Don’t Smile Profusely
Maybe the hardest thing in Russia wasn’t just learning the language and it’s different parts. It was hard not to be stared at, to be stared down, rather by people. While riding the metro it isn’t hard to be noticed as a foreigner. It’s the little things you do. But one little thing that isn’t widely accepted is to smile for no reason.
Russians have a saying, “To smile with no reason, is a sign of a fool.” And that’s a strong use of the word “fool”. In college a Russian professor once told me, “It’s not so common and maybe taken as a sign of being drunk or mentally ill.” Her words, not mine.