Today morning I was walking down Wacker Drive in Chicago Downtown trying to find Starbucks I had seen yesterday, in hope that I could have a cup of tea, cake, and most importantly, a free Wi-Fi Internet connection to download mail.

While I was waiting for green light signal on a crossing, a woman in her fifties asked me if I know where the nearest Starbucks is. I wasn’t surprised she did not recognize a foreigner, chaps wearing t-shirts and backpacks are causal here. I said I’m looking for it myself, and we crossed the road together.

Word by word, I told her that I’m from Moscow, a couple of words how’s the living in Russia now, she said she’s from Indianapolis and is staying in a hotel nearby.

So what is so special about this story? When we finally found the cafe, she asked me to do her a favor and let buy me a cup of coffee; she said I made her day, and it was pleasure talking to me. I was delighted but not surprised – this is a part of American culture as I know it. For instance, whenever I reach for a map and stop to peek into it, the drivers in cars passing by honk and friendly wave their hands. These people must be loving their country.

This event probably made my day as well.