You know you have been to Russia too long when...

Ingrid

You know you have been to Russia too long when:
2. You have to think twice about throwing away an empty instant coffee jar.
3. You carry a plastic shopping bag with you "just in case".
4. You say he/she is "on the meeting" (instead of "at the" or "in the meeting).
5. You answer the phone by saying "allo, allo, allo" before giving the caller a chance to respond.
6. You save table scraps for the cats living in the courtyard.
8. In winter, you choose your route by determining which icicles are least likely to impale you in the head.
9. You are impressed with the new model Lada or Volga car.
10. You let the telephone ring at least 4 times before you pick it up because it is probably a miss-connection or electric fault.
11. You hear the radio say it is zero degrees outside and you think it is a nice day for a change.
13. You actually know and CARE whether Spartak won last night.
15. You are pleasantly surprised when there is toilet paper in the WC at work.
20. Your day seems brighter after seeing that goon's Mercedes broadsides by a pensioner's "Moskvich".
22. Your not sure what to do you when the "GAI" (traffic cop) only asks you to pay the official fine.
23. You wonder what the tax inspector really wants when she says everything is in order.
24. You give a 10% tip only if the waiter has been really exceptional.
25. You plan your vacation around those times of the year when the hot water is turned off.
29. You go mushroom and berry picking out of necessity instead of recreation.
30. You develop a liking for beets.
31. You begin to socialize with your driver and/or your cleaning lady.
34. You know seven people whose favorite novel is "The Master and Margarita".
35. You change into tapki (slippers) and wash your hands as soon as you walk into your apartment.
39. You can read barcodes, and you start shopping for products by their country of production.
40. You begin to refer to locals as "nashy" (ours).
41. It doesn't seem strange to pay the GAI $2.25 for crossing the double line while making an illegal U-turn, and $35 for a microwaved dish of frozen vegetables at a crappy restaurant.
43. You know more than 60 Olgas.
44. You wear a wool hat in the sauna.
48. 'Remont', 'pivo' and 'nalivai' become integral parts of your vocabulary.
51. You think metal doors are a necessity.
54. You remember how many kilos you weigh - but forget how many pounds.
57. You actually enjoy shopping at the rynok, and you think that Ramstore is the most advanced supermarket you've ever been to.
60. You look for kvas and kefir in the supermarket, and ask to buy half a head of cabbage.
61. You see a car behind you with flashing lights and think it's some politician.
62. You don't feel guilty about not paying on the trolley.
67. The sellers at the rynok start calling you by your patronymic only.
71. You start buying Russian toilet paper.
72. You look in the mirror to turn away bad luck if you have to return home to pick something up you've forgotten.
73. You catch yourself whistling indoors and feel guilty.
80. (For women) When you dress up in your best outfits for work and ride the metro.
81. When the word "salad" ceases for you to have anything to do with lettuce.
82. When mayonnaise becomes your dressing of choice.
83. When you begin paying attention to peoples' floors and can distinguish the quality of linoleum and/or parquet, and thus determine social status, taste, and income e.g. embezzled, earned, pension, unpaid, etc.).
85. You do all your shopping at kiosks.
88. You laugh at Russian jokes.
89. You actually get these jokes.

Jormundgand

Ingrid, Не все понял. Можешь перевести (сорри за обращение на "ты")?

Ingrid

Отдельные слова и предложения?

Cavedweller

Dansker shall punish you for those messages in Russian

Toriya

ndja!!!! a moz i pravda nekotoroe... )

Dansker

Cavedweller,
No. It's okay if you want to translate it.

Ingrid

Why is it always about punishment in Russia? Must be deep in the subconsciousness.
I don't know about those born in 1980s but the ones born in 1990s are most probably the generation that is finally free.

Cavedweller

I was born in 1980s..

Ormrinn

Nope. Quite the contrary. 80's people were growing up when all state institutions were broken up, nobody cared about ideology, patriotic frame of mind, "Russian Idea" and all kinds of such artificial crap. Disorganized time. I can't call it "happy" or something, but, on the other hand, I don't regret. 90's generation is not "finally free", it's even more confined then we were.

deardron

In parts it's free, in parts it's got new obsessions that were unknown to us.

Ingrid

In what way do you think they are more confined?

I can only speak hypothetically, of course, but I see their faces and I hear them talk in marshrutkas. And they talk about things we never discussed. And they don't talk about them as if these things were a problem, they talk about them as a given or at least as something highly probable. They discuss where they will travel this year and to how many countries they have already been and where they will live and work after they graduate and whether they will buy a house or an apartment and whether they will move out of Moscow as soon as they save up enough for a house or whether they will stay because they like it there etc. etc. etc. While two babushkas at the back of the marshrutka grumble about how they hate them because they allegedly have way too much money and just don't know where to spend it.
But when I look at these students I smile because I think these people have a more open mind than I do Because could we? And would we ever - even think of ever buying a house when we were students?

I'd suppose their motto is Everything is possible, 'All roads are open'.
And may be they can do more with that kind of attitude.

Of course, there must also be lots of those who are lazy and indifferent but I wasn't talking about them now.

And no, I don't regret either. It was even fun. But it's fun only after it's over

Ormrinn

And that is your idea of open mind? To think about buying the house? Nah!

Ingrid

It was just an example. An example of a different way of thinking and a different way of seeing things and the world around.

And if your mind is more open by default, you can (may be) achieve more. And by achievement I don't mean buying a house by the sea but many other things including professional success etc.