People who try to speak Russian to me

[Danno 1,228]

How do you say "chip on the shoulder" in Russian?

[slim 1,533]

It's just funny, cause I've never seen anyone try to speak Spanish to Mexicans or Mandarin to Chinese people. If a person looks Hispanic or Asian, no one seems to give a damn where they're from and what language they speak. But with me it's different.

It's one of the reasons someone like you is going to attract more attention than someone of another nationality.

Around my office, people are often speaking Spanish to Mexicans or other languages to people from other countries.

and those who had reason to learn Russian as part of their background.

And to re-iterate, it most likely meant as a friendly and welcoming gesture, or a (perhaps ill-timed) opportunity for them to practice. Most people here LIKE the multi-cultural environment and do things to be supportive of that.

There's another interesting dynamic at work here, race. You don't "look" foreign at first glance. Mexicans, Chinese, and others "look" foreign. When Americans see a "foreigner" they almost look down upon them. In places like California, there are so many American "foreigners" that it's become the norm for them to speak English. "You're in our country, you better speak English." However, when they see someone that doesn't "look" foreign, and that person hits them with a little accent, then they get the chance to show off how knowledgeable they are about your country and your language. A big "Privet comrade." And all the sudden they've single-handedly bridged the Cold War gap. In contrast, the Mexicans and Chinese that have immigrated have been "Americanized" and are required to assimilate into the culture because they look different so they must change their language to ours. You, on the other hand, are neat and interesting, not an annoyance.

By contrast, in business, someone speaking Spanish to a Mexican is trying to efficiently get the job done or form a bond with a coworker. This is vastly different from having an everyday expectation that they "must" speak English because they're here.

Ask these "privet" and "spasiba" people if they can say hi and thank you in Spanish or Mandarin or if they are "so smart" in any other languages.

[Nancy2015 2]

There's another interesting dynamic at work here, race. You don't "look" foreign at first glance. Mexicans, Chinese, and others "look" foreign. When Americans see a "foreigner" they almost look down upon them. In places like California, there are so many American "foreigners" that it's become the norm for them to speak English. "You're in our country, you better speak English." However, when they see someone that doesn't "look" foreign, and that person hits them with a little accent, then they get the chance to show off how knowledgeable they are about your country and your language. A big "Privet comrade." And all the sudden they've single-handedly bridged the Cold War gap.

You know, I think you nailed it. I don't look "foreign", and people don't expect me to be foreign. So when they learn that I am, it probably comes as a little bit of a surprise.

Well, I think I should just stop letting it bug me, cause it really isn't that big a deal. Well, I can live with it.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

I feel you should be flattered! So many American's give those a hard time when they discover they are originally from a foreign country. Their attempts to speak your mother tongue should be regarding as kind and welcoming.

Why not compliment them for the attempt, and ask them where they learned these Russian words? Then say, "It would really help me if we could speak in English as I want to master my new country's language."