![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dedovsk-Russia.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIn the latest entry of my Escape from America<\/a><\/span> series, I interview an American who\u2019s living in Russia, a country that\u2019s been relentlessly demonized by the Western media. To a minority of Americans, however, Russia is a nationalist beacon, or even a possible refuge, as it already is to many Afrikaners. <\/em><\/h5>\nHow long have you lived overseas?<\/strong><\/h5>\nFor about 8 years. But I visited home two times in those 8 years for a month or so.<\/h5>\nAnd since I travel by moving somewhere for work, I have only scratched the surface of Europe and never even been to South America or Africa. :\/<\/h5>\nSo in a nutshell it\u2019s been: \u2248 2 years in Vietnam, \u2248 3 years in Japan, \u2248 3 years in Russia.<\/h5>\nBut of course, there were many smaller trips around and breaks in between in places like Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia. A brief stint in Finland, passing through Germany, Poland, Ukraine. I pride myself in getting to know the culture instead of just checking it off a list, but I\u2019m getting a bit older so now I would love to have financial independence in order to explore other continents for shorter periods like my yuppie friends do.<\/h5>\nWhat made you decide to leave the US?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI had hitchhiked all around the U.S. and always enjoyed travel. I think it\u2019s in my blood. All the Europeans with gypsy-esque souls were selected out of the European population they say. I pride myself in my pioneer origins \/ predispositions, but also see the downsides of them as I get older. Perhaps that hyper individualism is what lead to America\u2019s degeneration? I don\u2019t know. But I always planned on traveling the world. My mom traveled a lot and took us on road trips all the time. So that could be it. Nature vs. nurture. Chicken or the egg?<\/h5>\nAnyways, I was actually enrolled in ROTC for a brief bit, because I come from a family with a lot of military in it and am lower middle class. So I didn\u2019t have trust fund study-abroad-and-snort-ketamine-at-European-musical-festivals kind of money that some of my peers did. Therefore, the most plausible way to secure a career and cross the seven seas was by joining the Army or Navy. I changed my mind and am glad I did. I\u2019ve immersed myself and traveled way longer than I could have if I\u2019d have stayed and signed a contract. However, military has always been my plan B if I got in massive debt somehow or got a chick pregnant. Knock on wood, still cruising with plan A.<\/h5>\nWhat advantages does Russia have over the US, societally and culturally, as in every day stuff? What do they do worse?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe stereotype of the (figuratively) cold Russian is true. I get weird looks if I smile at strangers when my American habits seep through unconsciously. And if you visit, you\u2019ll see lots of aggressive verbal conflicts and unenthused customer service. But to be fair, locals say \u201cRussians have a generous soul.\u201d<\/h5>\nI can attest to this 100%. Once you get to know someone, they will treat you like family and go to obscene lengths to take care of you. They are always lending each other money and giving gifts. And the goodbyes last forever, like something out of a movie where the family sits on the porch and waves until your car is out of vision. But I believe this is part of why they are (on average) poorer than Western Europe.<\/h5>\nI\u2019ve couch surfed a lot of places and been in Beverly Hills mansions with robots that clean their pool, as well as homeless shelters with bed bugs. And everywhere in between. It seems counterintuitive, but the poor people are way more giving. Though in hindsight, it makes perfect sense:<\/h5>\n\u201cThe rich get richer, the poor get poorer.\u201d<\/h5>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Grocery-shopping-Russia-300x169.jpg\")
If you are minimalist and family oriented and live for the moment, you won\u2019t have high standards of living. This of course gets more complicated and can go into Max Weber\u2019s Protestant work ethic theories. And what can be said about Catholic countries can be said about Orthodox as well. Regardless, the emphasis on family values can lead to more fulfilling lives, but also leads to the ever prevalent nepotism and corruption that prevents such countries from advancing. Things Westerners take for granted like clean tap water are still an issue here. Having said that, I try to zoom out and look at the big picture.<\/h5>\nPerhaps the Western world is burning the candle at both ends. Which is why I\u2019m not a Nordic supremacist. If the hyper individualized cultures\/biology of the West inevitably lead to empires collapsing, maybe the slow burn method is better. After the migrant crisis era is over and the dust is settled, which countries will still be standing? Only time will tell.<\/h5>\nI remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of Pussy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I\u2019d argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there\u2019s transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I\u2019ve started to doubt my previous convictions\u2026<\/h5>\nWe may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don\u2019t matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can\u2019t comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?<\/h5>\nWhen debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn\u2019t wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living shit out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don\u2019t let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it\u2019s not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.<\/h5>\nBut the average Russian doesn\u2019t bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and\/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking \/ water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it\u2019s such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.<\/h5>\nThe thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
For about 8 years. But I visited home two times in those 8 years for a month or so.<\/h5>\nAnd since I travel by moving somewhere for work, I have only scratched the surface of Europe and never even been to South America or Africa. :\/<\/h5>\nSo in a nutshell it\u2019s been: \u2248 2 years in Vietnam, \u2248 3 years in Japan, \u2248 3 years in Russia.<\/h5>\nBut of course, there were many smaller trips around and breaks in between in places like Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia. A brief stint in Finland, passing through Germany, Poland, Ukraine. I pride myself in getting to know the culture instead of just checking it off a list, but I\u2019m getting a bit older so now I would love to have financial independence in order to explore other continents for shorter periods like my yuppie friends do.<\/h5>\nWhat made you decide to leave the US?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI had hitchhiked all around the U.S. and always enjoyed travel. I think it\u2019s in my blood. All the Europeans with gypsy-esque souls were selected out of the European population they say. I pride myself in my pioneer origins \/ predispositions, but also see the downsides of them as I get older. Perhaps that hyper individualism is what lead to America\u2019s degeneration? I don\u2019t know. But I always planned on traveling the world. My mom traveled a lot and took us on road trips all the time. So that could be it. Nature vs. nurture. Chicken or the egg?<\/h5>\nAnyways, I was actually enrolled in ROTC for a brief bit, because I come from a family with a lot of military in it and am lower middle class. So I didn\u2019t have trust fund study-abroad-and-snort-ketamine-at-European-musical-festivals kind of money that some of my peers did. Therefore, the most plausible way to secure a career and cross the seven seas was by joining the Army or Navy. I changed my mind and am glad I did. I\u2019ve immersed myself and traveled way longer than I could have if I\u2019d have stayed and signed a contract. However, military has always been my plan B if I got in massive debt somehow or got a chick pregnant. Knock on wood, still cruising with plan A.<\/h5>\nWhat advantages does Russia have over the US, societally and culturally, as in every day stuff? What do they do worse?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe stereotype of the (figuratively) cold Russian is true. I get weird looks if I smile at strangers when my American habits seep through unconsciously. And if you visit, you\u2019ll see lots of aggressive verbal conflicts and unenthused customer service. But to be fair, locals say \u201cRussians have a generous soul.\u201d<\/h5>\nI can attest to this 100%. Once you get to know someone, they will treat you like family and go to obscene lengths to take care of you. They are always lending each other money and giving gifts. And the goodbyes last forever, like something out of a movie where the family sits on the porch and waves until your car is out of vision. But I believe this is part of why they are (on average) poorer than Western Europe.<\/h5>\nI\u2019ve couch surfed a lot of places and been in Beverly Hills mansions with robots that clean their pool, as well as homeless shelters with bed bugs. And everywhere in between. It seems counterintuitive, but the poor people are way more giving. Though in hindsight, it makes perfect sense:<\/h5>\n\u201cThe rich get richer, the poor get poorer.\u201d<\/h5>\nIf you are minimalist and family oriented and live for the moment, you won\u2019t have high standards of living. This of course gets more complicated and can go into Max Weber\u2019s Protestant work ethic theories. And what can be said about Catholic countries can be said about Orthodox as well. Regardless, the emphasis on family values can lead to more fulfilling lives, but also leads to the ever prevalent nepotism and corruption that prevents such countries from advancing. Things Westerners take for granted like clean tap water are still an issue here. Having said that, I try to zoom out and look at the big picture.<\/h5>\nPerhaps the Western world is burning the candle at both ends. Which is why I\u2019m not a Nordic supremacist. If the hyper individualized cultures\/biology of the West inevitably lead to empires collapsing, maybe the slow burn method is better. After the migrant crisis era is over and the dust is settled, which countries will still be standing? Only time will tell.<\/h5>\nI remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of Pussy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I\u2019d argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there\u2019s transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I\u2019ve started to doubt my previous convictions\u2026<\/h5>\nWe may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don\u2019t matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can\u2019t comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?<\/h5>\nWhen debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn\u2019t wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living shit out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don\u2019t let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it\u2019s not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.<\/h5>\nBut the average Russian doesn\u2019t bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and\/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking \/ water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it\u2019s such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.<\/h5>\nThe thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So in a nutshell it\u2019s been: \u2248 2 years in Vietnam, \u2248 3 years in Japan, \u2248 3 years in Russia.<\/h5>\nBut of course, there were many smaller trips around and breaks in between in places like Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia. A brief stint in Finland, passing through Germany, Poland, Ukraine. I pride myself in getting to know the culture instead of just checking it off a list, but I\u2019m getting a bit older so now I would love to have financial independence in order to explore other continents for shorter periods like my yuppie friends do.<\/h5>\nWhat made you decide to leave the US?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI had hitchhiked all around the U.S. and always enjoyed travel. I think it\u2019s in my blood. All the Europeans with gypsy-esque souls were selected out of the European population they say. I pride myself in my pioneer origins \/ predispositions, but also see the downsides of them as I get older. Perhaps that hyper individualism is what lead to America\u2019s degeneration? I don\u2019t know. But I always planned on traveling the world. My mom traveled a lot and took us on road trips all the time. So that could be it. Nature vs. nurture. Chicken or the egg?<\/h5>\nAnyways, I was actually enrolled in ROTC for a brief bit, because I come from a family with a lot of military in it and am lower middle class. So I didn\u2019t have trust fund study-abroad-and-snort-ketamine-at-European-musical-festivals kind of money that some of my peers did. Therefore, the most plausible way to secure a career and cross the seven seas was by joining the Army or Navy. I changed my mind and am glad I did. I\u2019ve immersed myself and traveled way longer than I could have if I\u2019d have stayed and signed a contract. However, military has always been my plan B if I got in massive debt somehow or got a chick pregnant. Knock on wood, still cruising with plan A.<\/h5>\nWhat advantages does Russia have over the US, societally and culturally, as in every day stuff? What do they do worse?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe stereotype of the (figuratively) cold Russian is true. I get weird looks if I smile at strangers when my American habits seep through unconsciously. And if you visit, you\u2019ll see lots of aggressive verbal conflicts and unenthused customer service. But to be fair, locals say \u201cRussians have a generous soul.\u201d<\/h5>\nI can attest to this 100%. Once you get to know someone, they will treat you like family and go to obscene lengths to take care of you. They are always lending each other money and giving gifts. And the goodbyes last forever, like something out of a movie where the family sits on the porch and waves until your car is out of vision. But I believe this is part of why they are (on average) poorer than Western Europe.<\/h5>\nI\u2019ve couch surfed a lot of places and been in Beverly Hills mansions with robots that clean their pool, as well as homeless shelters with bed bugs. And everywhere in between. It seems counterintuitive, but the poor people are way more giving. Though in hindsight, it makes perfect sense:<\/h5>\n\u201cThe rich get richer, the poor get poorer.\u201d<\/h5>\nIf you are minimalist and family oriented and live for the moment, you won\u2019t have high standards of living. This of course gets more complicated and can go into Max Weber\u2019s Protestant work ethic theories. And what can be said about Catholic countries can be said about Orthodox as well. Regardless, the emphasis on family values can lead to more fulfilling lives, but also leads to the ever prevalent nepotism and corruption that prevents such countries from advancing. Things Westerners take for granted like clean tap water are still an issue here. Having said that, I try to zoom out and look at the big picture.<\/h5>\nPerhaps the Western world is burning the candle at both ends. Which is why I\u2019m not a Nordic supremacist. If the hyper individualized cultures\/biology of the West inevitably lead to empires collapsing, maybe the slow burn method is better. After the migrant crisis era is over and the dust is settled, which countries will still be standing? Only time will tell.<\/h5>\nI remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of Pussy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I\u2019d argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there\u2019s transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I\u2019ve started to doubt my previous convictions\u2026<\/h5>\nWe may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don\u2019t matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can\u2019t comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?<\/h5>\nWhen debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn\u2019t wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living shit out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don\u2019t let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it\u2019s not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.<\/h5>\nBut the average Russian doesn\u2019t bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and\/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking \/ water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it\u2019s such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.<\/h5>\nThe thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
What made you decide to leave the US?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI had hitchhiked all around the U.S. and always enjoyed travel. I think it\u2019s in my blood. All the Europeans with gypsy-esque souls were selected out of the European population they say. I pride myself in my pioneer origins \/ predispositions, but also see the downsides of them as I get older. Perhaps that hyper individualism is what lead to America\u2019s degeneration? I don\u2019t know. But I always planned on traveling the world. My mom traveled a lot and took us on road trips all the time. So that could be it. Nature vs. nurture. Chicken or the egg?<\/h5>\nAnyways, I was actually enrolled in ROTC for a brief bit, because I come from a family with a lot of military in it and am lower middle class. So I didn\u2019t have trust fund study-abroad-and-snort-ketamine-at-European-musical-festivals kind of money that some of my peers did. Therefore, the most plausible way to secure a career and cross the seven seas was by joining the Army or Navy. I changed my mind and am glad I did. I\u2019ve immersed myself and traveled way longer than I could have if I\u2019d have stayed and signed a contract. However, military has always been my plan B if I got in massive debt somehow or got a chick pregnant. Knock on wood, still cruising with plan A.<\/h5>\nWhat advantages does Russia have over the US, societally and culturally, as in every day stuff? What do they do worse?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe stereotype of the (figuratively) cold Russian is true. I get weird looks if I smile at strangers when my American habits seep through unconsciously. And if you visit, you\u2019ll see lots of aggressive verbal conflicts and unenthused customer service. But to be fair, locals say \u201cRussians have a generous soul.\u201d<\/h5>\nI can attest to this 100%. Once you get to know someone, they will treat you like family and go to obscene lengths to take care of you. They are always lending each other money and giving gifts. And the goodbyes last forever, like something out of a movie where the family sits on the porch and waves until your car is out of vision. But I believe this is part of why they are (on average) poorer than Western Europe.<\/h5>\nI\u2019ve couch surfed a lot of places and been in Beverly Hills mansions with robots that clean their pool, as well as homeless shelters with bed bugs. And everywhere in between. It seems counterintuitive, but the poor people are way more giving. Though in hindsight, it makes perfect sense:<\/h5>\n\u201cThe rich get richer, the poor get poorer.\u201d<\/h5>\nIf you are minimalist and family oriented and live for the moment, you won\u2019t have high standards of living. This of course gets more complicated and can go into Max Weber\u2019s Protestant work ethic theories. And what can be said about Catholic countries can be said about Orthodox as well. Regardless, the emphasis on family values can lead to more fulfilling lives, but also leads to the ever prevalent nepotism and corruption that prevents such countries from advancing. Things Westerners take for granted like clean tap water are still an issue here. Having said that, I try to zoom out and look at the big picture.<\/h5>\nPerhaps the Western world is burning the candle at both ends. Which is why I\u2019m not a Nordic supremacist. If the hyper individualized cultures\/biology of the West inevitably lead to empires collapsing, maybe the slow burn method is better. After the migrant crisis era is over and the dust is settled, which countries will still be standing? Only time will tell.<\/h5>\nI remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of Pussy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I\u2019d argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there\u2019s transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I\u2019ve started to doubt my previous convictions\u2026<\/h5>\nWe may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don\u2019t matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can\u2019t comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?<\/h5>\nWhen debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn\u2019t wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living shit out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don\u2019t let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it\u2019s not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.<\/h5>\nBut the average Russian doesn\u2019t bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and\/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking \/ water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it\u2019s such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.<\/h5>\nThe thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Anyways, I was actually enrolled in ROTC for a brief bit, because I come from a family with a lot of military in it and am lower middle class. So I didn\u2019t have trust fund study-abroad-and-snort-ketamine-at-European-musical-festivals kind of money that some of my peers did. Therefore, the most plausible way to secure a career and cross the seven seas was by joining the Army or Navy. I changed my mind and am glad I did. I\u2019ve immersed myself and traveled way longer than I could have if I\u2019d have stayed and signed a contract. However, military has always been my plan B if I got in massive debt somehow or got a chick pregnant. Knock on wood, still cruising with plan A.<\/h5>\nWhat advantages does Russia have over the US, societally and culturally, as in every day stuff? What do they do worse?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe stereotype of the (figuratively) cold Russian is true. I get weird looks if I smile at strangers when my American habits seep through unconsciously. And if you visit, you\u2019ll see lots of aggressive verbal conflicts and unenthused customer service. But to be fair, locals say \u201cRussians have a generous soul.\u201d<\/h5>\nI can attest to this 100%. Once you get to know someone, they will treat you like family and go to obscene lengths to take care of you. They are always lending each other money and giving gifts. And the goodbyes last forever, like something out of a movie where the family sits on the porch and waves until your car is out of vision. But I believe this is part of why they are (on average) poorer than Western Europe.<\/h5>\nI\u2019ve couch surfed a lot of places and been in Beverly Hills mansions with robots that clean their pool, as well as homeless shelters with bed bugs. And everywhere in between. It seems counterintuitive, but the poor people are way more giving. Though in hindsight, it makes perfect sense:<\/h5>\n\u201cThe rich get richer, the poor get poorer.\u201d<\/h5>\nIf you are minimalist and family oriented and live for the moment, you won\u2019t have high standards of living. This of course gets more complicated and can go into Max Weber\u2019s Protestant work ethic theories. And what can be said about Catholic countries can be said about Orthodox as well. Regardless, the emphasis on family values can lead to more fulfilling lives, but also leads to the ever prevalent nepotism and corruption that prevents such countries from advancing. Things Westerners take for granted like clean tap water are still an issue here. Having said that, I try to zoom out and look at the big picture.<\/h5>\nPerhaps the Western world is burning the candle at both ends. Which is why I\u2019m not a Nordic supremacist. If the hyper individualized cultures\/biology of the West inevitably lead to empires collapsing, maybe the slow burn method is better. After the migrant crisis era is over and the dust is settled, which countries will still be standing? Only time will tell.<\/h5>\nI remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of Pussy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I\u2019d argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there\u2019s transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I\u2019ve started to doubt my previous convictions\u2026<\/h5>\nWe may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don\u2019t matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can\u2019t comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?<\/h5>\nWhen debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn\u2019t wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living shit out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don\u2019t let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it\u2019s not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.<\/h5>\nBut the average Russian doesn\u2019t bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and\/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking \/ water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it\u2019s such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.<\/h5>\nThe thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The stereotype of the (figuratively) cold Russian is true. I get weird looks if I smile at strangers when my American habits seep through unconsciously. And if you visit, you\u2019ll see lots of aggressive verbal conflicts and unenthused customer service. But to be fair, locals say \u201cRussians have a generous soul.\u201d<\/h5>\nI can attest to this 100%. Once you get to know someone, they will treat you like family and go to obscene lengths to take care of you. They are always lending each other money and giving gifts. And the goodbyes last forever, like something out of a movie where the family sits on the porch and waves until your car is out of vision. But I believe this is part of why they are (on average) poorer than Western Europe.<\/h5>\nI\u2019ve couch surfed a lot of places and been in Beverly Hills mansions with robots that clean their pool, as well as homeless shelters with bed bugs. And everywhere in between. It seems counterintuitive, but the poor people are way more giving. Though in hindsight, it makes perfect sense:<\/h5>\n\u201cThe rich get richer, the poor get poorer.\u201d<\/h5>\nIf you are minimalist and family oriented and live for the moment, you won\u2019t have high standards of living. This of course gets more complicated and can go into Max Weber\u2019s Protestant work ethic theories. And what can be said about Catholic countries can be said about Orthodox as well. Regardless, the emphasis on family values can lead to more fulfilling lives, but also leads to the ever prevalent nepotism and corruption that prevents such countries from advancing. Things Westerners take for granted like clean tap water are still an issue here. Having said that, I try to zoom out and look at the big picture.<\/h5>\nPerhaps the Western world is burning the candle at both ends. Which is why I\u2019m not a Nordic supremacist. If the hyper individualized cultures\/biology of the West inevitably lead to empires collapsing, maybe the slow burn method is better. After the migrant crisis era is over and the dust is settled, which countries will still be standing? Only time will tell.<\/h5>\nI remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of Pussy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I\u2019d argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there\u2019s transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I\u2019ve started to doubt my previous convictions\u2026<\/h5>\nWe may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don\u2019t matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can\u2019t comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?<\/h5>\nWhen debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn\u2019t wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living shit out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don\u2019t let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it\u2019s not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.<\/h5>\nBut the average Russian doesn\u2019t bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and\/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking \/ water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it\u2019s such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.<\/h5>\nThe thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I\u2019ve couch surfed a lot of places and been in Beverly Hills mansions with robots that clean their pool, as well as homeless shelters with bed bugs. And everywhere in between. It seems counterintuitive, but the poor people are way more giving. Though in hindsight, it makes perfect sense:<\/h5>\n\u201cThe rich get richer, the poor get poorer.\u201d<\/h5>\nIf you are minimalist and family oriented and live for the moment, you won\u2019t have high standards of living. This of course gets more complicated and can go into Max Weber\u2019s Protestant work ethic theories. And what can be said about Catholic countries can be said about Orthodox as well. Regardless, the emphasis on family values can lead to more fulfilling lives, but also leads to the ever prevalent nepotism and corruption that prevents such countries from advancing. Things Westerners take for granted like clean tap water are still an issue here. Having said that, I try to zoom out and look at the big picture.<\/h5>\nPerhaps the Western world is burning the candle at both ends. Which is why I\u2019m not a Nordic supremacist. If the hyper individualized cultures\/biology of the West inevitably lead to empires collapsing, maybe the slow burn method is better. After the migrant crisis era is over and the dust is settled, which countries will still be standing? Only time will tell.<\/h5>\nI remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of Pussy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I\u2019d argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there\u2019s transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I\u2019ve started to doubt my previous convictions\u2026<\/h5>\nWe may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don\u2019t matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can\u2019t comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?<\/h5>\nWhen debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn\u2019t wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living shit out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don\u2019t let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it\u2019s not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.<\/h5>\nBut the average Russian doesn\u2019t bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and\/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking \/ water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it\u2019s such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.<\/h5>\nThe thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
If you are minimalist and family oriented and live for the moment, you won\u2019t have high standards of living. This of course gets more complicated and can go into Max Weber\u2019s Protestant work ethic theories. And what can be said about Catholic countries can be said about Orthodox as well. Regardless, the emphasis on family values can lead to more fulfilling lives, but also leads to the ever prevalent nepotism and corruption that prevents such countries from advancing. Things Westerners take for granted like clean tap water are still an issue here. Having said that, I try to zoom out and look at the big picture.<\/h5>\nPerhaps the Western world is burning the candle at both ends. Which is why I\u2019m not a Nordic supremacist. If the hyper individualized cultures\/biology of the West inevitably lead to empires collapsing, maybe the slow burn method is better. After the migrant crisis era is over and the dust is settled, which countries will still be standing? Only time will tell.<\/h5>\nI remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of Pussy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I\u2019d argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there\u2019s transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I\u2019ve started to doubt my previous convictions\u2026<\/h5>\nWe may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don\u2019t matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can\u2019t comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?<\/h5>\nWhen debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn\u2019t wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living shit out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don\u2019t let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it\u2019s not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.<\/h5>\nBut the average Russian doesn\u2019t bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and\/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking \/ water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it\u2019s such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.<\/h5>\nThe thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I remember being in America during the Socchi Olympics and seeing footage of Pussy Riot being beaten. At the time, I believed my fair share of Western propaganda and thought it was such a shame Russia was so homophobic and violent. I was fairly apolitical then and only heard about it because a band (Portugal, The Man) posted a petition to free them from prison. In those days, I\u2019d argue with my mom about legalizing gay marriage. Fast forward 8 years and now there\u2019s transgender kids and everyone on Tinder is a saposexual gender fluid. Needless to say, I\u2019ve started to doubt my previous convictions\u2026<\/h5>\nWe may cringe when we see the brutish, caveman-esque gopniks beating up drag queens. But perhaps The West could use a bit of that macho vigilantism. Everyone here knows their votes don\u2019t matter. They joke about Putin winning with 1,400% of the votes. But they accept it. The mentality seems to be a dog-eat-dog, hierarchal type here. For better or for worse. This leads to a fatalistic acceptance of ungodly corruption and income inequality. But it also keeps their society somewhat in check regardless of what the elites want. I show locals American news once in a while and they can\u2019t comprehend it whatsoever. And neither can I, really. Can you imagine a beefed up tranny [Tiffany Moore] yelling at people and getting away with it in Russia?<\/h5>\nWhen debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn\u2019t wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living shit out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don\u2019t let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it\u2019s not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.<\/h5>\nBut the average Russian doesn\u2019t bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and\/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking \/ water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it\u2019s such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.<\/h5>\nThe thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
When debating locals, I often accuse them of being pessimists. And they often counter by pointing out my naivety, while assuring me that they are merely realists. Maybe they are. After all, I can guarantee if something like Rotherham or Cologne happened in Russia, they wouldn\u2019t wait for the right paperwork and lawyers to get justice. They would beat the living shit out of everyone in a 5KM radius and not bother navigating red tape like we do. The immigrants from the CIS countries know this and behave. Not to mention, the Putin dictatorship surely spies on its citizens and nabs any jihadis. They just don\u2019t let the media report on it. Speaking of which, most Russians have no clue how insane this whole Russian collusion media frenzy is. But despite what you may be thinking, it\u2019s not like North Korea, everyone can use a VPN and surf any website they want.<\/h5>\nBut the average Russian doesn\u2019t bother so the media control seems to work just fine. Guess fire walls work as well. The only time I hear my Ruski peers talk about Trump is when USA places new sanctions on Russia, kicks out some ambassadors, or in the most recent case: when Putin advised Trump about North Korean nukes. Basically, anything that makes Russia look good, and\/or America like an aggressor. Smart of them in case a war breaks out between us. But of course the lack of reporting on the Russian hacking \/ water sport hookers conspiracy theory, could be due to the fact that it\u2019s such obvious bullshit, and that no sane news agency would try to milk it for 3 years like ours do.<\/h5>\nThe thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The thing is, I don\u2019t want a \u201cbenevolent dictatorship\u201d like Singapore or Russia. I want to live in a country like the Founding Fathers of America intended.<\/h5>\nIt\u2019s tough to say, though. Surely some forms of government fit certain genetic clusters better than others. But how much of this is innate?<\/h5>\nWhat are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
What are the challenges of living where you are as a foreigner?<\/strong><\/h5>\nI am incredibly envious of the locals who live in ethnically homogenous countries with a sense of identity and contributing to the greater good. A janitor in Russia or a taxi driver in Japan both have great pride in their nations and being part of a community. When I first lived in Japan I tried my best to be respectful and assimilate. But no matter how hard I tried, I realized I\u2019d always be an outsider and was actually rewarded positively when I played up the stereotypes of the American cowboy who was straight forward and flamboyant. It\u2019s pretty fun but a bizarre experience to be the token minority for once. I remember thinking the black suburban kid from my childhood who beatboxed and grew his fro out was goofy. As well as the gay kid who came out of the closet and did a 180\u00ba personality wise (gay lisp and limp wrist included). Welp, now I can relate\u2026 just on a much smaller scale.<\/h5>\nObviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Obviously this is no big deal and only takes some minor adjustment, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m relatively young. When I talk to my ex-pat elders who have knocked up a local, it seems these mole hills really do become mountains. When you are fresh off the plane, the differences are trivial and cute.<\/h5>\n\u201cOh wow, you use chopsticks and I use a fork.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cWhat!? You put ketchup on your pizza? Gross.\u201d<\/h5>\n\u201cHmm, you care much more about what you parents say than I do.\u201d<\/h5>\nBut imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
But imagine making life changing decisions together, or going through traumatic events together.<\/h5>\nThat\u2019s when the real differences show. It takes decades to truly understand a different ethnic group, and I think even a lifetime is not enough due to biological limits. After all, it\u2019s not just IQ that separates us. We have different temperaments and spirits. Having said all that, exploring the Russian or Japanese soul and trying to figure out what makes them tick, makes everyday life fascinating.<\/h5>\nOh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Oh!<\/h5>\nAnd I hesitated adding this, but after several days of being woken up by my neighbors, I feel I must. You see, a gay Muslim friend of mine, (who I met in Japan), was privileged enough to immigrate to America. And yet, all day on facebook he would bitch and whine about the country. Obviously as someone who felt the need to leave my own country, I agree with most of what he said. But I\u2019m still a patriotic nationalist despite all the shit I talk about my country, and so it irked me. After all, he would be thrown in jail if he was openly gay in his home country. How dare he move to another country and immediately complain and advocate for more \u201cdiversity\u201d and critique the culture and politics.<\/h5>\nI think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I think most people, (especially Russians), can relate to this sentiment. The average Ruski is incredibly hard on their own country. But it\u2019s like how you can make fun of your siblings, but when someone else does you knock their teeth in. I\u2019d like to say I always respected this, but it\u2019s not true. I was more brazen in my earlier days of travel, and hypocritically complained about Japan with the very Muslim I referred to earlier. It\u2019s not just me, though. Go on any expat forum, and it\u2019s full of gripes.<\/h5>\nThe first thing ESL teachers talk about when they meet is how much they miss peanut butter or how they hate the pollution or whatever. And yet, they don\u2019t go home. The same is true of Mexican immigrants in America and Africans in Europe, if you ever take the time to chat with them. (Which is part of what made me more rightwing and nationalist.) The vast majority who don\u2019t go home are economic migrants. Economic in terms of balancing the supply & demand of money, or balancing sexual market value.<\/h5>\nWhich is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Which is why I try my best to be respectful to my host nation. And even make a habit of catching myself thinking ungrateful thoughts by telling myself, \u201cDon\u2019t like it? Then leave.\u201d Well, I\u2019m still here in Moscow. So, I clearly like it, and am very appreciative for their hospitality.<\/h5>\nHaving said all that, I feel I must warn you, dear reader, the truth about Russian neighbors. They are the worst I\u2019ve ever had in my entire life. Not face to face. Face to face, they are incredibly friendly and there are countless babushkas who will give you pickled tomatoes and other homemade gifts as if you\u2019re family. I\u2019m talking specifically about how loud the neighbors are.<\/h5>\nI am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I am an incredibly deep sleeper. As a hitchhiker I zonk out next to highways all the time, and have adapted to every country I\u2019ve been in. Except for with Russians. The same is true with locals here. They also wake up thanks to neighbors and will bang on the old soviet water heaters that are threaded throughout the complex when they\u2019re annoyed. It\u2019s impossible to adapt because it\u2019s not a white noise like the motorcycles in Vietnam. The sound waves are not uniform, but rather polarized sharp spikes. Blaring techno with bone rattling bass at 3AM. Screaming couples at 1AM. Hammering and drilling at 9AM.<\/h5>\nI finally figured out why. My girlfriend\u2019s brother told me that there\u2019s no word for \u201cprivacy\u201d in Russian. Well, there is, but not with the same meaning that Americans have for it. From a NY Times article on the subject:<\/h5>\nMost Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Most Russians grew up in dense housing blocks, where children ran wild in closed central courtyards. Cul-de-sac translates in Russian as tupik\u2014a word that evokes vulnerability and danger, a dead end with no escape.<\/h5>\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a new concept for them, that you can get security by putting distance between yourself and the others,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Russian concept is that you\u2019re safe when you\u2019re with the crowd.\u201d<\/h5>\nHe devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
He devotes many pages to privacy, a word that does not exist in the Russian language, or in the airless human mass that forms when Russians wait in line. Americans, he reports, prefer to converse at a distance of at least four feet.<\/h5>\n\u201cI suppose that in a typical Russian line, your average American would lose consciousness,\u201d he writes. \u201cAny touch to an American is taken as a violation of his personal space, so in the U.S., as a rule, people do not take each other by the elbow and do not tap each other on the shoulder if they want attention, they do not embrace each other like brothers.\u201d<\/h5>\nAnd this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
And this blog that confirms the veracity of the previous article:<\/h5>\nI got the assignment because I have a Russian husband, who has himself published some essays about some of the unexpected cultural differences a Russian encounters in America, and we\u2019ve been dividing our time between Moscow and Amherst for the last 15 years.<\/h5>\nSo our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So our topic is whether the word \u201cprivacy\u201d exists in Russian. If you ask \u201cGoogle translate\u201d, you get eleven choices, and given my own moderate knowledge of Russian, none of them looked equivalent to \u201cprivacy\u201d in the sense of valuing your privacy, or wanting to know about Facebook\u2019s privacy policies. And when I asked my husband about it, he agreed that there isn\u2019t any Russian word that\u2019s equivalent because indeed, our particular concept of privacy really isn\u2019t part of Russian culture. So Zlobin is right.<\/h5>\nConsequently, if you don\u2019t have enough money for a house or gated community, then prepare yourself mentally for a college dorm atmosphere. If you\u2019re the partying type, it can be a blast. Otherwise, get some sound canceling headphones. Maybe that\u2019s why Russians put rugs on the wall? Why not stack two or three for good measure.<\/h5>\nWhat are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
What are some of the pleasant surprises you\u2019ve encountered in your new home?<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe biggest breath of fresh air that comes to mind, is the absence of PC culture. I am free to speak my mind and no one really cares. And by the same token, the traditional aspects that were foreign to me my whole life are nice. For example, women who unabashedly fit their gender roles and expect you to do the same. And of course, cheaper living expenses and higher wages are a huge bonus. I think most ex pats would happily move back to America if we had sensible immigration laws and weren\u2019t throwing taxes into a giant hole in the ground.<\/h5>\nPlease speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Please speak more of unanticipated problems.<\/strong><\/h5>\nThose perks don\u2019t come without a price. There\u2019s a high turnover rate and a lot of people try being an ex pat in their 20\u2019s and can\u2019t hack it after a year. The reality is not like the Instagram Yoga thots make it seem\u2026<\/h5>\nSo what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So what I tell everyone is that you\u2019re not really getting paid to teach English, (the default job you will likely have unless you start your own business), but rather, getting paid to tolerate a different culture. And it\u2019s not just poorer countries that I\u2019m referring to. I learned this lesson with Japan. On paper, they are better than America in many ways. Higher standard of living, safety, cleanliness, politeness, etc. But to a white guy from the West their politeness felt like fakeness and I was stressed out because of it; always overanalyzing insignificant things. Which is how many black people feel when hanging around white people. What we see as just common courtesy, comes off as passive aggressive and beta to them. To each his own.<\/h5>\nFor me, I found that I was more straight forward than the average American, and came off as abrasive to my peers since childhood. A Kramer of sorts. So after a bit of travel, it seems that Eastern European culture is a good fit for me. I also wear my heart on my sleeve and get very passionate when speaking. So maybe I\u2019ll try out a Latin country next. You may feel the same, or may feel right at home. Just bum around a bit until you vibe with a certain spot then settle down. But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll realize how important identity is and become more patriotic as you gain a frame of reference. So while I enjoy frolicking around the world and don\u2019t plan to stop anytime soon, I\u2019ve been eyeing some land in Mid West America that I may buy real estate in.<\/h5>\nWhat is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
What is some advice you have for Americans who also want to get out?<\/strong><\/h5>\nYOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY!!!<\/h5>\nIt really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
It really can\u2019t be overstated how blessed you are to have American citizenship. You can be in tons of debt, have zero dollars in the bank, and several misdemeanors, and you\u2019ll still get an automatic 90 day visa on arrival. Even with a one way plane ticket. This is unheard of and will likely not be the case in the near future if current demographic trends continue. So seize the day!<\/h5>\nSeriously. In these past 8 years, I\u2019ve met so many wealthy, well educated, amazing people who have to jump through so many hoops and sacrifice so much for the mere chance of a tourist visa. If you only knew\u2026<\/h5>\nSo, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
So, stop putting it off!<\/h5>\nI made that mistake and in retrospect didn\u2019t need to wait at all. I saved for 2 to 3 years living super frugal and working 3 jobs. But every day expenses are the biggest drains. Besides, when your friends and family find out you\u2019re saving money, they\u2019ll come to mooch. Or \u201clife happens\u201d and you\u2019ll need to pay for the broken water heater or flat tire. So just run away while you still can. The other mistake I see people make is that they toil away for 80% of the year in a job they hate, so they can splurge for a few days in an Americanized luxury resort. Why not make every day exotic and truly get a feel for the local atmosphere by moving somewhere for a year instead? In my experience, the most expensive part of travel is the plane ticket. So be smart and just get a one way ticket and find a job once you get there.<\/h5>\nMost places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Most places you apply to online won\u2019t take your overseas application serious, just like I don\u2019t take my friends\u2019 claims of visiting me serious. Talk is cheap. So take a leap of faith and have peace of mind knowing the American Embassy will take care of your spoiled ass. I knew a Venezuelan chick whose friend spent all her money on coke and was stranded in South America. Apparently the embassy paid for her ticket home. But it was debt she owed that would never go away until it was paid back, even if she filed Bankruptcy. Still, not a bad deal compared to 99.9999% of the Earth\u2019s population. And that\u2019s worst case scenario so long as you don\u2019t foolishly backpack somewhere like Morocco and get beheaded.<\/h5>\nIf all else fails, just buy a bus ticket to Minnesota and see what it\u2019s like to live in Somalia for a day.<\/h5>\n\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u2013Michael Kreutzer (28-years-old)<\/h5>\nLinh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is <\/em>Postcards from the End of America<\/em><\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\nSource<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Source<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Linh Dinh talks to an American who has been living in Russia for the past few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Miscellaneous"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185032,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185026\/revisions\/185032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}