The older generation has not yet forgotten that in the Soviet Union, to put it mildly, trips of ordinary citizens abroad were not welcomed. From that side, too, few people visited us. These difficulties have led to the emergence of preconceived and one-sided ideas about Russia, consisting in three words - vodka,
bears, matryoshka. Not last role Hollywood, which is very popular among all segments of the population, also played a role in strengthening the impartial opinion about our country. By the way, in those years, few singled out Ukraine, Kazakhstan or another republic separately. We were all Russians for foreigners. Not anymore iron curtain. Russians freely travel all over the world, demonstrating there, “beyond the hill”, what our nation is like. Millions of tourists also come to us, see with their own eyes how we live, get acquainted with our culture.
What do foreigners think about Russia now? How has their opinion changed? Some public organizations and the ubiquitous journalists do surveys from time to time, but the responses of citizens from friendly and unfriendly countries vary greatly. It depends primarily on the purpose of their visit. One thing is said about Russia by tourists who came here for a couple of days with an excursion group and organized visits only to the sights noted in the program. They only see what the tour guides want to show them. Foreigners working in Russia, studying here, everyone who lives with us can tell a completely different story. long time, and the impressions of those living in the capital and in the outback are radically different. And the foreigners themselves are also different. The opinions about our country, for example, Americans or Germans, differ in many ways from the opinions of Nigerians, Chinese or Mexicans. But in one thing, all foreign guests are united: Russia is huge, it takes years to know and understand it.
Russians and alcohol
There is an opinion in the Western world that our nation is an incredibly drunk. Almost all Europeans, Americans, Asians talk about this in one interpretation or another. But if we turn to WHO statistics, Russia is not the first, not the second, not even the third place in terms of alcohol consumption per each of its inhabitants. In this matter, even the restrained Balts overtook us. Nevertheless, foreigners say about life in Russia that they drink a lot here. They are especially surprised why we can drink anywhere - in a restaurant, at a banquet, in a park on a bench, just on the street. Law enforcement officers do not stop this, passers-by remain indifferent. Maybe that's why we all seem so drunk to them? And foreigners cannot understand why even in our store you can buy low-quality alcohol, because it is dangerous to health. They are also surprised that in Russia the reason for drinking can be the most trifling, and the process that began with “a hundred for health” often develops into a large-scale drinking bout and drags on until late at night, and almost always Russians who have taken well on their chests begin to have intellectual conversations about politics and the meaning of life, although, being sober, they try to avoid these topics. There, “over the hill”, only sober people talk about such topics, and when they drink, they just have fun or talk about their real or fictional victories.
Many foreigners, looking at our drunkards, cannot understand: are Russians really so rich that they find funds for such an amount of alcohol? And most importantly, how do they calmly go to work the next day after heavy drinking?
Russians and order
Our people, as they say, laws are not written. We are used to it and no longer notice how we are constantly violating something somewhere. But they notice. Foreigners say about life in Russia that it is a norm or even an obligation not to follow the rules if there is no punishment for it. For them, on the contrary, it is considered the norm to follow the established rules, even when there is no control nearby. Russian people, without the slightest doubt, cross the road at a red light if, according to their calculations, it is still far from a moving car, on metro platforms they constantly go beyond the boundary line, although it is life-threatening, they leave their cars in inconvenient places, just not to pay for parking. Foreigners are surprised why dozens of cash desks are installed in supermarkets, if only one or two are open, despite the queues gathering in them. They do not understand why our roads are patched in the rain, and the heating systems begin to be repaired in the cold. And how traffic cops serving in roadside bushes amaze motorists from abroad!
Regarding security, foreigners respond differently to life in Russia. Natives of criminally dangerous Latin America, Tanzania, South Africa, Sudan believe that our evening and night streets are heavenly calm. Europeans, on the contrary, are sure that Russian cities are rather restless. Even if nothing and no one threatens life, you can easily lose property or be embroiled in a scandal. At the same time, the streets are always full of patrolling policemen, therefore, logically, the order should be perfect.
Russians and wealth
Previously, in the USSR, everyone was approximately equal. Now in our society there has been a division into the poor and the rich. Everything is like theirs, in their distant America, Europe, only with a Russian flavor. What surprises foreigners in our rich? The fact that most of them boast of their new status, build houses on several floors not to live there, but simply for prestige, buy goods only in the most expensive stores, buy expensive cars to seem even more weighty and significant. Moreover, if there are traffic jams on the roads (and they are constantly in large metropolitan areas), our rich people will wait for hours, get nervous, be late, but they will never go down to the subway, because this is below their newfound status. There is no such thing abroad. There, even directors of companies, without the slightest damage to their image, can come to work today by an expensive car, tomorrow by a city bus, and the day after tomorrow by bicycle. There, the rich do not see anything shameful in visiting ordinary supermarkets, and they willingly buy promotional goods.
Russians and feminism
It is no secret that foreign suitors willingly choose our young ladies as their wives. Male foreigners say about Russia that the issue of equality is not as acute here as, for example, in America. There, most women try to prove their independence, because of which their femininity suffers. They pay for themselves in restaurants, react painfully if they are helped to open the door or give a hand when leaving the transport. There, women, when creating a family, are primarily guided by material considerations and rush to make up marriage contract. Most Russians are not like that yet.
Although their willpower and spirit are no weaker than those of the same American women, they like to appear weak. feels more like a man than in his homeland, because our women do not interfere with his self-affirmation. They are grateful for any help from men, even if the problem can be handled perfectly without them. Agreeing to become a wife, our beauties are primarily interested in whether the chosen one loves them, and only then they put the question of where and by whom he works, what prospects he has in the service, in second place. Some foreigners are surprised by the abundance flower shops on the streets of Russian cities. They are perplexed why it is so important for our women that a lover comes to a date with flowers, and why there must be an odd number of flowers in a bouquet.
Russians and culture
Russia through the eyes of foreign tourists in this regard is simply beautiful. Mostly excursion groups visit St. Petersburg and Moscow, and there are the most famous sights. It is not surprising that all the tourists surveyed spoke enthusiastically about the Hermitage, the Winter Palace, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pokrovsky Cathedral, and Red Square. Many foreign citizens, even advanced in the field of French culture, are surprised that people of all ages like to visit museums and galleries in our country, and you can often meet couples in love there. It is difficult for Italians, Spaniards, Americans to imagine their date with a girl not in a restaurant or even in a movie, but, for example, in an art gallery.
Almost all foreigners talk about Russia, always mentioning our Grand Theatre and beautiful ballet. Many girls from friendly countries dream of studying at a Russian ballet school.
Foreign guests are very surprised by the love of Russians for reading. In our metro and trains, in the park on benches and in public transport, ordinary printed books and newspapers are still read, although young people can more often be seen with tablets and iPhones.
Abroad, among those who have never been to Russia, there is still an opinion that here the men play the balalaikas, and the women lead round dances. Some foreigners who visited our country were surprised that they could not see Russian folklore at all, about which they were told so much.
Russians and food
Foreigners very often talk about life in Russia, remembering our dumplings (or huge ravioli), our borscht (or red soup), pancakes with meat, the most delicious black caviar in the world. Foreign gourmets do not like jelly. Many do not understand how such a dish can be eaten. Even more unflattering words - about okroshka. As foreigners think, this is everything that is on the table, collected and mixed in one pan.
Our compatriots, who happened to be visiting abroad, recall that there was not an abundance of food on the table, although there was enough for everyone. Russia through the eyes of foreigners, of course, looks somewhat different than Russians see it. The former sometimes consider it a fairly rich power, because all the feasts are held on a grand scale, regardless of the occasion and material wealth the people who organize them. For some reason, it is very important for a Russian person to make the table with dishes with all kinds of salads, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese and sausage cuts, fried chicken legs and other food. Half of all this is not eaten and is thrown away, to the amazement of foreign guests.
Those of the foreigners who have traveled in Russia by train cannot understand why our people, as soon as the train starts moving, begin to take out a bunch of food from their bags, as if they want to eat on the road for the rest of their lives.
Russians and friendliness
Almost all foreign guests remember with kind words our sincere Russian hospitality. Some of the interviewed foreigners traveled around Russia by hitchhiking, asking to stay with ordinary residents, rather than staying in hotels. All of them tell how they were given a wonderful reception, how they put a lot of food on the table, put them to bed in a clean bed, even heated a bathhouse on purpose. The next morning, these random people became the best friends for the foreign guest.
However, in general, foreigners call all Russians gloomy and believe that our harsh climate is to blame. They say that in our subway, in the store, just on the street it is very rare to see smiling men, women, young people, old people. The situation changes dramatically when you turn to Russian people, for example, with the question of how to find a way. The gloominess immediately disappears, instead it appears sincere desire help.
Russians and business
How tourists see our country is approximately clear. And what do foreigners who live and work here think about Russia? The Chinese believe that we have very strict rules, decent salaries, high prices and a strong-willed president. They call Putin a wonderful ruler, almost like their Xi Jinping.
Europeans and Americans, who work in our country as managers or leading specialists, believe that wages in Russia are below average, and prices are exorbitantly high, even for such goods that should be cheap, such as gasoline (after all, we have many oil wells).
The Ininsky rock garden is located in the Barguzinskaya valley. Huge stones as if someone deliberately scattered or placed on purpose. And in places where megaliths are placed, something mysterious always happens.
One of the attractions of Buryatia is the Ininsky rock garden in the Barguzin valley. It makes an amazing impression - huge stones scattered in disorder on a completely flat surface. As if someone deliberately either scattered them, or placed them on purpose. And in places where megaliths are placed, something mysterious always happens.
Power of nature
In general, the “rock garden” is the Japanese name for an artificial landscape in which stones, arranged according to strict rules, play a key role. "Karesansui" (dry landscape) has been cultivated in Japan since the 14th century, and it appeared for a reason. It was believed that gods lived in places with a large accumulation of stones, as a result of which the stones themselves began to be given divine significance. Of course, now the Japanese use rock gardens as a place for meditation, where it is convenient to indulge in philosophical reflections.
And philosophy is here. Chaotic, at first glance, the arrangement of stones, in fact, is strictly subject to certain laws. First, the asymmetry and size difference of the stones must be respected. There are certain points of observation in the garden - depending on the time when you are going to contemplate the structure of your microcosm. And the main trick is that from any point of observation there should always be one stone that ... is not visible.
The most famous rock garden in Japan is located in Kyoto, the ancient capital of the samurai country, in the Ryoanji Temple. This is the home of Buddhist monks. And here in Buryatia, a "rock garden" appeared without the efforts of man - its author is Nature herself.
In the southwestern part of the Barguzinskaya Valley, 15 kilometers from the village of Suvo, where the Ina River emerges from the Ikat Range, this place is located with an area of more than 10 square kilometers. Significantly more than any Japanese rock garden - in the same proportion as the Japanese bonsai is smaller than the Buryat cedar. Here, large blocks of stone, reaching 4-5 meters in diameter, protrude from the flat ground, and these boulders go up to 10 meters deep!
The removal of these megaliths from the mountain range reaches 5 kilometers or more. What kind of force could scatter these huge stones at such distances? The fact that this was not done by a person became clear from recent history: a 3-kilometer canal was dug here for irrigation purposes. And in the channel channel here and there lie huge boulders, going to a depth of up to 10 meters. They fought, of course, but to no avail. As a result, all work on the channel was stopped.
Scientists put forward different versions of the origin of the Ininsky rock garden. Many consider these blocks to be moraine boulders, that is, glacial deposits. Scientists call the age different (E. I. Muravsky believes that they are 40-50 thousand years old, and V. V. Lamakin - more than 100 thousand years!), Depending on which glaciation to count.
According to geologists, in ancient times the Barguzin basin was a shallow freshwater lake, which was separated from Lake Baikal by a narrow and low mountain bridge connecting the Barguzin and Ikat ridges. As the water level rose, a runoff formed, which turned into a river bed, which cut deeper and deeper into solid crystalline rocks. It is known how torrential streams of water in spring or after heavy rain wash away steep slopes, leaving deep furrows of gullies and ravines. Over time, the water level dropped, and the area of the lake, due to the abundance of suspended material brought into it by rivers, decreased. As a result, the lake disappeared, and in its place there was a wide valley with boulders, which were later attributed to natural monuments.
But recently, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences G.F. Ufimtsev offered very original idea which has nothing to do with glaciation. In his opinion, the Ininsky rock garden was formed as a result of a relatively recent, catastrophic, gigantic ejection of large-block material.
According to his observations, glacial activity on the Ikat Range manifested itself only in a small area in the upper reaches of the Turokcha and Bogunda rivers, while in the middle part of these rivers there are no traces of glaciation. Thus, according to the scientist, there was a breakthrough of the dam of the dammed lake in the course of the Ina River and its tributaries. As a result of a breakthrough from the upper reaches of the Ina, a mudflow or ground avalanche threw a large amount of blocky material into the Barguzin valley. This version is supported by the fact of severe destruction of the bedrock sides of the Ina River valley at the confluence with the Turokcha, which may indicate the demolition of a large amount of rocks by mudflows.
In the same section of the Ina River, Ufimtsev noted two large “amphitheatres” (resembling a huge funnel) measuring 2.0 by 1.3 kilometers and 1.2 by 0.8 kilometers, which could probably be the bed of large dammed lakes. The break of the dam and the release of water, according to Ufimtsev, could have occurred as a result of manifestations of seismic processes, since both slope "amphitheaters" are confined to the zone of a young fault with outcrops of thermal waters.
Here the gods were naughty
An amazing place has long been interested in local residents. And for the "rock garden" people came up with a legend rooted in hoary antiquity. The start is simple. Somehow, two rivers, Ina and Barguzin, argued, which of them would be the first (first) to reach Baikal. Barguzin cheated and set off on the road that evening, and in the morning the angry Ina rushed after her, in anger throwing huge boulders out of her way. So they still lie on both banks of the river. Isn't it just poetic description powerful mudflow proposed for explanation by Dr. Ufimtsev?
The stones still keep the secret of their formation. They are not only different sizes and colors, they are generally from different breeds. That is, they were not broken out from one place. And the depth of occurrence speaks of many thousands of years, during which meters of soil have grown around the boulders.
For those who have seen the Avatar movie, on a foggy morning, Ina's stones will remind you of hanging mountains around which winged dragons fly. The peaks of the mountains jut out of the clouds of mist like individual fortresses or the heads of giants in helmets. The impressions from the contemplation of the rock garden are amazing, and it is not by chance that people endowed the stones magic power: it is believed that if you touch the boulders with your hands, they will take away negative energy, instead bestowing positive energy.
In these amazing places there is another place where the gods were naughty. This place was nicknamed "Suva Saxon Castle". This natural formation is located near the group of salty Alga lakes near the village of Suvo, on the steppe slopes of a hill at the foot of the Ikat Range. The picturesque rocks are very reminiscent of the ruins of an ancient castle. These places served as a particularly revered and sacred place for Evenki shamans. In the Evenki language, "suvoya" or "suvo" means "whirlwind".
It was believed that it was here that spirits lived - the owners of local winds. The main and most famous of which was the legendary wind of Baikal "Barguzin". According to legend, an evil ruler lived in these places. He was distinguished by a ferocious disposition, he took pleasure in bringing misfortune to the poor and indigent people.
He had an only and beloved son, who was bewitched by spirits as punishment for a cruel father. After realizing his cruel and unfair treatment the ruler fell on his knees to the people, began to beg and tearfully ask to restore his son's health and make him happy. And he distributed all his wealth to people.
And the spirits freed the son of the ruler from the power of the disease! It is believed that for this reason the rocks are divided into several parts. There is a belief among the Buryats that the owners of Suvo, Tumurzhi-Noyon and his wife, Tutuzhig-Khatan, live in the rocks. Burkhans were erected in honor of the Suva rulers. On special days, whole rituals are performed in these places.
Seeing the country after 10 years of separation. Cognitive dissonance is almost guaranteed.
Popular about Russia for tourists from different guidebooks
Politics in Russia
Moscow is so preoccupied with its own status that it is quite fair to call it a bourgeois city. Perhaps it is the well-being of Muscovites that explains their complete apathy. While the Orange Revolution and the Rose Revolution rage in the neighborhood, Russians live quietly and watch as Putin censors and eliminates their right to choose a government. Muscovites seem to be more concerned about new restaurants than discussing new rules of life.
The young Vladimir Putin spent his youth playing on the streets of St. Petersburg: his family lived at 12 Baskov Street. In the second half of the 1980s, as a young man, Putin recruited would-be spies in the West. Obsessed with patriotism, he always defended the secret services of the Soviet era and said: "I will never read a book written by a defector, a man who betrayed the Motherland." In 1989 (shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall) Putin returned to Leningrad and was soon working as deputy mayor. For his tough temper and dedication, he earned the nickname Stasi.
Traditions in Russia
Many people will get irritated if you take pictures of drunkards.
Men need to take into account that in Russia they are not just expected to behave traditionally as a gentleman, but take it for granted. Therefore, do not be surprised if you see a woman standing at closed door waiting for something unknown.
It's not customary to smile on the streets strangers. If you smile at a Russian, he might think: what, my clothes are dirty?
Russians in many situations become very close to each other and speak very quietly, in each other's ear - as if they are whispering.
Russians have two faces: one is on the street, and a completely different one is at home. Until the middle of the 20th century, Russia was inhabited mainly by peasants. And this is still felt today: they are incredibly loyal and infinitely generous to those they know, and extremely distrustful and hostile to strangers.
Like most Slavs, Russians don't associate sex with shame.
Gays in Russia
In Russian slang, homosexuals are called goloboy (blue boy).
Vodka in Russia
The main thing is that vodka should not be illegal (podelnaya, falshivaya, levaya). At best, an encounter with fake vodka will end with you drinking a weaker drink than ordered, at worst, you will be served diluted methyl alcohol, the use of which can lead to blindness and even death. The history of the origin of the word "drunk" is as follows: on the banks of the Drunken River, two troops of the same army drunkenly opened fire on each other.
Statistics about Russia
One person in Russia accounts for about 16.4 square meters. m of living space (in America - 60 sq. m).
The middle class buys about 5 books a year.
Russians go to the cinema on average five times more often than Europeans.
Transport in Russia
Cars do not slow down in front of pedestrians, and some drivers even increase their speed. Of course, they have no intention to kill - they just want to see the fear in your eyes.
Dangers in Russia
If you're walking alone down the street, try to look Russian by carrying a plastic bag in your hand.
Perhaps in Moscow you will need a mosquito net - the model that is attached to the ceiling and completely covers the bed.
If we talk about pickpockets, be especially vigilant in the Partizanskaya metro area - our readers informed us about incidents that occurred there.
There are cases when white fish caviar was dyed with wax so that it looked like black, and then packed in branded jars.
On trains, sleep with money and a passport hidden on your body. Tie the locks with a rope, belt or tie.
If you drink hot tea or coffee in a 30-40-degree frost, your teeth begin to crack and blacken over time, which is clearly seen in the example of many residents of Yakut cities.
Traveling women should be aware that most Russian men are aggressive, unfamiliar with the rules of decency and tend to view women as sexual objects.
If you hear a swear word on the street - get out of there as far as possible.
When entering the subway, hold your hand in front of your face - so that you do not knock out a tooth.
Food in Russia
Borscht is a popular dish in the Caucasus.
Local tap water is one of the most terrible problems for foreigners. Some use bottled water even when bathing children.
Greens in Russian cuisine are almost not represented. But if it is taken into circulation, then on all dishes, as a rule, there is a green blanket of chopped dill. So it's better to tell the chef in advance: vsyo bez ukropa.
Many foreigners are surprised that in fact the most popular alcoholic drink here is beer.
White bread is called "white brick", black - "black brick".
Restaurant " Caucasian captive” in Moscow is named after the film, as well as Lermontov’s novel.
More details about the opinion of foreigners about Russian food can be found in the post
Music in Russia
Musicians from Yekaterinburg Boris Grebenshchikov and his Aquarium group, wherever they played, made a splash everywhere.
The god of Russian rock was a native of Kazakhstan, Viktor Tsoi. Kung Fu stage moves made Tsoi the king of cool.
Fashion in Russia
The new Russian in terms of style is still behind his girlfriend. A new Russian soul with AC / DC, he is “back in black” (Back in Black - the name of the AC / DC album. - Esquire): black suit, black boots, black Hermes tie, black glasses. To distinguish the new Russian from the security guard - and their favorite color is also black - look at his hands to see if he has a Cartier watch there.
In Russia, there is a phenomenon of wearing sunglasses on the back of the head (arms are attached to the ears).
Many Russians wear long underwear - even under business suits.
Of all the clothes, Russians have the most serious attitude towards boots. If you want people to think of you as cultured and stylish, shine your shoes.
Capital of Russia
It is almost impossible to pitch a tent in Moscow.
Private cars circling the city in abundance are known as "gypsy taxis".
From the square bearing his name, Alexander Pushkin surveys his possessions. In the field of view - the cinema "Pushkin", cafe "Pushkin" and the metro station "Pushkinskaya": undoubtedly, in the ideology of the new Russians, Pushkin took the place of Lenin.
"The men's toilet is marked with the letter "M". Women should look for a door with the letter "Sh".
The typical Moskvichka has such an arrogant expression on her face that she seems to be completely disgusted by her environment (it really is disgusting to her). Despite the fact that she has lived here all her life, she shows with her whole appearance: in fact, I belong to Paris.
Private space in Moscow apartments is absorbed by the public: every evening the living room turns into a dining room, and at nightfall - into a bedroom. That is why there are so many young couples kissing on benches in parks.
Muscovites have a sincere and well-deserved gratitude towards their mayor, who over the past few decades has restored and updated the city center.
Clubs in Russia
How to pass face control. Dress up: Women should look like Barbie dolls, men should dress in black. Drive up to the club by car: the bigger it is, the better.
Hotels in Russia
On each floor of each hotel there is an "attendant" who will be happy to help with problems related to hot water, washing and peeping.
For those who doubt the veracity - a list of used guides:
- Living & Working in Moscow. Kostromina-Wayne M., Wayne P. 2002.
- Moscow. Everyman MapGuides. 2005.
- Moscow. Lonely Planet. 2006.
- Moscow, St. Petersburg & the Golden Ring. Masha Nordbye/Odyssey. 2004.
- The Rough Guide to St Petersberg. 2004.
- Russia & Belarus. Lonely Planet. 2006.
- Russia, Belarus & Ukraine. Insight guides. 2005.
- Russia, Ukraine & Belarus. Lonely Planet. 2000.
- Russian Phrasebook. Lonely Planet. 2006.
- Petersburg. Lonely Planet. 2005.
Opinions about Russia from the forums
"The USA saved Russia from Hitler", Mark, USA:
I was in St. Petersburg in 1997 and was shocked by the cold huge buildings. Stalinist style, isn't that what you call it? Ugly. Seeing bullet and bomb damage on the walls, I asked the guide where it came from. She said: “Traces of the war.” I was surprised: what kind of war? I lived in London at one time, but there were no such signs of destruction. What happened in St. Petersburg? Maybe I overslept my history class? I asked for clarification. She confirmed that we are talking about the Second World War. But this no longer holds water - 50 years after the United States saved Russia from Hitler, they could not even clean up the city.
“Without the United States, the whole world would speak German,” Mr. Joseph John Rothengast, North Carolina, USA
We must remember from history that millions of people did not want the United States to enter either the Second world war, nor in the First. If we had not entered the First World War, then maybe everyone would speak German and there would be no democracy in the world ... As for the Second World War, while we were waiting, millions of people died in German camps and the Germans captured most Europe.
"Your country is starving", Tom, Texas
I feel sorry for you. Your country is starving, you have a third-rate army, and your economy doesn't even have its own currency that the rest of the world would recognize. No wonder you're sitting on your ass and yelling at the USA. That's all you can do.
"You should not be biased against the country that saved you from fascism," LeaderOf XMI, Ohio
You shouldn't be so prejudiced against the country that saved you from Nazi domination in World War II and that is constantly helping you.
Russians are ungrateful pigs, Ben Richardson, California
It's hard for me to think about how ungrateful you Russians are to the US. We have helped you a lot last years. We have extended a hand of friendship to your government and people. We have given countless dollars to your government, businessmen, churches and people. America is the greatest country on earth.
Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times
Metro shelter stray dogs and head over heels for lovelorn teenagers, homeless alcoholics and wounded veterans, tourists and dead tired people commuting to and from work. But there is something in the halls that tells the story of Russia itself. This is memorable of the era of the communist regime, when underground palaces with sparkling chandeliers, decorated with mosaics, frescoes, sculptures, were erected for the rows of passengers ...
When I first arrived in Moscow, the summer heat and the crush in the subway almost made me a teetotaller. I couldn't stand the stench of the drunks: the vodka evaporated from their bodies along with their sweat, their wet skin stuck to mine like plastic wrap. But then I saw how young people gallantly jumped to their feet, giving way to old women, or how Russians buried themselves in a book while the train roared through the tunnel, and I realized that it was not so terrible here.
Montse Arevalo, Spain
Doors in the Moscow metro close in a straight line: if they close, then they really close. Even if someone is standing between them.
Frank Hanselman, Holland-Spain
First of all, you must learn to pronounce this word correctly - "myetro" (myetro)! Also, be careful around fragile elderly ladies, they are the most intolerable people In the underground. The first time I was shoved with all my might, I turned around expecting to see a big man, but I came face to face with Granny. Since then, I've been on the lookout.
If you smile at in public places, then according to Russian culture, you are an idiot, so you should stand in the subway with a look that expresses sullenness or extreme aggression. (step))))
Edward Adrian-Vallance, UK
There is a strange sight of grandmothers (babushkas) at the turnstiles in front of the subway entrance. They sit behind walls of transparent plastic in a structure about 2 m high and look at those walking through the "ticket barrier". They are in police uniform. They have short hair and a scowl. Their job is to watch people go through the turnstiles. If they don't like someone, they blow the whistle.
Newcomers to Moscow often note the coldness and hostility of passers-by. But I understood: this is a shield. When you encounter them in life situations, and not in the subway, Russians are cordial and hospitable. In the metro, everyone looks gloomily into space. Only lovers look at each other ... But once I saw a crowd of schoolchildren fly into the car. They laughed, shouted, pushed - for them the trip was an adventure! And then I saw how everyone smiled. I think everyone thought of something good.
Dick Jansen, Netherlands
I was taught to drink beer with dried fish - I have not seen this anywhere. At first I did not want to try because of the terrible look and smell, but then I liked it. Tapping on the table with a roach is very Russian and fun. And a truly national product is a sliced loaf. It is the personification of the country - white, simple, most often not the first freshness, but very tasty.
I have never seen people drink so much tea. Even in the club at 3 am they order tea.
Khishti, USA
Having learned that for Russians going to a restaurant is often associated with a special occasion, I understood why the establishments where we went were often half empty, and when I received the bill, I realized that I myself would now prefer to stay at home.
Thomas Wiede, Germany
Actually none man of sense will not go to the store at two o'clock in the morning for sausage. But ... the number of services that can be provided in Moscow around the clock is impressive. Get a haircut at 23:30, look through books at 2:00 or buy a drill at the construction market at 4:00 - everything is real! :)))))
25 facts about Russia through the eyes of a Canadian
But not everything is as bad as it seems
A Canadian English teacher living in Moscow compiled this curious selection. (note to parts 1 and 2)
- Moscow has the best metro in the world.
- Despite the best subway in the world, there are millions of Muscovites who refuse to ever get on it and spend half their lives in traffic jams.
- Russians use the slightest excuse to treat everyone with chocolate. “Your birthday is in four and a half months? Wow! Chocolate for the whole office!”
- Anyone who speaks a language other than Russian automatically becomes suspicious.
- On New Year, do not be surprised if you are invited at 11:30 pm, drink champagne and cognac until 6 am, eat herring under a fur coat and Olivier salad in the kitchen, and then the celebration continues for another three days.
- The only non-alcoholic zone in Russia is McDonald's.
- A smile for no reason makes Russians angry.
- Borscht, cabbage rolls and pies are actually Ukrainian dishes.
- Russians don't send their elderly parents to nursing homes or send their children out of the house when they turn 18, instead they all live together in the same 1-room apartment.
- Despite the narrow roads and terrible traffic jams, Russians still buy giant SUVs.
- Sushi is more popular in Russia than in Japan.
- In fact, Japan is more popular in Russia than in Japan itself.
- Russians are very friendly if they know you for more than ten minutes. If you have known a Russian for at least a week, you will be invited to his home and introduced to his family.
- Russians are also extremely emotional and passionate people, and although they show no emotion in public, they cry and laugh, scream and play more than Italians.
- Russians care more about the philosophical side of life than the material side, and they have folk song for every situation.
- Most Russians are very superstitious, and superstitions are all the rage among young people.
- Russian passionate lovers, in public places they quarrel like sworn enemies and kiss and hug like porn stars.
- Russians love to criticize their own country, but are terribly offended if a foreigner does it.
- If the cashier did not break anything while scanning your purchases, then this is a good service.
- Russians love McDonald's, KFC, Subway and Burger King more than Americans.
- Russians spoil their children and then expect them to be 18 magically start behaving responsibly.
- Although Russians eat more fast food than people in the West, Russians are still healthier.
- The Russians cannot maneuver by handing the car back. It can take the average Russian driver ten minutes to parallel park.
- Winter in Russia is actually very beautiful and Russians are fantastic winter drivers.
Russians are actually freer than the West; There are fewer laws and social restrictions, and yet the crime rate is lower than in the US or the UK.
Russia through the Eyes of an Emigrant, or Has Something Changed (2010)
Forward to Russia!
For about five years I lived in Germany without a break. It is safe to say that despite double citizenship, for Russia I am now a "foreigner". I received information about it mainly from the Russian-language press and overwhelmingly of a negative nature. Naturally, this suppressed any desire to once again, at least for a short time, go there. Only the approaching anniversaries of my best friends and my son's persistent requests convinced me to "give up."
And now our plane is landing at the Domodedovo airport near Moscow. The more than modest, if not wretched, airport building, which is remembered, is unrecognizable, or rather it does not exist, but instead of it there is a building that is being completed, several times larger, super-modern and already operating. A few minutes of passport control and, despite the construction mess, our things are already spinning on the conveyor, causing me quite natural admiration. But not for long: one of our bags never showed up. Of course, it had the most necessary things! I was reassured by airport employees, they wrote down my address and phone number, the next day they informed me that the bag had not been sent from Düsseldorf, and in the evening they brought the bag itself safe and sound straight home.
It remains in my memory that in Düsseldorf, at check-in, there was a queue, at passport control the official was talking about expired visas, without realizing that they were for permanent residence, until he was shown Ausweiss, and the plane took off with a 15-minute delay, obviously from - for a thorough, but capable of frightening only the layman, inspection: the policeman even checked the soles of his boots with a “squeaker”, but, if I’m not mistaken, it does not react to plastic and liquids - the latest “invention” of terrorists - martyrs.
First Impressions
I’ll make a reservation right away: we are talking about the notorious 101 kilometers, the radius that Soviet authority, at one time, fenced off Moscow from elements that were objectionable to it. In our case, this is Protvino, Serpukhov - the south of the Moscow region.
Construction sites are an indicator of a developing state. A lot of them. But they are not building dull high-rise buildings, but sports complexes, indoor markets, shopping and entertainment complexes, where under one roof there are shops, cafes, cinema halls, discos and much more, working 24 hours a day. From housing - mainly elite cottage villages, and if high-rise buildings, then according to an individual project with increased comfort of apartments. This is not the place to discuss whether this is correct. Let's remember that we have already built Khrushchevs.
You can hardly see the ordinary "Lada" and "Muscovites" on the roads. Basically - foreign cars (and not "firewood", but not at all old ones) and the latest developments of Russian car factories. We are not talking about plagiarism, but offhand it is impossible to distinguish them from foreign cars.
"Found" and their great-grandfathers. Here they are - they are rusting at almost every house, until the issue of their disposal has not been resolved. Hey, entrepreneurs are re-emigrants! Millions of cars and rubles are waiting for you in Russia!
Almost all gas stations have risen to the European level and even “stepped over” it - there are many more of them, and gasoline is 3 times cheaper.
The fields of the former collective farms are mostly not sown: the cost of collective farm agricultural products is an order of magnitude higher than that of imported ones. A few farmer fields abound in crops - another point of application for future remigrants.
In grocery markets, goods are mainly Russian origin, which cannot be said about clothing markets.
The main two Russian troubles remained unchanged.
pensioners
Another indicator of the development of the state is the standard of living of the unprotected segments of the population - pensioners. Officially, the Russian pension is one of the lowest among civilized countries, much lower than the subsistence level, but the paradox of Soviet times, when the refrigerators of citizens were full of food with empty store shelves, works here too: so far not a single Russian pensioner has died of starvation, on the streets do not see exhausted and impoverished elderly people. I was struck by the abundance empty bottles standing near the urns. At one time, vigilant grannies distributed them as soon as we had time to buy beer. The lucky ones patiently waited in the wings.
» Do you not accept bottles? “, I asked on occasion, pointing to the “disgrace” at the urns. “They accept, but there is no one to collect it ...” Cool, even for prosperous Germany. As for the paradox... Relative stability, salary paid on time, a lot of jobs like "watchman", "watchman" (aka security guard) - there is a difference where to sleep: at home for free, or at work for money? You can trade crops from a summer house, an apiary, help in the market ... In a word, do something more worthy than collecting bottles.
Local authorities, as far as possible and the state of the budget, also help. In the Moscow region, for example, travel by bus on a special social map pensioner free.
There is no point in leaving Germany to meet old age in Russia: no one will understand you, and medical care cannot be compared with German.
Colleagues, colleagues
I remember that in the 90s, when the issue of our moving to Germany was being decided, I often heard in my address: “Lucky for people!”, Accompanied by the corresponding glances and sighs. Unfortunately, now, when meeting with former colleagues and colleagues, I could hardly suppress such emotions in myself. Over the past time, when I “steamed” here on the “social” in search of at least some kind of occupation and only three years later I found a job with a salary slightly higher than the “social”, which I was incredibly happy about, they did not strain too much, grew both professionally and financially and socially. Section chiefs have become technical or commercial directors, mechanics have become chief mechanics, locksmiths have become foremen... The city has got money to solve transport problems, they are building subways and tunnels (I have been doing this for over 30 years) sparing no expense. Moreover, we are talking not only about Moscow. A former colleague - partner talked about business trips in Russia, the CIS and even Europe and Asia. It is not customary to hide the salary in Russia: for metro construction workers it is in the region of 50-70 thousand rubles (1.5-2 thousand euros), for engineering and technical workers (engineering and technical workers) - 100 thousand rubles. (about 3 thousand euros) and above.
Let me remind you: the fee for a 3-room apartment is about 3 thousand rubles, travel by bus around the city is 15 rubles. (0.4 euros), to Moscow (more than 100 km) - 120 rubles. (3.5 euros), cigarettes - 0.3 - 0.5 euros a pack, a new "Ford" with home delivery, produced by the St. Petersburg plant - 10 thousand dollars. What struck me the most (here I have already lost the habit of it) is the demand for specialists. Several of my ex-colleagues at work celebrated their 70th birthday! These are not the notorious Soviet "old farts", but quite efficient professionals. My friend celebrated her 65th birthday three times: at her main job, at an additional job and with numerous relatives. She is a widow, lives alone with her mother and jokingly refused the offered financial support.
Do not think that everyone is happy and everyone is happy. Full of dissatisfied. But they are everywhere.
Even in Germany. Almost all of my neighbors are unemployed, they are younger than me and know the language better than me. When I moved here and found a job a month later, they convinced me for another six months that it was useless to look for a job. Here are arguments like: “In the USSR we were fascists, and in Germany we became Russians,” there the oligarchs who plundered Russia are covered in full.
What can you do: someone else must be to blame for all our troubles. We are not to blame for everything...
Home to Germany
Three weeks flew by like one day. Again "Domodedovo". Everything around is under construction, but there are already finished halls. At the registration, except for us - not a single person, passport control is a stamp in the passport, customs - inspection, lo and behold! - gave "good" in just 10 seconds. A round transparent booth, you stand in a certain place, hands on the handrails, a few seconds and you are free. A terrorist - a shahid has nothing to do here - any foreign object will be scanned, whether it is a bag of liquid, or a shahid's belt. What was my surprise when I learned from the newspapers that in Germany a similar device is used in a store for contactless measurements for a clothing buyer. Naive, I thought that only in Russia they hammer nails with a microscope. But that was later, and now we were already flying up to Dusseldorf and outside the window flashed the quarters of Ratingen, here are three multi-colored high-rise buildings- "parrots". For some time - and the smiling faces of children, the laughing faces of grandchildren. And when, the next day, going to work, embracing as if after a long separation from work colleagues, craftsmen who asked how Russland was doing, I finally realized that I was at home!
Resources used:
http://esquire.ru http://interesting-things.ru http://hledamka.com/
Bottles of champagne tied to an air conditioner, a horse team at a gas station, a submarine on the beach, a watermelon cut with a chainsaw, a head-on collision between an ambulance and a police car, and many other facets of Russian ingenuity are extremely striking " flat"Western mindset...
The list of their photo collections about our country, and surprised, and sometimes admiring comments, is almost endless. But at the same time, they have something in common that always catches the eye - selections made by foreigners and their reviews speak mainly about the ingenuity or, at most, the recklessness of the Russians and Russia itself, while rarely having a negative connotation.
You can hardly find nasty photos with corny drunk and dirty people.
"Russian women are cool, especially compared to British women. They also skydive, and ours are afraid to print even a couple of these lines without breaking their plastic nails", - laments the English newspaper The Sun.
"Russian desperate guys, they constantly risk their lives, albeit for the sake of things that we do not understand"- states The Daily Mail.
"These strange Russians are capable of anything, in Russia you can easily see a tow truck taking another tow truck that is towing a car, cold water pours into an electric kettle, in which a hole has been made and already warm water pouring down the sink, or like a police car driving along railroad tracks"- admires the American tabloid.
Such a position and perception of Russia by the inhabitants of the collective West has long been an established norm. And there is nothing strange in this.
We are different, our mentality differs significantly, and it is not uncommon for values to have no intersection points at all. Sometimes it comes to the ridiculous when on the video of the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, in the Novosibirsk experiment with boiling water in a frost of minus forty-seven degrees, when boiling water poured from the seventh floor evaporates before reaching the asphalt - the inhabitants of Austria saw a live fly near the balcony, and immediately wrote that the Russians were so " unstoppable"that they even have the same flies, although some of them stubbornly argued that Russian flies are not flies, but" mosquitoes in sweatshirts".
The British are amazed by Siberians in bikinis riding in 30-degree frost, the American press is terribly impressed by the breadth of the Russian soul, the Germans are stunned by the illogicality, scope and degree, as they call it, of Russian madness, and so on throughout the Western Hemisphere ...
And in general, such definitions are understandable. Everything that does not fit into the patterns and goes beyond the boundaries of the established norms of behavior adopted in the West is called insanity. How else? In addition, this applies not only to you and me, they are also used to labeling each other. To call the British - stiff, arrogant snobs, the Scots - misers, Italians - temperamental, Finns - inhibited, Jews - cunning, Germans - pedantic, Italians - talkers ... But Russians ... Nobody will ever understand Russians, they say, too much in their behavior does not fit into the norm - "these are such psychos" ...
An American will never look for a way out of the current difficult situation himself, just as a German, an Austrian, a Frenchman or a Canadian will not do this - they will stubbornly contact the people or services responsible for this. Call the service, call a tow truck, hire a person specifically responsible for turning television antennas or screwing a screw into a wall.
At the same time, they will convincingly prove that the Russians are more crazy than themselves, and there is no other such country. Although in the end, Americans always add that “ Russia is still cool. If only they were our neighbors instead of this idiotic Canada”.
Especially lately, when news about Russia is constantly flashing on TV screens all over the world. Foreigners simply began to react more often to certain links that say at least something about Russians.
And that's a good thing, if only because good videos, in which Russian drivers remove snow from the brake lights of a car in front, stop in the stream in order to take a grandmother across the road or remove a kitten from the roadway, has now become widespread with headlines in English. After all, this is something that their media does not show, which means it is practically forbidden, which is why it has success all over the world today. What was watched in Russia at least a year ago is now being reposted with the following comment: I "ve Never Seen Anything So Beautiful. This Video From Russia Made The Whole World Cry. A Must Watch!
And Russian ingenuity, again "conquers the Western World"! And the ability of Russians to easily laugh in the face of difficulties and DANGER, and does command deep respect! GENERALIZATION
Much has changed in recent years, the country has changed, turning into a new, Polite Russia, people have changed, loving their Motherland and starting to be proud of it, patriotism has revived, and in the world at this time, despite the frenzied information aggression, the image of Russia is again every day is gaining more and more respect.
This is noticeable even in small things, because all the photographs in the article are exclusively from American, British and Austrian sites, forums, and collections, and the comments of users who have viewed them have a positive color.
Americans are crazy too n_tongue: Challenge breeds excellence... / robin yates: I much prefer Russian crazy because they laugh while they are being crazy ). And so on...
However, of course, there are other collections of this kind, including on English language with the most negative content, they can usually be found on Russian resources, and the people who post them, in nine cases out of ten, are current Ukrainians, Latvians, Poles, and so on, which is extremely unpleasant, since these photos are collections for a Western layman, intentionally contain exclusively drunken Russians of the 90s period, dirt, destroyed houses and indecent awkward moments. However, the Internet has no boundaries, and on one of these forums with intentionally denigrating content, a user from our country named "Tamara" left his comment, I would like to give her comment completely and without changes.
Go to....! You photographed all the hehe .... all that has happened in all the years in Russia! You, all who do this - pi .... ry. Such a "shit" about us! We were the first to fly into space, we invented anesthesia, you will never learn our language and you will not break our will! You won't survive what we've been through! You will choke on your negativity. We don't give up, fools. Our women are the most beautiful, and men are real. And no one will break us.I want to live in Russia! It is a great country!
I will only add that I join what was said above and remind all our ill-wishers the words of the President of Russia:
It often happens that the reputation that a particular city has has a good reason. There is little doubt that Rio's favelas are not the safest place on earth, or that Berlin is a center of world-class youth culture. However, sometimes you just want to look at your native country through the eyes of people who got there for the first time, who managed to see such things in Russia that we ourselves stopped noticing in the turmoil of days.
In this collection you will find several short stories about what foreigners expected from this or that Russian city and what they actually found there.
Moscow
Aaron Kenneth, 21, USA, soon to be an English teacher in Vladimir.
I have always imagined Moscow as a tortured version of New York. I thought that here busy with business businessmen scurry about their business, daring politicians control the development of popular culture, and crowds of crooks roam the streets.
After
I was amazed by the beauty surrounding me, regardless of whether it was a monument to Yuri Gagarin or picturesque boulevards in the area Chistye Prudy. In addition, people in Moscow turned out to be quite kind and helpful, especially in the subway.
Novosibirsk
Jerry Baier, 46, USA, writer, analyst and director of New Directions Study Abroad.
I came to Siberia by train in January. Before, I had heard something about Novosibirsk, but I decided to see the city with my own eyes. To be honest, I expected to see a rather boring, very Soviet city with unfriendly residents and terrible frosts.
After
Needless to say, it was really, really cold. But still, the city itself and the people seemed charming to me. I visited a beautiful cathedral, a museum of the history of the West Siberian Railway and a small art gallery. But most of all I liked the ice town on the embankment of the Ob River, in which several ice slides were installed. Imagine the picture: an adult American fervently rolls down the ice slides with young children in a terrible frost. It's hard to come up with something better.
Nizhny Novgorod
Jerk Verschoor, 37, Netherlands, director of Director Nuffic Neso Russia.
I once read that in Soviet times Nizhny Novgorod was called Gorky and was closed city. I didn’t know anything else about it, except that the city stands on the Volga River and there is a beautiful Kremlin in it.
After
I was seriously impressed - thanks in part to the good weather - to the old part of the city, although it was clear that many of the beautiful old wooden buildings were in need of renovation. But people have been very kind to me, and that, I think, is the most important thing.
Vladivostok
Jonathan Blaisdell, 26, USA, analyst.
All my knowledge about Vladivostok consisted of obscure facts gleaned from the computer game GTA IV.
After
Vladivostok is certainly not a forgotten frontier post in the wilderness. It is above all an enchanting intersection of many Asian cultures. Well, where else can you dine at a North Korean restaurant, sip sake aboard an old Soviet submarine, and enjoy breathtaking views while riding an anti-aircraft gun in an old fortress? In Vladivostok, all this can be done.
Saint Petersburg
Randian Leishon, 29, USA, journalist and administrator at Johns Hopkins University.
The volunteer organization, participating in the activities of which I was supposed to spend the summer, suddenly changed the destination, so I went to the country of white nights and the Cyrillic alphabet, without knowing anything about it.
After
Petersburg so fascinated me that in the end it all ended with the fact that I spent several summer holidays in his teenage years, working in the city. The secluded nooks and crannies have only fueled my obsession with this beautiful city. The city, often called the window to Europe, became the window to the rest of my life.
