This is also a notable difference from western congresses, where pleasure is often taken in trying to lead the speakers onto thin ice. The senior positions in hospitals, professional associations, and the Ministry of Health are also held by men-not very different from the situation in western countries. Talking to female Russian physicians, one repeatedly hears of the extremely heavy workload they have to bear. In addition to full schedules in hospitals or outpatient departments for low salaries, they have to do all the domestic chores on their own and collect the children from daycare centers and supervise their homework. In Russia today, all this is still more labor-intensive than it is in Europe or the United States.
Lunch is offered to the speakers and the organizing committee in the house restaurant.
The accompanying beverage of cranberry juice causes the academics to turn up their noses-there is a saying in Russia that not even a dog eats blinis without vodka. A large bottle of the national spirit immediately appears on the table, and the drinking begins. In fact, the problem is so serious that many people emphasize that they are teetotalers when applying for a job. On my way back to the airport, a dazzlingly white Cadillac limousine, occupied by four grim-looking characters wearing dark glasses, overtakes us at high speed. The limousine is closely followed by an equally pristine U.S. jeep with oversized wheels and two flashing blue lights on the roof.