"Enough with the stereotypes..." And then some more paragraphs of stereotypes. People here are complex, just as they are everywhere. The washing-over of sever

"Enough with the stereotypes..." And then some more paragraphs of stereotypes. People here are complex, just as they are everywhere. The washing-over of several different empires has added even more layers to the cultures of Eastern Europe, but to paint it as uniformly bleak is to miss the humor and wit and diversity of this place. The trappings of modern consumer life are just a varnish on this place. Only a shallow reading would mistake them for anything else. Master a Slavic or Baltic or Turkic language and then dive down the rabbit hole. It's fun. It's weird. And it's definitely not dead.