In this special Halloween episode of To Russia With Love, Grant and David share some creepy, unexplained, true stories set in Russia; reminisce about their first Halloween in The Motherland; and celebrate the spooky and crazy holiday of Halloween.

This is the final episode of the season. Thank you for sticking around with us and listening to our stories and musings. We'll be back in 2019 with a second season. In the meantime stay connected with us through social media by searching instagram with @trwl_podcast and facebook with @trwlpodcast or email us at [email protected]

Dave and Grant remember the first time they left Russia to visit the country of Estonia. While in the city of Tallin, they were able to relax a bit and enjoy the western culture outside of Russia.

A kidnapping, KGB spies, emotional breakdowns, and a stabbing. Hear Grant and David tie all these subjects together in this episode.

Special thanks to Lindsay Morgan, Andre Abramovich, and ehohnke for special contributions with audio in this episode.

Check out "The Saratov Approach", a feature film about the kidnapping of two Missionaries in the city of Saratov, Russia.

Articles sited:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-10-19/news/9810190184_1_mormon-church-missionaries-ufa

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865560833/Mormon-missionaries-kidnapped-in-Russia-15-years-ago-reunite-to-tell-faith-filled-story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/21/world/2-mormons-from-the-us-are-abducted-in-russia.html

https://www.academia.edu/25837192/Suspending_Disbelief_Cults_and_Postmodernism_in_Post-Soviet_Russia_

David and Grant think about the vices that they observed in others, but also self reflect on the vices they partook in themselves after living half a year on their own in Russia. Crack open a beer(preferably a Baltika) and enjoy this episode.

Grant and David faced a tough few first months adjusting to the differences between living in the USA and their new home in Russia. Listen to them reminisce about how the food affected their day to day lives, and how they coped with the culture shock.

David and Grant talk about how after the first few weeks the novelty of moving to a new culture and nation wore off and reality set it. Things weren't as perfect as they thought it would be living in Saratov, Russia. Basic things like language and even access to water became roadblocks to assimilating to the culture of Russia in 2003.

The FIFA World Cup is currently being hosted in Russia so we at To Russia With Love decided to publish a few Sport Shorts - short episodes in which we share our thoughts about sport in Russia. In this episode, Grant and David discuss the recent matches involving the teams they are following including Sweden, Mexico and Russia. David shares his experience watching the Russia/Croatia game in a small Russian cafe in Mexico City.

The FIFA World Cup is currently being hosted in Russia so we at To Russia With Love decided to publish a few Sport Shorts - short episodes in which we share our thoughts about sport in Russia. In this episode, David shares some interesting facts about the 2014 Sochi Olympics which were held in Russia.

The FIFA World Cup is currently being hosted in Russia so we at To Russia With Love decided to publish a few Sport Shorts - short episodes in which we share our thoughts about sport in Russia. In this episode, David tells how the Soviet Union's decision to boycott the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics caused turmoil in McDonalds restaurants in the US.

The FIFA World Cup is currently being hosted in Russia so we at To Russia With Love decided to publish a few Sport Shorts - short episodes in which we share our thoughts about sport in Russia. In this episode, David and Grant reminisce about playing volleyball in Russia.