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Authored By Michael M. Michaelson © May 1, 2002 The Power of a Dollar! One of those true stories which can assist us in acquiring knowledge on events we care not to be caught by! Recently one of our friends made a first trip to southern Russia to visit her daughter who was staying with friends. Her experience brought about a new perspective of entrepreneurship for our lady and for all of us. As most journey's go hustle and bustle was the name of her game but she finally managed to get on her way. The long $1200 flight from Los Angeles to Moscow safely brought her into the classroom of experience. After all the hassles, the many hours of rushing, waiting, arranging, and hurrying she was now in Russia. There at the Moscow airport she was caught into further panicked frustration but somehow managed by minutes to catch her final Russian Airlines flight. And there on the last leg of her journey she would realize the lesson and grasp the teaching of experience which would prepare her for the cultural shock that lay ahead of her. An experience which would take her from a novice traveler and exalt her unto the level of a Well-informed sojourner, all in a few moments! No doubt she was tired, exhausted but happy that she had made it safely onto the last flight to her destination. Tanya settled down comfortably, and now thought to possibly relax. Of course in all her hassles she was not able to use the lady's room, so before a well deserved nap she decided to visit the bathroom in the back of the plane. She arose and began to walk to the rear of the plane where the passenger restrooms existed. As she moved towards the back where the doors were, suddenly a huge gruff looking airline stewardess named Olga stood up and blocked her way. Then and there, Tanya entered into what we might call one of those stories of total astonishment, woe and out right traveling nightmares. Olga unfolded her thick arms from across her chest and stuck out her hand and boldly announced to our little Tanya, "You got pay me dollar to go toilet, pay me dollar now please!" Yes, you got that right, she was being told, not asked, that in order to use the facilities, she would have to come up with a dollar. Not a handful of rubles but a good old American dollar. Now this should tell us something about the two economies, just incase you ever have to argue with a communist or a Russian patriot about which system really works best, o well that is another story. Now here's the picture, our Tanya really had to go, for in her hurry to catch this last dog leg flight she had postponed her opportunities in the Moscow airport. But here now was Olga who was definitely built to block the way and was sternly serious about getting her dollar! There would have been no problem on Tanya's part but poor anxious and plumb full Tanya really did not have one American dollar on her, except for the money she had hidden in her under clothes for her family and there was no way she was gonna undo herself in front of everyone. Well the situation grew desperate as Tanya tried to explain that she was not a terrorist, but an actual, official, well deserving and for sure a paying customer that had bought a twelve hundred dollar ticket and she was sure that this most extravagant cost certainly did include the use of the bathrooms! "Just look it up in your Russian International Toilet Book, I'm sure it's written there," argued Tanya. "No good," Olga Botenski the huge Russian stewardess glared, "no good," she wanted that dollar, "Giv-m-me buck!" Now now, this is where our own thoughts could come in and we might want to express our opinions on what we would have done. For myself, I would have turned around to the entire plane load of passengers and loudly cleared my throat and in a calm voice asked, "Dear fellow travelers, I am at this moment confronted with this odd situation, Olga the Russian Blockade , and I would like to have your opinion on what to do?" I would then proceed on explaining the immediate dilemma. I would conclude with this statement… "…and in America if this ever happened we would have the right to either not pay, or go to the toilet behind one of the seats…how do you do it here and is it ok with you folks if I have a bawl movement right here in the isle?" This is my reaction, but who knows what we might have done under those circumstances…WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE? Choices: Scream, punch and kick, start the passengers rocking the plane, demand to see the pilot, fall down on the floor and play dead, reach out and kiss Olga, promise Olga free immigration to Cuba or hi-jack the plane back to America! For Tanya it turned out ok, for at the last possible moment another woman came out of the restroom and knew exactly what was going on and herd the exchange (For she had made her earlier payment) and as she walked by, she handed Tanya a good old American dollar, which made it possible for Olga Bruteenski the bathroom guard to move aside and the door was made available and Tanya passed through into her new awareness of ENTREPRENEURSHIP! Hey, this might be a good thing to get going back home, Tanya thought! Is there a moral to this story? Of course there is, never go to Russia, never and never! Or if you do, get ready to experience an economy under great stress and be ready to admire the various innovative ways in which citizens are able to extract dollars from anyone and everyone! We might conclude too, no matter what, have those good old American dollars ready at all times, never be caught without them. Or when you get on the plane, rush back to the back of the plane and take Olga's seat and make a few bucks yourself! Contact Author at: |
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