p.m., Aug. 18.
It was Sans? first trip out of the country, other than Canada. For both he and his aunt, who has traveled extensively, it was a new place and a chance to explore their Russian heritage in both Moscow and St. Petersburg.
In Moscow, some landmarks included the Red Square; the Kremlin, where the president lives and works with Cabinet members; the Kremlin Armory, where 40,000 pieces of Rusian history are kept; Lenin’s Tomb, as well as where Joseph Stalin is buried, behind the tomb.
Sans also saw St. Basil’s Cathedral, which he calls ‘amazing.?
‘It was jaw-dropping,? he says. ‘There were brick walls from the 15th century and murals painted on the walls, of flowers and biblical figures.?
St. Petersburg highlights included St. Isaac’s Cathedral; the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, built at the location where Alexander II was murdered; and Peterhof Palace, the palace of Peter the Great.
Sans was impressed by the architecture of the buildings in the cities, but noted that an hour out of Moscow, were houses without electricity or plumbing, with residents using a bucket to get water from wells.
‘There are two types of people in Russia,? notes Sans. ‘People who are barely getting by and those who are filthy rich. There is no middle class. The average salary is $250 American dollars per month.?
Sans saw mostly Asian and European tourists. The Americans he saw were in the country to work. He said he stood out clearly as an American, not only with his blonde hair and blue eyes, but cleanliness. Sans says he was surprised to learn that Russians don’t bathe as often as Americans.
He was also surprised to see kids he judged to be about 10, smoking and drinking beer, since there are no laws against it.
Sans did enjoy some Russian food, including pelmini, similar to ravioli stuffed with meat or mushrooms and served with sour cream; and blini, or Russian pancakes, made with thin dough and wrapped with different fillings, like apples and cinnamon or ham, bacon and cheese.
His favorite part about the trip, he says, was everything, although there was some culture shock, particularly with the lack of personal space he is accustomed to in the U.S.
‘It’s totally different than what we’re used to over here,? he said. ‘I appreciate America a lot more. It was a lot of fun, but I don’t want to go back…I’m glad I was born in America.?