vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #551 / Vladivostok by Braille / Reading article...

Friends and family at home have been asking me about the people living in Vladivostok. I am sad to say that Russians in the Netherlands do not have the reputation of being too polite or friendly. At home they want me to enlighten them as to whether this is an accurate picture or not.

My experiences with Vladivostok people have varied a great deal. Russian students at the dormitory are usually very curious to find out where I come from and what brought me to Vladivostok. I find that the Russian students are very polite and friendly people. They show a genuine interest in what I do and offer me tips, CD’s with Russian music and a smile or ‘privyet’ whenever we pass each other in the hall.

I also have had good experiences with complete strangers here, especially on the bus. The conversations I have had are very similar to ones I could have had with strangers in the Netherlands. ‘Cold today, is not it?’ ‘Yes, very cold, it is a good thing we are taking the bus!’

Sadly, not everywhere is the exotic foreigner warmly welcomed. Some of the girls working at the supermarkets top the charts by far. One day I had collected my groceries and headed for the cash register. The girl working there gave me the most horrible look, as if she were blaming me for the audacity to disturb her in her private moment. I tried to cheer her up with my best ‘zdraztvuytye’, but it was of no help whatsoever. Another girl was very impatient when I was unable to immediately find eight rubles in my wallet, and she had no intention of hiding her impatience.

I do not expect the supermarket to be a place filled with joy and laughter, but this for me was a little extreme. So where do I go after the groceries are done and I am looking for some sympathy? The German restaurant that I spoke of a few weeks ago is a nice option, and it is not necessarily for the good food or beer, although there is also that.

Their greatest asset is the first person you meet when you visit this establishment. Just take off your coat and give it to the man working in the wardrobe, and you will have been helped by one of the friendliest faces in Vladivostok. Every time I go to this place, the coat-check-man is – or at least appears to be – almost ecstatic to see me. ‘How nice, you are here again! Welcome!’

I know at least one more restaurant where a similarly friendly coat-check-person works. This is at the Georgian restaurant near the Dynamo stadium. The first time I was there this pleasant lady invited us to ‘please come back again’, which we did.

Maybe it is part of foreign restaurants’ policy to try and make their guests feel as welcome as they possibly can. The week right before Christmas – ours, in December - this special service became extra welcome to me. I am not very religious, but Christmas is a special holiday for me anyway. I always love the gathering of family around the Christmas tree, exchanging gifts and drinking hot chocolate. This year for me, far away from family, was a very different Christmas celebration. To make up for the lack of family, I went out to diner with three others, suffering from a slight homesickness.

The Georgian restaurant was like coming home. Okay, no hug from my parents at the door, but the enchanting smile of my very favorite coat-check-lady was almost as good.

Now that my visit to Vladivostok has come to an end, I wanted to say goodbye to these nice people. Unfortunately, time allowed me to visit only one of the two restaurants and I chose the German restaurant. Even though the man working that day was very nice, I was disappointed to see that my old friend had the day off, so I was unable to say goodbye. I hope that some of you readers will visit these establishments and give these lovely people my regards. I will definitely miss them back at home!