Good luck finding what you need for that saw blade in Russia:
In general you can find anything, yet in general you must work overtime to get what you need. Nothing is easy for the most part and when you ask for something, you get that look back at you like you are growing devil horns out of your head as you ask for the item…
I guess what I am saying is; you can buy a wonderful reciprocating saw and it is perfect for the job. The price is fantastic and the device is flawless. But as with 99% of items bought, the item comes with minimal supplies. So to use your saw properly, you have to get better blades and more of them to do big jobs. I am cutting up firewood from lots of scrap lumber and the blade that comes with the saw is not going to last very long. It is the bear minimum to do the job and that is expected. What is not expected is typical when you are in Russia…
I went to 10 stores in the Big Village, they all carried reciprocating saws. Yet no one and I mean no one thinks to carry saw blades to fit the saw they sell….not even a basic replacement blade to cut wood with. They literally sell the saw and the thought process ends there…
What this means?
It means you have to be smarter than the average Joe and think ahead. But sometimes you buy something while in the middle of nowhere and while that something was available, the accessories are not available….makes no sense to me…
Yes, I will get my blades and they will be ordered from China and delivered pretty easily. Yet, as with life in Russia, you always have to delay what you are doing. That is a big issue and where Zavtra (Tomorrow) comes into play. Which Zavtra are we talking about?
Zavtra is one of the most favorite words of a Russian. It literally means tomorrow, yet it actually means, sometime tomorrow within the next year of so… 😉
Ma & Pa stores:
I grew up in America and we all knew that hardware store owned by the grumpy looking guy who worked and lived at his store. But, he had everything and if he sold it? He had everything to make that item better. If he sold a saw, he had every blade that could be used for that saw. Not just a basic blade, but all blades to utilize that saw to its potential…
I realize that corporations have taken over such places all over the world, yet, my fond memories of such stores are strong and I could always rely upon grumpy store owner to have what I needed. Now in Moscow I could find what I need. But in a Tiny Russian Village you must be ahead of the game…
Svetochka says, “Russians have no imagination!”
Potential:
If I was seriously wealthy, I would be seriously very very wealthy in Russia…
The potential to succeed in Russia is just like the potential was in America 50 to 70 years ago. If you are will to work and have imagination, you will find yourself very successful and you will find that the Russians will cater to your business with gusto…
Finding a store with the owner working it in Russia is like finding a needle in a hay stack. That social media competent worker, who loves to communicate and do nothing all day, does not know anything more than what the owner allows and they do not have any more desire than to paint their finger nails and look at the Huawie phone all day on Vkontakte the Russian Social Media Platform…
So as many outsiders that come to Russia, you will hear from them that, “If I was rich, I would be so stinking rich in Russia!” You would just open a business and give customer service, stock items appropriately and open & close the damn doors on time as per the hours posted…
It is that simple and oh yes, toss a bit of imagination into the system and ask yourself, “Would I ever need extra saw blades for that saw I see?”
Therefore:
I guess that this situation has taught me several things….I have learned patience, I have learned to be self-sufficient and I have learned that you have no one to blame but yourself, for in the end, no one cares and you must be ahead of the game…
Again, I have learned much, while frustrating and it makes no sense, I have learned that life is slower in Russia and that has made my health much better…
Don’t worry be happy…
Robin Williams, Bill Irwin and Bobby McFerrin acting the fools, made me smile and the song made me happy!
Russia and my Svetochka is why I am still alive after all I have been through health wise…
Go with the flow…
WtR