That was the time…

That was the time I decided my first ever solo trip would be to Russia.

That was the time I decided my first stay abroad would be at someone’s home I had met on YouTube.

That was the time my parents were unsupportive.

That was the time the taxi driver and I spoke to each other using Google Translate.

That was the time that very same taxi driver reenacted “Drive”.

That was the time I answered in German to a store clerk addressing me in Russian.

That was the time I sat in the middle of a park pathway to enjoy beautiful scenery.

That was the time I had the impulse to do a gymnastics move in the park and followed it.

That was the time I dislocated my toe and walked with crutches for the rest of my stay.

That was the time I could have skydived had it not been for my dislocated toe.

That was the time my only encounter with French was when a French woman in the street shoved me and called me names presumably after seeing me cross the street without needing my crutches.

That was the time I missed the last metro and would have been stuck on the main island had the bridge been lifted up that night.

That was the time I watched the whole first season of Rick and Morty with my host.

That was the time I drank coffee for the first time.

That was the time I ordered the most expensive item on the menu, pronouncing it perfectly, but still not knowing what it was – because so far I had only learned cyrillic.

That was the time I had a near-religious experience eating a crepe.

That was the time I met a fan of one my favourite bands in the metro.

That was the time that whatever my friend would start typing in the address bar, quantities of porn websites would show up from his browsing history.

That was the time I was translated the first page of an infamous russian imageboard.

That was the time it snowed in April.

That was the time I learned that every day that my friend was at work, somebody would sneak into his flat, not to steal anything, but just to piss in his toilet and not flush.

That was the time I saw a luggage cart hit the reactor hard just as I walked into the plane.

That was the time my flight was cancelled.

That was the time I made a friend for life.