Life in Russia at a glance

While you're there

Life in Russia is never boring and your year abroad will definitely be a memorable experience. Some comments and pieces of advice from students, followed by some advice about food and drink, public transport, talking to people, shopping, money, the 'Russian soul' and some other ideas and information.

'On my first trip to Russia I was surprised by the level of bureaucracy which is still in practice. A really simple exercise like buying a train ticket can become a major operation. It's not hard to get used to this after a while, although working in Moscow definitely reinforced this impression. Also, women in Russia still have considerably less social freedom than in Western Europe.'

Catherine Engelhardt

'Completely different culture from England. Politeness, in shops, bureaucrats' offices etc, is unheard of, but real friendship is quite easy to come by in comparison with the experience of international students in this country. If you don't want to drink too much, steel yourself - many Russians really just don't get the concept of stopping at your limits and will try to get you as leathered as they are. Seriously.'

Nathan Lechler

'Blend in. It makes getting around very easy.'

Renee Hillaire

'In provincial Samara attitudes were very much more conservative, especially regarding expectations of young women (and being foreign obviously rendered you even more helpless). I was surprised to find myself having to convince people I was capable of doing stuff, from moving a chair to more significant things...and then felt bad that I was being culturally insensitive or something. For the first time I felt placed into a particular role and set of expectations because of being a girl. In the presence of larger groups of Russians our age, I was always surprised at the apparent lack of interaction between the blokes and girls; the girls tended to be fairly quiet and stick together.'

Alyson Tapp

'Just be aware of personal safety - especially in smaller towns where people have seen fewer foreigners. It might be worth knowing that travelling is unusual for Russians - especially for a group of females - but don't let that put you off - we found that people who seemed a little too interested rarely meant any harm. Also beware of drunken men and angry babushkas at all times!!'

Anna Hart

'I was disappointed by distinctly unfriendly attitude of Russian Orthodox towards me as a Catholic. This may have been bad luck on my part rather than a problem within the Russian Church as a whole (especially as I've never had any problems with Orthodox outside Russia).

Matthew Stankiewicz

'All the hospitality rituals involved after initial acquaintance with any Russian family can be quite overwhelming. The concept of going out for a drink becomes problematised, as many Russian students are completely skint by our standards, and you need to be very sensitive to this.'

Bridget Farrell

'Do not let them try and give you medicine if you tell them you're ill. For tonsillitis I was made to eat raw onions soaked in salt, then gargle the most unpleasant combinations of oils, and be forced not to drink for several hours etc. When I went to the doctor, he told me that I probably had dyphtheria (99 percent fatality). Thank God you can buy antibiotics over the counter there, I was better within twenty four hours, no thanks to Russian homeopathic remedies.'

'In St Petersburg, it was shocking how many times I got asked for sex for money (must be the way I dressed...)'

Isobel Walsh

'If you're going to spend time in Russia try to appreciate what a different mindset it is from the West. Be flexible and remember that you're the foreigner.'

'Nothing surprises me any more. It surprised me that people normally get married and have children in their early 20s. One of the most difficult things to get used to is that the police are corrupt.'

Carrie Devitt

'Don't bother buying a "warm coat" in England - it will not be warm enough and you will pick up something cheaper and more comical if you buy it in Russia. Show no mercy to old ladies on trolleybuses - their frail appearance is deceptive. Also watch out for springtime when the snow melts and all of the layers of frozen dog poo (mysteriously) hit the pavement at the same time...'

'My babushka's remedies for colds included the big blue lamp to warm your nose and the "trippy kettle" (don't know what Galina Andreevna was making me inhale through the spout, but I remember floating around the flat for some time afterwards.)'

Amy Watson

'With hindsight I wish I'd been abroad for more of the year (e.g. done a language course the summer before). Also it would have been a good idea to do more (or any) reading for scheduled papers (especially Russian essay) and focussed more on actually learning proper Russian rather than my own unique grammarless colloquial variation (although I'm sure I was told that at the time and didn't listen!)'

Anne Forder

'Compared to England, the number of times reference was made to nationality (mine or the Russianness of things) was suprising. I found having differences pointed out isolating at first, but usually it was genuine interest.'

Nick Sandars

'Be understanding of the huge differences in culture, social relations and the way they approach life. It may seem completely wrong and highly frustrating at times, but it's just a different way of looking at things. There's so much that's good, but also quite a bit that can wind you up. Most people have days when they hate Russia and days when they absolutely love it. But the days when you love it are very happy ones. And if you're a girl, be aware that men do look on you a bit differently than they do here. If you're wandering around on your own and it's late, a lot of them see absolutely nothing wrong in following you and sometimes hassling you. They're not monsters, but it's best to be aware of slight social differences.'

'One of the most frustrating things is that they can be so rude in public situations, but in their homes they can be so warm and welcoming that it's almost suffocating sometimes. And men are extremely chivalrous which is a bit irritating at first as I felt a bit weird having someone take my coat off for me and being told off if I stepped off an icy pavement without taking his arm first.'

Alicky Denton

'Having flagged down a passing car for a lift in Moscow one day, the one that stopped was a modern western model complete with one of those blue flashing lights that you can buy from the authorities that allow you to flout the rules of the road with impunity. I got in and agreed the price with the HUGE bloke driving it, who was dressed in black Gucci loafers, black suit and black roll-neck jumper. Anyway, on the way, I innocently asked if he was a policeman. He denied it, so I, wide-eyed, asked why he had a blue light. He said that he likes driving fast and that the traffic in Moscow is simply dreadful these days....'

Dan Ferry

Cultural background

Russian culture has a long history and tradition and Russians are very proud of it.

Russians consider themselves as a well educated nation. They read a lot, books are cheap, and one can afford to buy 5-10 books a month without serious damage to a family budget.

Russians are also big fond of live performances at theatres and since tickets are affordable (prices in cinemas and theatres are comparable), they enjoy attending theatres: opera, musical, ballet, drama etc.

Usually every city has a few theatres. The theatre culture was developed during the Soviet times when tickets were sold through schools and enterprises: cities were divided into areas and there was a theatre agent responsible for each particular area. The agent would bring tickets for distribution to every enterprise and school in his area and the person responsible for "culture sector" would organize collective visit to the theatre. I think it was an excellent system since people had the opportunity to attend theatres from the early age, starting from attending performances in a Muppet theatre, then moving to the Youth Drama Theatre, then to Drama, Musical and Opera, according to their age. Also attending performances in a company is always much more fun, which contributed to the popularity of theatres. This is how most Russian people have developed their taste for live performances.

Movie theatres are also becoming popular in Russia and they are equipped with the latest sound systems. When Russian people talk about movie theatres, they will usually say "cinema"; if they talk about "theatres", they mean live performances.

During Soviet times there was a well developed system of community work and in every group (class at school, department at work etc) would be also a person responsible for sport, education, political information of the group etc. People that were doing community work were given benefits (free or discounted travel, ability to buy deficit goods, ability to receive a better apartment from the government for free etc) - remember, there was no private property until Perestroika, everything used to belong to the state, which was controlling distribution and would award the most active citizens. Unfortunately the system of volunteering was broken with Perestroika but Russians still have that great community spirit (which sometimes goes to the lengths a westerner would consider as infringement).

Russian culture is non-individualistic. The power of an individual in Russia is much less than in the west and most deals are pushed through family, friends and acquaintances. Russian saying is, "One is not a soldier in the battlefield". In Russia, one still needs to know people in power to make things work. This is why they maintain more friendships than an average westerner. They often have to rely on their friends to help them out. You know someone who knows someone who is in power; this is the way they have the things done. If you know the right people, you can have the most difficult things done with little effort. In my life, a few times I ran into dead ends where there was nothing I could do in the straightforward way; the people were right to refuse me, according to the official rules. But once I could find people who knew someone inside the system, a month wait would turn into just a few hours wait or they would find a place for me where they said the rules would not allow them to give me one. Foreigners would just give up; Russians believe there is always a roundabout.

The majority of Russians consider themselves as Christians, and belong to Russian Orthodox Church. It's a great achievement for the country where atheism was the official state religion for more than 70 years. Frankly, most of them are not true believers. They appreciate Christian moral values but do not follow them. Religion is not a real part of their life. Russians are more aware of horoscopes than the Bible. Church service in Russia can be attended any day of the week and performed every day 2 or 3 times (early morning at 3 a.m., then at 8 a.m. and then in the evening at 7 p.m.). People usually attend the church just to "light a candle" and quickly pray. They do it to ask for something to happen (a business deal, an exam) or to remember a close person who is dead. People do not have to be a member of the church to do it and they do not have monthly contributions to the church. Church survives selling candles and reminder notes and charging for services such as baptizing, weddings and funerals. Church marriage is not official in Russia. A couple has to register their marriage with government authorities first to be allowed to have church ceremony performed.

Medical aid and education in Russia are free, though Russians joke that education becomes less and less free with every year. One can still get a university education for free by passing the entrance tests (exams), but the universities have to decrease the number of students studying on a free basis because of poor state financing.

Since both education and culture facilities used to be widely available, Russians can be considered a highly cultured nation. Their general knowledge is very good: they know a little bit about virtually everything. At secondary schools, they study not only the history of Russia but also the world history, including American and European history. In the same secondary school course (11 years school qualification is mandatory in Russia) they study world literature, world music, and world geography. Many books of western authors are mandatory reading in the course of literature (in Russian translation of course). The standard secondary school program includes studying of a foreign language for 6 years (grades 5-11), usually it is English but also can be French, German or Spanish. Most subjects in the course of a secondary school are mandatory for all schools throughout the whole Russia, and only since recently there are some subjects that students can choose in addition to the general course.

On the entrance exams at universities and colleges only questions from the general course of the secondary school can be asked. Universities and colleges accept students according to the results of entrance tests, and not according to their marks at school, though having excellent marks can help (for example, you would only have to pass 1-2 exams instead of regular 4).

Intellectually, Russians are interesting people to talk to and enjoy deep subjects. Philosophy is still a mandatory subject when you study for a degree and one of the 3 compulsory subjects for PhD qualifying exam (the other 2 are foreign language and the specialty itself).

At the same time the majority of Russians don't have what you call in the west "good manners". Their manners are not bad, they are just Russian. Russia is quite a tough country and Russians usually do not hesitate to say what they think in a way that doesn't leave room for any misunderstandings. During the Soviet period having "good manners" was considered as a bourgeois survival. Russians are very straightforward. When they meet or phone each other, they seldom spend time on questions like "How are you?" and go straight to the point. They are not rude, it's just a way of doing things.

Having a university or college degree is common. Russia has the highest educational level in the world (more than 40% of the total population have college or university degree). Since Perestroika, the system of higher (university) education is slowly deteriorating as well as the medical aid system, which used to be among the world's best. The problem with Russian education is that it was always rather theoretical and unrelated to practice. Therefore, it's common for a person having an engineering degree to work in sales, or one with a chemical background to find himself in marketing. In the old days having a degree was an end in itself. They are trying to change the educational programs now, but it will take years to build the system.

It's not of any wonder if a woman with university degree works as a secretary. Having a Ph.D. is also not a big deal, and doesn't give you a big advantage; good knowledge of English will provide you with a better competitive edge. The position that one has in a company is not as important as the company in which he or she works. Foreign companies and even foreign public/charity organizations are considered to be the best employment.

Having your own business in Russia is a big challenge. The tax system works in the way that if one has a small business (individual private enterprise), he must pre-pay taxes before he receives permission to act. It's unbelievable, but it's true: one is supposed to estimate his future income, and pre-pay taxes proceeding from the assumption. Then he gets a permission to start his business activity; but he must run to the tax department the second he earns 1 Ruble more profit than it was estimated and paid in advance. Otherwise it will be considered a hidden profit, and one can easily get a fine of the size equal to 200% of the amount of the hidden profit. I understand that it sounds funny, but it just works like this. The authorities are suspicious towards owners of small businesses.

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