It's not mean or intimidating. It's not rude or even that direct...but it's always there. Anytime we are out and about, we get it...the "Russian Stare". We have made a point to not talk when we meet people on the street as a small boy on a bicycle fell off when he turned to watch us as we spoke one day.
It's cold out so we are bundled up like everyone else in our black coats, hats, and boots, but it still it happens...
We cannot figure out how we can still stand out as "different". Every place we are, they stare. In Ufa especially, but also in Kazan, although Moscow was less so.
As an example, in Ufa while walking up the street we met two groups of people on the sidewalk. They tried not to be obvious, but they stared as we walked past. We kept walking and we met a dog on the sidewalk. We had watched this dog as the other people walked by worried he might be aggressive, but he didn't seem to notice them. As he gets close to us... I couldn't believe it, that darn dog stared us down with the "Russian Stare"! We laughed all the way back to the apartment.
Lecturing today was to over 100 medical students. A large assembly of eager students with many questions and great debate. The topic was Legal & Ethical Implications of Health Care Practices. My calendar expands each week with requests for more lectures.
We continue to be amazed at how helpful and friendly people are here. It is not how I imagined Russia and I am so pleased that we have had this experience to discover this. We went for dinner tonight at a new little restaurant and as we entered (without saying ONE word... the hostess said "Please come in, but I am sorry that we do not have an English menu").
As we sat down in the wonderful warm ambiance, we were handed the menus and we pulled out the translators as usual. A group of young people next to us, asked if they could help. They shared in broken English that they had been to New York on their honeymoon recently and loved America and it's people. They thought Americans were so nice to them.
They assisted us with meats ..."chicken"...you want a "whole chicken"? HET, I say... (this is ridiculous, but I point to my breast!?!) No chicken breasts they say, "only duck breast", moving on...."pasta"? DA, we both order pasta again tonight...and it was delish!
It's cold out so we are bundled up like everyone else in our black coats, hats, and boots, but it still it happens...
We cannot figure out how we can still stand out as "different". Every place we are, they stare. In Ufa especially, but also in Kazan, although Moscow was less so.
As an example, in Ufa while walking up the street we met two groups of people on the sidewalk. They tried not to be obvious, but they stared as we walked past. We kept walking and we met a dog on the sidewalk. We had watched this dog as the other people walked by worried he might be aggressive, but he didn't seem to notice them. As he gets close to us... I couldn't believe it, that darn dog stared us down with the "Russian Stare"! We laughed all the way back to the apartment.
Lecturing today was to over 100 medical students. A large assembly of eager students with many questions and great debate. The topic was Legal & Ethical Implications of Health Care Practices. My calendar expands each week with requests for more lectures.
We continue to be amazed at how helpful and friendly people are here. It is not how I imagined Russia and I am so pleased that we have had this experience to discover this. We went for dinner tonight at a new little restaurant and as we entered (without saying ONE word... the hostess said "Please come in, but I am sorry that we do not have an English menu").
As we sat down in the wonderful warm ambiance, we were handed the menus and we pulled out the translators as usual. A group of young people next to us, asked if they could help. They shared in broken English that they had been to New York on their honeymoon recently and loved America and it's people. They thought Americans were so nice to them.
They assisted us with meats ..."chicken"...you want a "whole chicken"? HET, I say... (this is ridiculous, but I point to my breast!?!) No chicken breasts they say, "only duck breast", moving on...."pasta"? DA, we both order pasta again tonight...and it was delish!
The Russians know a good looking couple when they see one! Sounds like your lectures are successful--how interested they must be in an American's perspective as you are in theirs.
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