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I am a foreigner.

2
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(Laughter)

3
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(Applause)

4
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And for the Muscovites, I will reveal
some insights on how to be back at home.

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It may sound strange, but I will explain.

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If you cannot see your home
from the outside,

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you can see neither the house itself,
nor who is in it with real perspective.

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Unless you leave your own home,

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you will never be able
to solve the problems,

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stemming from childhood,
your domestic problems.

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I will explain using
the example of "The Lion King".

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In this movie, the main character,
Simba, the son of the king,

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is growing up in the pride's territory,


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knowing that someday,
he will become the king.

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But he is too naughty,

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and this disobedience
leads to the tragic loss of his father.

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Blamed for his father's death
by his uncle Scar,

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who himself wanted to become the king,

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Simba had to run away.

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In the jungle the poor child met two
merry fellows; Pumbaa and Timon.

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Soon he adopted their way of life,

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and forgot about his past.

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

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And the lions, suffering from hunger,
fled, in search of food.

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Once one of the lionesses
came across Simba,

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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,

29
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and Simba decided to return,
and fight Scar for the throne

30
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But I am not a lion, nor a king.

31
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How can I apply this story to my life?

32
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There are three points.

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

34
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I used to be unsure of myself,

35
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have a fear of not being
successful enough,

36
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and feel guilty

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about wasting my education
and the opportunities I had.

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These sound like silly problems,

39
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but for me they were very real.

40
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Second point; how do I get rid
of this problem?

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

42
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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.

45
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It was no use.

46
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Then I got a job
in the international program,

47
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and happily escaped to Russia.

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(Laughter)

49
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Why did I choose Russia?

50
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I fell in love with Russia at an early
age, during a school trip.

51
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I behaved like a real expat,
without realizing it.

52
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Arriving in Russia, I became a novelty.

53
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I became proud of my good pronunciation.

54
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I tried not to admit that I am English;

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to completely forget
who I had been before.

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

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(Laughter)

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Started to drink a lot of vodka,


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(Laughter)

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one for the road before leaving home.


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(Laughter)

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I got involved in different projects.

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

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organic farm for refugees
in the Moscow region,

65
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and real estate agency
for English-speaking people in Moscow.

66
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Prior to that I conducted
a culinary project for orphans.

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Third point.

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What was the return
to the territory of my pride for me?

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After a year in Russia I returned
to England for a new visa.

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That time I felt a change
of my perspective.

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I started to accept what was given to me;
my strengths and weaknesses.

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My family, my name, my English accent.

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I realized that otherwise,
I would try to become someone else,

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but not myself.

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Now I feel better.

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I am more aware of what
I would consider a success.

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That it's rather my privilege
to define it, not my pride's.

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I am happy to hear
of the success of my friends.

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And when there is little money
and problems with all my projects,

80
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I remember that it is my choice,
and this is what I want.

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My home has become a real kingdom for me.

82
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Like Simba, I am willing
to accept my past.

83
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I have realized that my homeland,


84
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my pride, is not the only place on Earth,

85
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but one of many
other homelands and prides.

86
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At the same time I also realized
that my pride is still mine,

87
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and if I denied it

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I would abandon myself, and who I am.

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Like a fish that cannot understand
what water is,

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until it jumps out of it,

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I could not understand my homeland

92
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until I plunged into something else
and became a stranger.

93
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I left a lot of work in Moscow,
took a visa and came back.

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I used to introduce myself
as "Andrey", not "Andrew".

95
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But after coming to realize
a lot about myself and my country,

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I have started to introduce
myself as "Andrew".

97
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I have begun to drink less vodka.


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(Laughter)

99
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And I have to confess to you that I am not
so in love with Russian cuisine.

100
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Although I still love cabbage and herring.

101
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(Laughter)

102
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I am not from here.

103
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I am a stranger,
and for that I don't apologize.

104
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I hope you are starting to feel
how it will look in your case.

105
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You can be on different stages
on different issues at the same time

106
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More, I hope you can see a second step
after throwing back yours,

107
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which does not have to mean to go abroad,
though that has its benefits.

108
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Outside there is no temptation
to quit and pull back,

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as you are surrounded by a new environment


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

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The new language also helps
to separate you from the old world.

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So, if you choose to be a stranger,

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and decide to go live abroad,

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here are five tips from me,
a foreigner and a stranger.

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Find people of your own;

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meet them, and leave them.

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They might be a mirror,
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
through which you conceive the world.

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Become a guide, and a translator
for your friends.

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Look for places where you can mediate

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between your old and new world.

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You will translate in terms
of both language and culture

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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
respect for their culture.

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Be open to new adventures,

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acquaintances and knowledge.

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

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If you are scared to meet new people,


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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
is better than yours,

140
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and immerse yourself
in his way of thinking.

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Thus, you will become a stranger.

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But foreigners also show
how it is not done.

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

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to immerse into something new and strange.

145
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The journey doesn't enlarge mentality,
but makes it narrow.

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I had a friend from Canada;

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a talented young construction expert.

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

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he always argued with them.

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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,
it really sucks there.

153
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It is very strange there!

154
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Can you imagine that each escalator
has a woman on duty.

155
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She doesn't do anyhing.

156
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She just looks at the people
and sometimes argues with them.

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(Laughter)

158
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Also, there are different brands
of vodka in the supermarkets,

159
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but there is none of the normal
brands of peanut butter.

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Only in Russia one can find such things!"

161
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This is what it means
to "narrow mentality".

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Now you can have two responses.

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First; "Well, it's wonderful,

164
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but I'm not ready to go to Peru

165
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to find some Kingdom in textiles."

166
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But think about your local problems.

167
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Are there those in this room who think
there are no problems in Russia?

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(Laughter)

169
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(Applause)

170
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Yes, there are.

171
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If you've never been
outside of your pride,

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how can you figure out how things
could be different?

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Second response;

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"You, Andrew, such a fine fellow,
a dreamboat, and an Oxford man,

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with so much money and time to travel.

176
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But I have neither money nor time.

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Whether it means
I have not got any chance of travel?"

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You can be a stranger in Textiles as well.

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(Laughter)

180
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(Applause)

181
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This is when your usual
and uninteresting habits

182
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turn into obvious, strange,
and eccentric features;

183
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when you listen to a person,
but don't understand him,

184
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even knowing his language;

185
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when you get offended
and hurt by accident;

186
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when you speak to someone

187
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and do not know where his culture, values,

188
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his lifestyle, view of world and life,
upbringing, and where he is from.

189
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At this point, you are a stranger to him.

190
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Which of you understands people
outside the MKAD,

191
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or those in their yard?

192
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Who knows their neighbours,
the head of their apartment building,

193
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or the salesman in the dairy shop
in their neighborhood?

194
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Who gets befriended with Muslim mothers,
or talks with Tadjik janitors?

195
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Which of you has a friend,
begging in the subway,

196
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or handing out paper flyers in the street?

197
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Who knows the policeman,
the subway operator,

198
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pilot, ballet dancer, systems engineer?

199
00:13:06,910 --> 00:13:08,199
(Laughter)

200
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Whether those who are interested in art,
are aware of engineers?

201
00:13:14,722 --> 00:13:18,512
Do you, scientists and engineers, 


202
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understand the language and values
of that young pianist who played before?

203
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That looks different for each of us.

204
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We all have our own pride,

205
00:13:31,780 --> 00:13:37,692
which either has to remain
just a home, or become a real kingdom.

206
00:13:37,716 --> 00:13:42,002
But for this to happen, you have to try
to become a stranger.

207
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At least a little bit.

208
00:13:44,276 --> 00:13:45,448
Thank you.

209
00:13:45,472 --> 00:13:47,581
(Applause)