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BELS
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 30 Mar 2005
Posts: 117
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 Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 10:33 pm Post subject: |
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The topic of this area of threads are about Russian people, and I don't go with the above opinions, now if you have a problem with this, that's your problem.
I don't hhink the majority of Russians go for such opinions here, they can prove me wrong if they wish. |
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Paul-Holmes
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 12 Apr 2005
Posts: 1073
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| Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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It is interesting on hearing peoples' opinions and questions, because it shows the mood of each other attitude. There is many questions that were directed to Russians, but not the other way around. Despite the moderator's view of gibberish. I think it is cool to see others view.
Are the opinion's based on truth? Of course not, but it is someone's perception and that is why we have dialogs to remove the mistruths from the world. Is that why we also travel to see things first hand and experience what reality is. It is also hilarious to see what our nation is perceived in another country's view.
I think this is a good discussion as long its intention is not mean spirited, but to invoke opinion. |
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BELS
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 30 Mar 2005
Posts: 117
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| Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 12:09 am Post subject: |
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| Paul Holmes wrote: | It is interesting on hearing peoples' opinions and questions, because it shows the mood of each other attitude. There is many questions that were directed to Russians, but not the other way around. Despite the moderator's view of gibberish. I think it is cool to see others view.
Are the opinion's based on truth? Of course not, but it is someone's perception and that is why we have dialogs to remove the mistruths from the world. Is that why we also travel to see things first hand and experience what reality is. It is also hilarious to see what our nation is perceived in another country's view.
I think this is a good discussion as long its intention is not mean spirited, but to invoke opinion. |
In answer to the boldened peice of your quote, that was my intention, was to invoke opinion 
And it worked It's amazing how effects of phrases such as "Buzz off!! Causes alarm to some people |
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Ender
WayToRussified
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 498
Location: Urals
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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Another series of questions about americans. What you usually eat? For example my typical daily summer menu:
Breakfast (7:30): Glass of a kefir, fried eggs with vegetables (tomatoes, stalk of a string bean, ...), coffee.
Dinner: (12:00..13:00): Any hot or cold soup, perhaps okroshka, tea or mineral water
Supper (19:00..20:00): salad with piece of meat, tea (sometimes with something sweet), sometimes glass of a wine.
Before bedtime (22:30..23:00): tea/water or fruits
What is special about frozen vegetables?
I have seen an English-speaking guy in a market. He has said to his friend something like: "Look! They have frozen vegetables!" It looks like they have been surprised.
Summer dress
My friend visited New York previous summer. On the photo he is wearing a shirt, but many people around are wearing jackets, sweaters and caps. I don't understand why they are dressed as if there autumn, New Yourk is a city located on almost same parallel that Sochi.
Relation between sexes
It is true that a woman can bring an action against a man (for example a colleague) if he starts to pay attention to her, to give gifts, to do frivolous jokes, to flirt?
Restaurants
It is true that man and woman pay separately in a restaurant even if they in a romantic relationship? |
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Varrah
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 80
Location: St.-Petersburg, Russia
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:15 pm Post subject: Re: not offended |
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| Ender wrote: | | Reeza wrote: | | Is showering once a day thought to be too much or too little? It's not clear. I think once a day is the minimum, and more often in hot weather. Americans hate body odor. |
Russia usually have cold weather. Heavy physical work, unhealthy food, dicease can be source of body odor. However when you healthy, when you do not do physical work, when you consume healthy food, when there is fresh weather, I do not think it is necessary to take shower each day.
Just switch to meat, vegetables and tea or mineral water (no carbohydrate based food, i.e. sugar, honey, bakery, pasta, pizza, beans etc) and you will feel great difference.
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Note, that opinions can varry here alot
One thing you can say for sure: taking a shower once a day is OK and is acceptable in Russia. Though there're people who don't understand such "often" (ha-ha) showering, but this can be due to a person was living in a shared flat, with one shower for 10 people and so had no ability to use shower every day.
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| Reeza wrote: | | Is wearing outdoor shoes indoors considered rude in private homes where you are a guest? |
Yes. Because of worse weather conditions there are no clean streets. At least they not enough clean to wear outdoor shoes indoor.
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If you are unsure - just ask. Sometimes people will let you in without taking off your shoes. Actually it is a common rule of politeness to offer slippers to a guest.
| Reeza wrote: | | I would be happy to answer any questions people have about Americans' strange behavior and what is considered normal in the USA. Nothing will offend me - bring it on! Later, when I return from Russia at the end of May I will have some questions about the Russians. Is that fair? |
When I was in US, I noticed, that americans often talk in toilets. I mean those in the restauraunts, office buildings etc. - where there're many cabins. Why is it so? People here do not like it, at least I can say for me and my friends. So we feel shy, when someone is trying to talk to us, while we are in toilet... |
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Anne-N
Frequent Guest
Joined: 23 Mar 2009
Posts: 16
Location: USA
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:29 am Post subject: |
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Hi, all! I thought I'd bump this up and answer:
| Ender wrote: | Another series of questions about americans. What you usually eat? For example my typical daily summer menu:
Breakfast (7:30): Glass of a kefir, fried eggs with vegetables (tomatoes, stalk of a string bean, ...), coffee.
Dinner: (12:00..13:00): Any hot or cold soup, perhaps okroshka, tea or mineral water
Supper (19:00..20:00): salad with piece of meat, tea (sometimes with something sweet), sometimes glass of a wine.
Before bedtime (22:30..23:00): tea/water or fruits
Typically for me:
Breakfast-juice, cereal, toasted bread
Dinner (we call this "lunch"): soup, salad, sometimes a sandwich
Supper (called "dinner" here): pasta, chicken, vegetables, potatoes
Before bed: fruit or dessert
What is special about frozen vegetables?
I have seen an English-speaking guy in a market. He has said to his friend something like: "Look! They have frozen vegetables!" It looks like they have been surprised.
I think they were surprised to find such a common thing in America way over in Russia. Understand that our idea of Russia is still a poor country, without many conveniences.
Summer dress
My friend visited New York previous summer. On the photo he is wearing a shirt, but many people around are wearing jackets, sweaters and caps. I don't understand why they are dressed as if there autumn, New Yourk is a city located on almost same parallel that Sochi.
Not sure where Sochi is, but New York is on a coast. It can still be cool and windy even in summer.
Relation between sexes
It is true that a woman can bring an action against a man (for example a colleague) if he starts to pay attention to her, to give gifts, to do frivolous jokes, to flirt?
Yes. Flirting with, or making jokes to someone else at work is very serious and can get you fired or a lawsuit filed, if it is unwanted. Sometimes this happens the other way, from a woman to a man. Sometimes, though, two people fall in love at work.
Restaurants
It is true that man and woman pay separately in a restaurant even if they in a romantic relationship? |
Sometimes. Some women pay their own way if a relationship is really new, or they don't want to feel they owe the man anything. Some couples do this if both don't have a lot of money. |
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Ender
WayToRussified
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 498
Location: Urals
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:03 am Post subject: |
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| 2Anne N.: Thank you for answers. I want to know more. How do you feel the crisis? I mean personally or your friends/relatives. Zombie box tells us scary stories - people are fired, houses become empty. Other people say "What crisis?". I think truth lies somewhere between. To be precise - what was changed in your life during the crisis and because of crisis? |
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Anne-N
Frequent Guest
Joined: 23 Mar 2009
Posts: 16
Location: USA
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:30 am Post subject: |
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| Ender wrote: | | 2Anne N.: Thank you for answers. I want to know more. How do you feel the crisis? I mean personally or your friends/relatives. Zombie box tells us scary stories - people are fired, houses become empty. Other people say "What crisis?". I think truth lies somewhere between. To be precise - what was changed in your life during the crisis and because of crisis? |
Hi, Ender . I'm glad you are still here.
I do not watch my own news anymore, it is all negative. I believe it depends on the job. I teach, and teachers almost always have work. I have friends who are going back to school for teaching or for nursing, because those jobs never go away. It is true that some parts of America, economy is very bad. Other parts, not too bad. My state is somewhere in between.
For myself and my friends, we are very tight with money now. We shop for clothes at "thrift stores"-these are very cheap stores. We won't buy a new car; just keep the old one running. We try to buy cheaper food at the store, and not eat out at restaurants too much. I try to save as much as I can. Most of us don't take vacations too far from home-except me, planning Moscow April '10  .
So it's mostly just not spending very much money, staying home instead of going out, and sometimes going back to school to get a better job. |
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Ender
WayToRussified
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 498
Location: Urals
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:10 am Post subject: |
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| Anne N. wrote: | | I do not watch my own news anymore, it is all negative. |
Interesting. In abovementioned message I've meant scary stories about America. Here TV doesn't show many negative russian news but I guess not because there is no negative news, they just don't want to spread dismay over the population. Anyway TV almost useless for years here. Recently I've caught myself on a thought: "Do I really need a TV in my new flat which is being repaired right now? I can watch all Discovery and Animal-Planet films on my PC anyway. Why bother about TV?"
| Anne N. wrote: | | I believe it depends on the job. I teach, and teachers almost always have work. I have friends who are going back to school for teaching or for nursing, because those jobs never go away. |
Were they fired from their previous job or their salary became too low?
| Anne N. wrote: | | For myself and my friends, we are very tight with money now. We shop for clothes at "thrift stores"-these are very cheap stores. We won't buy a new car; just keep the old one running. |
In Russia it is considered good if someone is able to change his/her car after 60 thousands of kilometers or 3..4 years of usage. What about America? I mean pre-crisis America too.
| Anne N. wrote: | | So it's mostly just not spending very much money, staying home instead of going out... |
It looks like we have a similar picture here... |
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Anne-N
Frequent Guest
Joined: 23 Mar 2009
Posts: 16
Location: USA
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:35 am Post subject: |
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I was wondering about Russian TV. Do you get satellite channels, like CNN or the BBC? I can't imagine you could watch any Western channels before the 1990's.
How is America shown on your news? Good, bad, somewhere in between? What about in newspapers?
A lot of businesses are cutting back on jobs. They will make fewer people do the same amount of work. So, many workers are losing their jobs, not because they are bad or lazy but because salaries and benefits are expensive. When I said earlier that my friends and I don't go out much, if too many people do that, then restaurants fail and other amusements like movies, also. There are not enough teachers and nurses, so many are going back for training in that.
It used to be true that many people changed their car every 3 years, but that's just too expensive now unless you are rich. I have been driving the same car for 11 years, but it is a very good Japanese car. A lot of Americans drive these, because they get good gas mileage and don't need repaired often. |
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Paul-Holmes
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 12 Apr 2005
Posts: 1073
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:20 am Post subject: |
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| Ender wrote: | | Anne N. wrote: | | I do not watch my own news anymore, it is all negative. |
Interesting. In abovementioned message I've meant scary stories about America. Here TV doesn't show many negative russian news but I guess not because there is no negative news, they just don't want to spread dismay over the population. Anyway TV almost useless for years here. Recently I've caught myself on a thought: "Do I really need a TV in my new flat which is being repaired right now? I can watch all Discovery and Animal-Planet films on my PC anyway. Why bother about TV?"
| Anne N. wrote: | | I believe it depends on the job. I teach, and teachers almost always have work. I have friends who are going back to school for teaching or for nursing, because those jobs never go away. |
Were they fired from their previous job or their salary became too low?
| Anne N. wrote: | | For myself and my friends, we are very tight with money now. We shop for clothes at "thrift stores"-these are very cheap stores. We won't buy a new car; just keep the old one running. |
In Russia it is considered good if someone is able to change his/her car after 60 thousands of kilometers or 3..4 years of usage. What about America? I mean pre-crisis America too.
| Anne N. wrote: | | So it's mostly just not spending very much money, staying home instead of going out... |
It looks like we have a similar picture here... |
Canada, we trade in our vehicle based on the warranty, so it is about 5-7 years. But usually a man and woman have their own vehicle. Mine is 12 years. I usually drive it until it is rust. I am cheap.
Crisis has not hit my province fully yet, but is coming very soon. I am lucky to have a job that is resistant to this crisis. I actually have more opportunities. |
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Ender
WayToRussified
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 498
Location: Urals
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:30 am Post subject: |
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| Anne N. wrote: | | I was wondering about Russian TV. Do you get satellite channels, like CNN or the BBC? |
Yes. Anybody can set-up an satellite antennae and receiver for a moderate fee. There are a lot of cable channels that receive a signal from satellite and then distribute it over a cable.
| Anne N. wrote: | | I can't imagine you could watch any Western channels before the 1990's. |
Yes, that's right. Before perestroyka soviet people were pretty well isolated from the influence of western media culture. It had good and bad sides. Isolation against Animal Planet channel is bad, isolation against Fox Kids mutants is good.
| Anne N. wrote: | | How is America shown on your news? Good, bad, somewhere in between? What about in newspapers? |
I rarely watch TV and mostly local news. Newspapers? I'll try to translate. For example today's news, of course not in the order of importance.
Airplane crash in Montana
California police found a marijuana plantation
A new minister of finances is appointed by Obama
Cleveland restaurant offers a breakfast for one cent
Banks bail-out government plan
Fox News host apologizes before Canadians
Guantanamo employees offered freedom to their prisoner in exchange for his silence.
Indianapolis's citizen started shooting inside of his relatives house.
Michigan 15-year-old died after police taser him
Geithner Banks on private cash
Workers were killed in shootings at Virginia hotel
Chaves called Obama "miserable ignoramus".
Obama addressed to Iran, Iran rebuffs Obama (BTW same for Russia, too much talk but no real actions)
U.S. government vs AIG
Obama is advised to make relations with Russia better.
U.S. postal service will cut many jobs
Playboy closes NY office
ABC News radio anchorman found dead
Robin Williams was operated
Curt Russel refused to play in Stallone's film
The ending of fourth Terminator was changed
"Knowing" tops weekend box office
Bruce Willis's marriage
Betsy Blair has died
Nicolas Cage shares his all-time favorite thrillers
Marylyn Manson presents a new track from his latest album "The High End of Low"
Guns n’ Roses hired a new guitarist
New songs of Emi Winehouse were rejected by label
Nine Inch Nails released a free album
NASA austronauts werent't able to fix ISS's platform.
... huh there are too many news... there are IT related news, computer games related news, automotive industry related news, military related news, medicine related news... etc...
| Anne N. wrote: | | A lot of businesses are cutting back on jobs. They will make fewer people do the same amount of work. So, many workers are losing their jobs, not because they are bad or lazy but because salaries and benefits are expensive. |
Same here... Unemployment rate in our region raised from 1.1% to 3.2% during an half of year. From that POV our region is considered as one of six worst regions. I don't know if it is "a lot" or "a few", but I guess there is nothing good in it.
| Anne N. wrote: | | When I said earlier that my friends and I don't go out much, if too many people do that, then restaurants fail and other amusements like movies, also. There are not enough teachers and nurses, so many are going back for training in that. |
Yeah, that worries me too. Most of our businesses who have problems linked with crisis, have two types of problems:
1. Clients became too thrifty and can't afford to spend money too much.
2. They are used to run their business on credits. Now the credit stram is closed.
| Anne N. wrote: | | It used to be true that many people changed their car every 3 years, but that's just too expensive now unless you are rich. I have been driving the same car for 11 years, but it is a very good Japanese car. A lot of Americans drive these, because they get good gas mileage and don't need repaired often. |
I can imagine how badly automotive industry will be hit. |
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Anne-N
Frequent Guest
Joined: 23 Mar 2009
Posts: 16
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 6:07 am Post subject: |
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| Thank you, Ender. I think Guns n' Roses is way up before the President (only kidding). |
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