The Saint Euphrosynos Cafe

James' remarks are charming.
Let's see what we can do to offer some coaching behind the scenes, as long as his mother seems relatively agreeable.

First, it's commendatory that you don't waste money on that trash, but use money to buy BOOKS, presumably, since you say you read mainly
as a spare time entertainment.

So this will help you immensely, because when speaking with Miss Russian, you will be able to expound on subjects way past your age group.

Then, too, we must understand how Russian emigres to America feel.
They usually have had fairly good educations. Then they get here and are surprised that the level of knowledge and in fact,
intellectual ability, is abysmally low.

So YOU can stand out from the crowd of what may be a number of competitors by being the only man to speak about important, and DEEP topics.
These girls don't want to hear about dumb things like sports matches the way Americans blab on and on.
Football will sound boring ; other sports will likely sound to Miss Russian as though you are a mental lightweight, and have nothing
else going on "upstairs".

They have a rich tradition of poets, writers, artists, composers, as you well know, I am sure.

So - why not study up a bit on some of THESE ?
Then ask her at the next tea hour [they also usually don't go for coffee unless raised here from birth and even then, maybe not.
Brush up on your teas, we can add to the Tea Talk thread to help James R. !!]

"Which writers do you like the best?" Meaning Russan ones, of course.

If she knows about Church writers, all the better. Some emigres, in fact many, received little church education until arriving here.
Just general culture, as a frequent topic to discuss, will open her eyes about you as a "deep soul".

Then your manners must be impeccable. Open doors, if the occasion arises, without being ostentatious about it,
but with a gentlemanly assurance and an air of deference to a lady.

No Americans do that [sadly], so you will again impress as being completely different from the rest of the parish men.

Your strength will be that you are able to understand her background, whereas the other OCA Americans will be ill equipped to
even come up with one lesser known Russian composer of the 19th century.

I recommend studying many of those til you know their music backwards and forwards. Borodin, Glinka,
Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov. It's FUN !
To be continued, as this is getting too long.

Ah, Rimsky-Korsakov!

James, have you ever taken a course in Music Appreciation?
Probably that is one of the first courses you should take in college. Then, you can take your friend to the mandatory concerts that are part of the course syllabus.

Yeah, I just LOVE his music ! You like him too< Maria ? Great.

Do you know "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh" ? It is not so well known in the West, but
I ADORE it. Both music and the concept.

My first favorite of his was Scheherezade when I got out of college. I had the LP record and listened to it every day endlessly.
Later I branched out to "Christmas Eve" and "Russian Easter Overture", May Night" and a few more.
I want to pull out these CD's and listen to them again just thinking about it !

By the way, James, did you happen to ask her from which city she is ? Rimsky-Korsakov of course lived in St Petersburg
which reminded me of this question.
That's IMPORTANT so that we can best direct you. Moscow people and St Petersburg people are different.
Perhaps she is from neither. Maybe Vladivostock or something? Then you need to study up on
the history of the Russian Far East.
Read about Count Muraviev-Amursky, a fascinating story, anyway.