Some more thoughts about cultural things

With cultural exchange all over the world, some values started to transfer from one country to another. This tendency is neither negative, not positive. Moreover, the cultural exchange is aggrandized by people because it opens the door in other cultures. However, the peculiarities of other cultures must be considered accurately to obviate serious mistakes.
How many times, being in US, each of us faced the double meaning, questioning, situation? The situation, when you asked yourself, how would I cope with it comparing if this happened in my home country.
For instance, in my country, if someone asks you for something, usually, you shouldn’t say no in order to be a good person, even if your countenance shows the opposite. For example, if one member of my family travels, be sure that he already has the list of presents “to bring” to other members, or he’s going to be strange. However, the opposite tendency is in US. It is totally ok to say no; people before asking about anything think if it will be extra for you or how many people have already asked you.
There is another example. Once you are invited to a party, each person needs to bring a little something. He opposite is in my country. If one person invites guests, he should be ready with full table of food and drinks. The quality of dinner is measured with guests’ ability to stand up after five dishes in a row.

These are some thoughts which visited me this evening...

The custom of eating out on Sundays and other days… Part two

However, as I noticed from the beginning, Austinites love having lunch and supper out, and won’t say no to dinner. If in Moscow, mostly, the youth spend time out, in Austin, in America in general, families love to bond together while enjoying great food. I kind of like this custom. It makes you free of cooking for the bunch of relatives, like at least 15 every weekend, each of whom has different taste or allergy on food. Another reason why I like this custom because everybody looks happy, and no one has to clean dishes. This is the scary moment in my family, like the day of Judgement in the bible, which every one tried to avoid and leave as early as possible. But I found my secret solution. I cleaned dishes so that no one could use them after because they literally jumped out of hands. After that, I was asked to participate in a cooking process only and only under my grand ma strict supervision.
So, talking about the custom of eating out and bounding together, I am going to get together with my girls later. We decided to change it a little bit by spicing it up with shopping so we can eat whatever we want not worrying about calories.

The custom of eating out on Sundays and other days… Part one

Sunday morning is amazing. First of all, I could sleep until 12 p.m. without being ashamed. Second, after Saturday night of pumping music and constantly moving crowd, it is so wonderful to be alive. My mom said “The way you spend your day, you will face it tomorrow. So think about the consequences”. Well, she used to say that back in the days when she saw me waking up after 12 pm every weekend. And I am sure, every mother creates some stories to keep their little children out of trouble, even if children have their children.
Well, today I decided to have breakfast in French baguette, which is only 2 minutes away from my house, and the only place in Austin to where I actually walk, not drive, hoping to get my writing inspiration back, which unexpectedly left me on weekends. So I got food for thought and for my self. I am so happy now that I can write.
Usually it is pretty quite in French Baguette during weekdays. However now it got so crowded that I had to wake up my mind and body to be successful in getting a table. Luckily, I run almost every day.
The smell of coffee and fresh bread is amazing. I can’t even describe it. It is so hypnotizing that I forgot about my “not to eat” food list. I guess for the same reason this place is popular today among other guests. I see families, couples, friends, who came here today. Looking at them, I remember my home where I used to meet with my friends to snack and chat. Usually we meet in the evening, which doesn’t finish until the morning. This custom of eating out is relatively new. Elders still get together at home or houses in the country, which are called “Dacha”, where they cook. If you ask them, they will find 101 reasons, like threat of being poisoned by the rare radioactive Tchernobls’ vegetable, to stop you from eating out.

To be continued...

The concept of Love

            When entering a new culture, there are several rules one needs to follow in order to blend in. Some of them are well known and obvious, that they can’t be avoided. Starting with language and music addiction, topping it with celebrations and food habits of locals, such as yami BBQ weekend, most of us are familiar with them.

            However, at one point, you realize, there is something below the surface that needs deeper understanding. Those values and customs, which are learned from previous generations, are rarely written in guiding books.  Now I am thinking about attitude towards elders or the concept of what is right or wrong as examples.

            Yesterday I had sociology class, honestly of love and family, which brings smiles to my friend’s faces when I mention that. I was watching a movie. The movie “Mystery of love” was filmed by students and was based on the interviews of local people, who shared their aspects of love.

            What is love? Love is a strong positive emotion of regard and affection, according to one of many definitions. In other words, it is a deep feeling that one experiences towards the other. Besides, love is trustful, understanding, connecting, fulfilling, listening, accepting, taking, and loving. I guess, so it is in many other cultures.

            Generally, the first answer, what love is, occurs to be romance, passion, and marriage. Sometimes the answers are “blah blah blah” or “what the heck is that”. Personal life stories of people who live in Austin were filmed to prove that love is beyond dating and marriage. Friendship, parents and a child relationship, war devotion, so-called Marc and Venus, or religion are also love.

            For example, let’s take war devotion as an example of love. Now, after reading this, some will call me silly girl or not all the way there. War is a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end, based on Merriam Webster dictionary. What can be more cruel and bizarre than human beings hunting for lives of each other because of stupid political or economic reasons? And how can there be a small seed of love? I guess, if one seed was planted, it wouldn’t reach 1 inch and jump back in the ground to hide.

            Paradoxically, love exists even in the fields of war. Brotherhood, connection, life dedication, and self-devotion are the food that feeds love even in such psycho conditions. When one solder gives his life to safe the member of a crew, he does it because of love. During the WW2 solders of the USA army were asked what was the reason why they went on the war. Guess what? Love to the country wasn’t the most common answer, but love to brotherhood and to unit was it.

           So, love conception is below the surface, but it displays on our daily life, which is on the surface. The understanding of it’s need to exist, to give and to receive would make one’s life so much fulfilling and rich, and even delicious when it comes to roman. Like one needs to be loved, he needs to give it to the others, or he will be called a selfish person, I guess. I am just kidding. Seriously, as it was said in the movie, we born alone and we die alone. But everyone gets a chance to share love with parents, a child, a lover, friends, community, or with the whole world, like hippies. It is our choice to choose.

P.s. WOW this is the longest thing I've ever written in English since the writing AEP class, which wasn't that fun. I dedicate myself to love writing since now haha.