Cultural Differences

[Kotenochek 0]

why dont you post another topic, like what people should expect to face once they are in the USA:)))I mean culture differences:))))

[russ 1]

why dont you post another topic, like what people should expect to face once they are in the USA:)))I mean culture differences:))))

You can post it yourself

[slim 1,514]

why dont you post another topic, like what people should expect to face once they are in the USA:)))I mean culture differences:))))

You can post it yourself

Yeah! (Don't be scared to start new topics here. It makes the forum interesting!)

You can expect to face the cultural differences listed in this thread. Ah, one thing I forgot for the Russians coming here is you can also expect to face more than one different cultures here in the U.S. You're coming to a pretty diverse country so you're going to see several different cultures inside the "American" culture. Race, ethnicity, social standing, age, geographic location and so many others are all big dividers of culture here in the U.S. It's a very interesting mix!

[Kotenochek 0]

why dont you post another topic, like what people should expect to face once they are in the USA:)))I mean culture differences:))))

You can post it yourself

Yeah! (Don't be scared to start new topics here. It makes the forum interesting!)

You can expect to face the cultural differences listed in this thread. Ah, one thing I forgot for the Russians coming here is you can also expect to face more than one different cultures here in the U.S. You're coming to a pretty diverse country so you're going to see several different cultures inside the "American" culture. Race, ethnicity, social standing, age, geographic location and so many others are all big dividers of culture here in the U.S. It's a very interesting mix!

I will post new one as soon as i am over my interview this friday.I have whole package now and am happy,but now i read someone said to provide taxes 1040for last 3 years.I have only for 2006 but i have W2 and tax statement for 2004 and 2005 is it enaugh?

[natarussia 0]

why dont you post another topic, like what people should expect to face once they are in the USA:)))I mean culture differences:))))

You can post it yourself

Yeah! (Don't be scared to start new topics here. It makes the forum interesting!)

You can expect to face the cultural differences listed in this thread. Ah, one thing I forgot for the Russians coming here is you can also expect to face more than one different cultures here in the U.S. You're coming to a pretty diverse country so you're going to see several different cultures inside the "American" culture. Race, ethnicity, social standing, age, geographic location and so many others are all big dividers of culture here in the U.S. It's a very interesting mix!

I'm of the opinion that very few things are American culture. Since America is made up of people from all over the world, the culture that you see is an amalgamation of the world cultures that have emmigrated here. It is a wonderful thing, but confusing at the same time for a new resident. You will find some things of course truly unique, I'm not saying you will not, but just that many things are a blend of old world and new.

American football, baseball, bluegrass music ... things we call American ... have their roots in other countries or cultures, like soccer or rugby, cricket, and traditional folk music from Ireland or Scotland ... that's just a few of examples. I find that looking for the history behind a particular culture exposes it's original form. Have fun with them, there are so many!

Dwayne

[Kotenochek 0]

I'm of the opinion that very few things are American culture. Since America is made up of people from all over the world, the culture that you see is an amalgamation of the world cultures that have emmigrated here. It is a wonderful thing, but confusing at the same time for a new resident. You will find some things of course truly unique, I'm not saying you will not, but just that many things are a blend of old world and new.

American football, baseball, bluegrass music ... things we call American ... have their roots in other countries or cultures, like soccer or rugby, cricket, and traditional folk music from Ireland or Scotland ... that's just a few of examples. I find that looking for the history behind a particular culture exposes it's original form. Have fun with them, there are so many!

Dwayne

Yes sounds like crazy!But is there something you could say more specific,like slim is talking about his wife,about things that he finds unusual and what about russian people that move to the usa,what shocks them the most?

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

I believe that this thread was started so that all of us can have a good laugh over the culture shock that is usual with anyone coming here, but as we all know Russians are unique in some of their peculiar eccentricities.

This is far more apparent with Russians coming to America since there was so much propaganda and preconceived notions about both countries. One of the most amusing things I learned early on that at the height of the cold war, Elena and her friends were told that the Americans were poised to push the button and start WW3 and we had more missles and bombs. I remember being told the same thing about those godless commies in Russia.

My wife is also amazed at the things that we take for granted. The other night we watched a movie,American History X, and she did not understand how these people can say the things they say(if you have seen the movie then you know). For those who havent seen it, it is about a neonazi who comes to the realization that his hatred stems from his family history and that the leader of the group is a coward who wont stand up for his own beliefs but has no problem getting young people to believe terrible things and letting them pay the price for those ideas. She kept asking me how can they say such things, and I tried to tell her that free speech is protected, especially speech we dont like, you dont have to listen to it but people have a right to say what they want.

As far as american culture, sure you can find parts of americana derived from cultures around the world but that is true of any culture and any country. The french empire spread their culture, the romans, the ottomans, the mongols. Every group of people co-ops what they like about neighboring cultures and makes it their own. Its the amalgamation that makes it American culture.

[slim 1,514]

Russians coming to America since there was so much propaganda and preconceived notions about both countries. One of the most amusing things I learned early on that at the height of the cold war, Elena and her friends were told that the Americans were poised to push the button and start WW3 and we had more missles and bombs. I remember being told the same thing about those godless commies in Russia.

I'm still surprised I have a Russian wife. When I was little, Red Dawn had just come out and of course, every time my friends and I played "army" in the back yard, we were fighting the Russkies. Even when I first joined the Air Force, our big practice missions were set up against a mock enemy that looked a lot like the Soviet Army and the Eastern Bloc forces or Warsaw Pact nations. Every time I encountered (simulated) enemy forces, they were armed with Kalashnikovs and RPGs - Russian weapons.

To this day, most "grown ups" are going to remember our arch-rivals as the Russians. The amazing thing to me is how similar we really are and how it really was a propaganda battle on both sides.

[CityCat 0]

I'm still surprised I have a Russian wife. When I was little, Red Dawn had just come out and of course, every time my friends and I played "army" in the back yard, we were fighting the Russkies. Even when I first joined the Air Force, our big practice missions were set up against a mock enemy that looked a lot like the Soviet Army and the Eastern Bloc forces or Warsaw Pact nations. Every time I encountered (simulated) enemy forces, they were armed with Kalashnikovs and RPGs - Russian weapons.

To this day, most "grown ups" are going to remember our arch-rivals as the Russians. The amazing thing to me is how similar we really are and how it really was a propaganda battle on both sides.

Maybe I am just younger, but I really don't remember anything like this. I was born 1983 and I started taking my English lessons when I was 5, which wasn't really the most stable period in the countries' relations, right? But I don't recall any hostility towards Americans neither from my parents (and my dad served in the Soviet Air Force as Senior Lieutenant) nor from grandparents. And when I was playing war with my cousins on my granny's farm our enemies were Germans. I really don't know why but that's how the Cold War and Propaganda worked (really didn't!) for my family.

[russ 1]

Even when I first joined the Air Force, our big practice missions were set up against a mock enemy that looked a lot like the Soviet Army and the Eastern Bloc forces or Warsaw Pact nations. Every time I encountered (simulated) enemy forces, they were armed with Kalashnikovs and RPGs - Russian weapons.

The war games I remember in the Air Force (late 90s) were mostly dealing with situations that could weaken NATO. Former Soviet states were rarely an issue in these games. Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia, and IRAQ were frequent topics. We were in officer school - they didn't give us guns.

The general attitude towards Russia was that it would look to strenthen control over Russia first, then closer neighbors. I don't remember many situations that would lead to a US-Russia war. China, India, or Iran (or some alliance thereof) are the scarier outcomes.

[Neonred 3,461]

When I was a child and my buddies and I payed army, we were fighting the Germans. Of course one of the (black and white) TV programs we watched was "Rat Patrol". I'll bet not many of you remember that one.

My wife also tells me she learned how to use and care for a Kalashnikov when she was in school. She's got my respect.

Edited August 16, 2007 by Neonred

[Nancy2015 2]

I'm still surprised I have a Russian wife. When I was little, Red Dawn had just come out and of course, every time my friends and I played "army" in the back yard, we were fighting the Russkies. Even when I first joined the Air Force, our big practice missions were set up against a mock enemy that looked a lot like the Soviet Army and the Eastern Bloc forces or Warsaw Pact nations. Every time I encountered (simulated) enemy forces, they were armed with Kalashnikovs and RPGs - Russian weapons.

To this day, most "grown ups" are going to remember our arch-rivals as the Russians. The amazing thing to me is how similar we really are and how it really was a propaganda battle on both sides.

Maybe I am just younger, but I really don't remember anything like this. I was born 1983 and I started taking my English lessons when I was 5, which wasn't really the most stable period in the countries' relations, right? But I don't recall any hostility towards Americans neither from my parents (and my dad served in the Soviet Air Force as Senior Lieutenant) nor from grandparents. And when I was playing war with my cousins on my granny's farm our enemies were Germans. I really don't know why but that's how the Cold War and Propaganda worked (really didn't!) for my family.

I'm with you on that. I don't recall any hostility, nor do I recall any especially warm feelings towards Americans. Honestly, I think nobody really cared. There is certainly much more hostility and paranoia on this side of the globe than on the other one, imho.

[slim 1,514]

Maybe I am just younger, but I really don't remember anything like this. I was born 1983 and I started taking my English lessons when I was 5, .......... Germans

That would be about 1988/1989 around the fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of the end for the USSR. There were far more "internal" problems around that time than there were "external". Germany (or at least East Germany) was an "internal" problem for those in power so maybe that's why you weren't encouraged to look any further west.

The war games I remember in the Air Force (late 90s) were mostly dealing with situations that could weaken NATO. Former Soviet states were rarely an issue in these games. Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia, and IRAQ were frequent topics. We were in officer school - they didn't give us guns.

Which explains why I was training to fight "Russians" and you guys were training to fight "what ifs?" (The Air Force is so funny.... I could spend an entire month writing about the military. My buddy that's an officer in the Navy right now has similar stories about the difference in "training" and "real-world" mission readiness.)

My wife also tells me she learned how to use and care for a Kalashnikov when she was in school. She's got my respect.

Awesome!!! There's something about a woman handling a Kalashnikov that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

There is certainly much more hostility and paranoia on this side of the globe than on the other one, imho.

Agreed! After all, how do you get people to willingly give up their own Constitutional rights without scaring them a little?

[russ 1]

Which explains why I was training to fight "Russians" and you guys were training to fight "what ifs?" (The Air Force is so funny.... I could spend an entire month writing about the military. My buddy that's an officer in the Navy right now has similar stories about the difference in "training" and "real-world" mission readiness.)

Well, it is a relatively small percentage of officers in the Air Force that are ever likely to be in a direct combat role. Offensive bombers - we don't have that many, so there aren't that many officers crewing them. There are far more tactical aircraft (F15,F16,F22), but even those pilots represent a small percentage of the officers.

Having friendly airfields, permission to overfly other countries, fuel, parts, intelligence, support aircraft, and the politcal problems that come with all of that are the bigger problems for military planners. Blowing things up (which is really all the Air Force can do - weaken ground - it can't hold a position) is something that is fairly well understood. As far as I know from my friends, on the ground, the Air Force serves two purposes. One is base security, and two is to act as a speed bump against a North Korean invasion.

For close air support roles, the Army has far more aircraft than the Air Force anyway.

The strategic mission is still there - the missle guys, intelligence, space, etc. That explains a lot of the "what ifs." For what it is worth, the much smarter "what if" guys I met ten years ago all though invading Iraq or getting rid of Saddam was a horrible idea, as the outcome was predicted to be exactly what we have now.

I just went to college though - wouldn't say that I really know anything about this.

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

I was never in the military so that end of it I cant comment on.. News stories about toilet paper and food lines, I went to parochial schools my whole life so there was often discussions of the godless commies. I grew up in the 70's and 80's(born in 1970) in a very conservative city so anything that was outside of the normal realm(the far right that is) is scary and spooky and is to be avoided.

I myself am a free thinker which annoyed my father because that usually meant I disagreed with whatever drivel was coming out of the talking heads on Fox. I found the Russians and interesting people from an early age, partly because of my Polish heritage, the long history and the taboo of all things Russian where I was going to school.