I would like to give my highest recommendation to Darya (Dasha) Postoeva for her services as an English speaking guide. I base this recommendation on opinions offered by NASA personnel (astronauts and flight surgeons) as well as personal experiences of my daughter and I during a recent trip to Moscow. I am the Chairman of Surgery at a large academic medical center in Detroit, and travel extensively for work and through my position as a NASA scientist; therefore I am very familiar with local support personnel.
NASA astronaut/cosmonaut Dr. Leroy Chiao is a personal friend of mine who recommended Ms. Postoeva to me following a number of interactions he had with her over the course of recent years. Leroy had met Ms. Postoeva during a number of guided tours with NASA personnel through Moscow during training exercises. Dr. Chiao had trained in Russia prior to his spaceflight to the International Space Station with excellent knowledge of the Russian language and culture. He enthusiastically recommended Dasha as an excellent, knowledgeable, and thoughtful guide.
I have been to Russia dozens of time for NASA related activities in Moscow and Star City and am very familiar with the area. Dasha was an incredibly professional and personable guide for my teen age daughter and I. Her knowledge of Russian history and culture was very impressive and she delivered this information in a very interesting manner, which interested even my teenager (an impressive challenge!). Dasha was expert at negotiating the challenges of traveling in Moscow and developed a very informative tour of the major attractions that we worked collaboratively to develop. Her English is flawless, and delivered in an engaging manner.
On a personal note, Dasha is a very personable and interesting individual, who is easy to be with. She has a developed sense of humor with a compassionate personality. I believe that my daughter enjoyed Dasha’s company more than the tour she provided.
In summary, I am delighted to give Dasha Postoeva my highest recommendation as an English speaking guide. I would recommend her to the highest ranking individuals as well as personal friends; she is the consummate professional.
Sincerely;
Scott A. Dulchavsky MD PhD
Roy D. McClure Chair of Surgery
Henry Ford Hospital
Professor of Surgery, Molecular Biology, and Genetics