Ask me anything about Russia.

[JayhawkCO]

And then the important question -- what's your favorite brand of Vodka?

Chris

[CoreySamson]

First off, welcome to the forum!

We don't really discriminate based on ethnicity or descent as much as people do in North America.

I've wondered why some areas of the world (Russia, most of Texas) don't really discriminate based on that while other parts (most of America, China) do it almost out of habit. I admire that Russia doesn't tend to discriminate like that.

Is there anything about America that Russians admire?

[BuildTheRussian]

And then the important question -- what's your favorite brand of Vodka?

Chris

I'm afraid I cannot answer that, I'm 2 years below the drinking age (which is 18). Only drank a small amount of alcohol accidentally as a kid. I'll probably edit this answer when I get to try it when I'm older lol.

[JayhawkCO]

We don't really discriminate based on ethnicity or descent as much as people do in North America.

I've wondered why some areas of the world (Russia, most of Texas) don't really discriminate based on that while other parts (most of America, China) do it almost out of habit. I admire that Russia doesn't tend to discriminate like that.

Not to offend our new member, but there have been a decent amount of racist incidents in some of the soccer (football) stadiums with things like monkey chants towards black players, etc.  Especially at clubs like Zenit St. Petersburg.  I don't know how widespread it is of course or if it's just football ultras that are idiots (in far more countries than just Russia).

Chris

[BuildTheRussian]

First off, welcome to the forum!

We don't really discriminate based on ethnicity or descent as much as people do in North America.

I've wondered why some areas of the world (Russia, most of Texas) don't really discriminate based on that while other parts (most of America, China) do it almost out of habit. I admire that Russia doesn't tend to discriminate like that.

Is there anything about America that Russians admire?

Their roads. It's a stereotype here that our roads are bad, and despite being repaired often, wear out very quickly. It's not entirely true, of course.

[BuildTheRussian]

We don't really discriminate based on ethnicity or descent as much as people do in North America.

I've wondered why some areas of the world (Russia, most of Texas) don't really discriminate based on that while other parts (most of America, China) do it almost out of habit. I admire that Russia doesn't tend to discriminate like that.

Not to offend our new member, but there have been a decent amount of racist incidents in some of the soccer (football) stadiums with things like monkey chants towards black players, etc.  Especially at clubs like Zenit St. Petersburg.  I don't know how widespread it is of course or if it's just football ultras that are idiots (in far more countries than just Russia).

Chris

They are thugs. Most Russians do not act like that.

[JayhawkCO]

They are thugs. Most Russians do not act like that.

I'm sure that's the case.  One more question.  Here in the North America, we have certain stereotypes for different regions of the country.  Does Russia have similar things?  Moscow is a certain way... Siberians do this... ?

Chris

[BuildTheRussian]

They are thugs. Most Russians do not act like that.

I'm sure that's the case.  One more question.  Here in the North America, we have certain stereotypes for different regions of the country.  Does Russia have similar things?  Moscow is a certain way... Siberians do this... ?

Chris

Not with Siberians, but yes, we have something like that. An example are Moscow and St Petersburg dialects, which are differentiated by different words for one thing. In St Petersburg, they call a curb "поребрик", while in Moscow and most other regions they call it "бордюр".

[andrepoiy]

Given that this is a road forum, I was wondering how Russian roads are divided into.

For example, in North America, there are national routes (e.g. Interstates, US Routes, TCH), but they're still maintained by the states. Then we have state routes, county routes, and finally municipal roads.

So yeah, how does the road hierarchy in Russia work?

[BuildTheRussian]

Given that this is a road forum, I was wondering how Russian roads are divided into.

For example, in North America, there are national routes (e.g. Interstates, US Routes, TCH), but they're still maintained by the states. Then we have state routes, county routes, and finally municipal roads.

So yeah, how does the road hierarchy in Russia work?

Road hierarchy here consists of a letter followed by a series of numbers, similar to British road numbering practice.

An example: P-254. It means "federal road not connecting Moscow, number 254".

Letter definitions, from top to bottom:

M - A road that connects Moscow with other regional "capitals", hence the M. It's maintained by Rosavtodor, the federal road construction and maintenance company.
In other words, it's a federal road.

P - A road that connects 2 or more regional capitals together, but doesn't connect Moscow, hence the P (Russian letter for R). It's maintained by Rosavtodor.
In other words, it's a federal road that doesn't connect Moscow.

E - A European route. It's not a classification by itself. For example, the E-20 route in Russia is designated A-180 for official purposes.

A - A road that connects major transport hubs. These commonly connect 2 federal highways together. It may be maintained either by  Rosavtodor, or by regional authorities.

K - A road maintained by regional authorities.
In other words, it's a regional road.

Н - A road maintained by municipal authorities.

[triplemultiplex]

Since you're still in school, how do Russian schools handle teaching kids about the era of Stalin?  In terms of dead humans, the guy was worse than Hitler and I wonder what learning history of one's own country is like with that kind of horrifying past.

We've done our share of bad deeds over here, particular to the indigenous population of North America, but it was mostly indirect and ignorantly unintentional through infectious disease.  Even with that lower scale destruction, it was not something I recall them dwelling on very much when I was in school with the subject quickly pivoting to European settlement.  In retrospect, it seems glossed over and somewhat white-washed.  So with that as the point of comparison, it makes me wonder how Russian schools handle Stalin now that we're about 7 decades removed from that era.

[BuildTheRussian]

Since you're still in school, how do Russian schools handle teaching kids about the era of Stalin?  In terms of dead humans, the guy was worse than Hitler and I wonder what learning history of one's own country is like with that kind of horrifying past.

We've done our share of bad deeds over here, particular to the indigenous population of North America, but it was mostly indirect and ignorantly unintentional through infectious disease.  Even with that lower scale destruction, it was not something I recall them dwelling on very much when I was in school with the subject quickly pivoting to European settlement.  In retrospect, it seems glossed over and somewhat white-washed.  So with that as the point of comparison, it makes me wonder how Russian schools handle Stalin now that we're about 7 decades removed from that era.

I have already graduated in May. Here in Russia, you can choose either to leave after 9th grade, or stay until 11th. I chose 9th because I'm tired of school. Will try to get into a college next year.
We were never really taught about Stalin. We were only taught Russian history between 16th and 19th centuries.
I think they teach you 20th century history in 10th and 11th grades.

[Roadgeekteen]

Since you're still in school, how do Russian schools handle teaching kids about the era of Stalin?  In terms of dead humans, the guy was worse than Hitler and I wonder what learning history of one's own country is like with that kind of horrifying past.

We've done our share of bad deeds over here, particular to the indigenous population of North America, but it was mostly indirect and ignorantly unintentional through infectious disease.  Even with that lower scale destruction, it was not something I recall them dwelling on very much when I was in school with the subject quickly pivoting to European settlement.  In retrospect, it seems glossed over and somewhat white-washed.  So with that as the point of comparison, it makes me wonder how Russian schools handle Stalin now that we're about 7 decades removed from that era.

I have already graduated in May. Here in Russia, you can choose either to leave after 9th grade, or stay until 11th. I chose 9th because I'm tired of school. Will try to get into a college next year.
We were never really taught about Stalin. We were only taught Russian history between 16th and 19th centuries.
I think they teach you 20th century history in 10th and 11th grades.

How do you get into college with only up to 9th grade?

[BuildTheRussian]

Since you're still in school, how do Russian schools handle teaching kids about the era of Stalin?  In terms of dead humans, the guy was worse than Hitler and I wonder what learning history of one's own country is like with that kind of horrifying past.

We've done our share of bad deeds over here, particular to the indigenous population of North America, but it was mostly indirect and ignorantly unintentional through infectious disease.  Even with that lower scale destruction, it was not something I recall them dwelling on very much when I was in school with the subject quickly pivoting to European settlement.  In retrospect, it seems glossed over and somewhat white-washed.  So with that as the point of comparison, it makes me wonder how Russian schools handle Stalin now that we're about 7 decades removed from that era.

I have already graduated in May. Here in Russia, you can choose either to leave after 9th grade, or stay until 11th. I chose 9th because I'm tired of school. Will try to get into a college next year.
We were never really taught about Stalin. We were only taught Russian history between 16th and 19th centuries.
I think they teach you 20th century history in 10th and 11th grades.

How do you get into college with only up to 9th grade?

Here in Russia, you get a certificate for completing 9 grades, and another one if you complete 11 grades. To enter a college, you only need a certificate.

[Scott5114]

What is the benefit of getting an 11-grade certificate rather than a 9-grade certificate? (Here in the U.S. we'd probably call them "diplomas" rather than certificates.)

[BuildTheRussian]

What is the benefit of getting an 11-grade certificate rather than a 9-grade certificate? (Here in the U.S. we'd probably call them "diplomas" rather than certificates.)

There's no real benefit. Colleges here judge whether to accept you or not by the average grade in your certificate.

[webny99]

What is the benefit of getting an 11-grade certificate rather than a 9-grade certificate? (Here in the U.S. we'd probably call them "diplomas" rather than certificates.)

There's no real benefit. Colleges here judge whether to accept you or not by the average grade in your certificate.

Does it help to have two certificates? Otherwise why would anyone stay on past 9th grade?

[BuildTheRussian]

What is the benefit of getting an 11-grade certificate rather than a 9-grade certificate? (Here in the U.S. we'd probably call them "diplomas" rather than certificates.)

There's no real benefit. Colleges here judge whether to accept you or not by the average grade in your certificate.

Does it help to have two certificates? Otherwise why would anyone stay on past 9th grade?

Those who stay past 9th grade are usually those who don't know what career they want. There's no real benefit to having 2 certificates. However there are some colleges that only accept those with 11-grade certificates.

[Bruce]

Do Russians like foreign cuisines?  The USA has so many cultures with their foods much loved by many people.  Russian restaurants and cafes are quite rare in the Pacific Northwest. 

There's a handful of Russian restaurants around Seattle, and I bet Portland has a good number given their larger Russian diaspora population.

I should go pick up something from Piroshky Piroshky.

[thspfc]

What is the benefit of getting an 11-grade certificate rather than a 9-grade certificate? (Here in the U.S. we'd probably call them "diplomas" rather than certificates.)

There's no real benefit. Colleges here judge whether to accept you or not by the average grade in your certificate.

Does it help to have two certificates? Otherwise why would anyone stay on past 9th grade?

Those who stay past 9th grade are usually those who don't know what career they want. There's no real benefit to having 2 certificates. However there are some colleges that only accept those with 11-grade certificates.

Is 9th grade in Russia more similar to 9th or 12th grade in the US?

[BuildTheRussian]

What is the benefit of getting an 11-grade certificate rather than a 9-grade certificate? (Here in the U.S. we'd probably call them "diplomas" rather than certificates.)

There's no real benefit. Colleges here judge whether to accept you or not by the average grade in your certificate.

Does it help to have two certificates? Otherwise why would anyone stay on past 9th grade?

Those who stay past 9th grade are usually those who don't know what career they want. There's no real benefit to having 2 certificates. However there are some colleges that only accept those with 11-grade certificates.

Is 9th grade in Russia more similar to 9th or 12th grade in the US?

More similar to 9th.

[vdeane]

It's worth noting that many countries differentiate college and university, rather than use them interchangeably as we do in the US.  "University" is what we call "college" and "college" is what we call "community college".

[thspfc]

We don't really discriminate based on ethnicity or descent as much as people do in North America.

I've wondered why some areas of the world (Russia, most of Texas) don't really discriminate based on that while other parts (most of America, China) do it almost out of habit. I admire that Russia doesn't tend to discriminate like that.

Not to offend our new member, but there have been a decent amount of racist incidents in some of the soccer (football) stadiums with things like monkey chants towards black players, etc.  Especially at clubs like Zenit St. Petersburg.  I don't know how widespread it is of course or if it's just football ultras that are idiots (in far more countries than just Russia).

Chris

They are thugs. Most Russians do not act like that.

Exact same thing could be said of racial/ethnic discrimination in the United States.

[thspfc]

It does seem like citizens of most other countries think that racial divides in the US are much worse than what is really the case. Probably because our media almost certainly talks more about race than that of any other nation in the world.

[nexus73]

Does Russia have cable TV/  Satellite TV?  What kind of formats does Russian broadcast radio have?  In the USA we have satellite radio from Sirius.  Is there such a setup in Russia?

More pop culture questions: Are there comic books and comic strips in Russia?  What kind of books are best sellers?  Do non-Russian movies attract an audience in Russia?

Rick