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About LinkBacksYes, you are correct about visa types but I still think that "granted" is the key word hereOriginally Posted by capecoddah
Yes, you are correct about visa types but I still think that "granted" is the key word here
"earned"...Yes, you are correct about visa types but I still think that "granted" is the key word here
Kids have to jump through a few hoops to get a J-1.
American Bureaucracy and Russian Bureaucracy together is a winning combination.
I'm easily amused late at night...
I guess the joke didn't work
That was precisely my point
Not every kid can get a J-1, so the Russian kids you see are probably above average. Don't underestimate American kids and don't overestimate Russian kids, in general
I know I get "The Cream of the Crop" Russian kids. I have a couple schools that "feed" me good candidates.I guess the joke didn't work
That was precisely my point
Not every kid can get a J-1, so the Russian kids you see are probably above average. Don't underestimate American kids and don't overestimate Russian kids, in general
It's not as bad as it sounds. I want good employees. It's a process. A friend's daughter is being groomed for future employment. It's her ticket to the USA
American college students go to University because they are too stupid to flip burgers.
The "Top of the Class" Hospitality Major can't find Kansas or Antarctica on a map. Thinks Africa is a country. "How do I call 911?" Can't add, subtract, multiply or divide without a calculator and is attached to a phone 24/7.
Sorry about the rant, but welcome to my life.
In general.
My boss has also hired a Lifeguard that couldn't swim.
I'm easily amused late at night...
I feel you
Actually that reminds me of another cultural difference
Russian parents (as well as other Eastern European and Oriental parents) feel more responsibility for their kids. That's good and bad at the same time. The good things that parents try to give their kids best they can, especially when we talking about education. They help their kids with homework to get them to UNDERSTAND the quizzes. This also almost mandatory for Russians who live in the US because American junior and middle schools are joke. The bad thing about it that parents try to control kids too much which might to luck of self esteem and creativity. This also more tend in Oriental families, "Tiger moms" thingy
Another one for Deborski's list: Russians -- or at least Russian men greeting other men -- will insist on shaking hands EVERY TIME they see each other. Americans, generally, shake hands as a greeting only on first making acquaintance (or if they haven't seen each other in quite a long time -- but not every single time they say "Hi" to friends).
So my friends Sasha and Dima would want to shake my hand, and I'd be thinking, "What, again? I just shook your damn hand yesterday, dude! I haven't forgotten who you are in the past 24 hours!!"
On the other hand, it makes no difference to most Americans if you shake hands across the threshold of a door -- but this is a big no-no in Russia!
In fact, you never do ANYTHING через порог -- "across the threshold" -- whether it's shaking hands, saying goodbye, giving/receiving a gift, etc. And a Russian-American immigrant that I know is a big fan of Halloween in general, but she says it still makes her uncomfortable when she sees her non-Russian husband (or other Americans) giving the trick-or-treaters their candy "across the threshold".
PS. Speaking of crossing thresholds, if you forget to remove your shoes and put on the "guest тапочки" within 1.5 nanometers of the door, you are a horribly rude person who was obviously raised by wolves.
Yes, Russian men shake hands as a greeting also it would be weird to shake women's hands (hello to feminists
Right and why do you people insist that morning is good every day than I can clearly see that it isn't
I wouldn't generalize it, because it's a superstition. I, for example, don't have this problem
Also true
Comes from a problem that most of the people in Russia travel by public transportation and the roads are also quite dirty
Considering that many houses in the US have carpet flooring I would listen to Russians
In the face of many men failing to meet hygiene standards after visiting lavatory i find shaking hands uncomfortable and try to avoid it at all costs
(i'm local)
Additionaly people often shake hands before leaving. It can be quite funny if a meeting lasts just for a few minutes - shaking hands among a group of friends can take more time than actual talking.
As a rule, you (male) shake hands of your male peers once a day, when you first see them.
Shaking hands upon leaving is optional, and it is done when you expect not to see the person till tomorrow.
Shaking hands with females feels awkward to Russians. You just greet them verbally.
Females usually greet each other only verbally too.
Among younger friends it may be accepted for girls to kiss each other on a cheek, and sometimes guys routinely kiss every girl on a cheek too.
But don't do this unless you are sure that such behaviour is expected.
I'm pretty sure I broke every one of the rules you guys just mentioned... except for taking off my shoes! That one, I happen to agree with!
Вот потому, что вы говорите то, что не думаете, и думаете то, что не думаете, вот в клетках и сидите. И вообще, весь этот горький катаклизм, который я здесь наблюдаю, и Владимир Николаевич тоже…
Очень жаль. With that attitude, all you're going to achieve is helping to keep your countrymen as debased as your predispositions misrepresent them to be. Maybe something in your vocation requires you to view American college students that way, but it doesn't lessen the shame your opinion contributes to.
luck/life/kidkboom
Грязные башмаки располагают к осмотрительности в выборе дороги. /*/ Muddy boots choose their roads with wisdom. ;
Sorry to say, but I think you are being judgemental yourself here.
There are stupid kids, and there are smart kids, in all countries. Unfortunately, the education system in the US appears to be churning out more of the former, than the latter, these days.
Вот потому, что вы говорите то, что не думаете, и думаете то, что не думаете, вот в клетках и сидите. И вообще, весь этот горький катаклизм, который я здесь наблюдаю, и Владимир Николаевич тоже…
Regarding the space thing, absolutely true. While everyone has their 'bubble', Americans tend to have much larger ones. If you can't get used to people being in your space, then God help you if you ever ride on a Russian metro or bus.
Both are usually fairly packed. One thing I recall from riding on the автобусы was the procedure for getting on and then getting off. Getting on was basically everyone cramming onto the overfull bus, and as soon as I everyone was on the bus driver would leave. People might pay as they're boarding, but usually many people, especially in the back, don't get to pay their fare until after the bus is already moving. In America you usually have to have exact change to ride the bus, and the bus doesn't leave until everyone has paid; my experience over there was people will pass money up to the driver, who will then make change and pass it back. It seemed like a very honesty-based system--people never seemed to try and "cheat" and not pay at all, and all of your change would make it back to you despite passing through the hands of half a dozen strangers. The drivers making change was a little bit disconcerting to me at first, but I never saw an accident. Don't be surprised if you go and your bus driver looks like this:
For getting off the process seemed to consist of tapping the person in front of you (usually after the bus leaves the stop before yours and is still in motion) and asking them вы выходите? If the answer was no, you would begin this 'dance' of trading places (keep in mind the bus is usually extremely packed). You would continue to do this until the person ahead of you is responds that they are getting off, and then you are to assume that they have done the same thing you just did and that everyone in front of them is getting off as well.
This might seem like normal every day activity for a native, but keep in mind that most Americans have their own cars and transport themselves (except for in the very big cities).
I don't know if this holds true for everywhere, but I noticed over the course of the month I spent over there (these observations are for Kiev, Ukraine by the way, although as the 'mother of all Russian cities' I imagine most of it holds true for many parts of Russia) that many people would re-wear the same clothes a lot. In America it's usually considered bad hygiene to not shower at least once a day and to wear the same pair of clothes twice without washing them (though you can get away with re-wearing a pair of джинсы).
Also, I don't know if this was just the family I was living with, but most Americans have access to a washer and dryer. The family I lived with in Kiev had a very small washing machine in the bathroom and then...I don't know exactly what to call it because I've never seen one before, but the best way I could describe it was they had something that looked like like multiple towel racks that radiated heat that they would hang their clothes on to dry.
In America sales people are very courteous and will nearly bend over backwards to help you. Over there, don't be surprised if the shopkeeper is quite literally yelling at you to see what you want within ten seconds of walking in the door.
Don't try to leave your change. In America many establishments have "take-a-penny" cups by the register. The idea is if you get a few pennies as change you can leave it for someone else to use to make things come out even. (For example, if your change is 1 cent you can leave it in the cup. Then perhaps the next person, or someone else later, who has a total of $1.01 can give the person at the register $1 and then a penny from the cup. That way they don't have to give the person at the register $2 and receive $0.99 cents in change--a lot of coins are annoying to carry around.) While in Kiev I tried to leave my change with a lady selling newspapers, but she was quite adamant about making me take it.
That brings back memories))For getting off the process seemed to consist of tapping the person in front of you (usually after the bus leaves the stop before yours and is still in motion) and asking them вы выходите? If the answer was no, you would begin this 'dance' of trading places (keep in mind the bus is usually extremely packed). You would continue to do this until the person ahead of you is responds that they are getting off, and then you are to assume that they have done the same thing you just did and that everyone in front of them is getting off as well.
I remember two babushkas dueling with umbrellas for a seat on the bus!
Вот потому, что вы говорите то, что не думаете, и думаете то, что не думаете, вот в клетках и сидите. И вообще, весь этот горький катаклизм, который я здесь наблюдаю, и Владимир Николаевич тоже…
in continuation of the topic about Ukrainian public transportation (in a regional town)
collecting fare after taking off is actually against the law, but nobody seems to care or be scared
the passengers must request the stop out loud the earlier the better but even then there's no guarantee the driver will hear them so sometimes quarrels break out over who's mute and who's deaf, doors get slammed and driving becomes erratic
exiting the bus some passengers thank the driver, and i always wonder what for
buses are not equipped with air conditioning, so in summer the only source of coolness is hot air coming in through windows and open sunroofs. when there's a woman with a baby even those could get shut at her demand so the baby doesn't catches cold from the draught
i rode once a Germany manufactured bus which i don't believe doesn't have climate control system, the day was hot but still it wasn't on
overall it's an inherent chaos, if for some odd reason rules need to be put in place they're invented on the spot, very little is being done according to the written official legislation, disregard to the law is total and ingenuous
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