Guest #19: Roma Golovin

Name:  Roman Golovin Lives in:  Novosibirsk, Russia Occupation:  English/Russia Translator Roma is a 26-year-old professional interpreter and teacher.  A seasoned world traveler, Roma spent five months working in New Hampshire in 2002, and just two weeks before leaving for wild Siberia with the Drive Around the World team, he returned from a 15-month stay in the UK.  It was during that working and traveling experience that he met his lovely wife, Maria, who was also on her way to the UK from Russia.  LONGITUDE was lucky to have Roma join the team, since his then-fiance was expecting him back in time to help with final preparations for their 27 Nov. wedding.  The team promised to get him back on time and in one piece, and we’re proud to announce that Roma returned home to his family Nov. 16 and was married in Novosibirsk Nov. 27.  Congratulations, Roma and Maria!  Roma is a graduate of the Novosibirsk Pedagogical University in Russia.  He is a master of the English language, and he even interpreted for the LONGITUDE team on the air during a radio interview in the city of Chita!  He loves music and movies (shares a passion for “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” starring Mike Myers, with his LONGITUDE team), soccer and basketball, and, of course, travel.  Would you be up for 9 months of travel like this? Positively, yes.  It’s entertainment and adventure rolled into one.  The whole team is awesome, and I love the cars! What is your most memorable moment during your portion of the journey? There were so many…But I’ll have to go with Todd dancing the “pump it up” dance in a club in Yakutsk. What advice do you have for future travelers in the program? Prepare yourself for uncertainty and excitement. What surprised you the most? All the locals.  The people we met along the road.  They were all so different and interesting.  Also, I was surprised by how much the accommodations differ from one day to the next.  The first night, we slept in the cars, then we experienced the luxury of a 5-star hotel.  Later, we stayed in an empty apartment, and we spent our final night in a sanitarium! What was the best thing you ate? Definitely the fresh-frozen (i.e. raw) horse meat dipped in salt and pepper. What was the most difficult part of the traveling experience? Splitting up at the end…