Oooh ba-LA-LAika!

Russians have more stereotypes of themselves than Americans have of them. One of them is that all Russians play the balalaika, a traditional stringed Russian instrument (like a guitar). Needless to say, this stereotype is false because (reality check!) not everyone is talented enough.

I went to the philharmonic to watch a balalaika concert by Alexei Arkhipovsky. This man is an extraordinary musician and shows how versatile the instrument is. While playing, he had a childish mannerism and lightheartedness that made the concert that much more enjoyable. I expected to hear folk and traditional music, but it was more towards the 'experimental' genre. Though I am usually uninterested in that sort of music, I was enthralled by his interpretations on the balalaika.

Overall, my impressions of Russia and Russian people are positive. There are a few exceptions to this, but it'd be unfair to let that ruin my outlook. The concert tickets are not open seated, so every ticket-holder is assigned a specific seat. The first ten minutes were interrupted by obnoxious and boisterous guests who could not civilly settle a dispute. Two people entered late (by a few minutes) and found their seats already occupied. The people who “stole” the seats argued that it was a “you snooze, you lose” deal. This argument was so loud that the musician had to stop playing. At that point, there was no right or wrong because they were all disrespectful to everyone else.

Now, I'm not writing this to say that Russians are rude—that depends on the individual, of course. I'm just giving a reminder to be mindful of each other. It really is that simple.