What would Russian women consider weird?

[YEP]

JB

You can take the bus to Russia?  And I thought the 11 hour flight was bad!!

I've been to numerous countriesnover the years, but just returned from my first trip to Russia last October and JB is correct.  You can read all the books you want and talk to everyone that's been there, but there is nothing like visiting Russia and experiencing it first hand.

Going by bus to Belarus / Russia is quite fun though as you'll always enter into some talk with someone that talks German / English. And you'll very likely be the only westerner.

Pro's .. you can bring two suitcases with mo weigth-limit, quite crucial if you bring heavy equipment

[Mir]

Elaborate please - I'm (/we're) all ears to my drawbacks !!

Well apparently our American friends have been told by their FSU women that the Europeans these girls dated were rather stingy. Perhaps it is the way these ladies stroke the ego of the Americans to cox more money out of them?
Certainly many FSU ladies would say ahm rather unkind words about American men to European men, but I am sure most Europeans are mature enough to ignore such remarks as just gossip

[Gator]

Elaborate please: "Propensity of European men to not be generous."

Mir's explanation may be accurate as the RW play one group off the other.   And of course our sophisticated European cousins would not be so gullible as AM to believe it.

In Russia, the man takes care of his woman, providing her every need, and never asking her to pay for her share of the expenses.

Three RW have told me that Europeans (reported to be Germans and French) will expect the woman to pay for part of her expenses when dating.  Evidently, going Dutch (50-50) is the norm for dating European women, and is done in America too but to a less extent.

[Mir]

And of course our sophisticated European cousins would not be so gullible as AM to believe it.

 

It may also depend on what the expenses are as very few FSU women would be able to afford going 'dutch' when it comes to expensive restaurants etc.
Overall I doubt there is any real difference in this between Europeans and Americans. Recently one new member wrote his experiences with an FSU lady, he said that they always split expenses 50/50, and I think he was Canadian. Incidentally the term 'Going Dutch' is used in context of a group of friends in when it comes to a 1 one 1 romantic date the man is expected to pay in every culture.
The British introduced such terms ( also dutch courage etc.) into the English language dung Anglo-Dutch wars as a sort of put down to paint the Dutch people less favourably.

[groovlstk]

I've met several FSU women who characterized men from Italy, Germany, & France as "greedy." However, I never gave it much credence since this word - more than any other, I believe - has very different meanings depending on whether you grew up in the West or the FSU.

FWIW, one of these same women petulantly tagged me as G-man when, literally five minutes into our first meeting, she asked me to buy her an expensive Nokia mobile phone and I laughed in her face. 

[SANDRO43]

I've met several FSU women who characterized men from Italy, Germany, & France as "greedy"...FWIW, one of these same women petulantly tagged me as G-man when, literally five minutes into our first meeting, she asked me to buy her an expensive Nokia mobile phone and I laughed in her face.

Perchance any Italians, Germans, French or Dutch in your ancestry ?

On the other hand, Americans have often been accused of throwing $ around to make an impression (and FSUW may be late in catching up with the current €/$ exchange rate ).

[ScottinCrimea]

I think the best definition of "greedy" that I saw was written by someone on this board awhile back (Sorry to whoever it was that I don't recall you).  Basically, it's any man who is more willing to spend money on himself than on his woman.  One simple example:  At some point in the relationship, if he is consistently wearing more expensive clothes than she is, he would be expected to upgrade her wardrobe to at least match his own.

[Nando]

Three RW have told me that Europeans (reported to be Germans and French) will expect the woman to pay for part of her expenses when dating.  Evidently, going Dutch (50-50) is the norm for dating European women, and is done in America too but to a less extent.

This has more to do with plain ignorance about FSU from many men who search a woman there
One American sent his mobile phone to my GF when she was in the agency and asked her to call him because it was to much expensive for him to write letters to her.
One German told her that her that he had no time (or maybe $$$) for romance "bulsnip"
Another American told her she must decided in the first meeting to marry him
I think many men think all FSU are desperate to live in a Western country and they think is cheap to get a woman there, well they are wrong...

In conclusion we can hear the most crazy stories from both sides

[Jazzyclassy]

I agree about all these shoes stuff, laying in bed with shoes and outside clothing and so on,
then drinking water from the tap
opening  mouth all the time

[Misha]

I agree about all these shoes stuff, laying in bed with shoes and outside clothing and so on,
then drinking water from the tap
opening  mouth all the time

Interesting! Are there actually people that will be in bed with their shoes on? It is not something that I am familiar with.

But, the "outside clothing" is an interesting thing. My wife scolds me to no end if I do not go change immediately into my "home clothes" after coming home.

As for drinking water from the tap, this depends on location. I certainly wouldn't want to do it in most Russian cities, but the tap water in the city where I live in Canada is cleaner and purer than most bottled water in Russia (it comes from deep aquifers).

Finally, Jazzy, what do you mean by opening mouth all the time?

[acrzybear]

On the other hand, Americans have often been accused of throwing $ around to make an impression (and FSUW may be late in catching up with the current €/$ exchange rate ).

Sometimes this has to do with cultural misunderstandings, I've had to explain that I do not normally spend money as freely when I am at home and that I have saved up enough money so that when I do go on vacation I do not have to worry so much about the cost of things and can actually enjoy myself.

[Jazzyclassy]

Interesting! Are there actually people that will be in bed with their shoes on? It is not something that I am familiar with.

But, the "outside clothing" is an interesting thing. My wife scolds me to no end if I do not go change immediately into my "home clothes" after coming home.

As for drinking water from the tap, this depends on location. I certainly wouldn't want to do it in most Russian cities, but the tap water in the city where I live in Canada is cleaner and purer than most bottled water in Russia (it comes from deep aquifers).

Finally, Jazzy, what do you mean by opening mouth all the time?

well like you know always to walk with opened mouth like looking at places , it produces an impression of some insane person , you know when  people do open mouth like it is their normal condition , that irritates me so much especially the group of some tourists  like they came from Mars  and Russia for them it is something dark and scary and they just walk on the streets with their mouths opened like understand it directly !

[Flyfisheron]

Recently one new member wrote his experiences with an FSU lady, he said that they always split expenses 50/50, and I think he was Canadian.

We didn't start out that way, it was just something that seemed to develope over time.  Through the first year, I was spending money hand-over-fist...lol.  I found that this is a natural progression, though.  No real difference from my experience with NA women.

[Mir]

No real difference from my experience with NA women.

Exactly, no real difference between FSU and NA/European women.
There will be those in US/Europe/FSU who would expect the man to pay for everything, and there will be others who would like to share the expense.

Chi cerca trova (Seek and you shall find)

[Christian]

well like you know always to walk with opened mouth like looking at places , it produces an impression of some insane person , you know when  people do open mouth like it is their normal condition , that irritates me so much especially the group of some tourists  like they came from Mars  and Russia for them it is something dark and scary and they just walk on the streets with their mouths opened like understand it directly !

Well like you know...like looking...you know (no we don't know)...like it is...like they...like...

Please Jazzyclassy stick to the King's English.  I intend this observation as a parody on American slang 

Christian

[Christian]

Not only weird but "sorry" (tacky, lame, etc.) and certainly not typical in USA. I won't EVER let a woman pay for anything when she is with me. I would be mortified to do otherwise.

WmGo is correct here for the adult crowd, but teenagers better go "dutch" or the poor lad will be mowing lawns, raking leaves, shoveling snow and washing cars til well into his senior year in high school!

Christian

[YEP]

This has more to do with plain ignorance about FSU from many men who search a woman there

Correct

One American sent his mobile phone to my GF when she was in the agency and asked her to call him because it was to much expensive for him to write letters to her.

Well if he included a sim-card "ROFLMAO"

One German told her that her that he had no time (or maybe $$$) for romance "bulsnip"

One wonder why he even started the pursuit then. Welcome to "single-tum" / "single-dom" he he

Another American told her she must decided in the first meeting to marry him

  idiot

I think many men think all FSU are desperate to live in a Western country and they think is cheap to get a woman there, well they are wrong...

And they couldn't be more wrong !!

In conclusion we can hear the most crazy stories from both sides

Sure the existance of fools men/women on both sides is evident

[YEP]

Mir's explanation may be accurate as the RW play one group off the other.   And of course our sophisticated European cousins would not be so gullible as AM to believe it.

In Russia, the man takes care of his woman, providing her every need, and never asking her to pay for her share of the expenses.

Three RW have told me that Europeans (reported to be Germans and French) will expect the woman to pay for part of her expenses when dating.  Evidently, going Dutch (50-50) is the norm for dating European women, and is done in America too but to a less extent.

Shouldn't we just agree to the simple fact that the man in any culture and from the "start of times" had/have to show he can "provide". Today it's $$$ that makes the world spin and in early times it was his skills to hunting !!

Not a lot has changed in that equation

[Jazzyclassy]

I also never understood this constant chewing of gum - so many foreign people do that
oh Christ, they chew this gum all the time, while talking, walking, maybe even sleeping??? 

In Russia it is considered to be a bad taste and poor manners to chew the gum in the class, while you talk to peole and moreover if you are at some Oscar's for example and you need to speak in front of the audience how can you chew the gum at the same time?

Plus it is harmful to chew it all the time