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| Trip to the botanic garden with other ISOW kids! I'm in pink on the right. |
Every country have
stereotypes about other countries. But no one of them can be compared to
ridiculous stereotypes in Russia about USA. Probably because we are too far
away from each other, or may be the decades of Cold War contributed to that.
That’s why it’s not surprising I made so many striking discoveries upon my
arrival.
1.
Clothes. I
was told that if I’ll wear the same T-shirt for 2 days in a row people would
think I’m a weirdo. So, I was expecting that probably Americans will appear to
be fashion-conscious watch dogs. Not bloody likely. I saw every imaginable
sartorial style not only in big cities, but also on our small campus. It’s so
exciting, that you can wear whatever you like and no one is going to say: “Look
at her! What a hell is she wearing today?”
2.
Water.
It’s everywhere. And it’s free! You can buy a colorful water bottle (the
variety and quantity of which also surprised me) and take it everywhere with
you!
3.
You can
eat, drink or put your legs on the chair in class! I was brought up with a deep
respect for teachers, which means you can’t move without teacher’s permission in
class. Seriously. We even have to ask for permission to go to the bathroom. And here you can
even argue with a teacher and it won’t affect your grade.
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| My best friends in the US! |
4.
A guy can
be your friend. (I mean friend, not what you thought!) My two best friends here
are 18 years old boys and they are the nicest people I ever met in my life!
I don’t mean that all men in Russia are rude or macho like. It’s just really
rare to have a good guy-friend in Russia if you are a pretty woman)
5.
No American
was suspicious about me being a communist spy or hiding a bear in the bag=D
6.
Transport.
I live in a pretty small Siberian town in Russia (about 10000 ft) and we have
all kinds of public transport, except for subways, which are really cheap and go to
nearly every nook in Tomsk. I really couldn’t believe that city the size of
Memphis can hardly have public transport! I never felt like having a car in
Russia, but here I’d feel isolated without it if only I wouldn’t have so many
driving friends)
7.
Outdoor
pools. I’ve never seen one in my life. No kidding!
8.
Rain in
winter. I think it’s not a secret that it’s snowing in winter in Russia. So, I
experienced my first winter rain in Memphis. The next morning it was freezing
and all the trees were covered with ice decorations. It was beautiful!
9.
Friendly
people. I was told that Americans smile not because they like you, but because
they are used to smile to everyone, which means they are not sincere. It
doesn’t mean that Russians never smile. We just never smile to strangers. And
we never talk to strangers, apart from asking “Excuse me. What’s the time,
please?” And of course that’s not true. I have many friends here. Real friends
(I love you, guys!). And, yes, it’s very pleasant when a stranger says: “Hi! I
like your shoes!”
10. At the end
of the day, Americans are not so different from Russians: we both like pancakes
and complain about politics, we both like travelling but are very patriotic, and
both Russians and Americans value family and friends best of all.
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