23: Two Young Americans Visit Moscow

What is Moscow really like when you experience it for yourself?

In this episode of The Soviet Life, host Kate Saba sits down with Maria and Sonya (who goes by Sophia) following their recent trip to Moscow, where they traveled to visit their grandmother and experience the city through their own eyes.

We hear so much about Russia through news reports, politics, and social media—but this conversation is about something different. It is about personal experience.

Maria and Sonya share their first impressions of Moscow, what surprised them most, what they noticed about everyday life, and how being there compared with the image of Russia they had formed before their trip. They talk about the city, the people, family, culture, and some of the unexpected moments that stood out during their visit.

For Kate, the conversation is especially meaningful. Having grown up in the Soviet Union, she carries her own memories and perspective of this part of the world. Maria and Sonya, however, are experiencing Moscow through completely different eyes—as young Americans and as part of a new generation with family ties to the region.

Together, their conversation explores the interesting space between expectation and reality, past and present, and being both a visitor and someone with a personal connection to the place you're visiting.

At its heart, this episode isn't about politics or trying to define an entire country through one experience. It's about family, curiosity, cultural connection, and what we can learn when we have the opportunity to experience a place for ourselves.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Maria and Sonya's trip to Moscow

• Visiting their grandmother and reconnecting with family

• Their first impressions of the city

• What surprised them most