No subject

[gadassov]

 Rodney Patterson wrote:

> I'm sure that most of us who are at least minimally fluent in Russian and
> have spent more than a month or two getting used to cultural differences,
> are easily annoyed by people who, having once fallen afoul of a bad-tempered
> clerk, a thief, etc., make ridiculously unfair generalizations about Russia.
> It seems to me, incidentally, that the original cautionary letter was not
> blameworthy; one needs to take the same precautions in any big city.

I am fluent in Russian (look at my name, do you beleive I am an American
WASP ?). And I am used to cultural differences (it's my job). I was in Saint
Petersburg invited by the Academy of Science to participate in a conference
on anthropology, where I spoke about Marquesan civilization.
Beside, I have been in Saint Petersburg before : the general behavior of
picking money from foreigners by all means, legal or illegal, is something
new that I didn't remark previously.
I have traveled extensively around the world, more than "one month or two"
(I am 65) and lived in many places. I have never seen such organized
plunder. So, take MORE precautions than in other big city.
About legal means to pick money:
In any museum, there is a price for Russians, and a price for foreigners.
Foreigners pay 8 to 10 times more than Russians.
What a good example, given by official organizations, to private ones!
The Academy of Science accomodated us in a hotel that it owns. In this
hotel, Russians payed 380 rubles, and foreigners 1200.
The same Academy asked $30 to each of the 150 foreign participants to
"register the visa", while this registration costs ...20 rubles (70 cents)
at the government office, 24 ulitsa Tshajkovskogo.
That was not dramatic for European or American people, but there were
participants from India, Iran, Africa, who made great sacrifice to come, who
hadn't even enough money to visit the museums, and for whom $30 was a month
salary.
The Academy asked $30 more for excursions whose normal price was no more
than 5 or 6. And $70 for participation (of course Russian participants
didn't pay that amount).
In addition, the conference was ill-organized, too many panels at the same
time, each panel could'nt have more than 2 or 3 external listeners. And
nobody cared of one's talk: all they had planed was make money on
foreigners. Even participants from Moscow were scandalized.
I could tell more!
Among illegal means, there is all you can imagine, except violence.

Of course, there are also honest and kind people, who work hard to improve
their life. Infortunately, dishonest ones are too numerous.

To whom is interested, I can give the phone number of a driver, who will
carry one to three people everywhere all day long for $50 (plus your tip!).
He could prevent them of make many errors!

Georges




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