Our emigration: what Russian people can not get used abroad
'29.04.2022'
Source: Eva.ru
In any country, no matter how beautiful it may be, there are things that are difficult for us to get used to. Simply because at home, at home, it is not accepted that way. Columnist Lisa Okulova has collected Spanish traditions from her own experience that will make you laugh, surprise, or even just enrage. Further - from the first person.
Actually, I am a superpositive emigrant: I easily perceive new traditions, even those that seem strange to me, adapt to realities and sincerely love the Basque Country, - Lisa writes for Eva.ru... - Yes, what is there, I dreamed of living here, surrounded by green mountains and in close proximity to the ocean. But still, there are things that are very difficult to get used to, despite all the love for the country and its inhabitants.
In the shoes on the carpet
Yes, yes, right in your street shoes, right on your favorite white carpet. The fact is that in Spain it is not customary to take off your shoes at the entrance to the house. And this means that outdoor shoes can easily stand in the bedroom, and guests will not even think about taking off their shoes. If you ask them to take off their shoes, they will be very surprised.
Of course, the streets are cleaner and there is no such amount of dirt (they say this is the result of proper leveling of drains and regular cleaning), but such relaxation seems unhygienic to me, so my shoes are taken in my house in the corridor. For guests, we are with a carpet, sighing, make an exception. However, I have a practical gray carpet.
Pay or freeze!
The inhabitants of the former Soviet Union have one magic bonus, which they often do not think about, this is heating. Spurring on full batteries, which force open windows in winter. The house is so dry that you have to put humidifiers in each room, and it is so hot that you can safely wear shorts and a t-shirt.
In Europe, all this can be forgotten. Instead of a humidifier, we have a dehumidifier, without which the walls are covered with a real mold. And in order to walk at home in a sweater, but without thermal underwear, it is necessary every month to lay out a round sum for heating. And this is if the apartment has heating! In the emigrant groups, electric blankets, heated toilet seats and “how to have sex in winter” are being seriously considered. This is difficult to get used to.
Siesta and toilet paper
Siesta is quite justified in the south: in the summer afternoon in Seville it is so hot that you can only sleep or lie under the air conditioner and digest lunch. But the heat is not everywhere and not always, but siesta is a universal phenomenon. Nothing works in our village from two to five. Only refueling, and that, I am not sure that someone comes in at this time.
Many offices also have a midday break. But okay, offices, if you suddenly forgot to buy carrots, salt or, worse, toilet paper, nothing shines from two to five. Forget about carrots. Same thing - on Sunday, shops are closed. Jokes aside, but somehow, however, I had to go to my mother-in-law for paper. In big cities with their tourist flows, of course, the tradition of siesta is not observed: here in the middle of the day there are many open supermarkets, and even on Sundays some shops are open, for example, all Arab shops.
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Just fiesta
Of course, the Russian 10 days of New Year's holidays are hard to beat, but the Spaniards are trying. There are always some holidays here, especially among the students. Right now, for example, a carnival. This means that children have four days off instead of two. The children are happy, and the parents are terrified.
If not a fiesta, then a strike. If not a strike, then the snow has fallen, and when it snows, classes are canceled! Last year, as if nothing had happened, I packed my son to school, packed lunch, took him out into the street - and then they called me: “School? Which school? Have you seen the snow? Didn't you notice that there was not a single car on the road? This is because no one drives in the snow! "
Okay, holidays, they are fleeting in the end, but what if you need to fill out some paperwork or do something important in August? This will be fun! It is better to give up right away and not even try until September, because everyone has a vacation in August. Silence. Timelessness.
Lice as they are
About once a month I receive a letter from school stating that someone has found lice again, they say, be vigilant. Honestly, in two years I have not yet had to face this enemy face to face (I had enough mold), but we live in the north of the country. But my southern friends say that lice are removed 2-3 times a year, as scheduled. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just annoying. I am mentally prepared for the coming and after each letter I begin to itch prophylactically.
Who goes to visit in the morning?
Traditions of hospitality are strong in Russian culture, which has embraced customs both in the East and in the West. Of course, not as powerful as in the East and West, we are in the intermediate zone, but still.
Feasts, get-togethers with friends, talk until the morning in the kitchen - how could it be without it? Yes, easily. In Spain, all meetings with friends are held in bars and restaurants. Sometimes you can gather meat to fry from someone in the yard, and then, most likely, the gathering will take place in a specially designated place. Still, to go on a visit here is not accepted. At least not exactly on a Russian scale.
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Half-lam-lam
The truth is harsh for Russian women: most European men are not ready to take a friend for maintenance. Yes, a man will pay for you on first dates, but then he will wait for you to share with him the expenses for restaurants / trips / rent.
Of course, in pairs where a man earns significantly more, this issue is not solved “in half”, but otherwise, well, in the 60 + generation, patriarchal traditions are still strong, so many “grandfathers” are looking for a life friend, which is typical, twenty years younger .
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