Russian in the Netherlands: 6 Things Which Surprised Me | Easy Russian 38

Hello everyone and welcome to our new video Easy Russian. If you regularly watch our channel, then you probably know that I am from Moscow. But I have been living in the Netherlands for about half a year now. From the very beginning, as soon as I arrived in a new country, I began to notice the difference in Dutch and Russian culture. And I made notes in my notebook and now I want to share with you what is the difference between Russian and Dutch culture. These are just small amazing things that you will probably notice if you are a foreigner and come to another country. So let's get started. The first two points will concern home and everyday life. The biggest shock for me, as for a person from Russian culture, is that the Dutch do not take off their shoes when entering the house. Can you imagine? For some, this will not be surprising. For example, I heard that in American culture people also wear shoes at home. But for Russia it is very, very strange. For example, when guests come to you, they do not take off their shoes, they just walk into the house in their shoes. I even came across the opinion that, on the contrary, if guests take off their shoes in the house, then the owners of the house will perceive it as an invasion of personal space. You feel at home here, as the owner, for some reason you take off your shoes. In Russia, for example, you will never meet this. When you come to visit, you take off your shoes in the corridor, and maybe they will offer you slippers, or you just walk barefoot in socks, and this is normal. The house is usually always clean, there is no dust on the floor, so you can not be afraid of your socks. When I thought about this point, I remembered several moments when people take off their street shoes, not only at home. For example, in the office you can often find that each employee has a change of shoes at work. This is especially true in the winter, when everyone wears winter shoes, and winter shoes mean warm shoes. Often there is fur inside, and it's hard enough to walk all day in fur boots, it's just hot. And another place where you do not wear street shoes in the room is the school. There is even a special word for the shoes that you have to change, change at school, this is a change. I remember that we could not even be allowed to take a lesson if you forgot your change at home. That is, a schoolboy goes to school with a backpack and carries a shoe in a special bag or in a separate bag that he will put on at school. Some people left a change so as not to forget it at home the next day, in the wardrobe, in the locker room at school. But many do not, and that's why such incidents happened. Richard, are you in your shoes again? I'm learning Russian. The second point, which also concerns the house, is the temperature in the house. What do you think is the normal temperature in the room, in the apartment, in the house, where you live? In Holland, the normal temperature in the house is somewhere around 19-21 degrees. It is not even specially recommended to raise the temperature above 21 degrees on the thermostat, because it can affect your score. According to Russian standards, this is the average value of 21 degrees or even below average. That is, we are used to a warmer temperature in the room. This is a rather interesting point that you, as a tourist, should take into account when you go to Russia. That in apartments it can be quite hot if you are used to lower temperatures. There is no thermostat in apartments. That is, in a certain period, the city turns on the heating, so to speak, turns on the heating, and hot water appears in the batteries. The heating is turned on somewhere in October, and there is a certain regulation, that is, for 5 days, the average temperature should not exceed 8 degrees, then the city turns on the heating. And vice versa, in the spring, the heating can still work, although it can already be quite hot outside. The next two points concern the interaction of people in society. The first is that in Holland it is customary to greet people on the street, even if you do not know them, and smile at them. I cannot say that I am 100% used to this tradition, but I definitely like it. It is a very pleasant feeling to realize that people all over the world are connected, that you can easily get in touch with strangers, and it gives you a feeling of some kind of protection and just joy. In Russia, on the contrary, if you accidentally meet a stranger who is going to meet you, or in the subway, in transport, then you will rather try to take your gaze to the side and not attract unnecessary attention to yourself. Maybe because we are taught since childhood, do not talk to strangers. Do not be alarmed, this does not mean that people do not love you, that they treat you badly, it is just so customary in culture. By the way, we made a video on the topic of why Russians do not smile, you can see it by following the link. Continuing the topic of communication, I want to say about another funny moment, which seems to me very cute, very funny, really. But it's an interesting tradition to say goodbye when you leave the store. This is such a peculiar game, a peculiar song that the seller and the buyer sing. That is, you say thank you, and then the game begins, like in ping-pong, you say different variants of goodbyes. That is, bye, goodbye, see you again, have a nice evening, and you too, have a nice weekend. And the main, important rule is that words should not be repeated. It feels like people are trying to show all the variety of options that they know. And this happens not only in stores, but also in restaurants, and of course, when you leave the guests. The owner of the house and the guest speak to each other in 10 different ways. A similar situation in a store, at a checkout in Russia, looks completely different. Of course, polite words such as thanks are welcomed, but not everyone says goodbye. And many people don't even say thank you, and this is perceived completely normally. That is, you take a check, take your products, and leave. Here is such a harsh reality. It feels like we keep our emotions and all the polite words to ourselves, and we don't want to go into communication again, just for business. Money, check, products, gone. And the last two points will concern the topic of food. I will not talk about the beautiful Dutch cheeses and the amazing Dutch herring. You know it without me. Rather, I was surprised by the process of organizing the process of receiving food. What does a typical Russian lunch look like, which I'm used to? This is the first, second, and compote. Not necessarily, of course, all this together should be present at your lunch. But it must be something hot. That is, in my case, it is always some kind of soup. I really love soups, like many Russians. But if you are, for example, very hungry, then in addition to soup, there will be meat, fish, vegetables, and some side dish for lunch. Dutch lunch, as far as I managed to understand it, is bread and cheese. That is, such a sandwich. We usually eat sandwiches only for breakfast. But in Holland, people eat such sandwiches for lunch. I once happened to be present at a lunch break in one company in Holland. And I was watching such a picture. All employees sit down at the table. And in the middle of the table lies a bag of sliced bread. And various options of what you can put on the bread. That is, different types of cheese, peanut butter, some other products that can be spread on bread. This is a lunch. In Russia, people usually go to the canteen for lunch or bring soup or, again, a side dish, hot meat, fish, something like that. And the second interesting point that I noticed is that the Dutch love milk very much. In my life, I only use milk for omelette, for mashed potatoes, when I cook mashed potatoes, and when I cook cappuccino. My Dutch friends drink milk just as a drink, for food or during the day, just like Coca-Cola or lemonade. Even in the menu, which I have never seen in Russia, in Holland, you can find milk in the section of non-alcoholic drinks. You can order a glass of milk in a restaurant. In Russia, people prefer dairy products. And they drink milk most often in childhood, in kindergarten they always offer milk to you. And in childhood, parents also believe that milk is healthy for children. And what was most amazing for me was the combination of eating herring and drinking milk. And it seems that the love of the Dutch for milk is not only my observation, but maybe even some stereotype. Because I remember that I met an episode in a German TV series, Tatort, a place of crime in Russian, it is called. Where the Dutch ... ah, the Germans came to Holland, and the Dutch boss, the head of the company, met them with glasses of milk and herring. How about Dutch herring, gentlemen? May I? Please. Thank you. Yes, yes, I understand you. These were just some of the moments that seemed amazing to me in Holland. There are many more, and I would be very happy to share them with you. If you are interested, write about it in the comments. Thank you very much for your attention. Be sure to write in the comments. Did these things that I mentioned in the video seem unusual to you? Or is there nothing unusual about it for you, and rather, how life in Russia seems strange? I will be very interested to know your opinion. 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