A Memorable Trip
By: Brandon Giglio
College Now Course - BSS 1
A little more than a year ago, I traveled to Russia on our school's exchange program.
I, along with several other students, traveled to Russia in April of 2006. We flew
into Moscow and were met by our foreign friends and their families. Even though America
and Russia (part of the former USSR) were arch-enemies during the Cold War, they do
share many similarities. In fact over the three weeks spent in Russia, I saw many
similarities and cultural universals between American and Russian society and lifestyle.
Ultimately, my Russian trip was a memorable experience that opened my eyes to similarities
that exist across international borders.
Immediately I was astounded at the similarities between Moscow and New York City.
Most of the urban areas of Moscow, contain long blocks of tall apartment buildings,
where the majority of Muscovites live. There are cheap, small apartments, similar
to one-room studios in Manhattan and huge, luxurious apartments similar to those inhabited
by the affluent on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Moscow traffic is truly deplorable,
even more so than in Manhattan and parking is also difficult to obtain. Thus just
like many New Yorkers, many Muscovites ride forms of public transportation including:
subway lines, trolley-buses, regular buses and tram lines (which are similar to monorails).
There also are many private taxi lines. Many Muscovites, like many New Yorkers, don't
own cars, because it is too expensive to own and maintain a car in Moscow. As you
travel into downtown Moscow, there are flea markets and small shops similar to those
found in Chinatown and the Village. Also there are coffee shops on nearly every comer.
Moscow, like New York, also has parks for the Muscovites to unwind on the weekends
or after a long day of work. Moscow also has a high standard of living just as New
York City does. Ultimately, Moscow appears very similar to any American city, especially
New York.
In addition to all of the above urban similarities between Moscow and New York life,
there are many cultural universals and social similarities between Russian and American
culture. Many cultural universals that are similar in America and Russia include food,
music, movies, clothing, arts, family, school and social organization. Just as in
America you can find international food everywhere, international food is ubiquitous
in Moscow also. You can find European, Asia and American cuisine, all on the same
street comer! I found that American music was very popular in Moscow and many of the
teenage students listened to the same music that my friends and I listen to. We all
attended the movies on several occasions. However, we didn't see any foreign films,
we always saw American movies that were dubbed in Russian. This is ironic because
many of the trivial movie stars and celebrities that are idolized in America are also
idolized by Russians. Clothing styles and to some extent clothing companies are very
similar between America and Russia. The boys wore similar attire: t-shirts and jeans,
while the girls also wore similar attire: skirts, jeans, T-shirts Many of the same
American clothing brands are very popular in Moscow, but the clothes are a lot more
expensive in Moscow than in America. Everyone is aware of New York's cultural value,
including its hundreds of museums. However, Moscow also has an extremely high cultural
value and history. Moscow has hundreds of monuments for various Russians and wars
throughout Russian history. Moscow also has many museums that exhibit both priceless
pieces of Russian and international art. Familial values run strong in Russia, and
many people live within an extended family household. Many of the children lived in
close proximity or sometimes in the same apartment as their grandparents, aunts, uncles
and cousins. The education system in Moscow also is similar. Children attend school
from five years old to sixteen years old. They then decide to enroll in a college
or institute or start working. The classes the children take are similar to classes
Americans take. They even read the same books as us in their English classes including
The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye. Finally, the social organization in Russia
is similar to America's. There are definitely class divisions between the lower, middle
and upper classes; however, upward social mobility and opportunity run rife in Moscow.
In conclusion, my trip to Russia truly was an eye-opening experience. I first expected
to find Russia a completely different place with different cultural universals, lifestyles,
values and a different city. However, my original inference couldn't have been further
from the truth. Russia shares many similarities with American lifestyle including
cultural universals such as: entertainment, clothes, culture, food, family, education
and social organization. Russia's capital, Moscow also is very similar to New York
city in several aspects: difficulty parking, traffic, most people live in apartments,
expensive to live in, public transportation is used by all, shopping and eateries.
I would recommend anyone interested in Russian or even European lifestyle to take
a trip to Moscow as soon as possible. You may be worried that Russians don't speak
English, but they even have this in common with Americans, they speak English! Moscow
is an interesting and fun city for all to visit, especially Americans who believe
no place in the world is similar to America or even New York City for that matter.
