The Nod

Russian people really don't want to wave at you. I was taking it pretty personally when we first got here. I waved at the farm workers, I waved at the villagers, I waved at people driving by, and I got blank stares in return. It was really bumming me out. Then I started watching the people around here more, and it wasn't that they were unfriendly, they just don't wave. If someone is giving you a casual friendly greeting here they are much more inclined to nod.

Eureka! When I figured that out I started to nod at everybody. I nodded at the farm workers and they nodded back. I nodded at the villagers and they nodded back. I nodded at people driving by and they drove off the rode from trying to drive and nod. Just kidding, they nodded back. It was like I had broken the hello code. I realize it might not seem like that big of a deal, but in Northeastern Nevada almost every car that I passed on my way into town waved at me. I was feeling pretty lonely here.

Not only do they nod, you can kind of gauge how happy someone is to see you based on how big the nod is. One of my acquaintances in the nearest village practically nods from his waist when I drive by. It is pretty gratifying, but difficult to return on that scale while driving. Sometimes I slip up because my first instinct is to wave. The engineer/ mechanic on our farm will wave back, but the face he makes while he is doing it makes me think he is just humoring the silly American lady who can't get her stuff together enough to remember to nod.