6 tradition clashes we had as a us woman traveling alone in Russia

Come july 1st, we invested 12 times traveling through Russia for company Insider.

We also got to invest every night within the $18,000-a-night presidential suite at the Moscow Ritz-Carlton. Certainly one of my most remarkable experiences had been visiting A russian that is 200-year-old bathhouse where I paid $85 become whacked with branches and doused in ice-cold water.

While my travels had been mostly hanging around, used to do experience some social clashes. Listed here are six differences that are cultural tripped me up in Russia.

1. The language barrier had been more pronounced than we’d expected.

Regrettably, I do not talk any Russian.

The capital city while i’d expected communication to be tricky in rural Siberia, I thought more people might speak English in Moscow. But also at restaurants and shops within the money, i came across that lots of locals talked small to no English.

Happily, because of a mix of hand gestures, my trusty Bing Translate software, and mercifully patient Russians, I happened to be able to make it work.

2. Unlike Us citizens, Russians do not tend to smile at strangers.

In the beginning, I happened to be intimidated by numerous associated with Russians we saw, thinking they seemed unfriendly and stern. But we quickly discovered they just do not smile at strangers the way Americans do.

In the usa, we anticipate smiles from individuals we sell to, through the individual who acts us our coffee, as well as from people we unintentionally make eye experience of. It was maybe perhaps not the full instance in Russia.

As Olga Khazan composed for the Atlantic, some cultures — including Russia — perceive smiling for no obvious cause to be an indication of stupidity.

But despite their stony facial expressions, every person we came across or asked for assist in Russia had been completely friendly and helpful.

3. Russia’s views on sex seemed outdated.

A few commentary Russians designed to me within my journey made me believe that the views on gender when you look at the nation are not quite exactly like into the United States — or at the least in liberal nyc, where we live.

Francesca Ebel had written for the Associated Press earlier this current year that while feamales in Russia may hold government that is prominent, « traditional sex roles nevertheless hold sway, and efforts to deal with issues just like the gender pay space, domestic physical violence and intimate harassment have actually barely scratched the top. « 

Throughout my journey, locals seemed surprised that I happened to be traveling alone in Russia as a female.

Inside my two-day journey riding the Trans-Siberian Railway— the train line that is longest in the entire world — one of many Russian ladies sharing my compartment asked me, « You’re perhaps not afraid traveling in Russia alone? « 

We shrugged. « not necessarily. « 

« she said because we are. « Russia is really a dangerous spot. « 

That doctors recommend women don’t work in the mines because it could harm their reproductive health while I was visiting a diamond mine in Siberia, a publicist for Alrosa, the country’s largest diamond miner, told me.

And soon after in Moscow, a contact that is professional spent each day with exposed a motor vehicle home in my situation after which straight away seemed worried. He considered me personally and asked in every severity, « In America, can it be considered harassment now to start home for a female? « 

4. A lot of the Russian ladies we saw had an even more style that is traditionally feminine with completely manicured finger nails, very very long flowing locks, immaculate makeup products, and high heel pumps — than i am familiar with seeing in nyc.

As Yekaterina Sinelschikova composed for Russia Beyond, « a Russian girl never ever seems in public areas without making by herself up very first (which frequently means foundation, powder, rouge, mascara, then one else to her flavor) — even though she actually is simply taking right out the trash. « 

With my jeans, sneakers, and hair that is unstyledi enjoy think about it as effortlessly tousled), we usually felt underdressed in the roads of Moscow.

« for ladies, showing femininity. May be the title associated with the game when selecting what things to wear,  » Sinelschikova penned.

5. Recycling failed to be seemingly part of Russia.

Whenever we visited put one thing away inside my journey, i possibly couldn’t look for a recycling container — only a garbage can.

Recycling is evidently perhaps maybe not yet common in Russia. Just seven per cent of Russia’s waste is recycled, based on France 24. Some overflowing landfills have actually been known to spontaneously catch on fire.

6. Trading company cards is vital.

Trading company cards is just a typical training in the united states, however in Russia, it seemed essential.

Virtually every time we came across a contact that is professional Russia, they handed me personally their company card within 30 moments of presenting on their own, prompting us to scramble to dig around within my case for my very this post own.

A lot of the continuing company cards I became offered had been printed in Russian using one part and English in the other.