I was looking at some pictures from the last time we traveled through Russia and it reminded me of some things that did not sit well with my husband.
One thing that surprised my American spouse was the poor air quality. I come from a relatively large city with lots of cars and traffic. Many Russians drive nice new cars, but they are many who drive old junk cars which would not pass inspection in the U.S. Old cars spit out clouds of fumes from old exhaust systems and ancient engines, which makes it difficult to breathe. Going outside to get some “air” has a completely different meaning in the city. Often you are better off staying inside than going out on the street and inhaling all the junk from old cars.
The rivers in the country of Russia can be polluted. You don’t want to know what gets dumped into these rivers, so before you decide to go swimming, make sure you ask the natives what the safest places are to do so (if there are any, that is).
The Russian driving habits can be bad for your health. People drive rather recklessly and often do not obey the rules. If you are trying to cross the street and see the green light, don’t go until you are sure that there are no cars. Driving against a red light is not rare, so do yourself a favor – pay attention to the cars around you.
Now if you are thinking of driving in Russia, then you might want to reconsider. Driving in a big city is terrible, because of traffic jams and drivers who don’t obey the traffic laws. We have a friend who went to Moscow with his Russian wife and borrowed the wife’s brother’s car. He drove for 15 minutes until he gave up. He said he was all sweaty and his hands were shacking from stress and fear for his and his wife’s lives. He said never again he would drive in Moscow.
Another thing you may find disgusting while traveling to Russia is Russian stairways and elevators. In older houses elevators and stairways often serve as public toilets. They are not only gross but unsafe as well.
Speaking of toilets. My husband was amazed at how terrible the public toilets were (in contrast with how nice the city I live is) and how few of them there were in the city. Toilets where you do not have to pay are not readily available anywhere but in restuarants and other places where you have to pay to be there. Rule of thumb is carry your own toliet paper and be prepared to hold your breathe to spare yourself the stench. Do your best to avoid free toilets. I suggest that you carry paper and hand sanitizer with you at all times.
If you find yourself feeling a bit apprenhensive about the whole toilet thing, then let me tell you there are newer model restrooms in the cities. Western styled toilets have started to show up, but still be prepared to run into some old style ones.
If you dine in fancy restaurants be prepared to pay more than what you would pay in your own country. If you decide to save some money and dine in a not so fancy one, don’t be surprised to run into rude unfriendly waitresses, who will not give you a smile and may even cheat you (this is actually quite common in Russian restaurants).
Although I have focused on the more negative side of Russia, there are some very beautiful parts of it that are worth traveling too. Now that you are prepared for the bad stuff, you will be even more open for all the great features of the country. You will not regret taking the trip..
Russian love is a complicated thing. If you are looking for Russian love, then keep in mind there are many things that you will have to be OK with. One of those things is traveling to Russia and dealing with all the negative parts of Russian life. If you made it past the K1 Visa/Green Card and have gone through the time and effort to go through the K1 Visa/Green Card, then you have the patiences and energy to deal with all the great interesting things what will come with marrying into a Russian family.
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