0:00:06.513,0:00:08.386
I am a foreigner.

0:00:08.857,0:00:10.185
(Laughter)

0:00:10.185,0:00:14.657
(Applause)

0:00:14.761,0:00:20.101
And for the Muscovites, I will reveal[br]some insights on how to be back at home.

0:00:20.101,0:00:23.450
It may sound strange, but I will explain.

0:00:23.474,0:00:28.715
If you cannot see your home[br]from the outside,

0:00:28.739,0:00:34.456
you can see neither the house itself,[br]nor who is in it with real perspective.

0:00:34.468,0:00:38.301
Unless you leave your own home,

0:00:38.883,0:00:41.158
you will never be able[br]to solve the problems,

0:00:41.182,0:00:45.707
stemming from childhood,[br]your domestic problems.

0:00:46.665,0:00:50.840
I will explain using[br]the example of "The Lion King".

0:00:50.864,0:00:54.402
In this movie, the main character,[br]Simba, the son of the king,

0:00:54.402,0:00:56.351
is growing up in the pride's territory,[br]

0:00:56.351,0:00:58.961
knowing that someday,[br]he will become the king.

0:00:58.961,0:01:01.791
But he is too naughty,

0:01:01.815,0:01:07.517
and this disobedience[br]leads to the tragic loss of his father.

0:01:07.541,0:01:10.547
Blamed for his father's death[br]by his uncle Scar,

0:01:10.571,0:01:13.173
who himself wanted to become the king,

0:01:13.197,0:01:15.497
Simba had to run away.

0:01:16.100,0:01:22.556
In the jungle the poor child met two[br]merry fellows; Pumbaa and Timon.

0:01:23.875,0:01:26.896
Soon he adopted their way of life,

0:01:26.920,0:01:29.569
and forgot about his past.

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But Scar, with his army of hyenas,[br]devastated the Pride Lands.

0:01:38.267,0:01:41.923
And the lions, suffering from hunger,[br]fled, in search of food.

0:01:41.947,0:01:45.913
Once one of the lionesses[br]came across Simba,

0:01:45.937,0:01:49.987
and tried to persuade him to go back.

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But Simba refused.

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The shaman baboon tried to convince him,

0:01:59.494,0:02:04.712
and Simba decided to return,[br]and fight Scar for the throne

0:02:04.736,0:02:07.430
But I am not a lion, nor a king.

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How can I apply this story to my life?

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There are three points.

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First, what Pride Land, and domestic[br]problems have in common for me?

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I used to be unsure of myself,

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have a fear of not being[br]successful enough,

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and feel guilty

0:02:30.073,0:02:35.264
about wasting my education[br]and the opportunities I had.

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These sound like silly problems,

0:02:38.505,0:02:41.479
but for me they were very real.

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Second point; how do I get rid[br]of this problem?

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First of all, by not worrying about[br]my classmate's workplace,

0:02:51.769,0:02:54.950
whether it is a bank or a consulting firm.

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I had to work in the local government,

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good but not prestigious work.

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It was no use.

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Then I got a job[br]in the international program,

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and happily escaped to Russia.

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(Laughter)

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Why did I choose Russia?

0:03:13.244,0:03:16.791
I fell in love with Russia at an early[br]age, during a school trip.

0:03:16.815,0:03:21.667
I behaved like a real expat,[br]without realizing it.

0:03:22.757,0:03:27.271
Arriving in Russia, I became a novelty.

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I became proud of my good pronunciation.

0:03:32.475,0:03:36.848
I tried not to admit that I am English;

0:03:36.872,0:03:40.243
to completely forget[br]who I had been before.

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I started to eat a lot of cabbage[br]and dressed herring.

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(Laughter)

0:03:43.998,0:03:45.528
Started to drink a lot of vodka,[br]

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(Laughter)

0:03:46.698,0:03:50.862
one for the road before leaving home.[br]

0:03:50.862,0:03:52.662
(Laughter)

0:03:52.662,0:03:54.786
I got involved in different projects.

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I am a co-founder of the Center[br]of Expertise for Social Entrepreneurs,

0:04:00.446,0:04:04.835
organic farm for refugees[br]in the Moscow region,

0:04:04.859,0:04:08.655
and real estate agency[br]for English-speaking people in Moscow.

0:04:08.679,0:04:13.483
Prior to that I conducted[br]a culinary project for orphans.

0:04:14.083,0:04:16.021
Third point.

0:04:16.045,0:04:20.576
What was the return[br]to the territory of my pride for me?

0:04:23.171,0:04:28.219
After a year in Russia I returned[br]to England for a new visa.

0:04:28.243,0:04:32.160
That time I felt a change[br]of my perspective.

0:04:32.184,0:04:37.831
I started to accept what was given to me;[br]my strengths and weaknesses.

0:04:37.857,0:04:42.468
My family, my name, my English accent.

0:04:42.492,0:04:49.135
I realized that otherwise,[br]I would try to become someone else,

0:04:49.159,0:04:50.448
but not myself.

0:04:51.502,0:04:54.278
Now I feel better.

0:04:54.302,0:04:58.143
I am more aware of what[br]I would consider a success.

0:04:58.167,0:05:01.727
That it's rather my privilege[br]to define it, not my pride's.

0:05:01.751,0:05:04.984
I am happy to hear[br]of the success of my friends.

0:05:05.008,0:05:09.660
And when there is little money[br]and problems with all my projects,

0:05:09.684,0:05:14.429
I remember that it is my choice,[br]and this is what I want.

0:05:15.834,0:05:19.877
My home has become a real kingdom for me.

0:05:20.505,0:05:24.638
Like Simba, I am willing[br]to accept my past.

0:05:24.662,0:05:26.942
I have realized that my homeland,[br]

0:05:26.942,0:05:30.542
my pride, is not the only place on Earth,

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but one of many[br]other homelands and prides.

0:05:35.739,0:05:39.186
At the same time I also realized[br]that my pride is still mine,

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and if I denied it

0:05:42.038,0:05:45.775
I would abandon myself, and who I am.

0:05:48.813,0:05:51.800
Like a fish that cannot understand[br]what water is,

0:05:51.824,0:05:54.193
until it jumps out of it,

0:05:54.217,0:05:58.305
I could not understand my homeland

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until I plunged into something else[br]and became a stranger.

0:06:04.959,0:06:10.888
I left a lot of work in Moscow,[br]took a visa and came back.

0:06:10.912,0:06:14.688
I used to introduce myself[br]as "Andrey", not "Andrew".

0:06:14.712,0:06:18.750
But after coming to realize[br]a lot about myself and my country,

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I have started to introduce[br]myself as "Andrew".

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I have begun to drink less vodka.[br]

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(Laughter)

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And I have to confess to you that I am not[br]so in love with Russian cuisine.

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Although I still love cabbage and herring.

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(Laughter)

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I am not from here.

0:06:37.503,0:06:41.193
I am a stranger,[br]and for that I don't apologize.

0:06:41.193,0:06:46.503
I hope you are starting to feel[br]how it will look in your case.

0:06:46.503,0:06:51.938
You can be on different stages[br]on different issues at the same time

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More, I hope you can see a second step[br]after throwing back yours,

0:06:57.474,0:07:04.275
which does not have to mean to go abroad,[br]though that has its benefits.

0:07:04.299,0:07:08.614
Outside there is no temptation[br]to quit and pull back,

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as you are surrounded by a new environment[br]

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and have to live with it[br]whether you like it or not.

0:07:15.418,0:07:19.537
The new language also helps[br]to separate you from the old world.

0:07:19.561,0:07:22.672
So, if you choose to be a stranger,

0:07:22.696,0:07:25.601
and decide to go live abroad,

0:07:25.625,0:07:30.092
here are five tips from me,[br]a foreigner and a stranger.

0:07:33.024,0:07:34.437
Find people of your own;

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meet them, and leave them.

0:07:38.165,0:07:40.453
They might be a mirror,[br]where you see yourself,

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and realize what is happening around you.

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But for you, they should not be a window[br]through which you conceive the world.

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Become a guide, and a translator[br]for your friends.

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Look for places where you can mediate

0:07:55.806,0:07:59.362
between your old and new world.

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You will translate in terms[br]of both language and culture

0:08:05.246,0:08:09.260
what you have had to learn, and settle in.

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Take the stereotypes about yourself.

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Because it is through these that people

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show sincere interest in you.

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Explore the local culture.

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To show your highest[br]respect for their culture.

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Be open to new adventures,

0:08:31.395,0:08:35.282
acquaintances and knowledge.

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If you are scared to run[br]the Lake Baikal marathon, do it.

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If you are scared to meet new people,[br]

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even with this audience,

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or to speak at TEDx,

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you know what to do.

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When you interact with a person

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don't stand back from the fear of unknown.

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Find out how his lifestyle[br]is better than yours,

0:09:06.027,0:09:09.362
and immerse yourself[br]in his way of thinking.

0:09:09.386,0:09:13.332
Thus, you will become a stranger.

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But foreigners also show[br]how it is not done.

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They are not aliens,[br]but expats, who don't want

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to immerse into something new and strange.

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The journey doesn't enlarge mentality,[br]but makes it narrow.

0:09:35.499,0:09:38.527
I had a friend from Canada;

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a talented young construction expert.

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But he couldn't adapt[br]to the Russian mentality of his employees;

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he always argued with them.

0:09:49.679,0:09:52.994
After six months he returned home,

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and when asked, "How is life in Russia?",

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he answered, "You know,[br]it really sucks there.

0:10:01.827,0:10:03.980
It is very strange there!

0:10:04.004,0:10:08.063
Can you imagine that each escalator[br]has a woman on duty.

0:10:08.087,0:10:10.761
She doesn't do anyhing.

0:10:11.468,0:10:16.205
She just looks at the people[br]and sometimes argues with them.

0:10:16.205,0:10:17.715
(Laughter)

0:10:17.715,0:10:22.735
Also, there are different brands[br]of vodka in the supermarkets,

0:10:23.349,0:10:27.870
but there is none of the normal[br]brands of peanut butter.

0:10:27.894,0:10:30.834
Only in Russia one can find such things!"

0:10:30.858,0:10:34.971
This is what it means[br]to "narrow mentality".

0:10:34.995,0:10:37.886
Now you can have two responses.

0:10:37.910,0:10:41.208
First; "Well, it's wonderful,

0:10:41.232,0:10:43.552
but I'm not ready to go to Peru

0:10:43.576,0:10:47.517
to find some Kingdom in textiles."

0:10:49.056,0:10:52.631
But think about your local problems.

0:10:52.655,0:10:58.249
Are there those in this room who think[br]there are no problems in Russia?

0:10:58.273,0:11:01.738
(Laughter)

0:11:01.762,0:11:06.403
(Applause)

0:11:06.427,0:11:08.588
Yes, there are.

0:11:09.628,0:11:12.802
If you've never been[br]outside of your pride,

0:11:12.826,0:11:17.137
how can you figure out how things[br]could be different?

0:11:17.161,0:11:18.972
Second response;

0:11:18.996,0:11:22.990
"You, Andrew, such a fine fellow,[br]a dreamboat, and an Oxford man,

0:11:23.014,0:11:27.465
with so much money and time to travel.

0:11:27.489,0:11:31.195
But I have neither money nor time.

0:11:31.219,0:11:34.711
Whether it means[br]I have not got any chance of travel?"

0:11:34.735,0:11:38.075
You can be a stranger in Textiles as well.

0:11:38.099,0:11:40.762
(Laughter)

0:11:40.786,0:11:47.594
(Applause)

0:11:47.618,0:11:52.213
This is when your usual[br]and uninteresting habits

0:11:52.237,0:11:57.786
turn into obvious, strange,[br]and eccentric features;

0:11:58.770,0:12:03.301
when you listen to a person,[br]but don't understand him,

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even knowing his language;

0:12:06.301,0:12:11.358
when you get offended[br]and hurt by accident;

0:12:11.382,0:12:14.630
when you speak to someone

0:12:14.654,0:12:19.657
and do not know where his culture, values,

0:12:20.302,0:12:26.203
his lifestyle, view of world and life,[br]upbringing, and where he is from.

0:12:26.227,0:12:29.717
At this point, you are a stranger to him.

0:12:30.149,0:12:35.750
Which of you understands people[br]outside the MKAD,

0:12:36.443,0:12:38.464
or those in their yard?

0:12:38.488,0:12:43.253
Who knows their neighbours,[br]the head of their apartment building,

0:12:43.277,0:12:46.624
or the salesman in the dairy shop[br]in their neighborhood?

0:12:46.648,0:12:51.216
Who gets befriended with Muslim mothers,[br]or talks with Tadjik janitors?

0:12:51.240,0:12:55.399
Which of you has a friend,[br]begging in the subway,

0:12:55.423,0:12:58.465
or handing out paper flyers in the street?

0:12:58.489,0:13:02.126
Who knows the policeman,[br]the subway operator,

0:13:02.150,0:13:06.474
pilot, ballet dancer, systems engineer?

0:13:06.910,0:13:08.199
(Laughter)

0:13:09.053,0:13:14.698
Whether those who are interested in art,[br]are aware of engineers?

0:13:14.722,0:13:18.512
Do you, scientists and engineers, [br]

0:13:19.526,0:13:24.336
understand the language and values[br]of that young pianist who played before?

0:13:24.360,0:13:27.646
That looks different for each of us.

0:13:27.670,0:13:30.783
We all have our own pride,

0:13:31.780,0:13:37.692
which either has to remain[br]just a home, or become a real kingdom.

0:13:37.716,0:13:42.002
But for this to happen, you have to try[br]to become a stranger.

0:13:42.026,0:13:44.252
At least a little bit.

0:13:44.276,0:13:45.448
Thank you.

0:13:45.472,0:13:47.581
(Applause)