Couple of traditions that I see everyday and live with everyday in Russia. These as other traditions are very important to the Russians…
1. When I first met Sveta, I called her a woman and she took offense at that. She said, “I am a girl not woman!”
I got in trouble! 🙂
Of course being from America and having been beat to death with the fact that calling a female a girl if they were not a small child, was not in my vocabulary. I realized that my life had big adjustments and those adjustments went back in time for me. For we called girls – girls back in my day…
Why in Russia it is common to hear in a restaurant, “Hey Girl!” as a table needs service…
In Russia it is considered appropriate and really an insult to call a girl anything but a girl! (Except maybe a respected very elderly Babushka!)
Now think about that a second and read on to the next tradition for today…
2. When Russians eat a meal, they will sit down, eat, and talk a bunch. Then they will talk some more. Then they will talk some more and if the night or day is early or not pressing for time, they will talk some more…
Sveta and I talk at every meal that we sit down to and even the snacks are a talking session. To a Russian all meals are the time to communicate and meals are in the kitchen. not in the bedroom or living room. Meals are not in front of a TV or out of a TV Dinner. Meals are homemade and soups…
So I was use to a world that ran ran ran and I discovered the world that I lost in Russia…
A meal time is for family, communication and enjoyment…
Both of these traditions are prevalent from my past and no longer accomplished in America where I came from. As a young um we called girls, girls and we ate a a table in the kitchen or dinning room and talked about the day, how ever either way the day was coming or going…
So I have relearned to eat and talk and call a girl a girl…
Fine by me and it is definitely more comfortable because of traditions like this in Russia…
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…