Photo credit: http://www.kitaichina.com/
"Are you from Russia? Help yourself, you don't need to pay any money." Russians hear these words in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and other destinations around the globe. According to travelers, the attitude towards Russia has changed for the better. Many people see it as a country that dared to challenge the West and pursue an autonomous policy guided by national interests.
The Russkiy Mir has collected impressions of Russia that were shared by residents of different nations in conversations with Russian travelers. "Wherever we are now, we are proud to say that we are Russians," said an experienced female traveler.
Tangoing Around the World
Even as a child, Olga Gronskaya from St. Petersburg longed to travel. It didn't really matter whether the trips would be to distant or nearby destinations..
“When I was 11 years old, I used to take a shoulder pack and walk from one village to another," she shared with the Russkiy Mir. "It was vital for me to keep moving. Office work was torture for me. I had a dream of getting a job associated with business trips, at least throughout the Soviet Union. My dream came true, and I traveled all over the USSR.”
Olga is an engineer in the heat power industry. She is grateful to her occupation for the possibility to earn money for traveling. As soon as it became possible to travel abroad, Olga set off to see the world. Initially, she used to buy tours and visit popular destinations. Later on, she simply followed the road wherever it took her. It was her love of tango that carried her to Latin America..
Photo credit: Olga Gronskaya
"My dad was really into music, especially tango, and we had a big record collection," she recalled. "I wanted to dance tango. Once there was a class teaching it, I went to learn. I met my travel companion there. She had already traveled to a lot of distant places. She suggested going to Argentina and learning to dance tango there. I was surprised at first, and then the idea seemed to catch on. Finally, everything fell into place like a puzzle. It would definitely be a good idea to visit Mexico. Peru is also a must, I loved reading about Chile since childhood. Something clicked in my head: what if we go on a trip around the world? Everything worked out both in terms of money and time. It was amazing. When you do the right thing, everything comes together.”
It took six months to prepare. They explored issues related to bank payments, and hotel facilities in the countries they intended to travel to. There was a lot of luggage. The trip lasted 8 months. Olga and her friend covered 24 countries. They traveled to Cuba, then to Mexico, and down across Latin America. Then they flew to New Zealand, Australia and headed upward the map.
Photo credit: Olga Gronskaya
Where do people hold a special love for Russians?
“Which Latin American country resembles Russia the most? It is Mexico," says Olga. "It is not even about traditions, but rather about the spirit, some inner things.”
She kept a travel diary on a social media page, and the posts received thousands of views. Having returned home, she wrote and published a book about her trip around the world. Now she's planning to launch a video blog.
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“In Latin America and Asian countries, they love Russians very much," said the traveler. "In our country, some people support Russia's policy, others disapprove. Nevertheless, as a person who has been traveling for 30 years, I can say that attitudes toward Russians are changing for the better. A couple of decades ago we were scared to mention that we were Russians. There was strong negativity, mockery, and finger-pointing. It was very different from what we experience now. If you knew how many bonuses we got because we were from Russia! Free food, treats, some gifts, and help to get to the required location.”
According to Olga Gronskaya, she sensed the interest and respect of the locals on her trip to Latin America and Asia.
“Now we proudly say that we are Russian, and we thank, as they say, 'the party and the government' for that," she explained. "The world has become filled with information. People read about everything and know everything. In recent years, Russia has become very strong in the international arena. This attitude from foreigners was incredibly heartening, we felt at home. When you are treated like that, your self-esteem is boosted. We faced genuine admiration in Latin America and true hospitality and help everywhere in Asia - Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Many people told us how much our President was loved and respected there.”
Photo credit: Olga Gronskaya
Read also: How a Tambov resident went around the world by bicycle
Viva, Russia!
Russian blogger Sergey Vasiliev has been traveling around Latin America and Africa for more than a year. He posts reports about his trips online and shows everything he sees, including the way the locals react to him. Sergey learned Spanish at an online school for a few months, which helps him to have long conversations with Latin Americans.
In almost every country, the blogger gets hugs and shoulder pats as soon as people find out where he comes from, "Viva, Russia!" According to residents of Mexico and Cuba, Colombia and the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia and Nigeria, they are grateful to Russia for its help and support. They support its efforts in the international arena and admire the courage of Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
"What do you know about Russia?" Sergeyey asks a local man in a Haitian hotel lobby. "Oh, Vladimir Putin, I like him a lot, and so do all Haitians," the man replies. "There are no others like him on the whole globe. Mr. Putin wants to help us, and that includes security."
Blogger Dmitriy Lukyanchuk has traveled all over the world and visited more than 150 countries. His goal is to delve into the local people's everyday lives and tell his subscribers about it. According to the traveler, Russians are treated well in most countries of the world.
“Regardless of what people say, I have never encountered negative attitudes based on my nationality," he said. "The attitude is about people, rather than nationals of a particular country. The main point is to respect other people's culture.”
Currently, Dmitry is planning to focus on traveling around Russia. According to him, he supports the government's efforts to encourage domestic tourism. He believes that more Russians will be able to learn about the most outstanding places in their country.
Photo credit: Dmitriy Lukyanchuk, Destinations Telegram Channel
Pass from Russia
Evgeny Chausov, a Yaroslavl resident, has traveled to more than a hundred countries over the past twelve years. He is no stranger to any part of the globe. His observations reveal that the residents of most countries have not been affected by anti-Russian views in international politics over the last eighteen months.
His great journey through the Asian countries proved that Russians are still treated with friendship and warmth there. Moreover, this is true not only for locals but also for people from unfriendly countries.
Photo credit: Evgeny Chausov / VKontakte
Evgeny shared his experience of meeting with Greeks who expressed their support for Russia and their understanding of the reasons behind the launch of the special military operation in Ukraine.
The Sochi Olympics and the FIFA World Cup hosted by the country over the past 10 years have played a major role in introducing Russia to the world. Thousands of people from Latin America where soccer is an iconic game were able to visit Russia and fall in love with it for good.
For instance, Brazilian soccer player Gustavo Mantuan, who joined Zenit St. Petersburg, said that he had heard a lot of good things about Russia from numerous friends who had been to the World Cup. They mentioned that Russia was a huge, beautiful country with very nice people.
Photo credit: Coordinating Council of Organizations of Russian Compatriots of Argentina
Rail Arslanov, a resident of Kazan, travels much less frequently. However, he communicates with foreigners daily. He plays the accordion in a so-called Chatroulette on YouTube where random people become his interlocutors.
Rail asks nearly everyone to guess what country he is from based on the song being played. Then he performs a Russian or Tatar folk song on the accordion. The responses vary. In some cases, when users hear the Russian language, they disconnect. However, this is a rare situation. Much more often there is delight, interest, and a request to sing more and explain the song.
Many people, both youth and adults, suddenly start singing along in Russian. It turns out that some of them studied the language at school, have Russian-speaking relatives and friends, or feel curious about Russian culture. There are more hearts that respond to the Russian spirit than one could imagine. Any traveler will testify to this.
