I was reading the news the other day and was surprised to find an article about Russian Victory Day on May 9th - not because I hadn't ever heard of Russian Victory day before, but because the last time I remember even thinking about that particular day, it was May 9th, 2005 and I was in a run down apartment in Dikson, Siberia eating smoked fish and drinking vodka with a several military officials.

Dikson is the name of an island in Taymyria Autonomous District, Russia. It is situated in the Kara Sea near the mouth of the Yenisei River. For me, it was a stop over before the remote out post of Sredny and eventually Cape Arctichesky... And then - the Arctic Ocean. My expedition partner, Lonnie Dupre and I were about to embark on what was to be an unsuccessful attempt at the first summer expedition to the North Pole (we would reach the pole the next year in 2006, from Canada).

At the time, we were stuck. Bad weather had prevented our small plane from leaving Dikson and restrictions, unknown to us, but relayed in broken English kept us confined to a small apartment room in a dilapidated building. Previous expeditions has been crippled by Russian bureaucracy and we worried about suffering the same fate. Feeling intimidated we wondered, 'what have we gotten ourselves into?'

We were also in culture shock. Dikson was like a ghost town. During the cold war, it was boombing port with tens of thousands of residents, but a short drive through town provided a different perspective. Vacant buildings, vehicles rusting in the exact spot where they last stopped moving, fuel tanks supported by rotting wooden trusses, trash, grime, 50 year old technology... It was surreal.

And then, these really happy soldiers - who wanted to celebrate with us. It was the end of a long and cold winter. And it was Russian Victory Day, a source of extreme national pride. So, we obliged their hospitality, drank and ate. And listened to stories that we could not understand, but nodded, laughed and smiled all the same - despite our differences.

I haven't thought about that day in years and it seems like a life time ago. In fact, it took quite a bit of digging to even find this one picture.

Six years ago, the blink of an eye and a lifetime all rolled into one...

I'm glad for those memories no matter how infrequently I visit them. They are part of what has shaped me into the person I am today. Sure, I still stick my foot into my mouth every now and again, but I try to be appreciative, thoughtful, understanding of other perspectives and more. I now know that people are people no matter where you go.

So today, a few days late. I tip my glass to you, my Russian friends. God speed.

Image: The antiquated weather station in Sredny, Siberia.