Aeroflot and Leeches in the USSR

“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.” ~Fyodor Dostoyevsky

You can listen to me read this little essay here:

I couldn’t resist writing this little post!

Landing in Brussels, 1973. Mom, Dad, my younger brother Jon, me (yes, very cool in the sunglasses), my older sister Janna.

I was just reading how "Russia says Putin won't die in a plane crash because their domestic aircraft are very reliable vehicles". I had to laugh. It made me think of my experiences in the USSR.

Memories come tumbling back of my family traveling by car through Soviet Russia. It was 1973 and I was 18 years old. It was an incredible experience that I never forgot.

Somewhere in the USSR. From the left, my friend Melanie, me, my friend Kelly, my older sister Janna and my younger brother Jon.

My mom, my brother, my sister and my two friends and I drove into the USSR from Finland. When I look back, my mom was so brave to do that. In those days, it was very difficult to get into the USSR. You had to plan your entire trip ahead of time, even down to how much gas you were going to use, for which you were given coupons. You could not deviate from the tourist route, even driving from one city to the next, you had to follow very specific roads. You couldn’t just unexpectedly visit some village along the way. Once we went onto the wrong road by mistake and someone appeared out of nowhere to redirect us. It was a lonely road and quite creepy knowing how closely we were watched.

We attended the Kirov ballet in what was then Leningrad. The traditional ballet had me enraptured. I even enjoyed the one at the end that told the story of the glorious rising of the proletariat, obviously propaganda. It was so strange to see something like that, I was transfixed.

However, I was shocked when I went to use the bathroom, and there was newspaper instead of toilet paper! How was that possible? You would think at least at the ballet they would have real toilet paper. But there were always disconcerting contrasts like that. The modern Soviet Union was stark and basic, and even felt cruel, in comparison with the beauty and luxury of the past—which no doubt had also been cruel.

We met my dad at the airport in Moscow. He had been speaking at a conference somewhere. I will always remember him saying he would NEVER fly on a Soviet aircraft. I don’t remember what airline he flew on, but it wasn’t Aeroflot!

I looked up Aeroflot’s safety record and he had good cause for concern:

“Aeroflot, Russia's largest airline, has had a high number of fatal crashes, particularly during the Soviet era. According to the Aircraft Crashes Record Office, 8,231 passengers have died in Aeroflot crashes, which is about five times more than any other airline. In the 1990s, 525 people died on board Aeroflot aircraft or on the ground. In 2013, AirlineRatings.com reported that five of the ten aircraft models involved in the highest number of fatal accidents were old Soviet models.” Yikes. 

When my dad stepped on a nail and his foot got infected, he went to a hospital in Kiev, hoping for some antibiotics and maybe a tetanus shot. The next thing we knew, he was running out of there.

Apparently, they tried to apply leeches to the wound.

Fortunately, his foot got better on its own. Looking back, leeches don't seem like such a bad idea. They suck out the poison, after all. I’m not as averse to these old remedies as I used to be. Especially since the madness of Covid, the rise of Big Pharma and the corruption that has come along with it.

I have many stories of our travels and I should tell more. I’m thankful I had unusual parents. Forget the holidays my friends went on, like staying in big hotels and doing touristy things.

We were smuggling Bibles into Romania, sailing on the Nile, climbing ancient ruins in the days before they had security, attending a village school in Switzerland and being treated like aliens from another planet by the kids, worshiping with underground churches behind the Iron Curtain in dangerous situations, meeting incredible strangers from whom I learned so much, all sorts of unexpected adventures.

Somewhere on the road between Leningrad and Moscow. Me, Jon, Kelly.

Life is amazing. I would never have thought back then that I would be writing these essays on Substack. I really enjoy this writing, even if it is seldom easy and always challenging. I feel as if everything that I have experienced in my life has led me to this point. It’s incredible and right now, in this moment, I want to say thank you to all of my readers who have joined me on this writing journey. God bless you all in the days and months ahead.

Interesting note: A dear friend of mine who has traveled many times to India says that leeches are still used in Ayurvedic medicine, is a system of traditional medicine native to India.