How to behave in a foreign country?

“If you refuse food, ignore tradition, fear religion, and avoid people, you’d better stay at home.” – James Michener Coming to a country with a culture you don't know at all is like being in a swimming pool when you can't swim at all. Then what? Swim! Eat, follow traditions, learn religion, meet people!

Last winter, a student from Indonesia came to our city, she was in Russia for the first time and knew it only as a cold country of vodka, bears and nesting dolls. After a week here, she admitted that these are all socially-influenced stereotypes, and now her view of Russia is very different. But she was surprised by one fact, the Russians do not like to smile. In Indonesia, a smile equals respect. With a smile, you tell him, “I respect you.” Coming to this country, you can easily talk to passers-by, only catching their eyes and smiling. In Russia, people constantly look away and gloomy at their feet. A smile can accomplish a lot. It’s like in the song “Smile people, smile more often, smile no matter what...” and after all, a simple smile can introduce you to the locals, and what, if not acquaintance with the locals will help you feel the culture of the country, learn its hidden places, language, gestures, cuisine.

Yes, perhaps something in this culture will seem strange, strange, unfamiliar and incomprehensible. Even if you start with the language, there will be a hum of incomprehensible sounds everywhere, and, having already landed at the airport, you can easily get lost in all this turmoil, but if you learn a couple of simple phrases in the native language of the country - that's it, the key to getting acquainted with the country is open. You may have encountered foreigners who say in broken Russian, “Hi, can you help me?” or “I’m coming from another country, I’ll get lost here.” People who come to another country and try to speak the native language of that country, cause different feelings in the locals, but you will agree, basically all these feelings come down to two “U” – tenderness and respect. Therefore, you need to be communicative (even if your level of language is far from perfect), do not be afraid to ask if you do not know something and ask for help if something does not work.

We need to accept a different culture as it is, even if some things seem strange to us. When the same student from Indonesia came to visit us, we decided to show her all our Russian hospitality: my father flooded the bath, my mother covered a chic table on which there were borscht, about three types of salad, shanezhki, meat pies, cherry dumplings and even charlotka. But our guest refused the bath, because I was afraid when I told her that we usually go there naked, and in all my mother's dishes added a huge amount of salt and pepper, because in Indonesia she used to eat very spicy, spice-rich food. In the same way, when we come to another country, we will encounter many unnatural things. You just have to accept it. As Paulo Coelier said, “Meet the lives of others and find what you can learn from them.” After all, when you get acquainted with another culture, you can really say, “I was there.”

Just follow these tips and your journey will be truly unforgettable:

1. Smile.
2. Be communicative.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for help.
4. Be open to everything new.
5. Get to know others and find what you can learn from them.

Text by Ksenia Komarova