The Inevitable Culture Shock
Despite the similarities between your host country and home countries, you will inevitably experience culture shock. I assumed that the cities we visited in Russia would be fairly Westernized, so there couldn’t be much shock. As expected, I was very wrong. I’ve always considered Russia as more European than Asian, but my time in Moscow and Kazan demonstrated how Eastern the mindset is in Russia. The approach to personal space was very different, especially on the metro. In America, it is expected that you will give each person as much personal space as possible by sitting as far away from them and apologizing if you even brush by them. In Russia, this is not as important, especially considering the size of their cities. When are there are 12 million people in a city like Moscow, personal space becomes a luxury.
The most striking difference between Russian culture and American culture was hygiene. In the United States, the average person wears a different outfit everyday, regardless of their plans. However, many people in Russia have one outfit for their home and one outfit for outside. During my time in Moscow, my host mom only wore one dress in the apartment and a specific top and skirt each time she left to run errands. According to the people I met in Russia, this is quite common and not frowned upon. I am curious to know if this is something just in older generations, or if this is a very common practice.
After the first week of living in Russia, I did not face any major issues with culture shock. While the culture is much different than I expected, the people were very similar to Americans and were very polite. Despite the stereotypes that Russians are more serious and rude, most Russians I met were easy-going, extroverted, and kind. Several teachers at our host institute stated that this attitude is what truly differentiates Russians and Europeans.
Culture shock is common when traveling abroad to any culture. While I did not experience any major issues due to the difference in culture, my program in Russia made me realize that there is no “correct” way to do anything in any culture; things are simply different and don’t require changing to be like another country. However, I have returned to America with a larger appreciation for personal space and our hygiene standards.
