Tradition and other cultural/lifestyle changes

[ECOCKS]

Besides shoes, who has a set of house clothes and outside clothes?

What other traditions, superstitions or lifestyle challenges has everyone (on both sides) had to face? Cooking? Clothing? Meals? Working? Leisure? A/C versus fans? Sports? Yardwork?

Serious or humorous, personal or public, what's been the reality of the transition to living outside the FSU?

BTW: These should be experiences, let's avoid pissing in each others' coffees or beers and try to see the practical and maybe even humorous aspects of this endeavor.

[kievstar]

I grew up with a mother who never allowed shoes in the house and would out clean any RW anyday. Also, cooking and cleaning were required or I could see the door. She ran a tight ship but I am glad she did.  So for me it is interesting to hear the stories to come.

But I do have something I think is strange and would like a real medical opinion on.  My wife made me tea before leaving yesterday and it was to hot and she was drinking bottled water.  I told her please put some water in my tea to cool it down.  She looked me in the eye and said do you want to be on the toilet all day as your tea water is different than my bottled water.  Your how old?  I knew not to explore this with her because no way in hell was she going to think differently.  But this makes no sense to me.  When she was not looking I used the water and had no problem.   

I know I have more but can not think of them right now.

[Boethius]

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[JR]

In high school I had two pairs of blue jean, both of them had holes in the knees so I guess I didn't differentiate between outside and inside clothes

My ex RW wife would practically come unglued if I whistled in the house.

[ECOCKS]

I always had school clothes and play clothes growing up, but my parents were very young and poor. 

My parents always changed to house clothes, and I always change to house clothes when I come home, as does my husband.

I have always taken my shoes off when entering the house.  Sometimes, my husband doesn't, and I do scold him about it.

Some of the weird things - covering your neck when it is even slightly chilly, or you'll catch cold (I am not a scarf wearer, even when it is -35C), not sitting on cement steps, not giving kids iced drinks.

Yeah the whole draft and chill factor thing really causes discussions in our house. My wife is still struggling with why Americans put so many ceiling fans up in our homes. That just doesn't reconcile with the longer lifespan and generally healthier population.

[Aloe]

Besides shoes, who has a set of house clothes and outside clothes?

What other traditions, superstitions or lifestyle challenges has everyone (on both sides) had to face? Cooking? Clothing? Meals? Working? Leisure? A/C versus fans? Sports? Yardwork?

Serious or humorous, personal or public, what's been the reality of the transition to living outside the FSU?

BTW: These should be experiences, let's avoid pissing in each others' coffees or beers and try to see the practical and maybe even humorous aspects of this endeavor.

i had to go from not doing a single bit of housework to doing ALL the housework: cook, clean, go to grocery shop, do the laundry, iron, its been a shock to my system! lol. but im doing ok i think, except ironing, its hard !
and yes, shoes off at the entrance, switch to home clothes (or lack thereof) when come home for me, cuz its been so damn hot, when its cold then no switching to home clothes; cuz i wore a skirt and t shirt back at home all year round for home clothes, but here the house gets very cold when its cold, so the home clothes i own become unsuitable

[thompsongunner06]

Oh yea,,,no "street" shoes in the house or bedrooms,,I see the madness to it.
Also she will not drink any cold/ice drink.Eats any/all salmon in sight! Loves to wear sexy little outfits and high heels. . Loves water and tea.

[gemini]

My husband had mostly acrylic blankets when we arrived and I had to fight with him to replace them to cotton/wool ones. The sheets were half synthetic too. He told me he never heard that acrylic blankets are bad and ask me to show an article.

The other problem was the open windows.  Since kindergarten we know that it is necessary to ventilate the rooms in order to be healthy. My husband thinks I am crazy. He says we get ventilation through the bricks. He put warm blanket on when I open the window even when it is warm outside and show he is suffering.lol

[ECOCKS]

Yeah, just today my wife and I had to go over the differences between buildings built from solid concrete, without ventilation ducts, but with small rooms and low ceilings, and a framed, shingled and sided home.

Most of our houses breathe which is a novel idea for most FSU-raised people.

People with allergies do not want their windows open, even if there are screens and often use synthetics, particularly on their bedding, especially their pillows.

We do have a beautiful, extremely heavy woolen comforter which we put into a well-made duvet to make a super-thick comforter for the winter and I do crack the window a bit when we are down below freezing though. Bracing!

[stanb4]

 We live on Maui, so its local tradition to take your shoes off at the door here too, so that never seemed strange to me. When they 1st got here both my wife and daughter stayed away from cold drinks and ice, but that didn't last long and now only follow that for sore throats, no ice cream then either. By the 2nd year when they went back for their 1st visit my wife coundn't wait to get back here and have sushi or a New York Strip charred on the outside and a little blood on the inside, something she couldn't imagine liking upon arrival (they are currently there now on trip 4, I went last time 2 years ago.)
  Thus I'd say my wife adapted pretty easily and very well but yet hasn't changed her values or attitude towards life...aloha

[SANDRO43]

My husband had mostly acrylic blankets when we arrived and I had to fight with him to replace them to cotton/wool ones. The sheets were half synthetic too. He told me he never heard that acrylic blankets are bad and ask me to show an article.

His hearing may be OK, but perhaps not his sense of SMELL: semi-synthetic fabric makes one feel warmer more quickly - by impeding natural transpiration .

[Simoni]

The sidewalks are clean, the condo carpeted hallways are clean, and so are the shoes.  We wear them in our house.

Now in the fsu, with the dusty street and sidewalks, the shoes are dirty things, so we take them off when we go into our rented flat.  And we certainly do when we go see mama!

Culture is usually derived from function, and taking shoes off likely came about  because they were dirty.

[Andrew]

I'm allowed to wear socks inside MY house 

[gemini]

The sidewalks are clean, the condo carpeted hallways are clean, and so are the shoes.  We wear them in our house.

Now in the fsu, with the dusty street and sidewalks, the shoes are dirty things, so we take them off when we go into our rented flat.  And we certainly do when we go see mama!

Culture is usually derived from function, and taking shoes off likely came about  because they were dirty.

You are right, it is about dirt first of all but also about health. Our feet get tired and sweaty to wear the same shoes all the day. When we get home we need to be more relaxed  and want our feet relax too. It is much warmer inside than outside most of the time in Russia. I use to wear boots from October till March in Omsk. I can't imagine I would wear boots in the house even they are clean. It was very hot in our apartment in winter time.

[Gator]

Simoni speaks for me. 

When in Moscow I had to follow the "no shoes" rule as if it were sacred.  Whatever was sacred in Moscow disappeared within a few days of arrival in America. 

Shoes are not left on the floor but placed in elevated places.  Cleanliness has nothing to do with it.  This keeps them away from our Great Dane who relishes shoes.

[gemini]

My children became Americans. They are dirt lazy, don't do anything what I push them to do and their bedroom looks like hell but they keep taking off their shoes at home. I guess they just fill more comfortable and relaxed this way.

[Ludmila]

Got a kick reading all your stuff, guys.
Let me explain, if I can.
Changing shoes.
No matter how clean your outdoors or going somewhere by car, is, you are exposed to tonnes of germs, especially in malls or places of public presence. Changing shoes is a must in our nest. These are basics of hygiene.

Iced water. To bring iced water t to your body t your system uses calories. Then your body wants to replenish them. So,  what'd you do ?  Yes, you are munching and munching.....your chips and cola. Then , out of the blue, it takes you a while to find your waistline........ Have been size 4-5 for many years. Strongly recommend to take  iced water only on very hot  days .....if you want to stay slim for a long time.....

[CallMeSasha]

personally i am starting to warm to the idea of outside/inside clothes.

here are some of my own stereotypes:

shoes off - in russia as soon as they enter, however here slippers are left upstairs & shoes (worn by my wife & her guests) are removed there (is there a logical explaination for not changing on entering?)

and of course cold weather = catching colds, cold drinks = sore throats

doctors, dentists, medicines etc are far superior in russia

windows are only opened when it's +25c

and the best one - western food has a "secret additive" which makes you overweight (nothing to do with diet & quantity)

[Shadow]

Got a kick reading all your stuff, guys.
Let me explain, if I can.
Changing shoes.
No matter how clean your outdoors or going somewhere by car, is, you are exposed to tonnes of germs, especially in malls or places of public presence. Changing shoes is a must in our nest. These are basics of hygiene.

Iced water. To bring iced water t to your body t your system uses calories. Then your body wants to replenish them. So,  what'd you do ?  Yes, you are munching and munching.....your chips and cola. Then , out of the blue, it takes you a while to find your waistline........ Have been size 4-5 for many years. Strongly recommend to take  iced water only on very hot  days .....if you want to stay slim for a long time.....

There are about 10 million germs living on your skin at this very moment, most of which know how to crawl underneath doors or travel trough the air.
Though I have always been taking my shoes off at the door.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/question447.htm
By drinking 8 glasses of iced-water you burn 70 Calories a day. If you drink them in the form of softdrinks, the intake is more as the burning.
If your body starts asking for food because of having to burn the calories for one glass of iced water, you should see a doctor.

[ECOCKS]

Got a kick reading all your stuff, guys.

Iced water. To bring iced water t to your body t your system uses calories. Then your body wants to replenish them. So,  what'd you do ?  Yes, you are munching and munching.....your chips and cola. Then , out of the blue, it takes you a while to find your waistline........ Have been size 4-5 for many years. Strongly recommend to take  iced water only on very hot  days .....if you want to stay slim for a long time.....

Got a kick reading this one.

So, exercising is counterproductive since you are burning off those calories and need to replace them? Funny line of thought there.

[Ludmila]

  I am not hurt by your subtle irony,Ecock. I am size 4-5. My frame is my proof.

[Ludmila]

Of course, diet and quantities are crucial, Sacha. I , for one, am used to small cups and can eat only one third of a portion while eating out. Very little of everything......and lots of fruit. I can see size 16 ladies eat all thier portions of the order, then their coffee, ice-cream  and a hearty chunk of  cake. Bon appetit!

[Ludmila]

Sacha, as to doctors, I am not a fan of Russian doctors, though I rarely visited them. Here, in US I know one mediocre, and one excellent.

[ECOCKS]

  I am not hurt by your subtle irony,Ecock. I am size 4-5. My frame is my proof.

Yes, verrrry subtle...  :noidea:

[Mars]

As a couple of people noted, shoes bring in a lot of crap, even when you think your are walking on clean streets, malls, etc.  And when you see babies down crawling on the floor at people's homes who do not take off their street shoes!!!

As young man, I spent some time in Japan, so of course I picked up on the no street shoes inside routine.  Then, later in life, I came to realize it it really the most appropriate thing to do, and not just because of some tradition.

If you haven't done so, ask to look in the residual water from the carpet cleaning machine after the job is done.

And finally, due to allergies, many people are eschewing carpets for hardwood floors.
The finish on hardwood floors will last for 30 years or so; if only indoor slippers and socks touch it.  But let people walk on it in street shoes; and you are looking at refinishing every 3-5 years.  A substantial cost for refinishing, and you have to take EVERYTHING out of the house during the process and, even then, you will be cleaning sanding dust out of your closets and cabinets for months afterwards.