How Is Russian Hospitality Towards Americans In Moscow? Good... But
- Konrad Tillman
- Sep 20
- 4 min read
Intro
Throughout my time in Moscow, I had the opportunity to interact with many different Russians in many different scenarios, and on the whole, they were all very kind to me. However, there was one moment that sort of took me back, which I think is important to share. Not to hate on the people, but to show you that everywhere in the world, politics can sadly still play a role. And rightfully so, from their point of view...
The Good Parts
Before we touch on the singular bad instance that occurred, I wanted to share the genuinely amazing people of Moscow. You know, the friend I went around with told me that while she wasn't a fan of communism, it brought people together, made people treat random people as their neighbour. And I saw that...
The instance that occurred that summed up most of my experience in Russia is when I dropped 5000 Rubles on the street by accident. A group of two elderly women chased after me, tapped me on the shoulder, and gave it back to me. Coming from the United States and London, this would rarely happen in these two places (sometimes yes), so to see that sort of blew me away.
Additionally, even though my friend spoke Russian, people would always attempt to speak English to me out of respect and to practice. Go further into the bar scene, and a lot of the staff would try, and then eventually pull out Google Translate just to find out about me. Such as where I am from, what I do, what college I go to, etc.
To me, this was exceptional and truly summed up what visiting Russia is all about.
The Incident
However, if you know anything about me, I am honest to a fault, and this is something I do need to share. While this isn't the norm, and I completely understand where these individuals were coming from, this did take me back.
On the second night of going out, we headed out to a local bar and eventually decided to leave around 2 am. As we went outside, we came across a group of 5 young men who asked to take a picture with us. We got into conversation, and they asked where I was from, to which I responded with "America".
As soon as they found this out, they distanced themselves and started shouting, "f*ck you, American", and proceeded to do so as we rapidly walked away. They followed us for a bit, still shouting.
Understandable
A lot of people in this situation might be scared or not understand what is going on. Fair enough, as you are in Russia, and this is their home. However, to me, this is understandable what happened. Do I like it? Definitely not, but do I understand it? Definitely. For three reasons:
If you take away who is right and who is wrong in the war, and simply look at it from two countries at war, their saying this makes sense. With American funds going to Ukraine, America is technically supporting the killing of Russians. So, yeah, I get why they would be angry with me.
Secondly, Russians and Ukrainians have had quite a history that has been long intertwined over the years. Many Russians are in Ukraine, and vice versa. When I was in Ukraine 8 months ago, many people told me about how Russian kids were picked on just for being Russian, even though they had nothing to do with the war.
Lastly, we can't say that we do any worse in America. I'm sorry to say, but we do discriminate against others. Not all of us, and not always, but it does happen. Just as one stat, since this isn't a research article, but 61% of African Americans have claimed they experience discrimination in the US...
Final Thoughts
If you are thinking about visiting Russia, be prepared for some of the best hospitality you have ever experienced. With people always looking out for you, attempting to speak English, and almost always treating you with respect, it's a place I fell in love with. At the same time, if you are American, be aware that some people have very firm stances on the war and will express them...
All in all: mostly amazing!
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