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When foreigners ask me which Russian city I am from, more often than not they expect to hear “Moscow” or “Saint Petersburg”. When I say “Yekaterinburg”, the reaction is usually “Oh… ok… I will never be able to pronounce that”….
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So you are planning a visit to my Motherland? This truly makes me happy. As a person who was born in Russia and knows about its beauty, historical and cultural heritage, and warm hospitality, I often feel frustrated by the…
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I have a suspicion our helper, Maheshari, thinks I am what is in Sinhalese called “wadakata na” — useless, good for nothing. She likes me though, but doesn’t think I am capable of doing things on my own, especially when…
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“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi My ordinary conversation with a waiter when ordering cold drinks goes as follows: “Can I have a mango juice (pineapple juice, mojito, ginger beer) and no straw please?”…
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Without a cup of tea any meal feels incomplete to me and to any other Russian for that matter. For the longest time I thought that’s how it works all around the world. Or at least in the tea-drinking countries…
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