Part 7 == Americans Abroad ==
Given that Sevastopol is a vacation town, and settled nicely on the Black Sea, it stands to reason that you might see and occasional American there. Indeed, as we travelled around the city, we ran across at least three groups.
The first group we saw was in a household furnishings store, where we were checking out kitchen cabinets for our upcoming kitchen remodel. There was a group of American guys there, looking at light fixtures and debating which one to purchase. They were totally self absorbed in their discussion and made no bones that they were American. They also tended to ignore their sales person except to tell them to bring this one down or that one. As I made my way past them, I said "excuse me", but if they heard me, they gave no indication of it. In a way, I found their self absorbed behavior to be a little rude.
The next group was a young group of Americans in their early twenties. These young men looked and acted almost like young navy men on shore leave. They were loud, boisterous, and joking in the outrageous way that young folks do. The Ukrainian populace gave them a wide berth, as they walked down the street. Marina was asking me if I wanted to talk with them, but after listening to them for a couple of minutes, she then decided that we shouldn't. They tended to be loud and a little obnoxious, but then again teenagers and young 20 something guys will be guys.
The third group was a couple of older guys in their late 50's or 60's. Again, they made no bones about the fact that they were American and loudly asked for a waitress that spoke English. They were enjoying the rather fancy restaurant we were in and were having a good time. Marina was again wanting to know if I wanted to talk with them, but again changed her mind after watching them flirt with the young waitress.
All in all, my impression of the Americans I saw tended to stand out from the general populace. In some ways you have to admire them for refusing to change who they are. In another way, I felt almost embarrassed by the almost rude behavior some of them exhibited. I've always felt that Americans travelling abroad should always try to give the best impression of America they can. We are, in a sense, ambassadors of our country. Yet I realize that not all share my sense of propriety.
All in all, the few encounters I had with Americans abroad did not leave a good feeling in me. Yet even so, I am certain that there were countless Americans I didn't see, who were quietly blending in to the populace, as I did. I'm equally certain that they were immediately picked out by the Ukrainians, as they can identify quite easily who is American, no matter how low a profile you keep. It is the quiet polite visitors who offer a silent, yet poignant counterbalance to the loud obnoxious Americans that are often the stereotype travelling abroad.
All in all, it was interesting to watch my fellow countrymen interact (or not) with the local populace. While embarrassing at times, it was still refreshing to see Americans abroad this trip. I can hope that I will see more the next time I am abroad.
