Everyone is a Taxi

In Russia, everyone is a potential taxi. That is to say, it is a common practice (and from what I understand, perfectly legal) for people to stand by the side of the road and put their hand out, in an attempt to flag a person down. Oftentimes, the person stopping is not an official taxi or minibus, but is simply a person looking to make a few bucks. Yesterday, in Moscow, my boss Brent, Matt (who is the other missionary in our field) and I stood by the side of the road, looking to flag down a car. We were headed to Holy Trinity Church, but didn’t want to spend the hour or so it would take via public transportation. And, since Brent’s wife needed the car (we were going to church early), we decided to try and flag down a car.

Within perhaps two minutes, a car stopped. Brent inquired as per the cost (this is a time for some bartering), but he quickly realized that the car reeked of cigarette smoke—plus the driver was smoking at the time. So, he said, “No thanks!” and we tried again. In a matter of moments, another car stopped, a price was agreed upon, and we were off. It turned out that the man was of Azerbaijani decent, was a non-practicing Moslem married to a Christian, and was a very talkative man. It turned out that the he and Brent had a conversation about faith, Christian beliefs, and creationism vs. Darwinism—all in the span of our 15 minute trip. It is surprising to see how open people are here towards these conversations, much more than people are stateside. We arrived at the church after giving 300 rubles ($10.50), a bit more expensive, but the time saved and the conversation had was well worth the price.