What is in a typical russian home?

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olessa_lds

I hope the two guys who answered first didn't offend you but the question is really stupid. Russian people have the same things at home as Americans.
An average Russian family doesn't have a cottage of their own, but we usually live in appartments. My mom's family has a four-room appartment. What makes our homes different is only one bathroom in the whole appartment, and usually the kitchen is not big - in some smaller appartments it's tiny. But I've seen worse - a Swedish friend showed me his home - it's a dog-house compared to a typical Russian home (I mean the size).
the media here has more freedom than in the States as far as I see - don't think I'm crazy - but the Americans look like puppets - they blindly believe they're the best, their country is the paradize and their government is the smartest - at least it looks so on tv - we're not like this. Though I do like our President!!!
About our papers - there are only two cities where you'd better have your passport with you wherever you go - Moscow and St Petersburg - but it's not a MUST even there. Usually you might need it if you look suspecious or you'r drunk or whatever might interest the police. But don't you have your ID card with you? We use our passports for that.
Anyway, if you really want to know something about Russia (you know next to nothing now) - get Russian friends. A lot of people speak good English here.

Natalia D

Is this a homework question? There was another question posted on the same topic. ItвЂ™s just weird that people would think things up like that on their own. Russians are just like all the other people. They did not just crawl out from under a rock.

Beeg Juan

Most russian homes are occupied by russian families which makes them very different from chinese homes which are mostly occupied by chinese (yes, strange but true).

Hope this helped.

Liz

If you never ask you'll never know. Naivety forgiven.

What is inside a Russian home? Telephones yes, ovens, TVs and light bulbs of course. Radios, doorbells yes. Basements: houses yes, people who live in apartments usually also receive a storage room in the basement of the building, so -- yes on both counts. 3rd floors -- some but not all family houses (just like in the US). Most people live in apartment buildings of varying heights; usually the larger the city, the taller the building. Hot water -- yes but people who live in large apartment settlements tend to lose it in the summer when the heating supplier does maintenance on the pipes. Electricity yes. Showers and baths yes, with bathtubs more popular than shower stalls.

Government -- some Russians like Putin, some people don't. I personally find it difficult to believe that some Americans like Bush (I am American and I think he may be one of our worst presidents ever); in this way, though I am not a fan of Putin, I can understand Russians a bit better. Among those who like him, Putin represents the return to order they so much long for after the chaos of the 1990s.

As to the state papers thing, this is called an identity card. Almost every country in the world, the US and UK being the only exceptions I can think of, require that everybody over a certain age carry some form of universally recognised identification around with them. This is either an ID card or a passport. In the US you would use a driver's licence.

So what makes a Russian home different from an American home? Russian houses and "dachas" (summer houses) will often feature a sauna. Saunas are immensely popular and many Russians do not feel truly clean until after they've alternated between the sauna and a cold tub a couple of times. In Russian homes you are also more likely to find Oriental rugs hanging on the walls. Lastly, I think you will find more bone china or fine porcelain tea services and crystal glassware in Russian homes that are pulled out on any excuse for an occasion; Americans tend to let their tea services, if any, collect dust in the china cabinet and the crystal makes it to the table just on Christmas and Thanksgiving, if ever. Dishwashers tend to be more prevalent in American homes; ditto for firearms. Russian homes are smaller than American ones; the existence of a вЂњdining roomвЂќ, quite normal in American middle class suburban/rural homes, would symbolise wealth in Russia (just like it would be very upper class for an American home to be outfitted with a sauna). Another difference can be found in what, if anything, is parked out front: 20% of Russians own a car, compared with 78% of Americans (see http://www.unece.org/stats/trends2005/transport.htm for the US stat and http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20070528ve.html for the Russian one). In real life terms -- while it is normal for suburban American families to own two cars (or more if there are teenagers in the family), Russian families own just one car, if any, or share the car with extended family members (more common in the countryside).

Lastly, another statistic: Nationwide, a total of 70 per cent of Russians live in independent apartments and 20 per cent live in their own house. Another approx. 5 per cent live in part of a house (e.g. a duplex), with the remaining 5 per cent living in shared apartments or hostels. Apartment dwellers are even more common in cities, where 85 per cent of residents live in independent flats. Plenty more good information here: http://www.iisg.nl/publications/respap44.pdf

Good luck with your project, "poka" (bye)

Sergeyв™ЈVladnov

Most live in New York city type 600 square foot apartments in the city. Housing there is extremely pricey, one of the priciest housing markets in the world!

LГbano

There's a European movie called the "Russian Dolls" that - in one part of the film - depicts Russian life in an EXCELLENT way.
Check it out at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409184/

Also watch part one of the series (Not in russia though):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283900/

greГџ

I am really surprised,in this day and age you come up with a dumb question like this one.

Great62

I could never imagine somebody asking such question about Russia! Dear man, this country is going to meet millions people to 2014 Olympic Games. Didn't read or watch news? How do you think, does this country have a light or radio? Horrible darkness!!!!!!!!!!!

Cossak

so middle class in Russia its 50%,so i am in rich leven of middle class,so i live in Soviet flat of Krushev time,so our houses looks like another such homes in EU,..so...my friend has 11 rooms in his house,so he has everything in what he need,so me too,so but i speak about south-federal region and centrel with north part of Europen part of Russia,in arctic cites people live more richer,then in EU middle class,but in far siberian towns its sad,like to come back to USSR with out time mashine.
And 70% of Russians have cabl TV...60 channel for 9 $ per month,its very cheap and there a lot of channels which GOV cant control and Russian TV there just two channels control and you can see diffirents in state channels and other....but people from west cant,so in Belorus yes...there it controled,i cant watch their channels because so unatractive its like russian channels in soviet times..boring.But if 70% of russians glad that their president Putin,they need not in jew channel like RTVI where they blame president,Russian gov make highyer economy for 10 times for 7 years,Putin grew up Russia from Yeltsin crap to normal Russia which just do her new steps....

Anastasia F

Actually its pretty much the same...my familt was well off so for us it was at least the same...we had tvs, vcrs, ovens, microwaves, toasters, phones, light, radios, etc...everything was the same in the technology dept....we had water, plumbing, electricity, etc....we had serveral houses (we mostly lived in a condo which was 3 bedrooms with a bathroom in a 14 story tall building and my dad was planning to buy the whole floor so i can move "next door" when i turn like 15 or 16 instead of gettin my own room)...we had another aprtment which was one bedroom one bathroom (same up to date interior)...we had two summer homes which were actual houses and had a 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms- indoor plumbing...one of the houses had outdoor plumbin as well because the house was spread out over a large property and we had like pool house looking houses in the garden....i was youn when i lived there but as far as i know we didnt need to carry papers w/ us, but its a little more corrupt now which is why my parents moved to the US....one diff is that we dont have basements in russia....

british_soldier2

no, they have nothing..it's very sad but this is the average russians day: they wake up in their 1 story apartment(because they dont have architects or builders that like heights)...then they sit in the dark, and wish they had radios to listen to(radio waves dont work in russia, and its almost impossible to get the glass for lightbulbs)....the saddest thing is, if they did have telephones then they would probably phone each other and ask what the westerners thought of the russian television shows that they cant watch, because the television hasnt been invented there yet....ya stoopid fooka!!!!

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