Welcome to Moscow!

[Raffi Aftandelian]

Dear participants of the 14th Annual International Open Space on Open 
Space Conference,

Welcome to Moscow!
 
In less than two weeks we will be meeting in Moscow at the Moscow House of 
Community Organizations (previously known as the Embassy of Cuba)! 

The OSonOS organizing team and local OST faciliators and friends of Open 
Space anxiously await your coming to what is possibly Eurasia’s smallest, 
friendliest, and best-tended hamlet!

We will be sending out information in the next week with more final 
information about pre- and post-OSonOS planned activities.


Below, we would like to address some practical matters concerning your 
stay in Moscow and with OSonOS participation.

Practical issues
a. Moscow Arrival

1. Visa registration- A reminder that upon arrival in Moscow you will be 
expected to register your visa at the hotel you are staying with three 
days. It is essential to do so to avoid fines and difficulties with the 
police. If you will be staying in a private home, please let us know upon 
arrival.

2. Accommodation- We will be getting back to those who we have promised 
private apartment accommodation at the homes of local OST facilitators in 
the coming week.

3. Arrival information- Some participants have already sent us their 
arrival information and contact information in Moscow. Please send this 
information to Raffi Aftandelian as soon as you have an opportunity. If 
you do not know how you can get to your hotel via taxi from the airport, 
there are taxi services at the airport. Also you might consider looking at 
http://www.openspaceworld.ru/practical.html to reacqauint yourselves with 
the practical information concerning your stay in Moscow. Doing so may 
help you to make the most of your time here. I highly recommend reading 
the information about Moscow and Russia at www.waytorussia.net 

4. Money- We recommend that you bring with you the sum in cash (USD or 
euros) that you intend to spend during your time here. 30-50 USD/day is 
enough for getting about town, meals, and perhaps purchasing some small 
gifts.


b. OSonOS

1. Registration fee payment- Some participants will be making the 
registration fee payment at the conference in cash. Registration fee is 
best payable in rubles. The full fee is 300 USD. Currently the USD-Russian 
ruble rate is approximately 26.7 rubles to the dollar. Again, if you will 
be paying at the conference itself, we can only provide an unofficial 
receipt. Access Queen and OSI-USA recipients, feel free to contact us via 
email should you have any questions.

2. International Silent Auction and Global Village Marketplace- Continuing 
the OSonOS tradition (thank you Access Queen Lisa Heft!), we will be 
running an international silent auction and Global Village Marketplace. 
If you would like to sell your or your village's art, books, fabric, 
toys...
to raise money for -either- the Access Queen fund -or- to help defray your 
own expenses for traveling to OSonOS.
Bring it to OSonOS to sell at our Global Village Marketplace!
Join our international Silent Auction!
If you have something to offer, either services (consultation hours over 
the phone?  A cabin in the woods someone can visit for a week?  A massage 
you will provide to an OSonOS'er before s/he leaves the minuscule village 
of Moscow)
or items (some art that you or someone in your village has made?  a ticket 
to an event or dinner for two in Moscow an OSer can buy and enjoy?)
Please bring them to OSonOS for the international Silent Auction.
We shall set up a table upon which we can place our items - you may wish 
to make a card that explains/identifies your item and we'll figure out any 
bidding process when we get there.  
For those of you sending items - anything we don't 'sell' we'll eat or use 
on site before we leave so don't send anything you need back.
3. Natural objects- We would like to invite you to bring several found 
natural objects from near your home to the OSonOS. These might be leaves, 
twigs, stones, feathers...More on this during the OSonOS.

4. Global Cuisine Evening- On one of the evenings of the OSonOS, we will 
hold a global cuisine evening. We are proud to introduce this 
Intertraining annual conference tradition to the OSonOS. This will be an 
opportunity to share food and beverages from your country or village. We 
invite you to bring a dish or beverage to share.

5. August 3rd get-together- The plan at this point is that anyone who 
cares to join us in the first half of the day is welcome to come to the 
Moscow House of Community Organizations at 40 Mosfilmovskaya St. (10 
minute drive from Kievskaya Metro Station) to help prepare the space. That 
evening we will have an informal gathering at an as-yet unannounced 
location.

6. Whalewatching- The OSonOS in Halifax began a tradition of whalewatching 
prior to the OSonOS. We are still looking into the exciting possibilities 
of the Moscow equivalent. We promise more information soon!

7. Gifts- Russia has a delightful tradition of exchanging small gifts. You 
might want to bring some small things that represent your village to give 
as gifts.

8. Community Weaving Workshop- Wendy Farmer-O’Neil will be offering a one 
day Community Weaving introductory workshop August 9th. A full 
announcement will be available soon. Workshop cost: 50 USD. Working 
languages: Russian and English.

9. Personal preparation for the OSonOS- Some people have inquired about 
what to expect at an OSonOS and how best to prepare. One answer: Bring 
Yourself. Fully. You might also want to acquaint yourself with the 
proceedings from previous OSonOSes at 

Should you have any questions as the clock is ticking, do not hesitate to 
contact us!

In anticipation and “do vstrechi” (“until we meet”),

The OSonOS XIV Organizing Team
Galina Tsarkova (gala_tsar_kova at mail.ru)
Mikhail Pronin (virtus at mail.ru)
Raffi Aftandelian (raffi at bk.ru, raffi_1970 at yahoo.com, 
raffi_1970 at essenceworks.ru)

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