http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/ ... the bits and pieces that make life interesting ... Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:15:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/comment-page-1/#comment-2506 Patchwork Planet » Blog Archive » On aging Wed, 21 May 2008 10:41:56 +0000 http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/#comment-2506 [...] I have an on-going discussion with Shawn and other friends here as to how exactly devushky become babushky. For those of you not intimately familiar with post-Soviet life, a little explanation is in order. Directly translated, “devushka” means “girl” and “babushka” means “grandmother,” however, the everyday meanings of the words are much deeper than that. On the street, devushky are the young women wearing stiletto heels, unimaginably short skirts, and walking with an air of overconfidence. To the untrained American eye, they can appear to be “ladies of the night,” however this is not so – at least in the conventional sense. On the other end of the spectrum are babushky who usually appear to be older than time itself, dressed in the most awfully mismatched outfits, and can be found selling things on the street that they themselves have obtained for free (such as rotten apples or last week’s newspaper). Because of these extremes and the generalizations that go along with them, women in the middle of these groups age-wise tend to blend into the scenery until you find yourself pushing into one on the bus. And so it appears that women here must quickly fall from devushka-hood to babushka-hood. [...] [...] I have an on-going discussion with Shawn and other friends here as to how exactly devushky become babushky. For those of you not intimately familiar with post-Soviet life, a little explanation is in order. Directly translated, “devushka” means “girl” and “babushka” means “grandmother,” however, the everyday meanings of the words are much deeper than that. On the street, devushky are the young women wearing stiletto heels, unimaginably short skirts, and walking with an air of overconfidence. To the untrained American eye, they can appear to be “ladies of the night,” however this is not so – at least in the conventional sense. On the other end of the spectrum are babushky who usually appear to be older than time itself, dressed in the most awfully mismatched outfits, and can be found selling things on the street that they themselves have obtained for free (such as rotten apples or last week’s newspaper). Because of these extremes and the generalizations that go along with them, women in the middle of these groups age-wise tend to blend into the scenery until you find yourself pushing into one on the bus. And so it appears that women here must quickly fall from devushka-hood to babushka-hood. [...]

]]> http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/comment-page-1/#comment-2434 madalyn Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:27:49 +0000 http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/#comment-2434 After being HIT by a five year old girl in the Hanoi airport last year (she and her mom were butting in front of me in line -- fairly commonplace practice in Vietnam), I can understand how easy it seems to suddenly go native. (Don't worry -- I didn't hit the five year old back!) After being HIT by a five year old girl in the Hanoi airport last year (she and her mom were butting in front of me in line — fairly commonplace practice in Vietnam), I can understand how easy it seems to suddenly go native. (Don’t worry — I didn’t hit the five year old back!)

]]> http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/comment-page-1/#comment-2433 Little Miss Moi Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:37:01 +0000 http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/#comment-2433 Hey! I think that was me! No actually, I got kidney spiked on the metro, not the bus. Hey! I think that was me! No actually, I got kidney spiked on the metro, not the bus.

]]> http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/comment-page-1/#comment-2431 TulipGirl Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:52:21 +0000 http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/#comment-2431 I had to learn how to smile in public again, after returning to the States from Kyiv. I had to learn how to smile in public again, after returning to the States from Kyiv.

]]> http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/comment-page-1/#comment-2430 mindthegap Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:15:07 +0000 http://greatdiversions.com/patchworkplanet/2008/02/06/going-native/#comment-2430 Leaving the house IS an achievement - I just spent the afternoon talking to a friend about that very topic - we were happy with ourselves to have managed to make it to a cosy coffee shop. Concerning the shoving, I find it quite a good way to release some tension without actually throttling someone, and no one blinks an eye. Leaving the house IS an achievement - I just spent the afternoon talking to a friend about that very topic - we were happy with ourselves to have managed to make it to a cosy coffee shop. Concerning the shoving, I find it quite a good way to release some tension without actually throttling someone, and no one blinks an eye.

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