Many football fans arrived to the World Cup uncertain or even apprehensive, and with their own national stereotypes about what life in Russia would be like. Nicolas and I caught up with a few of them in the FIFA Fan Fest ahead of the first round of quarter final matches to see whether their Russian stereotypes proved to be true, or whether they have now changed their views of the country!
The most common among Russian stereotypes
We asked fans what their preconceptions about Russia were and the answer always started the same way. When thinking about Russians, people usually imagine serious faces and cold, sharp eyes. Mexican fans were prepared for an unfriendly reception from a Russian population with no time or love for visitors.
However, all the fans we interviewed realised very quickly that these stereotypes couldn’t be further from the truth. Russians have greeted them with a smile and open arms everywhere they’ve been. Fans told us that Russians have often offered them their help without them even having to ask. Brazilian fans told us that they were surprised by the warmth and “parceria” of the hosts.
Vodka with Cereal?
The classic Russian stereotype of vodka drinking, at all hours of the day every day, is one that fans from most countries seemed to have arrived to Russia with. This is perhaps due to the way in which Russians are typically presented in western media, however most fans agreed that after having spent time here this was not true. Russia is in fact a nation of tea drinkers! And this is indeed a drink that they consume at all times of the day.
The Land of Winter
Another common stereotype was that Russia was thought of as eternally cold. What they forget is that Russia is a very large country spanning 11 time zones, consequently the temperature varies a lot across the country at any one point. Whilst the fans here in St Petersburg weren’t exactly expecting snow in July, many thought the Russian summer would be more like late autumn in the rest of Europe. This idea was especially common among Latin American fans. What they actually found was that while the weather in Saint Petersburg is at times quite rainy, there are many of nice sunny days to enjoy.
Russian Women are more beautiful
In contrast to some of the other Russian stereotypes we came across, this was in fact one that fans we spoke to thought was true! One French fan in particular thought that on average women he crossed in the street were more attractive here in Russia than in his native France, and there was a general consensus amongst other fans we interviewed.
We’ve had many surprises in this World Cup. From Russia beating Spain to England making it to the semi-finals (it’s coming home). However, the nicest one has certainly been realising that we have much more in common than we originally thought.
Let us know your experiences of Russian stereotypes on our Facebook page!
BONUS
Bear cavalry
Sadly, the Russian bear cavalry exists only in our Western imaginarium.
