It's hard being a pedestrian in Russia. I learned that the hard way when my host mom grabbed me by the hand one time and dragged me into the middle of a street full of oncoming traffic, including a semi-truck. If I wasn't so busy panicking and trying to get back on the sidewalk, I would have marveled at how calm and collected one determine old lady would be while dragging a frantic college student through imminent death.
And being a driver isn't any easier. There are intersections in Russia where I still don't know how the lights work, nor do I understand how you determine who has right of way or how you're actually supposed to drive through them. This last weekend, when we were going to the dacha, there was many a moment where I wondered if I was about to die.
Even when the car is stopped, Russian drivers have issues. I have seen more cars parked partially on the sidewalk than I have in the rest of my twenty years on this Earth. (The most impressive case that comes to mind is one car that I saw that only had one back wheel on the curb.)
At first, I couldn't understand how people here could have such amazingly fancy cars (BMWs, sports cars, all practically new) and then drive them so horribly. However, I soon discovered one fascinating fact: Most Russian drivers drive without driver's licenses, and even for those who do, there's no driver's education in Russia.
So, when you're being a foreigner in Russia, try to stick with the Russians. If you actually obey traffic laws, or wait for the light to change, you will immediately reveal yourself as a foreigner. The alternative, however, makes looking like a total foreigner more than acceptable.
And being a driver isn't any easier. There are intersections in Russia where I still don't know how the lights work, nor do I understand how you determine who has right of way or how you're actually supposed to drive through them. This last weekend, when we were going to the dacha, there was many a moment where I wondered if I was about to die.
Even when the car is stopped, Russian drivers have issues. I have seen more cars parked partially on the sidewalk than I have in the rest of my twenty years on this Earth. (The most impressive case that comes to mind is one car that I saw that only had one back wheel on the curb.)
At first, I couldn't understand how people here could have such amazingly fancy cars (BMWs, sports cars, all practically new) and then drive them so horribly. However, I soon discovered one fascinating fact: Most Russian drivers drive without driver's licenses, and even for those who do, there's no driver's education in Russia.
So, when you're being a foreigner in Russia, try to stick with the Russians. If you actually obey traffic laws, or wait for the light to change, you will immediately reveal yourself as a foreigner. The alternative, however, makes looking like a total foreigner more than acceptable.
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