Culture Shock in Russia
It is a good idea to read as much as possible about Russia and Russian culture before moving here, as this will prepare you to a great extent for the culture shock you might experience. One of the most difficult things for a foreigner to understand is the ingrained attitude in most Russians that life is suffering and that one must simply bear one’s troubles in life. This can be perceived as a very fatalistic or even lazy approach to hardship, and can be very frustrating to encounter if one is trying to improve a system that doesn’t work! It is worth noting that there is no Russian equivalent for the word ‘frustration’ – this will be a feeling that will become very familiar to you. Due to a lack of consistent funding, many of the national infrastructures are falling apart - it can be a shock to see this next to the absurdly lavish lifestyles of Russia’s nouveau riche.
Another shock that many new residents have is the apparent unfriendliness or harshness of people. This is, however, simply a mask used towards strangers until the stranger proves trustworthy or acceptable. Once a Russian has accepted you as a friend they will be the most loyal and generous friend you have ever had. In business, however, this is extremely frustrating as customer satisfaction or even employee satisfaction simply does not enter the equation. The general attitude is that if you don’t like it you can go somewhere else. Do not expect much joy from making a complaint!
The average Russian is very well educated and you might find to your surprise that the cleaning lady working in your office building is a qualified engineer. Economic collapse has meant that it is often more lucrative to do hard labour for a foreign company than to work in your area of expertise. Another aspect of life in Russia, which might be due to the economic troubles, is that ‘gift-giving’ (or bribery) is a standard practice. You will not get much done when dealing with officialdom without passing an envelope under the table at some point.
Another shock that many new residents have is the apparent unfriendliness or harshness of people. This is, however, simply a mask used towards strangers until the stranger proves trustworthy or acceptable. Once a Russian has accepted you as a friend they will be the most loyal and generous friend you have ever had. In business, however, this is extremely frustrating as customer satisfaction or even employee satisfaction simply does not enter the equation. The general attitude is that if you don’t like it you can go somewhere else. Do not expect much joy from making a complaint!
The average Russian is very well educated and you might find to your surprise that the cleaning lady working in your office building is a qualified engineer. Economic collapse has meant that it is often more lucrative to do hard labour for a foreign company than to work in your area of expertise. Another aspect of life in Russia, which might be due to the economic troubles, is that ‘gift-giving’ (or bribery) is a standard practice. You will not get much done when dealing with officialdom without passing an envelope under the table at some point.
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