This kid was very curious about our bicycles. He had a chance to hang out with us while we figured out the complications of using public phones in Russia - a confusing system that none of the locals even knew since all of them owned cell phones and never had to use a public phone. A phone card was required, and no one knew where to get one - we finally found a bank that sold them. Once we had the card, a series of codes were required. The woman running the grocery store where the phone was located didn't know them, so called up her friend across the street, who happened to be the telephone operator, to come and help. The operator spent about half an hour with me talking to different operators trying to get the right codes to call out of the Republic, and then the right codes to call the States. As it happens, the simple, normal code for the US of "1" doesn't apply here. The whole process took nearly two hours! By then the people we were trying to call were already asleep
A kid near the post office where we spent a couple hours trying to get things arranged for a phone call - eventually successful in making the call but alas, too late in the States to talk to most people!