Conversations. Part 1

One of the super cool things about living abroad and traveling is the fact that you meet so many different people along the way. You learn from them, share experiences, and if you are very lucky, you will have some stories to tell afterwards. Just to be clear, I do not want to stereotype anybody, I'm simply sharing my experience.

So, this post is about the conversations with people I have met, all the weird and funny things I have heard, and all the questions that I have kept asking myself ever since.

The Chechen driver and his brother's respect

I was on my way from Vienna to Ljubljana in a car full of strangers. I found them on the website of Bla-Bla Car - one of the fun and cheap ways to get around in Europe. One of the benefits - you get hours of conversations with a driver and most likely two other people in the car.

Sometimes the drivers are talkative, sometimes - not so much. This guy was originally from Chechnya - a republic in North Caucasus and a federal subject of Russia. Beautiful place. Don't believe me? Check out the picture.

Modern day Grozny, ladies and gentlemen!

There were 5 of us in the car, with the driver and his brother comfortably sitting in the front and talking on their native language, and three passengers (two Austrians and myself). Since I don't speak German that well, and they did not speak English - our communication did not lead anywhere in the beginning, other then him asking if I have any luggage to put in the trunk. I nodded yes. Then, of course, he asked me what other languages I spoke, and I mentioned Russian. That's where the fun started.

First, of course, he told me about the migration history of his family, which was fascinating. Then he went towards "Երկիրը երկիր չի" (inner joke for my Armenian friends. Sorry!) and ended somewhere "Եվրոպան էլ մի ապրելու տեղ չի, անջիգյար ժողովուրդ են". Made me smile. He reminded me of home. The driver and I talked for a while. Then, all of a sudden we heard an Armenian song from his CD. I didn't know the song, never heard if before. And I was kind of a song that usually makes your ears bleed. You know, the "մուղամ" song that everyone hates. You know what? At that time and place - I loved it. Almost sounded like music to my ears.

When we stopped to breathe some fresh air and use the bathroom. While everyone was minding their business, the brother of the driver said hi. I said hi back. He said "I noticed you were talking to my brother the whole way. When you were talking about Armenia, I wanted to say that there was an Armenian boy in my class. We made a lot of pranks together..." I smiled and asked why he didn't say that earlier. And he replied: "Well, you were talking to my older brother. I could't have intervened. It's a RESPECT thing."