6 tradition clashes I experienced as a us woman traveling alone in Russia

Come early july, we invested 12 days traveling through Russia for company Insider.

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

While my travels had been sailing that is mostly smooth used to do experience some social clashes. Here are six cultural differences that tripped me up in Russia.

1. The language barrier had been more pronounced than I would anticipated.

Unfortuitously, 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 stores when you look at the money, i came across that numerous locals talked little to no English.

Happily, as a result of a variety of hand gestures, my trusty Google Translate software, and mercifully patient Russians, I happened to be in a position to make it work.

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

In the beginning, I happened to be intimidated by numerous of this Russians we saw, thinking they seemed stern and unfriendly. But we quickly noticed they merely do not smile at strangers the real way americans do.

In america, we anticipate smiles from individuals we sell to, through the one who acts us our coffee, and also from individuals we inadvertently make attention connection with. This is maybe perhaps maybe not the full instance in Russia.

As Olga Khazan had written for the Atlantic, some countries — including Russia — perceive smiling for no apparent cause to be a indication of stupidity.

But despite their stony expressions that are facial everybody else 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 Russia’s views on sex seemed outdated.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 feedback Russians designed 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 very least in liberal nyc, where we reside.

Francesca Ebel composed when it comes to Associated Press earlier in the day this present year that while ladies in Russia may hold prominent federal government roles, “traditional sex roles nevertheless hold sway, and efforts to handle problems just like the sex pay space, domestic physical physical physical violence and intimate harassment have actually scarcely scratched the area. “

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

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 maybe not afraid to visit in Russia alone? “

We shrugged. “not necessarily. “

“she said because we are. “Russia is a dangerous destination. “

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 spent each and every day with exposed a motor vehicle home for me personally after which straight away seemed worried. He looked to me personally and asked in every severity, “In America, will it be considered harassment now to start door for a lady? “

4. A lot of the Russian ladies we saw had an even more traditionally feminine style — with perfectly manicured nails, long flowing locks, immaculate makeup products, and high heel shoes — than i am accustomed seeing in nyc.

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

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

“for females, showing femininity. May be the title associated with the game when selecting things to wear, ” Sinelschikova published.

5. Recycling would not be seemingly part of Russia.

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

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

6. Trading company cards is important.

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

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

All the company cards I happened to be offered had been printed in Russian using one part and English in the other.