Residents of Thailand about Russia and Russians
We have already interviewed Turks, Dutch, citizens of Great Britain, Spain, India, Italy, Vietnam, Denmark and Greenland. This time, My Planet asked the people of Thailand to name three associations that come to mind when it comes to Russia and Russians. Read the answers in the photo captions.
1. - A country that I will never get to is far, expensive, and there is no need. Snow is everywhere. Serious people. - Have you ever seen snow? Yes, in Switzerland. I then took a lot of pictures and fell twice. It turns out that snow requires special boots with spikes. (Teong, 53, nurse, Mae Hongseong)
2. - Beautiful women. Advanced space technologies. The biggest political force in the world. What do you think a beautiful woman is? - Tall, with pale skin and special features, it's hard to explain. I am familiar with one Russian. She taught me English in Australia. (Tatchai, 30, police officer, Mae Hongseong)
3. - Delicious food. Cold. Beautiful eyes - in color and shape. — Have you tried Russian food? - No. What makes you think it's delicious? - This is an assumption. (Saovalak, 16 years old, Natasha, 17 years old, schoolgirls, Chiang Mai)
4. - Nuclear industry. Sputnik and the first people in space. The Cold War is a global conflict between the capitalist and socialist systems. (Sitthipong, 29, school English teacher, Chiang Mai)
5. - Large people, almost American size. Blond hair and blue eyes. Moscow with churches in Muslim style. We have a lot of magazines about different countries in the museum. (Tula, 30 years old, museum guide, Chiang Mai)
6. - Ordinary people, like everyone else. They're in trouble now, I heard on the news. The people I meet are nice and friendly. On the whole, Russia is out of my field of attention. (Eddie, 39, street cafe owner, Chiang Mai)
7. - Vodka. Kremlin. Andrey Arshavin. - Who is Arshavin? - Russian footballer, smart player. He played for Russia at the World Championships. (Lek, 36, freelancer, left; Nui, 30, bike tour organizer, Chiang Mai, right)
8. - Communism. Stalin. Good people. Why good people? — A friend sent her son to study in Russia. If there were bad people there, she wouldn't have done it. (Vinita, 58, silk artist and fashion designer, Chiang Mai)
9. - Beautiful girls, like models. War. Economic crisis. The Russians are our important clients. The crisis in Russia has had a negative impact on Thai business, including mine. (Pooki, 29, entrepreneur, handicraft exporter, Chiang Mai)
10. - Colorful architecture in the Byzantine style. Vodka. Russian alphabet. Some of its letters resemble ethnic ornaments. (Silver, 33, textile and ceramics designer, specialist in Thai art, Chiang Mai)
11. - Space. Nuclear industry. Large area between Europe and Asia. Do you know what its dimensions are? - 13 million km. (Cadets, 14 years old, Chiang Mai)
12. - Red star. Yuri Gagarin. Soldier frozen in place. - Why frozen? It is not easy for Russians to smile. And they are bound. But after the ice of dating melts, everything changes. Few remember that Thailand and Russia have a common history. Our kings were friends. (Apichen, 41, owner of a travel agency, Chiang Mai)
13. - “One-two-three. Hi, how are you". I worked in a restaurant in Phuket and often hung out with Russians. Sexy women and overweight, rich men who love to eat. Well, vodka, of course. (Pattana, 28, barista, musician, Chiang Rai)
14. - The Moscow metro is number one in the world. Gymnastics. Lomonosov Moscow State University. When we arrived at it, it was snowing, and I never got off the bus. (Chyanarong, 65, collector, Chiang Rai)
15. - Cold. Ancient culture. Smart warriors. The last association is the result of watching a documentary about World War II. — Putin. Kremlin. Trans-Siberian Railway. I heard about it and I want to ride it one day. (Left Anekwong, 43, professor of computer science and head of computer science at the college; right, Tanith, 58, professor of philosophy at the college, Chiang Rai)
16. - War. She's on the news. In addition, Russia is a supplier of weapons to other countries. Striving for leadership on the world stage. Highly developed technologies, in particular space. The image of competition between Russia and the United States in the matter of space exploration rises before one's eyes. (Mike, 19, student, Chiang Rai)
17. - I have no words. None. All people are the same, in all countries. They can equally be good or bad, decent or not. But if we talk about the country as a whole, my associations: communism, Vladimir Putin and the polar bear - this is a symbol of Russia, isn't it? (Anita, 40, sews and sells clothes, Chiang Mai)