Russian Hospitality

Many Americans, whether they've been to Russia or not, tend to believe that the Russian people are cold; that they're mean, but this couldn't be farther from the truth.  I'm not saying there aren't any mean, cold people in this country, there's plenty of them.  Got into virtually any 'produkti' and you're bound to find at least one disgruntled person.  But let's be honest, it's not really that different than in America if you go to, say, a ZipTrip and find some guy in his mid-forties, who's extremely bitter about life and is a generally unpleasant person to have to deal with. Maybe that's because he works at a ZipTrip, maybe not. All I'm saying is there are mean, standoffish people in both countries, but to judge and assume all Russians are this way is very offensive, but also makes you look like an ignorant moron.

Russian people are some of the most hospitable people I've ever met. In fact, sometimes their hospitality can even be a bit unnerving for Americans, such as the babushkas with their "куши, куши, куши" when you're beyond full for those of you who've been here and know what I mean, but it's never a bad thing (okay things can occasionally get a little out of hand, especially when alcohol is involved, but again, that happens everywhere).  It can be a little difficult to get used to though.

For example: Tonight I was invited out by a bunch of students to go to dinner and go bowling (I won both games thank you very much with incredibly pathetic scores) and I was not allowed, despite my insistence, to pay for a single thing.  This is something I've encountered quite a bit here in Russia and it's always something I struggle with, but never in a bad way.  I'm sure you can all agree that dealing with someone too nice is much better than someone mean, but I feel guilty when I'm not allowed to pay.

Anyways Dear Readers, I just wanted to write and say that the Russian people are pretty amazing and I had some nice sushi and pizza tonight along some bowling.