Residents of Spain about Russia and Russians
After the material "Turks about Russia and Russians", we decided to continue and make a whole series of similar photo projects. This time the author of "My Planet" walked around Barcelona and asked the residents of Spain the same question: "Name three associations that come to your mind when you hear about Russia and Russians." Read the answers in the captions to the photos.
1. — Matryoshka, Russian constructivism, Kandinsky. Matryoshka for me is the embodiment of femininity and romanticism, Russian constructivism is associated with freedom of expression, and Kandinsky was the first artist I liked when I studied art. (Elizabeth Urpi Rafols, 29, fashion and hat designer)
2. — Snow, mountains and greatness. I have been to Russia three times, and I was struck by how much snow there is, I have never seen so much. In Barcelona I have to deal with Russians. It can be difficult to understand their emotions. Although, when you spend time with them, you see that they are very honest and funny people. (Fermi Marco, 48, trekking instructor)
3. — Luxury, Russian salad, lots of people. The Russians I know are very concerned about their image, appearance, they like to show their belonging to the elite and be different from the rest. (Kilian Garrigos, 24, hair stylist)
4. — Works of art in the subway, the transition from communism to capitalism, language. The Russian language seems to me very melodious, but you speak softly. (Esperanza Pardo Borrel, 54, dentist)
5. — Communism. The Orthodox Church. Birch groves under the snow on the background of vast landscapes. Previously, we didn't really use the word "Russia", we said "Soviet Union", which we associated with communism, red stars, the army and military power. (Jordi Sergs, 49, Director of the Archive of Photography)
6. — A giant country, Moscow and its architectural masterpieces, cold. Although I have never been to Russia, I have watched documentaries about your country and read about its scale. They are really amazing! (Pilar Castro Valdivia, 50, real estate consultant)
7. — Contrasts, spirituality, beauty. My favorite composer is Rachmaninov, I can now sit down and play his preludes. We need to train more with Mussorgsky. As for Russian women, unlike Western women, they are more traditional, very feminine and know how to listen. (Jofre Horta Antoniou, 39, composer and pianist)
8. — Seriousness, responsibility, phonetics. I worked with the Russians. The first impression of them is very serious. It is not known whether because of shyness or for some other reason… But in business they demonstrate amazing responsibility. I'm loving it. (Javier Vidal, 42, bookseller, journalist)
9. — Good people, a country where I would like to go someday, business. Yes, I'm telling the truth, Russian customers often come to our bar. They are always polite, decent, and there are no problems with them. Russians are very good people. And it's good for Spain that they come here. (Pedro Manuel Aguayo, 64, waiter)
10. Extremes, communism, money is the soul. I have always liked Russian literature for its spiritual depth. And when I think about Russians, it's amazing to me how they mix it — soul and money. If we talk about students from Russia, their main difference is that they always know what they want. (Sofia Pariente Buson, 40 years old, director of a language school)
11. Vodka, caviar, the Ural Mountains as the border between Europe and Asia. I had to drink vodka at parties, in the company of Russian friends, so I usually don't do it. And caviar has always been associated with luxury and with rich people from Russia, of whom there are enough here now. (Joel Raventos, 38 years old, owner of an online store)
12. — Tea, individuality, friendship. If Russians have something special, it's their individuality. Why tea? So I got addicted to it in Russia and now I drink it every day. (Merichel Margens, 31, translator, secretary)
13. — "Michael Strogoff: courier of the tsar", Kremlin, pointe shoes. It's funny, but the first thing that comes to mind is a novel by Jules Verne. A deserted steppe, on which a man in the clothes of a Cossack is riding. Neither blizzards nor other disasters will interfere with the fulfillment of his mission. I was fascinated by this book as a child. (Imma Munoz, 41, journalist)
14. — Travel, Moscow — Petersburg, metro. I've been to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Oh, I got lost there! I left the hotel in the morning, everything is beautiful like this: a river, monuments. I look and I don't know where I am. I go to another hotel, I say, "Call the police." They say: "Don't go to the police, do you have documents?" In general, they told me where to go. (Rosa Bardina Noguera, 77, retired)
15. — Culture, pride, immensity. Russians have always defended their independence and worldview even under the most unfavorable circumstances. They are a very kind and cultured people who can be proud of their history and traditions. (Antonio Rey, 44, programmer)
16. — Chekhov, Stanislavsky, pronunciation. As a child, I could not pronounce "erre" correctly, my tongue did not vibrate, and my friend said that I looked like a Russian, they say, they have the same pronunciation. I'm actually from Barranquilla, from Colombia. Do you know how funny they pronounce the name Stanislavsky there? Yeshtanishlashki. (Gerson Payares Figueroa, 28, actor)