Russian Acts of Kindness

[Sarah Hurst]

I'm not sure exactly what this is about, but I think comparing Russia and
China is quite interesting - as I have also worked in both countries. I have
much more affinity for Russia. One of the biggest reasons is the language. I
love being able to talk to people in their own language and understand
what's going on in their lives and in the country. I worked in Beijing for a
year as the editor of an expat magazine. It was an amazing place to live in,
but I felt I had no clue about what was going on around me with only a few
words of Chinese. I knew that having spent years getting my Russian to a
decent level with the ability to devote four years of full-time study to it,
I had no chance of getting anywhere with Chinese in my spare time; and being
almost tone deaf that made Chinese virtually impossible to speak. Also just
in general I think I feel more comfortable with Russian culture than with
Chinese culture. 

 

In terms of getting things done, yes it's easier in China. They will ignore
all the rules for foreigners. If someone helps you, you'll have no problem.
My company found me an apartment and got me a tourist visa. They sent me to
Hong Kong to renew the tourist visa. It was quick and no one cared that I
didn't have a work permit. China was so incredibly dynamic and exciting
compared with Russia, I really admired people's zest to work and achieve
things, instead of the common Russian attitude that things are depressing
and overwhelming. But if the Chinese decide they don't like you, you're in
trouble. I didn't go to a lunch or something that the ad sales guy on the
magazine wanted me to go to for a client. As revenge, when I went on a trip
to England he informed my landlady that I was moving out of the apartment.
Perhaps because of the language, perhaps because of the culture, I made zero
personal connections with Chinese people when I was there. There were no
Chinese people I could consider real friends, although many were friendly,
thinking they might get some benefit from knowing a foreigner. They would
literally smile at you on the street and say, "Can I be your friend?" 

 

Yes, the bureaucracy is one of the most frustrating things about Russia. It
is a shame that it's so difficult to visit and work there. I almost canceled
my recent trip because I didn't think the letter of invitation was going to
come in time. When it came I was told that it needed some extra reference
number or something on it and I had to have it redone. Getting the visa
registered involved trekking to a distant suburb of St. Petersburg to a tiny
office in a residential building to hand over some money, then returning a
few days later for a scrap of paper that was essential in order to leave the
country. That added a lot of stress during a short trip. It's a million
times worse for people who actually live there. Most people were friendly,
but there was still some suspicion from the older people who guard the
entrances to buildings. I had been invited to speak at the Arctic &
Antarctic Institute, but the woman at the entrance was afraid to write down
my passport number (she wrote down the ID numbers of everyone who entered),
because it was a foreign passport. She wanted me to get permission from the
local FSB representative, but the person accompanying me suggested that she
should just not write down my passport number, and it would be as if I'd
never been in, which pacified her. Another time I went to the geography
faculty of St. P. state university and the man there said, "Who are you?
You're foreign? Overseas, right?" 

 

On the whole, from my experience, I don't agree with the statement that
Chinese people are easier to deal with. 

 

Sarah Hurst

 

 


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