Starting to date online or in real life with a girl from Russia is one thing, but many people think that after you have done this all of the problems are in the past. Unfortunately it is not quite so after all. One of the further problems that might occur during dating Russian girls is how to behave during the real date or in other worlds what to say and what to do in order to make an excellent impression on your future bride and at the same time avoid the trap of Russian etiquette.
The first thing that often comes to the mind of a foreigner when he comes to Russia is that everybody is grey, unfriendly and reserved. But not everybody knows that this gloomy first impression has a certain reasons. First of all, ladies in Russia do not tend to trust strangers and that is quite reasonable. Second of all and this goes not only to women specifically but to all the Russians, they are not used to small talk. When people meet each other it is more likely that they say hello and move on. It doesn’t mean that future brides are not interested in you, it is more likely that it is the usual way of them to show that they expect a little more from their date than the usual etiquette implies.
However, when it comes to the meeting at home there goes another courting trait that many Russians are known for and it is called hospitality. When your date from Russia invites you home, be ready that a huge meal with probably everything that is edible in the house will be on the table. Russian hospitality goes far beyond just simple meal; it also concerns the drinks as well. In that case a perfect tip for how to drink properly at Russian home will be the rule of never drinking down in order. This means that say if you start drinking wine never go down to beer, or if you were offered vodka, keep in mind that this will be you drink for the rest of the meal because all the rest beverages have lower dosage of alcohol.
One trickier thing that is connected with Russian etiquette is gender roles. Ladies from Russia expect the men to be the men. It means that if you want to make a good impression on you future wife you are to bring the flowers (and be sure that it is odd number, in other case it will be associated with the funeral), open the door in front of women; offer to sit first in public places and transport. All these are not something out of the usual behavior that a man is supposed to act.
Russia might be considered a modern country, but when it comes to gender roles every girl or woman and even granny expects that a man is a hero, protector and a bread winner while these girls and women are considered a weaker sex. You have to keep in mind, however, that it applies only to the dating, because in all the rest cases the gender roles might be slightly different from family to family depending on the social status, upbringing and many other features.
Finally, the most important thing that a man needs to know when having a relationship with a girl from Russia is that a man is expected to pay for the dinner. It doesn’t mean that once a man done this he will be doing this for the rest of his life, but if you want to make a good impression, make sure to take the paying initiative in your hands. By the way, some of the girl after this gesture will offer to go Dutch or even pay themselves. In this case try to be gentle and offer to pay once again. This is another typically Russian thing – you have to offer three times in order to hear an honest answer.
