I still remember my first days
in Moscow when I met new people - among them were men - and tried to shake
hands with them, which is the usual way of introducing yourself to someone in
Germany. First people looked at me in confusion. Then they shook my hand
reluctantly, which confused me. Did I do something wrong?
Later
during my exchange it turned out that it is very uncommon to shake hands with
the opposite sex in Russia. But it does not stop there. Let me give you a few
more examples of how the interaction between men and women differs.
To Russians
tradition and etiquette are of high importance. It is still very common to hold
the door, help a woman to put on her coat, pay the cheque for dinner and give
up your seat in the subway. Getting offered a seat in the subway is a thing
that has only happened to me in Russia. In Germany elderly or pregnant women
can consider themselves lucky if they get offered a seat at all.
Same goes
for holding doors or helping women to put on their coats. These are things that
do not happen to women in Germany often. So when I and my Russian girlfriends
met male exchange students from Germany in Moscow we were puzzled. Why were these boys so rude?
Then we
realized it is just not common to behave this way in Germany. Apparently the German
boys did not know about those differences between the cultures and therefore could
not adapt.
But isn’t
it essential to adapt to a foreign culture once you arrive? Or are these out-dated
rules that can be ignored?
What do you
think dear readers?
