But whichever system they were living under—an autocratic system, developed socialism or undeveloped capitalism—the people have remained the same, amazingly saving their traditions, ideas and relations to the surrounding world. Furthermore, slowly but surely, they are refashioning the latest new world in their own way, and in such a way that it is starting to look very much like the old world.
As it is impossible to foresee all the difficulties, especially while the social life is changing so rapidly, one ought to rely on personal contacts and communication, on which the whole country depends. This kind of people, if they like you, will share anything with you—from their richest experience to some cash to borrow. Feminists will be glad to know that under the circumstances, it is women who are most useful, efficient and reliable, particularly in all kinds of down-to-earth problems.
Like heroines of Russian folk tales, they save the hero from the most dangerous situations with the help of a magic mirror or a clew. Many foreigners who have visited come back to Russia again and again, finding in this world something which is lacking in their own. Russia is a country of enormous scale and a successful business here often opens up more possibilities than in other countries. Not surprisingly, the head of Coca-Cola in Moscow, when asked by a journalist whether he wanted to go home, answered that he did not want to as it is much more interesting in Russia than in other countries and each day you have to take up new challenges.
Russia is a country with a startling culture full of works of art and historical monuments. Any contact with them will remain in your memory for a long time. And, if you are lucky, you may eventually get to know and make friends with the Russian people and try out their legendary hospitality and heartfelt openness for yourself. Before setting off on this journey through the enigmatic Russian soul, there is one other word of advice.
It is well known that your own state of mind is extremely important when travelling. If you arrive stressed and with doubts, expecting. If your soul is clear of all obvious aversions to the surrounding world, then everything will probably be fine and neither bad weather, nor everyday annoyances nor foreign traditions will spoil your mood. Writing a book that includes everything about contact with Russians would be extremely difficult. Russia, like any other country, has many different facets.
Americans like the scale of things in Russia and the Russian soul, but are irritated by the lack of service. The English are drawn to Russian culture, but the inability to stand in a queue makes them indignant. The Germans like Russian hospitality, but do not welcome the dirty streets and public places. Italians like Russian friendship, but are not comfortable with the familiarity. The Chinese like the Russian countryside, but cannot understand why things are done so slowly.
In a word, everybody has their own Russia. But an attempt to generalise and write some sort of overview of the main characteristics of Russian life is, of course, possible. This work is unique because of the information that it brings together. Its author is Russian, a historian and specialist in inter-cultural studies.
This has made it possible to do something which it is very unusual: join together the views of both the internal Russian and external foreign worlds.
My mother, professor of Linguistics Svetlana Ter-Minasova, and my late father, professor of Russian Literature Valentin Fatushchenko, have always been more that just good and caring parents. I consider them to be my colleagues, advisers and friends. My brother Andrei a historian and film director and my sister Maria a philosopher have always provided me with great support.
Their remarks and comments on Russian life gave me a new perspective and new vision of my country. My special gratitude to Amanda Calvert and Timothy Seaton, who not only translated the main body of the text but made some very helpful notes as well. And last but not least, two persons made a great contribution to my work. My husband Igor, a historian, is my first consultant, adviser and critic. He is also a photographer who makes illustrations for my books including this one.
Our long discussions and disputes helped me better understand my country. The weather conditions, geographic location and unique way in which politics have developed have created difficulties throughout Russian history. Freezing temperatures or droughts have from time to time destroyed harvests, resulting in inevitable famine. Likewise, Mongols from the East and Germanic tribes from the West pillaged the land and killed many people. Then there were the revolutionary waves within the country which led to collapse and ruin.
The Reds came and they also robbed us. What should a peasant do? It was even harder for those observing from the outside to make sense of this far from simple life. Russia has never fitted well into the boxes which foreigners know and love. It appeared that the country was just a mass of contradictions: barbarians and high culture, obedient subjugation to a strong government and revolutionary movements, poverty and the aversion of the people to wealth and the luxury of the courts and temples.
The fact that it was impossible to solve this puzzle irritated some and enthralled others, but whatever the reaction, there were few who remained unmoved by Russia.
The veil of secrecy, which had surrounded Russia since ancient times, had not made it any easier to understand the country. This quotation quickly became famous, as it neatly summed up the general relation to Russia. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, people flooded both out of and into Russia.
It turns out that the Russians are not so different from the rest of the world: they have two arms, two legs and a head, they love their children, respect their elders, have long faces when they are sad and laugh when they are happy. The second reaction was doubt.
Are they really so similar after all? It turns out that ideas which are well known in the West democracy, market economy, even freedom take on a completely different form in Russia.
And people are sometimes sad or happy for reasons impossible to comprehend. This acquaintance with the new Russia ended up reaffirming the traditional view of the mysterious Russian soul that is so hard to understand.
However, and at the risk of disappointing people, there is no particular enigma in Russia. There is just a country and its people, which have developed along their own historical path, in their own geographical and climatic conditions, in line with its own social and political traditions. We just need to move away from familiar labels and stereotypes and understand, in a more abstract way, what is behind any particular phenomenon.
But any attempt to understand another people is already to accept it, with all its quirks, habits and foibles. Furthermore, travelling in Russia is not only easier than expected, but sometimes even pleasant. Thus Russia has always been a mystery for foreigners.
And the mysterious always attracts and frightens at the same time. In the 19th century and even nowadays, a Westerner going to. Russia is looked upon as half-mad and half-heroic. Even now at the time of mass media, many foreigners are surprised to realise that Russians have the same joys and sorrows as the rest of the world.
Historically, there have been two directly conflicting views about Russia in the world. The first is distrust, verging on hostility. Many generations have been brought up to fear the threat of Russian Soviet aggression, accustomed since childhood to the terror of this invisible enemy. Now that this threat has been reduced to almost nothing, Russia has become a sort of consolation prize for the West, a place where everything is worse. You are sure to feel better. But there is another point of view.
Some people are enraptured by Russian life, culture, the special spirituality and the relations between people. Some of them, dissatisfied with their own lives which are more and more domineered by machines and technology, tired of a world where sincere feelings and emotions are often suppressed for the sake of business and profit and fed up with the abundance of individualism in all spheres of human communication, turn to Russians now with admiration, then with derision.
Russian people, in their opinion, preserved the sincerity of feelings and behaviour. But it has also the strength and terror of steppe and forest; and under the winter of injustice and tyranny and cruelty, its impulses, its energies, its affections, become pitiless blasts and devouring wolves.
Firstly, they both give birth to curiosity. Secondly, to a lack of objectivity. Both those who seek in Russia the personification of evil and those who dream about its special spirituality are blinded to the real Russia, the way it actually is, with all its virtues and all its drawbacks. How Far is Russia? America is both further and harder to get to, but nobody would have that sort of reaction were they to see an American in Europe.
We are talking about a divide that is more profound than kilometres and the difficulties of geography, a curtain that is more impenetrable than the Iron Curtain. This is cultural incomprehension. Those strange Russians cannot possible be so close, they are somewhere a long way away over there, in the lands of permanent snow called Siberia. However, it is not all that bad. Many of those who actually make it to Russia begin not only to love the country, but also to understand it.
As with any culture and any people, Russia has its charm and its attraction. This strange, mad, crazy, ever-changing world opens itself willingly to those who come here without arrogance and prejudice. Russians love it when they are loved and will respond with the most genuine and all-consuming feelings as is characteristic of that passionate Russian nature so celebrated in classic literature and shown in cinemas.
Above all this is through the mass media, which does not usually pay much attention to the life of ordinary people. Cinema bends willingly to the whims of the time. Over the years, James Bond films have portrayed a number of different Russians: evil KGB agents, voracious women, bandits, mad professors… Russians abroad are a topic in themselves.
They can be divided into those who live abroad permanently and those who have come temporarily to work, relax or travel. And it is with them that you can start to tell the difference between Russia and other countries. Nowadays, people travel freely around the world, and the number is increasing as world globalisation gathers pace. Some go for an interesting and well-paid job, others to find a spouse, yet more simply want to see the world and try something new.
Nevertheless, they remain loyal to the land of their birth which they have left behind, knowing that at any time they can return to it. In Russia, emigration is not simply a desire to leave and go somewhere, it is first and foremost a rejection of your motherland, an unwillingness to live there.
In the past, it turned out that leaving the country not infrequently meant that a Russian was unable to return. People often left not because they wanted to go somewhere, but because they no longer wished to live in their own country. Religious people thought it in the world beyond, Soviet citizens in communism, and some looked for it abroad. Having left their country and burned their bridges, many find it difficult to put down roots in the new soil. This sometimes give birth to a desire to please their new fellow-countrymen and lead to interesting results.
They often pour abuse on the world they have left behind, as it is important that they themselves believe that the motherland they left deserved to be abandoned. The nostalgia and melancholy for their home, so typical of the Russian character, leads them to idealise the Russia they left.
Everything that was bad, and which was once so important that it led them to take the serious decision to leave, is forgotten and they are left with a rose-tinted idyll comprised of touching memories from their childhood and youth. These people remember only the best moments, which are made more beautiful by separation, and their desire to defend. Tourists, though, are another matter. They either run around in a noisy crowd, leaving behind a vague impression of excitement and bad manners, or shock everybody with their demands and the money they throw around.
Nowadays, the situation has changed significantly. Since perestroika the policy of reforming the economic and political system practised in the s under Mikhail Gorbachev , a new generation of Russians has grown up who feel themselves to be citizens of the world. They do not have the usual Russian complex of constantly feeling some sort of haughtiness on the part of foreigners to them, mixed with distrust.
These new Russians feel comfortable in the elite clubs of London, on the streets of Paris or at home in Moscow. They find spouses in various countries, but often spend a lot of their time in Moscow. They do not have a desperate curiosity or desire to leave for a better world. They feel fine everywhere. But these are a minority of well-off people who have the possibility to travel freely and converse on a regular basis with foreigners.
However much you may have heard or read about the history of Russia and the Russians, it is all no more than an enigmatic and abstract idea until you have actually visited the country. The reality that confronts tourists and those who for whatever reason are travelling through Russia is always both simpler and more complex than what they imagined.
On the one hand, it is not so frightening. On the other hand, the world around you and which particularly now, in this new era, seems so normal Coca-Cola, high prices, foreign cars, supermarkets, mobile phones is nevertheless very strange you only have to travel a few kilometres from the centre of Moscow to notice the difference. Furthermore, even in Moscow, there is much that differs from the typical Western way of life to which the civilised world is accustomed.
The first thing you should be wary of is drawing generalisations from first impressions. There are two reasons for this. The first is that for historical and cultural reasons, the places that are most accessible to the majority of tourists and travellers are the large cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. And, more often than not, their central parts. Most people judge the real Russia on the basis of central Moscow and central Saint Petersburg, and the view from the window of the Moscow-Petersburg train.
This is not, however, an entirely unfaithful portrait. Moscow, as the capital of the Russian state, is quintessentially Russian and contains the main virtues. On the other hand, as with every other large city, Moscow is extremely cosmopolitan, and you can find everything that you would find in any other large city.
Furthermore, any Russian who has been successful has a desire to go there, as living in Moscow is the surest indicator of success to climb any higher, you have to have a villa or castle in Europe. The second reason is that Moscow is not only a collection of the richest in Russia, but also the poorest. All the refugees, poor, aggrieved and unhappy also want to go there, hoping for a better life in the chaos of conglomerate.
The streets are filled with the destitute and beggars, as well as strange people of indeterminate look. The further you go from the capital, the less chance you have of meeting this picturesque rabble. This is an old tradition. These city outcasts actually had very little in common with real village dwellers. The first thing that awaits any foreigner arriving in Russia is passport and customs control.
In most cases, this is at one of two main Moscow international airport, Sheremetyevo or Domodedovo. Other options are to go through customs by car at the land borders with Finland, Belorussia and Ukraine, or arrive at a different airport. But airports nevertheless remains the main gateways to Russia. Both airports are in the process of general reconstruction but even now they already can compete Even before you have set foot on Russian soil, there is a strange with major international airports Russian tradition that awaits of the world.
As Airport is one of the biggest soon as the aircraft has touched Russian airports in terms of the ground, a round of applause breaks out. Whether it is people regular international traffic. People simply applaud, and that is that. There are now two absolutely new international Terminals D and E, and a massive reconstruction of the Terminal F which used to be Sheremetyevo-2 is underway. All three parts are now interconnected with a walkway. They are also linked with covered car parks and the train station.
The Aeroexpress leaves from the Belorussky Railway Station and reaches the airport from the Moscow city center in just 35 minutes. The part of the airport for internal flights, which used to be Sheremetyevo-1, also undergoes modernization and now consists of Terminals B and C. Sheremetyevo airport now looks absolutely different from what it used to look like. It is very spacious, with lots of sitting places, various new cafes and restaurants, duty-free and souvenir shops.
It is new and bright and still very clean. The airport originally was constructed in the days of the Iron Curtain, when only the lucky few from the Russian side and the brave few from the other side used its services. At that time, it fulfilled its obligations just fine.
But after perestroika, with travel in either direction a usual and daily occurrence, the number of passengers was clearly too much of a burden for this ageing airport. Some old problems neverThis author, who has travelled theless remain in the new and frequently, has on a number of modern buildings. For example, occasions become a participant in the general grab for trolleys the new economic situation in the and has watched how wellcountry has greatly increased the dressed and intelligent ladies have suddenly lost all control of prices of the entirely mediocre their European lustre and have goods and services at the airport.
And then, all of a sudden, the problem resolves some places. From time to itself and lines of the longed-for time, one or other service will trolleys are everywhere. Trying suddenly become unavailable.
In other Russian airports, there may be other difficulties. At Domodedovo, for example, they have increased the security measures in the wake of the terrorist atrocities in Moscow. All those departing are subject to a careful and thorough search. Everybody must take their shoes off, and their coat, belt and other items of outerwear, as well as anything metallic.
And this is all correct and justifiable. But the badly-organised line often turns into a noisy, chaotic rabble with everybody trying to squeeze in front of the others. On top of this, you have to put your items in plastic trays: small ones for shoes and large one for items and clothes.
And these too can be in short supply, with people fighting and arguing over them. For the rest, passport and customs control in Russia is much the same as anywhere else in the world.
More often than not, you simply walk through and answer a few simple questions. In spite of what many are expecting, nothing special happens.
If your passport and visa are in order, you have nothing to fear; you will not have any problems. Customs and border control officials around the world are not known for being excessively polite and usually assume that any traveller is in violation of border rules I still remember fondly an old. Englishman at Heathrow, the only one in my many years of travelling to Britain, who smiled and wished me a pleasant journey.
Russians are well acquainted with this groundless fault-finding when entering another country, when you have to answer for the colour of your passport. In comparison with what usually awaits them in airports all round the world, Sheremetyevo is a pleasant and refined place. But it goes without saying that chaos and confusion reign here too. First you run to queue up for passport control. Here, as a rule, there are two types of booth: one for citizens of the Russian Federation and one for everybody else.
Queues spring up everywhere and people are let through everywhere, irrespective of the passport they hold. Moreover, Russian citizens are checked no less rigorously than everybody else, which really irritates the Russians and helps to calm the foreigners. Then comes the luggage hall, where there are the not infrequent fights for trolleys. After that the customs, usually a formality, assuming that you have not declared anything.
They are not trying to catch foreigners they are more interested in foreigners when they fly out of the country, to see if they have any works of art but their own citizens bringing in goods to be resold.
On the other side of the glass barrier, which separates two worlds, stands a large and confused crowd waiting to meet those who have arrived. There are close friends and relatives with a welcome kiss, employees with greeting signs, and taxi drivers with their endless questions. If you have nobody to meet you, it is better to organise a taxi in advance before you fly, because there is a better than evens chance that the drivers at the airport will make the best of your helplessness.
Some foreign travel guides still contain the claim that you can get anywhere for a pack of foreign cigarettes. That is the long gone past. A taxi ordered in advance will take you from Sheremetyevo to the centre of Moscow for about 1, rubles, while something found on the spot will cost at least twice that.
If you have flown to Russia from the West, you immediately run up against an interesting phenomenon: the trip to Russia has taken some time out of your life. The difference between Russia and London Greenwich is three hours, and with most of the rest of Europe two hours.
So for example, if you have flown from London, departing reasonably early at am in other words, you were at the airport at am and the flight is 3.
Morning, day and evening get mixed together and mixed up, creating an impression of unreality. There is one obvious problem: the language. In many countries, even exotic ones, at least the alphabet looks familiar. Not only is Russian not much like other languages, the alphabet is completely different, and those letters that do look the same are pronounced differently. Not everybody recognises even these, all of which strengthens the feeling of confusion, muddle and some sort of mysticism surrounding your arrival.
It should also be noted that until , Russia still lived by the old Julian calendar. In other words, travellers arriving in Russia not only lost a few hours, were unable even remotely to read a single sign, but had also landed two weeks in the past.
Thus, the famous revolution of actually took place on 25 October and hence its well-known name, the October Revolution , which was already 7 November in most other European countries. Only the Russian Orthodox Church refused to follow suit and follows the old dates to this day. So it is that Christians all round the world celebrate Christmas on 25 December, whereas Russians celebrate it on 7 January.
Today, there is an increased interest in the country in new types of holidays. Therefore many mainly atheists celebrate all the dates and so the holidays, both old and new, carry on throughout the year. Outdoor Advertising The foreigners who came to Russia before perestroika were surprised and some were enraptured by the chastity and strictness of the streets.
Nowadays, advertisements have filled the cities and streets of Russia. The road from Sheremetyevo to Moscow has even more than usual. This is a road travelled by people with money and placements are particularly popular amongst advertisers. In Sheremetyevo, even the booths where the border guards sit and the floor in front of the passport control are covered in advertisements I am not even going to mention the walls and luggage collection point.
The appearance of a large number of advertisements has met with a mixed reaction and resulted in a number of effects. If in other countries they have appeared over a period of time, in Russia they have appeared all at once. Not so long ago, bright adverts were considered vulgar and a capitalist evil. Now, there is not a single pole on the streets which has not been adorned with all sorts of advertisement of varying quality.
As often happens in Russia, they have gone in at the deep end. There are now so many adverts that it is sometimes impossible to read what exactly is being advertised, as they cover one another. Most Russians are irritated by advertisements. There are too many of them, more often than not advertising goods that only a narrow circle of the rich can afford, and some are worried about the moral aspect.
She is surrounded by items of gold. This is an advert for a jewellery company. In a word, if there is gold, you are in love, and vice versa.
The Mysterious Vandal At one point, somebody started covering a series of advertisements for underwear showing half-naked women around Moscow with red paint. The police hunted for the vandal, but he was able to hide from them for quite a period of time, while destroying new adverts each night.
When he was finally captured, it turned out that he was a priest in one of the Moscow churches who had decided to fight evil single-handedly. Many Muscovites sympathised with him. The main roads leading into Moscow are also crammed with adverts on all sides. First Acquaintance with the Locals Those who have come to Russia for the first time get to know the country in a superficial way and only meet Russians on.
The reason for this is not to be found in the peculiarities of the Russian character, but in the specifics of their behaviour. In Russia, it is not usual to smile at passers-by. At best this will be thought of as some sort of stupidity, but smiling at a stranger in certain circumstances, in a dimly lit doorway for example, could even be dangerous. The serious, concentrated face that Russians wear on the street is not a sign of any particular glumness, but just a tradition that considers smiles to be something private and reserved for those close to you.
Hospitality Getting to know real live people usually dispels the impression you have of the faceless, cold and reserved crowd. Many even complain that a trip to Russia often turns into an endless banquet, with enormous quantities of food and drink. For the Russians, food really is more than simply satisfying a physical need; it is also a specific and important ritual.
Eating together is a sign of friendship which takes your relations onto a new level. People who have shared bread could no longer feel enmity towards one another a bit like the Red Indian peace pipe.
Furthermore, a well-laid table is a sign of respect. Even during the toughest times, when nothing was available at all the late s and early s and when the shop shelves. This exasperated many foreigners. Why such reckless luxury when you do not even have the basic necessities? Why so many nibbles when the guests do not need them? Some considered it a sign of absurdity, others a desire to cover up the actual situation in the country. But it is all much simpler.
In those days, foreigners were a rarity and they were to be shown respect, and from a Russian point of view, a well-laid table is the best way of doing so.
And that is why a Russian host will be offended if a guest eats little. It is not because they begrudge the food which may go to waste, but because their show of affection and respect is being turned down. And finally, Russians are convinced that eating and, particularly, drinking together helps to relieve any tension between people who do not know each other especially if they belong to different cultures , to remove any embarrassment and to establish contact.
Once you are sitting round a table, the conversation becomes more trusting and candid and people become more honest and open. So when you come to Russia, you need to be prepared for the fact that there will be a lot of food, of all different types and in all sorts of unexpected places. This does not, of course, concern tourists who are travelling in a group on a set programme.
But there can be Russian surprises here too, and while travelling out to the countryside, the company may have arranged for Russian bliny or Caucasian shashlik.
The desire to feed guests has even made its way into the tourist business in Russia. Service The first impressions you get from your acquaintance with Russia are often spoiled by the service, which is far from being as it should. In this instance, tourist groups are better off: everything is arranged for them in line with the established rituals and the inbound operator keeps an eye.
And probably the most important thing is the attitude of the Russians themselves. Historically, it has always been that traders and waiters did not hold a particularly honoured place in society, and this caused a reverse aggressive reaction on the part of those providing such services. From time to time, it is very important for them to show that they are no worse than their clients and they do not allow themselves to be bossed about simply because they are working in the service industry.
Sometimes this takes on ridiculous forms. Imagine an expensive shop: lots of goods, wonderful design, everything thought out down to the last detail.
And it is filled with shop assistants whose main aim, it would seem, is to scare off all the customers with their replies. An older man is choosing a suit. Or should I try another one? And any request to look for something less expensive will simply draw the most contemptuous of looks. Or a waiter in a restaurant who may simply disappear for some unknown period of time, particularly if a football match Russian culture retains a certain is being shown on television or asceticism in questions of if one of the restaurant staff is household items, and so many celebrating a birthday.
Ice is put in drinks change. First and foremost, this mainly to spoil children, a leaking shower does not stop anybody is noticeable in the expensive from washing, and if there is not hotels and restaurants, which enough toilet paper, well, you should be more economical.
And inimitable Russian service does have its advantages. You have asked a shop assistant to bring you some sausage. Where else in the world would you be told, in a half-whisper, that it is probably better to choose something different as it is not fresh? However, coming face to face with the sadly well-known Russian bureaucracy can be a pleasant surprise. Years spent comparing the bureaucracies in many leading countries such as the USA, France and Italy have led this author to conclude that their Russian colleagues are no worse, and in some cases better, than their foreign counterparts.
Yes, there are delays, endless papers and indifferent bureaucrats who are tired of their life of responsibilities. But even here, there is still room for the wonderful human factor. If you find a way to get through to the official who is considering your request, then you can consider all your problems solved. And note that despite the widespread opinion about the ease with which you can buy Russian bureaucrats, there are a number of different approaches you can take.
You can move them to pity, shame them into action, make them your friends and, of course, in some instances simply give them a bribe.
Looking Round What else catches your eye when you first get to know Russia? The amazing spaces, the size of the country, the endless horizons. Of course, these are simply empty syllables for those who spend all their time in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
But if you travel around the country itself, you cannot help but be impressed. Furthermore, the population is concentrated mainly in the towns and the ongoing process of urbanisation shows no signs of letting up. Feelings of emptiness and being lost in this huge land are a constant companion for those travelling in Russia.
Many foreigners are surprised by the abundance of the land. On the one hand, it is very pleasant. For the most part there is freedom; you can walk where you like and set up a. On the other hand, it is sad. Agriculture is not exactly flourishing in Russia at the moment and uncared-for fields and untended forests have become a common sight.
In Russian villages, life changes very slowly, and that is always the way it was. Water is brought from the pump, houses are heated using wood fires, the toilet is a small shack round the back of the house and the shop if there is one only has the bare necessities.
And all that only a few dozen kilometres outside the capital. In order to calm the cyclist, I can only say that Russia has always been strong as concerns the spirit of its people, and not necessarily their material well-being. The appearance of the villages and the unsettled state of life deceived both Napoleon in he decided that he could cope with such. So external appearances can be deceptive.
Winter The most widespread stereotype about Russia concerns the cold, snowy winter and everything that goes with it. The image of Russia as a cold and snowbound country is characteristic in literature from all periods, and is still with us today. As for later periods, you only have to think back to films about Russia such as the famous Doctor Zhivago.
The characters love and suffer against the backdrop of endlessly deep snowdrifts and beautiful icicles. Cinema actively uses and thereby reaffirms this ingrained impression of. Their surprise knew no bounds, they had never even imagined that Russia was so green. According to them, they associated Russia with the colour white but never with green.
This association is also linked with all the other attributes of winter which are considered to be an inseparable part of Russian life: fur, coats, fur hats, large shawls and even vodka overindulgence in which is often put down to the cold weather. You could predict what an American would say upon meeting me, depending on the temperature outside. This can seem incomprehensible and troublesome if you do not know that one of the favourite stereotypes connected with Russia is frost, cold and winter.
Western observers are surprised that Russians love this cold and snow, look forward to a winter and have a great amount of holidays, festivals and games with snow. There are winter joys to be enjoyed in Russia, a ride down one of the snow-capped slopes being just one of them.
The whole world is covered by fluffy white snow, which means that even the long nights are not entirely dark. During the day, the snow reflects the sunshine and everything sparkles and glistens. Some letters look exactly like letters from the Roman alphabet but denote completely different sounds.
This does cause issues when it comes to transliteration to and from Cyrillic script, particularly with names on passport and visa documentation.
Wherever possible, it's worth the time and energy to correct any such mistakes and inconsistencies immediately, as problems can arise that reach far down the bureaucratic line.
Even though you will probably communicate with your co-workers in English, most locals, especially outside of Moscow, speak very little English.
It definitely will go a long way! Expat Arrivals is looking for locals to contribute to this guide, and answer forum questions from others planning their move to Russia. Please contact us if you'd like to contribute.
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Ever since Commodore Perry sailed into Uraga Channel, relations between the United States and Japan have been characterized by culture shock.
Now a distinguished Japanese historian critically analyzes contemporary thought, public opinion, and behavior in the two countries over the course of the twentieth century, offering a binational perspective on culture shock as it has affected their relations. In these essays, Sadao Asada examines the historical interaction between these two countries from to , focusing on naval strategy, transpacific racism, and the atomic bomb controversy.
For each topic, he offers a rigorous analysis of both American and Japanese perceptions, showing how cultural relations and the interchange of ideas have been complex--and occasionally destructive. Culture Shock and Japanese-American Relations contains insightful essays on the influence of Alfred Mahan on the Japanese navy and on American images of Japan during the s.
Other essays consider the progressive breakdown of relations between the two countries and the origins of the Pacific War from the viewpoint of the Japanese navy, then tackle the ultimate shock of the atomic bomb and Japan's surrender, tracing changing perceptions of the decision to use the bomb on both sides of the Pacific over the course of sixty years. In discussing these subjects, Asada draws on Japanese sources largely inaccessible to Western scholars to provide a host of eye-opening insights for non-Japanese readers.
After studying in America for nine years and receiving degrees from both Carleton College and Yale University, Asada returned to Japan to face his own reverse culture shock. His insights raise important questions of why people on opposite sides of the Pacific see things differently and adapt their perceptions to different purposes. This book marks a major effort toward reconstructing and understanding the conflicted course of Japanese-American relations during the first half of the twentieth century.
What kind of corporate- and intercultural problems do German companies encounter on the path towards globally operating enterprises? To what extent should they hold on to, adjust or abandon their long-established values and practices in a new business environment? What must they particularly expect while expanding into the Russian market? Ghenadie Anghel delivers answers to these questions on the basis of revealing interviews with general directors and senior executives of 27 Russian subsidiaries of large DAX-listed companies as well as medium-sized hidden champions.
Not sure where to live? This book covers every possibility, from log cabin to trailer home, small-town to sprawling city. Whatever your preference, whatever your needs, CultureShock! Canada will guide you through the vast expanse of this fascinating country. Crossing cultures can be a stimulating and rewarding adventure. It can also be a stressful and bewildering experience. This thoroughly revised and updated edition of Furnham and Bochner's classic Culture Shock examines the psychological and social processes involved in intercultural contact, including learning new culture-specific skills, managing stress and coping with an unfamiliar environment, changing cultural identities and enhancing intergroup relations.
The book describes the ABCs of intercultural encounters, highlighting Affective, Behavioural and Cognitive components of cross-cultural experience. It incorporates both theoretical and applied perspectives on culture shock and a comprehensive review of empirical research on a variety of cross-cultural travellers, such as tourists, students, business travellers, immigrants and refugees.
Minimising the adverse effects of culture shock, facilitating positive psychological outcomes and discussion of selection and training techniques for living and working abroad represent some of the practical issues covered.
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