What are you? Where are you from? No, where are you really from? These are all questions of which I’ve heard some variation while in both the U.S. and Russia. While in the U.S., there’s a certain level of disrespect inherent in having these questions asked by someone you’ve only just met, and at first […]
Perhaps the most challenging cultural difference I’ve had to grapple with since coming to Russia has been the prioritization of supervision and safety ahead of privacy. This isn’t something that just applies to interpersonal interactions- it influences the way dorms and grocery stores are set up. In my first blog post I talked a bit […]