I don't have a link for this. It was posted as a web course which is now gone.

Russian Culture By Lindsay Kosarev

Introduction

Russia is not something you understand with your mind. To have any understanding of the logic or culture of Russia, you need to feel her soul, her history, and her people.

Living the Russian Way is designed to give the student a glimpse at a completely different life perspective and way of thinking. I am not focused on historical or political debates, as many Russians are not. Part of Russian thinking is that these things cannot really be answered. Plus, it is better to make such discussions in the privacy of your home with a couple of good friends and a bottle of something intoxicating.

In other culture classes there is a focus in polite and “cultural” Russian culture, but this not such a course. I will not be talking about the Bolshoi Theater or traditional singing, but rather real people and living culture. This course will be challenging, not necessarily in the material, but it will challenge your perceptions about life. This challenge is the point behind cultural adaption. It will be challenging because you will begin to enter into and try to feel out the elusive and mysterious Russian soul.

This course will give you an overview two periods of Russian history (real history and myth) and lead up to present-day modern Russia. In each section the focus is on talking about and dispelling the myths and propaganda surrounding Russia, to create a clearer picture of the life and times of her people. Russian history is closely related to the present in the minds of her people. In each lesson, along with some history, there will be stories and/or articles explaining some part of the Russian world, and there will practical applications of these ideas.

The author educates the student about the realities and myths surrounding Russia. The sharing of the author’s insider knowledge is extremely enlightening and I realize that I missed out on learning about a vibrant, interesting culture. Tami Brady

Lesson 1: Myths and Legends of Soviet Russia

For the whole of her history Russia has defied Western logic. We never knew exactly what to expect of her. She is the largest and richest country in the world. Her defiance and self-reliance threatened our leaders. While we built our bomb shelters to protect ourselves from Russian invasion and bombs, the people of Russia wondered what on Earth we were doing. While the Russian people could not like our arrogance and individuality, they could not wholly dislike us either. We were too similar. In the winter of 1991 we became even more similar. One day the Russian people woke to a whole new government and regime. They were no longer Soviet citizens, they were no longer communist, and they were no longer a rich country. This is not to say that Russia was not inching closer and closer to Democracy. Thanks to Gorbechev Russia was becoming a more democratic nation by the minute. But in one felled purely Russian (which means mostly foolhardy) swoop, Yeltsin took the Russian White House and Parliament by tank. The majority of the Russian people simply watched in on TV in concern and curiosity. History was being made overnight, but that’s the way it happens in Russia. Only progress is slow in Russia, revolutions come and go. We sat back feeling victorious, wondering what the world would be like with one more powerful ally and one less major enemy.

I have learned that when most people think of Russia they think of fur hats and long winters. They think of vodka and heavy, hairy men. When Americans think of Soviet Russian they think of harsh censorship and dictators. They think of breadlines and poverty. They think of the enemies of freedom. In Soviet times and right after the revolution of 1991, news coming out of Russia was slow in coming. No one really seemed to know who these Russians were or really how much they were changing. In this lesson we will take a look at some the myths and legends of Soviet Russia, so that we may begin to understand from where Russia came.

Communal Apartments

“Contrary to the myth, they {Communal homes} were not a product of collectivist ideology. Rather, they developed out of urban overcrowding and the low budgetary priority that the Stalinist regime gave to housing – these, and a dose of Revolutionary schadenfreude (propaganda) which made local authorities eager to force then to give up part of their apartments to proletarians. A whole folklore exists about the humiliations, petty vindictiveness, fights and resentments associated with involuntary communal living.” (Fitspatrick, 2003).

In the beginning a good communist may have been eager to help the state solve it’s housing crisis by giving up some personal and private space to make a new apartment. But, communal living was not about just living in another person’s home. First, communal living was a spatial issue: take a one room divide and have a whole family live in it. No one at the beginning figured this to be an ideal solution to the housing and economic crisis at hand, but all thought it would be a temporary inconvenience before the great rise of the modern Soviet State. As you will see in this section, for every “inconvenience” the state put it’s citizens through there was always a dream behind it, something to keep the citizen’s striving for something better. That striving was to be done always communally and not individually though. No one loved communal apartments and restlessness and dissent occurred frequently. State propaganda was created to help the everyday man keep within the mindframe of the communal striving for greatness. Here is an example of such propaganda: “A popular kitchen slogan made headway at the time, “Down with the Dictatorship of the Kitchen!” The individual kitchen was denounced as a symbol of the nuclear family and women’s enslavement to everyday life. By contrast, the communal home was not just a retreat for the individual, a place marked by personal traces and memories; rather it was a public and therefore ideologically charged site. The communal dwelling’s simple and stark geometry had be enjoyed for it’s own sake.” (Boym, 163, 1996) Another form of state control of dissidence, took place in the home itself. While neighbors were “comrades”, they could also potentially be your downfall. If your neighbor desired your window, they could easily have it, if they reported you to the officials. For every form of state or official control, there is always a form of personal, unofficial control a person has over their life in the form of loopholes and other such strategies. While the state seemed in complete control, they never had the kind of control needed to keep human nature at bay for long. There is, and was, always another way to accomplish your goals, especially if you had a family member in the right kinds of governmental offices.

It is also a myth that communal homes are a relic of the past. Today, there are still communal apartments in large cities. But, today communal homes are not forced on people. People live in communal homes for economic and sometimes nostalgic reasons. While many believe that the Soviet communal housing has failed miserably, I do not think it has completely failed. While this experiment has not brought communal living between separate families, I do believe that it has brought a greater sense of community within the family. Here I am not speaking of the nuclear family, but the whole family, three generations or more, including the extended family. The family simply proved to be a stronger economic and political force than any singular nuclear family could be. The family and it’s properties are strongly defined and separated symbols from public space. Boym’s “minimal boundaries of communal privacy (1996, 167)” are becoming relics of the past, where now these boundaries only exist within the Russian family home. Unlike the West, it is the family that passes on its identity as Russian through the symbol of the family communal home.

. The larger trend in Russia now is that of owning or renting private apartments and owning a dacha (summer cottage) in the country or suburbs. One of the greatest feats of Russian physics and mathematics was the division and trading of home spaces. If by chance, you inherited a communal apartment (which meant you had two rooms, but not in the same place), you could potentially trade those two rooms to someone who had one nice room closer to the center of the city or in a better neighborhood. Soviet people collected home spaces, like trading cards. They were always trading these home spaces up for something better, even if you didn’t have more room, a better neighborhood was worth it. Some Soviet people would spend years collecting and trading property in order to get the kind of apartment in the neighborhood they wanted.

Lesson 1: Myths and Legends of Soviet Russia Breadlines

We equate breadlines with a failing Soviet system, but this was not the way it was for the majority of Soviet history. The breadline was a form of social welfare during periods of economic depression. In these times, citizens received tickets, which guaranteed they would get the necessities of living, which the State provided free. Food and goods like: sugar, butter, meat, eggs and soap were provided by the State. The breadlines we Americans picture in our heads were the breadlines of the WWII (in Russia, they call this war the Great Patriotic War) and post-war years. This was an extreme time, but this was not the way Soviet Russia always was.

This was a statewide resource management program during the times when the economy was depressed or in crisis. The “breadlines” were only in the WWII and post war era. In the most recent economic depression, during the 1980’s, bread was quite plentiful. Breadlines are not solely to be equated with starving people. Just as here, you don’t have to be starving to be on welfare. In the times when the “breadlines” were in place the state was providing the basic requirement of food to all citizens. It was only during the war era that people received a scant minimum of food required by the human body to live.

My husband grew up during peristrioka (in the 1980’s) and during the last “breadline” era. He tells me that what made the main fault of the ticket system was that the delivery of the food was never consistent, citizens never knew when the next shipment of a particular kind of food would come. So, citizens were allowed to buy as much of a product as they wanted at one time so they could save food for the next few months. It was not unusual to buy a supply of meat for the next three months. To do this you just needed to save three months worth of tickets, so if the meat took a long time to come to the shop you just saved your tickets up and bought it in bulk. Despite this fault, he cannot remember a time when his family (who are average working class people) did not have food.

Lesson 1: Myths and Legends of Soviet Russia Censorship and Workcamps

Censorship

Stalin was not just Russia leader (or dictator), Stalin was Russia’s Father. Stalin is also a product of his times. He was a strong leader when Russia needed him most; he was not the greatest battle strategist, but Stalin is what unified the country in order to survive the Great Patriotic War. Without Stalin, Russia today might only be those lands located in Siberia. This does not excuse his war crimes, but that is a different topic. Stalin was a harsh Father to his people, but no matter how cold the History Channel paints this one man, they can never capture the pride the Russia people had in Stalin at the time. He held before the Russian people the Grail of the times and I think there are very few wars in the history of modern times when the citizens of a country were so unified and sacrificing in battle and war times.

Russia came too close to losing herself in that war. Dissidence could not be afforded at that time. But Russian censorship was a funny thing. It was not as all encompassing as we were lead to believe. And actually it was the neighbor or co-worker who was the greatest censor in the life of an average person. Governmental censorship seemed to change like the wind. Not many works or topics were banned for the entire history of Soviet Russia. A painting could be banned and in five years it could be the toast of the town, and then banned again, and the cycle continued. Not all works or authors that were critical of the Soviet state were completely banned either. Mikhail A. Bulgakov was a struggling playwright, whose plays never made it past the censors. In frustration Bulgakov wrote a personal letter to Stalin, explaining that all he wanted was to be a good citizen. Stalin gave Bulgakov a position at a theater as the house playwright and Bulgakov wrote many critically acclaimed plays during that time, some satirical and some historical, but not everyone was complementing the Soviet state. This is not to say, artists and writers were not punished (exiled, sent to work camps, put under house arrest, or just plain murdered) by the state for their dissent.

But I am trying to show that censorship was not cut and dry in the Soviet State. Even Stalin, once beloved and adored, was banned eventually. I feel the government had very little to do with censorship. Instead, I feel that it was the public opinion and communistic academic critics who played the largest part in decided what was to be banned and was to be allowed. After the horrors of the Great Patriotic were sufficiently put to rest and Stalin good and dead, the public saw fit to destroy the Stalin cult and anything that had to with Stalin (this was in the 1960’s). Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd, statues were dismantled and destroyed (in Volgograd they dumped Stalin in the river!), and pictures burned.

Work Camps

This is a very difficult subject to explain. During the Great Patriotic war, if you were not fighting, then you were in a work camp. The populations of Russia after WWII was, at the most 50% of the population that Russia had before the war. Work camps are similar to concentration camps, except that a prisoner was worked to death, instead of gassed. The common criminal was not immediately sent to a work camp. These camps were reserved mainly for felonies and treason. Treason was a matter taken very seriously. If you were not Russian by ethnicity you were a suspect for treason. Entire ethnic populations, such as the Tuva and the Kalmykians, were relocated to work camps during the WWII era.

When those horrors were over, Russians forgot. There are many statistics for the number of people killed and/or imprisoned during this time, but the range is so great between them that is almost not worth mentioned any numbers at all.

Lesson 1: Myths and Legends of Soviet Russia Conclusion

Soviet history is a tricky subject to tackle, as there are numerous accounts of what happened and then again, not one or two different points of view, (especially now that people are free to write and talk about it) but many opinions as what really happened. Communism began as a savior for the people. Literacy went up to nearly 100%, people had homes and jobs, the country entered into the industrial revolution, the economy had it’s up and downs, but every country has those.

The Great Patriotic war was a horrific time in Soviet history and many of the impressions we have of Russia stem from this time period and were no longer true of Russia ten years later. In the 1960 and 1970’s, Russia was full of cultural and social reform. The housing crisis was beginning to be addressed. The economy was on an up swing again. Women had always been allowed into the universities, but now they were entering in greater numbers. Another myth of Russia, is that of the subjugation of woman in a patriarchal society. But this was not entirely true either. Before the revolution of 1917, women had few rights. But the communists believed in equality; to the communists, men and women were equal citizens and workers. A women could do what we considered a man’s job (like construction) if she wanted. While in the home life, the wife may have been, and still is expected to clean and put dinner on the table, She was also free to pursue her career, take jobs, or to study at a university. During WWII, there were even woman fighter pilots. They had their own special units. They were not used very much, as Russians do love their women, but the opportunity to fight for one’s country was still there.

While the communists were responsible for some of the worst atrocities (work camps, denying religion to the people, and no free speech), they were always striving for something more, and they were striving together. Communism was not about oppression, it was about sobornost (an ideal which states- that for society to work efficiently, everything must have a place and everything must be in place. It means that everybody has value to the greater society, and that the society provides for every person). The Russian communist was striving to attain a Neitczhein Superman position on the ladder of humanity. Individuality was blasphemous as communists believed that when everybody worked for the society then the society worked for all the people.

Optional Reading

For further reading you can read chapters 5, 6, & 9 of the Russian’s World by Generva Gerhart. These chapters are about more practical things like housing, food, and shopping. You can also take a look at stories, I Believe! and Cutting Them Down to Size, from Stories from a Siberian Village, by Vasily Shukshin.

Lesson 2: After Communism, Before Democracy

Turmoil

In the 1980’s and 1990’s we saw images of Russians sneaking rock music and faded jeans into their country and life. But behind the view of Russia wanting Westernization was chaos. One night you went to bed a diehard Soviet and in the morning you woke up in a different country and a different person. Talk about an identity crisis! No one had any real idea about what this change meant. It was not the most unexpected thing to happen. Gorbachev had been inching Russia toward Westernization his whole political career. During Peristrioka (the 1980’s), Russia had a greater freedom of press and freedom of speech. It still was not as much freedom as we have, but it was a vast improvement over Communism’s watchful eye. The arts flourished under Peristrioka and a cultural renaissance was beginning. Yet, the public no longer supported Gorbachev, the economy declined and the breadlines came back. People felt Gorbachev’s reforms were too slow moving and too liberal. A coup was planned to bring the Soviet party back into power. But the coup was ill conceived.

“It became obvious from the onset that the coup was curiously halfhearted and ill-planned. None of the opposition leaders were ever arrested. Gorbachev’s lines were the only communications systems downed. Yeltsin was receiving calls from around the world, and even ordered food from Moscow’s Pizza Hut. Yeltsin phoned Yanayev and warned him that “we don’t accept your gang of bandits.” At this point, Yeltsin went outside and climbed atop a tank in front of 20,000 protesters, asking for mass resistance. He denounced the coup as unconstitutional and called for a general strike, declaring himself the “Guardian of Democracy.” Soon the crowds grew to well over I 00,000. Afghan war vets erected barricades in front of the White House and made Molotov cocktails. At the staircase one organizer with a megaphone cried, “all those courageous who are willing to defend the building, come forward!” The building was surrounded by people from all walks of Russian life, from students and defecting soldiers to priests and pensioners. One old babushka declared, “I have lived through a revolution, two world wars, the Siege of Leningrad, and Stalin, and I will not tolerate another takeover; let the people be in peace I” Another, 72-year-old woman cried, “Give me a Kalashnikov (semiautomatic machine gun) and I’ll kill the scum myself!” Thousands of the city’s babushkas headed for the front lines. By the end of the day, troops were going over to Yeltsin’s side, and many of the elite commando divisions were now protecting the White House.”

(This quote was taken from an article published on Russianet.ru. There was no authorship or copyright attributed to this article. I have not been able to find an email address to contact to owners of the site. If anyone happens to know any of this information, please contact me and I will be glad to give proper credit, for in no way am I attempting to plagiarize this article. But for now, you can view the entire article at . )

And then the USSR was gone, just like that. Russia was plunged into the crazy world of the Wild West. Bandits and Mafia were out to strike at every corner, politics was turned upside down, and the economy began to fall even further. People began to take advantage of every opportunity they could to make money. I heard stories of people collecting the subway tokens that people lost and then reselling them, making a fortune doing this, only to lose this fortune within a few months because the fall of the ruble.

The Ruble

The ruble, the national currency of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation, bounced like a yo-yo after the failed coup and Yeltsin’s take over. The confidence in the state fell almost immediately and people began cashing in their rubles for gold causing the value of the ruble to fall even further. Banks were never popular places to keep one’s savings, and now they were virtually abandoned by the general public. At first, after the coup, people would use their saving to buy things like gold, so that in the long run they couldn’t really lose their money. But within five years, Russians began to use the more stable US dollar to keep their savings. Any large amount of personal savings was converted to dollars through currency exchange booths and the local Mafia, and then stashed away.

On August 18, 1998, the ruble fell 300% in value in one day and jumped back up a day later. That day was known as Black Tuesday. The people bought electronics especially, which were very expensive before that day. Shop owners took advantage of this opportunity. Everyone knew that the next day prices would skyrocket in reflect the new value of the ruble (prices of electronics and cars are based in US dollars, and that price in dollars did not change, but the value of the ruble went from about 6 to 36 per dollar). In order to make a huge profit, the some shop owners decided to hold off on raising prices the full amount and to give consumers a chance to buy things before they could no longer afford to purchase these personal luxuries. So, some merchants decided to raise prices by only 25% of the new cost, in order to draw people in. And it worked. Consumers took their rainy day stashes of rubles and bought the things which would be worth money later on, like cars, stereos, and TVs.

The ruble fell in value because on that day, in the Russian stock market, not one US dollar was sold. All investors were holding on to their dollars and would not trade for Rubles, no matter how much the Ruble depreciated. For those of you who are economically challenged, like me, that means that the banks or trading houses who wanted to trade in rubles had to keep offering the dollar holders more and more rubles just to be able trade. On the international markets it is the banks and trading houses which set the prices for a nations currency based on the trade of the currency for the standard dollar. So, if the price of the dollar went up in the market then Russians, on a whole, would have to pay more rubles to get what they wanted.

No one really knows why no dollars were traded that day (there by causing Russian ruble holders to need more rubles). Some say it was orchestrated, some believe it was a fluke. It was crazy nonetheless. Today the ruble holds steady at about 25 to 30 rubles per dollar.

It is not that the government did not try to reform the economic situation. They did, and sometimes things got a little better for the people and sometimes, let’s just say the people were screwed. One reform started with a man named Pavlov wanting to print money for the new government, instead of using the bills left over from the USSR. He started with introducing the new 10 Ruble bill. What happened was that for a time people were using both bills, the old Lenin 10 Ruble bill and the new one from the Federation. People were collecting the old bills, instead of circulating them so the government could recollect them. At one point the Government decided to end this situation and to declare that within three months the old Lenin bills would be worthless and no longer part of the Russian economic system. That left the people time to try and cash in their stashes of Lenin bills. But at this point they could not. Once it was announced that the bills would be worthless, shops and banks no longer accepted them. The Russian people were stuck with these worthless bills. The day came when the bills officially lost their value and all people could do with that money was throw it away without ever receiving compensation for it. Needless to say, that reform got put on the backburner for a while.

Lesson 2: After Communism, Before Democracy Western Russia and Russian Living Standards

Western Russia

Russia will forever be her own country, neither too Western, nor too Eastern. Since the coup of 1991, the West has slowly crept into Russian culture. It is not true Westernization though, as it is Russia’s interpretation of what is Western. I know it does not seem like much of a difference at first, but everything Western in Russia is not the same as you would find here. There is plenty of Coke and Pepsi in Russia and even the villages you could find shops that sell Western brand names. But Russian Coke does not taste the same as American Coke, it tastes like Diet Pepsi. Russian rock music sounds very different from American rock music, I can’t explain that too well; it has something to do with the style of singing. Of course, as in everything Russian, there are exceptions. Children run around with Disney characters on their tee shirts, except that Snow White is black or her name is spelled wrong. In many ways Russia seems like the flip side of the US. It is a world where people don’t live by the clock, where public transportation is sometimes reliable, and a world where you cannot predict what is going to happen the next hour. One of the biggest misconceptions people come back from Russia with is that this it was their hosts or tour guides or translators who were unreliable. That may be, but it is the whole country and society that is unreliable and unpredictable.

Russia moves along at her own pace taking bits and pieces from everywhere trying to fit those pieces into her life. Cell phones are taking the country by storm. In fact the one Western trend that has always been close to the Russian heart is that of love of technology. The only technology that hasn’t caught on yet is the DVD. You can find movies and player, but not many people own or buy them. You can find American cars (though not many) and American TV shows and movies all over Western Russia. Russia has a lot of public transportation and to have a car is still a great expense for most Russians, yet most dream of one day owning a car. My husband’s family owns one car. It is an old, Russian station wagon, which they use to go to the Dacha or camping. This was the car my husband and his brother learned to drive, and I will always remember how cool they felt cruising around the city in that old station wagon. When my husband immigrated to the US I had a red Mazda 626. He fell in love with that car, and after only three weeks he wouldn’t let me drive it anymore because he wanted to drive so badly. His brother was more than a little jealous. Unfortunately, my husband hit some black ice one winter and destroyed the little Mazda. It was like he lost his best friend. He would stand at the back door and just brood over the wrecked car.

During the 1990’s it was still pretty hard for tourists to go to Russia. To travel in Russia you need a visa, and to get that visa you needed a letter of invitation from someone in the country who is willing to be responsible for you during your stay. This system has not changed since Soviet times, at least too remarkably. But now many tourist agencies, universities, or businesses are more than happy to issue invitations for the tourist, student, or work visas. In order to stay with friends or relatives in Russia you need a homestay visa and a letter of invitation from your friends or relatives. The quickest I’ve been able to pick and go to Russia is in a month and a half

Russian Standards of Life

The average monthly salary in Russia is $400 in Moscow, $300 in St. Petersburg, and about $60 in smaller cities. There are small towns built around the oil industries where people can make about $1000 a month. The Russian apartment or home plus utilities can cost about ¼ of the monthly salary. Food for the month is at least half the monthly salary. Most Russians will own a dacha (summer cottage) or at least a patch of land, where they can farm to suppliment the costs of food. Dachas are a whole different topic, that I cannot cover here. Dachas are status symbols (depending on where and how big it is), a way to preserve tradition, a source of food, and a place to relax and get away from city life. During the holidays most extra money is spent on food and alcohol and entertaining is expected.

Russians have neither the money or space for large wardrobes, exercise machines, kitchen appliances, or home entertainment appliances (TVs, VCRs, or stereos). If you earn good enough grades and test well on the entrance exams, you can enter the universities for free. A Russian can enter the university with less than good grades, but then he or she will have to pay to attend the university. It is unusual that a person over thirty will enter the university, unless they already have a degree or just got out of the army. There is very little, if at all, continuing education or job training in Russia. On the other hand there isn’t as much certification or specialization required for people to get jobs in a new field.

This is the part I personally love about Russia and most of Europe, at an entry level position it is expected that the new worker will have about two weeks of vacation, and they could take that all at once. As the years go on, you get more and more vacation time. My parents-in-law get a month of vacation time a year. Everyone takes vacation time in the summer and the Black Sea coast is one of the more popular destinations for summer vacations. Now this isn’t vacation and sick/personal days, that is vacation days in addition to sick or personal days.

Most Russians do not have houses, they either rent or own apartments that are at least thirty years old. Russian prices for homes or apartments are based on the same qualities, prices are based on here. A kitchen is always a given and there is always a bathroom. However, the bathroom is most commonly divided into two rooms. There is usually a very small room for the toilet and then a larger room for the bath. It’s not unheard of to have a one-room bathroom, but for some reason it’s more expensive to have a one-room bathroom. For the living room, there is only one main room with a fold out couch, which doubles as the master bedroom at night. If it is a family apartment, there are two rooms. This includes, the living room (which doubles as the master bedroom) and one bedroom for the kids. Sometimes the kids’ room also doubles as another type of room, like a library or a computer room. Communal living is technically a thing of the past, but it still has not been forgotten in modern Russian culture. Lack of privacy and the methods to create private spaces still show a collective memory from a time when Russians did not have private space. For instance, doors in the house are rarely used, if they are even there at all. Even the bathroom does not have a locking door all of the time. When Russians stay in hotels, which is rarely, they do not expect to have private bathrooms, baths or toilets. As you can tell by now, Russian people have a different standard to personal privacy than we do. It is still common for newlyweds to live with one family or the other, or for the parents to divide up a house or apartment so that two families could live there. My husband and his brother just happened to be lucky. They both got their own residences after they married. Another form of house allocation comes when the parents are ready to retire. Some parents will chose to live out their retirement in the family summer cottage (dacha) and give or sell their apartment to their children or other relatives.

Russian kitchens are very small, cluttered spaces that families practically live in. Not even the middle class have the luxury of having a separate dining area. If there is a party, then a large wooden folding table is used or borrowed and set up in the living room/bedroom. Snacks and breakfast are usually taken in the kitchen nook, if there’s room to sit at the table. Russians do not usually eat dinner at the table together, so it is taken when and where there is time and space. It is usually bad taste to serve company in the kitchen, unless they are close friends or best girl friends, guests are served in the living room. I have not seen an electric stove in Russia, much less a modern gas stove. All stoves are gas and seem to be old and well used. You will have to monitor your child’s cooking until they get used to our stoves, as our electric stoves burn much hotter and quicker than Russian stoves. The Russian dishwasher is the mother or the children; this is true for the food processor and mixer as well. Microwaves are unheard of. Refrigerators are a standard and aren’t really different from ours.

Chemical cleaners are new and expensive still, in most parts of Russia. Detergents and dish soaps are about the only standard chemical cleaners I have seem commonly used. I remember having to go cleaner shopping when spring cleaning time came around. I spent a small fortune on special cleaners for the stove and carpet and proper sponges and disinfectants. Some Russians do have clothes washers, but not dryers. The machines are quite different and very small in comparison to ours. Personally, every time I used the washer at my mother-in-law’s apartment, I did so with a wing and a prayer. We had a clothing washer machine at our house, but it was quite comical. It was easier to wash our clothes by hand, than it was to use this washer. Floors are usually only swept and then rinsed with water. Refrigerators are usually crammed to compacity, and so hard to clean. Bathrooms usually aren’t even decorated and are very utilitarian. Many Russians still used handmade bar soap, made from fat, to do most of their cleaning. They usually do have vacuum cleaners and they use them vigorously.

Not many people have their own separate bedroom, unless you are an only child or unless you have a sibling who is significantly older than yourself. Bedrooms are almost always multi-purpose rooms. Only the main bedroom, which doubles as the living room will have a TV in it though. My husband and his brother had a TV in their room, but this TV was bought right after the Russian revolution in 1991. On “black Tuesday” the ruble dropped in value by 300%, which made it a once in a life time opportunity to buy every kind of electronic device you wanted. Unless you have a fold out couch you’re only going to have a twin bed, or in the case of more than one child, bunk beds. There simply isn’t room in the typical Russian apartment for anything larger. I still have not perfected my skill of making a Russian bed. Most people use duvet covers for their comforter. These duvet covers are just plain white sheets, and not very decorative. So, they use these special “decorative” furniture covers to cover the bed when not in use. These covers are usually brown and tan and are stiff and hard pieces of material with fringe on the bottom. These covers come in different sizes to cover chairs and coaches, but aren’t really slip covers as we have. On the bed there may be another (wool) blanket or two in the wintertime. They do not have fitted sheets for the mattress, instead Russians use just plain sheets (which makes it hard to tell the difference between the duvet covers, the bed sheets, and the mattress sheets.) And nothing matches, ever. I think they have a rule about that!! The pillows are large down feathered pillows, and the pillow cases open from the middle of the back of the case instead of at the side.

Russians love putting carpets on their walls. At first, I thought it was for extra insulation, but they put them on inside walls as well. Not matter how stylish or traditional Russians believe this custom is, they always pick a rug that does not match the rest of the room. They either look like the furniture covers, which are brown and tan floral patterns or the rugs are red and black. There are other styles of rugs, but these are the most common and memorable. Not many people hang pictures on wall, as they do want to put holes in the walls. Most walls are wallpapered, sometimes with two or three different papers.

There aren’t usually many (if any) closets in Russian homes. Instead they use wardrobes, hutches, entertainment centers, bookcases, and highboys for storage. These are very big pieces of furniture and are usually pieced together along one wall of each living room/bedroom. Russian women have the finest things they can afford. From China and glassware sets to fur coats and jewelry; usually all this stuff is lovingly crammed into or on the storage furniture. Everything is cluttered and neat at the same time. Russians are generally, extremely well read people and have stacks of books littered though their homes. Small Icons are kept usually behind the glass doors of bookcases or hutches. Only this past year have my parents-in-law decided to update the décor of their apartment. The hallway is really quite nice; it matches. The new living room furniture however still does not match the rest of the living room. This next year, though, they have big plans for their sons’ previous bedroom. After thirty years, they finally will have a separate bedroom all to themselves. They are currently experiencing the empty nest syndrome, but I have no doubt they will recover soon!

I have to admit that I feel Russian people will find it easier to adapt to American homes than vice versa. While they feel a little strange about all the luxuries we do have, who doesn’t find gadgets amusing and entertaining at first?

If you are interested check out my trekshare page listed in the links section to see pictures of our house in Russia.

Lesson 2: After Communism, Before Democracy The New Russian and Russian Morality

The changes in the 1990’s brought about a new type of Russian. They are called New Russians. They are part Mafia, part Russian, and part Western businessman. A good rule of thumb is that if your new Russian friend can’t or won’t really tell what he does to make his very good income, you know he has to be doing something is barely legal, if at all. Unfortunately, it is the New Russian who has the most comfortable and luxurious life in Russia, and they flaunt it (mostly on cars, women, cloths, and alcohol). While the rest of Russia scrapes by, the New Russians can afford to sit in cafes all day long talking on their cell phones.

I sound pretty down on New Russians, but that just comes from my personal priorities of holding a spiritual life first. My brother-in-law, whom I love dearly, is hitting this fast track to success now. I would rather live an honest life (it is an American thing to hold morality so close to oneself), but my brother-in-law has always been a little crazy and very ambitious.

I do not mean to say that only Americans are moral. I mean that the majority of Americans worry about morality in their personal life, more than any other people I’ve seen (except, maybe, the Japanese who worry about personal honor). This is a large generalization, but is meant to point out that you will not see many Russians refusing a bribe or refusing to pay a bribe, unless the bribe is inferring a personal insult. Still most Russians would rather pay a bribe than have an ugly altercation or even think of brining the case to court. This is not an issue of morality, but an issue of practicality for most Russians. What would you rather, pay the cop off or to go the jail for the night?

No one really ever likes giving bribes. In fact, my brother-in-law had a recent altercation with the cops, where he actually filed a report against the officers who stopped him and demanded 300 rubles (roughly $10 US dollars). But the issue is unresolved and will never be resolved. My husband was a cop and his brother tried to get help from some of my husband’s old friends, but frankly, no one cared enough. Everyone thought my brother-in-law should have just paid the cops off and be done with the whole issue. In a sense they are right, there are much larger problems which Russians face, than cops taking money from the people they stop. The problem of bribe taking could be greatly diminished by paying cops a good and decent wage and making the laws and enforcement of laws against bribery stricter. Maybe if life in Russia becomes more consistent and more reliable, these things can be worked out.

But, as I mentioned earlier in this article, non-uniformity is and was always the hallmark of Russian life, even when Russia had money and was in power. Good example of this non-uniformity of Russian life and morals is this: my friend and her sister were verbally assaulted by group of guys hanging out in front a shop. The two women ran home to tell their parents, and my friend also told her husband. The whole family went out to confront the group of men outside the shop, and whole scene quickly turned into a brawl. The cops came and did take the group of men away for the night, but no charges were pressed and they got out of jail because one of the guys had a cop friend. A few days later they retaliated against my friend and her family by smashing the windshield of their new car. Well, that was it. My friend’s mom had had it. She was the owner of several food stores in the city and had a lot of money. She contacted her lawyer. No, not to sue, as we would logically do. Instead, she gave her lawyer money to hire some thugs. These thugs tracked down one of the offensive men, pulled him out of his class, took him out into the countryside, threatened him to pay restitution, and then left him there. The windshield was paid for and my friend’s family was never bothered again. Russia just has a way of turning justified actions into horrible situations and turning bad situations even worse. Morality, at this time, is not a black and white concept in Russia.

Lesson 2: After Communism, Before Democracy Conclusion

Russia is a place where old meets new, where east meets west, it is a place of harsh winter (yes, in the winter Russians do wear big furry hats), and blistering summers. It is a place were extremes meet. She seems to have a power about her that attracts extremes and then clashes them together. What is left after that collision remains, and what comes apart is swept away. I feel my words from one of my journals which I kept during the time I spent in Russia best sums this section up.

“Why do they kill unwanted kittens here? Because it’s tradition, would you rather have them starve to death in the street?

But why isn’t there another way? Why is “tradition” a catchphrase and scapegoat. I find that “tradition” is used here more than any other place I’ve exposed myself to. Usually people think of culture and try to come up with more positive things to say about their culture, but not here. Here tradition and culture have an equal share of good traits and bad. Here culture has no elevation as ethnic quarks or old wisdom. It is foremost the way things are done, and many times nothing else. The reasons have been lost, or forgotten, or just plain not cared about.

“This creates a strange attitude now when considering which new direction the Russian people will take in the following years. For Russia to continue to try and preserve and follow it’s more ancient and unique traditions, it would have to dig them back up again. Russia would collectively have to try and remember and find unity in that memory. But if Russia chooses to follow a new road, the people may never know exactly what they gave up, or even why they have the certain quarks and philosophies that they do carry from their descendants. For instance, it is my personal opinion that thousands of Western businesses and dollars could arrive in this place and make money for a time, because it’s new. But until they can get the Russian people to believe in the capitalistic future or philosophy, I believe that these business will ultimately fail. The Russian people, as a whole rarely will stick things out for the long haul when it comes to business and politics. Historically they have had too many things fail them, in order to have faith that things can work out to a beautiful future now. Women stay with drunk or abusive husbands because things could get worse if they try to dream for something better. I think for now capitalism is still something outside of the Russian frame of mind, it does not yet apply to the Russian internally, but rather as a passing mode. Maybe it will stay and create change, maybe not. Does anything other than family and friends truly affect the Russian internally, in their closed isolated minds and reserved hearts? Things come and go here. But the winds off the steppe roll in and out continuously. Sometimes things go out with this wind and sometimes things come in. But the Russian people have lived in this wind, in Tzaretzen, Stalingrad, and Volgograd (these were the three names the city I was living in had through out it’s history) for coming close to 500 yrs now. Is there anything that could change the internal Russian?” Quotes taken from my 2001-2002 journal.

Lesson 3: Modern Russian Culture

Big Beautiful Russia

“Russia is a country about 1.8 times the size of the US occupying the vast area between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean. It has an area of 10, 672,000 sq. miles (17,075,200 sq.km) and a population of almost 150 million people.

Occupying a large territory in Europe and Asia Russia is spread over all climatic zones except tropical. It takes over 8 hours by plane to reach from Moscow to Vladivostok on the Pacific coast. West of the Ural mountains from the Black Sea in the South to the Arctic Ocean lies a broad plain with low hills where the historical core of the Russian nation is located. East of the Urals from the border with Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia to the Arctic coast lies Siberia – a scarcely populated area covered by coniferous forest, swamps and tundra in the north and mountainous terrain in the south. The country possesses a wide array of natural resources including major deposits of oil, coal, natural gas, many strategic minerals, diamonds and timber.

Russia has the world’s fifth largest population (148.8 million people) after China, India, the United States and Indonesia. It is populated by approximately 130 nations and ethnic groups, including some 130 million Russians, over 5 million Tartars, nearly 4 million Ukrainians, 1.7 million Chuvashs, 1.7 million Jews, approximately 1.3 million Bashkirs, over 1 million Belorussians and more than 1 million Mordovians.

All in all, 73 per cent of Russian citizens live in urban areas… The Russian Federation has 1,067 major cities, with 13 of them inhabited by one million and more people each.” (Embassy of the Russian Federation http://www.russianembassy.org/ , geography page)

Russia is big. But it does not have nearly the population it should for being the largest country. In between Russia’s 1,067 large cities, there is nothing. You know when you are definitely out the city, because there is nothing but steppe or forest and an occasional sign for another city (which is usually located so far away that you couldn’t conceive how Russians could hide an entire city just beyond the horizon). Here I am not even talking about Siberia, Siberia is another story altogether. There are people and cities in Siberia. Most of Russia’s natural resources are in Siberia and so there are some very rich cities out in the forests and tundra, which were only founded around resources like oil or timber. In Siberia, if you are lucky another city could be a day or two away. Western Russia is those lands between the Ural and the Caucas Mountians, the lands between the Arctic Circle and the Black and Caspian Seas. My husband is from one of the narrower regions of Russia, in between the Caspian Sea and the Black sea, and the nearest city from his hometown is still five hours away.

Moscow and St. Petersburg are different as well. They are the largest cities in Russia, the most expensive, and the most toured. St. Petersburg is on the Gulf of Finland. Moscow is further inland and slightly more southern. Both are very page and very old cities, in 2003 St. Petersburg celebrated her 300th year birthday. These two cities were the homes to the Russian Tzars, the Soviet Government, and the modern Republic. They are opulent, they are old, and they are also modern. Russia does not believe in contradiction, Russia lives it. In Russia there is no contradiction, there are merely opposing facts. So, yes, a city can be old and modern at the same time.

This section is meant to show you the diversity and size of Russia. This information and sense of the country should be kept in mind when listening to the news which like to show surveys and statistics from Russia. The national surveys include all the large cities scattered about Russia, and they also include the tiny villages, which dot the countryside. Village life is completely different than city life. The standards of living are also completely different. There may not be running water in a village, maybe one telephone, maybe constant electricity. Not all people chose to live in villages because of poverty either. Some villages are richer than others depending on the farming and animal husbandry business in that area. Some people chose to live the quiet life. But not many villages have fully equipped hospitals or schools. Russian national surveys also include Siberia, which is sparsely populated, yet has a lot of weight for the Russian economy (because all of her natural resources are located there). So, what you are hearing in these surveys and statistics, unless they were conducted only in cities, is a cross between city standards of life and rural standards of life. When our media tells that the Russian healthcare system is bad, they are using statistics from all over Russia. City hospitals are fine, I never had a problem with the healthcare I received in a city hospital. The equipment was a little old, but the same tests we would run were done, and the same diagnosis came. It is the same for the alcohol statistics we have been hearing. Let me tell you, there is not much more to do, than drink, in a village; unless you’re a farmer that is. Statistics are always to be taken with a grain of salt, unless you know exactly who was giving their vote or opinion.

To learn more about Moscow and St. Petersburg here are links to some good city guides.

http://petersburgcity.com/

Voditchka

Russians drink vodka, lots of vodka. Vodka drinking is a social institution. The rules are:

One never should drink alone: In Russia, this means making friends with the guy on the next bar stool. To ask someone to share a bottle with you is to ask them to become better acquianted with you and perhaps to have a sharing of souls: You can ask this of a person simply by tapping under you chin with you fingers, in a quick flicking gesture (make an OK hand sign, put it up to you neck and lightly tap your neck with your forefinger). This rule is one of the main reasons why drinking in Russia has become a social and lengthily custom. The more you drink, the closer you feel to someone.

It is better to have a reason to drink: Russia still celebrates Soviet holidays and some other more folky holidays, just so that there are more reasons to drink. There are special holidays for just about every profession and military branch. There is also a holiday called a name day (name day: a type of birthday celebration. When you were given the name of a Russian saint, you get to have a party on the Saint’s holy day because you share his or her name.) Of course, any day can be a holiday.

Every shot must be toasted: Russian toasts are notoriously long and sentimental. The first toast is usually in honor of the holiday (birthday person, holiday, friendship is always a big one). The second toast is usually for the host. The third toast is for a woman’s love, but more generally, and more modern, just for love. After the third toast, anything goes. By that time everyone is usually loose enough and feeling in a better mood, so tradition takes a back seat to the spirit of the party. Plus these traditions vary from region to region, but what I have listed are the most common toasts. At birthday and wedding dinners, everyone must take their turn to toast the birthday person. So, the more guests you have, the more vodka you must drink! I married my husband in Russia, and we had a traditional Russian wedding. At our reception it took almost an hour to get around the whole table for everyone to pronounce their toasts. So, that was like thirty toasts and shots in an hour. The party lasted roughly eight hours and we drank the entire time.

All spoken toasts, and, at least, the first three are basically obligatory. It is possible to refuse a later toast, but it is common courtesy to tell your hosts at the beginning of the party that you do not intend to drink. It takes a strong will to refuse a Russian toast, but it is possible to do it politely by invoking health conditions or religion. Your host may not completely understand, but he or she will respect your choice.

For every shot, you eat one snack: On occasion one might drink to be drunk in Russia, but the custom is that one does not just drink, one feasts as well. Every two weeks or so, my husband and I and all of our friends would go the market together buy lots and lots of food and couple bottles of something intoxicating and feast together. Once a bottle is opened it must be finished. You cannot save alcohol, unless you may need some for recovering in the morning.

Never leave an empty bottle on the table: it’s bad luck.

Once you pick up you glass, you cannot put it down until you finish your shot: a neat way to rest you hand if the toast ends up being long is to slip your pinky finger under the bottom of the glass and let your pinky finger rest on the table.

You must drink the shot to the bottom: you can always ask for a small shot, but what ever you get you must finish. Ladies have different rules though. A lady doesn’t have to finish her shot, if she is drinking shots at all. Many times ladies will have wine while the men drink vodka or some kind of hard liquor.

Whom ever opens the bottle pours the first shots and then, whom ever is toasting pours the next shot. If there is no real toast, but a consensus that the next toast is due, usually the host or a close friend will pour the shots. If a woman wants to toast, she can pour if she likes, but more usually her male friends or relatives will pour for her. If there is no host, then the shot will be poured by the person who is proposing to drink.

The morning after a hard and long drinking party, one should alleviate any hangover by consuming more alcohol. If you do not intend to drink the rest of the day, then beer or champaigne will do nicely. But if you plan on having a two day party then, another bottle of vodka is opened.

Lastly, this is not a rule exactly, but it is common: there is always some kind of chaser. Now many young men feel vodka without a beer chaser is wasted money, but more commonly seltzer water, juice, or soda is used as the chaser.

Alcohol is much cheaper in Russia than it is in the States. You can get a decent bottle of vodka for three or four bucks. A bottle of beer is about thirty cents. You can have beer while walking down the street, but not vodka. But you can drink vodka in public, but should make a little picnic out of it. Russian shot glasses are larger than ours, so one shot in Russia is like a shot and half for Americans. I was on an archaeology expedition in Russia for a two summers. At camp, we would always drink out of large metal mugs. Because we were out in the country, our Russian friends provided us with real village moonshine. Moonshine is made everywhere in Russia. Sometimes clever bootleggers will use old bottles from vodka and put the moonshine in it and sell the moonshine as real vodka. The only way to be sure of the quality of the alcohol your buying is to check the tax stamp on the bottle. There is a bug problem, though, with bad moonshine. Usually, Russians think it’s risky to buy moonshine, unless they know the person who made it and they know that person knows how to do it right. If one is desperate for alcohol, then you could always to the local pharmacy and buy some little bottles of pure alcohol antiseptic (we don’t sell that specific chemical formula here in the States, and I would not recommend using rubbing alcohol.). I’ve even heard stories of desperate soliders distilling and refining their shoe polish to use the alcohol contained in the polish. Again I don’t recommend doing this. But my favorite stories are those of the village people, who would grow watermelons. They would leave the melon in the field, but scoop out the inside and put water inside of the melon. They would leave the melon out in the field under the sun so that the melon juices would ferment. Another interesting form of alcohol is that of kvass. Kvass is a slightly alcoholic drink made from a heavy rye or pumpernickle bread. I haven’t gotten the recipe correct yet, but if I do, I’ll pass it on.

There have been a few attempts to dry out Russia from Vodka. But none of these attempts lasted very long. I think it is mostly due to the economic and blackmarket factors of alcohol production. Alcohol is a good business in Russia. Now, alcohol sales are closely related to Mafia. Most shopkeepers have to pay protection fees to the Mafia and/or the cops. The Mafia, sometimes control what shops can sell what brands or types of alcohol, in other words, they control distribution. The cops get paid to overlook code violations or “misplaced” licenses or other documents. Usually if the shop is the local mall area, then you can have a respectable business. But if the shop is a street kiosk or a private vendor or store, then they are paying someone for something. Again, most Russians see this form of bribery as the cost of doing business. They may not like it, but for Russians somehow it’s easier not to rock the boat.

Alcoholism is perceived differently in Russia and it is perceived differently between Russian men and Russian women. Russian men define an alcoholic as someone who has the shakes and is obsessed with drinking. Russian women feel that alcoholism is not as extreme and will likely call her husband an alcoholic if he comes home a couple nights a week drunk. But, neither men nor women feel that getting drunk a couple nights a week is a big deal. As long as one can retain one’s dignity while drinking, one is not thought of as a drunk. The minute one loses their grip (physically or emotionally) one loses their respect. Going to treatment centers for alcoholism is only done in extreme cases and for health reasons (physical or emotional). There are treatment centers, like we have in America. Alcoholism is a different animal altogether in Russia. Americans have a belief that having a couple drinks on the weekends is a little wild. But that having a glass of wine with dinner is sensible. These sensible notions just do not exist for Russian men. Russian women strive to be cultured and refined, but Russian men innately seem to push their boundaries with alcohol. But Russians feel, so long as you remain in control of yourself, and as long as you can function reasonably, what does it hurt? Russian mothers will scold their children well into adulthood about drinking, but they won’t plan interventions or send them to treatment centers. Drugs on the other hand, have no place in Russian families. Drugs can be easily gotten, but are not tolerated by the police or by the Russian family.

Lesson 3: Modern Russian Culture Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus

http://www.womenrussia.com/russians.htm

I want you to read, at least some, of this website (the one listed above). It is an informational guide about Russian culture. It is very well written and humorous. But a Russian woman wrote it. In fact, I would suggest reading the entire site. This woman was a Russian “mail order bride”. On the site she provides a real look at why woman are interested in such services. It is really enlightening.

A whole course could be devoted to Russian women. But here I only have so much space. Never in my life have I met such down to earth, salt of the earth, spirited, strong, loving, passionate women. I never thought I would meet such women in Russia. We Westerners have such a bleak and bland view of Russia that sometimes we over look the people and their soul.

Russian women are practical. I know many people might disagree and I do not mean practical in a sense that they only count their money or buy the most economical cloths. They are emotionally practical. Romance is not highly regarded in their personal lives. Sure, women love romance, but they know what is real and what is not and what can really be expected past the flowers and chivalry. A Russian woman knows a scoundrel for a scoundrel, but sometimes likes that kind of fun. While convention and tradition may have kept women in a place below men, the women have held the keys to the larder and still do. Husbands come home and hand over their paychecks. When men want a little money for themselves, they take it from the women. When a man is hungry he cries to his wife or to his mother. Co-dependence is a Western concept that Russians will not understand. In Russia a husband and wife are supposed to dependent on one another.

There are reasons beyond tradition for this. Let’s look at it this way. In the last 100 years Russia has had many wars and upheavals. In WWII alone, (not looking closely at official numbers because they say so little about the reality of the situation), let’s say half the population of Russia was killed. While women served as nurses, some as pilots (though very few), the overwhelming majority of people who died in battle were men. Then there were the civilians killed in the sieges, again most of them men. Lastly there were those imprisoned in work camps; again the majority were men. After WWII where were all the men? Where the fathers? Who kept the country and economy going? During WWII and after the war, it was the women of Russia who were mending their broken country and homes. What fathers and husbands were left needed to be cared for because they were invalids or suffered from post-traumatic shock. Boys as young as 14 served in the Russian army in WWII. The Russian family lost three generations of fathers and husbands in that war. The family suffered emotionally because there were so few fathers left. Women were happy to find a decent man to marry after the war, and then descent meant in considerable good health (not missing too many parts), able to do some work, and not completely emotionally unstable. This is a far cry from our western standards of who makes a good husband. But there are still echoes of this familial destruction in today’s Russian family.

Gender roles do have to be viewed as oppression or subjugation. Gender roles are essentially ways of distributing work and tasks along the lines of the gender, in the assumption that one gender can do something better than the other. Gender roles can be rather practical, and do have to be shameful. Gender roles are not set in stone either, rather gender roles are set merely in tradition. When the Tzars still ruled Russia, women were considered the property of their husbands. But after the revolution, women were now free to live a life separate from her family. The obligation to familial chores and care taking remained and still remain today. A woman must care for her family first. Economics gets a woman out into the job market quicker than the longing for a career will. Surprisingly woman can go either way when searching for a job. Either they will follow their entrepreneurial spirit and become businesswomen or they will take a position, which will keep them occupied and bring in a little extra money. But rarely will a woman chose her career over having a family. I’ve seen the ages of 18-22 quoted as being the average age for when a woman gets married. But, frankly, only one of my friends in Russia was married and that one girl had quickly divorced. All of my other friends did not seem really close to marrying their boyfriends, if they had a steady guy. I cannot say if this is the same outside of the city. But from the city life I’ve seen girls are marrying a little later, more like their mid-twenties, despite the stigma still associated with older girls marrying. The young women I’ve been acquainted with hold some career ambitions. They want steady jobs and go into practical areas of study like accounting or business, or at some point in their young adulthood try to receive some training in these areas.

After marriage it is expected that the couple will try to have a child, as it is generally believed that it is better to have kids at a younger age, than to wait for a better financial time. Russian businesses generally offer paid maternity leave and women can return to their jobs up to three years after the child’s birth. Plus, women get paid sick days for their childrens illnesses, as well as their own. I cannot say for sure what Russian women were like in Soviet times, but today young Russian women are bombshells and they dress like it too. Mostly young women were little skirts and very high heels, lots of leather and revealing blouses. Their hair and make up is perfect. Russian women are fastidious about their appearance. It is not because they are trying to make up for a lack of intelligence or spirit. Russian women seem like they have it all; they are modern day goddesses. I cannot understand how these women can ever appear to be the archetypal babushka, with the hunchback and the kerchief on their heads. But, I think, this is one of things that is changing in Russia. My mother-in-law while no longer keeping her girlish figure, is proudly a matron, well kept, well dressed, and the picture of appropriateness, as Russian women are obsessed with. Yet for our wedding, she went all out and got her hair dyed two different shades of red. The bottom of the hair was a dark wine color, while on the top, in the shape of pointed flower petals, she had her hair dyed a copper color red, it was pretty wild!!! So, perhaps the archetype babushka is becoming an image of the past, at least in the cities.

Russian men have always been known for their flights of fancy, passionate courtships, brooding nature, and all around manliness (for lack of a better word). Russian men can do anything, with anything, when they put their minds and imaginations to it (except housework!). Macgyver has nothing on a typical Russian man. Russian men attempt to treat women like princesses, and at least before marriage, cater to their girlfriend’s wishes. But the Russian man, alone with his friends is almost always a hooligan! Before I married my husband, my mother-in-law told me that I should treat men like children. At first, I was appalled. My husband, her son, was an adult. He could very live his life very well, without my direct help. But I am realizing that her advice was not aimed only at my husband, but at Russian men in general. In the presence of their wives and mothers, Russian men do not have much personal power. And they just give it right up, without much of a fight. I do not mean they become child-like, but they want and need to be taken care of and, in a way, coddled. When Russian men are out and about the city they ooze machismo, but take a step into their home, or their parent’s home, and they are powerless. Russian women have figured this out. In the end the woman, mother or wife, will get her way. They have this subtle form of manipulation down to an exact science. But, a Russian woman loves her husband and needs him for other things than to rule the home life. A husband and father is a protector, and will usually handle problems outside of the home. A Russian husband is the family representative in all external and legal functions (like buying property, settling disputes, and any other potentially unpleasant situations), he is the family member you turn to when you have problems and need help.

Lesson 3: Modern Russian Culture Russian Hospitality

Your first impression of Russia may not be good. It would either take place in an airport, hotels, or busy city streets. In these public situations, Russians are at work or in a business mindframe. That means, at any given moment, the facial expression of a serious Russian could be quite intimidating. But this has nothing to do with who a Russian person is inside.

“This closeness of family and friends creates two personas for each Russian: the public one with a hard exterior shell that knows when you must shove, or you won’t get any, and the rich, warm, private one that goes to extraordinary lengths for one of her own. Listen as your sweet friend barks on the telephone to an outsider.” (Gerhart, 1995)

A Russian would give up his or her last loaf of bread to feed guests. During the Soviet times it was actually a little easier to throw extravagant parties. I know it’s not how Americans were taught to view Soviet Russia. Yet, in that system food was provided, and there wasn’t much to buy with your salary. So, spending half a month’s salary on food and drink for a party wasn’t really a big deal. Now, it’s a little different. Now half your month’s salary is used to buy your monthly, normal amount of food, and all parties are saved for, or sometimes collected for among friends. The spouse or parents of the birthday person always give birthday parties. These are big affairs. There are usually three courses to a meal, vodka and wine. All meals are followed by fruit and chocolates served with tea and coffee. But weddings are major events. Food and drink is constantly provided for each guest for roughly six hours or more. The day after the wedding there is usually another party at one of the parent’s homes. And, another party at night, just for friends of the newlyweds. In places like Georgia and for Russians with money, weddings can be week-long events.

When you visit someone’s house you should always bring a little something for the wife or kitchen. Things like flowers, chocolates, pastries, cookies, and candies are common gifts for visiting. When you are expecting guests, you should have the teapot boiling and prepared snacks like cakes or cookies ready. The part of Russian hospitality I miss the most is visiting. Visits are rarely announced. A friend can visit or call your home at any time day or night and expect you to be hospitable. My husband was a cop in Russia, and so I never really knew exactly when he would come home from work. Some nights he would be drinking with his fellow officers until late at night. He would eventually call me and tell me that so and so would be coming home with him. I knew that meant we would be having some vodka and I would start preparing snacks and table setting. The following is a journal entry from the time I lived in Russia and is an account of Russian hospitality.

May 9th, 2002 Kostya, my husband, did not return home until eleven at night. Never mind that he said he would be back at five in the evening. Russians are notorious for their inability, or maybe inattentiveness, to telling time. I was standing in the kitchen and saw a few heads pass by the window. I understood for the most part what had happened. And I felt lucky that I was in the middle of preparing our supper, at least we would have enough food for everyone. I wondered if they had brought the bottle of vodka with them or if they would think of it later. If they had been the efficient Americans, they would have already bought the vodka. Alas, this is Russia. Kostya comes into the house first and pecks me on the cheek. His warm smile was dashing as always and his green-blue eyes twinkling. His friends cued up next to him and stood with big smiles on their faces.

Fyodor and Alosha had come to meet Kostya’s wife, a real live American girl. Better than that, an American girl who willingly stays to live in Russia, a true enigma. Kostya was trying to tell me that I had met these two men before, he worked with them at the police offices. Surely I had to remember them. For awhile I thought he was trying to tell me they had been in the house before, but they surely hadn’t. When he began to describe where their offices where located, I realized that I had meet these two men at the police station, when Kostya had taken to work with him last summer. I politely said that I then recalled our last meeting. So, Alosha and Fyoder stood in their places smiling reassuringly at me. Fyoder tried to take my hand, I thought to shake it, but wait, I forgot again this is Russia. My hands were all chickeny and so I offered him my wrist instead, and he bowed deep and kissed it. I still can’t help it, I blushed. Acting typically old Russian, Fyoder refused my offers for dinner a few times, before the three men had a little meeting and decided that with my permission they should buy a bottle of vodka. If they were going to have vodka they need drinking snacks, Fyoder assured me. Meaning that, of course, they would stay for dinner. It was decided that Fyoder would stay with me, while the two youngun’s would run down to the nearest store. Only a fifteen minute walk away, fifteen American minutes. In Russia, that walk could take anywhere from ten minutes to three hours. They would walk too. Three rubles for the tram was out of the question, it was only a fifteen-minute walk, one tram stop away!

My Russian is almost comically bad. So, once the party had temporarily broken up, I was left alone with Fyoder. Fyoder speaks no English and had a lot to say to me at that time. Out of all the inconveniences I had already experienced and potentially complain about, this is really what pushes my buttons the most. I hate being without a translator, especially when people want to talk to you. It sounds strange written down, but I can’t recall all the times I’ve been trapped by people who just are content to jabber at, asking every few if I understand them. Most of the time I don’t, I try to fill in the blanks between the few words I know. Which is why I say my Russian language skill can be quite comical. So I stood there, cooking and nodding my head, smiling when he smiled, trying to at least look like I’m paying attention. I knew that basically Fyodor was trying to tell me what a good catch I made with Kostya, and that he is very respected by most men at work. And I also knew that he was amazed that I was staying here in Russia, and not even in Moscow, but little, country Volgograd. But the details escape me, and I cannot help blushing at his attentions.

For the moment Fyoder gives up and takes to calling around on the telephone. He starts showing me his little red book, and is telling me something about the women he has listed in the book. It still surprises me; many middle aged Russian men have lovers. And so he begins calling the first woman he showed me in the book. But the call does not go as well as he expected. When he hangs up he goes out in the yard to smoke, and asks me to leave him alone for a while.

Finally the food is finished, and we are only waiting for the vodka to get here. As promised Kostya and Alosha show up a few minutes later. Voila, that party has begun. Immediately Fyoder wants to pour a shot. I rush into the other room and retrieve four shot glasses. I choose four of a set we had just received as a wedding present. When I return to the kitchen, Kostya looks at me and then the glasses and complains, “but they’re new!”. I still don’t understand this comment. I set the glasses down and was then informed that according to Fyoder’s traditions the owner of the house must pour the first shot. This surprises me, as every other party I had been to the person who opens the bottle makes the first toast, the man who opens the bottle, I mean. But Fyoder was referring to me as the owner of the house, a very pleasant change. But Kostya, who was translating again, amended the toast, saying that this tradition was not upheld in the Volgograd region. I quickly took up the bottle and poured before Kostya could complain anymore.

Lesson 3: Modern Russian Culture Conclusion

The Russian world is very different and very removed from ours. We sit in our air conditioned homes hooked up to the Internet feeling we are in touch with world. But Russians are only beginning to have a taste of becoming Global citizens and only beginning to know that life can hold more comforts than hardships. I have met so many young Russians who have a pretty good grasp of our language and culture and yet think they could never make use of that. Their minds are closed to the bigger possibilities of working internationally or working for international companies. America and American life has reached mythic proportions, especially outside of Western Moscow. I remember once when I was working on an expedition in the Astrakhan region of Southern Russia, I had gone to a local bazaar. My professor was on a mission to buy a man’s work shirt for herself (she liked it because it was so light and perfect for digging in). When we found one to her liking and she was attempting to pay for it, the owner of the stand could not help herself but ask if we were European. Our translator announced that we were American. But the clerk looked confused and asked if my professor was buying the shirt for her husband. My professor told her that she wanted it for herself. The clerk couldn’t quite understand, but excitedly told us that she would have to tell her daughter of this experience, as her daughter would be interested because she was learning English in School. I felt as if the shop clerk had had a sighting of a mythical creature!

There are still many misconceptions between our cultures and our respective medias. But that does not usually deter Russian hospitality. Even on our Archaeology expeditions when we were camping out in the boonies of the Russian Steppe, Russian hospitality ruled our relations with students and professors. Every night the students would gather around the campfire and the gitarus would come out. Snacks would be distributed, maybe a little vodka. Souls would laugh and sing, and slowly melt into one another. And so the night would pass.

Lesson 4: Being in Russia, an American Perspective

There are Souvenirs in Russia!

In case you haven’t noticed, despite the opening up of Russia to the West, it still has not become a popular tourist destination. It is not that Russia is still closed to the West, but rather that Russia was not made for tourists. Even if you are not planning to go to Russia, this lesson will interest you in a very real way.

The preparation one needs to make before traveling somewhere is a way of introducing what conditions might be present while in that new place. In many popular tourist cities and countries there are places to go and things made for the convenience of people traveling in the country. The first and last rule in Russia, is that in Russia there are no tourists and therefore few, if any, tourist conveniences.

First of all you need a visa to get into Russia. If you don’t have a visa they will ship you back where you came from. Your visa is very important and without a valid visa you cannot get a hotel room, plane tickets, bus tickets, or change dollars for Rubles. So, one must obtain a visa (now it isn’t hard and there are agencies which can do it for you) and then you must make absolutely certain that you leave Russia before your visa expires. If you somehow end up in Russia without a valid visa (it happened to me once), you will have to beg and pay people to let you out of the country. Most people say the embassy will help, but somehow they cannot. If your visa expires while you are still in the country you must beg your Russian friends to give you a couch to sleep on and a phone to scream at the embassy over. Lastly, if you manage to get someone’s attention and/or sympathy, you will have to pay a nice sum of money for an extention on your visa. I’ve heard that it is a good idea to have photocopies of your passport and visa and to keep them on your body instead of the documents. I don’t actually know if this works, as police and other officials usually like to see the real documents, but you’re more likely to have your passport stolen then you are to have any real trouble with the cops.

The next thing you will need before going to Russia is dollars. You cannot buy rubles from the local bank or even a large city bank. There are no rubles to be bought, unless you buy them off of someone who took them out of Russia as souvenirs or forgot to exchange them before leaving. I would not suggest using traveler’s checks as Russia is just not that modern or consistent enough for traveler’s checks to be worth anything more than a headache. Bring cash, bring your ATM card, and bring your credit card. If you plan on bringing your credit card be sure to call the card company before you leave the States to let them know you may be making purchases in Russia. A good credit card company would not approve a purchase made in Russia, unless they have forewarning or you have a history of purchases made in Russia. I was almost stuck without a hotel room one night because I had just switched credit cards and they did not know about my trip plans. I had booked the hotel online, which is possible to do (and if you are not traveling with a group it might be a good idea), but the credit did not go through and I didn’t find out about it until it was too late. Fortunately I had my trusty ATM card and enough money in the bank! It is possible to exchange money unofficially with the Mafia. They usually hang out near hotels or exchange booths and wear suits. You don’t even have to say anything, just hand them the money and they’ll give the rubles at a better exchange rate than the banks or booths will.

You will also want to bring several different types of extra bags for you shopping. A backpack is always a good idea. There is a lot of walking in Russia and tours, drives to places, and almost no places to stop and get what you need when you need it. So, you will want to carry a bottle of water, extra film, a sweater, stomach medication, aspirin, etc… at all times because odds are if you suddenly need it, you won’t be able to find it. When you are going out touring for the day in Russia, you will be out all day and so plan for packing you bag each as if you were going on a day trip. You will also want to put in your backpack a canvas or maybe mesh shopping bag, as you will usually not get any shopping bags when you buy things. Lastly, you may want to pack an extra carry-on in order to bring your souvenirs home in. Do not pack a full extra carry-on, but put an empty carry-on bag in your suitcase. Believe it or not, there are more kinds of souvenirs than you can think of in Russia.

A note on clothing: If you are going to St. Petersburg, even in the summer it may be a little chilly, so bring some kind of warm outer wear that folds up small enough to put in your day bag. Russia is a very extreme place when it comes to climate. The summers are very hot and winters are very cold. In the summer skirts or loose fitting pants, like plazzo pants, are more appropriate for women than shorts are. And chinos or jeans are, likewise, more appropriate than shorts for me. In Moscow it may not matter much, but a good way to stick out in a crowd is to dress like you’re at home.

Tour Groups and Books

If this is the first time you’re in Russia, I would definitely recommend doing by tour groups. Russia is big, it’s difficult there to just rent a car and go on your merry way. It’s worth repeating, Russia was not made for the tourist. There are no information booths or points of interest markers. And let’s face it, you’re not going to learn Russian in a week or two. It would be handy to be able to read a little Russian, that way you could better find your way around the street signs and metro stops. But Russian is not an easy language to just pick up. Even if you don’t want to hire a tour guide from a firm, if you could get yourself to Red Square, you can hire a tour guide there to explain to you the history or whatever your interest. If you’re going to go it alone anyway, really study the tour books that are out there and don’t forget to bring them with you. I wouldn’t count on a tour book to find restaurants or shops though. These kinds of establishments come and go in Russia. It would be better to just use your eyes and nose to find a place to eat.

The biggest benefit of going with a group is that you will have a translator and someone to help you handle your travel logistics and questions. Because your tour guide is Russian, they will go out of their way to make you happy and comfortable, just don’t expect them to smile about it. You can guarantee they won’t seem very helpful, if you are picky about your travel arrangements. If your tour guide seems unorganized and tardy, remember that Russia is an unpredictable place. Your tour guide after living all of his or her life in Russia won’t be able to assure that things will go on time, well, or at all. It’s just part of the adventure of going to Russia. To not see that, is to miss part of the Russian soul. I think it was John Lennon, who said, “Life is what happens to you while your making plans”, and that is especially true in Russia. What matters is the experience of Russia, and not if the tour bus was always on time.

Not to sound rude to the Americans, I’m simply pointing out a cultural difference, but to make a fuss over things that did not go well, is extremely rude behavior to a Russian person. A Russian tour guide is acting as a surrogate parent in a way. They may fuss over you, make sure your comfortable, make sure you take your umbrella, or that you’ve had enough to eat, but that is the way Russians express their hospitality and generosity. There isn’t much of a separation between working and playing while being a tour guide and a guide can feel very close to his or her group. Would your mother like it if you complained every time something wasn’t exactly to your liking? Russians by nature are more open people. And when the sharing begins, Russians feel they are really becoming closer and more intimate. Americans may not mean “how are you” every time they say it, but a Russian will only ask if he or she is really interested and sincere.

Lesson 4: Being in Russia, an American Perspective Hotels

Hotels in Russia are old. There are elegant old hotels, there are modernistic (meaning sparse in appearance) old hotels, and then there are the “quaint” old hotels that have not changed in fifty years and don’t appear as if they will be renovated for another fifty years. Some of these hotels have private baths, some do not. Lastly, then there are some down right scary places, but I don’t think any professional travel agent or tour guide would let you stay in those places. Now, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly out of Russian hotels and hostels. I even managed to pick up some fleas from the hostel, but here I’ll talk a little about what to expect from a hotel in Russia.

Russians rarely stay in hotels when they travel. It’s a huge luxury. Russians either go somewhere where they have friends they could stay with or will rent little cottages. Hotels are for business people, rich people, and foreigners. Hotel prices are competitive to the US. A room in Moscow can go for about $200 dollars a night. But there are some hotel complexes in the suburbs that go for $40 or $50 dollars a night. The first time my husband stayed in a hotel while in Russia, was when we were traveling back and forth to Moscow to deal with my paperwork for marring a foreign national abroad. He would have rathered we stayed with his mom’s Muscovite (from Moscow) friend, but I wanted to be closer to the city and have a little privacy.

When you check into a hotel, as a foreign guest, the hotel will have to register your passport, which you have to pay for. It’s not expensive, but they will hold your passport and visa over night or at least for a few hours. Not many hotels will offer free breakfast, I’ve only had one free breakfast in all my travels. Depending on your tour package (most include breakfast) you may or may not have to pay for breakfast, which is usually eaten inside the hotel. In large hotels there are little cafes on each floor, in which you can pick up a snack, like a hot dog or chips, and beer, wine, and, of course, vodka. These cafes are in addition to the main restaurants in the hotel. Even if your hotel does not have a café of it’s own, for every two blocks or so, there are small street vendors (which look like newspaper stands) that sell lots of goodies. A Russian hotel breakfast is basic, but not a continental breakfast like we have here.

As I mentioned before, not all hotel rooms will have a private bath or even toilet. The more you pay the more private a room and bath you get, and if you want to be economical, then you can share a bathtub and/or toilet with the half of a hotel floor (roughly 5-10 rooms).

In a good hotel there are two forms of security. When you check into the hotel you are usually not given the room key. Instead you are given a guest card, which basically says you’re a guest of that hotel. When you find your floor, there will be a desk by the elevator. The woman (it’s usually a woman) will take a look at your guest pass and give you your room key. Whenever you leave the hotel, you are to hand in your room key to the women on your floor. This woman is in charge of the happenings on the entire floor, much like a dorm mother or a Resident Assistant (RA in college dorms). So, if you need anything, you go to her. Always, always carry your guest pass with you. You will need the guest pass to get past the security guards in the hotel lobby after when you return to the hotel after sunset. During the daytime, people come and go through the lobby, so a guest pass isn’t always needed, but it’s definitely needed after dark.

When you are checking out of a hotel, the woman in charge of the floor will come and inspect your room. After doing an inventory and checking for any damage, she will take your room key and you are free to go. There’s no point in being offended by this, everyone who doesn’t bribe her has to go through it. Strangely enough, these women are hard to bribe!

Lesson 4: Being in Russia, an American Perspective Food

As mentioned in the last section, you are more likely than not to eat breakfast in the hotel café or restaurant. One can expect eggs (in just about any style), sausages (they’re really hot dogs), and lots of hot and cold salads, the likes of which you have never seen before. There is no cereal. There are no waffles or pancakes. You may be able to get oatmeal, though they may call it porridge. There will be cheese and rolls, but no toast. There is tea (lots of tea, Russians rank right up there with the British and Chinese with tea drinking) and instant coffee (no brewed coffee). Most cafes will have water (but it’s hard to find non-sparkling water), juice, and soda or pop too.

Lunch and dinner are basically the same. There is soup (which is only with clear broth or home made boullion). The most made soups in Russia are shchi (cabbage-vegetable soup) and borscht (beet-vegetable soup, which can also have cabbage in it). The main course will have some kind of meat (chicken, roast beef, mini meatloaves called cutlets, sometimes a fish dish). The main course will also have side dishes like mashed potatoes or a salad (sometimes cole slaw, tomatoes and cucumbers in oil, or something like our potato salad.). Russian restaurant food isn’t really too shocking or different. But you will be hard pressed to find many vegetarian meals. Many Russians don’t understand the concept of vegetarianism, and will practically force meat down your throat.

If you find yourself homesick, there are western restaurants in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Sabarro’s pizza, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, KFC, and of course Mac Donald’s are the ones that stuck out to me. But once you get out of the main cities, you can forget Western restaurants. If you’re eating on the go, the food made by the local babushkas is always good in a pinch. Some women take a lot of extra food to sell on the street corner (usually near metro stations or big bus stops and markets) for the busy lunch and dinner crowds who are too busy to cook. In Russia, you will never be hungry!

Lesson 4: Being in Russia, an American Perspective Shopping

When I was first going to Russia, I did not think I would be buying many souvenirs. I wasn’t even totally sure there were souvenirs other than nesting dolls, which I thought were quite boring. Much to my surprise I came home with much more than I went with, both in my suitcases and my heart. To get an idea of some typical Russian gifts and decoration check the shops at http://www.russianlegacy.com . The prices listed on the site are a little more expensive than in Moscow (and lots more expensive than smaller cities), but you can make a shopping list based on the site.

Most souvenir street vendors will bargain with you, but a store price is a store price. There are many reproductions of just about anything Soviet, like watches, army uniforms and equipment, patches, and pins. A rule of thumb is that if you buy it at a souvenir stand it’s a reproduction. If its a family heirloom or bought at an antique store, you may think about wanting to hide it from the customs agent on the way out, as Russia has laws against taking anything fifty years or older out of the country. You may be able to take out antiques, but there’s a lot of paperwork and fees involved.

Now as to the other types of shopping. There are very few shopping malls as we know them in Russia. Most malls do not have separate stores in them, but booths or areas set aside for separate shops. It’s a cross between a flea market structure and a mall structure. The malls that are built like ours tend to be expensive, in tourist areas, and Western oriented. Now there are mini malls for food and mini malls/markets for just about everything else, from cosmetics, to videos, to books, furniture, and clothes. Private shops are generally more expensive to shop at, but have the room for a greater selection. Almost every second block will have a pharmacy, but in these pharmacies, only prescription drugs and over the counter drugs are there, and they are not convenience stores, like we have here. You can get common over the counter drugs easily, like aspirin. But if you usually require something stronger than regular aspirin, then you should bring an unopened bottle (for the sake of the customs officers) with you. Western brand feminine products are easy to find, especially Always and Tampax. In cities, Western toiletries in general are usually easy to find and I wouldn’t panic if I realized I had forgotten something. The only things I can think of, from the top of my head, that would be hard to find are mouthwash and floss. There are antacids in Russia, but not like Tums or Rolaids. In Russia, they use small tablets of activated charcoal, and in my experience they work very well. If you want you could also get herbal medicines in Russia. It is a strange part of the Russian medical custom, that Russians go to the doctor for every little problem, but they a more likely to self-treat themselves with the doctor’s help, than to take prescription drugs. So, if a Russian friend or tour guide offer you some medicinal medicine, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Because Russians self treat their illnesses and herbal medicine is cheap and available many Russians have a good knowledge of home and herbal remedies for common ailments.

There are two types of shops: Western and traditional. The traditional stores are rather small and very specialized (like dairy shops, meat shops, video shops, etc…). All the products are behind the counter. You should chose what you want and have the shopkeeper make a list of products and prices. Sometimes you will have to take that list to the cashier (kacca), in order to pay for the products first. But sometimes you can just pay the woman behind the counter. After you have paid you will get your stuff. But remember to bring your shopping bag, or else you be carrying your stuff in your hands or pay for a plastic bag to take it home in.

Western stores are the most like our shops. In a Western shop you are free to pick out the products you want and there are shopping carts or baskets to put them in. The biggest difference between our stores is that in Russia there is a lot more security and it’s not hidden. Shop owners hire guards to sit by the doors of the shop and at key points in the shop to catch shop lifters.

Another thing I feel worth mentioning is about Russia’s video, DVD, CD-Rom, and music black market. These media are cheap and usually of a decent quality and very easy to get. Russians don’t just pirate some stuff, they pirate the newest and the blockbusters. You can buy a pirated movie in Russia while it is in the theaters in the States. The catch is this: many videos and DVDs will be in Russian format, called PAL, SECAM, or PAL-SECAM. When buying vidoes you need to look for our format, which they call NTSC or VHS. If you end with a video in another format than VHS or NTSC, then you have wasted your money, as it will not play properly in an American VCR. You cannot just buy a PAL VCR either, you must buy a whole entertainment center, as the TV must be PAL formatted in order to play PAL VCRs. You can get your videos converted to VHS. I found a guy in San Antonio, TX who converted my wedding video for about $20. For DVDs, not only must you look for the NTSC format (or universal), you must also make sure it was made for the correct region. America is region 1. So, you can get a DVD that plays from regions 1-4, or maybe even a universal region DVD. Lastly, if you are buying a video, it may or may not have English subtitles, so ask before you buy. Even if it does not have English subtitles, you may be able to hear the English under the Russian dubbing. Fortunately, computer programs are computer programs, and the only consideration you have when buying programs is that of language. Some programs are in English, English and Russian, English or Russian, or only Russian. But for a couple bucks, it’s usually worth a try!

Russian clothing sizes are barely standard. But is usually based on the diameter of the waist in centimeters. Shoe sizes are the measurement of the foot in centimeters. Ring sizes are the diameter of the finger in centimeters. So, before you go, take your measurements with a tape measure that has both inches and centimeters on it. Or if you are buying for a Russian friend or child, reverse the thinking and see how the centimeters correspond to inches. If you take a look in any clothing catalog, you can find charts that can tell you how body measurements correspond to clothing sizes.