UNDERSTANDING UNDERSTANDING RUSSIANSRUSSIANS

OR OR CROSS CULTURAL CROSS CULTURAL

AJUSTMENTAJUSTMENT

““I HAVE NEVER MET I HAVE NEVER MET ANYONE WHO ANYONE WHO

UNDERSTOOD RUSSIANS”UNDERSTOOD RUSSIANS”

Grand Duke Alexandr MihailovichGrand Duke Alexandr Mihailovich

Cultural ShockCultural Shock

2. HOMESICK + FIRST ADJUSTMENT

6. REVERSED CULTURAL SHOCK

4. ACCEPTANCE3. REJECTION

1. HONEYMOON

5. ADAPTATION

HoneymoonHoneymoon

• You like absolutely everythingYou like absolutely everything• You are excitedYou are excited• You feel specialYou feel special• You are ready to explore and learn You are ready to explore and learn

as much as possibleas much as possible• It’s great to be here!!!It’s great to be here!!!

((to be continuedto be continued…*LOL*)…*LOL*)

HOMESICKHOMESICK

RejectionRejection• They speak Russian here, They speak Russian here,

EVERYWHERE!!!EVERYWHERE!!!• Food is not what I used to Food is not what I used to

eat back homeeat back home• NO family, friends or even NO family, friends or even

familiar facesfamiliar faces• I feel tired, ALWAYS.I feel tired, ALWAYS.• Inability to solve even little Inability to solve even little

problemsproblems• Avoiding others, unwilling Avoiding others, unwilling

to interact, being angry or to interact, being angry or irritableirritable

• You are able to You are able to cope with realitycope with reality

• You stay focused on You stay focused on the mail goal of the mail goal of your tripyour trip

• You realize life is You realize life is different but not different but not strange any morestrange any more

AdaptationAdaptation

• You feel at home hereYou feel at home here

• Everything in this Everything in this country makes sense country makes sense nownow

• You realize you would You realize you would like to spend here like to spend here more time or to come more time or to come backback

Reversed Cultural ShockReversed Cultural Shock

All of the All of the aboveabove

experienced experienced upon upon

coming coming back homeback home

There are two ways you can tell There are two ways you can tell when a man is lying. One is when when a man is lying. One is when he says he can drink champagne he says he can drink champagne all night and not get drunk. The all night and not get drunk. The other is when he says he other is when he says he understands Russians.understands Russians.

Charles E. Bohlen, former U.S. Charles E. Bohlen, former U.S. ambassador to Moscowambassador to Moscow

Stereotypes and MythsStereotypes and Myths

• RUSSIA IS FULL OF MAFIA AND IT'S DANGEROUS HERERUSSIA IS FULL OF MAFIA AND IT'S DANGEROUS HERE

• THERE ARE SO MANY CATASTROPHES AND BOMBINGS! THERE ARE SO MANY CATASTROPHES AND BOMBINGS!

• THE ECONOMY IS DESTRUCTED AND RUSSIA IS A POOR THE ECONOMY IS DESTRUCTED AND RUSSIA IS A POOR COUNTRY WITH NO FUTURE COUNTRY WITH NO FUTURE

• MANY RUSSIANS ARE RACISTSMANY RUSSIANS ARE RACISTS • THE WINTER IS SO COLD HERE! THE WINTER IS SO COLD HERE!

• RUSSIANS ARE DRINKING TOO MUCH... RUSSIANS ARE DRINKING TOO MUCH...

• RUSSIANS ARE LAZYRUSSIANS ARE LAZY

• RUSSIANS DON’T SMILERUSSIANS DON’T SMILE

Different and AlikeDifferent and Alike

• Political, Political, educational, social educational, social systemssystems

• FoodFood• Living conditionsLiving conditions• Behavior and Behavior and

conversation stylesconversation styles

• VALUESVALUES• Hopes, dreams and Hopes, dreams and

wisheswishes• Attitudes to the Attitudes to the

main things in our main things in our liveslives

• We are both We are both human and nothing human and nothing human is alien to human is alien to us *LOL*us *LOL*

Russians and AmericansRussians and Americans

You Russians and we Americans! Our You Russians and we Americans! Our countries so distant, so unlike at first countries so distant, so unlike at first glance – such a difference in social and glance – such a difference in social and political conditions, and our respective political conditions, and our respective methods of moral and practical methods of moral and practical development the last hundred years; - and development the last hundred years; - and yet in certain features, and vastest ones, yet in certain features, and vastest ones, so resembling each otherso resembling each other..

Walt Whitman, Walt Whitman, Letter to a RussianLetter to a Russian

ENJOY YOUR STAY!ENJOY YOUR STAY!

• KEEP YOUR EYES AND KEEP YOUR EYES AND MIND OPEN! MIND OPEN!

• FEEL FREE TO ASK IF FEEL FREE TO ASK IF YOU AREN’T SURE YOU AREN’T SURE ABOUT SOMETHINGABOUT SOMETHING

• EXPECT LIFE IN EXPECT LIFE IN RUSSIA TO BE RUSSIA TO BE DIFFERENT, IT’S A DIFFERENT, IT’S A DIFFERENT DIFFERENT COUNTRYCOUNTRY

СПАСИБО СПАСИБО ЗА ЗА

ВНИМАНИЕВНИМАНИЕ !!

Надежда ШабликоваНадежда Шабликоваnshablikova@hotmail.comnshablikova@hotmail.com