Like many other foreigners in Russia, this American experienced a culture shock when he arrived. He still cannot get used to many features of life in Russia, and some continue and continue to amaze him.

It was not mere curiosity that brought the American Alexander to us. Study first. And then love. “We met in St. Petersburg, started dating. And then we really liked each other. My wife's name is Lina.

They recently got married. “And this is the most specific reason that keeps me here. But first I came to study. And now I live, ”Alexander admitted.

First acquaintance with Russia

The American fell into a state of culture shock almost immediately upon arrival in Russia:
“When I moved to Russia, of course, there are a lot of aspects that are not native to me. So it took a long time to get used to it. For example: I spoke Russian, but studied at an American school. There are bureaucratic aspects here, which turned out to be alien to me when it was necessary to make some documents in state institutions. Also cultural aspects that were not in the US.

RUSSIAN APARTMENTS VS. AMERICAN PRIVATE HOUSES

When the documents were finished, all attention turned to living conditions in Moscow:
“The shock is living in an apartment. That is, in a multi-storey building. I lived in my own house, in the suburbs. In English it is called "the suburbs" - outside the city. I'm just used to it, because in America it's normal.

- Did the neighbors surprise you?

Neighbours. Yes, and just living with my parents, also in a two-room apartment - it's difficult for me. I mean, if I wanted to find some privacy [in the US], I could go downstairs in my own house, where there is a place where you can read… I study in another room, I can chat with friends in the basement, because there everything is done as part of the house, that is, there is no warehouse.

It was difficult for me in a small apartment. Yes, it was a shock!

RUSSIAN ROUTES

Public transport in Russia surprises many foreign guests. American Alexander is no exception:

“The minibus is still a shock! Culture on the bus. You can cram a lot of people in a small space. It was a shock for me."
Perhaps the explanation lies in the fact that the broad Russian soul, apparently, is looking for small spaces in order to be closer to each other?

VIOLATIONS AS THE NORM

“Also those little moments when they don't follow the rules of the road, it's a different culture in Philadelphia. Like the Germans: compliance with the laws literally.

In Russia, a small violation is part of the culture, people perceive it as the norm. In America, this is not the norm.

It's not terrible laws, it's not so bad. It's just, apparently, people are used to it, and this is already the norm. But for me at first it was a shock.
I got used to it slowly. In a year, I no longer react in such situations as I used to. I got used to it."

RUSSIAN VILLAGES AND ROADS

Minor violations of Russian motorists were not the last contrast in comparison with sunny Philadelphia:

“I saw Russian villages. We have well-repaired roads outside the city. In Russia, the roads are “fun”, especially outside the city.”

CITIES IN RUSSIA - VILLAGES
Over the past year, Alexander has visited not only Moscow. He was also in St. Petersburg, where, by the way, he met his future wife, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov ... Some of these cities evoked extremely unusual associations for a resident of an American metropolis:

“Maybe these are cities, but they feel like a village. Pereslavl-Zalessky. This is a city located on the Golden Ring. Also Rostov the Great. That is, it is a city, but it still feels like a village. But I really liked it there.

Why does it feel like a village?

It's all about your own home. When I see that there are not so many high-rise buildings, it feels like a village. Because huts, own houses, life goes slowly. Not like in Moscow. It already feels like a village. Maybe it's because I've been living in Moscow for a year, I see a lot of people who are in a hurry somewhere, walking, in a hurry, a lot of cars that go everywhere. The village begins to feel when you see that people are walking slowly, not in a hurry to go anywhere.

WHAT IS BAD IN RUSSIAN
Being the soul of the company in your country, you can find yourself in secondary roles in another. What's the matter?

“I don’t know if this quality is bad or not, in fact, but I don’t like communication in Russia. It's just, maybe my native language is English, the second is Russian. And in English, when you communicate with a person, you say a lot of details, you can explain a lot.

And in Russian, you need to say something quickly and briefly. But it's clear. And sometimes, when I communicate with my wife at home, I can explain something for a long time, because in English this is very important. You give details, and maybe this is due precisely to the language and mentality.

And in Russian, if I don’t say something quickly, I become a bore. So they say. "You're a bore because you talk a lot." You try to put in a lot of details, because it is important for you. Because when you tell something, you convey a part of your soul, a part of yourself. Trying to explain because it's important to you.

And in Russian, you need to quickly, briefly and clearly convey something. And people think you're just wasting their time.

I run into this often."

WHAT IS GOOD IN RUSSIAN
The character of a Russian person is a special topic. Because it is in the character that the American Alexander sees one of the most positive features of the Russian nationality:

“A Russian person slowly gets used to a person, he does not immediately say his personal views on life or opinion. But when he opens up, gets used to you, already considers you a friend, then the person remains a friend forever. Americans don't have that kind of spirituality. Russian gives part of himself. You rarely see this in America. When a Russian person calls you a friend, it means he is your friend to the end.

Briefly about the hero:
Alexander, 25 years old, Philadelphia. Lives in Russia for 1 year. Student.
For what purpose did you come?
I came here to study.
I also dated a girl from Russia for a long time. We met in St. Petersburg. We got married not too long ago. This is the most specific reason that keeps me here. But first I came to study. And now I live.

And what brought you to St. Petersburg?
I have a friend - we studied together in America, he is from St. Petersburg. I came to visit him.
Since my parents are also from the former USSR ...

My mother is from Kyiv, and my stepfather, who raised me from the age of 5, is from Tbilisi, Georgia.

How did you end up in the USA?
Mom left in 1979, when the borders were opened for Jews. My stepfather arrived in the 90s. And they met in America.
In the USA, I communicated with my parents in Russian. We also have 160,000 Russian speakers in Philadelphia. There are Russian newspapers, organizations. Some schools teach Russian.

These are entire areas in Philadelphia where they communicate in Russian.

The first glance is always the most “unblurred”.

About ten years ago, I first flew to another continent, namely the United States. What surprised me this country from the first days of my stay in it? Yes, sometimes it never ceases to amaze to this day. And we must pay tribute to the fact that in this country there are more positive emotions and facts to be surprised than negative ones, but the latter, in my opinion, also exist.

My first flight to the US was with a layover in Atlanta. From the very first steps, I was struck by an airport of enormous size, from the runways of which numerous planes take off and land at minute intervals. In one of the halls of the airport they saw a large black piano. The keys themselves were pressed, beautiful music sounded, and ... without a pianist! I froze in surprise and for a long time could not take my eyes off such a piano.

Then I already found out that in 2007 the airport named after. Hartsfield-Jackson became the busiest passenger airport in the world, with 89.4 million passengers a year. For comparison, this figure for Domodedovo Airport (Moscow) is about 30 million people, for George Bush Airport in Houston - 45 million people.

The airport in Houston is always crowded with cars and buses, they come one after another, but to my surprise, I do not choke on exhaust fumes and the smell of gasoline. Later, I was convinced of this a few more times. Once I was going to walk with my granddaughter in the courtyard of the house, but I heard a tractor working in the neighboring area. A house was being built there and a tractor was leveling the land. Out of habit, I wanted to refuse to walk, being afraid of gas contamination, but just in case, I stuck my nose out into the yard. No matter how much I sniffed, I did not feel the smell of gases from a working tractor, and this again surprised me. Then she stopped being surprised, deciding for herself that this was probably because gasoline in the USA is different, of better quality.

My next surprise was about the price of gasoline, which is directly dependent on the price of oil. Oil prices are falling, and gasoline, respectively, too. In Russia, gasoline prices are always rising.

Another pleasant surprise was the multi-lane roads with multiple interchanges with a clear separation from the oncoming lane and underground traffic light controls at junctions with secondary roads.

Houston was struck by the absence of people walking on the sidewalks. The streets are practically empty during the day, and this was an unexpectedly new phenomenon for me. It turns out that Houston was originally conceived as a city for motorists, not for pedestrians. And in this city, if the right store is opposite, but on the other side of the highway, you will never get into it directly. There are areas where there are no sidewalks at all. But on the other hand, in all retail outlets, in museums, in cinemas and theaters, in institutions, there are ramps and elevators for people moving in wheelchairs.

In Russian stores, usually at the checkout, when issuing purchases, they ask: “Do you need a package?” and if the answer is yes, they charge a fee for it. A completely different approach in US stores. It would never occur to anyone to ask such a stupid question; at the checkout, purchases are immediately placed in large branded bags without paying for them. I won’t say that this surprised me very much, I knew from Europe, but nevertheless, the difference in this regard from Russia caught my eye.

From the very first days in the USA, I was struck by the large number of toilets in public places, moreover, free of charge. In Russia, in large supermarkets, toilets are also free, but in parks, on the streets, on highways, as a rule, they are paid.

But the strongest impression on me was made by the fact that my Russian friends still do not believe: the absence of dust in houses and apartments. I “fight dust” in Russia once a week: I wipe window sills, shelves, paintings, polished tables ... Although you can do this every other day, since the dust comes from no one knows where. And if you shake a blanket against the background of a sunbeam, you will see a lot of small dust particles. In the USA, don't shake the blanket - you won't see any dust in the sun. No dust and that's it. And cleaning from dust can be done once a quarter, or even less often.

Another incident struck me. From the car, we saw an art dealer right on the side of the road. One painting intrigued me, and we turned into a nearby gas station to approach the art dealer. We bargained, he dropped the price and ... withdrew the required amount from our card with the issuance of a check to us on a special device. This is where I was completely blown away. Street vendor - and a check in hand, everything is as it should be !!!

Later, I was struck by electronic ballot boxes on a university campus. The garbage containers are equipped with hidden sensors that record the amount of garbage in them. At the same time, the garbage is compacted to certain limits, and the signals are sent to the central base, where they are processed and it is determined where and when to send the garbage trucks.

In Russia, in 2014, a project of "smart" garbage containers was developed at Kazan University on the basis of the American corporation Cisco. If their implementation is carried out, the city will be much cleaner.

As a doctor, I was surprised by the attitude of pediatricians towards babies. In the United States, it is not customary to exercise home control over a newborn child, the so-called patronage. Parents put the baby in a special car seat and take it to the doctor, where, while waiting for an appointment, he comes into contact with other children, including sick ones.

In Russia, a doctor visits a child at home, moreover, it is believed that in a sitting position, such babies will get a curvature of the spine at an early age, so they try not to plant children less than three months from birth. Patronage is carried out free of charge at the address of actual residence, regardless of registration and the presence of a medical policy.

After discharge from the maternity hospital, information about the child is transferred to the children's clinic.

In the first ten days of a child's life, the local pediatrician or patronage nurse should come daily. The next visits fall on the 14th and 21st day of the newborn's life. On weekends and holidays, the doctor on duty at the children's clinic may come.

My worldly opinion is this: if in the United States medical care was available to all segments of society and free of charge, and if doctors visited the sick at home in the first days of illness, and if there were no problems with insurance companies to pay for certain medical procedures, then the US could be called one of the best countries in the world to live in.

Irina Kinger,

This is a story about how a Russian woman, who left for the States a long time ago, suddenly decided to return to her native Moscow. To Russia, one way. It turns out that culture shock can also be experienced from the Motherland, especially if you have not been there for a long time. And again become Russian - "from scratch". Diana Abroskina says:

Whether it's to the next street, or across the country, any move will always be hectic and exciting. For me, moving has always been a joyful event that opens up new opportunities and brings a variety of changes to my life.

Getting used to the neighborhood, exploring nearby supermarkets and cafes, meeting new people and feeling newfound freedom are experiences that will surely enrich your world.

However, the most exciting change comes when you leave your comfort zone when you decide to travel the world.

I have spent most of my adult life in the USA. However, one summer day, I found myself at John F. Kennedy Airport with three huge suitcases and a one-way ticket to Moscow.

I haven't been to Russia for so long that I managed to fully absorb the American way of thinking and way of life. I flew back to my homeland feeling more like a foreigner than a citizen.

Becoming Russian again, starting almost from scratch, is an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything.

During this adventure - returning to my homeland, I had to get rid of some American habits that were already imprinted on an unconscious level. With habits that made up my daily life.

But mostly, I had to change the way I perceive the world around me.

1. Drink unlimited good coffee

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find a good coffee shop in Russia, even in Moscow. When I lived in New York and traveled around California and other states, I got used to the fact that there is a coffee shop on every corner, with all kinds of coffee from all over the world.

In Russia, it is difficult to find a coffeeshop where you can spend the evening and drink good natural coffee. And, the farther from the western part of the country, the less coffee tastes like coffee.

2. Yoga

Yoga is a relatively new activity in Russia. Those types of yoga that I saw can be divided into 2 types. The first of these is the spiritual practice of Hindu yoga, where Kundalini yoga focuses on opening and clearing the chakras.

The second type is physical exercises from yoga, you can sign up for such classes at a local gym. Women who are usually obsessed with aerobics go there to lose weight. Vinyasa, Ashtanga and Bikram, so popular in the US, are practically non-existent in Russia.

Here, people still prefer to work in the gym than spend time on proper breathing and asanas.

Practicing yoga in America involves a certain lifestyle, eating pure organic food, being peaceful and focused, wearing special Lululemon yoga clothes, and drinking coconut water before practicing yoga.

I enjoyed this way of life and I really missed it in Russia.

3. Get together often with friends

If you are over 25 years old and still not married / not married, you can forget about trips to the club with your girlfriends. 90% of them are already married or in a committed relationship.

They won't go anywhere with you Friday night or Sunday brunch.

The family for a Russian person is the most important thing that is not bad, but some Russian women literally do not have time for their friends. On weekends they clean, cook and spend time with their children and husbands; girlfriends last.

I moved to the USA right after university, and when I returned, all my friends from school and university were already married and had children. Someone even had two children, someone managed to get a divorce and get married again. I realized that I was very behind them in terms of family life.

4. Taxi

What's going on with taxis in Russia?! In New York, we have the privilege of taking a taxi to any convenient place, just by raising our hand, and it costs a penny.

But in Moscow, you need to call a taxi in advance (which means you should always have a charged phone with you), wait until he gets to you (if you don’t know or can’t explain - your problems) and then the taxi driver himself invents the price (this is a scam).

Taxis are very expensive, especially on Fridays and Saturdays, and most likely taxi drivers will try to swindle you to charge you even more money.

5. Happy hours

When I asked my colleagues what good places to go to during happy hour here, they looked at me with expressions of complete bewilderment.

There is no happy hour here. Russia has a completely different mentality. After work, people immediately rush home to cook dinner and be with their families; they can afford to drink with colleagues only at special events and corporate parties. Boredom!

6. Constantly see people of different nationalities

I am a super social person and I have a lot of good friends from all over the globe. I'm proud of it.

In the USA, I got used to seeing people of various nationalities every day. I enjoy watching mixed (interracial) couples, with mixed children, immigrants talking about their journey to the American dream. Russia, however, is not so colorful.

Russians are white people. Although, now, more and more often you can meet immigrants from the former Soviet republics who come to Russia to fulfill their "American" dreams.

However, I would like to meet more people of different nationalities in order to enliven the atmosphere and expand their views.

7. Smile

A smile is a necessary attribute for Americans. They try to smile all the time, even when they are sad. I don't see anything wrong with constantly seeing smiles around you. It's great: to be friendly and polite with people around you - but not in Russia.

Estonian about Russia: We produce bunkers to escape Russian aggression

Maybe because of the climate, maybe because of the quality of life, Russians tend to hide their emotions behind stern facial expressions and rarely smile.

When I arrived in Moscow, I automatically continued to smile right and left for the first weeks, until I began to notice misunderstanding and sidelong glances in my direction.

People don't understand why you're smiling and they think there's something wrong with you. If you do not want to seem crazy, then it is better not to bare your teeth in all directions if you are going to Russia.

8. Go to restaurants

In Russia, eating outside is a big problem. It was very difficult for me to find a good restaurant there.

Of course, branches of world-famous fast foods are open here, such as McDonald's, Burger King, KFS, etc., but if you want to taste real Indian Cuban or Chinese cuisine, you have to be content with a parody, and even with inflated prices.

In Russia, I developed the habit of cooking at home. At least I know what products I need and if they are past their expiration date.

9. Talk loudly

Americans love to speak loudly. I attribute this habit to the feeling of freedom and comfort in my country and the lack of desire to pay attention to what people around think. In Russia, speaking loudly is a sign of pomposity and sounds like "show off", especially when practiced in public places.

Here people do not like extra ears, as if someone is spying on them. Who knows? However, watch your language.

10. Affordable regular shopping

If you are a shopaholic and a lover of branded clothing, Russia is not the best place for you. Clothes, shoes and accessories here are two, if not three times more expensive than in Europe (not to mention the US).

Be prepared to forgo casual shopping at the mall after work to treat yourself to a pair of new jeans. Russians go shopping rarely (of course, depending on their financial situation) and practically.

My advice: bring as many clothes as you can. Shopping here is expensive.

First, I want to say that I was going to leave Russia even when I did not meet my husband, only not to America, but to France. Courses were already found at the University, I knew where I would live, what to do. There was only one thing left - to pack up and go.

I am writing all this to the fact that I already seemed to be ready to leave my homeland, I was tired of living there. And therefore, when, as a result, I left for America, I was simply sure that someone, but not I, would miss Russia. I did not take any books or cassettes with Russian music with me. Only for my daughter I tried to take as many books and cassettes as possible, but even then only because she cannot live a day without it.

And then there is culture shock with nervous breakdowns, insomnia at night and terrible sleepiness during the day, someone gains weight. Sometimes, for no reason at all, you want to hide in a corner and cry quietly, without even knowing why. Or eat non-stop everything. Or everything and everything around is insanely annoying - you don’t want to see or hear anyone. To be honest, I only found out about this here ...

When I was just going to America, my husband asked me so gently if I like to stay at home, if I will be bored ... I was sure that I love, and there will always be things to do.

And so our life began here.

My husband left for work at 7 am and returned around 6 pm, tired and unable to even talk...

We tried to walk around the area, but our whole village was as if extinct, not a single living soul ... There was a swimming pool not far from us, but it was closed for the autumn-winter season and a small playground, which for some reason proudly called the park .. Even with a strong desire, one could take a walk to a tiny shop under the surprised looks from cars ...

There were only two threads for communication with the world - a telephone and a computer. I called home as often as she could, and my mother sent me parcels with everything that suddenly became necessary for me here (books, cassettes with Russian music, CDs, some of my favorite little things, etc.).

I was very lucky that one day I found a link to a club for women living with families abroad. Here I found friends, support, similar problems, answers to many questions. I could talk about my emotions and saw that they understood me, as many had or went through the same feelings.

Then we began to go sometimes to a Russian store, where you could buy some Russian products that are not available in ordinary supermarkets here.

Start driving a car ... But for this they must be 2 per family.

At first, when I arrived, my husband tried to put pressure on me, he wanted me to quickly master his car. Several times I even drove on the highway (highway), but then something broke inside me, and I became terribly afraid to drive. Maybe it was my pregnancy, I don't know. Maybe all together.

I drove a car in Russia, but here I am just now slowly starting to drive on the roads, and then only in our small town.

They are also advised to start attending, for example, English language courses. I know it helps a lot of people. But I could not afford it, during the day my husband was at work, and in the evening my daughter, she was then 3 years old, categorically did not want to let me go anywhere. But you can also understand her, she did not know the language, there were strangers around, a new house.

What if you find a job?

One of my friends almost immediately went to work as soon as she arrived in the USA. Moreover, she works in the same company as in Russia. But if in Russia she loved her work very much, then she goes here only to earn money. She is annoyed by most of the American women who surround her during the working day.

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2 What not to do in the USA Prohibitions in the USA Why you will be fined in America
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3 How to get to America Work in the USA Study in the USA Visas to the USA Illegals in the USA
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4 What to do before and after moving to the USA What documents to collect Obtaining rights
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