Ice-Holes!

An Englishman’s Year in Siberia

Introduction

Chapter One

Five-day journey to work across a strange land

-Why Chita?

-Moscow

-The Trans-Siberian Express

Chapter Two

Finally, Chita

-Arrival

-A description of the city

-First lessons

-Climate

-Getting used to Russia

-Housing

Chapter Three

Waiting for spring to spring

-Krasnokamensk

-Russian driving habits

-Olga Weird

-Romance in Russia

Chapter Four

The short, hot summer

-The dangers of drinking in Lenin Square

-Chitago

-The Yanks invade

-Susan and the street kids

-The final week

Chapter Five

Heading back East

-The fiasco of obtaining a Russian visa

-Back to Chita

-Ulan Bator

-The Mongolian Steppe

-Return to Russia

Chapter Six

From the knocking shop to the zoo

-The Hotel Turist

-The Chinese Question

-Don’t mention the media work, luvvy

-Learning the language

-Drinking with Igor

-The Rotarakt Club

-Caged in the student zoo

Chapter Seven

The Siberian Winter

-Tajiks and Yanks

-Siberian cuisine

-Christmas, New Year, Christmas, New Year, New Year

-Things go sour

-Russian business culture

Chapter Eight

Final days

-My father’s visit

-Making ends meet in Chita

-A reluctant return

Chapter Nine

Reflections

-Globalisation

-The Russian ‘national idea’

-The military, and the rules

-The hand of fate

About the Author

James Brooks is from Chesterfield, Durham, Belper, Norwich and Chita. He loves Star Wars but hates onions.