Cultural Observations

One of the several reasons to study abroad is to experience a different culture, to immerse oneself in something entirely new, and improve one's global perspective.

After almost eight weeks living in Russia, I have noticed a multitude of cultural differences between my host country and my home country. Some differences are good, some are intriguing, and some take getting used to.

As my friends and I have begun to long for home over the past few weeks, we have talked a lot about the cultural differences we have experienced. We are making observations about the different lifestyles, but observations sometimes turn into complaints or longing. There is a lot of stuff that I miss about the States; family, friends, my own bed, but there are little things too that one would not normally think of. As we discuss, I take note of the cultural differences we have experienced, and thought I would share some of them on my blog. Please keep in mind that these observations are from a biased point of view. I have only lived in one Russian city for two months, and I do not know how all Russians live. However, the anecdotes below are from my experiences and I have tried to include both the good and the bad. A lot of these observations are a collection of things discussed with other students from the program and are based off of combined experiences. So, I welcome you to take a little peek into the everyday lifestyle of some Russians.

Meal at Carl's Jr.
Although I had to pay for the Ketchup, it is the one
spot in town that has free ice and unlimited refills.

Restaurants - The restaurant industry and culture is relatively new in Russia. In 1990, the first McDonald's opened in the Soviet Union, and people waited in line for hours to get their first glimpse, and bite, of American culture. Due to the wage system in Russia, tips are low and service is slow. The staff is usually friendly, but, in comparison to American servers who will do anything for a good tip, one's server is not very attentive. It takes forever to get your check, and it all comes on one bill, so no separate checks for the group of eight. Meals for Russians are events. Russians can spend hours in a restaurant, eating several courses and enjoying the conversation and company. Partly due to this, meals do not always come out at the same time. One person will get their meal, then five minutes later someone else's meal will make an appearance, and five minutes later another dish comes out. Nonetheless, I have been able to try several kinds of food and experience many types of Russian restaurants. Although you can spend a lot of time at a restaurant, if you plan accordingly, it can be nice to sit and relax for a while just chatting with friends after a long day of sight seeing.

Drinks  - This warrants a category of its own, because it is probably one of the little things I miss the most about the States. For starters, you cannot drink the water. One must drink bottled water, or go through several stages of purifying the water. That in itself is not a big deal, but the lack of water factors into water at restaurants. In Russia, there is no such thing as free water. Anywhere. Getting a bottle of water costs more than getting a bottle of pop. I spent $5 at a restaurant the other day on one bottle of water. And all drinks ordered anywhere come in an unopened bottle with a glass. And no free refills either. Also, ice is a rarity in Russia. I am definitely ready to order a tall glass of ice and a pitcher of water at the first restaurant I go to back home.

Even the Mexican food lacks a kick!

Spice - Many Russian dishes lack an amount of spice or flavoring. Salt, pepper, and dill seem to be the staple here. Mayonnaise can be put on quite a lot of things. However, when cooking, not a lot of spices are used. I could gladly go for some ranch or barbecue sauce sometimes. The chicken, potatoes, noodles, you name, it all come plain with no added kick. It also seems that Russians cannot handle the heat when it comes to spices. Anything with a little bit of heat is marked on restaurant menus. The server at the Mexican restaurant pointed out the "hot" salsa to us, although it turned out to be pretty mild. There is not a lot of kick or spice to many dishes, but I have learned to appreciate the basic things and have learned to eat more of my vegetables. I use the vegetables with my dinner to "dress up" the rest of my dinner and have one lovely combo of fresh food in almost every bite.

Freshness - There is a lot of fresh produce in Russia.  At every meal my host mom serves me, we have a salad consisting of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. An entire shelf in her refrigerator is full of cucumbers from the dacha. There are a ton of fresh berries in the fridge and the occasional melon. On several street corners, you can find little stands with ladies selling fresh fruit and vegetables.

Milk - In Russia, most of the milk is sold in bags, not plastic cartons. I just find it amusing, and thought I would enlighten everyone on the milk situation in Russia. To me, milk in a bag sounds funny. Several host moms will not let their students pour their own milk for fear that we cannot handle milk in a bag. The milk percentage is also a lot higher in Russian than in the U.S. There is currently a bag of 2.5% milk in my host mom's fridge; early this week it was 3.5%.

Laundry - Most Russian families have a washer, but no dryer. Instead, they choose to do laundry the semi-old fashioned way and hang it out to dry. Most families have places in their homes on which to lay out clothes to dry, rather than hanging them out on a clothes line for all to see. It also seems to me that Russians do not use fabric softener. I know that a lot of our clothes come out starchy and we long for a bottle of Snuggles or Bounce.

Bathrooms - In Russia, there is the toilet and there is the bathroom. Two separate rooms. The toilet is a little room with just the toilet in it. The bathroom contains the sink and the tub. And sometimes, the bathroom is in the kitchen. All apartments are set up differently, but fortunately for me, the bathroom is not in the kitchen. The two separate rooms thing has taken some getting used to, mainly just remembering to turn on and off the lights multiple times. I personally see no particular benefit for having two separate rooms, but the reasoning is for cleanliness.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban in Russian

House Slippers - Russian women take pride in their household and try to keep it clean as much as possible. Walking about the city all day long and riding the metro are dirty tasks, and when you arrive home you have brought all of that dirt along with you. In order to remedy part of that situation, when you arrive home there are two things you must do before anything else. First, you must take off your jacket and shoes. However, you cannot walk around in your socks or bare feet, cleanliness and old superstitions play a factor in this. So, every person has their own pair of house slippers. You wear them around in the house, and you leave them by the door when you are out. After you have disposed of your dirty outer wear, you go straight to the sink and wash your hands. Again, it is a grimy world out there, particularly that metro. (Actually, program students have decided that the metro is pretty clean and nice in comparison to other metros, especially in NYC.) After you have your house slippers and clean hands, you are free to go about your business in the apartment. A lot of Russians also change their clothes as well, having their own house clothes. If you are guest in the house, no worries! Most families tend to have a few extra pairs of house slippers lying about just for you! My favorite thing about the slippers, however, is that they let you know who is home and who is away. House slippers are the less sophisticated muggle equivalent of Mrs. Weasley's kitchen clock.