6 tradition clashes we had being a us girl traveling alone in Russia

Come early july, I spent 12 times traveling through Russia for company Insider.

We also surely got to invest per 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 we 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 cultural clashes. Listed here are six differences that are cultural tripped me up in Russia.

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

Unfortuitously, I do not talk any Russian.

While I would anticipated interaction become tricky in rural Siberia, I thought more and more people might talk English in Moscow, the main town city. But even at restaurants and stores within the money, i discovered that lots of locals talked small to no English.

Happily, compliment of a mixture of hand gestures, my trusty Google Translate software, and mercifully patient Russians, I became capable of making it work.

2. Unlike People in the us, Russians do not have a tendency to smile at strangers.

To start with, I became intimidated by numerous regarding the Russians we saw, thinking they seemed stern and unfriendly. But we quickly knew they just do not smile at strangers the real way americans do.

In the usa, we anticipate smiles from individuals we work with, through the individual who serves us our coffee, and also from individuals we unintentionally make attention connection with. It was perhaps maybe maybe not the situation in Russia.

Some cultures — including Russia — perceive smiling for no apparent reason to be a sign of stupidity as Olga Khazan wrote for the Atlantic.

But despite their stony expressions that are facial everybody we came across or asked for assist in Russia had been completely friendly and helpful.

3. Russia’s views on sex seemed outdated.

Several reviews Russians me personallyant to me within my journey made me genuinely believe that the views on sex within the national nation are not quite just like when you look at the United States — or at the least in liberal nyc, where we reside.

Francesca Ebel composed for the Associated Press previously this present year that while ladies in Russia may hold government that is prominent, « traditional sex roles nevertheless hold sway, and efforts to handle issues such as the sex pay space, domestic physical violence and intimate harassment have actually barely scratched the area. « 

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

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

We shrugged. « Not really. « 

« she said because we are. « Russia is 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 expert contact i invested every day with exposed a vehicle home for me personally after which instantly seemed worried. He looked to me personally and asked in every seriousness, « In America, can it be considered harassment now to start home for a lady? « 

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 very long flowing hair, immaculate makeup products, and high heel pumps — than i am accustomed seeing in nyc.

As Yekaterina Sinelschikova published 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 is simply taking right out the trash. « 

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

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

5. Recycling failed to appear to be part of Russia.

I couldn’t find a recycling bin — just latin dating a garbage can whenever I went to throw something away during my trip.

Recycling is evidently maybe maybe perhaps not yet typical in Russia. Only seven per cent of Russia’s waste is recycled, in accordance with France 24. Some landfills that are overflowing been known to spontaneously catch on fire.

6. Trading company cards is vital.

Trading company cards is really a practice that is common the usa, however in Russia, it seemed necessary.

Nearly every time I came across a contact that is professional Russia, they handed me personally their company card within 30 moments of presenting by themselves, prompting me personally to scramble to dig around within my case for my very own.

Almost all of the company cards I happened to be offered had been printed in Russian using one part and English on the other side.