Russian politeness

I just was in Berlin with a bunch of Russians. All of them were surprised by the polite people in Berlin.

A statement any German laughst about. Because in Germany people in Berlin are well known for beeing rude.

However, back in Moscow I tasted the difference. I staied in line for the passport control after arrival when a guy came up and just stayed with his family in front of me just when it was my turn to be checked.

So I asked him 'vi shutite' means, 'are you jocking'.

He holded up a green passport right before me and told very rude 'do you see this passport, I am a diplomate' with a strong I-am-better-than-you-attitude.

I replayed polite: 'from which country you are'
He said: 'Russia'

I said: 'I see, in other countries diplomats are supposed to be polite'.

His wife was pretty embarrased and did event want to let me go first. I doubt he got the point, the concept to have a status and to be polite is to far from him.

Anyway, i know I am back home.

:)

nomen est omen

30.10.08
Nomen est omen

After 5 years traveling to Lithuania I just realize a great feature in their language.

They distinguise in the family name 3 forms, males. Female married and female single.

While german and english don't change the family name according to the sex..

E.g. englsih
Mr. And Mrs. Smith

Russian for example has the difference between the gender:
Mr. Ivanov and Mrs. Ivanova

But Lithuaniasn distinguished in between 3 forms:

Mr. Rimdeikas, Mrs. Rimdeikene (male, married) and Mrs. Rimdekeite (fenla, unmarried).

This is fantastic, just imagine a meeting where the business card tells you her status. Or even better, a conference/exhibition where already the name tage tells you how to allocate resources ;)

P.S.
How is it in latin, as that Lithuanian has here strong influences

construction work praxis

Just returned from a couple of weeks btrip to Moscow and decided to check out the new terminal of the SVO aeroexpress.

Pretty fancy everything, till I saw the toilets.
On a extreme public toiltet in the most important airport you have to press a button everyday hunderds of people press without washing their hands. Of course people don't, so it stinks before even all shops opened.

So, how could this happen? My guess somebody made an expensive bill and used cheap material to put the difference in his pocket.
Corruption affects just every aspect of life, and it virtually stinks! :)

p.s. one of my mentors in the east told me years ago 'if you want to,know about the culture of a country, check out there toilets. Since many years I see again and again that he is right.

One of this days...

After crossing 3 countries by car, just to sit into an train to reach the 4th I had visa issues at the border. So I got kicked out of the train by the boarder guards, where questioned and send back (deported) at at the border. Even this blow up my timeschedule a bit I still managed to had pretty good mood.

But arriving late in a decent town finally found a hotel, shower and a restaurant. Then I start to wonder if I should't been serious upset. When I turned to the waiter asking for the menu in Russian (as that I don't speak the local language) hearing the answer 'sorry, I don't speak POLISH' makes me think this clearly wasn't my day :)

Russia IS great

Privet:)

So, I am always complaining here about Russia. This is of course wrong. Because if it would be as pictured in this blog I wouldn't have stayed here for so long.

In fact living in Russia is great, and all the problems I mention (because it's so easy to write about) are the spice in the soup (means here solyanka) of life :)

I have right now a couple of great days behind me, and even the worse moments added their part to the great impression of this week.

Just to give a climps, two days ago I stranded in a dirty and dull city in the north of Russia. When I had over 20 degresses in Moscow there it was still snowing. Yesterday I arrived in spb after some plane delay just to meet with as warm and friendly as drunken clients. After 2 bootles of whiskey they gave the police a call and the specialforces (OMON) of russia gave us a boat trip over the river Neva and the canals with the most beautiful city I know.
Besides this I had great client meetings, colegues, talked with nice people with surprised me by their brilliant mind. Worked with my laptop in a coffee at Nevski Prospekt, meets austrians at a god forgotten place, setteled fights with arguments and so on.

And all the time there are of course Russians everywhere. And with all wired sides they still have this what people call the russian sould. And to experience this wide, hospital Russian soul make things here finally so cool.

:o)

VIP taxi

There are new taxis out there in Moscow. Since a couple of month quite a lot of orange Porsche Cayenne are driving around. Of course they call it VIP taxi
(here you can get everything in VIP, VIP parking spaces at the aerport, VIP beauty salons for your wife, VIP entrance in a VIP club...).


anyway, the concept seems to work. First of all there are a lot o this card and become more and more. Second I saw just recently an Maybach as orange VIP taxi....

Marketing in Moscow

There is a huge add hanging next to the red square where we had the last douzend years the hotel Russia. It's big, and it's nice. They pinned some car models on it complete with lights.
I drive by it every day, and I am really impressed every time.

Now two weeks ago a Germany guy (living in London) showed me the add and recognized that there is a significant difference between all Russian car adds and the German one.
All this adds in Moscow are about "be the first", "be the fastest"... . In Germany it is more like "Advantage with technique", "For The Nature" or "Drive Comfortable".

As more surprising as that you spend you driving time here staying in traffic jams just producing smog. And even if the streets would be free (e.g. Tuesday night, 3 am) the condition of the streets don't allow you to speed too much.

Of course, also in Germany (great highways, no speeding limit) is a clientele which wants to drive fast. But this is the 18 - 25 year, poor, VW or Fiat target group.
You would not make for them a 1 million dollar add next to the red square (respective the Reichstag).

This observation is actually really interesting if you want to push a product in the CIS market. Make yourself a favor, don't copy your western campaign, don't appeal on the brain, not even on the heart. You want to sell, to target the balls.

P.S.
The picture I got from http://englishrussia.com/?p=1839 (thx), as that my sucked.