My first impression of Russian people was that they were rude and always in a hurry. When I first arrived in Russia I spent several days in Moscow. People would shove their way in front of you to get on a bus or subway. No one would smile or give you eye contact.

When you shop in a store the clerks ignore you and even act irritated at times if you want to buy something. I even paid a young women extra to smile when I purchased some clothes.

I did have an employee in a museum walk up to me and tell me about objects in a glass case. I didn't have the heart to tell her I did not understand a word she said.

When I arrived at my wife's home town she started introducing me to her friends and relatives. I found them to be the friendliest and most hospitable people I had ever met. I got the opinion that because my wife trusted me then everyone she knew automatically trusted me. They wanted to feed me, have me stay in their homes, and buy me gifts. Unlike America, it appears that once you have one Russian friend you have lots of them. Once they accept you, you cannot find nicer people anywhere else in the world.

By the way. I hear that people in New York act just like people in Moscow.

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