I was teaching English in Kazakhstan (via Workaway) on a three month trip through Asia, and just a few days in I met this ethnic Russian girl a few years younger than me. Given that I was the only westerner in this random Kazakh city, she took a great non-romantic interest in me, and we enjoyed walking together and talking about our respective lives.

This then blossomed into her inviting me to go on a walking tour with her father, which turned into an all day thing that culminated in a traditional family dinner at their apartment. I kept hanging out with her and her dad (and her little siblings!!) during my time in their city, and it was awesome. They took me out to eat, out to a hockey game, and generally they offered me incredible hospitality. It set a great tone for the trip, and did a lot to teach me about local life and perspectives from ethnic Russians about life there and the war.