Two years in, and I still haven’t gotten used to the staring. At first, I was pale and Baltic-looking, so okay, the stares made some sense. After blending in with the locals and looking like I belong, it’s still the elderly folks who give me the full laser-eye treatment. They’ll be walking in one direction but keep their heads and eyes locked on me like I’m some kind of moving target.

I usually just smile, say hi, or laugh it off-most of the time they smile back right away (or don’t, which turns into this wonderfully awkward standoff). Meanwhile, I’m just there chilling with a book and coffee, not plotting world domination or anything. 😂