55. The expat bubble
The phrase "expat bubble" refers to the common practice of expatriates to create a familiar, safe environment for themselves in a strange new place by surrounding themselves with people and experiences that are similar or identical to what they enjoy at home. Signs that someone is living in the expat bubble include not attempting to learn the local language, preferring to spend time with other expats instead of trying to make friends with locals, sticking to the same foods that are available at home, not trying to experience the things that make the new location unique, complaining frequently about things that are strange or different, et cetera.
I've been studiously avoiding life in the expat bubble: I've been trying to learn at least some basic Russian, but more importantly, I use it in most of my interactions each day. I've been attempting to see and do everything that makes St. Petersburg unique, visiting numerous places and events in town (which even a casual glance at this blog should confirm), including those that aren't really aimed at foreign tourists. And I'm systematically working my way through all the traditional and modern foods in the local and regional cuisines, which is a big change from my pre-Russia diet. The one area where I've not done a good job is popular media: I'm sticking with mostly American-made music, television programs, and movies that I consume via the internet.
That's not to say I'm avoiding familiar foods and activities, or refusing to interact with English-speaking people. I sometimes spend time with my expat colleagues on the weekends and go to InterNations events to meet other people from all over the world who are here in Russia. I'm just not doing those things to the exclusion of what I would consider to be a more authentic local experience.
Most of the other expats I meet (either at work or via InterNations events) seem to be trying with varying degrees of aggressiveness to live in the expat bubble. Some examples:
1) One of my expat colleagues has lived here for three years and has never once visited the Hermitage. I understand that some people don't especially care for museums, but that just seems insane to me - the Hermitage is one of the world's greatest art museums!
2) Another expat colleague finishing a three-month business trip stated that there was nothing in particular he wanted to do during his final days because he had zero expectations to do any sightseeing during his entire assignment.
3) The majority of expats I meet here have said they don't bother trying to speak Russian, because most people speak English well enough to communicate. While that's true, it's impossible to master even the basics of a foreign language without regular practice, so it seems like a missed opportunity to me. To be fair, Russian would be a third, fourth, or even fifth language for some of these people, so who am I to criticize?
4) An expat I met at an InterNations event invited me to his apartment in the suburbs for dinner after talking with him for about 10 minutes. That was certainly nice of him, but I'm not the right person to hang out with if you really want to get a feel for life in Russia and St. Petersburg. Which was obviously not his goal - he just wanted to make friends with the other Americans in town.
5) Several of my expat colleagues like to meet up frequently for marathon 8-10 hour bar-hopping/clubbing sessions on the weekends. I'm not sure whether this quite fits into the expat bubble category (because tons of locals are doing the exact same thing), but it certainly prevents one from doing anything else productive during the day when most other establishments are open for business.
There's nothing wrong with living in the expat bubble, and sometimes the familiar can be comforting. There are even places where this is a necessary survival strategy, including in parts of the developing world, war zones, and the Middle East (for women in particular), as I understand. But Russia is a safe, prosperous, and welcoming country, with nothing in the environment that should give pause to the overwhelming majority of visitors from integrating into the culture as fully as possible. When I think back on my time in St. Petersburg many years from now, I want to remember Russian people, places, foods, and events that make this such a wonderful place to live, not just a bunch of American and western European friends with whom I spent many hours at bars.
I've been studiously avoiding life in the expat bubble: I've been trying to learn at least some basic Russian, but more importantly, I use it in most of my interactions each day. I've been attempting to see and do everything that makes St. Petersburg unique, visiting numerous places and events in town (which even a casual glance at this blog should confirm), including those that aren't really aimed at foreign tourists. And I'm systematically working my way through all the traditional and modern foods in the local and regional cuisines, which is a big change from my pre-Russia diet. The one area where I've not done a good job is popular media: I'm sticking with mostly American-made music, television programs, and movies that I consume via the internet.
That's not to say I'm avoiding familiar foods and activities, or refusing to interact with English-speaking people. I sometimes spend time with my expat colleagues on the weekends and go to InterNations events to meet other people from all over the world who are here in Russia. I'm just not doing those things to the exclusion of what I would consider to be a more authentic local experience.
Most of the other expats I meet (either at work or via InterNations events) seem to be trying with varying degrees of aggressiveness to live in the expat bubble. Some examples:
1) One of my expat colleagues has lived here for three years and has never once visited the Hermitage. I understand that some people don't especially care for museums, but that just seems insane to me - the Hermitage is one of the world's greatest art museums!
2) Another expat colleague finishing a three-month business trip stated that there was nothing in particular he wanted to do during his final days because he had zero expectations to do any sightseeing during his entire assignment.
3) The majority of expats I meet here have said they don't bother trying to speak Russian, because most people speak English well enough to communicate. While that's true, it's impossible to master even the basics of a foreign language without regular practice, so it seems like a missed opportunity to me. To be fair, Russian would be a third, fourth, or even fifth language for some of these people, so who am I to criticize?
4) An expat I met at an InterNations event invited me to his apartment in the suburbs for dinner after talking with him for about 10 minutes. That was certainly nice of him, but I'm not the right person to hang out with if you really want to get a feel for life in Russia and St. Petersburg. Which was obviously not his goal - he just wanted to make friends with the other Americans in town.
5) Several of my expat colleagues like to meet up frequently for marathon 8-10 hour bar-hopping/clubbing sessions on the weekends. I'm not sure whether this quite fits into the expat bubble category (because tons of locals are doing the exact same thing), but it certainly prevents one from doing anything else productive during the day when most other establishments are open for business.
There's nothing wrong with living in the expat bubble, and sometimes the familiar can be comforting. There are even places where this is a necessary survival strategy, including in parts of the developing world, war zones, and the Middle East (for women in particular), as I understand. But Russia is a safe, prosperous, and welcoming country, with nothing in the environment that should give pause to the overwhelming majority of visitors from integrating into the culture as fully as possible. When I think back on my time in St. Petersburg many years from now, I want to remember Russian people, places, foods, and events that make this such a wonderful place to live, not just a bunch of American and western European friends with whom I spent many hours at bars.
Comments
Post a Comment