How foreigners think about Russians. Traditions in Russia. Russians are illiterate and illiterate

In August of this year, presentations of the Ukrainian translation of the book took place in Lviv and Kyiv ( In addition to Ukrainian, this book has been translated into 10 more languages) by Finnish journalist Anna-Leni Lauren “They have something wrong with their heads, these Russians.” Its author lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg for four years, working as a special correspondent for the YLE TV channel, which allowed her to become deeply acquainted not only with the official life of our country, but also with the culture, relationships of people and partly our history.

Although our book was published back in December 2009, its presentation caused a stir among our neighbors. new wave interest in Russia as well. Initially, after its publication, the work received rather contradictory reviews from both critics and readers: from the opinion that the Finnish journalist “could not have more accurately noticed all the national characteristics of the Russians,” to “the author is somehow offended by Russia.” So now, publications have appeared in the media, giving the impression that the book is a kind of collection of Russophobic myths and ideas in the eyes of Europeans.

The Free Press correspondent decided to personally find out how the author’s declarations of love for Russia are combined with similar views. What impression does a Western European, a person with a completely different type of upbringing, culture and history, have about our country after he has lived in our society for several years? The result was completely unexpected.

The book can be roughly divided into several blocks:

About relationships between men and women

A significant part of the work is devoted to Russian men, women and their relationships. “Russian women have that charm that sharply distinguishes them from other women, especially Scandinavian ones. This quality can lead foreign men to complete delight. Especially Scandinavian men. My Finnish male friends almost broke their necks when they visited me in Moscow: there are too many stylishly dressed girls of marriageable age here, you can look at them all the time.”

“My Russian friends talk very little about sex. The bed exploits of husbands and boyfriends are not a topic of discussion among (Russian) girlfriends to the same extent as, for example, in Finland. An unsolvable mystery: why do Russian women spend so much energy on looking sexy, but never talk about sex?.. Some argue that Russian women dress like prostitutes. This is not true. It happens differently here... I have never seen shorter skirts than in Moscow. It is quite natural that in a country of extremes there should be many girls who believe that a skirt should barely cover their panties. Even at sub-zero temperatures.”

As perhaps the main problem of the female sex, the author describes the difficulties of finding a man who: a) does not drink, b) has a job and c) is not married. “In Russia there is an excess of beautiful, well-educated, competent women - and a shortage of working men who don’t drink.”

Against this background, the journalist is especially outraged by the inequality between the sexes: “Russian society demonstrates male chauvinism very openly and persistently. For example, it is normal to write job advertisements as follows: “Secretary required, female, under 25 years old, height not lower than 175 cm.”

But, despite their selfishness, in her opinion, Russian men perceive a woman as a being of a higher order. “Women are generally considered more cultured, educated and sophisticated than men - even though they are at the same time emotional and weak, and therefore cannot be trusted with responsible matters.” Russian men are so gallant that the author had to get used to holding the door for her, paying her for a cup of coffee, or helping her put heavy bags on a shelf, without any intention of having an affair with her. After such treatment in our country, a foreigner involuntarily begins to perceive the inhabitants of Scandinavia as uncouth barbarians.

But to believe that men in Russia always dominate in everything is a deep misconception. The weaker sex only pretends to be so, but in fact deliberately makes men feel their own significance and importance, while they have long reached the heights of manipulating Russian men and achieve their goals by cunning. “Life becomes easier if you at least maintain the idea of yourself as weak, helpless and in need of male care.” And in general, if not for Russian women, Russia would have gone to the bottom long ago."

In general, the Finnish journalist concludes, both men and women are satisfied with their position and role in society, so there is no basis for feminism in our country.

About Russian culture

In world cinema and the media, Russians are often presented not in their best appearance. In this matter, Anna-Leni Lauren's book is a rare exception. The Finnish journalist often talks with such delight about the high cultural level of Russian people that she involuntarily takes pride:

“In Russia, culture, poetry and literature are built into life. This is not a stereotype, but the absolute truth that everyone reads Pushkin at school and, moreover, the majority are able to quote him. And not only Pushkin - Russian literature is such an important subject at school that most of my Russian peers know all the major classics and quote Nekrasov or Blok with all their might. This applies not only to those who are interested in culture, but also to those who have not opened a book since leaving school.”

The author writes about the amazement she felt when on one of the TV channels she saw how the program was discussing the character of Darling from Chekhov’s novel: “I was amazed that the Russians still live so much in their classics that a discussion of the character created by Chekhov in the 19th century can awaken such passions."

“Russian culture is infinitely rich and life-giving. Her contribution to world literature invaluable. I am sure that one of the reasons for this is collectivism. It creates a society where the same works are read by a sufficiently large number of people, thanks to which a lively discussion arises around literature. Classics in Russia are real classics, and not something that exists only in an encyclopedia: people actually read their works. This gives them more weight than many Western classics.”

“Moscow is full of kiosks called “Theater Box Office”... such a system only works in a country like Russia, where the interest in culture is so great that it makes sense to cover the entire city with a network of theater kiosks.”

She is also amazed at the sincerity with which Russian people are interested in each other’s lives, the depth of feelings and emotionality of the Russian person.

“Russians talk about life, about love and death, about friends and enemies, family and friends, about war, violence and horror, about literature, poetry and ghosts, about fires, disasters and Chinese mythology. They never talk about mundane things. They are always passionate and captivated by the topic of conversation.

“First of all, they are very curious. If you are the only Finn at the table, prepare to be bombarded with questions. What is the secret of the Mannerheim line? Why do you speak Swedish, you were born in Finland? Why is everything so quiet, calm and well organized in Finland? Why are your roads so smooth? How great it is that Finland decided not to join NATO! We know, of course, that we started the Winter War, but the next war was your mistake!”

Much attention is paid to collectivism, which, according to the journalist, is inherent in Russian people. Have you decided to have a picnic and barbecue? So it doesn’t matter that it’s raining and cold - the main thing is that everyone is together! Have you decided to get from one end of the city to the other? It doesn’t matter that it’s three times longer - the main thing is that we’ll stay together longer! Have you decided to see the sights of the city? It doesn’t matter that we can’t decide where to go and we only visit one place a day - the main thing is that everyone is together and everyone is happy!

But our culture, according to the journalist, has another side.

“Russia is the promised land of materialism. Most young Russians have almost no memory of socialism, but the thirst for things that were previously unattainable seems to have been inherited.”

Moscow is a city in highest degree unsentimental. Everyone is only focused on how to make more money. People here are concerned with the issue of survival, because... Russia favors only the strong, and throws the weak to the very bottom of life. In this race, "New Yorkers nervously smoke on the sidelines."

The author also does not ignore the problem of alcoholism in our country. She calls it the main reason why Russian men live on average 59 years (while women live 73). What’s surprising is that even here, with all the negative social phenomena which this vice actually causes, the Finnish journalist speaks about it in a positive way:

“At the end of the week, groups of teenagers drinking beer are often found in parks... In these groups of teenagers, they often drink beer or vodka with juice from plastic cups. Although Russian teenagers are very willing to drink alcohol, I rarely see them behave as wildly when drunk as, for example, their peers from Helsinki. Drunk teenagers staggering around the city center and urinating in the middle of the street is a fairly common sight on a Friday or Saturday evening in almost any average Finnish city. Russian teenagers are not at all interested in aggressively yelling, throwing bottles, or relieving themselves on the sidewalk. Instead, they often sit side by side, playing the guitar and singing. For me, their good manners are simply striking.

I believe there is only one reason for this: the centuries-old culture of drinking vodka in Russia. We are talking about culture, nothing more and nothing less. Absolutely everyone knows how to behave during a feast and on a park bench, because people gather to drink and have fun together, with an emphasis on “together.” Collectivist Russian culture wins a convincing victory over individualistic Finnish culture, as well as over this depressive way of drinking alone."

About the Soviet past and World War II

One of the reasons is the entire chapter “Victory Day”. Mrs. Lauren herself repeatedly emphasizes that this holiday occupies a huge place in the consciousness of the Russian people, she even admires it, but at the same time she assesses the significance of the feat of victory of the Soviet people in World War II completely differently:

“I am often sad that on Victory Day there is a feeling of some kind of mass psychosis and the only goal is to glorify the military power of the Soviet Union. Understanding what turned out to be Eastern Europe victory of the Soviet Union, no. There is also no understanding that many of those twenty-seven million who sacrificed themselves during the war died in vain, since the leadership did not care about losses. There is only a vague but persistent idea of belonging to the people who saved Europe from evil and suffering.”

“Victory Day is surrounded by lies, which are felt the more acutely the more pompous the events. After all, it was the Second World War that demonstrated the weakness of the Soviet leadership. Moscow managed to survive only thanks to several competent generals and almost limitless human resources: soldiers who died at the front were simply replaced with new ones. The Soviet leadership sent millions of soldiers to the front as cannon fodder - without training, without sufficient weapons, ammunition and decent uniforms. During the war, between 20 and 30 million Soviet citizens died - this exceeds the losses of all states participating in the war. The vast majority of these losses were not caused by any natural necessity - they were caused solely by incompetence.

It is impossible to imagine all the troubles that communism brought to Russia; In short, we can say this: communism destroyed Russian society and the Russian economy. This is the main reason why Finland now lives much better than Russia, although communism collapsed in Russia back in 1991. But the Russians never fully realized this."

Probably, it is in this chapter that the watershed that draws a clear boundary between Russian people and Europeans becomes obvious. There is probably no other area of world history in which more copies have been broken than the Second World War. So just a week ago, the European Parliament decided to annually celebrate August 23 as the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Totalitarianism. Soon the United States published a statement in which responsibility for the outbreak of World War II was placed on the USSR. It was on this date that the non-aggression agreement “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact” was concluded between the USSR and Germany. The fact that a year earlier a similar document was signed between Great Britain and Germany, the Munich Agreement, is not taken into account in Europe. The ideologization of the issue to the detriment of the actual facts of history can cause few doubts.

You can write a lot about the controversial statements and assessments of the author on the issue of the victory of the USSR in World War II and about his frank attempts to present communism as worse than fascism, but this is a separate topic for another article.

Officials, power, bureaucracy

Talking about the system state power in Russia, a Finnish journalist points out its vices, which are so familiar to Russian people, and is also amazed at how much officials and law enforcement officers are not respected in our country.

“Today's Russia has more state and municipal employees than at any time since the fall of the Soviet Union. A third of the total working population—25 million people—is employed in the state or municipal service. The result could and was only one thing: corruption is more entrenched than ever, and the simplest matter that needs to be resolved with state or municipal authorities turns into paperwork, effectively thwarting Russian attempts to comply with the law. Why obey stupid rules if they only exist to give office rats something to do?”

According to the author, our government (which it does not call anything other than “Putin’s regime”) created an army of officials solely for the purpose of establishing total control over the population in order to exclude any threat to itself from it.

This also explains the extremely brutal reaction of the authorities to any speech by the opposition, which, according to the journalist, enjoys almost no support from the broad masses in our country. But these clumsy actions only lead to the opposite result - increased attention from the world community: “Soon it could be stated that the number of journalists at the demonstrations was approaching the number of demonstrators. It looked a little absurd. If the Kremlin allowed the demonstrators to rally quietly, Western journalists would gradually lose interest in them, but now it has become a matter of honor for all loyal correspondents from Europe, the USA and Japan to be present at any speech by dissidents.”

From the book it turns out that Russians live under Putin’s regime, which is so authoritarian (if not totalitarian) that any action undesirable to the authorities can land a person behind bars.

In general, from the description of the authorities in Russia, one gets the impression that it is engaged in the implementation of only a few functions: a) extorting as much as possible more money from ordinary people; b) creating for him as much as possible more obstacles in the implementation of life activities; c) exercising total control over him. But despite this, a paradoxical statement is made: “ Middle class in Russia is constantly increasing, more and more people are coming to prosperity thanks to normal work.”

Since, according to the Finnish journalist, in Russia any representative of power is almost an enemy common people, then “Any Russian knows that rules do not exist for the common good; they are meaningless inventions of petty bureaucrats. The usual Scandinavian idea of a moral imperative that forces one to follow the law does not exist in Russia.

There are no moral imperatives - just different ways to survive in an unreliable, unjust and unpredictable society. Therefore, the Russians, making their way in a stormy sea public life, do not even think about the common good. They think only about the good of themselves and their loved ones."

Looking at the relationship between government officials and ordinary citizens, Mrs. Lauren tries to understand how it is that he mostly supports her:

“Russians adore Putin because he does not condemn Soviet history. The communist regime killed at least 120 million people: during the mass famine on the Volga and Ukraine, dispossession and forced collectivization of the 1920s, and the Great Terror unleashed by Stalin in the 1930s. Not to mention the horrendous number of completely unnecessary casualties during World War II, which were caused by the incompetence of the leadership. But many Russians are still reluctant to condemn the Soviet legacy. It’s surprising, but it’s true.”

“And yet the Russians chose this path. As a journalist, I have a responsibility to be critical of what I see. But I can’t work in this country constantly asking the question: why don’t they act like us? Why aren't they like us?

We don't want Russians to like Putin. But they persist in their love. We believe that the Russians should organize an orange revolution and overthrow the Kremlin government. They want to maintain the current regime for the sake of peace in society. We believe that Russian women should think more about equality and less about how to please men. But they stick to the latter."

But like a real journalist, the author concludes: “One thing, at least, is a fact: Russia is not like us. Russia will never become like us. And our attempts to understand Russia solely from our Western point of view will lead us nowhere.”

The Free Press correspondent talked to editor-in-chief of the portal InoSMI.ru Marina Pustylnik:

— Naturally, certain stereotypes are present and promoted. There is a very widespread opinion that Russians are “terrible on the outside, kind inside”: everyone walks on the streets gloomy, and no one will ever help you until they recognize you. But once you get to know them better, Russians reveal the full breadth of their souls. It cannot be said that this idea is literally popularized, but when material about Russian society or travel notes, such a representation is almost always present.

“SP” - Today in the Western media and cinema one can notice two opposing images of the Russian person: one is that Russians all drink and, to put it mildly, are not very cultured, the other is the idea of the Russian person as an intellectual - a bearer of the culture of Chekhov, Dostoevsky and etc. Which one is more popular today?

— I cannot say that the image of the Russian as an uncultured barbarian is in demand or popular today. In the States, the show “Matryoshka” was recently released, which, on the one hand, is a collection of typical ideas about Russian people: shopping in stores for 20 thousand dollars per ring, fur coats, tans, baths, vodka at dinner, etc. But on the other hand, all critics' reviews admit that these are stupid stereotypes about Russians that do not correspond to reality.

If we talk about the film industry, we should take into account that Russia is becoming one of the main markets for Hollywood - an increasing part of its income comes from Russia. And because Hollywood “follows the money”; in the near future we are unlikely to see Ivan wearing felt boots space station.

“SP” - Can you single out some of the most ideologically motivated areas?

— Probably a violation of intellectual property rights by Russian people. Although Chinese hackers have a much worse reputation. Russian specialists are valued in America, and everyone understands that both Apple and more than half of Silicon Valley consist of immigrants from Russia. On the other hand, there are popular urban legends that Russians drink vodka for lunch and are not at all concerned about safety, for example, regarding flights.

An interesting illustration of this is a recent article from the New-York Times about the Russian Sukhoi Super Jet. What’s interesting is not so much the article itself as the comments from readers, which in some sense illustrate how the average American thinks. For example: " Before Russia sells its aircraft and other products to other countries, it must first decide its social problems. Nobody likes to buy things from backward countries that have problems with corruption, nationalists, neo-Nazis, obscurantists, racists».

And this is a really popular approach. The Western press mainly writes about how widespread racism is in Russia: blacks are beaten and football players are insulted during matches. They constantly write that there is corruption everywhere, problems with human rights, and the situation with flight safety in general is terrible, so you either don’t have to deal with Russia at all, or do it very carefully.

For most Americans, Russians are akin to aliens. They have never seen them and if they have any idea, it is formed by the media, where it is often a complete mess.

"SP" - Is the idea of us different among Europeans and Americans?

- Yes. For Americans, Russia is just further away, so it's not that interesting to the average American. For Europeans we are more interesting, probably because we are closer and have related story. In the UK, the approach is similar to the American one: “Until you behave in a civilized manner in our understanding, we will not do business with you.” In the rest of Europe, in Germany and France, the attitude towards Russia is much more pragmatic: let us work and gradually instill in you our values.

To sum up the entire book, we can conclude that the author’s observations about life in Russia: about people, morals, culture and our problems are of the greatest value. Much of what the Finnish journalist writes about is pleasant and even flatters the Russian people or represents us better than we are (for example, discussions about high culture alcohol consumption), popularizes the image of an intelligent Russian in the West. On the other hand, the quality of the book rapidly declines when the author begins to talk about subjects that are clearly ideological, controversial, or in which he obviously does not understand: the significance of the USSR’s victory in World War II, the significance of the communist system, statements about the need to establish democracy in Russia, citing examples of revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine. Overall, the book is very interesting from the point of view of how Russia and its inhabitants look in the eyes of a European who has lived among us for several years.

We can end with the author’s philosophical reasoning:

“I don’t want to admit it, but maybe the Russians are right, despite everything? Maybe the “mysterious Russian soul” really exists. Otherwise how could you survive? Mongol yoke, tsarist autocracy, Soviet terror, post-communist lawlessness and chaos?

Deep, warm, strong and living Russian culture has passed through countless circles of hell. She was tortured, broken, beaten and subjected to endless systematic destruction. But they didn’t break her.

The Russians themselves don’t understand this. They are going to spend the next twelve hundred years trying to understand their own existence.

Unsuccessful, of course."

Perhaps no other nation in the world attracts such close attention from others. Moreover, Russians, like no one else, are clearly divided into Russian men and Russian women. Russian men are melancholic and lazy. Russian women are charismatic and purposeful. Like two halves of one whole, they are only in a single bundle, an indestructible force.

Russian woman

There is divine power in a Russian woman:
Not remembering evil, not knowing boasting,
No matter how meanly life sometimes hits you,
Don't fall under the blows of fate.

And stand and be invincible,
And at the same time remain a woman
In Russian, kind, affectionate, beloved.
Store the hearth. Keep the house in order.

Throw a dinner party out of nothing
From the hatchet - a festive dinner.
Hug the children and reassure the husband,
Like, it doesn’t matter that there is no money in the house.

Like, we’ll live, we’ll be patient, everything passes,
This too will pass. Spring is ahead...
Spring! And again a miracle happens -
Nature awakens from sleep.

Spring! And people will cheer up again.
The sun will rise and the ice will melt.
And in every home bright holiday will.
And the stork will bring the baby.

@Lyubov Stepanova

Personal: a look from the inside

Having arrived for a year with my then-fiancé in Los Angeles, I felt first-hand what foreigners really think about us Russians. In general, let's talk about stereotypes about Russians abroad...

Russian attitude towards alcohol

Foreigners think that Russians spend all day clutching a bottle. Knowing this, I could never have imagined that this opinion would affect me too. But in vain. On my first trip to the supermarket, I noticed that my chosen one was quietly, but quite persistently, leading me away from the shelves with any alcohol. To my surprised look, he did not react at all. Some time passed, and I almost forgot about this incident, but as soon as we went with his friends to a restaurant and I ordered a glass of wine, I again caught the same condemning look. In the evening we had an unpleasant conversation, from which I understood this: American men They believe that all Russians have an alcohol addiction. At milestones, without exception! And as it turned out, it is sometimes impossible to explain that the “Russian” nationality indicated in your passport does not mean that you are an alcoholic.

Cooking

Another opinion - all Russian girls cook very tasty food. While the newly-made American wife is unable to cook anything other than store-bought canned goods. I could be wrong, but it sincerely seems to me that many Americans are hoping for dense and delicious lunches and dinners are married to Slavic women, but, alas and ah... In principle, this desire of men is quite understandable; in America, most women really do not know how to cook. At all. The entire cooking process begins and ends with removing the film from the finished dinner and placing the tray in the microwave. After watching enough Russian films, my fiancé brought home a variety of products, the predominant part of which was flour, butter and cabbage. As my Russian ingenuity told me, this “set” was supposed to be pies with cabbage. I felt a little sorry for the love-starved and satiated American machos. They had to go out of their way, because they can get ready-made lunches from their missives.

All Russians want to go to America

Some time after arriving in America, I began to notice that among my husband’s acquaintances and friends there was an opinion that all Russian girls were dreaming and wondering when they would be able to set foot on Novaya Zemlya. And all such marriages are nothing other than convenience. Personally, I never dreamed of moving to the USA; on the contrary, it was difficult for me. Many times I caught myself thinking that with great pleasure I would return to my native, albeit dirty, noisy Moscow. In one conversation with an American woman of my age, I told her about my suspicions, to which I received the following answer: “Well, yes, if you were an American, you could express dissatisfaction, but be glad that you managed to settle in the USA.” Although this was said with a smile, I understood that, in their opinion, Russians have no right to be dissatisfied, since their husbands provided them with a unique opportunity.

Russians are illiterate and illiterate

This stereotype is well founded. Remember how some of our compatriots behave on vacation abroad. Naturally, Americans (and Europeans too) have the opinion that we simply do not know how to behave adequately in public. Unfortunately, this is true. Outside the home, and especially on vacation, a Russian person sometimes behaves much worse than in his native land. Here it is normal to catch surprised glances when using a fork and knife correctly. It is very offensive and even in some sense offensive to the opinion that Russians are illiterate, especially when it is said by a person who really does not know who won the Second World War.

All Russian girls are stunningly beautiful!

A very self-gratifying stereotype. Foreigners are sure that on the streets of Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Perm, Sochi, etc. they only go sports girls model appearance. Our beauty and femininity in the understanding of foreign men are personified by Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova. It's nice! But there is also reverse side medals: they say about Russian women that we do not know how to choose the appropriate outfit for the time and place, i.e. and here the adequacy of our taste is debatable. If you believe the Americans, in Russia all women, without exception, go to a nearby store for milk in full dress: hair, makeup, lots of jewelry, expensive clothes, thereby losing precious time, and most importantly, recklessly spending their husband’s money. And this is exactly what they think is unacceptable.

Opinions: foreigners about Russian women

Some of them have never met Russian women, others are familiar with them. Thirteen users of the Interpals social network spoke about how they imagine our compatriots to be

John Fredericks, USA:“Meeting and communicating with Russian women left only a positive impression. They are some of the nicest and friendliest people I have ever met. They always amaze me with their sensitivity and responsiveness! I have never been ignored or disrespected. In general, I find Russian women to be nice and energetic in terms of communication. Appearance? Yes, I have never seen so many beauties in my life!”

Constantin Sorin, Romania:“How do I imagine a Russian woman? Frankly, I have never met them in real life, but I communicate with two Russian girls on the Internet. I imagine the image of a Russian woman through the eyes of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. These are women who have a huge impact on men's lives. I would say femme fatales who change destinies. They seem to me more practical than Russian men. They have a strong character and ambition to go to the very end, despite obstacles. A Russian woman is beautiful, educated and respected. She is a symbol of the Russian nation."

Ivan Pintor, Mexico:“There are a lot of stereotypes about Russian women that are spread through TV: tall, beautiful, blond girls whom you can meet at a marriage agency so you can take one of them away from chilly Russia as a bride. And the thing about Russians in general is that they drink a lot. From my personal experience I can say that I had a Russian teacher - a tall, slender blonde. To be honest, all Russians envelop me with some kind of spell. This is probably why I began to study this language. It’s great that in Russia, as in Mexico, for many people the mother comes first. By the way, I also have an image of a 70-year-old grandmother in long skirt, sweater and Pavloposad scarf."

James Langevin, Netherlands:“Correct or not, this is my opinion about Russian women, created national media and my communication with them while traveling. Very wise. I would say that your women are pretty, strong in their mentality and surprisingly open to tourists from those countries that are not very friendly towards Russia. Russian girls have a stronger and firmer character than men. In terms of appearance, they are among the most beautiful women in the world, very feminine!”

William Millier, France:“How do I see Russian women? Hmm... good question! The first thing I think is that they are very attractive. In general, some kind of stereotypical image pops up: a blonde in sunglasses and a fur coat. Sometimes they can be or look a little superficial. When they want something, they will do anything to get it. They like luxury and beautiful things, so they are supported by those who have money, but in return they look after the house and take care of the husband and children.”

Craig Graham, UK:“I think that Slavic facial features are the most feminine in the world. The German ones seem a bit rough to me, which doesn’t really suit women. I would call Russian women the most beautiful. And the Russian accent! He's very attractive. The Russian language has a hypnotic effect and I love that it is so different from English. Russians have a stronger sense of unity and community, which is why women are more virtuous than in the West. And also, it seems to me that many Russian women like to dominate and lead.”

Burak Topcu, Türkiye:“Russian women are the most beautiful women in the world. They have some kind of ideal beauty: some can be gentle and sweet, others can be sexy and sensual. Russian girls wear seductive clothes and pose relaxed in photos. It is also true that they drink a lot and love to party. But on the other hand, I have friends who took a Russian wife. And everyone says: “Thank you, Lord, for the fact that we met! She is the most best wife"that you can imagine." In general, I have only a positive opinion about Russians.”

Michael Jenner, Germany:“Most Russian women are remarkably educated (there are women engineers, women doctors, scientists or economists, etc.). The Russian women I communicate with virtually and whom I have met in real life have completely different values than the German ones. For example, prestige and appearance seem to mean a lot to them (perhaps due to remnants of the Soviet past). Some Russian girls are more cold than warm in terms of behavior and their views. By the way, I want to note that they are very patriotic!”

Ale Sanroman, Spain:“From the experience of communicating with Russian girls, I realized that they have a practical and rational outlook on life. But at the same time, they are very romantic people, so they often have the following thoughts: “Yes, life is sometimes unfair, but an amazing romantic story will definitely happen to me, because I deserve it.” They combine depth of thought, ambition and sensitivity."

Juha Graaf, Finland:“Russian girls played a very important role in my life. But I can only talk about girls from the Northern capital. We often come to St. Petersburg: we perform in local clubs, drink, have a blast. Russian girls are absolutely crazy, if they go into a break, then it’s for a long time and to the fullest. They know no limits in anything - neither in alcohol, nor in love. Very feminine, passionate, very beautiful, very vulnerable.” Juha was twice married and divorced, his second wife is from St. Petersburg. He has a two-year-old son with his beloved girl from St. Petersburg; the couple does not live together.

Heinz Schulze, Germany:“Russian girls know their worth, at least Muscovites do. (Heinz has lived and worked in Moscow for more than 8 years - author.) Of course, for them money plays a paramount role. And they are looking for a husband with an apartment, a car and a bank account. Russians dream of going abroad because they think it is better there than here. And the men are richer, and the air is cleaner, and everyone has a home with a picturesque garden. Russian wives are wonderful housewives, they cook well and tasty, they are hospitable, but not economical. But when choosing a wife, we are not looking for a housekeeper, and differences in mentality hinder relationships. Russians are too extravagant, too unpredictable, they like everything to go according to their script, they like to boss men around, they raise their children very strictly, they are unpunctual, unnecessary, and capricious.”

Peter Kaulitz, 21, student, Rostock:“I know many students from Russia. They are all very, very similar: both in appearance, and in the way they talk about the future, and in the kind of men they choose for themselves. They look down on their peers unless it turns out that they have respectable parents. They choose men 7-10-15-20 years older, it is clear that everything here is explained by finances. Russian girls are beautiful, but cold, and very calculating, at least the ones I know.”

Jonas Lindström, Sweden:“Russian girls are very interesting and educated interlocutors, ready to support just any topic of conversation, much more interesting than Swedish girls, who already have an open mind. Russians love themselves very much, so they are always elegantly and beautifully dressed and made up.”

Martinas Polch, Switzerland:“Russians are smart and beautiful, they know how to emphasize their strengths and hide their shortcomings. Russian women are strong-willed, ready to do a lot for the sake of love and family, ready to forgive a lot, vulnerable, sensitive. Real women, the standard of femininity."

Justine D'Ore, France:“Russian women are very feminine and luxurious. You want to carry such women in your arms, dress them in furs and fulfill their every desire. Unlike French women, they are more relaxed in relationships, they often take the first steps themselves, they are touchy, but easy-going, they are fun and easy, every day is like a holiday. True, this holiday does not last long, Russians are fickle.”

Anders Hendriksson, Cyprus:“I had to communicate a little with Russian girls. I received impressions from a trip to Moscow in 2004. Russian girls, painted like nesting dolls. Very bright, elegant, plump, rosy. It’s immediately obvious that they are healthy and happy, they probably eat pancakes with honey and caviar and drink vodka, that’s why they are so beautiful. An acquaintance told me about a Russian girl with whom he fell in love, but she turned out to be a swindler. Now he says that all Russians are very calculating, dangerous, insidious, they think through everything carefully, but I don’t believe it, Russians are very easy to talk to and cheerful, they love to have fun, Russian drunkenness is something!”

There are so many people, so many opinions, and foreign men judge us mainly by Russian girls whom they knew personally, whom they met on vacation or worked.

In any case, everyone agrees that Russian girls are very beautiful and feminine, cheerful and stylish, good housewives and passionate lovers, and the demand for Russian wives abroad is increasing every year.

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 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 there is a transparent lake, a gazebo, a stack of books, a music player and a bust of Tchaikovsky. Is it really possible that in this remote corner they revere the Russian classic and listen to his compositions? Canadian student, 21-year-old Alexa Daylong, has been fascinated by Russian culture for many years, and her favorite composer is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a love for whom her father instilled in the girl - popular artist and arranger.

Why did Tchaikovsky become your favorite composer, how did you become acquainted with 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 still remain 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. One day we saw a bust of a musician in a music store and decided to buy it without further hesitation. Now we have a piece of Tchaikovsky in our house in Perth.

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

I cannot speak for all Canadians, but on behalf of myself and my family I can say that Russian people have always been ours true friends. Russians and Canadians still make joint space flights, play hockey matches, and in general, sometimes it 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. Nowadays, the possibilities of international exchange have expanded in many ways, the purpose of which is to involve new culture and receiving education in another country. It was in such a program that a Colombian student, Andreas Alejandro, who, with a peculiar accent, calls himself Andrey, in the Russian way, took part.

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

There is no one in the world for me best place than Russia. I don't think every Colombian would say the same thing, 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 step. 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 ever plan to return again?

I came to Russia last summer and stayed here until January of this year. The main reason My trip was an internship, but I also managed to travel. I visited Moscow and St. Petersburg, and spent time in Novosibirsk in the winter. As an international business student, I wanted to understand how Russian politics, culture and modern history. I also dreamed of improving my Russian, so while I was 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 RANEPA, so now I will spend two happy years in Moscow. Isn't that great?

Surely, you 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 this to a Russian girl! She will think that you are really in love with her and are ready to get married. Russians treat all people with respect, which I really appreciate. They are grateful, friendly and sociable, so we immediately found common language with classmates and future colleagues.

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

How often do you come across the names of Russian figures during your studies?

We hear Russian names and surnames almost every day: Markov, Chebyshev, Chernov. All of them made a great contribution to world technical and mathematical science. They did what European scientists had been unable to do for years. Studying their works, I realized how diverse Russia is and how many interesting people must live there now. I also realized that there is no need to look at other countries only from a political angle.

Does this mean that Germany has a negative attitude towards Russia from a political point of view?

There are many people in our country, and their views are different. But, for example, when Russia captured 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 do not in any way affect 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 the most tense foreign relations of Russia for many years have been relations with the United States. The Cold War, competition for nuclear potential, political disagreements, fluctuations in 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 American people really think about our country.

Nick, what are they saying 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 minds of a typical American. Some journalists even make entire films and TV series about Russia’s negative influence on the world order. But now, with Trump coming to power, I think our relations will be restored. And I'm glad about it. After all, the United States and Russia are two leading superpowers, so maintaining ties when deciding global problems extremely necessary.

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 and am interested in your culture. I would like to visit Russia in the future, especially Moscow and St. Petersburg. In addition, I have several Russian friends. And if I 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 family and friends think about your interest in Russian culture and language?

They, of course, know about this. In addition to Russian, I also study many other languages: Italian, Polish, German. I am an international business student, so this is important to me both personally and professionally. In addition, when I arrive in Russia, I will be able to freely communicate with Russians, and therefore feel their mentality.

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

Yulia Milenina

Seeing the country after 10 years of separation. Cognitive dissonance is almost guaranteed.

Popular information about Russia for tourists from various guidebooks

Politics in Russia

Moscow is so concerned about 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 apoliticality. While the Orange Revolution and the Rose Revolution rage next door, Russians live a quiet existence and watch as Putin censors and eliminates their right to choose their government. Muscovites, apparently, are more concerned about new restaurants than discussing new rules of life.

The young Vladimir Putin spent his youth playing in the streets of St. Petersburg: his family lived at 12 Baskov Street. In the second half of the 1980s, as a young man, Putin was recruiting potential spies in the West. Obsessed with patriotism, he always defended the Soviet-era intelligence services and said: “I will never read a book written by a defector, a person who betrayed his Motherland.” In 1989 (shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall), Putin returned to Leningrad and soon worked as deputy mayor. For his tough character and dedication to his work, he earned the nickname Stasi.

Traditions in Russia

Many people will be annoyed if you photograph drunks.

Men need to take into account that in Russia they are not only expected to behave traditionally, but take it for granted. Therefore, you should not be surprised if you see a woman standing at a closed door, waiting for something unknown.

It's not common to smile on the streets strangers. If you smile at a Russian, he may think: are my clothes dirty?

Russians in many situations stand very close to each other and speak very quietly, into each other's ears - as if they are whispering.

Russians have two faces: one on the street, and a completely different one 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 endlessly generous to those they know, and extremely distrustful and hostile to strangers.

Like most Slavs, Russians do not associate sex with shame.

Gays in Russia

In Russian slang, homosexuals are called goloboy (blue boy).

Vodka in Russia

The main thing is that the vodka is not illegal (podelnaya, falshivaya, levaya). At best, an encounter with counterfeit vodka will end with you drinking a weaker drink than you ordered; at worst, you will be served a diluted one methyl alcohol, the use of which can lead to blindness and even death. The origin story 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

There are about 16.4 square meters per person in Russia. m of living space (in America - 60 sq. m).

A middle class person 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 for pedestrians, and some drivers even speed up. Of course, they have no intention to kill - they just want to see the fear in your eyes.

Dangers in Russia

If you are walking alone on the street, try to look Russian: to do this, carry 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.

Speaking of pickpockets, be especially vigilant in the Partizanskaya metro area - our readers informed us about incidents that occurred there.

There are known cases when white fish caviar was painted with wax to make it look like black, and then packaged in branded jars.

Sleep on trains with money and passport hidden on your body. Tie the locks together with rope, a belt, or a tie.

If you drink hot tea or coffee in 30-40 degree frost, your teeth begin to crack and turn black over time, which is clearly seen in the example of many residents of Yakut cities.

Women travelers should be aware that most Russian men are aggressive, unfamiliar with the rules of decency and tend to view women as sex objects.

If you hear swearing on the street, get away from there as far as possible.

When entering the subway, hold your hand in front of your face so as not to knock out your tooth.

Food in Russia

Borscht is a popular dish in the Caucasus.

Local tap water is one of the worst problems for foreigners. Some people use bottled water even when bathing their children.

Greens are almost never represented in Russian cuisine. But if they put it into circulation, then all dishes, as a rule, end up with a green blanket of chopped dill. So it’s better to tell the cook in advance: vsyo bez ukropa.

Many foreigners are surprised to learn that the most popular alcoholic drink here is actually beer.

White bread is called “white brick”, black bread is called “black brick”.

The Caucasian Captive restaurant in Moscow is named after the film, as well as the novel by Lermontov.

You can see more details about foreigners’ opinions about Russian food in the post

Music in Russia

Musicians from Yekaterinburg Boris Grebenshchikov and his group “Aquarium” made a splash wherever they played.

The god of Russian rock was a native of Kazakhstan, Viktor Tsoi. Kung Fu-style stage moves made Tsoi the king of cool.

Fashion in Russia

The new Russian is still behind his girlfriend in terms of style. 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 shoes, black Hermes tie, black glasses. To distinguish a new Russian from a security guard - and their favorite color is also black - look at his hands: does he have a Cartier watch there?

In Russia, there is a phenomenon of wearing sunglasses on the back of the head (the arms are attached to the ears).

Many Russians wear long underwear - even under business suits.

Of all the clothes, the most serious attitude for Russians - to boots. If you want people to think of you as a cultured and stylish person, polish your shoes until they shine.

Capital of Russia

It is almost impossible to pitch a tent in Moscow.

Private cars circling the city in large numbers are known as “gypsy taxis.”

From the square that bears his name, Alexander Pushkin surveys his possessions. In sight are the Pushkinsky cinema, the Pushkin cafe and the Pushkinskaya metro station: undoubtedly, in the ideology of the new Russians, Pushkin took the place of Lenin.

“The men’s restroom is designated by the letter “M.” Women should look for a door with the letter "Ш".

The typical Moskvichka has such an arrogant expression on her face that she seems to be completely disgusted by the environment around her (she really is disgusted by it). Despite the fact that she has lived here all her life, with all her appearance she shows: in fact, I belong to Paris.

Private space in Moscow apartments is absorbed into public space: 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 park benches.

Muscovites feel sincere and well-deserved gratitude towards their mayor, who over the past few decades has restored and renovated 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

There is a “duty attendant” on every floor of every hotel who will be happy to assist with any problems related to hot water, washing and peeking.

For those who doubt the veracity, here is a list of used guidebooks:

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.

St Petersburg. Lonely Planet. 2005.

Opinions about Russia from 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 signs of destruction from bullets and bombs on the walls, I asked the guide where it came from. She said: “Traces of war.” I was surprised: what war? I lived in London at one time, but there were no such signs of destruction there. What happened in St. Petersburg? Maybe I slept through my history lesson? I asked for clarification. She confirmed that we're talking about about the Second World War. But this no longer stands up to criticism - 50 years after the United States saved Russia from Hitler, they could not even clear the city.

“Without the USA, 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 to the First. If we had not entered the First World War, then perhaps 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 a large part of Europe.

"Your Country Is Starving" Tom, Texas

I feel sorry for you. Your country is dying of hunger, you have a third-rate army and your economy does not even have its own currency that the rest of the world would recognize. No wonder you sit on your ass and yell at the USA. That's all you can do.

“You should not be biased towards the country that saved you from fascism,” LeaderOf XMI, Ohio

You shouldn't be so prejudiced against the country that saved you from Nazi rule in World War II and that constantly provides you with aid

"Russians Are Ungrateful Pigs" by Ben Richardson, California

It's hard for me to think about how ungrateful you Russians are to the United States. We have helped you a lot in recent years. We have extended a hand of friendship to your government and people. We have given countless dollars to your government, business people, churches and people. America is the greatest country on earth.

Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times

The metro is a haven for stray dogs and head over heels for teenagers in love, homeless alcoholics and wounded veterans, tourists and deathly tired people driving to or from work. But there is something in the halls that tells the story of Russia itself. These are commemorative of the era of the communist regime, when underground palaces with sparkling chandeliers, decorated with mosaics, frescoes, sculptures, were erected for rows of passengers...
When I first arrived in Moscow, the summer heat and crowds in the subway almost made me a teetotaler. I couldn’t stand the stench spread by the drunks: the vodka evaporated from their bodies along with sweat, their wet skin stuck to mine like plastic film. 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

The doors in the Moscow metro close in a straight line: if they close, then they really close. Even if someone stands between them.

Frank Hanselman, Holland-Spain

First of all, you must learn to pronounce this word correctly - “myetro”! Also, be careful around fragile elderly ladies, they are the most unbearable people in the metro. The first time I was shoved as hard as I could, I turned around, expecting to see a big guy, but I came face to face with Granny. I've been on guard ever since.
If you smile at 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. (stage))))

Edward Adrian-Vallance, UK

There is a strange appearance of grandmothers (babushkas) at the turnstiles in front of the metro entrance. They sit behind walls made of transparent plastic in a structure about 2 m high and look at those walking through the “ticket barrier”. They are in police uniforms. They have short hair and a gloomy appearance. Their job is to watch people pass through the turnstiles. If they don't like someone, they blow a whistle.

Newcomers to Moscow often note the coldness and hostility of passers-by. But I realized: this is a shield. When you encounter them in life situations, and not in the subway, Russians are warm and hospitable. In the subway, everyone looks gloomily into space. Only lovers look at each other... But one day I saw a crowd of schoolchildren rush into the carriage. They laughed, shouted, pushed - for them the trip was an adventure! And then I saw everyone smile. I think everyone thought of something good.

Dick Jansen, Netherlands

I was taught to drink beer from dried fish– I haven’t seen this anywhere. At first I didn’t want to try it because of the terrible look and smell, but then I liked it. Hitting a roach on the table is very Russian and fun. And the truly national product is the 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 they order tea at 3 am.

Khishti, USA

Having learned that for Russians going to a restaurant is often associated with a special occasion, I understood why the establishments we went to 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 reasonable person will not go to the store at two in the morning to buy sausage. But... the number of services that can be provided in Moscow around the clock is impressive. Getting a haircut at 23:30, leafing through books at 2:00 or buying a drill at the construction market at 4:00 - everything is possible! :)))))

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 interesting selection. (Note to parts 1 and 2)

Moscow has the best metro in the world.

Despite the best metro in the world, there are millions of Muscovites who refuse to ever go down it, and spend half their lives in traffic jams.

Russians take advantage of the slightest excuse to treat everyone to 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, don’t 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 holiday continues for another three days.

The only alcohol-free zone in Russia is McDonald's.

Smiling for no reason makes Russians angry.

Borsch, cabbage rolls and pies are actually Ukrainian dishes.

Russians don't send their elderly parents to nursing homes and don't kick their children out of the house when they turn 18; instead, they all live together in the same 1-room apartment.

Despite 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 have known 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 do not show emotions 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 a folk song for every situation.

Most Russians are very superstitious, and superstition is fashionable among young people.

Russians are passionate lovers, in public they fight 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 didn’t 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 magically behave responsibly at 18.

Although Russians eat more fast food than people in the West, Russians are still healthier.

The Russians cannot maneuver when reversing the car. 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 UK.

Russia through the eyes of an emigrant, or something has changed (2010)

Forward to Russia!

I lived in Germany without a break for about five years. We can safely say that despite dual citizenship, for Russia I am now a “foreigner”. I received information about her mainly from the Russian-language press and the overwhelming majority of it was negative. Naturally, this suppressed any desire to go there again, even for a short time. Only the approaching anniversaries of my best friends and my son’s persistent requests convinced me to “give in.”

And now our plane lands at the Domodedovo airport near Moscow. The memorable, more than modest, if not wretched, airport building is unrecognizable, or rather it does not exist, and instead of it there is a building that is being completed, several times larger, ultra-modern and already working. A few minutes of passport control and, despite the construction chaos, our things are already spinning on the conveyor belt, causing me quite natural admiration. But not for long: one of our bags never showed up. Of course, it contained the most necessary things! The indignant airport employees calmed me down, wrote down my address and telephone number, the next day they informed me that the bag had not been sent from Dusseldorf, and in the evening they brought the bag itself straight home safe and sound.

It remains in my memory that in Düsseldorf, at registration there was a queue, at passport control the official kept talking about expired visas, without realizing that they were for permanent residence until they showed him the visas, and the plane took off 15 minutes late, apparently because - for a thorough, but capable of frightening only the average person, inspection: the policeman even checked the soles of his shoes with a “squeaker”, but if I’m not mistaken, they do not react to plastic and liquids - the latest “invention” of terrorists - martyrs.

First impressions

Let me make a reservation right away: we are talking about the notorious 101 kilometers, the radius with which the Soviet government, at one time, fenced off Moscow from elements it did not like. In our case, this is Protvino, Serpukhov - the south of the Moscow region.

Construction sites are an indicator of a developing state. There are many 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, operating 24 hours a day. As for housing, there are 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 “Khrushchev” buildings.

You can hardly see ordinary “Zhiguli” and “Muscovites” on the roads. Mostly foreign cars (and not “firewood”, but not old at all) and the latest developments of Russian car factories. We are not talking about plagiarism, but it is impossible to distinguish them from foreign cars offhand.

Their great-grandfathers were also “found.” Here they are, standing rusting in almost every home, until the issue of their disposal has yet been resolved. Hey, entrepreneurs are re-emigrants! Millions of cars and rubles are waiting for you in Russia!

Almost all gas stations have caught up 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 imported ones. The few farm fields are abundant with crops - another point of application for future re-emigrants.

In food 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 living standard of vulnerable segments of the population - pensioners. Officially, the Russian pension is one of the lowest among civilized countries, much below the subsistence level, but the paradox of Soviet times, when with empty store shelves, citizens’ refrigerators were bursting with food, works here too: so far not a single Russian pensioner has died of hunger, exhausted and poor elderly people are not visible on the streets. I was struck by the abundance of empty bottles standing near the trash cans. At one time, vigilant grannies distributed them as soon as we had time to buy beer. The lucky ones patiently waited in the wings.

“Don’t you accept bottles? “, I asked on occasion, pointing to the “ugliness” at the ballot boxes. “They accept it, but there’s no one to collect it...” Cool, even for prosperous Germany. And as for the paradox... Relative stability, salaries paid on time, a lot of jobs like “watchman”, “watchman” (aka security) - is there a difference where you sleep: at home for free, or at work for money? You can trade crops from your dacha, apiary, help at the market... In a word, do something more worthy than collecting bottles.

Local authorities also help as far as possible and the budget situation. In the Moscow region, for example, travel on buses with a special pensioner’s social card is 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 care.

Colleagues, co-workers

I remember in the 90s, when the issue of our move to Germany was being decided, I often heard addressed to me: “People are lucky!”, accompanied by corresponding glances and sighs. Unfortunately, now, when meeting with former colleagues and co-workers, I had difficulty suppressing such emotions. Over the past time, when I was here “soaring” on “social” in search of at least some kind of occupation and only three years later I found a job with a pay slightly higher than “social”, which I was incredibly happy about, they, without much strain, grew both professionally and financially and socially. Heads of sections became technical or commercial directors, mechanics became chief mechanics, mechanics became foremen... The city now has money to solve transport problems, subways and tunnels are being built (I have been doing this for more than 30 years) sparing no expense. Moreover, we are talking not only about Moscow. Former colleague— my partner talked about business trips around Russia, the CIS and even Europe and Asia. It is not customary to hide salaries 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 - 100 thousand rubles. (about 3 thousand euros) and higher.

Let me remind you: fee for 3 room apartment approximately 3 thousand rubles, bus travel around the city 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 most (I’m already unaccustomed to this here) is the demand for specialists. Several of my ex-colleagues at work celebrated their 70th birthday! These are not the notorious Soviet “old guys”, but fully capable professionals. A friend of mine celebrated her 65th birthday three times: at her main job, at her extra job, and with numerous relatives. She is a widow, lives alone with her mother and jokingly refused the offered financial support.

Don’t think that everyone is satisfied and everyone is happy. There are plenty of dissatisfied people. But they are everywhere.

Even in Germany. Almost all my neighbors are unemployed, younger than me and know the language better than me. When I moved here and found a job a month later, they spent another six months convincing me that it was useless to look for work. Here there are arguments like: “In the USSR we were fascists, but in Germany we became Russians,” and they are completely covering up the oligarchs who plundered Russia.

What can you do: someone else must be to blame for all our troubles. It's not all our fault...

Home to Germany

Three weeks flew by like one day. Domodedovo again. Everything is being built around, but there are already ready-made halls. At registration there was not a single person except us, passport control there was a stamp in the passport, customs - inspection, lo and behold! — gave the go-ahead literally in 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 suicide bomber - has nothing to do here - any foreign object will be scanned, be it a bag of liquid, or a suicide bomber’s belt. Imagine my surprise when I learned from the newspapers that in Germany a similar device is used in a store to take contactless measurements for clothing buyers. Naive, I thought that only in Russia they hammer nails with a microscope. But that was later, and now we were already approaching Dusseldorf and the quarters of Ratingen flashed outside the window, and here were three multi-colored multi-storey buildings - “parrots”. Some more time - and the smiling faces of the children, the laughing faces of the grandchildren. And when, the next day, I went to work, hugging as if after a long separation with my work colleagues, the craftsmen who asked how “Russland” was doing, I finally realized - I’m home!

Resources used:

Http://esquire.ru http://interesting-things.ru http://hledamka.com/

Surprisingly, foreigners for many centuries, under any regime and political system, noted the same realities of Russian life, the same traits of Russian character. Foreigners described the unpretentiousness and endurance of the Russians, their servility before the authorities, and the unrighteousness of the courts. But let's start with the good...

There are no people under the sun as accustomed to a harsh life as the Russians: no cold bothers them, although they [Russian soldiers] have to spend two months in the field at a time when it is frosty and more than a yard of snow falls. A simple soldier has neither a tent nor anything else to protect his head... What could come of these people if they were trained and trained in the formation and art of civilized wars?.. I am convinced that the two best and powerful Christian sovereigns would not be able to fight him [the Tsar of Moscow], taking into account the degree of his power, the endurance of his people, the modest way of life of both people and horses and the small expenses that wars cause him, for he does not pay salaries for anyone except foreigners.

Richard Chancellor, an English navigator who laid the foundation for trade relations between Russia and England; was in Russia, in particular, at the court of Ivan the Terrible in 1553-1554 and 1555-1556

There you can see seventy-year-olds who have retained all their strength, with such strength in their muscular arms that it is not at all possible for our young people to endure the work. One must think that healthy air helps a lot to such good health, which is not upset in any of them by teaching, like ours.

Augustin Meyerberg, Austrian diplomat, envoy of the Holy Roman Emperor to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1661-1663

The good-natured disposition of Russian men is evidenced by the fact that, when drunk, these people, no matter how rude they may be, soften and, instead of following the example of drunkards all over the world, getting into fights and beating each other half to death, they cry and kiss.

The painful feeling that has not left me since I have lived in Russia is intensified by the fact that everything tells me about the natural abilities of the oppressed Russian people. The thought of what he would have achieved if he had been free makes me furious.

The Russian people are immensely clever: after all, this human race, contrary to the dictates of nature, was pushed to the very pole... There is a war with the elements ordeal, to which the Lord wished to subject this chosen nation in order to one day elevate it above many others.

Armed with an ax, which he carries with him everywhere, he [the Russian peasant] turns into a real wizard and in the blink of an eye creates any thing that cannot be found in the wilderness. He will be able to bring you all the benefits of civilization in the middle of the desert; he will fix your stroller; he will find a replacement even for a broken wheel... If you decide to spend the night in the forest, this handyman will build you a house for the night. Having placed you with all possible comfort, he himself will wrap himself in an inverted sheepskin and go to bed on the threshold of your new home... and it will never occur to him that, in all fairness, he himself could take a place next to you in the hut that I just built it for you.

Astolphe de Custine, French writer, traveler; visited Russia in 1839, during the reign of Nicholas I; it was his book about this journey - “Russia in 1839” - that brought him world fame; a convinced monarchist, he described with horror the extremes of the Russian version of autocracy, while speaking positively about the Russian people