What's in the mind of the Russian

Finnish YLE television journalist Anna-Lena Lauren wrote a book with an analysis of modern life in Russia. Lauren lived in Russia for a long time and wrote about his views from the perspective of common sense civilized European women.

About the name of the book, the author believes that there is "nothing offensive. This can be compared with the French expression Ils sont fous. They are crazy. But in a good way. »

Further selection of quotes from the book:
Apparently, the most carefully guarded secret of Russia is as follows: Women are not stupid and not weaker than men - on the contrary. But no one is talking about this man.

In Russia, an excess of beautiful, well-educated, competent women - and the lack of working men nondrinkers.

Being lonely girl in Russia nor in the least elegant.

Women have to be by myself a stone wall. If they do not, Russia has long since gone to the bottom. Russia - a country ungrateful. Russia is irrational, painful, capricious, self-righteous, Shrew, responsive and cordial, generous, morbidly sensitive, vindictive - but still easily appeased.

My Russian friend is very little talk about lo * se. Beds have husbands and boyfriends feats are not in (Russian) girlfriends topic to the same extent as, for example, in Finland. Unsolved mystery: why Russian women spend so much energy trying to look lo * sualno, and thus never talk about lo * se?

Some argue that Russian women dress like a pro * titutki. This is not true. Here is different.

Skirts shorter than in Moscow, I have never seen. It is natural that in a country of extremes should live a lot of girls who believe that it should skirt barely cover the shorts. Even at sub-zero temperatures.

Russian society demonstrates machismo very frankly and steadily. For example, in the order of things to write ads for a job as follows: "The Secretary is required, a woman of 25 years, the growth of not less than 175 cm».

Women themselves rarely protest. They do not understand what is really eager participant women's movement for women's rights. "We already command the men. All the subtlety to convince a man that he decides »

Solidarity Russian men indestructible ... Stand up for friends - a matter of honor. Not great sin to change his wife, betray each other - is not forgiven.

Most Russian men are very gallant. On vacation in Finland annoy me immensely these terribly uncouth and inattentive Finnish men who give me a train yourself to push heavy bags on the shelf. In Russia, this is simply impossible.

I am no longer embarrassed when a Russian man holds the door for me or pays for my cup of coffee - this is a simple courtesy, nobody is going to start an affair with me. I do not insist that she pay ... - to anything other than a dispute, it will not ... The woman who persistently imposed with their money, not promoting the Scandinavian equality. Russian man in her behavior did not understand. He just offended and confused.

(Here an incomplete quote from the words of the Norwegian men, but still interesting: "... Russian women have succeeded magnificently in the manipulation of men. As a man stronger and more independent, it is necessary to place him as much as possible pitfalls. Russian men know this, and they do not give fooled. Foreigners, on the contrary, too rational and naive. They do not know how to "read" the behavior of their Russian girlfriends and quickly fall into henpecked ... »

At the gala dinner men are always sure to drink for women.

Russian democracy is rolling back ever since Putin came to power - that's a fact, and there is nothing you can do about it.

In Russia ... people do not understand why they need to serve the public, which does not serve them. State and municipal employees are deeply despise, it is believed that their only task - to take care of their own advantage and steal as much as will.

Opposition demonstrations are suppressed in the same way: the total number of police and special forces at least equal to the number of demonstrators.

Of all the potential heirs to the throne Medvedev - the most modern: he learned to work with iPhones back in the days when Russia was impossible to buy a license model.

My old "Nokia-6310" best "Nokia" ever produced, is a very strange reaction: why foreign journalist walks with a model of a decade ago? Explanations like that I have not seen such a dolgorabotayuschey phone battery, there perplexed. The point is not in the practical merits of the phone, and how you look him in the hand!

In Finland, people strive to put you twenty cents if you take a cigarette. Recently (about cigarettes) can drive a Russian to a screeching halt ...

When a queue, passport control officers do not even try to run faster or call for reinforcements colleagues. Let the people stand up. Just think, all!

Moscow - city of heartless and highly unsentimental, the people here are struggling to survive and are concerned about one thing: to make money ... All awful hurry ... New Yorkers nervously smoking in aside ...

Come to vacation in Helsinki and suddenly notice that in this town all have a surrender ... It is improbable and almost boring.

Everyone in Russia knows that most police want one thing - money ... We all know that they are only looking for someone to tear off with the money, so why pay attention to what they say? And as in Russia everything can be negotiated, the only question is to begin negotiations.

Lena felt that reliably pay three hundred euros instructor who will divide the spoil with their contactees in the police, and thus provide Lena driver's license. She had no idea it was that you can get right, just learn how to drive - much easier to prepay exam.

Russia has become a politician - a business concept.

Community in Russia is so important that external circumstances cease to have value. Several times I happened to fry in the cold and the rain - if we decided to go to the park for a barbecue, and we do, regardless of the vagaries of the weather. Pope wet? Podstelil package! Frozen? Drink vodka and sing.

Russian who wants to drink vodka with you, makes it clear that a friendly set. The best way to make friends - have a drink together. The refusal may be regarded as a direct insult, a sign that you do not want to be friends.

There is no such purchase, which would not be too small, so it will not wash.

Smile, laugh, beg, plead, cry or scream - this is the language that is best understood Russian Finns.

Russian are going to spend the next twelve hundred years trying to understand his own existence. Unsuccessfully, of course.