Now that I've been here a while, I'm starting to pick up on some of the misconceptions (and realities) about both Russian and American culture that I would have missed at first. Some are sad, some are funny, and some are too weird to be properly expressed on paper, but I'll do what I can.
First issue is about why I'm here. Right off the bat, the “He's a damn spy” accusation was ever-present, though not nearly as prevalent as our funny stories would lead one to believe. Russians generally pay these people no heed, and we notice them just enough to get out of their way. However, I've also stumbled on a slightly more plausible explanation for my presence here: the idea that study abroad is mandatory in the states. The vast number of monolingual Americans (if you're looking for fluency, I'm one of them) does more than enough to disprove this, let alone the political, ethical, and practical problems with this system. Furthermore, It's been suggested that not only did I not want to study abroad, I also was assigned Russia rather than choosing to come here. Simply not true. I love Russia, I signed up for Russia, and by all means I could have opted out even as late as PDO. I think study abroad is a great idea, and encourage everyone reading this to get out and do something as reckless as living in another country for a year without knowing its language, but I won't force anyone to, and neither will the government.
My next point I make fully aware that it's still only early December. Everyone in America knows of the Russian Winter. Snow measured in meters, impassable streets, and temperatures that somehow people say compete with Antarctica. It's not so. Granted, I'm sure it's going to get bloody freezing here, and yeah the snow will be a problem, but it doesn't mess up people's lives. Russians on the street seem perpetually cranky and short-tempered, but they have a certain degree of patience that sometimes I think even they don't realize. If you slip on the ice and fall, you get back up and keep going. If you have to climb over a snowbank to get into your office building, you climb over the snowbank. Life goes on here. People will complain about the winter nonstop, but it will take a lot more than snow and cold to keep away the deadly-looking heels, booty shorts (somehow, the girl here can look considerably classier with them, not that they always do, than in the states), and unyielding sense of Russian promptness.
Everyone seems to have their own opinion on what opinion everyone else had during the Soviet Union. Plenty of Americans think that Russia is passionately anti-communist, a belief perpetuated by the destruction of Stalin statues and the way things have unfolded in other post-communist countries. Just as prominent is the belief that the country is still full of crazed commies, something the media has done little to work against. What nobody seems to grasp is that, just like with American politics, people don't always know where they stand. The communist party is still the second largest party in the country, but it's far too small to make a serious dent in the balance of power. Plenty of people think back and point out that there were times when they had a higher standard of living under the USSR at some points. The classic American response is “but what about all the humanitarian crises perpetuated by the USSR?” This, however, may be one of the few times when ignorance is a valid excuse. There was no free press. I've met very well educated individuals here who will confess that they simply didn't know what was going on in soviet times. I'll risk a guess that anyone who grew up in the states during the cold war can remember how important the news, reliable or not, was. How would your opinion of Russia have developed without this factor? More importantly, what if nobody else around you had the basis for opinions to influence yours? Russians still have mixed views; there's a sense of collectivism not found in the states, but everyone has their own views and approaches in a system that closely resembles, at least fundamentally, the American. The government and the implementation of democracy vary, but it is completely unfair to compare Russia with any Borg-like state set on either the success or the destruction of Communism.
I volunteer at an incredible school here. The students are bright and motivated, everyone is friendly, and people think for themselves instead of regurgitating facts. I hate to speak in absolutes, but Lobocheskov blows pre-Maynard Ghettoham out of the water, and if it were in America I would probably choose it over MPH. When I try to express this to people here though, I'm always accused of trying to flatter Russia and downplay American privilege. Everyone here “knows” that American schools are incredible. Yeah, we have prestigious universities, but last time I checked our high schools weren't topping many lists. Well, they weren't topping any lists we want to brag about. I know I've only seen the higher end of the Russian education system, and I do see the differences, but they overall quality is comparable to the states. Overall I feel education here has a higher focus on technical and specialized skills, while there was supposedly greater emphasis on critical thinking on the states, but it's hard to say which system is better both on paper and in practice.
When I first got here I was amazed by how similar it seems to the home. Now that I've been here for most of a semester I'm noticing the real differences. You can drink a juicebox here on the street without sacrificing your manliness, but wearing a hat with a tassel is social suicide.
