As you know, Russia is associated in the eyes of foreigners, primarily with the cold, nesting dolls and bears. In the middle of the last century, a similar opinion about our state actually developed in the world. Naturally, the above attributes are invariably included in the list of such associations. However, there are a whole host of other things that look typical of domestic latitudes. In the presented material we will try to understand the details with which Russia is associated with foreigners.
Vodka
No matter how we try to deceive ourselves, the first thing Russia associates with foreign citizens is vodka. Some representatives of the Western world who have never visited our country seriously believe that Russians traditionally drink alcohol in the morning, absorb alcohol during each meal, and even arrange for their family to drink it.
Fortunately, residents of European countries are more or less familiar with the real state of affairs. However, with regard to the remote western states, here such an opinion about our citizens remains to this day.
Matryoshka
Images of traditional pictorial figurines are often used by domestic companies to promote their own products on world markets. At the same time, the nesting doll is one of the main souvenirs offered to the attention of foreign tourists who visit the largest cities of our country. Therefore, it is not surprising that painted figures represent what Russia is associated with in the first place.
Natural wealth and travel convenience
Foreigners who managed to travel through the expanses of our vast homeland, note the diversity of cultural, geographical and natural wealth. Tourists from different parts of the world especially liked our Urals, Siberia, and the environs of Lake Baikal. Foreigners are also happy to come to Sochi.
According to the results of special surveys, about 40% of foreign tourists consider Russia to be an extremely convenient country for organizing rich, “cheap” trips. At the same time, almost a quarter of the respondents surveyed agree with the statement that in our country they pay insufficient attention to the conservation of natural resources and the environment.
Why is Russia associated with a bear?
The main attribute of our state in the eyes of foreign citizens is traditionally a bear. You can hear this from most residents of other countries when traveling abroad. And this is despite the fact that a small fraction of the population of Russia saw this animal with its own eyes only in the zoo.
What is the reason for the formation of such an opinion? Most likely, the association arose as a result of the popularization of the Russian circus, where, in fact, bears are trained.
To this day, many foreigners believe that the inhabitants of our outback keep such predatory animals at home, using them as an alternative to dogs. The exuberant imagination of Westerners spawned paintings of dancing bears who drink vodka and know how to play balalaika. Naturally, for us, such stories look anecdotal.
Cold weather
It is no secret that domestic latitudes look in the eyes of foreign citizens as predominantly snowy, frosty expanses. Residents of tropical regions are even interested in whether we wear t-shirts and shorts. However, tourists who have already managed to travel around Russia know that blizzards and frosts throughout the year are nothing more than fiction.
Sloppy
What is Russia associated with in the world? No matter how sad it may sound, the bulk of foreign citizens consider our cities groomed. Sometimes this opinion extends to the inhabitants of the domestic outback. Some foreigners believe that Russians are used to walking in old, worn clothes, with unwashed hair, uncleaned teeth, and a dirty body. However, approximately the same impression among the inhabitants of our country was on the population of Asian regions.
Balalaika
Having barely heard of Russia, some foreigners immediately remember the balalaika. Most likely, the point is not so much in the exotic form of the instrument for the inhabitants of the globe, but in the simplicity of remembering, pronunciation and melody of the word itself. At the same time, most foreigners cannot even describe exactly how the balalaika looks and sounds.
