Russians Are Nice.

As our trip comes to a close, I've been thinking about what I've learned. After a lot of the plays we've seen we've had the opportunity to speak with members of the cast. At first we asked a lot of questions about their experiences in Russian theater, but recently many people have asked us personal questions about our perceptions of Russia. After first arriving, I admit I was a bit terrified of Moscow. Everything was bigger and faster than I'm used to, and I felt like I was thrown into a city without any social skills that I usually rely on. Even after adapting to our neighborhood and time schedule, I still felt like an outsider. I've come to realize while in St. Petersburg that Russians aren't just the solemn, serious people I had thought they were. The people who we've had experiences with are usually members of the service industry, and I can definitely understand now why they aren't always overjoyed to be dealing with a huge group of rambunctious American students who can't speak their language. When we've really had our brightest moments here are times when we're not expecting Russians to be positive with us, but people have gone above and beyond to make us feel welcome. A woman at the grocery store tried for quite a few minutes to wish Scott a Merry Christmas. Actors have signed autographs and taken photos with us. A busy, famous director took over an hour of his time to talk to us about Russian cinema. An usher at the Maly theater here in St. Petersburg was so moved by the play "Life and Fate," but still cared enough to ask Katie and I how we felt about it. So many of these people are humble and willing to give us the gifts of their time and work with us to express opinions across a language barrier. As much as I miss home, I'm starting to realize that Russia isn't a huge unknown to me, and we can find wonderfully patient, kind people if we look past the precipitation.