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WHAT’S THE CUSTOM?
You never know. A street vendor in Saint Petersburg caught my eye and
following took place, without any words. I “asked” if I could take his photo. He was flattered and agreed. I took his photo, then offered him $2. He shook his head no, no. I laid bills on his tray of matroyshkas. He pocketed $2, smiling, then handed me a doll and hugged me.
TELLTALE SIGNS OF REAL LIFE
What’s it like? Check out condition of vulnerable -- children, dogs, and seniors.
The children were all healthy, tall, muscular and well-dressed. (http://www.theintrovertzcoach.com/Moscow%20Park%20girl%20playing%203.jpg ). I never saw a parent disciplining a child, or any need for it. Evidently their whole life they hold their mother’s hand when walking-like up to age 60.
Check out playground at Moscow’s North Terminal Park (http://www.theintrovertzcoach.com/Moscow%20Park%20playground%20for%20kids.jpg ) and see how much they care about their kids.
The Babushkas were cheerful and healthy looking (http://www.webstrategies.cc/nancy_and_babushka.jpg ).
You’ve never seen such shiny-coated, healthy, well-fed dogs and cats.
TROMP L’OEIL
That means, in French, fooling eye—another reality check. There were two incidents of tromp l’oeil I’ll mention.
First, look at this Moscow apartment building: http://www.theintrovertzcoach.com/Moascow%20apartment%20building.jpg . Looks like a slum tenement, doesn’t it? “No,” laughed our guide, Toma. “We don’t take care of outside of buildings here. There are luxury apartments in there 2200 sq. ft.”
Second, here is Catherine’s Palace (http://www.hum.utah.edu/languages/images/photos/rusphoto32.jpg ). When you arrive in Moscow, you think buildings are huge. They are huge, but there’s something else going on, because you’ve seen huge buildings before. What they do is build with standard-sized bricks, then plaster over them, them paint them with marks as if they were made of bricks 4x standard size. Perception warp!
PRIMAL FEAR
Here’s an incident that called for some quick EQ. We were walking in Moscow’s Harbor Park where there were lots of families. I became enchanted with a little girl of about 2, with curls all over her head, and before I knew it, she ran to me, jumped into my arms and gave me a hug and a kiss. Meanwhile, out of corner of my eyes I could see two agitated parents closing in on me from either side.
This is reptilian brain -- fear of strangers, protecting your children, territory. Look out!
What would you do? Read more about this and other anecdotes in my eBook, “Using Your Emotional Intelligence When Traveling Abroad.” ( http://www.webstrategies.cc/ebooklibrary.html )
EQ is truly a universal language!
©Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Offering emotional intelligence coaching to improve every area of your life; distance learning; business EQ solutions to avoid unnecessary litigation; EQ coach training and certification; ebooks. Isn’t it time you got it all figured out? Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE ezine.
