The relationship between Russians and money has never been an easy one. We have a saying – “Do not have a 100 Rubles, have a 100 Friends”. Now, when a 100 Rub is approximately $1.80 it totally makes sense. But even when 100 Rub was a lot of money – a...

Russians seem aggressive at first glance, as if they are prepared for an attack, which strikes an American as hostile. The American is used to smiling, friendly citizens, while Russians smile only to those they know very well. Since visitors in public...