A 26-year-old native Frenchman, born in the Basque country, ten kilometers from the border with Spain, lectures in French in Chelyabinsk. In parallel, he is studying Russian - using dictionaries, reference books and books.

Quentin Len. Photo: AiF / Nadezhda Uvarova

“Russian is very difficult. The most difficult thing for you in Russia is to learn declensions and conjugations. There are a lot of exceptions here. For example, the word "mouth". The language is “in the mouth”, not “in the company”, here the vowel disappears, this is an exception, and it is difficult for a foreigner to understand this. Another difficulty is the impact. I could hardly explain to my friends in France what it was. In French, the stress is always on the last syllable, no one even thinks about it.

I can't read fiction books in Russian yet: many words are difficult when used together, allegorically, it's hard for me to understand the meaning of the text. But I love literature, so I study the history of Russia from a textbook for the sixth grade: everything is clear there.

Photo: AiF / Nadezhda Uvarova

There are also comic moments in Russia. Your word "account", which is constantly heard in restaurants, in French means "toilet". And it is rude, almost abusive. I still can’t get used to hearing him, asking me to pay for lunch in a cafe.

Filippo Lbate, Italy: "It's hard to pronounce the letter Y"

Filippo Lbate. Photo: from Filippo's personal page in the social network vk.com

Wedding photographer, moved to St. Petersburg from Italy a year ago with his Russian wife. He studies the language on his own from a self-instruction manual and with the help of his wife.

“The Russian language is generally one big difficulty. At the age of 40, learning a new, unlike anything language is triple difficult. I still often confuse the letters “C” and “H”, “Sh” and “Sch”, “X” and “F” ... and I don’t understand why, for example, the word “milk” is read as “malako”, etc. d.

It is very difficult to pronounce the letter “Y”, given that there is no such sound in Italian, as well as the letter “X”, it is also not in Italian, and it turns out to be a guttural almost Arabic “KX” in pronunciation.

As for the rest, you can say that I am in love with Russia.”

Lindy Belaya, Israel: “The Russian language is a complete pantomime for me”

26-year-old Lindy Belaya was born in Kazakhstan in 1987, at the age of 6 she moved to Israel with her parents. At that time, she still did not know how to read or write, and she knew Russian only “by ear”. The family recently returned to Russia.

In Israel, every sixth inhabitant knows Russian. I had to learn Russian, even if I didn't want to. Because there are very few books in Hebrew. I only read my first book, the fantasy story Wizard's Rules, at the age of 12. Those who had difficulty learning Russian were taught English, since books were published in English.

Some words in Hebrew are very reminiscent of Russian. For example, before going to serve, everyone had to undergo a medical examination. And, of course, among the doctors was a psychiatrist. In Hebrew, a psychiatrist sounds like “boar” קב"ן (mental health officer). We laughed: “So, we all go to the boar to check the psyche.” But we called our deputy battalion commander samgad (סמג"ד). In Russian, this word is very similar to "gad". By the way, in the Israeli army they swear in Russian.

Lindy White. Photo: AiF

Any Russian can be recognized in Israel by the timbre of his voice. Russian is a subtle language. Hebrew is denser, bass, heavy.

Sometimes the Russian language for me is a complete pantomime. Previously, as it was in Israel: I forgot a word in Russian - I will replace it in Hebrew, I will forget it in Hebrew - I will replace it in Russian. You can't do that in Russia - they simply won't understand you. Therefore, you have to resort to pantomime when you can’t remember the right word.

Somehow I worked part-time in a store, they turned to me when they paid for the purchase: “Do you have a calculation?”. And I say: “Yes, don’t ... just give it!”. In general, I did not even understand what I was asked.

My husband and I were buying food in a supermarket, he went for fruit, and he said to me: “Go, take kefir in a tetrapack.” I didn't hear right away. I was looking for and did not find such a company, I went up to the cashier and whispered in her ear: “Can you tell me where you have the Contropack dairy products company?” She immediately realized that I was not Russian. And she explained that “tetrapack” is such a package. Again, in Israel it's just kefir in a box.

The word "put down" also caused bewilderment. A new employee came to work, bought fruit and drinks, put it on the table and left for a while.

The guys come up to me and say: “Oh, here, I decided to put down!”. And I thought to "pass away" - for me these two words were one. But in Russian it means "to die." For a long time I could not understand why the supposedly deceased walks around the office and treats us with fruit! And a ladle of borscht. Pour me a ladle. I wondered: how can you pour a pilgrimage?

But it also happens that the Russians themselves do not know some of their words. Here is a "whirlwind" - this is the same as a washcloth. I often say it is a whirlwind - they do not understand me. And they always correct that I speak incorrectly - they call, but they don’t call. But at the same time, they themselves “go TO Katya”, and not “To Katya”, for example.

Maria Kangas, Finland: Cases are terrible!

Maria Kangas has been living in Yaroslavl for a month, getting to know the habits and dialect of Russians. This trip to Russia is not the first. Before Yaroslavl, Masha, as her Russian friends call her, managed to visit other cities of Russia, work at the consulate and fall in love with Pavlovo Posad shawls.

Maria Kangas. Photo: AiF

“Oh, the Russian language… How do they say it correctly? Great and mighty! I started teaching him five years ago. And I still can’t say that I know perfectly well. Perfect and imperfect form of verbs - how to use them? Cases are just awful! In addition to my native Finnish, I also know English and Swedish. I can tell you that they are much easier. We Finns are generally very slow (laughs). And Russians speak very quickly, swallowing words, sometimes it is difficult for me to understand them.

When I first started learning Russian, I had big problems with pronunciation. Emphasis is horror, it's pff ... (Maria almost hisses, exhaling - ed.). I make a lot of mistakes. Prepositions - how many are there? How to use them? But the most difficult thing for beginners is the pronunciation of the letters “Sh”, “Ts”, “X”, and, I can’t lie, I myself still can’t cope with everything.

At the institute, we have lessons in oral speech and grammar. Grammar is very difficult for me. You can speak with mistakes, but people will still understand you, but write ... Especially where to insert “And”, and where “Y”, commas, colons, dashes ...

I can say one thing: what you study from textbooks and when you communicate with people in Russian are two completely different things. Take, for example, the owner of the apartment where we live. We are me and my new friend Katerina from Germany, who also came here to study. A woman says a lot of words that are not in dictionaries. So sometimes you just have to guess what she's talking about. But it doesn't matter. The main thing is that we listen to Russian speech and try to understand. If it doesn't work, we explain with gestures. We have mastered this to perfection.

That's what I still don't understand: why does a man get married and a woman get married? In our language, this is denoted by one word. Or such words as “street”, “bear cub” - at first I didn’t understand at all what it was about. It also seems strange to me that words have two meanings: positive and negative. It seems that the word is normal, but it turns out that they can offend.

The Russian language is very complex, confusing, but I do not give up! Only it seems to me that I will study it for another five years in order to speak fluently (did I say it right?) ”.

Helene Mosquet, France

Helen teaches French in Orenburg and studies Russian at the same time.

“I first heard Russian speech on TV, it seemed to me very pleasant to the ear, very melodic. In France, the Russian language is rare, which is why I consider it so exotic, it is not like anything else and is generally surprising.

For example, the verb "to go" in French means an action when someone goes somewhere. But once I saw the phrase “time is running out”, I was surprised and only then found an explanation that this is a figurative meaning.

Russian words are not similar to words from French and other Romance languages. You have several consonants in a row in one word at once. “Hello” I often say and I’m already used to it, but I still don’t pronounce “bread” and “adult”.

I like those words that are easy to pronounce and remember, where vowels and consonants alternate, such as the words "grandmother", "brother", "sister", "family", "brotherhood".

Helen Mosque. Photo: AiF

I have never read books in Russian, this is a demotivating factor in learning, it is too difficult. I learn languages ​​by talking to people.

When others see that I am a foreigner, they try to speak more slowly, to build their speech more carefully. But if I find myself in a place where there are a lot of Russians, I hardly understand what they are talking about.

It happens that one word in Russian and French means different things. "Vinaigret" for the French is a sauce of mustard, oil and vinegar, but not a salad.

It is difficult to understand a phrase in which there is both agreement, and denial, and conventionality, as “yes, no, probably.” People who say this either do not want to communicate or are not sure of their answer.

It is difficult for me to remember not the Russian letters themselves, but their order of arrangement. Before looking up a word in the dictionary, I look at the alphabet. French is my native language, but I have the same problem there.

In Russia, along with the name of the store, it is rarely indicated which institution it is. For example, before I didn’t know that under the sign “Neighbor” or “Magnet” you can buy groceries.

As a child, I read Russian fairy tales in French. I like that there are often three characters. The last fairy tale I read in Russian was about a girl who got lost in the forest, came across a house, ate there, and slept. It turned out that this was the home of the bears, who were unhappy that someone had entered their lair. But then the little bear thought that there was a good thing in it - he found himself a new true friend.

Mario Salazar, Costa Rica

Mario moved to Orenburg from the hot city of San Jose and now teaches Spanish to local students.

“It’s interesting when Russians say: “20 degrees below zero, warmer!”. There are no frosts in Costa Rica. When my friends call me, the first thing they ask is the weather. I really wanted to see the snow in Russia.

Mario Salazar. Photo: AiF

There are many beautiful words in Russian - “peace”, “his”, “woman”, “Russia”. I like the way they sound and their meaning too.

The most difficult thing is to remember the plural of all words. There are no cases in Spanish, but there are cases in Russian, I'm always afraid to forget them, it's very difficult.

I easily understand jokes in films when I see what is happening, what the situation is. I really like to watch the film "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession." And when people talk and laugh, I almost always do not understand what.

I watch TV, listen to the radio. It's easy to understand what they say in stupid series, and nothing at all - in the news.

Writing Russian words is a horror! Especially the long ones. “Hello” - I don’t understand what letters this word consists of, in what order to write so as not to miss a single one?

When I write, sometimes I confuse "Sh" and "Sch", "E" and "Yo". Sometimes I don’t understand why the Russians themselves write “E” but read “Yo”.

The most difficult sound for me is "U", especially in combination with "L", in Spanish there is no such combination. It is very difficult to say the words "bow", "puddle".

It's hard to understand how Russians put the stress. For example, "milk": which letters are read as "A" and which ones are read as "O"? And where should the emphasis be placed?

There is no black bread in Costa Rica, and it is very tasty! We also don’t have marshmallows and kvass.

I turn to strangers: “sorry”, “can help”, “hello”, “goodbye”. I rarely talk to strangers on the street, I'm shy. But when you need to talk to someone, I say "you-you."

This text is one of them. According to established stereotypes, abroad Russia is presented as a huge country with bears, vodka and endless winter. Screenwriters of Hollywood blockbusters still use uncomplicated images from the Soviet era to this day. Russians are portrayed as sullen gangsters or impenetrable KGB/FSB agents who avoid showing feelings and are prone to drinking. Has the image of Russia and Russians changed in the minds of ordinary people who draw information not only from cinema? Lenta.ru asked young foreigners what they think about us and our country in order to understand how much these ideas have changed since the days of the Iron Curtain.

Charlie Forray, USA

Like most Americans, I look at the world with an innate optimism. It also helps that I was born a healthy white male with access to an education. All of these factors enabled me to study at a college abroad. I chose Russia.

In Russia, everything is more severe than in the USA. There is a certain unease and skepticism in Russian culture, a doubt that the world was created to help you succeed. Watching Russians and interacting with them, I noticed that they do not take anything for granted. And that doubt gave them an amazing ability to adapt. When it comes to achieving heights and improving the quality of their lives, Russians show incredible resilience and strength.

Overcoming all these severe trials, ranging from frosty climates to several world wars, has developed a special strength of character in Russians. It seems that the pressure and stress of the surrounding reality increase the value of communication with loved ones, their work and experiences.

Those who literally pull themselves out of trouble by the hair often know several languages, choose their words carefully, and laugh out loud. These tools help them withstand the harsh reality. These are the strengths of the young Russians that I have come across. I noticed their willpower and willingness to demonstrate their reliability before asking for anything. I also realized that the burden they carry on their shoulders is one of the causes of alcoholism: they drink to lighten the burden.

The Russians I've met want to see the world, but then go back to their place to improve things at home. Young people in Russia imagine life as a ladder, which you need to climb without outside help, knowing how many people have already fallen from it before you.

Gada Shaikon, UAE

I am from Egypt but now I live in Dubai. The UAE is a multinational country, and it turns out that I have friends from almost all over the planet. Back in my student years, I came across girls from Russia, they seemed to me not very friendly and even shy. But over time, they opened up in a completely different way - they turned out to be attentive and sympathetic, we could easily find a common language.

My initial impressions of Russians were the same as they are portrayed in Hollywood films: rude and uncouth, always looking for profit and booze. But in reality, I encountered completely different people: smart, generous and hardworking, very attached to the family. I have a rather superficial understanding of Russian culture, but I can say with confidence that it has something to charm. First of all, I like your cuisine: I really like dumplings and borscht. I hope someday I will have the opportunity to expand my knowledge of Russia by visiting it.

Hampus Töttrup, Sweden

I entered RUDN University to study Russian for several months. I remember someone from the admissions committee asked with surprise: “Are you Swedish? What are you doing here? I didn't answer, but the question haunted me. My girlfriend is Russian, she taught me how to queue and introduced me to the Russian bureaucracy.

Before going down the subway for the first time, I heard a lot about it - about marble, rich finishes, mosaics and sculptures. But I was most struck by the fact that Muscovites sleep in the subway. At first glance, it's amazing how they manage to do it in such a buzz. After a while, I myself relaxed and began to doze off on the way.

I know firsthand what Russian power is. I managed to get acquainted with her in a suburban bus outside the Moscow Ring Road. Two drunk guys came in with bottles in their hands. In Sweden, in the worst case, they would be told: "Be quiet, guys." And then the passengers took them by the scruff of the neck and dragged them out of the bus without any conversation.

Gaia Pometto, Italy

I graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree, studied Russian. But my direct experience of exploring the country is limited to a three-day trip to St. Petersburg. Of course, in such a short period of time I did not have the opportunity to get in touch with the locals, but I managed to appreciate the magnificent architecture of the city. By the way, St. Petersburg somehow reminds me of Rome: large squares, many churches. But I met a lot of Russians and Russian-speakers in my homeland, in Italy. It is noteworthy that here all Russian speakers - Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Estonians, Moldovans - usually stick together and get along with each other. I guess this is due to the common historical past. I observed something similar among South American students, so I don’t think that this is some kind of Russian trick.

As for the stereotypes about Russians, everything that I was told in Italy turned out to be untrue. I expected to meet people cold and silent, prone to suspicion. While the Russians that I met are all friendly and cheerful. Italians apparently confuse Scandinavian and Slavic temperament. Although I would not say about the Scandinavians that they are cold and gloomy. There are more than five Russians among my acquaintances. It should be noted that due to the difference in cultures, communication only becomes more interesting. However, this difference is not so great as not to understand each other. My Russian teacher once said, "You can't understand Russia until you love it." Although I am a great admirer of Russian literature, and your country is so vast and diverse that it could take years to discover it, I have never been able to follow his advice completely. It's probably because of the language. Too difficult.

Penny Fang, Hong Kong (China)

Little is known about Russians in Hong Kong. With the spread of the Internet, videos about crazy Russians who do completely unthinkable things have become very popular in our country - for example, they climb without insurance to the tops of skyscrapers. I work as a Russian-speaking guide and I encounter Russians almost every day. According to my observations, the Russians have a lot in common with the Chinese from the north. They are very emotional: five minutes ago they ran into a fight, and now you are drinking together. Russians don't bother with details. Here is a simple example: Hong Kong is located quite far from Moscow, and, say, I, going on such a trip, would be well prepared for the trip. But for the Russians, everything happens differently - they "seize the moment." Want to go to the beach on a rainy day? Only on the road. The Chinese will think three times about all the consequences before doing something.

When you meet a Russian on the street, he usually has an expression on his face, as if he is going to kill. A combination of composure and strength. Russians leave the impression of very stern people, because they do not smile - neither men nor women. Russians always have a poker face. Russian girls are very beautiful, but this is such an icy beauty. Familiar guys from Russia explain this by the fact that you have such a climate.

Maia Coianitz, Italy

I studied Russian at night school for almost three years. The choice fell by chance, without much motivation. Trips to the country somewhat increased my enthusiasm. Twice I went to St. Petersburg for purely tourist purposes: I ate dumplings, pancakes, went to the ballet. Initially, it seemed to me that talking about Russians drinking a lot was nothing more than an established stereotype. But here I was convinced of the opposite. The professor from the university who called me to his place one day got so drunk that the situation began to get out of hand, and I had to run away from him in the middle of the night. I have been in Moscow for a month now. To be honest, I don't feel safe here at night. Although I like the city itself. The people are very friendly and always ready to help. But there is an exception - grandmothers in the subway and museums, real evil in the flesh.

Edith Permen, Sweden

I lived in Russia for half a year when I worked in an organization dealing with women's rights. Even before moving, I was fascinated by the history of your country. Stereotypes about Russia and Russians are widespread all over the world, it was interesting to check if all this is true. When I first arrived, in general, everything here differed little from my life in Stockholm. The impression that people made on the streets is far from the most pleasant: everyone walks around gloomy, just like in Stockholm. Although then I noticed how the tone of strangers changes dramatically if you ask them for help - anything from asking for directions to choosing painkillers in a pharmacy.

As I wrote before, my work is related to women's rights. It was new to me how strong traditional gender roles are in Russia. It took me a while to get used to the fact that men treat me in a certain way just because I'm a woman. Russian women are incredibly strong - probably stronger than any other woman in the world that I have ever met. They carry a lot on their shoulders. Perhaps this is due to the intense pressure they face from childhood. But no matter how hard the female lot in the country is, 14,000 women killed by men every year is an exorbitant number. Men drink a lot, and this is the reason for violence - on the one hand, and early deaths - on the other. Despite this, Russian culture and friendliness shocked me, and I have many friends here.

From communicating with Russians, you get either everything or nothing. They are unfriendly, reserved in a special way, the first impression of them is very heavy. You go into the store - they don’t greet you, you go out - they don’t thank you, they don’t hold the door to the subway. But one has only to find the right crack in this "armor", the Russian people suddenly reincarnate. And now you are already going to visit them, to the dacha, to the bathhouse, where you are treated to homemade food, introduced to relatives. At such moments, it begins to seem that you have known them all your life.

Do you already know how to choose a hotel on the map?

start tracking cheap tickets in advance - that is right now!

There are a number of stereotypes about any nation all over the world. We are Russians, no exception. Regarding Russians in Europe, you can find a fairly stable set of clichés: we have polar bears walking the streets, all Russians drink vodka, and Russian girls are the most beautiful in the world. We have already touched on this topic in a conversation about.

It was interesting for me to collect more information about what Europeans think about us Russians. In today's note on the project " " - the results of my research.

So, according to my observations, the vast majority of Europeans associate the word “Russians” with the word “ vodka“. Therefore, we are considered drinkers at any time of the day or night, and be prepared for the fact that you will be offered vodka as a drink from the most friendly motives. Regardless of your age, gender, physical form and attitude to alcohol.

Of course, vodka can be considered as a culinary preference, so Europeans have more or less true wine and vodka associations with respect to us. Even from our diet, Europeans know " dumplings", "pies", "caviar", "tea", and some of the most advanced, probably those who have been to Russia, recall " strange white soup, don't remember the name, eaten cold“.
In addition, Europeans consider our cuisine to be very fatty, which, in their opinion, affects the figures of adult Russians.

The following clichés or facts are widespread about political life in our country, how to look: „ mafia and corruption”, “KGB”, “Russians are the same as other European peoples, but they cannot freely express their political views“. We came to all this through epochs first. red stars', and then 'g kindness" And " perestroika“.

From the knowledge about culture and our traditions in conversations with Europeans, you can find out that they know that we have “Pushkin’s fairy tales”, “Crimean Cossack choir”, “Baba Yaga”, “Kalinka and other folk dances”, “ sauna with a ritual of flogging with birch brooms", and " some Russians are very religious“.

An important role in the stereotypical understanding of Russia is played by our nature and our weather. On this occasion, the Europeans recall that in Russia „ Siberian frosts”, “wonderful winter for skiing”, “big forests”, “thick fur hats”, “Russian Santa Claus, who however comes in January“.

I very often meet the desire of Europeans, completely inexplicable from my point of view, to travel through all of Russia along the Trans-Siberian railway. If you come across such a stereotype about our country, be sure to recommend your European acquaintances to travel along the Trans-Siberian Railway in a second-class carriage with ordinary Russians, and not in a compartment or a suite - so they can learn about us not only stereotypes, but also real facts .

I think you, traveling around Europe, will also come across a lot of interesting and unexpected clichés regarding us, be prepared!

The very game of war jarred me and even frightened me. The fact that Russian children are enthusiastically playing it, I even saw from the window of our new house in a large garden on the outskirts. It seemed wild to me that boys of 10-12 years old could play murder with such passion. I even talked about this with Hans' class teacher, but she quite unexpectedly, after listening to me carefully, asked if Hans played computer games with shooting and did I know what was shown on the screen? I was confused and couldn't find an answer. At home, I mean, in Germany, I was not very happy that he sits a lot with such toys, but at least he was not drawn to the street, and I could be calm for him. In addition, a computer game is not a reality, but here everything happens with living children, isn't it? I even wanted to say this, but suddenly I acutely felt that I was wrong, for which I also had no words. The class teacher looked at me very attentively, but in a kind way, and then said softly and confidentially: “Listen, it will be unusual for you here, understand. But your son is not you, he is a boy, and if you do not interfere with his growth, like the children here, then nothing bad will happen to him - except perhaps also only unusual. But in fact, bad things, I think, are the same here and in Germany.” It seemed to me that these were wise words, and I calmed down a little.

Before, the son had never played war or even held a toy weapon in his hands. It must be said that he did not often ask me for any gifts, being content with what I bought for him or what he bought with pocket money. But then he very persistently began to ask me for a toy machine gun, because he does not like to play with strangers, although he is given weapons by one boy who he really likes - he named the boy, and I disliked this new friend in advance. But I didn’t want to refuse, especially since, after sitting over the calculations from the very beginning, I realized an amazing thing: life in Russia is cheaper than ours, its external surroundings and some kind of carelessness and unkemptness are just very unusual. On the May weekend (there are several of them here), we went shopping; Hans's new friend joined us, and I was forced to change my mind about him, although not immediately, because he appeared barefoot, and on the street, walking next to the boys, I was taut like a string - it seemed to me every second that now we will just be detained, and I will have to explain that I am not the mother of this boy. But despite his appearance, he turned out to be very educated and cultured. In addition, in Australia, I saw that many children also walk in this way.

The purchase was made with skill, with a discussion of the weapon and even its fitting. I felt like the leader of a gang. In the end, we bought some kind of pistol (the boys called it, but I forgot) and an automatic machine, exactly the same as our German soldiers used in the last World War. Now my son was armed and could take part in the fighting.

Later, I learned that the fighting itself brought him a lot of grief at first. The fact is that Russian children have a tradition of dividing in such a game into teams with the names of real peoples - as a rule, those with whom the Russians fought. And, of course, it is considered honorary to be “Russian”, because of the division into teams, even fights arise. After Hans brought his new weapon of such a characteristic type into the game, he was immediately recorded in the "Germans". I mean, into Hitler's Nazis, which, of course, he did not want.

They objected to him, and from the point of view of logic it is quite reasonable: “Why don’t you want to, you are German!” “But I'm not that German!” yelled my unfortunate son. He has already managed to watch several very unpleasant films on television, and although I understand that what is shown there is true, and we are really to blame, it is difficult for an eleven-year-old boy to explain this: he flatly refused to be “such” a German.

Rescued Hans, and the whole game, the same boy, a new friend of my son. I convey his words as Hans conveyed them to me - apparently, literally: “Then you know what ?! We will all fight against the Americans together!”
This is a completely crazy country. But I love it here and so does my boy.

Max, 13 years old, German. Burglary from a neighbor's cellar (not the first burglary on his account, but the first in Russia)

The attendant who came to us was very polite. This is generally a common place among Russians - they treat foreigners from Europe timidly, politely, wary, it takes a lot of time to be recognized as “their own”. But the things he said scared us. It turns out that Max has committed a CRIMINAL CRIMINAL - BREAKING! And we are lucky that he is not yet 14 years old, otherwise the question of a real prison term of up to five years could be considered! That is, he was separated from the crime by the full responsibility of those three days that remained until his birthday! We didn't believe our ears. It turns out that in Russia from the age of 14 you can really go to jail! We regretted coming. To our timid questions - they say, how is it, why should a child answer from such an age - the district police officer was surprised, we simply did not understand each other. We are used to the fact that in Germany the child is in a super-priority position, the maximum that would threaten Max for this in his old homeland is a preventive conversation. However, the district police officer said that after all, it is unlikely that the court would have appointed our son a real prison term even after 14 years; this is very rarely done the first time for crimes not related to an attempt on the security of the person. We were also lucky that the neighbors did not write a statement (in Russia this plays a big role - even more serious crimes are not considered without a statement from the injured party), and we will not even have to pay a fine. We were also surprised by the combination of such a cruel law and such a strange position of people who do not want to use it. After hesitating just before leaving, the district police officer asked if Max was prone to antisocial behavior at all. I had to admit that I was inclined, moreover, he didn’t like it in Russia, but this, of course, is connected with the period of growing up and should pass with age. To which the district police officer noted that the boy had to be torn out after his first antics, and that was the end of it, and not wait until he grew into a thief. And left.

We were also struck by this wish from the mouth of the law enforcement officer. To be honest, we did not even think at that moment how close we were to fulfilling the officer's wishes.

Immediately after his departure, the husband spoke to Max and demanded that he go to the neighbors, apologize and offer to work off the damage. A grandiose scandal began - Max flatly refused to do so. I will not describe further - after another very rude attack on our son, the husband did exactly as the district policeman advised. Now I realize that it looked and was more funny than it is actually harsh, but then it amazed me and shocked Max. When my husband let him go - himself shocked by what he had done - our son ran into the room. Apparently, it was a catharsis - it suddenly dawned on him that his father was much stronger physically, that he had nowhere and no one to complain about “parental violence”, that he was REQUIRED to repair the damage himself, that he was one step away from real court and prison. In the room he was crying, not for show, but for real. We sat in the living room like two statues, feeling like real criminals, moreover, taboo breakers. We waited for a demanding knock on the door. Terrible thoughts swirled in our heads - that our son would stop trusting us, that he would commit suicide, that we had inflicted severe mental trauma on him - in general, a lot of those words and formulas that we had memorized in psychotraining before Max was born.

Max did not come out for dinner and shouted, still with tears, what he would eat in his room. To my surprise and horror, my husband replied that in this case, Max would not get dinner, and if he did not sit at the table in a minute, he would not get breakfast either.

Max left after half a minute. I've never seen him like this before. However, I didn’t see my husband like that either - he sent Max to wash and ordered, when he returned, to first ask for forgiveness, and then permission to sit down at the table. I was amazed - Max did all this, sullenly, not raising his eyes to us. Before starting to eat, the husband said, “Listen, son. Russians bring up their children this way, and I will bring you up this way. The nonsense is over. I don't want you to go to jail, I think you don't want that either, and you heard what the officer said. But I also don't want you to grow up to be an insensitive bum. And here I do not care about your opinion. Tomorrow you will go to your neighbors with apologies and will work where and how they say. Until you work off the amount you robbed them of. Do you understand me?"

Max was silent for a few seconds. Then he looked up and answered quietly, but clearly: “Yes, dad.” ...

... You won't believe it, but not only did we no longer need such wild scenes as the one played out in the living room after the police officer left - our son seemed to have been replaced. At first, I was even afraid of this change. It seemed to me that Max harbored a grudge. And only a month later I realized that there was nothing like that. And I also realized something much more important. In our house and at our expense for many years lived a small (and not very small) despot and loafer, who did not trust us at all and did not look at us as friends, as we were convinced by those by whose methods we “brought him up” ”- he secretly despised us and skillfully used us. And it was we who were to blame for this - we were to blame for the fact that we behaved with him in the way that “authoritative specialists” inspired us. On the other hand, did we have a choice in Germany? No, it wasn't, I honestly tell myself. There, on guard of our fear and Max's childish egoism, there was an absurd law. Here there is a choice. We made it, and it turned out to be true. We are happy, and most importantly, Max is really happy. He got parents. And my husband and I have a son. And we are FAMILY.

Mikko, 10 years old, Finn. Snitched on classmates

Four of his classmates beat him up. As we understood, they were not beaten very hard, knocked down and knocked with backpacks. The reason was that Mikko had stumbled upon two of them smoking in the garden behind the school. He was also offered to smoke, he refused and immediately informed the teacher about it. She punished the little smokers by taking away their cigarettes and forcing them to clean the floors in the classroom (which in itself amazed us in this story). She didn't name Mikko, but it was easy to guess who told them about them.

The next day, Mikko was beaten up. Pretty strong. I couldn't find my place. My husband also suffered, I saw it. But to our amazement and joy of Mikko, there was no fight a day later. He ran home very cheerful and excitedly said that he had done as his father ordered, and no one began to laugh, only someone grunted: “Enough, everyone has already heard ...” The strangest thing in my opinion is that from that moment the class took our son completely for his own, and no one reminded him of that conflict.

Zorko, 13 years old, Serbian. On the carelessness of Russians

Zorko really liked the country itself. The fact is that he does not remember what happens when there is no war, explosions, terrorists and other things. He was born just during the Patriotic War of 1999 and actually lived all his life behind barbed wire in an enclave, and I had a machine gun hanging over my bed. Two shotguns with buckshot lay on a cabinet by the outer window. Until we got two guns registered here, Zorko was in constant anxiety. He was also alarmed that the windows of the room overlooked the forest. In general, getting into a world where no one shoots except in the forest on a hunt was a real revelation for him. Our eldest girl and younger brother Zorko accepted everything much faster and calmer due to their age.

But most of all my son was struck and horrified by the fact that Russian children are incredibly careless. They are ready to be friends with anyone, as Russian adults say, “if only the person was good.” Vigilantly quickly got along with them, and the fact that he stopped living in constant expectation of war is mainly their merit. But he never stopped carrying a knife with him, and even with his light hand, almost all the boys from his class began to carry some kind of knives with them. Just because boys are worse than monkeys, imitation is in their blood.

So that's about carelessness. Several Muslims from different nations study at the school. Russian children are friends with them. Vigilantly from the very first day, he set a boundary between himself and the “Muslims” - he does not notice them if they are far enough away, if they are nearby - he pushes them away, repels them in order to get somewhere, sharply and clearly threatens with beatings even in response to an ordinary look, saying that they have no right to raise their eyes to a Serb and a “pravoslavist” in Russia. Russian children were astonished by such behavior, we even had some, although small, problems with the school authorities. These Muslims themselves are quite peaceful, I would even say - polite people. I talked to my son, but he told me that I want to deceive myself and that I told him myself that in Kosovo they were also polite and peaceful at first, while they were few. He also told Russian boys about this many times and keeps repeating that they are too kind and too careless. He really likes it here, he literally thawed out, but at the same time, my son is convinced that war awaits us here too. And, it seems, is preparing to fight seriously.

Ann, 16, and Bill, 12, are Americans. What is work?

Offers to work as a babysitter caused people either bewilderment or laughter. Ann was extremely upset and very surprised when I explained to her, having become interested in the problem, that it is not customary for Russians to hire people to supervise children over 7-10 years old - they themselves play, walk on their own and generally outside of school or some circles and sections left to themselves. And younger children are most often watched by grandmothers, sometimes by mothers, and only for very young children, wealthy families sometimes hire nannies, but these are not high school girls, but women with solid experience who earn a living from this.

So my daughter was left without a job. Terrible loss. Terrible Russian customs.

After a short time, the blow was dealt to Bill as well. Russians are a very strange people, they do not mow their lawns and do not hire children to deliver mail ... The job that Bill found turned out to be “work on a plantation” - for five hundred rubles he dug up a hefty garden with a hand shovel from some nice old woman for half a day. What he turned his hands into looked like bloody chops. However, unlike Ann, the son reacted to this rather with humor and already quite seriously noticed that this could become a good business when his hands get used to it, you just need to hang up ads, preferably in color. He offered Ann to join the weeding business—again, hand-pulling the weeds—and they immediately got into a fight.

Charlie and Charlene, 9 years old, Americans. Features of the Russian worldview in rural areas.

The Russians have two unpleasant features. The first is that in conversation they strive to grab you by the elbow or shoulder. Second, they drink incredibly much. No, I know that in fact many peoples on Earth drink more than Russians. But Russians drink very openly and even with some kind of pleasure.

However, these shortcomings seemed to be redeemed by the wonderful locality in which we settled. It was just a fairy tale. True, the settlement itself resembled a settlement from a disaster movie. My husband said that it's like this almost everywhere and that you shouldn't pay attention to it - the people here are good.

I didn't really believe it. And our twins were, it seemed to me, a little frightened by what was happening.

What completely horrified me was that on the very first day of school, when I was just about to pick up the twins in our car (it was about a mile to school), they were already brought straight to the house by some not quite sober man in a creepy half-rusty jeep similar to old Fords. Before me, he apologized for something long and verbose, referred to some holidays, scattered in praise of my children, said hello from someone and left. I attacked my innocent angels, who were stormily and cheerfully discussing the first day of school, with strict questions: didn’t I tell them enough that they NEVER DARE EVEN CLOSE TO STRANGERS PEOPLE ?! How could they get into the car with this man?!

In response, I heard that this is not a stranger, but the head of the school household, who has golden hands and whom everyone loves very much, and whose wife works as a cook in the school cafeteria. I died of horror. I gave my children to a brothel!!! And everything seemed so cute at first sight ... Numerous stories from the press about the wild customs reigning in the Russian outback were spinning in my head ...

... I will not further intrigue you. Life here turned out to be really wonderful, and especially wonderful for our children. Although I'm afraid I got a lot of gray hair because of their behavior. It was incredibly difficult for me to get used to the very idea that nine-year-old (and ten-, and so on later) my children, according to local customs, are considered, firstly, more than independent. They go for a walk with the local children for five, eight, ten hours - two, three, five miles, in the forest or on a terrible, completely wild pond. That everyone here walks to and from school, and they soon began to do the same - I just don’t mention it anymore. And secondly, here children are largely considered common. They can, for example, go with the whole company to visit someone and have lunch right there - not drink something and eat a couple of cookies, namely, have a hearty lunch, purely in Russian. In addition, in fact, every woman in whose field of vision they fall immediately takes responsibility for other people's children somehow completely automatically; For example, I learned to do this only in the third year of our stay here.

NOTHING EVER HAPPENS TO KIDS HERE. I mean, they are not in any danger from humans. From none. In big cities, as far as I know, the situation is more similar to the American one, but here it is exactly the same. Of course, children themselves can cause considerable harm to themselves, and at first I tried to somehow control it, but it turned out to be simply impossible. At first I was struck by how soulless our neighbors were, who, when asked where their child was, answered quite calmly “running somewhere, he’ll jump to dinner!” Lord, in America this is a jurisdictional case, such an attitude! It took a long time before I realized that these women are much wiser than me, and their children are much more adapted to life than mine - at least as they were at the beginning.

We Americans pride ourselves on our skills, abilities, and practicality. But, having lived here, I realized with sadness that this is a sweet self-deception. Maybe it used to be like that. Now we - and especially our children - are slaves of a comfortable cage, through the bars of which a current is passed, completely preventing the normal, free development of a person in our society. If the Russians are somehow weaned from drinking, they will easily and without a single shot conquer the entire modern world. I say this responsibly.

Adolf Breivik, 35, Swedish Father of three children.

The fact that Russians, adults, can quarrel and scandal, that a hot hand can blow up a wife, and a wife whip a child with a towel - BUT THAT THEY ALL REALLY LOVE EACH OTHER AND EACH OTHER WITHOUT A OTHER THEY ARE BAD - in the head of a person remade under the standards accepted in our native lands simply do not fit. I will not say that I approve of this, such behavior of many Russians. I do not believe that beating a wife and physically punishing children is the right way, and I myself have never done this and will not do it. But I just urge you to understand: family here is not just a word. From Russian orphanages, children run away to their parents. Of our slyly named "surrogate families" - almost never. Our children are so accustomed to the fact that they essentially have no parents, that they calmly obey everything that any adult person does with them. They are not capable of rebellion, or escape, or resistance, even when it comes to their life or health - they are accustomed to the fact that they are not the property of the family, but EVERYONE AT ONCE.

Russian children are running. They often run into appalling living conditions. At the same time, the orphanages in Russia are not at all as scary as we used to imagine. Regular and plentiful food, computers, entertainment, care and supervision. Nevertheless, escapes “home” are very, very frequent and are fully understood even among those who, on duty, return children back to the orphanage. “What do you want? - they say words that are completely unimaginable for our policeman or guardianship worker. “There’s a HOUSE there.” But it must be taken into account that in Russia there is not even close to that anti-family arbitrariness that reigns in our country. In order for a Russian child to be taken to an orphanage, it should actually be TERRIBLE in his family, believe me.

It is difficult for us to understand that, in general, a child who is often beaten by his father, but at the same time takes him fishing with him and teaches him how to use tools and fiddle with a car or motorcycle - can be much happier and in fact much happier than a child whom his father did not lay a finger on, but whom he sees fifteen minutes a day at breakfast and dinner. This will sound seditious to a modern Westerner, but it's true, believe my experience as a resident of two paradoxically different countries. We tried so hard to create a “safe world” for our children on someone’s unkind orders that we destroyed everything human in ourselves and in them. Only in Russia did I really understand, I realized with horror that all those words that are used in my old homeland, destroying families, are in fact a mixture of utter stupidity generated by a sick mind and the most disgusting cynicism generated by a thirst for encouragement and fear of losing one's place in the guardianship. When talking about “protecting children”, officials in Sweden - and not only in Sweden - destroy their souls. They destroy shamelessly and madly. There I could not say it openly. Here - I say: my unfortunate homeland is seriously ill with abstract, speculative "children's rights", for the sake of which happy families are killed and living children are maimed.

Home, father, mother - for a Russian, these are not just words-concepts. These are symbolic words, almost sacred spells.

It's amazing that we don't. We do not feel connected to the place where we live, even a very comfortable place. We don't feel connected to our children, they don't need to connect with us. And, in my opinion, all this was taken from us on purpose. That's one of the reasons why I came here. In Russia, I can feel like a father and husband, my wife - mother and wife, our children - beloved children. We are people, free people, and not hired employees of the State Limited Liability Corporation “Family”. And it's very nice. It is purely psychologically comfortable. To such an extent that it redeems a whole bunch of shortcomings and absurdities of life here.

Honestly, I believe that a brownie lives in our house, left over from the previous owners. Russian brownie, kind. And our children believe in it.

During the period of unstable relations between Russia and Western powers, in the minds of many Russian people there is an opinion that foreigners have a negative attitude towards our nation and interact with us with some caution. Foreigners, especially young people, have a rather positive attitude towards Russia and the Russian people. Many of them, ignoring political events, are trying to independently plunge into Russian culture and realize its greatness.

A small country cottage 40 kilometers from the Canadian city of Perth. Nearby - a transparent lake, a gazebo, a stack of books, a music player and a bust of Tchaikovsky. Is it possible that in this remote corner they revere the Russian classic and listen to his compositions? A Canadian student, 21-year-old Alexa Daylong, has been passionate about Russian culture for many years, and her favorite composer is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whom her father, a popular performer and arranger, instilled in the girl.

Why did Tchaikovsky become your favorite composer, how did you get to know his work?

I learned about Tchaikovsky as a child, when I was five or six years old. My acquaintance with his work began with The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, which are still my favorite examples of true classics. My father often told us about Tchaikovsky, about his Russian and foreign life. Even now, as an adult, every six months I attend concerts where his famous works are played. Once we saw a bust of a musician in a music store and decided to buy it without any hesitation. Now there is a part of Tchaikovsky in our house in Perth.

Yes, the classics are a powerful weapon to unite people, but how do modern Canadians feel about Russia? In other words, what do you think of us?

I cannot speak for all the people of Canada, but on behalf of myself and my family I can say that the Russian people have always been our true friends. Russians and Canadians still make joint space flights, play hockey matches, and in general, it sometimes seems to me that we are similar in character, mentality and outlook on life. This winter I am going to visit St. Petersburg. And then we will see for sure whether my hypothesis is correct.

In the era of globalization, learning about how people live in other states, cities and regions is much easier than it was just a few years ago. Now the possibilities of international exchange have expanded in many respects, the purpose of which is to engage in a new culture and receive education in another country. It was in such a program that a Colombian student, Andreas Alejandro, took part, who calls himself Andrei with a peculiar accent, in a Russian way.

Tell us about your impressions of your stay in Russia. What aspects of Russian life most attracted your attention?

For me, there is no better place in the world than Russia. I don't think every Colombian would say the same, it all depends on the individual. In my case, having arrived from Colombia, I immediately realized that Russia is the country in which I feel great. At first, I was surprised that almost no one smiles here, because in Colombia people give you smiles at almost every turn. But as soon as I adapted to Russian life, this fact stopped bothering me, and, to be honest, I felt like a true Russian. I even bought a funny Russian hat to get involved in your culture.

What cities have you visited and do you plan to return someday?

I came to Russia last summer and stayed here until January of this year. The main reason for my trip was the internship, but I also had time to travel. I visited Moscow and St. Petersburg, and in the winter I spent time in Novosibirsk. As an international business student, I wanted to understand how Russian politics, culture, and contemporary history functioned. I also dreamed of improving my Russian, therefore, while in Russia, I started writing my own blog, where I described all my feelings and emotions (andriskiyenrusia.blogspot.ru). And yes, I'm going to Russia again in September! I entered the master's program at the RANEPA, so now I will spend two happy years in Moscow. Is not that great?

You must have made many Russian friends during your trip. Was it easy to build a dialogue with them?

Russians take jokes much more seriously than Colombians. For example, in Colombia I can call a girl "my love" and she will start laughing. But never say that to a Russian girl! She will think that you are really in love with her and ready to marry. Russians treat all people with respect, which I really appreciate. They are grateful, friendly and sociable, so we immediately found a common language with classmates and future colleagues.

Despite the political tension, sanctions, Russia's unstable relations with the leading world powers, foreigners treat our nation with respect. Even where we are given out as invaders and destroyers of a peaceful environment, most people remain aloof from falsified theories. We spoke with a Munich resident, 20-year-old student of a technical institute, Thomas Ricksey, who spoke about how the German scientific world relates to Russia and, in particular, to Russian scientists.

Do you often come across the names of Russian figures in the course of your studies?

Almost every day we hear Russian names and surnames: Markov, Chebyshev, Chernov. All of them made a great contribution to the world technical and mathematical science. They did what European scientists could not do for years. Studying their writings, I realized how diverse Russia is and how many interesting people must be living there now. I also realized that one should not look at other countries only from a political angle.

Does this mean that in Germany they have a negative attitude towards Russia from the point of view of politics?

There are many people in our country, and their views are different. But, for example, when Russia seized Crimea and supported Syria, many people in Germany did not take all these events well. It looked like aggression in their eyes. But political opinions have no effect on the achievements of Russians in science, sports and culture. Therefore, when communicating with Russian friends, we never discuss politics, but simply enjoy the cultural exchange.

But perhaps Russia's most tense foreign relations for many years have been relations with the United States. The Cold War, rivalry for nuclear potential, political differences, fluctuating interests - all this to a certain extent still characterizes Russian-American interaction on the world stage. We met with an American from New Jersey, Nick Dadetto, who spoke in detail about what the American people really think of our country.

Nick, what do they say about Russia now in America?

Many people still call Russia a great country, but some are influenced by the media. I believe that our press deliberately creates a biased attitude towards Russians in the mind of a typical American. Some journalists even make entire films and series about Russia's negative impact on the world order. But now, with Trump coming to power, I think that our relations will be restored. And I'm glad about it. After all, the United States and Russia are the two leading superpowers, so maintaining ties in solving global problems is essential.

As you know, you are engaged in video blogging and even released a video where you speak Russian. Why are you learning Russian?

The Russian language sounds solid. It is very complex, but at the same time interesting. I often listen to Russian music, I am interested in your culture. I would like to visit Russia in the future, especially Moscow and St. Petersburg. Besides, I have some Russian friends. And if you compare them with my American friends, it seems to me that they are more oriented in matters of history, politics and culture.

What do your relatives and friends think about your interest in Russian culture and language?

They certainly know about it. In addition to Russian, I also study many other languages: Italian, Polish, German. I am an international business student, so this is important for me both personally and professionally. In addition, having arrived in Russia, I will be able to freely communicate with Russians, which means I can feel their mentality.

Interestingly, in the process of dialogue with representatives of the three states, no one ever mentioned political aspects on their own, and one of the respondents said the following phrase: “Now in the world, few people are interested in politics, no one is interested in knowing about the Russian president, as well as about everyone else." And, indeed, at the present stage of development, people abroad are more focused on the cultural and historical past of Russia, so they often consider a trip to our country as an opportunity for personal self-improvement and enrichment of life experience. This is how foreigners treat us and our culture, despite the stereotypical attitudes that we often hear from the media.

Julia Milenina