54. Top 10 misconceptions that Americans have about Russia
For all that Russia is talked about in the US press, you'd think that Americans would have a better understanding of what Russia is really like. I heard a lot of inaccurate things from coworkers, colleagues, family, and friends before I moved here. I'm not trying to put anyone down with this post - I certainly had some of these ideas myself, particularly before my first visit to Russia in 2012. I just would like to provide some clarifications based on real-life observation from several months of living in St. Petersburg. So here are the top 10 things I've heard most frequently from Americans that don't match reality on the ground in Russia:
01) Most people here regularly drink a lot of vodka. Actually, beer, wine, and cocktails seem to be substantially more popular in restaurants, bars, and liquor stores. And I've been to a bourbon bar, as well.
02) Most men have large beards or moustaches. Perhaps in the 19th century they did, but it's not fashionable today. I heard this one from at least 10-15 people, but I see more hairy men in Boulder, Colorado (population: 100,000), than I have in all of St. Petersburg (population: 5 million +). And I'm not counting fellow members of the Boulder Facial Hair Club! The most popular facial hair styles in St. Petersburg right now seem to be the stubble beard and a tightly-cropped Amish beard (i.e., a beard without a moustache), but the vast majority of men are clean-shaven.
03) St. Petersburg is located in Siberia. I heard this from several people before I moved here. Seriously - look at a map! That's like saying that San Francisco, California is in the Midwest US or even in Appalachia.
04) Everything is getting worse in Russia with its economic challenges or weakening political influence on the world stage. I see no evidence of an economic decline here. (I do realize that St. Petersburg is not necessarily representative of the entire country. Unfortunately, I have not been able to visit all 11 time zones yet to see the rest of Russia).
05) Everyone here is an atheist due to the legacy of communism (during which time religion was suppressed). Even though the official membership of the Russian Orthodox church is relatively low, the majority of the population counts themselves as believers. Every active church I've entered has many worshipers inside, and they're not all just old ladies.
06) The weather here is always cold this far north. Since I arrived at the end of April, temperatures have mostly stayed in the 50s and 60s Fahrenheit. Some days have been in the 70s. So, really quite pleasant.
07) No one here speaks any English. Most people still in the workforce (i.e., the only people I interact with on a daily basis) understand or speak at least a little bit of English.
08) People feel oppressed by Putin. Almost everyone I've talked with about politics believes that he has been a strong leader domestically as well as internationally. I do realize I've not met members of some of the groups who have had their rights reduced in Russia in recent years, but in the general population there do not seem to be many negative opinions.
09) All of Eastern Europe is dirty and dingy. Actually, St. Petersburg is cleaner and shinier by far than most large cities in the United States.
10) You have to pay to use the restroom everywhere you go. There are definitely public pay toilets around (standard price: 30 rubles (USD $0.50)), but every restaurant, bar, shopping mall, hotel, museum, and palace that I've been in seems to have free restrooms available. So it's not challenging to locate facilities at no cost if you need them.
01) Most people here regularly drink a lot of vodka. Actually, beer, wine, and cocktails seem to be substantially more popular in restaurants, bars, and liquor stores. And I've been to a bourbon bar, as well.
02) Most men have large beards or moustaches. Perhaps in the 19th century they did, but it's not fashionable today. I heard this one from at least 10-15 people, but I see more hairy men in Boulder, Colorado (population: 100,000), than I have in all of St. Petersburg (population: 5 million +). And I'm not counting fellow members of the Boulder Facial Hair Club! The most popular facial hair styles in St. Petersburg right now seem to be the stubble beard and a tightly-cropped Amish beard (i.e., a beard without a moustache), but the vast majority of men are clean-shaven.
03) St. Petersburg is located in Siberia. I heard this from several people before I moved here. Seriously - look at a map! That's like saying that San Francisco, California is in the Midwest US or even in Appalachia.
04) Everything is getting worse in Russia with its economic challenges or weakening political influence on the world stage. I see no evidence of an economic decline here. (I do realize that St. Petersburg is not necessarily representative of the entire country. Unfortunately, I have not been able to visit all 11 time zones yet to see the rest of Russia).
05) Everyone here is an atheist due to the legacy of communism (during which time religion was suppressed). Even though the official membership of the Russian Orthodox church is relatively low, the majority of the population counts themselves as believers. Every active church I've entered has many worshipers inside, and they're not all just old ladies.
06) The weather here is always cold this far north. Since I arrived at the end of April, temperatures have mostly stayed in the 50s and 60s Fahrenheit. Some days have been in the 70s. So, really quite pleasant.
07) No one here speaks any English. Most people still in the workforce (i.e., the only people I interact with on a daily basis) understand or speak at least a little bit of English.
08) People feel oppressed by Putin. Almost everyone I've talked with about politics believes that he has been a strong leader domestically as well as internationally. I do realize I've not met members of some of the groups who have had their rights reduced in Russia in recent years, but in the general population there do not seem to be many negative opinions.
09) All of Eastern Europe is dirty and dingy. Actually, St. Petersburg is cleaner and shinier by far than most large cities in the United States.
10) You have to pay to use the restroom everywhere you go. There are definitely public pay toilets around (standard price: 30 rubles (USD $0.50)), but every restaurant, bar, shopping mall, hotel, museum, and palace that I've been in seems to have free restrooms available. So it's not challenging to locate facilities at no cost if you need them.
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