It is not unusual to pass by a group of Russian people talking in obnoxiously loud tones on the street. Neither is it uncommon to overhear a few Russians heatedly arguing in the middle of a store.
What makes it interesting for me is that I actually understand what they are saying, so I sometimes amuse myself by listening to their loud conversations.
One of the things that has been made apparent is that Russians have no problem analyzing and discussing you thoroughly while under the notion that you do not understand a word they are saying. It seems that many Russians simply assume they are the only ones speaking the language, so they have free license to say whatever they please about whomever they please.
I remember I once went with my mother to a doctor's office. My mother went into the office, while I sat in the waiting room and occupied myself with my writing and my iPod. There were two older Russian women sitting near me, also waiting. I began writing a story, but my thoughts were interrupted when I heard one of the women muttering under her breath to the other in Russian, "Look at how long her skirt is. Why does she wear such long skirts?" I might have lifted my eyebrows at that comment, but I did not allow myself to look up or give any other sign that I had understood. That was a good thing, or I would have been denied the amusement of listening to them discussing my outfit, my looks, and what I was doing. ("What is that in her hand?" "Oh, it's something that plays music.") It took a great deal of self-discipline not to burst out laughing at how ridiculous the situation was. There I was, a Russian-speaking young girl, wearing a long skirt, trying to write and listen to music, and minding my own business, and there were the two Russian ladies, their heads bent together, their eyes staring directly at me, their conversation revolving around me. The best part of the story is that when my mother returned and came over to me, I loudly asked her in Russian whether she's ready to go. Oh, you should have seen those women's faces. And then... one of them loudly whispered in shock to the other in Russian, "She understands everything!" Once my mother and I left the office, I allowed myself a good laugh.
A similar thing happened as I was walking outside one Shabbat. Two Russian women discussed my appearance, and it never occurred to them that I might understand Russian.
I was walking around Brooklyn yesterday with my friend, and we were talking about this interesting Russian habit. Apparently, she has had similar experiences. We went into a shoe store together, and as we were looking at shoes, I heard one of the young Russian employees remarking to the other that I have pretty hair. First of all, I kind of felt like laughing because my friend and I had just discussed how Russians talk about you freely, and here we were experiencing it again. So I turned around and thanked the girl in Russian. Her expression was priceless. She was shocked into silence for a moment, and her eyes became larger as she stared at me. Then came the questions... They asked us how we know Russian, where we're from, and so on. We talked a little bit, and I told them that my friend and I had just discussed how Russians often don't realize that we understand them. Once they got over the initial surprise, they were also amused.
Some of my friends and I also used to talk to each other in Russian when we were in school or in other public places, so others should not understand. I remember that when I was in sixth grade, I used to write stories or journal entries during class. Once I realized that there was the danger of a teacher taking away my writing and reading it, I decided that I would play it safe by writing in Russian. And what do you know? As I was sitting in the back corner of the classroom, calmly writing in Russian about my life and how boring the class was, my teacher walked up, stood behind me, and said, "I know Russian."
Lesson learnt: Never assume that your conversation is private just because you are speaking or writing in a language other than English. Do not be so confident that others cannot understand you.
I wonder, is it mostly a Russian thing or do my multilingual readers experience the same thing with people of other nationalities?
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