I don’t like appeals to the proverbial “common sense” in explanations. What is viewed as common varies vastly among individuals, not to mention groups of people. In this post I would like to concentrate on assumptions that we may take for granted outside Russia, especially in the Anglo-American\u00a0world, that may not reflect Russian reality — or widely, sometimes incorrectly, held beliefs.<\/p>\n
Yes, you can rent an apartment\/flat (\u0441\u043d\u044f\u0442\u044c \u043a\u0432\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u0443<\/strong>) in Russia, as you would elsewhere. However, what is called apartment buildings in the US — blocks of apartments for rent belonging to one company — is virtually non-existent in Russia. Apartments are the predominant type\u00a0of family housing in Russia.<\/p>\n This book snippet\u00a0for Jane R. Zavisca’s\u00a0Housing the New Russia<\/em><\/a> summarizes\u00a0the Russian housing system pretty accurately:<\/p>\n In 1992, the post-Soviet Russian government signed an agreement with the United States to create the Russian housing market. The vision of an American-style market guided housing policy over the next two decades. Privatization gave socialist housing to existing occupants, creating a nation of homeowners overnight. New financial institutions, modeled on the American mortgage system, laid the foundation for a market. Next the state tried to stimulate mortgages\u2014and reverse the declining birth rate, another major concern\u2014by subsidizing loans for young families.<\/p>\n Imported housing institutions, however, failed to resonate with local conceptions of ownership, property, and rights. Most Russians reject mortgages, which they call “debt bondage,” as an unjust “overpayment” for a good they consider to be a basic right. Instead of stimulating homeownership, privatization, combined with high prices and limited credit, created a system of \u201cproperty without markets.\u201d Frustrated aspirations and unjustified inequality led most Russians to call for a government-controlled housing market. Under the Soviet system, residents retained lifelong tenancy rights, perceiving the apartments they inhabited as their own. In the wake of privatization, young Russians can no longer count on the state to provide their house, nor can they afford to buy a home with wages, forcing many to live with extended family well into adulthood.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So, an apartment in a high-rise building is what you own, rent, share with others, etc. Single-family\u00a0houses are relatively rare and are often a luxury or a country home for the well to do. Therefore, more often than not \u043a\u0432\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u0430<\/strong> refers to a long-term\u00a0dwelling\u00a0rather than a rented one.<\/p>\n You can probably tell this is a favorite of mine since I mentioned it in passing here<\/a> and here<\/a>. We often take for granted the fact that anything mailed with a private or public postal company will safely make it to its destination. For instance, in the United States, utility and hospital bills, official documents, diplomas, and bank checks\/cheques are sent by mail. People are certain that their mail will reach the recipient safely in a reasonable amount of time and will not be damaged or stolen in transit or in the mailbox. From what I know, the situation is similar in Europe.<\/p>\n Russian Post (\u041f\u043e<\/span>\u0447\u0442\u0430 \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u0438<\/strong>) can be used for personal correspondence and for inexpensive gifts if you use tracking (\u043e\u0442\u0441\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0436\u0438\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u043e\u0442\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0439<\/strong>) and timing is not essential. As a result, most documents are applied for and received in person in Russia, for example, \u0432\u043e\u0434\u0438\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0435 \u0443\u0434\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/strong> (driver’s license), \u043f\u0430\u0441\u043f\u043e\u0440\u0442<\/strong> (passport), or \u0434\u0438\u043f\u043b\u043e\u043c<\/strong> (diploma). To be fair, some utility bills (\u0441\u0447\u0435\u0442\u0430<\/strong>)\u00a0are<\/em> delivered by mail, but then people try to make sure their mailbox (\u043f\u043e\u0447\u0442\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0439 \u044f\u0449\u0438\u043a<\/strong>) locks and cannot be rummaged or vandalized.<\/p>\n I have written on gender dynamics<\/a> in the workplace on this blog before. However, it is worth reiterating how ingrained the image of a male doctor<\/a>\u00a0(\u0432\u0440\u0430\u0447<\/strong>) and female nurse (\u043c\u0435\u0434\u0441\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430<\/span><\/strong> – f, \u043c\u0435\u0434\u0431\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0442<\/strong> – m) is in most of the world — Russia being one of the notable exceptions.<\/p>\n What that means is that you should be prepared\u00a0to be seen by a female physician for most specialties, including cardiologists (\u043a\u0430\u0440\u0434\u0438\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043e\u0433<\/strong>), urologists (\u0443\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043e\u0433<\/strong>), pulmonologists (\u043f\u0443\u043b\u044c\u043c\u043e\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043e\u0433<\/strong>), etc. with the possible exception of surgeons (\u0445\u0438\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u0433<\/strong>).<\/p>\n Culture-bound\u00a0attitudes to healthcare<\/a> are a fascinating area of study. A particular area that comes to mind is the Russians’ constant fear of\u00a0drafts (\u0441\u043a\u0432\u043e\u0437\u043d\u044f<\/span>\u043a<\/strong>) and cold temperatures. It’s particularly ironic because people tend to think Russians are used to and don’t mind cold weather (\u0445\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043e\u0434<\/strong>). However, the Russians’ response to cooler temperatures is to wear layers, hats, and gloves when their European counterparts would brave the weather.<\/p>\n The underlying notion in broadly defined Western medicine is the germ theory<\/a>, which pretty much says that diseases are spread by microorganisms and the best thing you can do to protect yourself is to wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough. While official Russian medicine subscribes to that outlook, it also somehow embraces the “draft theory<\/a>” — the notion that head colds (\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0443<\/span>\u0434\u0430<\/strong>), inflammations, and infertility are caused by cold air, food, drinks, or surfaces.<\/p>\n If you’ve ever been to Russia, you will know it’s not true, and I don’t need to convince you. It’s the Russia-neophytes I’d like to warn. Time and again, in my daily interactions with English speakers I hear things like “English is an (or the!) international language, everyone knows at least a little bit.” I’ve heard musicians tell me their lyrics are understood everywhere because English is apparently the international language of rock music. I’ve heard engineers say English screen captions on machines exported overseas are fine because everyone “can at least read it.”<\/p>\nYou mail will be delivered<\/h2>\n
Doctors are male<\/h2>\n
You can’t get a cold from\u00a0drafts<\/h2>\n
Everyone speaks English<\/h2>\n