Cultural Differences

[Satellite 1]

But the worst is on the bus or metro when there always seem to be a lot of people who haven't showered in at least a week!

I always figured it was because they could not afford the deodorants.

One small warning as well, watch out for Russian ice cream!

You are just unlucky, are you sure it was the ice cream? I love Russian ice cream. I think it tastes a lot better than the American kind. And the basic cone (very soft) went for just 3 rubles in 2004. Can't beat that!

[rentvent 0]

She likes the indoor temperature to be around 80 degrees no matter what time of the year it is.

She turns off the lights every time she leaves a room - even if it's only for a couple of minutes.

[Visa4habibi! 0]

Oh man! I see such an opportunity here! I'm from Russia (over 10 years ago), married a Moroccan man recently (well, not so recently now). But the stuff you are talking about - it's almost the same for Moroccans too! :D

No "street clothes" on the bed only house clothes. - Russia

Mirror by the door, a must. - no idea about that one!

House slippers, yes. - true for Russia and Morocco with a little difference for Morocco - even stricter there!

No kissing over the threshold of a door. - no giving anything over the threshold ever! - Russia

Very cold drinks can be bad for the digestion. - so true for Russia and Morocco even worse!

Eating in cafes is for catching up with friends once in a while, not a way of life. - same!

Moroccans leave food out and can eat it for a few days and I can leave something out if it's hot - not to break the fridge, but in the morning or when it's not so hot, I put it in the fridge.

No whistling in the house works the same as an open umbrella in the house - no money - Russia.

If I remember more, I'll come back (if nobody objects too activelly for me posting for two countries, just what I know about similarities)

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

Wow reading these suddenly I remember things that I dont even pay attention too.

Translation can get confusing Russian woman American man, example grocery list says hot dogs buns, so I buy hot dogs and buns, i get home she asks why did you buy hotdogs we only needed buns I show her the list and and she said its right there hot dogs buns.

Likes to water the grass and trees with a pan from the kitchen not the sprinkler that is on the lawn already?????

Closes the windows but leaves the front door open.

Bathroom door open-I know we are married but I dont need to see that.

Likes to leave lights on.

Wanted to sunbathe on the deck and got angry when I said no because she wanted to sunbathe(no suit on) and I told her the neighbors would call the police or worse just watch.

Husband/wife stuff too.

[Satellite 1]

Bathroom door open-I know we are married but I don’t need to see that.

Wanted to sunbathe on the deck and got angry when I said no because she wanted to sunbathe(no suit on) and I told her the neighbors would call the police or worse just watch.

You guys sound like a fun couple I'd be in trouble for posting something so intimate

[CityCat 0]

Bathroom door open-I know we are married but I dont need to see that.

Not customary - Russian women don't usually even put cosmetics on in front of their husbands to say nothing of getting dressed or using bathroom, so it seems a little strange to me...

Wanted to sunbathe on the deck and got angry when I said no because she wanted to sunbathe(no suit on) and I told her the neighbors would call the police or worse just watch.

I am allowed to do stuff like that!

My husband even gives me permission to go to nudie beach every once in a while though it's not legal where we live.

[KGSodie 0]

Also wanted to add that I do agree with Jewel about the water in California, I don't drink the tap water. We always bought bottled water.

One small warning as well, watch out for Russian ice cream! I have gotten sick at least 3 different times from it, and once I had to go to the hospital for 2 weeks (something I would NEVER want to do again in Russia) not sure if it's just bad, or I have bad luck, but Seryozha never choose Russian brands...and since that time I haven't either!

Sorry if that's off topic...

Interesting! When I was in Volgodonsk, we ate ice cream at local restaurants regularly and it never seemed to bother me. Natasha told me it was made locally, and it was delicious!

[CityCat 0]

Also wanted to add that I do agree with Jewel about the water in California, I don't drink the tap water. We always bought bottled water.

One small warning as well, watch out for Russian ice cream! I have gotten sick at least 3 different times from it, and once I had to go to the hospital for 2 weeks (something I would NEVER want to do again in Russia) not sure if it's just bad, or I have bad luck, but Seryozha never choose Russian brands...and since that time I haven't either!

Sorry if that's off topic...

Interesting! When I was in Volgodonsk, we ate ice cream at local restaurants regularly and it never seemed to bother me. Natasha told me it was made locally, and it was delicious!

It usually is!!! Especially if it's made in Central regions, 'cause of the milk, which is better there - longer summers, better weather, better food for cows, more space for them. It is great where I am from, nationally popular.

[russ 1]

You are just unlucky, are you sure it was the ice cream? I love Russian ice cream. I think it tastes a lot better than the American kind. And the basic cone (very soft) went for just 3 rubles in 2004. Can't beat that!

3.80 rubles at the Линия here (2007). I don't like ice cream at all, anywhere in the world.

[slim 1,514]

We (well, she) does the traditional Russian stuff: Tapochki, bottled/filtered water, no "dirty" clothes, no cold air/drinks, etc. and I do some of them, some of the time (like when she starts yelling at me and pointing to my feet!) and when she's cooking and I get to eat.

Since my wife is from the Far East, we have a lot of Chinese/Asian influence in our household. There's a lot of Feng Shui involved in almost every part of our lives. We have signs all over our house (in Russian, wishing for millions of dollars!) and Chinese symbols for Love, Happiness, Wealth, and stuff like a fish over the door (Asian thing for good luck/money) and something to the effect of an Asian dreamcatcher in our bedroom and talisman (is the plural, talismen?) all over our house "to make disappear bad energy." I even have a pretty cool dragon medallion type talisman (that spins!) hanging from the roll-cage in my Jeep. Her mother and sister sent us a big box of Chinese stuff for the New Year (lots of pigs!) and we had to offer up our credit cards and bills to the full moon.

There are lots of small things as well. Something like I'd say "well, what if we get into a car accident and I can't work for three weeks, who's going to pay our bills?" And she'd freak out, saying "never say that we in a car accident or something bad happens to us." So I have to say something like "if there is a car accident..." I can't say anything about something bad happening to us. Same goes for when my dad had surgery I was showing someone where they cut him open. I took my thumb and "cut" along my abdomen. Again I got the "NOOOO!!!! You never show something bad on or to yourself. Only just say and if you must point, point to picture."

Another physiological thing is the sign for drunk - a flipping of the index finger on the upper throat. I get the "durak" sign a lot too, it's a twisting back-and-forth motion of the index finger on the temple/head. (Similar to what we'd do with the little circle) and finally my favorite, the "took, took, took," instead of the "knock, knock, knock."

Calling cats, pets, (small children!) is done with a "kisskisskisss" sound instead of a "sssksssksssk" clicking sound that most people I've heard calling pets (or children!) here do.

Oh, and I almost forgot, there's no sense of "right of way" whilst walking or shopping. She'll cut someone off in a store or walk right in front of them (while they're walking too) and not give it a second thought. Just yesterday we were at the grocery store and a guy was reaching for an item. She got between him and the shelf to look for what she wanted. Didn't even give the guy a second look.

She was really surprised when she got here because everyone in all the stores said "excuse me" when they were closer than half a meter to her. "Why they say excuse me when they don't even hit me or touch me?"

The biggest differences for her when she arrived here were the fact that everyone drives everywhere ("there's no one walking, streets like after catastrophe") that everyone is fat ("Amazing for me girls here dress like cheap ####### and not take care about their looks, like everybody eat only pizza and ghambooorger") and that everyone works all the time and has nothing. (Like Papa Karlo.... one of my various monikers) Other than that.... She had never "lived with" a man before. She'd had plenty of boyfriends and men that were "friendly" with her, but she's never actually shacked up with a guy before me. The smells, sights, and daily routines were new to her and she's still fighting acknowledgement of the fact that I want nothing more than food, sex, and sleep. (With maybe a little football in there somewhere or a nice History/Discovery program.) The "American lifestyle" of work eating up most of our free time was a foreign concept to her. She's now started working too, so we'll see how quickly she gets on the food, sex, sleep train and her "champagne wishes and caviar dreams" disappear. I have a feeling it's not going to take too many weeks of working six days in a row, but I could be wrong, she's pretty impudent.

The biggest differences for me after her arrival were that she had absolutely no idea how poor (in debt) the average American is, that she couldn't grasp the concept that this was not Russia and she couldn't do things her way (still doesn't believe me on this one) and that I wasn't one of her sugar daddies that could afford to take her to "fashionable" places. Oh, and the money tree that they had in their backyard is nowhere to be found in mine.

[CityCat 0]

Since my wife is from the Far East, we have a lot of Chinese/Asian influence in our household. There's a lot of Feng Shui involved in almost every part of our lives. We have signs all over our house (in Russian, wishing for millions of dollars!) and Chinese symbols for Love, Happiness, Wealth, and stuff like a fish over the door (Asian thing for good luck/money) and something to the effect of an Asian dreamcatcher in our bedroom and talisman (is the plural, talismen?) all over our house "to make disappear bad energy." I even have a pretty cool dragon medallion type talisman (that spins!) hanging from the roll-cage in my Jeep. Her mother and sister sent us a big box of Chinese stuff for the New Year (lots of pigs!) and we had to offer up our credit cards and bills to the full moon.

This is a very old Oriental tradition and as everything that has gone through so many centuries of not changing a bit, has probably something backing it up otherwise it wouldn't handle "the timecheck". I personally respect it. Does it bother you? (just curious for the sake of psychological knowledge - how does you type of men take it?)

Calling cats, pets, (small children!) is done with a "kisskisskisss" sound instead of a "sssksssksssk" clicking sound that most people I've heard calling pets (or children!) here do.

Pure case of linguistic onomatopoeia (naming processes and actions by the way the noises they make sound phonetically). Very curious and interesting thing to study!

Oh, and I almost forgot, there's no sense of "right of way" whilst walking or shopping. She'll cut someone off in a store or walk right in front of them (while they're walking too) and not give it a second thought. Just yesterday we were at the grocery store and a guy was reaching for an item. She got between him and the shelf to look for what she wanted. Didn't even give the guy a second look.

She was really surprised when she got here because everyone in all the stores said "excuse me" when they were closer than half a meter to her. "Why they say excuse me when they don't even hit me or touch me?"

Been there - Americans are more polite as a nation, it is shocking at the beginning, she'll get used to it!

that everyone is fat ("Amazing for me girls here dress like cheap ####### and not take care about their looks, like everybody eat only pizza and ghambooorger")

Tell her - that's exactly the reason why Russian girls are such a catch here! We do care how we look and dress, and it can't be unattractive to men!

[1HappyGuy 45]

Hey Slim, this is turning out to be a great comment section. I am reading about so many things that I've experience too. My wife has many superstitions and old wives tales. Sometimes I am just totally amazed at the things she says. But, I'm willing to keep an open mind.

Like your wife, mine doesn't understand why we work so much and have so little money and time for anything else. But, then she will tell me about a trip she made to the Black sea for a rest. They like to rent rooms from people and then utilized the various establishments for entertainment and needs. I don't think many Americans would travel overnight on a train, rent a bedroom, eat at small restaurants or buy food at grocery shops and carry all of their precious items with them at all times and then call that a vacation. We would probably have nervous breakdowns first.

My wife worked in my office for a few months this year. Her first American job. It was extremely hard to get her up in time for an 8:00 AM start. The amount of work that needed to be completed was also quite a difficult thing for her to master. We both know she is not cut out for office work. We are now working on finding something that gives her flexibility and less pressure.

I think one way to give them an idea of what things really cost is to get them involved with bill paying, which I intend to begin doing. When they see what we pay for normal stuff like water, trash, electricity, gas, rent or house payment it might begin to sink in. America is an expensive place to live. And, I haven't even begun to explain much about things like health insurance, life insurance, restaurants, driving anywhere, etc. She sees the costs of things but I don't think it has really settled into her mind. I think if I have her pay the bills for the house just one month from her account, that might have a good effect on her. She is beginning to understand about having a checking account and she was really happy to put some paychecks in her account. But, after one month of bills I think she will get a good understanding.

Living in America is "Economy-Capitalism 101."

[CityCat 0]

This is all very interesting and surprising for me - the way your wifes think about money and work and the ratio of the work done and money paid for it. I probably come from a different background or simply have different experience in life but gee, it has never been an enigma to me that one has to work hard to pay a living. Money tree, like slim mentioned? I didn't have such an image in my mind even when I was three!

And Russian women, from my first hand experience, have never hit me as dreamers, more likely as hard-workers, as women who never rely on anybody but themselves to get by in this life. So this seems a little strange for me when you, gentlemen, mention such concepts that you think your ladies have.

There is no other nationality more aware of the cost of living anywhere than Russian women. But it's just my opinion. I may be wrong...

[russ 1]

There is no other nationality more aware of the cost of living anywhere than Russian women. But it's just my opinion. I may be wrong...

I know many Russians, men and women. I don't think that there is much difference in work ethic from Americans. Cost of living is different for everyone, based on their own unique circumstances.

[mrsushi66 0]

This is all very interesting and surprising for me - the way your wifes think about money and work and the ratio of the work done and money paid for it. I probably come from a different background or simply have different experience in life but gee, it has never been an enigma to me that one has to work hard to pay a living. Money tree, like slim mentioned? I didn't have such an image in my mind even when I was three!

And Russian women, from my first hand experience, have never hit me as dreamers, more likely as hard-workers, as women who never rely on anybody but themselves to get by in this life. So this seems a little strange for me when you, gentlemen, mention such concepts that you think your ladies have.

There is no other nationality more aware of the cost of living anywhere than Russian women. But it's just my opinion. I may be wrong...

I think this is a personal thing. I know many people (americans) who were clueless when it came to money so never really knew how to handle it. On the other hand most of my closest friends (also americans) are very aware of money and use it as a tool and are able to build a comfortable life for themselves. My wife (Russian) is very aware of money and very smart at handling it.

The one big difference is credit. Credit is easy and very accessible in America. My impression is that it is not as well liked in many other countries (Russia included) and not thought of as a practical tool when it comes to money management.

Of course this is my observation.

Paul