The experience of communication between a Hispanic and Russians: what surprised?
My Chilean friend shared his experience of exchanging culture with Russians. What amazed him, what conclusions he made after talking with people from the other end of the earth, we learn from his story.
The author’s style is preserved.
Usually, the night was my companion of thoughts and decisions, many times during the day I asked myself: “What will surprise me tonight?”
When I was a child, I looked at the sky, observed the planets and thought that each of them is a different world, and in each you can find different things.
This same reflection caused me such admiration for countries and their cultures that I could not help but try to make acquaintances. I didn’t hesitate to register at couchsurfing.com. I was thrilled to have the simple opportunity to meet people from different countries and cultures, as dreamy and passionate as I was at the time.
My experience in couchsurfing consisted of 6 people, of whom 2 were Russians, so I will focus on these people, continuing the thought of this article, about the experience of interacting with Russian citizens.
My first experience was with a man named Igor, a young traveler and tourist who really wanted to see the Pacific Ocean. He was fascinated by the large and long Chilean coastline. But it was so sad to see how horror appeared on his face, discovering how cold the Pacific Ocean is. Over time, I realized that many people in Europe and Russia think that the beaches of South America are all tropical, but unfortunately this is not the case. Usually, the water temperature is 12 degrees in summer, so you have to be very careful and know the details of the beaches in South America, because some of them are tropical and others are very icy. But this is not a limitation for the locals, and children can often be seen enjoying a dip in the water.
But, with a fair amount of enthusiasm and adaptation, you will quickly forget about the cold, so do not be discouraged while enjoying a swim in the Pacific Ocean, under the full moon, it will bring you good luck and success, says a proven Chilean tradition. Igor tried it, and now he is a successful person.
My second guest was a girl who introduced herself as Asya … Incredible and confusing for me. In South America, in Spanish, “Asia” is the continent where Japan, China and others are located. Therefore, for me the sound of this name was so strange, as if someone were called “Europe” or “Hello, my name is Africa.” The funny thing is that I thought: “Ok, I’ll say” Asya, “it’s easy, in Spanish it sounds like Asia,” but no !!! The pronunciation was completely different, and so I discovered with the help of this and other words a big difference in the pronunciation of some of the sounds that exist between Russian and Spanish, also considering the use of muscles involved in the appearance of these sounds. It was also curious for my guest, as for me, to discover that there are words in Spanish, which was impossible for her to pronounce, such as “tour” and other words in Russian, for me, no matter how hard I tried, it was completely impossible. But with practice, everything is real.
Over time, I got the opportunity to work in the field of tourism, cooperating with an agency for organizing trips and excursions, in which, of course, Russians were regular travelers. And also advise a Russian travel company that received Latin Americans and showed them the wonders of Russia, so it was necessary to start studying these very tourist places and their details.
All this allowed me to learn about the life of Russian citizens and the difference in perception, which I will discuss below.
1) CHARM OF THE ANDES CORDILLIER
I’m so curious that these Russian people look at the snow and go crazy, does emotional memory connect them so quickly with the snow and their memories? Interestingly, if you didn’t know, the first thing that you will see in Chile during your trip will be the immensity of the Andes mountain range from the window of your plane. So vast and majestic, welcoming you to this beautiful country that many have written poems and songs to recount this impressive experience.
2) Chile is not a typical LATIN
Many Russians think that Latin America is the way it is shown in the movies. Dance, joy, carnival and tropics. But, dear travelers, this is not the case, especially if you are visiting Chile. Previously, this country was the most depressed in South America, and its inhabitants dressed in black and gray, so for travelers who have visited different Latin American countries, their stay in Chile turned out to be a sharp contrast, because everything here seems more serious and structured.
Currently, the situation has changed a little, after the Venezuelan crisis, many citizens of Venezuela and Colombia fled to Chile and influenced to give more color and joy to our country. Especially if you visit Santiago de Chile, you will see this difference and the variety of people in colorful clothes
But if you are interested in visiting the south of Chile, the reality is different, what you see may confuse you and you will think that you have arrived in Germany.
And if you get curious and visit Patagonia, don’t be surprised to find places very similar to rural Russian cities … Russian settlers also came here, and you can easily find a collection of matryoshkas at a local fair in southern Chile. True, they look a little different)
If you want to see the north, discover a lot of British mining influence, so you can find amazing things.
I know perfectly well what you are thinking: “Where is the real Chile then? “
This is a question you have to answer yourself, because despite the influence from abroad, Chile has its own identity, which you can find in people’s eyes and smiles when you come into contact with locals.
We have a traditional folk song that reads: “And you will see how loved friends in Chile are, especially if they are travelers.”
And if you want to see the real history, then the Mapuche people were the only people that Spain could not defeat in the conquest of South America. They have still kept their civilization intact and are ready to show their culture and traditions to foreigners.
3) CHILENITYS
It is very important to know the sensitivity of Europeans and Russians to the quality of water in Chile. It is highly recommended to drink mineral water and avoid public water because there is a different bacterial flora abroad and I have seen many cases where people ignored this recommendation and received intense diarrhea in the early days of visiting Chile (known as “CHILENIT”), and if Considering that time is important for sightseeing, this event that requires caution does create problems.
4) FOOD PRODUCTS, CANDIES AND DRINKS
When I got to know the Russians, I also saw a huge difference in the way they eat and some interesting facts like the low bread consumption they have compared to the Chileans. In Chile, each resident consumes an average of 6 breads a day, and I was curious that Russians prefer some dairy products and cereals during breakfast and of course fruits, taking advantage of their quality and low price in South America.
Russian is a person who easily adapts to healthy trends, especially women who really like our green candy (LA AVOCADO) and enjoy its consumption with great pleasure, in the company of tomatoes and other vegetables.
The Chilean uses avocado literally in everything.
I also saw many smiles when working with tourists who could taste whole strawberries or juices, cherries, grapes, watermelon and other fruits. Finally, you can see how expensive fruits are in Russia and for this reason they take advantage of the availability of these fruits when visiting South America.
Russians are not as vodka fans as you think, it was a myth that I was able to discover and I saw with curiosity how much they love natural fruit juices and good wine, especially when they know the good reputation of Chilean wine in the world. In general, the Russian is not a good connoisseur of wine and its varieties, but he enjoys it in a very good way. And here I will refer to a very sensitive issue, there is such a concept that in Russia there is a high rate of alcoholism among the male population, but I have not seen this. On the contrary, drinking wine or alcohol was always accompanied by food and always with company at a banquet. I really did not see any addiction to alcoholism.
5) IS THE EARTH MOVING FOR EVERYONE OR ONLY FOR RUSSIANS?
It is known that Chile is a seismic country, and in my experience some Russian friends happened to face the first earthquake in Chile in their life. If you have never experienced an earthquake in your life, you just need to imagine that a dinosaur is moving your apartment, and you do not know when it will stop and will be stronger or not. To be honest, the Russians behaved very dignified for this experience, keeping calm and without reaction. But the most shocking thing for them is to see the reaction of the Chileans to the fact that, despite the fact that everything is moving around, they continue to go about their business, as if nothing had happened, causing the Russians to wonder if the earth is really moving or is it just a play of the imagination. .? Because the Chileans did not seem to notice this movement and do not react. But the good news is that if the Chilean was calm, it was because
There is a typical phrase that says: “If a Chilean is saved because of an earthquake, it is because the end of the world has come and you have to cry, scream and ask for forgiveness for all your sins and run … RUN !!! “
Let’s hope that our Chilean friends will continue to give us security, tranquility and protection, and then we will have a long life.
6) RELIGION AND IMPORTANT HOLIDAYS
Santa Claus, or Ded Moroz. It is really difficult for a South American to understand the difference in holidays and celebrations of certain traditions. But it is also difficult for a Russian to understand the connection with religion that Latin Americans have. Since this is not really a real connection, usually everyone identifies with some kind of religion due to social pressure. But not all are practitioners, and many have never been to church, but they define themselves as Catholics.
Religion has historically been imposed in South America, and those who did not participate were severely punished. It is for this reason that the Latin American has a somewhat false attitude towards religion, more obvious than real. Russian in this sense is more honest and sincere.
In terms of parties, in Latin America, parties that last for several days, even 1 week, are common and I am talking about all kinds of parties. From marriages, national holidays or funerals where food, dancing and alcohol are present, and even in farewell to the deceased, the Hispanic wants to give him a happy farewell.
The Russians who were able to take part in this had to use all their energy to endure these long days, but they always left happy and in a great mood.
7) MUSEUM of operating CARS LADA
In South America, do not be surprised to find working models of the famous Russian LADA cars of the 80s or 90s, they are still used in Latin America, and in very good condition, many Russians were happy to see them
8) The treatment of animals
Probably, isnt other country where you will see more respect and care for animals than in Chile, and many Russians found it difficult to understand why circuses are not allowed here, all use of animals for entertainment is prohibited, and even zoos are closed. It makes a big difference for Russians to see different attitudes towards animals, although they also care and protect them.
9) Is it original or a copy?
Another tendency that causes great surprise and doubt among Russians, why products from well-known brands are so cheap, and the constant question: “Is this an original or a copy? … The truth is that they are original products and the low price is due to the fact that they come from the United States, with which there are good trade agreements for importers, so they do not pay a lot of taxes, allowing cheaper prices. It is not uncommon to see Russians returning to Russia with suitcases full of new things bought here.
10) "PASSIONATE LANGUAGE"
I am particularly amazed at how much women are statistically attracted to the Spanish language, and how much they enjoy hearing a Hispanic speak slowly to them in that language. One of the Russian tourists I met was an expert in linguistics and phonetics. And let me explain that the Spanish language has certain vibrations that connect certain points of the brain associated with passion, there is scientific evidence for this. And in the dreams of this girl was to go to South America to meet a poet who would read poetry in her ear in Spanish. I don’t know if she was lucky in this adventure, I didn’t mean to be so curious that time, but for those who don’t know, Chile is known as the “Country of Poets”. If you love Spanish, you might be lucky to find your own poet,
For all Latin Americans, of course, it is very interesting to learn more about the Russian people and a lot of curiosity about it, because Russia is a country that has always been close to South America, especially the Chileans are very fond of Russians.
And this unanswered question: “What is the Russian soul?” Maybe a Russian person will someday be able to answer this question in simple words. Now is the time to say goodbye and taste the borscht accompanied by tomatoes and avocados in a dough known as the Mexican “TACO”. Because, finally, the knowledge of cultures allows you to enjoy what different cultures have to offer you without any restrictions.
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