No More Mr. Nice Guy, er, Mrs. Nice Woman

While we were in L'viv and we were wandering around the city center, this guy came up to me and said, "Where are you from?" in perfect English.

This is a common question here in Ukraine now. It is obvious from the way we dress and the way we walk and the way we look that we are not "from here". It is not unusual to be asked this question and the expected answer is "I'm from ______" with a smile that says 'how kind of you to notice that I am a tourist in your city/country'.

However, it is a ploy to get your attention so someone can sell you something, or even to distract you so a pickpocket can do their thing.

So, this man walks up beside us, walks along with us for a few steps, asks me "Where are you from?" because I am the woman and an easy mark. I look directly at him for about 1 second, never break stride and respond,

"Why do you want to know?"

I have no idea where that answer came from, but it stopped him in his tracks. "Uh, uh, uh," splutter, mumble "because I want you to buy my photo postcards here?" Ah ha! A truthful answer! "No thank you!" and we keep on walking.

Today I made a phone call and asked someone a question. They didn't know the answer. A few minutes later someone else calls me and grills me (GRILLS me!!!) on why I didn't call X 3rd other person instead and then gives me the answer (which I'd already received via text message from the first person I called).

You know - it just pissed me off. Totally pissed me off. And I use that word on purpose because that is exactly how I feel.

This person does this to me all the time. And I was raised to be "nice" even when people are being rude and inconsiderate and downright ugly. It is important to be nice. A real woman is nice. A Christian is nice.

Really being nice means never grilling a person and setting them straight out of the blue, especially when said person was in a really good mood before the phone call. Which was TOTALLY uncalled for from start to finish - I didn't call YOU for a reason!

Well, I guess I've had my fill of being nice because I'm just not going to put up with it any more! I've had it up to the part in my hair on top of my head. So, next time it happens, I'll ask a similar question "why do YOU want to know?" or whatever fits the bill.

First I'll have to remember, though, that I don't have to be nice.

That might be hard.

I'll have to practice!!

heh heh