Reminded of home while relaxing on exotic beach

“B ruski?” the well-dressed older gentlemen asked me in the lobby as his wife beamed awaiting my answer. (English translation: “Are you Russian?”)

I smiled my big toothy, wide smile and leaned forward with my eyebrows up. I thought I was giving them a friendly Hoosier body-language response: “What did you say?” All I understood was the word “Russian.”

Phoebe said that by leaning forward and smiling my body language responded, “Yes, I am Russian, so keep speaking Russian, because I can so totally understand every word you speak.”

After his wife rapidly began a very lovely conversation with us in Russian, she then saw my eyebrows furl in misunderstanding.

“Oh, where are you from?”

“America,” I answered.

“Ahh, we have met many Russians here, I thought you were Russian.”

We continued to have a nice conversation in English.

Friendship always starts with finding a commonality.

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