I enjoyed watching this thriller with a lot of cultural references. The movie is about drug trafficking in Russian trains and how a naive American couple of tourists get involved with it during a trip abroad. In fact, the director portraits Russians in a way I don't think they are. If you are Russian, will you please make a comment about how you see the way stereotyped Russians are shown and how you feel about this way of portraying your people, please? What did the train attendant say in Russian?? I'd love to know. Being Brazilian, I'm very familiar with stereotyped Brazilians on the Hollywood screens! I hope you like it! By the way, don't miss reading my Russian reader's review on the movie - he criticizes it severely - because it will help your discussion with your students. Thanks, pal!
A. Ask a partner the following questions:
1. Do you like to travel? What was the best place you've ever been to?
2. Would you like to travel alone for many years to different places without coming back
home during the whole period? Why?
3. What is the best way to travel?
4. Have you ever been abroad? Where did (would you like to) you go?
5. Are there places you wouldn't like to go? Why?
B. Now switch roles.
1. Have you ever traveled by train, plane, car and ship? Which one is your favorite?
2. What can go wrong when you travel to another country?
3. Is it important to know the culture of the other country when you go abroad? Why?
4. Do you know anything about the Russian culture? How do you imagine they treat tourists there?
5. Would you like to travel to Russia? What would you like to do there?
C. Watch the movie segment. Then form small groups to talk about the questions that follow.
.
1. What were the unexpected things the American travelers faced in this short period of their trip?
2. What do you think the Russian train attendant told the couple about the toilet?
3. What idea did you get from the Russians based on the segment?
4. Do you think it is a stereotyped view of the Russian people or even a caricature of their people? Explain it.
5. Would you like to take a trip like that? Why (not)?
D. Each half the class will work on one of the questions below.
Make a list of 5 precautions you would take to reach your destination safely if you were the couple in the segment?
Make a list of 5 precautions you would recommend a woman traveling by herself in your country?
E. Share your lists with the class as a whole. Are there any matches?
TransSiberian: Traveling Abroad
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Traveling Abroad