I was born in Russia but it just happened that the last part of my life I spent in the US. The idea of this site hit me after I accidentally came across a site called Real Japan. (looks like somebody else is on this address now. That's a pity. 01/21/01) I liked it a lot. There is a wealth of information, neat design and good pictures (what? you're still here?) BUT I especially liked that the author somehow manages to give smart answers to most of the questions (even to not so smart ones) and from my own experience I know how hard it is. Also, it looks like the author of that site and I share another common experience - for living in the US people of different descend the real problem is usually not hostility but ignorance. Conveniences, such as turning English into a worldwide language and familiar fast food joints and hotels in every country played a bad jock to their creators - Americans. They don't have to learn if they don't want to and being pretty much as lazy as the rest of the world, they mostly don't want to. The gap is filled with the stereotypes.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that strerotypes are always bad. Stereotype is a helpful reaction of our brain on large volume of new information. (That's my definition, correct me if I'm wrong). Imagine your first visit to a foreign country. What you see is fairly accurate image of this country, like a color video with sounds and smells, but because it is so accurate it is also overloaded with the details. At first, you can not see any system in all these new signs, ideas, words, dances, dogs, cars and so on and your mind deals with that by using a simplified drawing of this image. This way, different culture looks like a few dishes from national restaurant plus a set of stereotypes and your brain has no problem with that amount of information. It's helpful at first but it really limits you if you decide to keep using the dull drawing instead of the full-color, singing and moving picture. My Chinese friends were laughing when they brought me to the best REAL Chinese restaurant in the city and my order started with - you damn right, a cup of Wanton soup.
So, I guess this page is for those who is ready to turn in the drawing and get the video. It is NOT a comprehensive resource of materials about Russia, it's just a starting point. It will not provide you with the videotape but it'll show where you can get one.
P.S. This page also might be handy if you have a date with a Russian in 10 minutes and don't want to say something really stupid, so may be you should bookmark it, who knows. :)
That's it, folks, follow the link below!