Again, Russians appear to prefer dear cultural norms and rules and to easily judge and criticize those who break them

8. Again, Russians appear to prefer dear cultural norms and rules and to easily judge and criticize those who break them.

9. Russian workers and Russian students appear to prefer detailed and precise instructions from supervisors or teachers. Decisions about what should be done, and how, appear to be made at the top. Supervisors/teachers appear to know best. People may prefer to follow clear directions from above rather than risk errors or innovations that may harm their careers.

MIDDLE EASTERN INTERVIEW RESPONSES

When your first arrived in Russia, what stood out the most?

þ The forests, the vast number of green trees I saw from the airplane window.

þ It was my dream to study in Russia. It's a great country and there are many opportunities for study. I love the writings of Gorky, and through reading Gorky I got the impression that Russians are clever and patient- it's a great country, as great as the US.

What stereotypes did you hear about Russians before coming to Russia?

þ People are poor. They have to wait in line for bread.

þ It's liked a military zone, closed to most people.

þ People are hospitable. You can knock on your neighbor's door. There is brotherly love.

What stereotypes do Russians have of your part of the world?

þ Everyone is very rich. There is lots of oil. (They don't differentiate among countries).

þ Women wear veils.

þ People ride camels.

þ Men marry four or five women.

þ Everyone is Muslim. (They don't know about other religions).

þ They don't know our history.

þ Terrorists

þ Not much knowledge, they only know the name Arafat.

Russian perceptions of Arabs/Southerners

þ Southerners are called "black." There is discrimination based on skin color. There are unpleasant encounters on the street. Many international students have been assaulted. Flats have been broken into. Almost everyone has been assaulted, especially in bars, nightclubs, and discos. Students go out in groups for safety in numbers.

þ One student had two brothers who came to Russia. One brother was beaten and had a severe head injury. Another had a leg broken.

þ Some babushki yell "Chechens go home!" One interviewee says that he doesn't pay attention- he understands that they are old and he understands the psychological reasons. Another says they have no right to say those things. We are students here. We have come here for our education. We are spending money and adding to the Russian economy. We are not troubling anyone.

þ Overall crime rate is high, but foreigners are particularly victimized. There is no police protection. There seems to be no law. There are police document checks and bribes. There has been a big change in the past ten years. Now there is more economic disorder, corruption, violence, and crime.

Why Questions

Why are women streetcar drivers? Why do they do manual and construction work?

þ Why are young Russians rude to older people?

þ Why don't young men don't give up seats on the trolley bus for elders?

þ Why do young people sometimes yell or shout bad words at old women?

Your Perceptions of Russia and Russians Now

þ The people are friendly and sympathetic. Teachers are friendly and sympathetic. Sympathy is the key to understanding.

þ Russian women are very beautiful. They are patient, they work hard, they are good housewives, they are always loyal, and they dress nicely.

þ There are a high number of educated people, especially in the sciences. They are able to work under difficult conditions. It's a wonder. It's not about equipment. That's Russia's secret.

Major differences between cultures

þ Alcohol — many Muslims do not drink.

þ Families at home are bigger —5-10 people

þ In Russia, people don't know their neighbors' names. They don't greet each other on the street and communicate.

þ Clothes — women dress more modestly than Russian women.

þ Women don't smoke, drink, or dress revealingly as they do in Russia.

þ Families support each other more. Brothers and sisters support each other. Russian families seem more isolated and
individualistic.

þ The divorce rate at home is very low.

þ  Men respect women more at home, there is not so much domestic violence as in Russia.

5. AMERICAN’S VIEW OF RUSSIANS

RUSSIAN’S VIEW OF AMERICANS

AMERICAN INTERVIEW RESPONSES

When you first arrived in Russia, what stood out the most?

þ People are very thin.

þ How many people actually walk. There are lots of cars and good public transportation, but there are lots of pedestrians too.

þ How dirty the cities are. I knew they would look a little run down, but there's more litter and trash than at home.

þ People don't smile.

þ Russians are not materialistic. They consider other people more important than what you can buy.

þ To some degree, they are less culturally aware. Russia was dosed off to the rest of the world and Russians are not used to seeing people of color.

þ Men with machine guns at the airport A woman with big, black poufy hair, a frilly white blouse, an army-issue green mini-skirt, black stiletto heels, frosty pink lipstick and a scowl It was like a scene from a John Waters movie.

þ In 1978 I arrived in St. Petersburg from Sweden. It was like going from color to black and white. There were shortages of food. It was drab; it was dark. I came back in 1998. Ibis time I noticed a washed-out drabness. People wore dark clothes, not much color. There were things to buy in the shops this time, but somehow everything looked faded. The communist experience was unique. The whole world moved on, and Russia was closed off. There are some good things and some bad things in this. It was like being dropped off in the 1950s, when I was a child. There was still not much tourism, but the attitudes of people changed. This first time it was less friendly, people spoke less English, and there were millions of forms to fill out, scattered all over the place. You had to be precise, because the authorities were hypervigilant.

þ Crazy drivers everywhere, incredibly long waits for trams and buses, no timetables for buses and trams, people going out of their way to help you find a destination

Stereotypes You Were Aware of Before Coming to Russia

þ Lines everywhere (though I knew it was thing of the past)

þ No freedom of speech

þ Few products

þ Pervasive presence of Mafia

þ Young people getting rich very quickly

þ Prostitution (from news exposes about dark side of big city life)

þ Prejudice against people of Southern nationalities

þ Russians drink vodka

þ Russians are poor, suffered a lot, are very serious, have bread tones

þ Never smile

þ Bureaucracy is infamous

þ Churches with onion domes, great literature

þ Russian women dress up, but it doesn't matter so much what men wear.

þ Every woman is looking to marry an American, there are mail order brides, women want to get out

þ I remember bomb scares in American during the 50s and 60s and hiding under desks. The Russians wanted to come and
conquer the USA, we were told. They had the same message as us.

þ Russians tend to be paranoid.

þ Russians don't think in or about the future. Americans think about the future, but not the past or present. Americans
pay for classes so they can learn to live in the present! Russians don't plan so far ahead. If they have money today, they
spend money today.

þ Russians are quite rigid about teachers being authoritative and strong disciplinarians.

Advice family & friends gave you before you left home

þ Don't drink tap water.

þ Advice to women: be prepared that girls here dress differently: Russians dress for fashion and Americans for comfort

þ Be careful, you can't trust people there.

þ Be careful. Russia is not safe because of worries about war, bombings in Moscow, unrest, crime, civil strife. General danger.

þ Bring toilet paper and jeans. You can sell your jeans.

þ You need to have good health insurance and be prepared to fly back to the US if you need treatment Hospitals are bad and doctors aren't very good. In fact, doctors run the gamut from very dedicated to indifferent.

Why questions

þ Why is shopping a three step process? It's so inefficient. Maybe it prevents shoplifting.

þ Why is only one person doling out money?

þ Why is only one door open?

þ Why is service so bad? Is it because there is no tipping and so no motivation?

þ Why can we sit in a cafe all day without buying very much?

þ Why do women wear such high heels?

þ Why do people crowd others and cut in line?

þ Why do shop attendants go on so many breaks or just close down?

þ Why are things so unpredictable? Nothing is consistent.

þ There are no schedules at school. I arrive at school to teach and I'll be told "there is no fourth grade today." Why can't
people tell me in advance?

þ Why are restaurant workers so indifferent or outright rude?

þ Why do Russian women think they need a man for anything technical or physical?

þ Why must everyone sit at a party?

þ Why can't people put bags on the floor?

þ Why do men carry purses (for women)?

þ Who does everything break so easily?

þ Why does everything need to be stamped?

þ Why are there so many forms?

þ Why do women dress like hookers (prostitutes)?

þ Why do women wear see-through trousers with thongs and stiletto heels?

þ Why is everything so dirty?

þ Why do people spit and blow their noses onto the street?

þ Why are people so mean to each other (at stores, yelling at customers)?

þ Why do people push in front of others?

þ When a husband beats his wife in public, why doesn't anyone do anything? Why are people so reluctant to stop and help?

þ Why are there no public toilets even approaching American standards? Why do people accept such things?

þ Why do toilets have no seat covers? Is there a shortage? Can't they find them somewhere?

þ Why do Russians drink so much tea? Why don't they drink during meals?

þ Why do Americans say "excuse me¹ when they bump into strangers and Russian don't?

þ Why are Russians so formal when you first meet them?

Things that frustrate

þ People always on the make

þ Large injustices in society, for example, why are teachers paid so little and then expected to buy their own textbooks

þ I'm annoyed at people looking and making an instant judgment

þ Russians are emotional, prejudiced and xenophobic.

þ The Russian sense of personal space, especially in public sphere: people stand much closer, pressing up against each
other, pushing

Why questions Russians asked you about Americans

þ Why do you want to come to Russia? (most consistent question)

þ Why are Americans fat? Why do they all have cars? Why are they so loud?

þ Why do Americans drink so much water?

þ How can you believe men and women are equal when they are so different?

þ Why don't Americans lock their doors at night?

þ Why do Americans smell like soap? - What interviewee's mother taught him: "If your clothes smell like you, they're dirty."

þ Why do Americans smile all the time?

þ Why are Americans so informal about everything?

þ Why do Americans ask so many questions?

þ Why don't you speak English correctly? It's your native language, isn't it?

Stereotypes Russians You Met Had of Americans

þ Americans are rich. "You can afford to pay that price, that's nothing for you at home!"

þ Americans have cars — are fat - are loud.

þ Americans are rich, noisy, lazy, and unworldly.

þ Americans always smile.

þ All American women hate men.

þ American women are drab, dull and unfeminine.

þ American women want to do everything themselves.

þ American women are ambitious and individualistic.

þ American women are not afraid to speak their minds or confront authority.

How are Americans viewed?

þ Russians are accepting of American music, movies, and clothing but still have anti-American sentiments. It's a kind of guilty pleasure - a sense they are letting themselves, their roots, and their standards down. They accept American cultural products while remaining anti-American.

þ They think we're rich; even our poor, compared to their poor. Retirees on cruises set this stereotype, with Russians misunderstanding that some people must save for a long time for such a trip. Also, Russians on exchange programs stay with middle-class, educated families. They don't see American ghettos.

How has living abroad changed your original view or expectations about what life in Russia would be like?

þ Some stereotypes were borne out. People can be very rude in the public sphere— in restaurants, airports, trains. On the other hand, if you're invited to people's homes you'll find they're the most hospitable people you've ever met. I didn't expect warm hospitality though I was prepared for inhospitality in the public sphere.

þ I tend to try not to have too many set expectations before I go to a different culture. Sure, I have some, but part of the experience is seeing what is there and seeing how you can adapt to these circumstances.

Gestures that are different, etc.

þ I always speak with my hands and show facial gestures. Most people here don't gesture much when they speak. Ibis is true of facial gestures too. My face always betrays my feelings.

þ The Russian gesture for being drunk.

þ Helping women put their coat on; other women can't do this.

þ Men NEED to carry things and pay. I met a male friend at a cafe, and he HAD to pay, to be a gentleman, even though I know he doesn't earn a lot of money. No Dutch treat.

þ The weight of swear words is stronger here than in the US. In the States I use obscenities every day. Now that I'm here, I use them maybe once a month.

þ Banging the fist again the palm

þ Thumb between the middle and index fingers

þ Touching: there's more same sex touching in Russia, women walking down the street arm in arm or holding hands

þ Shaking hands is not common practice in Russia where it is automatic and unconscious behavior for most Americans. (Said by a woman)

What are the most positive things that happened to you in Russia?

þ I met my wife and made some very close friends from another culture. Human contact. You realize you can make close friends and find similarities. I also improved my Russian.

þ I had an opportunity to live with a family and be included in family life- crises and arguments included. I really experienced normal Russian life in more depth than many.

þ Positive things: meeting very friendly people/ hospitality and the nurturing manner of Russian women. The sincerity I -have felt from the sympathy expressed by Russians about the attacks in the U.S.

What is the worst thing that happened to you?

þ The first week I was living in my flat, and felt like a stranger in my landlady's home, my landlady and her husband would share nothing with me. I had to buy my own dish washing liquid and toilet paper. They would not allow me to wash my own clothes and wanted to charge me 20 rubles per shin. (While this may not be typical, this incident it is a true story.)

þ In St Petersburg, I got ripped off. 60 or 70 dollars in a money exchange on the street It can happen anywhere, though, and it didn't change my feelings; but there are nasty rip-offs in St Petersburg and Moscow.

þ Negative things: indifference to issues of lateness and when things don't work or something goes wrong. How things tend to be more black / white or how things are taken more literally. How certain some Russians are about certain issues.

If you were to compare Russian and American culture, what are some of the broad distinctions you might draw?

þ Economics. In the US everything is about money. Sometimes Russians are very concerned about money and talk about money because it's a necessity. They have no qualms about asking how much money you make. That's a taboo question in the States.

þ Russians are more traditional, especially the way women want to be treated by men. Feminism doesn't seem to exist. (Said by a man)

þ Russians drink more. There are few laws about drinking in public. You can drink beer in public but not vodka. It's strange, in the springtime, to be the only sober person walking down the street.

þ Russians are less tolerant of racial differences and of sexual orientation. Russian men are very homophobic.

þ There is no one word or phrase for "cultural identity," vanity, or privacy in Russian language; you would have to explain your intention in order to be understood.

Can you describe some situations/incidents in which cultural expectations caused a misunderstanding?

þ American men are not expected to be as attentive as Russian men. Men pour drinks for women, carry packages for women, etc.

þ If I'm silent, people see me as standoffish.

þ Americans separate business and pleasure

By living in Russia, have you learned anything new about yourself and your native culture?

þ I learned a lot of about myself as an American. There are some things I feel proud about. I stopped taking things for granted, things I would have demanded in the past.

þ  I value independence and self-reliance.

þ I notice consumerism in the US more. Everything is packaged, everything is for sale. There's more media and advertising everywhere. People need things NOW: fast food, quick and efficient customer service.

þ Shallow, superficial friendliness and customer service. But I like it anyway! Maybe it's not so shallow. Maybe it says something about egalitarianism.

þ The number of trashcans and the amount of waste produced in the US. In Russia there's no place to put trash and there are lots of wrappers and litter on the streets. In America there ate lots of receptacles because we produce lots of waste -packaging, wrappers, etc. We even sell special 10-gallon trash bags!

þ The main thing I noticed and was overwhelmed by was by the amount of choice in everything- it was great but too much to handle sometimes, whether I was shopping or trying to decide what to eat in a restaurant.

þ I can live in an arctic climate but I'm still not a fan of long winters.

þ Americans value individualism and the right to speak their minds freely

þ Some Americans can be as ethnocentric as some Russians can be and more concerned with events at home, but what culture isn't?

 

RUSSIAN INTERVIEW RESPONSES

When you first arrived in the USA, what stood out?

þ The traffic system is orderly and well organized. Drivers are polite and stop for pedestrians.

þ How Americans are relaxed, they have a relaxed posture, free behavior, a relaxed way of dressing, usually sports clothes

þ Aged parents very seldom live with their grown children and prefer living alone or moving to a nursing home

þ Americans prefer to live in suburbs in their own houses and thus a car play a very important role in one's life and there might be several cars in the family

þ They use computers a lot in everyday life

Stereotypes of Americans You Were Aware Of

þ Pragmatic

þ Rich

þ Overweight

þ Always smile

þ Body conscious and fond of healthy life styles

þ American women are too independent

How do you think Americans viewed Russian culture, in general terms?

þ As far as I remember, everyone I met was very friendly, considerate and helpful and eager to get to know Russians better and learn more about our culture.

Advice friends or family members gave you

þ To find some things they wanted

þ To set up an aim you want to achieve in this country and to do it. For example, to visit all the museums.

þ Try to make new friends and make the most of your stay

þ My mother told me to try every kind of food I can

Why questions you asked

þ Why do Americans love their cars so much?

þ Why do they never dress up?

þ Why do they mingle at parties? Why do they invite so many people?

þ Why do they leave their nests? Why do they so often change cities?

þ Why are university professors so informally dressed in class?

þ Why do children prefer to live separately from parents when they complete high school and almost never come back to
live with the parents again?

Why questions others asked you

þ Why do Russians stay at one place (at a table) at a party?

þ Why do Russians have more long lasting friendships?

þ Why do you prefer jeanswear: is it because you like American style clothing or do you find this kind of clothing more comfortable?

þ Do people in Russia know foreign languages?

Stereotypes of Russians You Discovered

þ Russians are poor.

þ Russians dance very well. They like to dance.

þ There is Mafia in Russia.

þ Russian women do a lot of work at home.

þ Russians don't know how to work.

þ Russian women do too much work for the family. They do not respect themselves.

þ Russians are strong and hard working.

þ The new generation will change the country.

þ Russians don't know foreign languages.

þ Starving and wearing shabby clothing

þ Russians don't smile on the street.

þ One young American guy mentioned he wouldn't be interested in meeting a Russian woman because Russian women are
hairy and don't shave.

þ There are few cars in Russia.

þ All women are prostitutes because that's the only way to earn a living.

How has your experience changed your original view or expectations?

I don't think Americans are rich. They get more money but they economize and spend more rationally.

If you were to compare Russian and American culture, what are some of the broad distinctions you might draw?

þ Russian culture belongs to the eastern type and American to the western type.

þ Americans are more matter-of-fact and business-like; they are more active; they are not afraid of making severe life changes.

Can you describe some situations/incidents in which cultural expectations caused a misunderstanding?

þ When you are in Russia, invited to someone's home, you are asked to have tea or some food. In America this does not happen in every house.

What things stood out the most or what things did you most notice about Russia when you returned home?

þ The one thing that pleased me is that my family was so glad to see me.

þ People not smiling. Not helpful.

þ Gloomy people on the streets; impolite shop assistants; dirty public places; no adaptation of public places for disabled

þ People are less polite; there is garbage everywhere; there are no non-smoking areas

By visiting the USA, have you learned anything new about yourself and your native culture?

þ Russians are hospitable, collective. They discuss things in groups before making decisions. They are always ready to share.

þ Russians are more family oriented.

þ I learned that I should not feel inferior to other people because of being physically disabled.

þ Being in the US I am conscious of being Russian and proud of it. I don't that I stand out in American culture and most Americans can't say I am from a different country unless I tell them, but somehow I always "feel" Russian and tell people I am from Russia with a sense of pride.

CONCLUSION

Let's sum up everything considered above.

Now there is a problem of misunderstanding among people of the different countries. This misunderstanding is shown owing to different attitudes to life, to business, to family, to fellow workers. Also because of ignorance of traditions, customs, etiquette of other countries.

Excellent knowledge of foreign language is not a guarantee of successful cooperation of firms or pleasant dialogue of people from different continents. To know language is only half-affair. The most important is to understand priorities of other people, to try to look at the world by their eyes.

If the country is more advanced in economic, political, social spheres, it gives more attention to studying other cultures for successful cooperation (for example, the USA, Japan).

It is important to note, that the closer cultures to each other, the fewer problems arise at their interaction. If cultures are opposite, then the essence of intercultural dialogue is reduced to understanding of different values.

For greater success in relations between the countries it is necessary to take into account all these features.

LITERATURE:

1.          «Communication and Culture» / Alfred G. Smith // Hold, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., the United States of America,1966

2.          «Crossing Cultural Borders - Russia» / Julie E. Zdanoski // Petrozavodsk, 2003

3.          «Culture Learning: The Fifth Dimension in the Language Classroom» / Louise Damen

4.          «Culture Matters. How Values Shape Human Progress» / Lawrence E. Harrison, Samuel P. Huntington // Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group, the United States of America, 2000

APPENDIX

A CULTURAL MODEL OF INTERACTION

When a person from a national society with hierarchical tendencies encounters a person from a society with egalitarian tendencies, and more­over when the country of the latter is generally "high" in the estimation of the former, the idealized paradigm as shown in Figure 1 would be approximated. In this diagram, X, the person from a country with egalitarian views, behaves toward Y, the person from a hierarchically oriented country, as if he occupied the same "level"; that is, in equalitarian terms.

Figure 1.

TABLE 1. SOME IMPLICIT CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS

North American (USA)

Personal control of the environment

Change inevitable and desirable

Equality of opportunity

Individualism

Future orientation

Action orientation

Directness and openness

Practicality; pragmatic; rational

Problem-solving orientation

Cause-and-effect logic

Informality

Competition

DO-it-yourself approach to life

Contrast American

Nature dominating man

Unchanging; traditional

Class structure dominant; hierarchical Interdependence but individuality

Present or past orientation

Being orientation

Suggestive; consensus-seeking; group orientation

Feeling orientation; philosophical

Inactive; enduring; seeking help from others Knowing

Formality

Group progress

Intermediaries

TABLE 2 VALUE ASSUMPTIONS OF EAST AND WEST: JAPAN AND THE UNATED STATES

Values concerning

1. Nature and Culture vertically

(octopus pot)(draws in)

(outside/inside)

2. Interpersonal Relationships

Unated States

Heterogeneity; horizontal society guilt sasara (bamboo wisk)

Doing

Pusning

Omote predominates

Independence; I/you clash symmetrical relationships informality

Achieved status

Japan

Homogeneity; shame takotsubo

 

 

Being

Pulling

Omote/ura

We over I; amae complementary

Ascribed status