Everyday vignettes
Where’s My Line?
There are lines in Russia, but they aren’t as apparent as it might seem. Rather than a single file extending away from the counter, the line mostly runs along the counter and people squish in as close as possible. Once the counter space is full, people start piling in a second group directly behind the counter, so that it looks like a pyramid has extended horizontally from the counter.
People generally take their turn and understand who is next. When a misunderstanding occurs, the person just has to tell the salesperson that he or she was next. However, old women and rich men think they have some sort of privilege (and the rich men do), so they just step through everyone and accost the sales person with their questions. It’s annoying, but everyone just generally goes with it.
A Round of Applause
At the end of the performance when actors make their curtain call, everyone claps as he or she will until all the actors line up. Then the clapping synchronizes and as each actor makes his or her bow, the clapping remains synchronized. No actor gets a special round of applause, the clapping doesn’t ever disengage from the rhythm. The audience keeps a steady beat, and the actors receive the same amount of applause.
HOLD THE DOOR!
No one holds the door for anyone else. It doesn’t matter how close you are to the other person or what you have in your hands or even if you are with the other person. Each person holds the door for his- or herself (or that person squeezes in quickly before the door closes). If you hold the door, people don’t acknowledge it at all. They just assume that they had a right to pass through the door, and you were waiting for your turn.
Disclaimer:
Russia is a huge nation, so to extrapolate my experiences in Blagoveshchensk and say they are indicative of Russian culture would be small-minded and arrogant. Sure, these behaviors and cultural differences may be the norm for Russia as a whole, but they could also very well be an aberration occurring only in a small town in Far East Russia on the China border. Either way, I am only really offering a snapshot of the culture that I experience while living in Blagoveshchensk.
There are lines in Russia, but they aren’t as apparent as it might seem. Rather than a single file extending away from the counter, the line mostly runs along the counter and people squish in as close as possible. Once the counter space is full, people start piling in a second group directly behind the counter, so that it looks like a pyramid has extended horizontally from the counter.
People generally take their turn and understand who is next. When a misunderstanding occurs, the person just has to tell the salesperson that he or she was next. However, old women and rich men think they have some sort of privilege (and the rich men do), so they just step through everyone and accost the sales person with their questions. It’s annoying, but everyone just generally goes with it.
A Round of Applause
At the end of the performance when actors make their curtain call, everyone claps as he or she will until all the actors line up. Then the clapping synchronizes and as each actor makes his or her bow, the clapping remains synchronized. No actor gets a special round of applause, the clapping doesn’t ever disengage from the rhythm. The audience keeps a steady beat, and the actors receive the same amount of applause.
HOLD THE DOOR!
No one holds the door for anyone else. It doesn’t matter how close you are to the other person or what you have in your hands or even if you are with the other person. Each person holds the door for his- or herself (or that person squeezes in quickly before the door closes). If you hold the door, people don’t acknowledge it at all. They just assume that they had a right to pass through the door, and you were waiting for your turn.
Disclaimer:
Russia is a huge nation, so to extrapolate my experiences in Blagoveshchensk and say they are indicative of Russian culture would be small-minded and arrogant. Sure, these behaviors and cultural differences may be the norm for Russia as a whole, but they could also very well be an aberration occurring only in a small town in Far East Russia on the China border. Either way, I am only really offering a snapshot of the culture that I experience while living in Blagoveshchensk.