In this episode, Sammy continues his story, reflecting on the changes in his family after his mother’s passing and his father’s swift remarriage. He details his struggles to adjust, his time at technical college, and the friendships he formed during this period. Sammy recounts his introduction to smoking during a frigid Moscow winter, his discovery of a passion for weightlifting after a stint in wrestling, and his initiation into the culture of drinking vodka in Soviet-era construction work. He explains how his training in weightlifting led him to compete in military sports competitions, which eventually helped him escape a bleak anti-aircraft base assignment. The episode concludes with Sammy securing a transfer to a better military posting through persistence and strategic letter-writing.