Americans do things that many cultures would find odd; we eat too much junk food, our women are too skinny, the majority of us are unhealthy, we wear inappropriate clothes, etc. However, that is just how life is. Everyone from every cultural background will find somebody or something abnormal if they are not used to it. For instance here I have found 15 things that Russians do that Americans might find weird:
1)
They dress up to go to the store - the perfect attire for a casual walk for a woman in Russia, no matter the weather, would be a nice dress and a pair of high heels
2)
They sit down for a minute before heading on a trip - once everything is packed and ready to go a Russian will typically pause to sit quietly for a minute before getting back up to go. It is said the reason they do this is to trick the Devil; the Devil sees they are getting ready to go on a trip and so they sit down to trick him into believing they are not going anywhere.
3)
They make really long toasts - If you sit down at a celebration with food and drinks expect to be there for a long time once someone lifts their glass in a toast
4)
They tell anecdotes as often as possible - A Russian may be in the middle of telling you a story when all of sudden they mention how what they are speaking of reminds them of something that may or may not be completely irrelevant
5)
They congratulate each other on getting out of the shower or a sauna -
When a Russian gets out of the shower or sauna they are highly likely to hear another say "С лёгким паром!" which basically means, "Congratulations on a light steam!"
6)
They answer the question, "how are you?" honestly, and fully -
In America, we tend to blow this simple question off and just say "good, thanks" but in Russia if you did that it would be a complete shock if you just kept walking after being asked that. In Russia this question demands an actual answer with all your feelings and activities whether they be bad good.
7)
They do not smile at strangers - Even though we do not stop to talk to people when they ask us how we are doing, we do smile and people even when we do not know them. However, in Russia smiling at strangers you cross paths with on the street is abnormal because a smile is supposed to be genuine and to only be shared with friends and family.
8)
They celebrate New Year's more enthusiastically than Christmas - New Year's is way bigger than Christmas in Russia, the New Year is for giving presents and the tree is even for New Year's too!
9)
They constantly re-watch old Soviet cartoons -Ну Погоди (The Russian version of Tom and Jerry), Временски Музыканту (The Musicians from Bremen), and Шнежная Королева (The Snow Queen) are just few popular ones.
10)
They call all females "girl" -Every single girl or woman is called by "Girl" or in Russian, "Девушка". In order to get a female's attention you call out "Girl!" but there is a sad moment in a woman's life when she becomes so old that the general populace begins to call her "Бабушка" or in English, "Grandma."
11)
They sit down at the table for a meal and stay there for hours - When groups of Russians get together for dinner, they will sit down, have dinner, and talk, and some more, and more, and more until it is about midnight... Unlike Americans, Russians like to sit and have long conversations with their family and friends much more often.
12)
They always keep their bags - You never know when you might need a bag for a gift, trash, to cover something up, etc. So Russians keep all the bags they ever acquire for the most part.
13)
They prepare more food than is necessary for when friends come over - They prepare so much food that there are always leftovers to have for the next day!
14)
They live with their parents -It is often the case that entire Russian families (including Девушка, Бабушка, Дейти, мама, и папа) live all together under one roof.
15)
They never show up to someone's house without a gift in their hand - It can be a dessert or a wine if it’s dinner, or it can be chocolates or
flowers. It’s not really
that important what it is, as long as you bring something to your hosts home.
