Interesting Tidbits

I wanted to include this page because there are a lot of small things I have and will learn in addition to the bigger things (which are not really things at all, they are so much more than that).  Anyway, as my time here in Russia progresses, I will keep adding to the list things I find interesting, small observations, etc.

• Despite the fact that it is absolutely frigid outside, despite the ice, and despite the snow, Russian women, especially younger women, wear high heels.  For me, it is interesting, because I really don't  wear high heels, so to see such women walk around with ease is interesting.
• Russian women also like to wear lots of fur, which is not such a bad idea when it is so cold outside.
• Russians really like their tea.  
• It is a custom in Russia to remove your shoes upon entering someone's home, and then wearing slippers.  One of the first things my host mother asked me was if I had slippers.
• A European remedy to coughs and sore throats is, apparently, charcoal pills.  I am not quite sure what "charcoal pills" are or what they entail, but supposedly they help.
• It is also customary for Russian men, no matter what the temperature outside, to shake hands with their gloves off when they see each other for the first time that day.  Boys as young as ten have been seen doing this. 
• Blinis, which are like thin pancakes, are delicious, especially with chocolate or fruit filling.
• Russian keys are very different from American keys.

• It is not safe to drink Saint Petersburg's water.  
• The Saint Petersburg Metro is really deep, the escalator takes you down five stories.  The reason for this is because Saint Petersburg is built on a swamp, so engineers had to build the metro in a layer of frozen clay.  It was also built to serve as a bomb shelter in the event of a nuclear attack. 
• Every time I walk into the apartment, my host mother asks me if I would like to eat.  It does not matter what time of day it is.
• Russian hot chocolate is so much better than American hot chocolate, it really does not even compare.  Russian hot chocolate is literally melted chocolate, not powder mixed with milk or water.  America really needs to get on board with this.  How can I go back?
• In Russia, sidewalks really do not always seem to mean much to vehicles.  A group of us were walking on a sidewalk and a car just drove up on it without much regard to us.  Pedestrians do not have the right of way.  Parking on sidewalks is apparently acceptable, as well.  I wonder what the parking/traffic laws are in Russia? 
• I have not seen salt on any sidewalks, therefore, they are really slippery.  Again, though, there are plenty of women in high heels...
• Russians do not like making change.  I am still trying to figure out ways to break my 1000 ruble bills.  (The exchange rate is roughly 30 rubles to the US dollar). So, 1000 rubles is about 30 US dollars...I often get the stink eye from Russians when I try to break a big bill.  
• Cold drinks do not seem to exist in Russia.  I pulled out a Coca-Cola from a cooler at a cafe today and it was not cold, not in the least.  This is a very common occurrence, as fellow students on the program have encountered this, as well. 
• Russians dress much better than Americans do.
• When I accidentally spilled some food on my clothes, my host mother rushed over and began rubbing salt on the stain.  I do not know if it worked, I am guessing it did not? But then again...
• Public washrooms are often called Water Closets...
• Text messaging is called SMS here, and as far as I know, it is called SMS elsewhere in Europe.
• Russians really like sour cream.  My host family goes through a whole carton of sour cream in about a day.
• I have observed that Russians have a really good sense of hearing.  I will barely whisper the answer to an exercise to a friend in the back of the classroom and my Russian professor will hear me: "Yes, yes, you are right!" They also tend to speak much softer than Americans do, but they are also standing a lot closer to one another.  
• There are 24-hour flower shops everywhere in Saint Petersburg. 
• There are some really interesting potato chip flavors like crab and red caviar.
• Having a mullet is apparently an acceptable hairstyle here in Russia.  
• I have frequently seen Russians making out in the metro and on the street.  
• Riding the Saint Petersburg Metro during rush hour is an interesting experience.  The best way I can describe it is that it is like a cattle herd.  There is no concept of lines or order, everyone is pushing and elbowing one another to get onto escalators and to get on to the rail cars.  Some of the most aggressive Russians tend to be the babushkas (which means grandmothers in Russian, or more generally by Americans, at least, as old ladies).  Sometimes the crowd is so dense that I have to point my face upward so I can breath, I cannot move my arms - instead of walking or using my feet to any large degree, I am just pushed along. 
• There are a lot of randomly placed posters of cute animals on the escalators in the metro.