about villages....

[bigdeg]

 Hello...to all the RW/UW out their. I have heard the term "villages" a lot on this board. Have heard from a lot of board members that in general RW/UW do not look favorably on our "villages". I understand the obvious difference in population, but how does mobility factor into that? For instance, I live in a lightly populated area, but I like to drive to medium populated areas often (Pittsburgh, Charlestown SC, etc.).
 How does this mobility lessen the differences in city size?
 Does the fact that city size is not even comparable, make much of a difference?
Please ladies, tell me your thoughts.

[Lily]

Our women may not look favorably on 'villages' because in their understanding, village is mostly a settlement with substandard living condition, poor lifestyle, populated with people who cannot make it in life.

This is however due to specifics of the FSU life, where all talent went to bog cities. Concentration of wealth in Moscow is remarkable comparing to other places, for example. Village is deemed to be a place not just for socially unadvanced, but rather for accomplished losers. FSU is a land of extremes.

[Fashionista]

Hello...to all the RW/UW out their. I have heard the term "villages" a lot on this board. Have heard from a lot of board members that in general RW/UW do not look favorably on our "villages". I understand the obvious difference in population, but how does mobility factor into that? For instance, I live in a lightly populated area, but I like to drive to medium populated areas often (Pittsburgh, Charlestown SC, etc.).
 How does this mobility lessen the differences in city size?
 Does the fact that city size is not even comparable, make much of a difference?
Please ladies, tell me your thoughts.

Consider that in Russia people generally are less mobile. Fewer people own a car, most of the people prefer to stay in there home town after graduation, it is not so usual even for a younger people to just take off and drive to the next city for any reason. And, as Lily already said, rural areas - "villages" as they say - are associated with poor and less educated population, bad living condition, with everything what americans would associate with "trailer trash" kind of lifestyle.

[SANDRO43]

This is however due to specifics of the FSU life, where all talent went to bog cities. Concentration of wealth in Moscow is remarkable comparing to other places, for example. Village is deemed to be a place not just for socially unadvanced, but rather for accomplished losers. FSU is a land of extremes.

Not limited to the FSU. I'd say almost anywhere in Europe big-city dwellers tend to look down on 'provincials' as a lower forms of life .

Ask a French/man-woman where he/she lives, and the answer will mostly be Paris, even if in reality he/she is 100 miles from there .

[x633]

With full respect to the FSU women who have already posted, my wife, who was raised in Kyiv city center, has a different opinion on what constitutes a village.  To her most American metropolitan areas are villages.  If people live in single family houses and not tall apartment buildings; it's a village.  She thinks most of Chicagoland is a village.
Kansas City, where we live, and it's measly 2 million metro area is definitely a village.  But in this case it is not negative word.

[Fashionista]

With full respect to the FSU women who have already posted, my wife, who was raised in Kyiv city center, has a different opinion on what constitutes a village.  To her most American metropolitan areas are villages.  If people live in single family houses and not tall apartment buildings; it's a village.  She thinks most of Chicagoland is a village.
Kansas City, where we live, and it's measly 2 million metro area is definitely a village.  But in this case it is not negative word.

That's so true! Many FSU people get quite stunned by - let's call it low dencity of american sities. They do have tendency to call suburban areas "a village" and for younger people it is, I am affraid, a bad world. Too quiet, to peaceful, no intencity in life.  :evil:

[Tamara]

When talking about "villages" and Russian mentality it is important to remember a little bit of history.  Right after World War II many people moved to the cities as it was the only way to survive, to find some kind of job and food.  Since then it is a never ending process of people migrating from villages and province towns to bigger central cities in Russia to acquire better education, become more competitive and find a better job along with higher life standard. 

The concept of metro areas is somewhat vague to Russians until they experience it. Originally from Saint Petersburg, I think I live in a "village" right now called Burnsville which is just south of Minneapolis/Saint Paul and has about 60000 residents in itself. What I see describes a "village" is similar to what was specified earlier: single family homes, low density population, vast territory, absence or very little public transportation...

It is essential to make sure that RW realizes the difference between Russian and American "villages" and the whole style of life. Here rural area might be only about 30 minute drive away from a big city, which is very easy to visit by car. So mobility factor is extremely important. Many roads in Russia are hardly comparable to US highway system, so this is one other factor contributing to mobility.

[Aloe]

my problem with my village is that buses suck, and i dont have a car or a drivers license, so im stuck here, the only shop in the vicinity is a grocery shop, so i cant even go buy something i need, i have to wait for my hubby to drive me somewhere, cuz i hate buses, and cuz there are only very few buses every day, very inconvenient. Let alone that the bus takes 40 minutes to get somewhere 15 km away. if i had a car, i wouldnt care, cuz its a very close drive

[SANDRO43]

Let alone that the bus takes 40 minutes to get somewhere 15 km away.

Average speed of 22.5 Km/h ? Do you live in a heavy-traffic area? If not, you could consider riding a bicycle, as I believe many people do in Belgium/Holland .

[BC]

Average speed of 22.5 Km/h ? Do you live in a heavy-traffic area? If not, you could consider riding a bicycle, as I believe many people do in Belgium/Holland .

Sandro,

You might be surprised how many cannot ride a bicycle.. simply never learned.

I'm having a very hard time remembering ever having seen one in RU.

[Aloe]

Average speed of 22.5 Km/h ? Do you live in a heavy-traffic area? If not, you could consider riding a bicycle, as I believe many people do in Belgium/Holland .

nope no heavy traffic, its belgian governments love to make your driving difficult. MANY roads are artificially narrowed to be one lane only, so that if you are passing in the direction that doesnt have priority, you have to jump in pockets to let oncoming traffic thru. It is awful! I wonder how im going to drive when i have a car, when you get to the city, half the roads are one way, so you have to REALLY REALLY look for your way around or just walk lol

[Aloe]

and also the bus drives thru all the neighboring villages before it gets to town
i thought riding a bicycle is easy, but i havent done it in like 10 years. So i tried to ride my mother in laws bicycle, it was awful, i feel very unsafe and would never risk riding it next to a road, especially on one of those 1 lane roads where they didnt put trees to divide cars from bicycle paths, so everybody drives using the bicycle space like if its a 2 lane road, very dangerous cuz they cant see you around the corner